306 SPANISH AMERICA. 



date of the letter from Captain Beaver to 

 Sir Alexander Cochrane, a considerable 

 number of the most respectable families of 

 Caraccas presented a petition to the Cap- 

 tain-general Casas, for permission to elect 

 a Junta similar to those which had been 

 established in Spain. This request was not 

 only refused, but the petitioners, including 

 the Marquis del Toro, the Marquis de Casa- 

 Leon, the Count del Tobar, Count San-Xa- 

 vier, and many others, were arrested : they 

 were, however, released, after being con- 

 fined for a few days. 



At Buenos-Ayres the Viceroy Liniers, 

 towards the end of July 1808, was inform- 

 ed by an envoy from Napoleon Bonaparte, 

 who arrived there in a French brig, of the 

 events which had taken place in the Pe- 

 ninsula. Liniers, after consulting the Ca- 

 bildo and the Audiencia, issued a procla- 

 mation, exhorting the people to remain 



