SUCCESSES OF THE PATRIOTS. 507 



The Congress, however, and Bolivar in- 

 sisted upon an acknowledgment of the 

 independence of Colombia; and after some 

 further correspondence, the commissioners 

 sent by Spain, having no power to treat 

 upon that basis, were not received. 



Hostilities in the mean time went on : 

 Colonel Montilla and Admiral Brion at- 

 tacked and captured Savenilla, a port at 

 the western mouth of the Magdalena, — in 

 consequence of which the whole country in 

 that quarter declared for the patriots ; and 

 Massa, a partisan officer, having descended 

 the Magdalena from Bogota, with a body of 

 volunteers in eight canoes, captured fourteen 

 Spanish gun-boats at Teneriffe. The whole 

 course of the Magdalena, from Bogota to 

 Savanilla, was now opened to the patriots ; 

 Carthagena alone remaining in the posses- 

 sion of the Spaniards, and which was in- 

 vested by Montilla and Garcia. 



Bolivar, having given up his project of 



