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more powerful attraction to the imagination 

 than the querulous temper, and distrustful au- 

 sterity of old nations which seem to have worn 

 out every thing, their happiness, their hope, and 

 their belief in human perfectibility. 



The great struggle during which Venezuela 

 has fought for its independence, has lasted more 

 than twelve years. That period has been fruit- 

 ful, as civil commotions are for the most part, 

 in heroism, generous actions, guilty errors and 

 irritated passions^ The sentiment of common 

 danger has strengthened the ties between men 

 of various races, who, spread over the steppes 

 of Cum ana, or insulated on the table-land of 

 Cundinamarea, have a physical and moral or- 

 ganization as different as t he climate under which 

 they live. The mother-country has several 

 times regained possession of some districts ; but 

 as revolutions are always renewed with more 

 violence when the evils that produce them can 

 no longer be remedied, these conquests have 

 been transitory. In order to facilitate and give 

 greater energy to the defence of this country, 

 the governing powers have been concentrated, 

 and a vast state has been formed from the 

 mouth of the Oronooko to the other side of the 

 Andes of Riobamba, and the banks of the Ama- 

 zon. The Capitania-general of Caraccas has 

 been united to the vice-royalty of New Grenada, 

 from which it was only separated entirely in 



