232 L O N 
favour of colonial trade, was yet frefh and lively, intelli¬ 
gence was received at Caraccas, that all who had been 
concerned in the late revolutionary movements were pro¬ 
claimed to be traitors, and the ports of the province de¬ 
clared to be in a ftate of blockade, until the inhabitants 
Ihould recognize the regency of Cadiz as the true and le¬ 
gitimate reprefentatives of Ferdinand VII. An amnefty, 
however, was held out for what had palled, provided that 
fubmillion and obedience to government (liould be paid 
in future. Nothing could poflibiy exceed the weaknefs 
of this paffionate ebullition of impotent pride and arro¬ 
gance ! Even if the denounced blockade could have been 
enforced by a numerous fleet and army, the policy of it 
might well have been queftioned. 
The French government in Spain was of courfe defirous 
to gain over the colonies. King Jofeph addrefled the in¬ 
habitants of Spanilh America in a proclamation iflued at 
Madrid, March 22, 1810. He called them his dearfubjdils, 
and invited them to fubmit, and partake in the bleflings 
of his juIt and paternal government. But, if they Ihould 
not have a mind to do this, he counfelled them to have 
nothing to do with the rebellious and perfidious’junta, 
who, as well as the Englilh, had nothing in view but to 
deceive and plunder them ; and declare themfelves free, 
and independent of all nations in the world. Jofeph alfo 
fent emiffaries for the promotion of his interefts, by in¬ 
trigue, into the Spanilh provinces through North America. 
The regency, aware of thefe machinations, fent orders to 
the public authorities in Spanilh America, not to admit 
any one from the North-American frontier, without the 
molt fatisfaftory pafl'port. A gentleman, arrived from the 
Havannah at Liverpool, Augufi 1, writes to his friend in 
London as follows : “ In coming rotwid the Moro, we favv 
ten thoufand people furrounding a gallows, on which was 
fufpended one of Jofeph Bonaparte's emiflaries to Mexico, 
Don M. R. Aleman y Pena, a young man of twenty years 
of age, belonging to one of the fu ll families in Mexico, 
who was returning from college in Spain. He had ac¬ 
cepted of four or five hundred blank commiflions from 
Jofeph, for governors, generals, admirals, and other office¬ 
bearers, to be filled up at pleafure.” 
In molt of the provinces, juntas were formed by the 
leaders of the people for carrying on the government, ac¬ 
cording to the views taken by the refpedtive diftrifts of 
their relation to the mother-country. In ail, the autho¬ 
rity of Ferdinand VII. was recognifed ; but not that of 
the regency of Cadiz ; or, in other words, Ferdinand re- 
prefented by that council. The governments that lub- 
mitted to the regency, confidered thofe who did not as 
rebels. Commillioners were fent from Porto Rico, Mex¬ 
ico, New Mexico, Cuba, Spanifn Guiana, Monte Video, 
and the juntas or governments of fome other diftriets, to 
the regency of Cadiz, with afiurances of their attachment 
and zealous co-operation in fupport of the monarchy in 
all its members or branches. But by far the greateft por¬ 
tion of the Spanilh part of South America adopted the 
principles, and followed the example, of the Caraccas. 
The inhabitants of thofe fine countries were divided into 
twe parties—the Loyalifts, and the Independents; and 
their diflenfions fermented into flames of civil war. 
The junta of Caraccas.had very naturally reprefented 
their fituation and deiigns to the Britilh governor of the 
illand of Curacao, fo near the entrance into the gulf of 
Venezuela, foliciting his countenance and protection. 
The governor did not hefitate to enter into a friendly 
correlpondence with Caraccas; but, in circumftances lo 
new and important, required inftruftions from home for 
the diieftion of his conduct. It was necefl'ary for the 
Britilh government, at this critls, to make a public decla¬ 
ration of the iyftem on which it was to ait with regard to 
the Spanilh colonies ; and the earl of Liverpool, fecretary 
of Itate for war and the colonies, wrote a letter, June 29, 
jgio, to the governor of Curasao, brigadier-general Lid- 
yard, in which he fiated, that “ it was the firlt object of 
.his majefly, on being acquainted with the revolution in 
DON. 
Spain', to fecond the efforts of fo brave and loyal a people 
for maintaining the independence of the Spanilh monarchy 
in all parts of the world. In conformity to thele fenti- 
ments, and the obligations of jultice and good faith, his 
majefly tr.uft diicourage every Itep tending to ieparate the 
Spanilh provinces in America from the mother-country 
in Europe. If, however, contrary to his majelty’s willies 
and expectation, the Spanilh fiate in Europe ihould be 
condemned to fubmit to the yoke of the common enemy, 
whether by real compulfion, or a convention that Ihould 
leave only the fnadow of independence ; on the fame prin¬ 
ciples his majefly would think it his duty to afford every 
kind of (liltance to the provinces of America that Ihould 
render them independent of French Spain, open an alyl urn 
to Inch of the .Spaniards as Ihould dildain to fubmit to 
their oppreffors, regard America as their natural refuge, 
and preierve the remains of the monarchy to their lawful 
fovereign, if ever he Ihould recover his liberty. It was a 
fatisfaefion to his majefly to learn, by papers he had re¬ 
ceived, that what had palled in Caraccas was in a great 
meafure owing to the erroneous impreflions they had re¬ 
ceived of the defperate ftate of Spain. Thefe being re¬ 
moved, the inhabitants of Caraccas would be difpoled to 
renew their connections with Spain, as integral parts of 
the empire, on their being admitted to take their place in 
the Cortes of the kingdom.” Nothing could be more 
prudent than this conduCt of the Britilh government in a 
lituation fo new, delicate, and difficult. A copy of lord 
Liverpool's letter was communicated to the council of re¬ 
gency at Cadiz, and publiihed in all the Spanilh nevvf- 
papers,—We will juft obferve, that the noble fecretary 
Ihould not have tiled the word Caraccas , but Venezuela , of 
which the city of Caraccas is the capital. The province 
of Caraccas was - only one member ot the confederation of 
Venezuela, as above noticed ; (p. 231.) In our common 
books of geography, and particularly in the laft edition of 
Pinkerton’s Geography, the names of provinces are gene¬ 
rally confounded with thole of the department, or politi¬ 
cal divifion, to which they belong, and vice verja : which 
cannot fail to occafion much embarrallinent to Eng¬ 
lilh readers of newfpapers and other periodical publica¬ 
tions. The grand political divilions of Spanilh America 
are, four viceroyalties, and five general capitanias , or prin¬ 
cipalities, independent of the viceroys. The four vice¬ 
royalties are, Mexico or New Spain, New Grenada, Peru, 
and Buenos Ayres ; the five Hates, independent of thefe, 
are Cuba, Porto Rico, Guatimaia, Venezuela, and Chili. 
Tlie empire of France furnilhed, during this year, lome 
political events of a very interelling kind. The divorce 
of Jolephine from Napoleon, which was conducted with 
great dignity and decorum, (fee p. 198.) was a prelude, as 
might well be imagined, to a fecond marriage. Bona¬ 
parte, on the 27th of February, announced, by a meflnge 
to the fenate, that he had dilpatched his coulin, the prince 
of Neufchatel, to Vienna, to demand for him the hand of 
the archduchels Louil'a-Maria, daughter of the emperor 
Francis II. according to a contract that had been made, 
and of which the conditions were to be laid before them. 
The ceremony of marriage, in which the archduke Charles 
received the hand of his niece, as the reprefentative of 
Bonaparte, was performed on the nth of March. This 
was a grand lource of amulement in a great variety of 
ways, both to the volatile French and the ft iff and formal 
German nations : the feafts, the balls, the (hows, the poe¬ 
try, and the addrefles and other pieces in prole, to which 
it gave birth, were endlefs. From Vienna to Compiegne, 
the road by which the princefs palled leetned to be Itrewed 
with flowers. Paris leaped for joy. It was at.firft generally 
imagined, that Louil'a was an unwilling viftim to preierve 
her family from farther humiliation, if not total ruin. She 
appeared however gay, lively, and almoft playful, and de¬ 
lighted with her conquelt over a man who had conquered 
the world. But, while the face of France and its depen¬ 
dencies feemed to be brightened with joy, the well-wiihers 
to eltabliflied monarchies and the old order of things de¬ 
plored 
