of the persons who appeared to have been principally involved it it,-it came out upon the trial, to the conviction of the jury, who thereupon acquitted the parties, that the government had been privy to all the proceedings of Miranda, and, by never so much as whispering their disapprobation, appeared of necessity, both to him and to his agents, to favour, though they deemed it impolitick at the time to countenance, his undertaking.

The particulars of the expedition to Caraccas, it is necessary for us entirely to pass over.* It failed, feeble as were the means employed in it, chiefly from the intelligence which had been treacherously conveyed to the Spaniards, and by the misconduct of the American shipmasters, over whom the general had not sufficient control. But it had this in it of benefit, that the careful protection of persons and property which Miranda maintained, removed every shadow of prejudice which the industry of the Spanish agents had been able to raise respecting the purity of his intentions, and had not the British commanders, who seconded his views, been induced to withdraw their support, and to urge the dereliction of the enterprise, by the false intelligence which reached the West Indies, of the conclusion of peace by lord Lauderdale; at any rate, had our government lent a very small assist ance, not a doubt can be entertained that the province of Caraccas would have then declared its indepen dence.t

The principal facts, together with the proclamations of general Miranda, documents of importance in forming a judgment of the whole bearings of this affair, may be found in a pamphlet, which we recommend as containing some correct information, not to be found any where else, entitled, "Additional Rea

sons for our immediately Emancipating Spanish America." By William Burke.

That this was the opinion of the best informed among the Spaniards themselves, appears from the following ex

The part which our country had in this expedition, it is still of some importance to explain. The prospect of the vast advantages to Great Britain, from the independence of that part of South America, which was the object of Miranda's immediate views, induced the British admiral on the station, sir Alexander Cochrane, to enter into a formal stipulation for certain means of operation he was to afford to the undertaking, and certain advantages which were to be yielded to his country in return. The governours, both of Dionisio Franco, director of the king's tract of an intercepted letter from Don revenues at Caraccas, to the governour of Cumana. "Un des hommes," says Depons [Voyage à la Terre Ferme, t. ii. p. 293] un des hommes de l'Espagne qui connoit le mieux les interets de sa nation."

"Caraccas, 16th August, 1806. "Miranda, despicable indeed, if left to his private resources alone, will, it appears to me, give us more to do than what we thought, if supported, as he appears to be, by the English; although the assistance they have until now given him be reduced to the not disapproving only of his enterprise.

"He effected his landing at Coro without any resistance, because the garrison of that interesting point, was reduced to 200 fusilcers of the militia alone; and although they might have armed more than 1000 men, they had no arms for the pur

pose, and in the same case, we find, are

now all the inhabitants of these provinces.

"With this information, the captain general of the province has marched with all the armed force he could collect; but it will be a month before he can reach will find him already intrenched, and in Coro; in which place, it is probable he a situation to make good his retreat. That, in my opinion, will be the least of the evils which may happen to us; because, if the English give him any assistance, let it be ever so little, and offer him support, his situation is the most advantageous of all those he could have chosen in all these coasts, as the peninsula of Paraguana may afford them a situ long as they are masters of the sea; and ation to establish another Gibraltar, as it may happen that this spark of fire, that appears nothing, may finish by devouring the whole continent, &c.

(Signed) "DIONISIO FRANCO."

Trinidad and Barbadoes, allowed the general to recruit in these islands, and even from the militia. But after a little time, the admiral wrote to him, that "by recent instructions received from England, he was directed to limit the assistance general Miranda was to receive from him, to protection from the naval force of the enemy, to prevent succours being landed, and to secure his reembarcation, in the event of his being obliged to leave the shore." It is probable, that the negotiations at Paris, in which the ministers were then engaged, and their hopes of peace, were the sole motives of the reserve which they embraced on this occasion. That they had by no means determined against the great plan of emancipation, as some of their enemies have been busy to insinuate, we are happy to be able to prove, by the succeeding passage of the same letter. "I am further directed," says the admiral, "to send by a fast sailing vessel, full details of the situation in which the continent of South America now stands, in order that his majesty's ministers may finally decide as to the measures they may take." In consequence of the above, he adds, "a schooner attends captain Dundas of the Elephant, to Coro, which schooner will receive on board your despatches, and immediately proceed to England." He concludes by saying: "I think it proper to give you this early information, lest you should be led to expect a military force to arrive for your support; a circumstance I am ignorant of being in the contemplation of his majesty's government; but, should any arrive, you may depend on its being forwarded to you without loss of time." In another letter, ten days later, he says: "I wish I could send you five or six regiments; and if the negotiations for peace blow off, I do not despair of a force arriving from England, to place you in perfect security."

The extraordinary events which immediately followed the rupture of the negotiations at Paris, and the removal from his majesty's councils, which soon succeeded, of the ministers by whom that negotiation was conducted, afforded them no opportunity of recommencing any operations for the emancipation of South America; and the facility with which they allowed themselves to be drawn into the support of the schemes of conquest, so injudiciously undertaken by sir Home Popham, deranged all their views with regard to that great object of policy. Of the memorable expedition to Buenos Ayres, the history is too well known to require any recapitulation in this place. Its effects, with regard to the great and salutary plan of liberation, have been twofold. It has certainly shaken, and that violently, the confidence of the American people in the British government. They had been told, from the highest authority, that the views of that government were sole. ly to aid them in procuring their independence; yet the first army they behold, comes both for conquest and for plunder.* However, it has

* A proclamation, transmitted by lord Melville, then secretary of state, and circulated on the coasts of Spanish America by the governour of Trinidad, in 1797, calling upon the inhabitants to resist the oppressive authority of the Spanish government, assures them, "that measures have been taken to support them by means of them with arms and ammunition, merely the British naval force, and to supply

to enable them to maintain their commercial independence, without any desire on the part of the king of England, to acquire any right of sovereignty over them, or to interfere with their civil, political, or religious rights; unless they themselves should in any degree solicit his protection." Let us consider the effect which this proposal was calculated to make upon the minds of the people of South America, when contrasted with the conduct directed to be pursued in the instructions to the assailants of Buenos Ayres. In the instructions to general Whitelocke [See the documents published in the Appen

had this fortunate effect, that it has given us, nationally, a much juster idea than we formerly possessed, of the value of the South American population. It has turned the publick curiosity more forcibly toward that quarter of the world; and it has afforded us some precious evidence of the desire which pervades South America to shake off the yoke of a foreign government, and assume the guidance of its own affairs.

The men who had succeeded to power, when general Miranda returned to England, were prepared to embark in the scheme with real energy. After various delays, a force was at last assembled. And it has been oftener than once publickly stated, we believe, with perfect accuracy, that the expedition which was prepared at Cork last summer, and which was to be commanded by sir Arthur Wellesley, was intended to cooperate with Miranda in the long projected measure of emancipating South America; and, had not the extraordinary revolution which broke out in Spain given to those forces a different destination, it is probable that, by this time, that important measure would at length have been accomplished.

We are now once more at peace with the Spanish nation; and, of

In

dix to Whitelocke's Trial, p. 8.] is the following passage. "With the force above stated, you will proceed to execute the service intrusted to you, by the reduction of the province of Buenos Ayres under the authority of his majesty' the next page, he is directed "not to introduce into the government any other change than that which must necessarily arise from the substitution of his majesty's authority for that of the king of Spain." In the instructions likewise to general Crauford respecting Chili, he is commanded to make no other changes" than that of placing the country under his majesty's protection and government;” and told, "that the form of the former government is to be preserved, subject only to the changes which the substitution of his majesty's authority for that of the king of Spain may render inevitable."

VOL. II.

course, all idea of using force to detach her colonies is out of the question. We are not only at peace, but we are in alliance with her. A generous sympathy with a people contending for their independence has had, at least, as much share in producing that alliance, as our common hostility to their oppressor. We are bound, therefore, by every consideration of national honour, to abstain, while this struggle lasts, from any step which might admit of being construed into an injury or offence to our allies. If the Spaniards, therefore, should succeed in repelling their invaders, and should remain in peace and alliance with us, we must renounce, of course, all notion of emancipating her colonies without her consent. Incalculably beneficial as such an event would be for us, and even for Spain herself, and impossible as it might be for any efforts of her's long to prevent its occurrence, still we conceive, that the relations of peace and amity in which we should stand with that power, would prevent us from interfering to promote it, and tie up our hands from attempting to separate from her those dependencies, upon which she still set a value, although she might really derive no benefit from their possession, and might be guilty of the greatest oppression with regard to them. If it were possible, therefore, for us to entertain those pleasing views on the probable issue of the present contest in Spain, to which some of our more sanguine countrymen seem still to adhere, we should only have to say, that we should trust with some confidence, that the same spirit and intelligence which had been triumphant in Europe, would be just and generous in America. And that the amended government and enlightened councils of regenerated Spain, would relax the severity of its control over its remote dependencies, and yield, spon taneously, to its transatlantick chil

"Lady Drawcansir came to me last night: Oh! my dear ma'am, I am in such a fright;

They've drawn me for a man, and what is

worse,

I am to soldier it, and mount a horse: Must wear the breeches!'-Says I, 'don't deplore

What in your husband's life you always wore," &c.

Notwithstanding the radiance shed around him by these, and a hundred other verses, nearly equal to them in glory, Mr. M. P. A. absolutely startles our credulity by affirming, with apparent seriousness, that "he was not dazzled with his good fortune." p. 529.

He next produces a list of his numerous farces,-farces of which the very names have perished from all memory but his own,—and, that no possible wish may remain ungratified, in a matter of such moment, he considerately subjoins "the cast of the characters at Covent Garden."

A rapid transition is then made from poetry to politicks, and we learn that Mr. M. P. A. has "sat during five successive parliaments, made one

Lastly-but the reader shall have it in his own words: and we must de the speaker the justice to say, that, in every requisite of fine language, what follows is, at least, equal to the very best parts of this curious exhibition of "Publick Characters."

"But it is chiefly as a member of the bon ton that colonel Andrews❞— [mark that, the colonel!] "has rendered himself conspicuous. His house is occasionally thrown open to the first company, and no private gentleman, perhaps, has ever possessed a more elegant assemblage of lords and ladies than have made their appearance at his routes. His noble withdrawing rooms, uniting with the brilliancy of an audience chamber all the effects of a conservatory, exhibit, amidst the severest rigours of winter, a parterre of blooming dutchesses, marchionesses, countesses, baronesses, &c. and had he realized his early inclinations, and repaired to the east, his harem, even if he had become a Turkish bashaw, would have turned pale at the sight of so many fine specimens of British beauty." p. 532.

THIS is a very entertaining and useful book, exceedingly well calculated to make young persons acquainted with certain familiar parts of natural history of which it is a disgrace to be ignorant. The accounts are select ed from Pennant. White, Latham, Hearne, &c. The following anecdote of the common cock, is whimsical, and we are assured it is authentick.

"In a gentleman's yard in the country, who kept a stock of poultry, an old turkey cock used to take delight in chasing a young cock round the yard and orchard, and whenever he could overtake him used to fight him unmercifully; he also con. stantly drove him from his meat when

they were fed. As the cock grew and obtained strength, he began to resist this violence, and, after repeated battles, at last obtained the masterhood. The tables were now completely turned, and the cock exercised as much oppression over the turkey cock as he had before received from him. In fact, he could not come in sight of the cock but he was instantly chased round the premises, and it was a ludicrous sight to see so large a bird running with all his speed from an adversary so much smaller than himself. At last

he was found dead with his head and neck thrust into a heap of brushwood, where he had vainly expected to be sheltered from his exasperated antagonist, and thus fell a victim to his tyramy.”