ing also defeated, retreated into the city, and having summoned the provisional junta, informed them, that they had nothing left but to make the best terms they could with the enemy. A parley ensued, in which the Junta de manded of general Bermudez, whether he would adhere to that article of the treaty of Truxillo by which the treatment of conquered places was regulated, and, being answered in the affirmative, they declared themselves ready to meet him as friends. Those adherents of the Spanish government, who considered their safety to be compromised, fled to La Guayra, the sea-port of Caraccas, where they shipped all the property they could collect on board the ships in the harbour, and sailed for Porto Cabello. The independents, however, after remaining in possession of Caraccas 12 days, were driven out of it on the 25th of May by the royalists, who, on the following day, succeeded also in regaining possession of La Guayra. Colonel Pereyra was left with 1,500 men to defend Caraccas against Bermudez.

After some engagements of no importance, Pereyra was constrained to fall back, and the inhabitants of La Guayra, menaced with a new invasion, removed, on the 22nd of June, to Porto Cabello. On the 23rd, Bermudez entered Caraccas to attack Pereyra's division, but he was defeated and put to flight by the latter, who forced him to a distance of seven or eight leagues from the city. In the mean time, both parties had concentrated their forces in the interior; and, on the 24th of June, a battle was fought at Carabobo, in which the

patriots gained a complete victory.

The two armies were of nearly equal numbers, each consisting of about 6,000 men: the royalists under Morales and La Torre; the patriots commanded by Bolivar in person, assisted by Paez and Sedeno. Bolivar, having assembled his divisions in the plain of Tinquilla on the 23rd, marched the next morning to attack the head-quarters of the enemy. His right was under colonel Plaza; the centre under general Sedeno; the left, consisting of the British battalion, one of Spanish infantry, and a corps of 1,500 horse, was commanded by general Paez, who had already distinguished himself throughout the whole war, by extraordinary skill, intrepidity, and good fortune. After a rapid and orderly, though difficult march, across the mountains and defiles which separated them from the Spaniards, the patriots at 11 in the forenoon filed off by their left, under the enemy's fire, and crossed a rivulet, where only one man could pass at a time; although the enemy, posted on a height from that point inaccessible, commanded the whole movement without attempting to disturb it. Paez, then, at the head of his two battalions, and one regiment of cavalry, attacked the right of the Spaniards with such boldness, that in half an hour they were routed and driven off the field. The British troops under colonel Ferrier, were in' front of the conflict, and suffered severely. Not more than a fifth of the patriotic army was engaged. As a proof of the degree to which the spirits of the South American officers were roused against their European enemy,

may be mentioned the desperate conduct, and even voluntary fate of two of their principal officers. General Sedeno," enraged," says Bolivar," that the nature of the ground was such as to prevent the advance of his division from joining in the action before the enemy gave way, charged alone a mass of Spanish infantry, and bravely perished in the midst of it." CoÎonel Plaza, whose corps was equally hindered from advancing, made a like assault upon another body of the enemy, and lost his life while summoning it to surrender. The Spanish army was hotly pursued, and totally ruined -the remnant which arrived at Porto Cabello, not much exceeding 400 men, Bolivar's loss did not exceed 200 in killed and wounded. Pereyra, who was then engaged in the pursuit of Bermudez, hearing of this event, was compelled to retire to La Guayra, where he arrived on the 2nd of July with 900 men, after a forced march of several days in almost impassable ravines. Bolivar, who enterred Caraccas on the 30th of

June, directed his route on La Guayra, and surrounded the place on all sides with a corps of about 4,000 men. Colonel Pereyra was thus shut up in La Guayra, where not a single inhabitant remained; he was without provisions, without stores, with a division of 900 men, whose sole nourishment for two days was the juice of some sugar-canes. Fortunately for him, the French rear-admiral Jurien anchored in the roadstead on the 3rd of July, by whose mediation a capitulation was agreed to. The place was to be immediately surrendered to the patriots; and the Spanish soldiers and officers were to

embark on board the French vessels with their arms and baggage. The terms were fixed and carried into execution on the 4th of July; and on the following evening, the Spanish garrison was landed in Porto Cabello.

Carthagena and Porto Cabello were now the principal places,: which Spain possessed in this quarter of South America; and as she was unable to keep the field against the independents, she was not likely to retain them long. General La Torre took refuge in Carthagena. The siege was keenly pressed; the numerous gun-boats of the assailants obtained the command of the harbour; and, on the 25th of September, the fortress surrendered. Porto Cabello was also closely besieged. The Spanish naval force, which was stationed there, made some attempts in cruizing along the coast to harass the independents by occasional disembarkations. They were easily repulsed.

Bolivar visited the principal towns to superintend their military and political arrangements. The congress of Columbia, had, in the mean time, assembled, to exercise their legislatorial functions. The duties on imported commodities commodities were fixed, and measures were taken for the settlement of the country. Among the ordinances that were passed, those relating to slaves are particularly worthy of being mentioned. All the offspring of slaves in Columbia are declared free: their masters will bring them up and provide for them until their eighteenth year, and until that period enjoy their services. No. slaves can be sold beyond the province of their habitation, nor

can any children be separated' from their mothers. Slaves can no longer be imported, and a foreigner arriving in the ports of Columbia is allowed to introduce but one, under the denomination of a servant. Those slaves, who had performed useful services to the republic, were considered free. On the 1st of October, Bolivar was called upon to take the oath as president of Columbia; upon this, he addressed a letter to the president of the congress, declining the high honour; but the entreaties of that body overcame his reluctance; he took the oaths, and entered upon the duties of his magistracy. The congress, also passed votes of thanks to several foreigners, who had manifested a warm interest in the fortunes of Columbia; among whom, were lord Holland, Mr. Marryatt, and sir Robert Wilson. Towards the end of the year, the seat of government was removed to

Santa Fé di Bagota.

Early in the year, a formidable insurrection broke out in Mexico. Different chiefs took the field in different parts of that extensive region, against the Spanish authorities, and many skirmishes ensued, which terminated sometimes in favour of the one party, and sometimes in favour of the other. Though the insurgent chiefs do not appear to have acknowledged any one of their number as entitled to exclusive command; an individual of the name of Iturbide gradually acquired the principal authority among them. The Spaniards made a very vigorous resistance; but their cause was injured by their own dissensions. Apodaca, the viceroy, was deposed by the soldiery, and Novella was by the

same authority, declared his successor. Some time afterwards, general O'Donoju, who had been appointed to the vice-royalty by the Cortes, arrived in the province; and towards the end of August, without having had communication with Apodaca or Novella, or any of the leading men in Mexico, concluded at Cordova, a treaty with Iturbide, who now assumed the title of "first chief of the imperial army," and, in that treaty recognized the independence of Mexico. O'Donoju accompanied Iturbide's army to the city of Mexico, which, after some resistance, was surrendered by Novella, on condition that the Spanish troops should be embarked for Europe. Iturbide made his triumphal entry into the capital on the 27th of September. On the same day, he was named generalissimo by sea and land of the empire of Mexico, and under him a regency, composed of five members, was appointed. A supreme junta was also created, of which the bishop of Puebla was declared president. The establishment of the government was followed by the nomination of the different ministers and authorities: the oath they were required to take simply pledged them to adhere to the stipulations of the treaty of Cordova. O'Donoju died a few days afterwards. Towards the end of the year intelligence arrived, that the king and Cortes of Spain had refused to ratify the treaty of Cordova.

Buenos Ayres, and the provinces connected with it, enjoyed a much greater degree of tranquillity in this year, than in the preceding. Ramirez, who had obtained possession of

Entre Rios, renewed hostilities in the month of March; but, be ing defeated in an attempt to make himself master of Cordova, was taken prisoner and executed, The province of Salta, had long suffered under the tyranny of one Guernes, who had lately commenced hostilities with the neighbouring province of Tucuman. The municipality of Salta, rose against their oppressor, and deposed him: attempting to resist, he perished by a musket ball. Somewhat later, Carrera, another disturber of the peace, was taken prisoner and put to death. The country was not only tranquil, but, from experience of the miseries of dissension, seemed disposed to acquiesce in the establishment of a regular system of government. Deputies to a general congress arrived at Cordova, from several of the provinces. The important question which they were to discuss, was the framing of a constitution, suitable to the spirit of the times and the circumstances of the country.

The province of Buenos Ayres itself was in a state of undisturbed quiet; and its government grew daily in strength and solidity, both by its moderate and conciliatory measures, and by the accession of men, who to political talents added the rarer quality of political virtue. Don Bernardino Rivadavia, who, after having passed some years in Paris and London, as envoy from the provinces of the Rio de la Plata, had lately returned to his native country, now filled the office of first secretary of state, and, leaving to less experienced heads, the easier task of vain speculation, and of talking or writing on

the theory of a constitution, devoted his labours to the introduction of practical improvements in the various branches of the administration.

The Chilian army and fleet, under San Martin and lord Cochrane, continued their operations against Peru. Lord Coch rane, besides taking many prizes from the Spaniards, detained and seized several British vessels, on the ground that they had violated the blockade of the Pe→ ruvian coast. Sir Thomas Hardy, the British admiral in these seas, interfered; and upon his repre sentations, the general blockade was modified by a decree of the Chilian government, dated the 22nd of June, and restrained in its operation to such ports as were actually commanded by lord Cochrane's squadron. In the blockade thus modified sir Thomas Hardy expressed his acquiescence. There still remained, however, a class of cases, which were attended with considerable difficulty. After the Chilian navy had acquired a decided superiority, and excluded supplies under the Spanish flag, the viceroy of Lima found it absolutely necessary, in spite of the most peremptory orders from Spain, not only to grant licenses to some merchants of Lima in payment for loans advanced, but also readily to admit every neutral vessel with goods, the duties on which might replenish his treasury. The Spanish traders in Cadiz and Rio Janeiro, in consequence, availed themselves of neutral shipping, principally British and North American, to supply the Lima market; the ships laden at Cadiz obtained new clearances at Gibraltar, and

British merchants lent their names to cover the property, and protect it from condemnation in Chili. Lord Cochrane seized many vessels so circumstanced, on the ground that the cargoes were Spanish property, and that an enemy's goods cannot be protected by a neutral flag or bottom. "Neutrals," said he, "are not to carry on a commerce in time of war, which they are excluded from in time of peace; nor have they a right to trade to the close colonies of another power, far less to supply the colonies of one belligerent at the expense of another." This was conceived to be a just application of the principles of maritime law, which Great Britain herself had always enforced; and it would have been so, had Chili and Spain stood exactly in the relation of two belligerent states with respect to Great Britain. But Chili had not yet been recognised as a sovereign power; and it was only as a sovereign power that it could advance such reasonings, or make such applications of them. The seizures, however, occasioned no rupture; the officers on both sides acted with temper; and most, if not all of the vessels, were ultimately restored.

San Martin, during the early part of the year, remained inactive. His army was much weakened by the prevalence of the tertian ague and fever. At one time, he had approached within seven leagues of Lima. But the viceroy Pezuela, knowing the disposition of the natives and the disaffection of the troops, carefully avoided an engagement, and, in his correspondence with San Martin addressed him in the style of civility, usual among

the nations of Europe. These proceedings were not agreeable to the taste of the municipality and consulado, principally composed of Spaniards. They issued a proclamation setting a price on the head of every officer, from San Martin downwards, in the Chilian army. On the 29th of January, the general officers of the royalist army in Lima deposed Pezuela, who had no alternative but to submit. In a manifesto which he published, he stated that he had resigned the command, because he was destitute of the means for resisting the enemy. Lacerna was named to succeed him; and under a new commander, the Spaniards began to entertain new hopes.

After another period of inactivity, an engagement took place near Pasco, between a Spanish division, under general Riccafort, and a Chilian corps commanded by general Arenales. The latter obtained a complete victory; the consequence was, that on the 23rd of May, an armistice for twenty days was concluded between Lacerna and San Martin, for the purpose of giving an opportunity of terminating all differences by negotiation. The armistice was afterwards prolonged; but the negotiations were without effect. Lacerna proposed that each party should remain in possession of what they now occupied, while a deputation should be dispatched to Spain, to obtain from the mother country the recognition of Peruvian independence. San Martin rejected, terms which were meant only to gain time for the weaker party; and military operations

were re-commenced.

On the 6th of July, Lacerna,