described; the streets, and even the houses, were heaped up with dead bodies, or with those who were expiring; the atmosphere was in a pestilential state, which nearly stopped respiration; groans and lamentations assailed our ears." Castillo and other distinguished patriots were executed. Before Bolivar could mature his scheme for the relief of Carthagena, that city had fallen; and he once more turned his attention to Venezuela. Many guerilla parties, as in the peninsula war, were now formed, and inflicted much annoyance on the enemy. In company with a wealthy and patriotic Curaçoan, named Brion, he fitted out an expedition of a thousand troops from Aux Cayes, and proceeded to Margarita, where the standard of revolt had been successfully raised. On the way he took two Spanish men-of-war, and early in May, 1816, landing on the island, gained complete possession of it. He next took Carupano, on the main-land, and proceeding to other ports, issued a proclamation, declaring that "justice and policy demand the emancipation of the slaves, and henceforth there shall be but one class of people in Venezuela-all shall be citizens." At these unexpected successes of the patriots, the rage of the royalists was unbounded, and they inflicted the greatest cruelties on all within their power. Bolivar now unfortunately divided his little army, placing a part under the command of McGregor, a Scotchman, and being attacked by the Spanish troops, under Morales, was defeated, with a loss of two hundred men, and of nearly all his best officers. The victor then pursued McGregor, with such confidence of success, that he dispatched to Caraccas, in advance, official accounts of the defeat and death of that officer, and the capture of his entire force; nevertheless, coming up with him at last, was himself completely beaten in the two actions of Alacran and Juncal, and the republican officer took possession of Barcelona. Bolivar, after his defeat, proceeded to Margarita, where he summoned a congress, and then repairing to Barcelona, formed a provisional government, and repulsed the attacks of Morales and Real with great loss. Most of Guiana had also now been gained by the patriots, under Piar. Morillo, after taking Carthagena, had invaded New Granada, with an overwhelming force, in three several directions. The congress of that state had bravely opposed what resistance they could, either entering the army or traversing the provinces to excite the people. A number of battles and skirmishes were fought, in most of which the royalists had the advantage; and finally, in the sanguinary con flict of Cachira, the flower of the Granadan army perished, and the survivors fled to Los Llanos. In June, 1816, Morillo entered Santa Fe de Bogota, and, with the customary policy of the colonial agents, at once commenced the work of proscription and execution. More than six hundred persons, prominent in the affairs of the government or the army, were shot, hanged, or exiled, and the prisons were filled with others, awaiting their fate. Yet, in his dispatches, that commander vaunts of having "displayed that clemency, so much recommended by the king, which was unbounded." Many of the victims were men of peace, eminent for their science and learning, but had incurred the hatred of the Spanish authorities by their eloquent denunciations of tyranny. "In Santa Fe," writes the victor, "there are but few blacks and mulattoes. In Venezuela a considerable part of the white population has perished in the revolution. The inhabitants of Santa Fe are timid, those of Venezuela bold and sanguinary. In Santa Fe much has been published during the revolution, and the learned have ruled all with their pens; but in Caraccas they displayed earlier the naked sword. All is effected by the rebels from Venezuela. They are like ferocious beasts when they fight in their own country; and if they get able commanders, it will require many years to subdue them, and even then it will be done at the expense of much blood and considerable sums of money." * * * In November, 1816, to suppress the Venezuelans, Morillo, with two thousand men, took up his march for Caraccas. He was attacked on the way by the patriots, under Paez, with considerable success; but in the absence of Bolivar, the town of Barcelona, the only post of importance held by the republicans, on the 7th of April, 1817, was taken by the royalists. In the following month, they were reinforced by the arrival of sixteen hundred men from Spain. This loss was in some degree compensated by the fall of Angostura, the capital of Guiana, which surrendered to the united arms of Bolivar and Piar, and the seizure of the whole province by the patriot forces. This acquisition was of the highest importance to the cause of the republicans, as it enabled them to cut off the supplies of the enemy, to hold free communication with their stronghold of Margarita, and to receive supplies from the West Indies. To subdue that refractory island, the scene of their earliest repulses, the Spaniards, in June, dispatched an expedition of seven vessels; and in the following month (July 14th, 1817) Morillo in person, with three thousand five hundred troops and additional naval forces, proceeded there in person. He took by storm, after a desperate resistance, the fortress of Pampatar, the strongest on the island, and resolved utterly to exterminate all who resisted. The entire population of the island was about twenty thousand, and all who could bear arms determined on fighting to the last. With such gallantry and obstinacy did they contest the campaign, that, after fighting five battles, and inflicting the most atrocious butcheries on all who fell into his hands, the savage Morillo, having lost a thousand of his troops, was compelled to relinquish the attempt at subjecting them. A more signal instance of patriotism and determination has seldom been witnessed on a theatre so small as this little island, the earliest of the provinces in successful resistance to tyranny. In October, 1817, a lamentable incident occurred in the treason of General Piar, who had fought with bravery and good success for the republican cause, and who suffered execution as the punishment of his ambitious schemes. On the 11th of the following month, the Venezuelan congress once more assembled at Angostura, and rëelected Bolivar as president of the republic. The prospects of the patriots had brightened exceedingly-Guiana, Casinare, Pamplona, Barinas and portions of other provinces having been recovered by them; but Bolivar, who, in conjunction with the brave Paez, made a vigorous campaign against the enemy, was unable, as yet, to expel them from Venezuela, and, after considerable fighting, returned to Guiana. These operations, though not attended with immediate success, were of great advantage to the republicans, who were thus trained to the art of war, and of equally great detriment to the Spaniards, whose number, already limited, was thus seriously diminished. The name of Morillo could still inspire hatred, but no longer dismay and despair. CHAPTER VI. ATTITUDE OF FOREIGN NATIONS.-BRITISH VOLUNTEERS.- GRATITUDE OF THE PEOPLE.-UNION OF THE STATES OF THE PATRIOTS. DURING this terrible internecine warfare, which had now lasted for nearly nine years, the patriots of Venezuela and New Granada had sustained themselves, unaided, against the powerful royalist factions and the forces dispatched from Spain to effect their resubjugation. Unsuccessful application for assistance had been made to the British government, and several missions, with no better fortune, had been dispatched to the United States of America-that country, still feeble and in its infancy, not daring, as yet, to hazard its newlyacquired liberties by any unnecessary step, involving a war with the European powers. Overtures for the same purpose were finally made to Napoleon himself, the very enemy to resist whom the initiatory steps of revolution had been taken; but when arrangements were actually making for the effective aid of the republicans, the battle of Leipsic, crippling the power of the emperor at home, left him without the means of aiding the cause of freedom in South America. Some tardy movements in favour of acknowledging the independence of the suffering provinces at length took place in the United States, and some volunteers, with supplies of munitions, were afforded by private sympathy. To the honour of the British nation, consid erable numbers of its people embarked in the same generous cause. In 1818 and 1819, several hundred volunteers, with large supplies of arms and munitions, and commanded by experienced officers, arrived at Margarita, and were soon transported to the main-land. Bolivar now resolved on carrying the war into New Granada. where the royalists, for some time, had been completely in the ascendant. The particulars of this remarkable campaign, one of the most brilliant, considering the small forces engaged, on record, must be briefly detailed. Taking with him a force of picked troops, including the British auxiliaries, the president, in the month of April, commenced a march obstructed by extraordinary difficulties. "The rainy season," he reports, "had commenced, and the plains presented only vast sheets of inundation; the frozen summits of the Andes lay in our route; the sudden mutations of adverse climates. were to be encountered; a well-disciplined army, three times our own number, were in front of us, and occupying all the military positions of those regions." At Casanare, where he was joined by Santander, he issued an eloquent proclamation to the people of New Granada. In a terrible march, lasting an entire month, through that province, the patriots underwent the greatest hardships and sufferings. They finally came upon the enemy at La Guya, on the 27th of June, 1819, and dislodged them from a strong position, which might have been made good, even against an overwhelming force. A succession of brilliant victories ensued. On the 1st of July, in the Valley of Sagamoso, in Tunja, Bolivar encountered the royalist army, under Bareyro, and, after an obstinate conflict, protracted till late in the night, compelled it, in great disorder, to retreat. On the 25th of the same month, at Pantano de Bargas, after a battle of five hours, contested with great desperation, the royal forces were again defeated, and fled in confusion, leaving their artillery, baggage, and treasure on the field. Pursued by the army of liberation, they were overtaken, on the 7th of August, at the bridge of Boyaca, and again suffered a defeat so overwhelming as almost to decide the fate of the Their general, with a great number of officers and sixteen hundred men (more than half their number), were made prisoners; a great quantity of munitions of war fell into the hands of the patriots; and the relics of the royalist troops, pursued by Santander, fled from the scene of action. war. On receipt of this startling intelligence, the viceroy, Samana, precipitately quitted Santa Fe, leaving all his military stores and a treasure of some millions of dollars. The whole fell into the hands of the patriot army, who were received at the capital of New Granada with the utmost exultation; and Bolivar, his title of Liberator confirmed by these extraordinary exploits and their splendid result, was welcomed by the people with a transport of joy and enthusiasm. He had, indeed, well earned their gratitude and admiration, having in the brief space of three months, in the face of innumerable natural obstacles, defeated and dispersed an army three times greater than his own, and liberated, in rapid succession, the most oppressed prov. |