Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 4.djvu/27

Rh the extent to which this evil was carried, and of the rapacity of the Spanish Government, it may be stated that a law was enacted for the express purpose of augmenting the number of the people liable to pay tribute. By it the Indians were obliged to marry, the men at the age of fifteen, the women at thirteen. The governor of each province was responsible to the Government for the amount of the tribute, which was regulated by a census of the tributary Indians, taken every seven years ; and in this many frauds were practised, the actual number being often underrated. Besides all these, the Peruvian Indians were long sub jected to another system of extortion no less grievous and unjust, the law of repartamiento. This was originally established with the best intentions, the governors or corregidors of the districts being intrusted with the charge of supplying the inhabitants under their care with such articles as they might require at a fair and equitable price. But the law, which had so plausible an origin, was shame fully abused ; and it was made compulsory on the Indian population to purchase worthless articles at an extrava gant price. The constant and extensive operation of these demoraliz ing practices, although more immediately affecting the aboriginal population, could not fail to produce the most pernicious effects on the Creoles or descendants of the Spaniards ; but, in addition to these causes of debasement, the latter were subjected to numerous unjust and oppres sive laws, all tending to paralyze their advancement. The raising of those vegetable products which form the principal objects of culture in Spain, as articles of com merce, was strictly prohibited to the South Americans, however favourable the soil and climate of their native country might be for the production of them. No kind of manufacture of cloth or articles of clothing was permitted which could interfere with the commerce of Old Spain, excepting only the coarse fabrics manufactured and worn by the Indians. Even the valuable mines of mercury and iron found in South America were, in a great measure, hermetically sealed by prohibitory decrees, lest they might interfere with the traffic carried on by Spain in these articles. And, not only was the commerce of South America confined entirely to Spain and prohibited with other nations, under the severest penalties, but the colonies w r ere not per mitted to have any commerce with each other. The grievances under which they suffered at length ex ceeded even the powers of endurance possessed by the pacific Indians, and gave rise to the insurrection of 1 780-81, led by the Inca Tupac Amaru, who spread fire and sword against everything Spanish from Cuzco to Jujuy; twice the city of La Paz was besieged by a force of 20,000 Indians ; and in the battle before that town Tupac Amaru was made prisoner and put to death in the most barbarous manner by the Spaniards. The insurrection was finally put down in 1782, and with it ended the last power of the Incas. The aboriginal population, having failed in their arduous under taking, after the destruction of great numbers of their nation, and finding their chains now rivetted with double force, never again recovered their wonted energies. This accounts for the comparative indifference with which they viewed the rise and progress of the war of independence. From the causes already stated, the v/ar of independence was principally carried on, as regards Bolivia, by the resources of, and in concert with, the neighbouring pro vinces of the llio de la Plata and Peru, all of which had equal cause to avenge themselves on their oppressors, but were placed in circumstances somewhat more fortunate for accomplishing their purpose. When the patriots of Buenos Ayres had succeeded in liberating from the dominion of Spain the interior provinces of the Rio de la Plata, they turned their arms against their enemies who held Upper Peru. An almost uninterrupted warfare followed, from July 1809 till August 1825, with alternate successes oil the side of the Spanish or royalist and the South American or patriot forces, the scene of action lying chiefly between the Argentine provinces of Salta and Jujuy and the shores of Lake Titicaca. The first movement of the war was the successful invasion of Upper Peru by the army of Buenos Ayres, under General Balcarce, which, after twice defeating the Spanish troops, was able to celebrate the first anniver sary of independence near Lake Titicaca, in May 1811. Soon, however, the patriot army, owing to the dissolute conduct and negligence of its leaders, became disorganized, and was attacked and defeated, in June 1811, by the Spanish army under General Goyeneche, and driven back into Jujuy. Four years of warfare, in which victory was alternately with the Spaniards and the patriots, was ter minated in 1815 by the total rout of the latter in a battle which took place between Potosi and Oruro. To this suc ceeded a revolt of the Indians of the southern provinces of Peru, and the object being the independence of the whole country, it was joined by numerous Creoles. This insur rection was, however, speedily put down by the royalists. In 1816 the Spanish general Laserna, having been appointed commander-in-chief of Upper Peru, made an attempt to invade the Argentine provinces, intending to march on Buenos Ayres, but he was completely foiled in this by the activity of the irregular gaucho troops of Salta and Jujuy, and was forced to retire. During this time and in the six succeeding years a guerilla warfare was maintained by the patriots of L T pper Peru, who had taken refuge in the moun tains, chiefly of the province of Yungas, and who frequently harassed the royalist troops. In June 1823 the expedition of General Santa Cruz, prepared with great zeal and activity at Lima, marched in two divisions upon Upper Peru, and in the following months of July and August the whole country between La Paz and Oruro was occupied by his forces ; but later, the indecision and want of judgment displayed by Santa Cruz allowed a retreat to be made before a smaller royalist army, and a severe storm converted their retreat into a precipitate flight, only a remnant of the expedition again reaching Lima. In 1824, after the great battle of Ayacucho in Lower Peru, General Sucre, whose valour had contributed so much to the patriot success of that day, marched with a part of the victorious army into Upper Peru. On the news of the victory a universal rising of the patriots took place, and before Sucre had reached Oruro and Puno, in February 1825, La Paz was already in their possession, and the royalist garrisons of several towns had gone- over to their side. The Spanish general Olaneta, with a diminished army of 2000 men, was confined to the province of Potosi, where he held out till March 1825, when he was mortally wounded in an action with some of his own revolted troops. General Sucre was now invested with the supreme com mand in Upper Peru, until the requisite measures could be taken to establish in that country a regular and constitu tional government. Deputies from the various provinces to the number of fifty-four were assembled at Chuquisaca, the capital, to decide upon the question proposed to them on the part of the Government of the Argentine provinces, whether they would or would not remain separate from that country. In August 1825 they decided this question, declar ing it to be the national will that Upper Peru should in future constitute a distinct and independent nation. This assembly continued their session, although the primary object of their meeting had thus been accomplished, and afterwards gave the name of Bolivia to the country, issuing at the same time a formal declaration of independence. The first general assembly of deputies of Bolivia dissolved itself on the 6th of October 1825, and a new congress