Page:Mexico (1829) Volumes 1 and 2.djvu/535

 APPENDIX. 495 spilt, without one drop of the Eui*opeans being shed, except in their de- fence, or by way of reprisals for the rivers which they caused to flow. The streets of Callao, in the kingdom of New Granada, the fields of Cordova, in that of Buenos Ayres, the mountain of Las Cruces, the plains of Aculco, the bridge of Calderon, the city of Guanajuato, with a thousand other places in Mexico, were the scenes of these horrors ; without relating what took place in Quito, oyer which, for the sake of humanity, we must draw a veil. We shall therefore only add, that in Mexico the Government re- warded the authors of the faction who insulted the natives of the king- dom, and were the origin of the insurrections. As to the pretexts assigned, in order to know whether they are really such, or whether there is some foundation for them, it is necessary to consider — 1st, That they were the same in every place : 2dly, That they were original, i. e. that one province has not been the echo of another, but that each has assigned its own causes, without having any communi- cation, or previous consultation, with the rest : 3dly, That these pretexts, if not true, are at least so plausible that it would be difficult to demon- strate their fallacy : And, 4thly, That they are conformable to the prin- ciples by which their conduct ought to be regulated, and for the neglect of which they might justly be condemned. The supposition of French influence is unfounded, not because they have not endeavoured to obtain it, but because they have not been suc- cessful. Buonaparte has made use of several Spaniards as agents to con- ciliate the Americas, but these were unanimously deaf to his voice, and notwithstanding the flattering promises contained in his proclamations, they have burnt them by the hands of the common hangman, put to death the bearers, and uniformly expressed their detestation of the Govern- ment by which they were sent. With regard to the English, it is evident that in the parts of America with which they hold no communication, as Mexico and Santa Fe, they cannot have exercised an influence prejudicial to Spain ; and we believe that they have not done so even in the countries which they are in the habit of frequenting ; for there have been no disturbances in the Havana ; unless indeed, it be assumed that no predisposition in favour of Indepen- dence existed there as in other places, in which case they may have en- couraged, without absolutely exciting, the inhabitants to revolt. The English ambassador, in his note to our Government, in which he offers the mediation of Great Britain to effect a reconciliation with the Insur- gents of America, endeavours to clear his Government from the imputa- tion, and states that the only object of the communications into which England has entered with Caracas and Buenos Ayres, is the wish to be able to mediate between the two parties more efi"ectually. All may be resolved into the desire of Independence, which is the primum mobile. This, again, may be divided into two classes ; Indepen- dence of the Piuropean Spaniards, and Independence of the Government