fig Venezuela

LWV

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

NARRATIVE OF
PROCEEDINGS IN VENEZUELA,
SOUTH.AMEJRICA, IN THE YEARS 1819 ^AND 1820;
WITH GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON TEE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE;
THE
CHARACTER ®F THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT,
AND ITS LEADING MEMBERS, &c.
ALSO A DESCRIPTION *OF THE COUNTRY OF CARACCAS; OF THE FORCE
OF GENERAL MORILLO; THE STATE OF THE ROYALISTS ;
AND THE
SPIRIT OF THE PEOPLE UNDER THEIR JURISDICTION.

By GEORGE LAVAL CHESTERTON,
LATE CAPTAIN AND JUDGE-ADVOCATE OF THE BRITISH LEGION, RAISED
FOR THE SERVICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR JOHN AND ARTHUR ARCH,
CORNHILL. 1820.

J. M'Creery, Tootia^ourt,
Chancery-Lane, London.

INTRODUCTION.

In presenting myself before the Public in the
capacity of an Author, it is necessary that I
should offer some apology. Well aware of
my deficiencies in those qualifications, which
are generally expected in one supporting that
character, I feel that diffidence which is na
tural to those who, for the first time, are
candidates for public favour and attention.
For the former, I beg to make an honest
avowal that my pretensions are but small ; but
to the latter I confidently appeal, not from any
impression of the literary merit of this Work,
but from a conviction of the importance, and
interest of its contents, to the many friends of
those, who have unfortunately embarked in
the project I had myself embraced ; and to
a 2

IV
the many more, who may hereafter be induced
to follow their example. Such an appeal is
therefore made to the Country at large.
A powerful and general feeling has existed,
called into action by a knowledge ofthe very
considerable armaments equipped from Eng
land for South America ; which armaments
have been invariably accompanied by those
sanguine expectations from their services,
which the well known bravery of British
troops could not fail to inspire. Such expec
tations have been disappointed ; and it is but
j ust that the disgrace attendant on their failure
should attach itself to those, whose misappli
cation of the means afforded them, have cre
ated impressions, unfavourable to the conduct
of men, from whom so much was anticipated.
To afford information on this head, I have
detailed the otherwise unimportant operations
of General Urdaneta's division, composed of
the British legion, German riflemen, and Cre
oles ; and after its perusal, I would ask every
disinterested man, whether any share of re
proach, for the non-success of the European

troops, should in common justice be extended
to them ?
Many, who may have entertained doubts
of their good conduct, and may have express
ed surprise at the little value of their services,
will now, I should hope, acquit them of the
charge of relaxation in their usual energetic
exertions ; and feel for the situation of those
brave men, whose misfortune it was, to be
made the victims of treachery and injustice
in the first place, and of ignorance, imbecility,
cowardice, and cruelty, in the second.
By some, I may be considered as speaking
of the Patriots in terms too severe; but I
would beg to remind such as may enter
tain this opinion, that there is a vast disparity
in the feelings of those, who have only been
distant judges ofthe conduct of the contend
ing parties in this case, and one who has been
concerned in the events narrated; and who has
narrowly escaped falling under the hand of
gross fraud and oppression, most improperly
assuming the character of liberty : one, who
has witnessed and severely suffered by this

VI
traffic in human blood; for it was literally
such — and of a nature, as black and barba
rous as the Slave Trade. One, who has be
held his fellow-countrymen, by the operation
of that traffic, in a situation of distress and
misery almost beyond belief.
These things I have witnessed; and wit
nessed with sensations sufficiently acute.
These sufferings I have endured, arid endured
with the knowledge that they were not con
fined to myself alone, but were alike felt by
hundreds besides. The fraud that established
them, was practised, not only upon us, but
upon the whole British nation ; and was a base,
unworthy, and ungrateful return for the ma
nifestation of a spirit favourable to the Inde
pendents, truly generous and disinterested,
inspired by a. belief that they were worthy of
the good wishes so ardently breathed for their
success. The treatment ofthe British soldiers who
had enlisted under their banners, is, (and I
have always strongly felt it to be,) a gross in
sult upon Great Britain. Its successful con-

vn
tinuance has been solely attributable to the
difficulty of obtaining correct information
from so great a distance. The Independents
have carried on their ruthless system with im
punity, supported in it by a supposition that
few reports could be made in England, and
those few they regarded without alarm ; re
lying upon the warm and steady attachment
to their cause, amongst the British people,
to throw discredit upon such statements, if
made. Notwithstanding all that has transpired in
South America, the daily reports which con?
tinue in circulation in our newspapers (in
which the editors are doubtless deceived) are
calculated still further to: inveigle the mer
cantile speculator, and the adventurous sol
dier of this country. The lives and property
of British subjects have, however, been too
long sported with. It is now high time that
a check should be opposed to the future pro
gress of the wily schemes that have endan
gered both.
Having been in a situation to form some

Vlll
judgment of the state of both parties, I may
be allowed, without encountering the charge
of vanity, to consider myself capable of af
fording more correct information on the sub
ject than most others. This has been an ad
ditional motive for intruding myself upon the
public as an author.
In performing an act of justice to the
Spaniards, I trust I shall be considered sin
cere when I assert, that nothing would induce
me, from any idea of repaying my obliga
tions to them, to overrate their strength, or to
exaggerate their prospects. I have given the
relation of their situation from the honest
impression made upon my mind, by such
means as it will be seen that I possessed, for
forming an estimate.
Here it may be proper to assert, which I
most solemnly and conscientiously do, that,
in writing in favour of, or against, either
side, 1 have no interested views to answer,
but am totally independent of both. I am
alone guided by the conviction of the truth of
what I have asserted.

IX
When I left the Patriots, I beg distinctly
to avow, that this step was not dictated by
necessity. On the contrary, many induce
ments were held out to me to remain; and
Colonel Montilla was deputed, by Bolivar
himself, to make me offers of advancement,
which would have rendered a continuance
amongst them desirable, if any thing could
have had such an effect.
I am fully aware how comparatively tri
fling is the space I have travelled over in
South America ; and how defective is the de
scription of that little : but nevertheless, I hope
that some useful information may be gleaned
from my observations upon that country.
In my remarks upon the leading characters
amongst the Patriots, &c, should I have
been guilty of stating what is incorrect, the
error has not been wilful ; my narrative is
the result of information derived from my in
tercourse with the natives, with the truth of
which I am satisfied.
When speaking of facts, the knowledge of
which has been derived from other sources,

X
I have been cautious to conceal the names
of individuals, where the disclosure of circum
stances would be attended with danger to
them. I therefore leave this narrative in the
hands of the public ; not so much with the
hope that the interest of the facts related
in it may beguile a tedious hour, as that
the facts themselves may have the effect of
deterring others of my countrymen, from
heedlessly engaging in any such desperate
enterprize, to the imminent hazard of their
lives, the peace of their families, and the an
nihilation of their prospects.
G.JL. CHESTERTON.
London, Nov. % 1820.

NARRATIVE

OF

PROCEEDINGS

VENEZUELA.

It is well known to the generality of the
people of England, how great a spirit was
manifested, some time ago, in favour of the
Independents of South America; and
how many of our discharged soldiers, toge
ther with a considerable number of half-pay
officers, and young men emulous of military
reputation, enrolled themselves under the
banners of (what was supposed to be) an
oppressed people, struggling for the dearest
rights of men.
In this country, it is only necessary to re
present a nation fighting for liberty, to excite
a generous sympathy. An opinion is too
hastily formed, and that opinion is always
£

2
exercised in its favour. Sufficient pains are
not taken to ascertain the truth ; for should
it prove to be contrary to the interests of
those to whom they wish well, it will be re
ceived and treated as the work of the oppo
site party, and declared to be an effort to in
jure the cause in the public estimation.
This was unquestionably the case when
the expeditions of Generals English, M'Gre-
gor, and Devereux; and Col6nel Elsom, were
preparing. Many statements, unfavourable
to these adventurers, were made public,
and intended as a warning to those who
were about to embark with therh. These
warnings, however, were instantly cried
down, as attempts, on the part of the court
of Madrid, to check those warm feelings
towards the revolted provinces which were'
so rapidly gaining ground ; * and thus hun
dreds rushed madly on, with no know*
* So far was the determination carried, to hear nothing
against their beloved cause, that I was informed in South
America, by an officer of DevereUx's legion, that a gentleman
was actually turned out of a coffee-house at Dublin, as an
enemy to freedom, who, having returned from the country to
which they were bound, and being consequently acquainted
with the nature of the service they were embracing, ventured
to advise them not to expose themselves to the miseries he
had himself experienced there.

ledge ofthe country they were about to visit;
or of the people they were going to assist.
Such enthusiastic adventurers were, in fact,,
animated solely by « the idea that they were
about to aid the cause of liberty.
, No one departed from, his native country
more enthusiastically devoted to, the princif
pies of the Independent cause than myself.
Equally with others, I disbelieved all accounts
against it, and wondered that any person
could be found in England to revile a people
endeavouring to emancipate themselves, from
the grossest oppression : this was my first and
my favourite view of the subject. With re
gard to what was to be expected from the
part we were taking, my hopes of ultimately
reaping much benefit from it were not a little
enhanced by the knowledge that our Colonel
(English) had i already been in South Ame
rica, and in the Patriot service. It was there-
fore reasonable to suppose, that he would not
again embark in the same cause, and take his
wife with him, had he not some well-ground
ed expectation of deriving advantage from it-
The following were the. inducements, held
out :— To Officers, one third more than Bri
tish cavalry pay, with all the allowances of"
b 2

the British army ; and when the indepen
dence was gained, a grant of land, more or
less extended, according to rank : with the
sum of 3,000 dollars to a sub -lieutenant ;
4,000 to a lieutenant; 6,000 to a captain;
8,000 to a major, or lieutenant-colonel ; and
, 10,000 to a colonel. To the Soldiers, a
\ bounty of 80 dollars, on landing ; a daily
\ pay of 2s. ; rations and clothing, as in the
\ British service ; and at the end of the war, a
igrant of land, and 500 dollars.
' It is not surprising that, with such pro
mises made to them, many soldiers should be
induced to leave their pensions at home, and
enter the Independent service. For my own
part, I must confess I did not expect to re
ceive pay regularly : it was not rational to
suppose, that a people striving to obtain their
emancipation, should have it in their power
to pay their army with any regularity. I
merely calculated upon receiving from time
to time what they could spare; but never
doubted their willingness to account hereafter
for the arrears, as Colonel English had full
powers from General Bolivar, then supreme
chief, to act for the government of Vene
zuela, and was moreover supported and as-.

sisted, in fulfilling the task assigned him, by
Don Louis Lopez Mendez, their acknowledged
agent. We had received from Colonel English the
most flattering description of the country.
He represented it as a perfect garden, pro
ducing tropical fruits and vegetables in the
greatest abundance. It was, therefore, a na
tural supposition that, beyond the contingen
cies of war, we could experience no want of
food. Of course we anticipated the endur
ance of many hardships and privations, which
we readily determined to undergo for the
ultimate realization of our expectations.
The expedition was fitted out by Mr. Her
ring, of the firm of Herring and Richardson,
who most liberally provided us with every
thing necessary to our comfort on the voy
age. We had a very respectable band, co
lours, and elegant and expensive uniforms.
Our corps was called the British Legion;
and its strength, according to muster-rolls in
possession of Colonel English, was 1,050
effective men. The first division had pre
ceded us some time ; and we sailed, with the
expectation of hearing where we were to join
it in the Gulph of Paria.

3
I shall not give the usual dry details of a
sea voyage, which, without some very extra
ordinary occurrences, cannot be interesting J
but shall merely observe, that we unfortu
nately carried with us the typhus fever, then
raging in many parts of England and Irer
land. This fever gained rapid ground, and
rendered our situation extremely critical and
alarming. Day after day fresh cases oc
curred ; and on board the head-quarter ship,
(the Francis and Eliza,) as well as on board
the Duncombe, one of our companions, we
lost many valuable men. The fever had not
abated even on our arrival at Margarita, and
this was perhaps the first instance of a con
tagious fever being carried froni England to
the. West Indies.
On our arrival at Trinidad, the Governor,
Sir Ralph Woodford, who is a decided enemy
to the Patriots, refused us permission to land.
Colonel English, however, obtained leave for
twenty-four hours only. The men belonging
to the Custom-house boat gave us a most dis
couraging account ofthe country, and ofthe
treatment we should experience ; but we still
fondly clung to our long-cherished Cxpecta-
tions of the contrary, and accounted for their

enmity to the Independents by supposing all
persons in the government employ to have
imbibed the prejudices of the Governor.
Sir Ralph Woodford was, however, deter
mined to make an effort to rescue us from the
misery to which we were about to be ex
posed ; and was preparing to come off in a
steam-boat, to take on shore as many of the
officers and men as would forsake the cause
upon his representation, when Colonel En
glish (who was on shore, and heard with
much alarm of these preparations,) instantly
repaired on board ; having previously sent
word to the governor, that, should he ap
proach his vessels, he would fire upon him.
I have since been informed that Sir Ralph;
having little doubt but that Colonel English
would put his threat into execution, and fear
ing the unpleasant consequences that must
naturally ensue, relinquished his project. On
our part, we did not wait for his approach;
but instantly weighed anchor for Margarita.
It was late in the evening when we left the
Gulph of Paria, and early on the following
morning we were much surprised to hear
orders, from Colonel English, to clear away
for action, and torsee every preparation ac
cordingly made — our ship, the Francis and

8
3Eliza, being armed with twenty guns. The
mystery was, however, soon explained by the
Colonel, who informed us he had heard at
Trinidad, that the Fly, British brig of war,
was in search of him to prevent the ships
going into Margarita ; and that he was deter
mined, in such event, to fight the Fly. Upon
this, the officTS consulted together, and de
clared their determination not to fight against
their own flag, and thereby to make them
selves outlaws. Fortunately, the Fly did not
make her appearance.
On the 7th of April, 1819, we anchored in
the Bay of Juan Greigo, in the Island of Mar
garita, where we found the Patriot squa
dron. The first division of our legion had
been in the island two months, and we were
given to understand, that in a fortnight's
time, every thing would be in readiness to
proceed on an expedition, which had been
retarded solely on account of our non-arrival.
The next day we disembarked, and marched
across the Island to join the first division at
Fdmpatar. No place can possibly have a more dreary
and barren appearance from sea, than Mar
garita ; and the unfavorable impression made
at first sight, is not much removed on land-

9
ing. It produces little besides fruits, and is
very mountainous. In its centre, is the City
of Assumption, which was nearly destroyed by
the Spaniards, prior to their evacuation of
the island ; but which has every appearance
of having been a handsome town, and is
indeed the only place deserving the name.
The others are what are called Pueblos, and
are, Norte*, St. Johns, Periwichi, Pampatar,
de la Mar, and the Valley of Margarita. Be
tween Pampatar and the valley is a small
place called Robles, which was formerly a
pueblo ; but there are now only one or two
miserable hovels inhabited, all the rest having
been destroyed.
Since Juan Greigo has been the rendez
vous of the fleet, a considerable number of
houses have been built on the beach, and it
is become the principal place of commerce
in the island. •
There is throughout Margarita a great
scarcity of water. Small running streams
are to be found at Assumption, St. Johns,
and the valley ; but at Pampatar and Juan
Greigo, the two principal harbours, the water
is very scarce and bad. Great numbers of
our men, quartered at Pampatar, suffered
most severely from the flux, many indeed

IP
cjied of it, and this terrible disorder was attri
buted tp the unwholesomeness ofthe water.
The passes in this island are extremely
intricate, and known only to the inhabitants. ;
added to which, the ground is so, covered with
the prickly pear, that it is rarely you can go
six yards to the right, or left, of the road.
The'thorns of this horrible pla.nt, will even
pierce the soles of shoes, and the Wounds re
ceived from them are truly serious, (there
appearing to be venom in the juice of the
plant,) as they are always attended with con
siderable inflammation. I have known men
to remain in the hospital ten days or a fort
night, with no other complaint than wounds
from the prickly pear.
The inhabitants go barefooted ; or have, at
most, sandals made of bullock's hide ; but it
is wonderful to observe their dexterity in
passing amongst the thickest of them, with
out sustaining any injury. The defeat of the
Spaniards in this island was not a little
owing, to the prickly pears, amongst which
they could not go.; and. they were thus at
tacked by the natives with great effect.
There are two species, of this plant,* one
* One species of -the prickly pear I have frequently seen in
^Spairi, which was that ' with flat leaves ; it, however, grows

11
of which has flat leaves, (if they may be so
called,) and grows (at least in this island,) to
no considerable height, but rather creeps
along the ground: the other is round and
thick, and grows much higher ; is pulpy and
very full of sap. This latter the natives -cut
down, first stripping it of its thorns ; and let it
lay in the sun a sufficient length of time to be
come quite rotten. It is then used as soap, and
I was informed, answers extremely well for
washing canvas or any thing equally coarse.
The white and coloured inhabitants of
Margarita are stronger, and are said to be1
braver than tho$e on the Main. The In-"
dians of this island are a wandering peo-.
pie, who live chiefly by fishing. They differ
in appearance from any other I have ever
seen, either of North or South America;
being, both men and women, extremely fat,
and having amazing large heads. Amongst
other tribes of Indians, I have observed some
with soft and rather, handsome countenances,
particularly the women ; but here, women and
considerably higher than that in Margarita, and is generally
seen in hedges, or in waste ground. .(The effect produced by
its thorns, I never witnessed ; but should suppose from my
recollection of its appearance, it would be much the same as
the others. I have frequently seen and tasted the pear jut.
Spain, but in Margarita it does not come to perfection.

12
men are alike hideous. When they come to
those places occupied by other natives of the
island, they seem to have no desire to live in
their houses, but content themselves with
making an uncouth encampment on the
beach. They seldom stay in one place more
than a fortnight or three weeks.
•* Margarita is celebrated for its cotton ham
mocks, all of which are made by the women,
who work at them with much apparent in
dustry ; and before the revolution, a very
considerable trade was carried on in them.
They are generally used on the Main, and in
many of the West India Islands ; in which
latter they are considered luxurious, and are
used for the siesta.
This island was once a place of considerable
importance for its pearl fishery ; but of late
years it has fallen off, owing to the number of
pearls taken, not being sufficient to render
its pursuit worth following. They are, how
ever, still sometimes to be purchased from the
natives, and very cheap; but not in sufficient
quantity, to make the trade worth any one's
exclusive attention.
The island is principally valuable as a
military position, from its contiguity to the
Coast of Cumana on the Main, the lofty

13
mountains of which are always clearly dis
cernible. The shelter it has afforded the
Patriot fjeet, is a proof of its value to the
Spaniards. Perhaps no people in the world live from
necessity more frugally than the natives of
Margarita; their food consisting of little
besides Indian corn and Cassava, but mostly
the latter, as the island is not sufficiently fer
tile to produce much of the former. Nothing
can be more insipid to a European, than the
bread made of the Cassava root, which is in
large, round, thin cakes; and tastes, when
eaten dry, more like saw-dust than any thing
else to which I can compare it ; but when
wetted, it swells and becomes glutinous; even
then it has a peculiar flavour, to which no
thing but habit will reconcile one.
The Cassava is a small tree, the leaf of
which is not unlike that of the willow, though
much darker and rather of a reddish hue.
It grows in some places to a tolerable height,
but no part is used for bread except the root,
which is called Juka. This root is scraped,
then put into long, narrow, pliant baskets,
and wrung. The milk that issues from it is a
deadly poison^ but even from this milk (a
small dose of which would, it is said, cause

14
death,) the Indians extract a wholesome
liquid, with which they make a sauce much
eaten with meat or fish. When the milk is
thus drawn from the root, water is repeatedly
poured upon it; and after being wrung, as
before, several times; it is formed into round
thin cakes, and dried; and in Margarita, as
well as in other parts of South America,
since the revolution, it has been nearly the
sole food of the inhabitants.
Almost every person in this island has the
itch, to which, the inhabitants pay little or no
attention. If it become very violent, they
bathe frequently, and rub themselves with
lime-juice. This operation does not kill the
disease, but affords a temporary relief. It is
not only in Margarita that this filthy com
plaint prevails, but generally in South Ame
rica, even in the city of Caraceas*
On our arrival at Pampatar, to join the
first division, we found that the seeds of dis
content had taken deep root amongst the men
composing it. They had left their native
land upon the faith of promises, of the ful
filment of which they saw no prospect.. Their
dissatisfaction was augmented by the great
irregularity that prevailed in the issue of their >
rations ; this was entirely the effect of want

15
of system on the part of the Patriot autho
rities, and was altogether unpardonable, as
provisions were in the island. The men.sek
dom received their daily rations till three or
four o'clock in the afternoon ; and were some
times left without food, of any description,
for two days together. I will therefore leave
any body to judge, whether it was an easy
task for the best officers to preserve discipline
under such circumstances. The soldiers, how*
ever, looked forward to better regulations on
the arrival of General English, who was
made General of Brigade.
General English was a man too indolent
and selfish to trouble himself with seeking
the comfort either of his officers or men;
and nothing but being absolutelyspurred on,
would induce him to make any complaint
to his superiors in the service. He was,
perhaps, the very worst man that could be
selected to hold the command he did ; and
in taking the trouble to raise the legion in
England, he had been actuated, solely by the
desire of obtaining a considerable sum of
money, promised him by General Bolivar, for
the execution of that service. From hisextra-
ordinary torpidity and supineness, I have often
been astonished how he could have summoned

16
up sufficient resolution to undertake such an
Herculean task. No complaints were made
by him ; and the consequence was, the same
irregularity continued, and the discontent of
the first division very naturally communicated
itself to the second: till at length the whole
legion was in a state of open mutiny. — The
men demanded loudly the fulfilment of their
promises, refused to parade, and threatened
to desert over to the Spaniards on the first
occasion.c The officers, whose situation was equally
distressing with that of the men, were like
wise tainted with this spirit ; and gave free
vent, amongst themselves, to their feelings.
They could have borne privations with a better
grace, had they been subjected to them in a
different manner ; but the carelessness of
General English on this occasion alarmed
them, i They could place no reliance upon
him, in case they should be involved with
the authorities upon any question respecting
their interests, or even their existence ; added
to which, there was now a strange and percep
tible alteration in the conduct of their chief
towards them : he treated them with such an
overbearing haughtiness, that he became uni
versally hated, Those who knew him before

17
having embarked with him, now freely ob
served upon his character; which, to the
great astonishment of myself and many others,
proved to be of the very worst description.
It was at length resolved to call a meeting
of the captains and subalterns, and to pro
pose to address a spirited remonstrance to
General English. This was accordingly done ;
and a letter, expressive of our feelings, was
sent to him, signed by thirty-six officers : but
what was our surprise to hear, that, in his
rage, on reading this letter, he had resolved
to arrest every one who had signed it, and to
confine them in the fort ! This, however,
upon second consideration, he no doubt saw
would be attended with much danger, as we
should of course have the support of all the
men. The officers were therefore summoned
to attend Colonel Blosset, who commanded
the infantry ofthe legion, next morning ; and
he, by General English's desire, made some
observations upon the unmilitary nature ofthe
proceeding; but ended, by promising that
better arrangements should in future be made
for the regular issue of provisions, and ex
horted us to set a different example to the
men. '% . ,
. In the mean time, the dissatisfaction ofthe
c

18
soldiers was unabated. ^They still refused to
parade ; openly threatened their ©iflcers, and
designated General English as a "dealer in
human blood." It was resolved felt length to put
a stop to these proceedings by violent means,
and the ringleaders were accordingly arrested,
tried, and flogged. The lash was now un
sparingly administered ; and with sti oh effect,
that the legion, which a few days before had
been a disorderly rstbble, was now a regular,
Hvell conducted body of men, a'ttd imprdvihg
daily in their exercise, and in the knowledge
of military movements. Drill was attended
to regularly three hours every morning, and
two or three hours every evening; and thus,
under the able tuition of experienced British
officers, our corps was making rapid strides
towards perfection.
It may not be amiss to mention an occur
rence here, which proves the truth of the old
adage, that "necessity is the mother of in
vention." The money current in Margarita
is a mixture of silver and copper,' and I need
hardly say,' quite worthless. The calcula
tion, as in Spain, is by Hals, eight 6f which
go to a dollar. There are pieces of two reals,
one, and half reals, called " medios ;" these
coins should, rightly, be rdund ; but it is 'very

19
rare to see them of that form. They are
neither round nor square, but of rough un-
eouth shapes, having no impression upon
them difficult to imitate. The country people
:were in the habit of bringing their fruits, &c.
to market, at Pampatar, for sale ; and those
officers, who had not brought money with
them from England, had recourse to the dis
posal of their linen, and other articles of
clothing, to enable them to obtain, I may say,
the necessaries of life, as. the ration was very
inadequate. But the men, who had nothing
to sell, were in a very destitute situation. At
length, we observed that the buttons of their
undress jackets disappeared ; and on being
questioned, they were never at a loss for an
excuse ; till it was at last discovered that
these buttons, which were of lead, had been
manufactured into the smaller coins, called
*' medios"- — these being the most likely to
escape detection. The natives, for some
time, disposed of their articles of sale very
rapidly, till the fraud was discovered, to the
utter dismay of a great number of them.
When f$bey upbraided the soldiers for this
piece of roguery, they asserted their right to
make money equality with General Arismendi;
and c&served;(wkat was certainly true) that,
c2

20
in the end, their money was as good as
his ! After this the natives became very
suspicious, and before taking money tried it
with their teeth.
In this island we became acquainted with
Admiral Brion, chief of the independent squa
dron, and with Joly, his commodore ; General
Arismendi, the Governor, General Urdaneta,
who had been sent by Bolivar to command
the land-forces to proceed on this expedition;
and who was represented to us as one of the
best Generals of the Republic ; General
Valdes, second in command to Urdaneta ;
Colonel Montilla, chief of the staff; Gene
ral Gomez, who took a very Conspicuous
part in the revolution of the island; and
with several others of inferior note in the re
volutionary war.
Time crept on apace ; but still we were
always given to understand that in abduf a
fortnight the squadron would be in readiness
to proceed. Meanwhile, these advocates for
liberty and independence gave us a very un
favourable idea of their unanimity. We heard
continually of petty disputes between them,
which at length broke out into open rupture-;
and at one time an appeal to arms seemed
to be the inevitable consequence. General

21
Arismendi, * the Governor of Margarita, (of
whom I shall have to; speak more fully here-.
after) had, it seems, prior to the arrival of
General Urdaneta, buoyed himself up with
the hope of commanding the European
troops on the .intended expedition; and it
was said, that such was his disappointment
when the latter arrived with the envied ap
pointment frqrn the supreme chief, that he
endeavoured to throw every obstacle in the
way of completing the necessary equipment.
Urdaneta required the jco-operatiqn of a
body of the Creoles of the island, which
Arismendi resolutely refused ; and the latter
being senior to the former, had, in that re
spect, much the advantage.
The place of residence of the two rivals
was Norte, one of the prettiest spots in Mar
garita, and only about four miles distant from
Juan Greigo, which is at the north part of
the Island, whilst we were quartered at Pam
patar, the opposite extremity. General Ur
daneta had with him a small corps, composed
of about one hundred Germans and two hun
dred Creoles, embodied as a rifle corps, under
the command of Colonel Urslar, a German,
who sailed from Europe at the same time
,with us, and who was the nominal com-

22
mander of between seven and eight hundred
men, sent from England ; the whole, with
the exception of the Germans abovemen-
tioned, having proceeded up the river Oro-
noko to Angostura.
Arismendi fled to the City of Assumption,
where he assembled the chiefs and people of
the island ; and two brigs of war, then lying
at Pampatar, were dispatched with men from
our legion to reinforce Urdaneta at Norte.
General Valdes rowed round the island in
an open boat, to convey the requisition for
such assistance ; so urgent was the state of
the case considered to be.
Arismendi was supported by Commodore
Joly, (his brother-in-law,) and Urdaneta by
Brion. In short, distrust and tumult was the
order of the dav.
Reports were industriously circulated, ac
cusing Arismendi of having conspired to
massacre the British legion. We were con
sequently constantly on our guard, and
piquets were every evening thrown out, oc
cupying the several passes to Pampatar,
whilst the main body of the corps was in
readiness to turn out on the first alarm.
At length, advances towards a reconcilia
tion were made to Urdaneta by General

23
Gomez, wjtjia was at Assumption with Aris-,
mendi, and. the armedj inhabjtaujts then as
sembled were dispersed, a^nd; retired to their
respective homes, In a few, days after this,
Arismendi ijetuijned to his house at Norte,
and was there arrested and conducted a pri
soner on board the brig of war Libertador,
commanded; by Captain Chitty, which, foy
greater security, v?as. sent ^o Pampatar. A
guard of soldiers from the British legion,
was every day embarked, specially charged
with the custody of Arismendi, who was
denounced as an enemy to the state. Pre
parations were made to forward him, for trial
tp Angostura, and he was, we were assured,
in imminent danger oJf losing his head.
Six or seven of the chiefs of the island were
likewise arrested, and confined at Juan
Greigo ; hut these were afterwards released
without any proceedings heing instituted
against them ; their late governor being con
sidered the main spring of the conspiracy.
Prior to these occurrences, the natives
were constantly sounding the praises of Gene
ral Arismendi ; but no sooner was he arrested,
than every one seemed anxious tq traduce
his character, and many instances of villainy*

24
on his part, were adduced, of which I shall
speak when I mention him again.
In the mean time, the internal harmony of
our corps was every now and then disturbed
by the same want of regularity in the issue of
the rations. I before observed, upon these
occasions, that the men never failed to inveigh
bitterly against the breach of promise towards
them, and generally demanded what they
termed "their rights." Their causes of com
plaint were so evidently well founded, that
it was not always thought just to visit their
murmurings with punishment; for keenly as
they. felt their disappointment, they would
still have observed the most exemplary con
duct, had common attention been paid to
the distribution of their scanty allowance of
provision. The greater part of them was likewise very
badly provided with clothes, having only
received one suit ; consequently, when wash
ing their canvas pantaloons and shirt, they
had nothing to put on till those were dry.
They were all provided with knapsacks, but
had nothing to put in them ; neither had they
blankets, great coats, or any thing else upon
which they could sleep at night; but were

25
obliged to repose on the bare ground — and
owing to the great swarms of fleas in all the
houses in Margarita, they generally were
driven into the open air, and thus numbers
contracted diseases that carried them to their
graves. A proclamation from General Bolivar was
issued, couched in the usual bombastic style,
in which the faithful observance of our en
gagements was promised. We shall see by
the sequel how well he kept his word.
In order for the moment to quiet the de
mands of the soldiers, much cunning was
had recourse to. It was told them that it
was unreasonable to expect the realization of
their hopes there ; that they were on a barren
island, distant from the government of the
Republic, and upon which they had been
placed contrary to all expectation; that,
although it formed part of the territory of the
Independents, still it was not South America ;
and that they must defer their complaints till
they arrived in the land of promise. They
no doubt calculated upon the troops being
completely placed in their power when on
the Main, and in that respect they were in
the right ; but this mode of reasoning was by
no means satisfactory to the men, and so they

26
frequently gave their superiors reason to un«
derstand. At length* after the waste of so much time*
we were apprized that the squadron was. in
readiness for our reception ; and accordingly
on the 11th July, 1819, we marched from
Pampatar for the purpose of embarkation,
having, instead of a fortnight, been upwards
of three months in the Island. Prior to this,
however, a subscription had been entered;
into amongst the merchants, and the officers
were presented with a few dollars, and two
dollars given to each man. At first, the men
refused to receive it, considering the offer of
such a trifle as an insult, after the many in
ducements held out to them in England* for
entering this: service, having turned out to be
fallacious. But when it was explained that
this was from merchants, and not from the
government, they took it.
It may be necessary to observe, that the
German corps had taken the oath of allegi^
ance to the Republic of Venezuela; but
though the administering of such oath to the
British legion had been spoken of at the early
part of our arrival in Margarita, I have rea*
son to think it was not persevered in, from
the feeling with which the proposition was

27
received ; as I believe there was soarcely an
officer who would willingly have taken it,
and I am sure I can answer for a refusal on
the part of the soldiers.
We proceeded to Juan Greigo, where we
embarked, our corps being now about eight
hundred strong. We had lost many men by
the fever before-mentioned, at sea ; and num
bers fell victims to it after landing. This,
together with the flux, other disorders, and a
considerable number left in the hospital, re
duced our force to about eight hundred men.
We sailed from Juan Greigo on the 15th
July. The object of the expedition was
known only to the military and naval com
manders, but it was generally supposed that
an attack would be made, either upon Cu-
mana or Barcelona. It was, however, soon
evident, from the course we steered, that the
latter was the intended place of operation.
On the evening of the 16th, we anchored
in the bay of Porsuelos, distant from Bar
celona about four leagues ; and the landing
ofthe troops was effected without opposition,
early the next morning. We could observe
the Spaniards on the Moro, a fortified height,
(or rather more deserving the name of a
mountain,) commanding the entrance to the

28
Barcelona harbour and river, making signals
to the town : consequently, it would be sup
posed that no time should have been lost in
moving to the attack ; but, to our great sur
prise, although the troops were landed, and
the column was in readiness by nine o'clock
in the morning, we remained. in statu quo the
whole of that day. Nor did we commence
our march till two o'clock the following
morning. This was owing to General Urdaneta hav
ing suddenly come to the resolution of taking
two pieces of artillery with the division ;
which, had he possessed common sense, he
might have known it would have been im
possible to convey, there being no beasts of
burthen to draw them, and the roads being
such as to preclude the possibility of their be
ing dragged by men. At any rate, before de
taining the troops, and giving the enemy an
opportunity of retiring with whatever they
thought proper to convey with them, he
ought to have reconnoitred the road ; and
he. need not have gone far to have perceived
the folly of the attempt. Thus were seven
teen hours lost to us, and in the same propor
tion gained by our adversary.
At two o'clock on the morning ofthe 18th

2@
we moved forward with the two pieces of
cannon. The result was what every one had
predicted. Our road, lying over salines which
at high tide were flooded, before we had pro
ceeded a mile, the gun-carriages were up to
the nave in mud, and were obliged to be left
behind in charge of an officer's guard.
Early in the morning, we arrived before
Barcelona, which we entered without oppo
sition ; the enemy having retreated only eight
or ten hours before, and having had abundant
time to convey with them the most consider
able portion of their stores. They had at
tempted to destroy the bridge over which we
must necessarily pass, but in this they failed,
and the injury done to it was very slight. I
have since been much surprised that the Spa
niards had not effectually demolished the
bridge, and opposed our entrance, which they
might have done with considerable effect;
for the rapidity of the stream would have
prevented the possibility of our crossing the
river in slightly constructed rafters, and we
should consequently have been obliged to
wait the arrival of boats from the fleet, which
could not have entered the river till the re
duction of the Moro, and would then have
had the disadvantage of pulling up against

30
the stream, and of being exposed to annoy
ance from the enemy.
I mean to enter into some detail of our
proceedings under General Urdaneta; as
much to defend the character of the finest
body of British (or of any other foreign) troops
ever seen in that country, as to convey an
idea ofthe military talents and energy ofthe
Patriot generals : — Urdaneta beingconsidered
one of the best, and being a distinguished
favourite of Bolivar.
I shall therefore revert to the two field-
pieces left on the saline, and to the officer's
guard in charge of them. In the first place,
then, the men chosen for this service were
those who were lame, or too ill to proceed, or
whose muskets were damaged ; these, with
a few artillery-men, composed the body in
tended to defend two fine brass pieces of
cannon. The division had passed out of gun
shot ofthe Moro, leaving it on our right;
the fleet was in our rear at Porsuelos, and it
was quite impossible to know what was the
Spanish force in the Moro, which commanded
a view of the surrounding country, and con
sequently of the party on the saline. INo-
thing would have been more easy thanfof them
to have despatched a detactenent to destroy

31
the guns ; and such a guard as I have before
described would have had, little chance of
saving themselves by flight. The officer, per
ceiving his situation, and being moreover ex
posed to a scorching sun, without even water
or provisions, proposed to the men to make
an effort to draw them back to Porsuelos;
which, with infinite labour, was effected.
Here he perceived the greater part of the
fleet under weigh, and the remainder pre^
paring to follow ; consequently, had he not
retired when he did, the loss of his party
might have been the result.
In the meantime we entered Barcelona
Without opposition, and the men were placed
in quarters, and suffered to range the town.
This was the very height of folly on the
part of General 'Urdaneta : — who, by the by,
seems to have had scarcely a second thought,
otherwise he might have known that, in a
town ^recently inhabited, and ' evacuated in
haste, it was not ^improbable but that many
houses and stores would contain spirits; and
that such a temptation, to troops, wfiose cha
racter for love of drink is so Wtell established,
would inot be resisted* ^Besides, the mpmmt
to itpwigte ha^e toeen^sily avoided, >by quar
tering the men in the village of Por-flfigar, <oli

32
the opposite side of the bridge, close to the
town itself. Guards, sufficient for the protec
tion of the town, miglit have been placed at
different points, and the houses &c. searched,
and all spirits removed ; prior to permitting
the permanent entry of the division.
These precautions, however, were not
taken : the consequence of which was, rum
was found in almost every house, (whether
placed there by accident or design it is im
possible to say,) and a scene of inebriety was
exhibited that beggars all description. Bri
tish, Germans, and Creoles, were in a state of
brutal intoxication : though the latter, it must
be confessed, were in a less degree. A scene
of disorder and confusion, the most disgusting,
and most distressing to the officers, now ap
peared; and the liquor having robbed the sol
diers of the power of reason, as a natural con
sequence, the officers lost all power of com
mand* over them. .In this state of things,
had two hundred determined Spaniards en
tered the town, they might have annihilated
the whole body.
What ought to have been done in the first
instance, was now had recourse to ; and with
infinite difficulty the men were removed to
Portugar.

33
I do not intend upon this occasion to de
fend the conduct of our men ; but this I in
tend to say, that such an opportunity of dis
gracing themselves should not have been af
forded. It is, well known that, even in the
British service, repeated instances of this
kind have been witnessed ; and upon such
distressing occasions the interference of offi
cers has been attended with little more than
danger to themselves. The whole blame,
therefore, rested with Urdaneta and Montilla,
chief of the staff; which latter was, I may
say, the actual though not nominal com
mander, and possessed about as much mili
tary talents as the former. It was at all times
useless for the British commanders to advise ;
for though the Creole chiefs knew nothing,
they were too obstinate and too proud to
learn. During this crisis, Admiral Brion proceeded
with the squadron to attack the Moro. The
plan of operations concerted by these Com
manders shewed the extent of their abilities :
for Brion, it must be remembered, is, as well
as Admiral ofthe fleet, a Captain-General of
the army. What this plan was, God knows ;
but what in this instance it ought to have been,
was evident to the meanest capacity. The
D

34
Moro of Barcelona is, as I have before ob
served, a fortified mountain, commanding the
entrance ofthe bay and river. At high tide it is
an island, and at low tide it is only joined to the
main by a narrow neck of land, about a mile
and a half in length. Consequently, had the
precise time of the attack upon it been duly
considered, it would have only been neces
sary to place a body of men to dispute this
passage to the continent, and the retreat ofthe
garrison would have been effectually cut off.
But there seemed to exist amongst these chiefs
a charitable determination to suffer their
enemy to escape. They had by their want
of energy allowed the Spaniards quietly to
retreat from the town, and, I suppose, they
now wished to afford the same opportunity to
their companions of the Moro.
The squadron attacked the place ; when
the Commandant, whose force did not exceed
one hundred and twenty men, after firing two
guns, retired. He was however killed while
attempting to pass the narrow passage before
described, and six or seven prisoners were
made. Very late in the afternoon, a detach
ment of our men had been sent under Gene
ral Valdes, to prevent the escape of the
Spaniards; but it was considerably too late.

35
They did, however, pick up < one or two
stragglers, part of the prisoners above named.
It was now seen that, had not the guns been
withdrawn, this party, in its retreat across the
saline, would have had an excellent oppor
tunity of attacking them, and the miserable
detachment left in their charge, would have
fared badly against so many.
No official document was ever more ridi
culously bombastical than Brion's account of
the capture of the Moro, to the government
at Angostura. After describing it as a brilliant
achievement, glorious to the arms of the Re
public, this wretched coward (for so I doubt not
to be able to prove him) continues his rhap
sody as follows : " Never was country better
served, never was commander more ably supr
ported." All this, it must be recollected, was
said upon an occasion where the enemy -i-
fired two shots ! He might have done the
cause, of which his support was a mockery, an
essential service the following day; but his
dastardly spirit would not permit him. I must
not forget to state, that the number of pri
soners taken on that day, and which did not
exceed seven, was by him reported to be forty !
The following morning, the 19th July, we
were paraded at day light, and marched from
t*2

36
Barcelona to the Moro; distant about six
miles. We were ignorant of the object of
this movement, as the left wing ofthe British
legion, and the Germans, remained behind.
However, on our arrival at the beach, we per
ceived the Spanish squadron anchored in the
Bay of Porsuelos, which our fleet had left the
preceding day. They had hastened from
Cumana, under the impression that they might
throw succours into the Moro, and thus enable
it to hold out.
This squadron consisted of two corvettes,
one brig, and two schooners, besides gun-boats.
When we reached the Moro, all their gun
boats, as well as the boats of their ships, were
•rowing towards it full of men : they not being
yet apprised of its capture. We found Brion
preparing to evacuate it; but this act of
cowardice was prevented by our arrival : and
accordingly we occupied the several posts,
and waited the approach ofthe enemy. Un
fortunately, however, a gun was very unad
visedly fired from one of the batteries, before
the enemy were even within range of can
non shot. This informed them of what they
were before ignorant ; namely, that the Moro
was in our possession : accordingly, they put
abOut, and returned to their ships.

37
1 have already stated what was the force
of the Spanish squadron : that of the Inde
pendents was vastly superior. Brion had un
der his command sixteen vessels of war, be
sides transports ; in all, twenty-one. He had
one corvette, three fine brigs, and the rest
consisting of hermaphrodite brigs and schoo
ners : two of the former (the General English
and the Admiral Brion) being beautiful ves
sels and admirably equipped ; and the whole
indeed of his squadron being well provided
with guns and munitions. Under these cir
cumstances, will it be believed that this miser
able poltroon not only was afraid to go
out and engage the Spaniards, but positively
rowed round, and desired the outer vessels to
warp under the Moro, as he was apprehen
sive of an attack from the enemy ? !
General English, who, to do him justice,
was not wanting in bravery, entreated him to
go and attack them ; offering, at the same
time, an}r number of men from the legion, to
act as marines on the occasion, and pointing
out how completely they were in his power :
but all to no purpose !
Porsuelos Bay is about five times the depth
of that of Barcelona, the Moro projecting into
the sea so very far : consequently, Brion, in

38
going out, would have had considerably the
advantage, even were the enemy disposed to
fly; but there was another, and a more pow
erful reason for his acting with the promp
titude to be expected from one in his situ
ation. The boats ofthe enemy were crowded
with soldiers, and distant from the protection
of their ships : the latter, therefore, could not
depart, leaving their boats to be sacrificed :
and, at all events, Brion might reasonably ex
pect either to cut some of them off, or to in
jure them very considerably. In short, the
Spanish squadron was in his power ; and was
saved only by the most disgraceful cowardice
on his part.
When the boats of the Spaniards returned
to their ships, the latter immediately weighed
anchor, and stood to sea. Brion, in his de^.
spatch to the government, excused himself
for not making the attack — saying there was
not sufficient wind : but there was quite suf
ficient to enable the Spaniards to get out of
Porsuelos, although he could not, or rather
would not, stand out to prevent them !
Two hours elapsed before this Hero de
termined upon following them ; and he only
then came to such a resolution, on hearing
of the discontent of his men. As soon as he

39
had made up his mind upon the subject,
volunteers were called for from the British
legion, and a sufficient number immediately
embarked. Upon this occasion, 1 embarked
as a volunteer on board the Victoria, bearing
Brion's flag ; where I had a further opportu
nity of witnessing his evident cowardice.
A considerable time had elapsed before the
squadron could put to sea, during which time
the Spaniards had got well to windward, on
their return to Cumana: so much so, that
there was very little chance of overtaking
them. This, no doubt, our brave commander
had perceived ; otherwise he would not have
exposed himself) had there been any probabi
lity of coming to action ! That night, instead
of making all sail, he lay to ; and the next day
the wind was light and variable. About two
o'clock in the afternoon of this day, the Spa
nish squadron was taken aback, whilst the
wind singularly favoured us. An engagement
was now considered inevitable, and every pre
paration was accordingly made ; such as wet
ting and sanding the decks; putting badges
on our arms, to distinguish us, in case of our
iboarding, or being boarded, from the enemy ;
and the men of the legion being stationed in

40
the tops, to fire at the Spaniards below.
During these preparations, Brion was as pale
as death. I paid particular attention to his
countenance, in which I could discover the
strongest marks of fear ; and which I after
wards remarked to some of my brother offi
cers. The wind, however, returned to its usual
quarter, and the Spanish squadron proceeded
onwards, or rather escaped.
We continued a mock pursuit, till the
enemy entered the gulph of Cariaco, in which
Cumana is situated ; when our brave com
mander gave us a specimen of the warfare
for which he was certainly most adapted. He
hoisted the Spanish under the Patriot colours,
and fired a salute of nineteen guns : the whole
fleet following his example !
We then returned to Barcelona ; the sailors
swearing that the Admiral was a coward — as
God knows, well they might! Had Joly
(who was left behind at Margarita in disgrace,
principally I believe for his countenance to
Arismendi) commanded the squadron, the
Republic of Venezuela would doubtless have
boasted the annihilation of their enemy's sea
forces ; and the same result might have been
expected had it been commanded by any

41
other man than Brion ; for 1 have hardly so
bad an opinion of mankind as to suppose
that his equal for cowardice is in existence.
No sooner was it known to the troops of
Barcelona that the Spanish squadron had got
safe into Cumana, than the accusations and
assertions ofthe sailors wereechoed by every
soldier, and in their rough and easy manner,
Brion was assailed with many epithets, by no
means complimentary. Meanwhile, nothing
farther in the way of military operation seemed
to be intended by General Urdaneta ; who
passed his time at ease in his hammock, and
gambling with his staff — while our pickets
were constantly kept on the alert by parties
ofthe enemy, and the alarm was every hour
being given. It was forbidden to any officer
or soldier to sleep without his belt, &c. so
that every one might be in readiness at a mo
ment's notice.
At Margarita we had constantly heard of
councils of war to determine the line of ac
tion to be pursued. The result of all these
deliberations seems to have been to possess
themselves of Barcelona, which, once in their
power, was rather an incumbrance to them.
What could have kept us so long in that
island was also unaccountable, unless it were
/

42
to enable our chiefs to be out of the reach of
assault, and to consume provisions in idle
ness. The want of provisions was now loudly and
generally complained of. Every one declar
ed something must soon be done, but what
that something was, did not seem likely to be
determined. The Spaniards had retired to a
place called Espirito, about a day's march
from Barcelona, and their force, it was well
known, did not exceed five hundred men ;
whilst ours was more than double that num
ber. General Urdaneta was entreated to
march against them, but always refused ;
all edging, as an excuse, that it was too dan
gerous an enterprise. Colonel Urslar who
commanded the German and Creole rifle
corps, (of whose untimely fate I shall have to
speak hereafter,) observed to me at this time,
that " if we were to be thus commanded,
our destruction was inevitable." In
short, our General's conduct created pity
and disgust ; whilst at the same time we dis
covered his secretary or principal agent, Mon-
tilla, to be so great a liar, that we could not
repose confidence in one word he uttered.
Before disembarking, we had been given
to understand that hundreds would flock to

43
the Independent standard, and that in fact
they were anxiously waiting our arrival. But
so far from this being the case, we found the
town evacuated by its inhabitants, with the ex
ception only of a few women who had taken
refuge in the church. Every one had carried
with him what he could convey ; and the con
fusion visible in every forsaken house, evinced
the terror and dismay which our approach
had created. Still it was asserted they would
all shortly return ; but day after day passed
on without any signs of their re-appearance :
whilst proclamations, from the Spanish chief
Morillo, were distributed amongst our sol
diers by a few Creoles, who ventured among
us for that purpose only. \
This proclamation was an invitation to the
British soldiers to desert to the royalists ; the
General solemnly promising them convey
ance either to England or any other part,
or to retain them in the King's service if they
wished it. Morillo said, they must now be
aware of the gross imposition that had been
practised upon them, and the fallacy of the
great expectations they had indulged. He de
signated the patriots as " ragamuffins and wise
acres ;" and declared the wish ofthe people of
Venezuela tq be for peace, and for the destruc-

44
tion of " monsters," who had rendered them
selves notorious by the practice of the most
unheard of barbarities. He further entreated
them to put confidence in the honour of a
Spanish General, who had fought with them
for the liberty of Europe, in the division of
the " brave General Hill."
We had received intimation of the exist
ence of such a proclamation at Margarita,
but had never before seen a copy of it.
Morillo was represented, by the Independents,
as a blood-thirsty tyrant, whose deeds of
murder had caused the bosom of every one
to thrill with horror ; and it was asked what
dependence could be placed in the most
solemn engagements of such a man ? It was
finally asserted, that, after obtaining from
those who should be credulous enough to rely
upon his promises, the information which he
desired, they might depend upon death — pro
tracted even by torture !
During this time nothing could be pur
chased at Barcelona. What little the few
persons who had remained behind were dis
posed to sell, could not be procured by the
officers or men; as the worthless coin of
Margarita was very naturally refused. Upon
this occasion, Urdaneta issued an order for

45
that money to pass current, regardless of the
injury thereby done to the miserable few
whom he professed to benefit by extending
the blessing of independence. At length, so
great was the want of these unfortunate
beings, that, when the daily ration was issued
to the troops, they would entreat to have a
very small portion only sold to them ; repre
senting, in the most piteous accents, the starv
ing state -in which they were, and tendering
good money for it ! I need hardly say that
their requests could not be complied with.
We beard daily that we should be shortly
joined by General Bermudez, and a Creole
force from the plains, who would bring with
them cattle and horses, of which we stood
much in need. But still the hourly alarms,
occasioned by the approach of the enemy's
small parties continued, and the infatuated
or rather scandalous torpidity of General
Urdaneta was undiminished ; when, one morn
ing early, a party of horse, calling themselves
the advanced guard of Bermudez, entered
the town with cries of" Viva lapatria!" and
proceeded enquiring the way to the General's
quarters. On arriving there, they suddenly
turned about, and set off at full gallop, at
tacking every one they saw with their lances,

4j3
killing a Creole rifleman, and wounding
several others. They then quitted the town.
All this was done in such a hurry, that they
received nothing more on their retreat than
a shot from one or two of the sentries; the
effect of which we never learned.
I was immediately sent out one way, with a
detachment, while a small number of the Ger
mans went another ; but we discovered no
thing more than 'the prints of their horses'
feet, which approached the town by the way
of Espirito ; the party consisting of Spaniards
in disguise. Another circumstance happened,
about the same time, which, however trivial
in itself, added not a little to the apprehen
sion of the men. A soldier was missing from
the regiment, and we concluded that he had
deserted ; but his body was found by a patrol
ling party, a short distance from the t own;
with his throat cut, and his heart and entrails
taken out and lying by him.
Discontent was now making rapid strides
amongst our soldiers. They were now in
this long-talked-of land of promise, but even
in the town of Barcelona their situation was
worse than it had been at Margarita. They
heard constantly of one General or the other
being on his road with provisions, (the want

47
of which they experienced by a reduction of
their previous allowance,) but no one made
his appearance. It was likewise impossible
they should fail observing that the natives
were decidedly inimical to the Patriots, other
wise they would not have departed with the
Spaniards, and- even the peasants refuse to
bring their fruits and vegetables to the town.
They complained that they could not stir
from vtheir immediate neighbourhood^ with
out the danger of having their throats cut by
the natives ; that the Spaniards were mock
ing them ; while they could enter the town
and slay whom they pleased, without their
general having the spirit to march against an
enemy, only half their number ! And lastly,
the pitiful, cowardly, childish conduct of
their commander, excited in them feelings
of tKe utmost contempt, and which they did
not fail to give vent to. They again de
manded the fulfilment of their promises, and
asked if it were to be expected they should
expose themselves to the dangers of war and
climate, receiving for their reward, only a
ration that would scarcely support nature?
It must be recollected, that they were rather
emboldened by the prospect held out to them

48
by Morillo's proclamation, which they had
all read at least.
Between thirty and forty of them now de
serted, with the intention of going over to
the enemy. Five were apprehended, one of
whom, in attempting to escape, was shot : the
remaining four were conveyed to Barcelona,
and immediately brought to trial. It was my
painful duty to be present at this proceeding,
in my capacity of Judge Advocate ; and the
clearest evidence having convicted them, they
were sentenced to be shot. The troops were
paraded in the Plaza de las Armas, and the
prisoners brought out for execution ; but as
the nature of the sentence was not yet com
municated to them, they laughed at their
comrades as they passed into the square, ima
gining they were only to receive a flogging,
No sooner, however, was the sentence of
death made public, than they fell on their
knees, and begged earnestly for mercy. Co
lonel Montilla now notified General Urda
neta's commands that only two should suffer ;
and that it should be decided by drawing-
lots. The painful anxiety of every one who
witnessed this scene may be readily ima
gined; and the frantic eagerness with which

49
the poor wretches themselves opened the slips
of paper, to learn their fate, was truly dis
tressing to the observers. The conduct of
the two who were doomed TO die afforded a
great lesson to man. These poor creatures,
who perhaps had scarcely ever before uttered
the name of God, but to blaspheme it, now
earnestly and fervently addressed themselves
to heaven, as their last source of hope !
The punishment of these offenders made a
great impression on the division, and pre
vented the desertion that evening of at least
two hundred, who had determined to decamp.
After this, we had not another instance ofthe
kind during our stay at Barcelona. Of the
fate of the other deserters, I shall hereafter
speak. ¦ We now learned that the want of provi
sions was such, that Brion could no longer
supply us with more; and that, consequent
ly, Barcelona must be evacuated, and the di
vision marched over the mountains to the
plains. The next day was fixed upon for the
commencement of the journey, and the fleet
was to return to Margarita. This informa
tion we received in the morning, and at
about two o'clock in the afternoon heard that
these distinguished and able chiefs had come

50
to quite a different resolution ; and that it was
now determined to embark the land forces,
and proceed to the attack of Cumana. We
heard of these dispositions with a careless
ness which bespoke the want of confidence in
any measures carried on by such leaders.
Prior to the desertion of the town, how
ever, the church was stripped of every thing
that could be transformed into money. A
report was afterwards industriously circulated,
that this act of pillage was committed by the
British ; but I do most solemnly declare that
I was present when the officers of Urdaneta's
staff vf ere busily employed in packing up, for
removal, whatever was worth the trouble:
even the robes of the priests ! Under their
immediate observation, and with their con
sent, I appropriated to my own use a few
silver tegs and fngers, of the value of about
four shillings English ; but I aver that, unless
led on by such examples, I should have con
sidered the contents of the church sacred ;
nor should I have thought of touching any
thing of the most trifling value.
Barcelona is situated about six miles up
the river. It is a tolerable large town, con
taining some very good houses, and has rather
an elegant church. As it is open and almost

51
defenceless, it has been so often the seat of
war, that a very considerable part of it is now
in ruins. It is closely surrounded with a
thick wood of low bushes ; so much so, that,
unless by the side of Portugar, when at the
extremity of the town either way, you can
hardly see one hundred yards before you.
There are a great number of small beaten
tracks, scarcely perceptible, leading to the
town from different parts of the country.
This, as may be naturally supposed, rendered
it exceedingly difficult to know where to
place picquets, and of course facilitated the
means of annoyance on the part of the ene
my. So great indeed was this difficulty, that
we were latterly obliged to concentrate the
guards in the Plaza de las Armas, or centre of
the town, and barricade the extremities of the
streets leading to it; contenting ourselves with
occasionally sending out patrolling parties.
Colonel Montilla (whose character for vera^
city does not stand very high) informed me,
that these passes were in number forty -six;
and, from my own observation, I do not think
it exaggerated. Barcelona is very unhealthy,
and is almost annually visited with an epi^
demic fever : the ague is also said to be very
prevalent. The river, which is not navigable

52
for boats beyond the town, is full of alliga
tors and noxious fish; the current always
running rapidly down. Here were found a
considerable quantity of cotton and hides,
which were of course delivered over to Brion,
and by him sent for sale to St. Thomas's ; the
proceeds of which would I suppose be suffi
cient to reimburse him for the provisions con
sumed by the European troops.
On the morning of the 31st of July, 1819,
we marched from' Barcelona, after setting fire
to the bridge, and proceeded to the Moro for
embarkation. Thus, after so much prepara
tion, or, rather, waste of time, at Margarita,
was this place occupied twelve days, and then
forsaken; without having answered any other
purpose than that of making the Indepen
dents, and their cause, more odious to the in
habitants than they were before.
On arriving at the Moro, we found Brion
busily engaged in embarking from it the guns
and stores. Those of the former, that were
not worth taking away, were precipitated to
the beach below. While remaining here,
which was for a few hours only, a circum
stance occurred that deserves recording; as
it exemplifies the amiable manners of the com
mander of the Independent fleet. Not con7

53
sidering what had been his own disgraceful
Conduct, and that of his co-opCrator Urda
neta, he thought proper to attribute the failure
of the expedition to the British Legion. It
must certainly be acknowledged that irregu
larity of conduction their part, had been
evinced ; and that complaint of the treat
ment towards them was almost incessant;
but surely, considering the situation in which
they had been placed, there was every excuse
and allowance to be made for the irritation of
their feelings: Almost all our old soldiers
had forsaken pensions to bear arms in that
cause: large promises had been made to
them; instead ofthe fulfilment of which,
they found themselves without money,
elothes, or a sufficiency of food. Nor was
there any prospect of melioration — nothing
upon which to ground their hopes. Their
state was alike deplorable and hopeless.
Was it therefore astonishing that they should
strongly feel and resent the injury done
them? — that they should even wrish to go
over to the enemy, as a means of returning
to their country, from which they had been
allured by treachery ? Was it to be reasonably
expected by their chiefs, that bad conduct
towards them would generate feelings of

54
friendship, and devotion to their causes-
Added to all I have before stated, they found
themselves commanded by men devoid of
ability, energy, or even courage. When ap
proaching the town of Barcelona, under the
expectation of opposition from the enemy,
never did men march to an attack with a
more determined spirit ; and had their entry
been disputed, they would, I am confident,
have done honour to the name of Britons.
If the place were not worth capture, with
whom did the blame rest ? Surely, not with
THEM. All these circumstances, and endurances of
privation and hardship, were, however, for
gotten ; and Brion had the humanity to say,
" he wished the British Legion had been at
h — 11, before he ever saw them !" Upon
which an officer of rank spiritedly replied—
" He did not believe there was one in that
corps who did not entertain the same wish
with regard to their Admiral !"
The batteries of the Moro were then de
stroyed, and the buildings fired ; after which
we sailed the same evening for Cumana,
where we arrived and disembarked about two
miles from the town, on the evening of the
2nd of August. Here we were joined by a

55
Creole force of between five and six hundred
men, under a Colonel Montes, a native of Cu
mana, who, prior to the revolution, was a
man of notoriously bad character. We now
heard of the fate of the remainder of our de
serters from Barcelona, who had marched
over the country, with a view of entering the
town ; but were met on their passage by
Montes and his Creoles. The English sol
diers, imagining from their vicinity to Cu
mana, that they were in the Royalist service,
approached them, crying " Viva el Rey !"
which the Creoles, who soon discovered what
they were, answered by the same expression,
and came up and shook them by the hand.
When they had sufficiently surrounded them,
these Creoles fell upon them suddenly, and
butchered with their knives all but eight ;
who fled, but were afterwards taken, and
made prisoners.
The news of the melancholy end of so
many of their comrades, effectually put a
stop to all spirit of desertion ; and those who
bad been on the point of following their ex
ample, heartily congratulated themselves on
their present safety. Had the poor wretches
gone to Espirito, they would have reached
the Spaniards without difficulty ; but from

56
this they were prevented, as they could not
pass from Portugar through Barcelona, with
out having been observed, and exciting sus
picion ; and to ford the river would have been
attended with infinite danger.
At two o'clock in the afternoon of the fol
lowing day, we marched past Cumana, to a
fordable part of the river, it being intended
to take up a position on the opposite side. In
order to give the Spaniards an idea of our
.force, which they could well survey from
their fortified heights, we marched each file
six paces distant ; the line was consequently
very considerably extended. But this was a
shallow artifice, as, with the assistance of the
telescope, the fraud could be easily detected ;
which, indeed, I afterwards learnt was the
case. This afternoon's march was verjr fatiguing,
the weather being oppressively hot, without
the possibility of our receiving the benefit of
the breeze, as we marched through such low;
thick groves, as I have before described to be
in the vicinity of Barcelona. Captain Hoche,
a German, and Aide de camp to General
Urdaneta, died of excessive heat and fa
tigue. At length we crossed the river, but with

57
much difficulty, it being deep and rapid;
and that evening we bivouacked on its bank.
The next morning we marched, and took up
our position, without encountering resistance,
on a sandy plain near the town; the road
from the river to the plain being strewed
WITH HUMAN SKULLS AND BONES. Cumana
was hid from our sight by a ridge of hills.
The fleet had passed, the preceding even
ing, further up the Gulph of Cariaco, in
order to communicate, with us, and had had
some firing with the Spanish gun-boats and
batteries en passant ; but Brion, as usual, kept
at a respectful distance, and was much ridi
culed by some ofthe officers of his squadron,
who proposed subscribing to pay for the ex
penditure of powder — as they declared it tO
be rather an exhibition, carried on more for
amusement than for any purpose of war ! The
Spanish squadron had sailed some days be
fore to Puerto Cabello, of which Brion had
received previous information, otherwise he
would not have ventured there.
The plain upon: which we were posted was
totally destitute of wood. We were there
fore exposed to the heat of a tropical sun,
without tents or any covering: added to
which, it rained considerably almost every;

58
night. The water we drank was stagnant
and brackish, and made every one ill, but
the distance to the river was too great to send
there for it. Cumana was in our front, be
hind the ridge of hills before named; the
river (which afterwards runs through the
town, and empties itself into the Gulph) was
on our left, and by our right we communi
cated with the fleet. We no longer received
provisions from Brion, but had an issue of one
pound only of fresh meat, the bullocks for
this purpose being brought down from the
mountains by Colonel Montes. In addition
to this, we had neither bread nor spirits.
Our situation had therefore now become
worse than ever. It may be easily imagined
that meat, obtained from cattle immediately
after they were driven from the plains, over
high and in many parts almost inaccessible
mountains, could not be the very best in the
world : on the contrary, it resembled carrion
rather than any thing else.
A party was sent out to reconnoitre, in
which was Lieutenant-Colonel Lowe, Bri
gade Major of the legion. But Brion being
in grea£ haste to be gone, fearing the return
of the Spanish squadron, and Urdaneta hav
ing as little inclination to remain as the other,

59
it was intimated to us by the latter, that as
he had received no orders to attack Cuniarta,
he should march the troops over to the plains.
It may readily be conceived that such an
intimation could not fail of disgusting every
one ; and the opinions of the heads of the
regiment were expressed without ceremony.
It was represented, that the circumstance of
Our having appeared before the place, and then
decamping without making any effort to re
duce it, would expose us to the ridicule ofthe
whole world : that our characters and honour
would suffer ; as it was well known we were
sO much more numerous than the Creoles,
and might naturally be supposed to take the
lead : and it was asked whether General
Urdaneta had any want of confidence in the
British, to induce him to withdraw thern with
out giving them an opportunity to act? At
the same time, an offer was made by Lieu
tenant-Colonel Lowe, to attack the fort of
Agua Santa with one hundred men, and a six
pounder: this fort being the highest, and
commanding all the others round Cumana.
General Urdaneta excused himself from
accepting the offer of Colonel Lowe, by say
ing that he could not dispense with his services
in his staff capacity : but finding that he

60
could not, under any pretence, any longer re
fuse to make an attack, he sent, late that night,
and ordered the grenadier and light companies
of the British legion, to be in immediate readi
ness for the assault of Agua Santa. These
companies were assisted 'by a company of the
German rifles, and the whole was supported
by the remainder of the division.
, We consequently moved from our ground
about two o'clock on the morning of the 6th
of August, but were halted for a very consi
derable time, about a mile from the fort.
Agua Santa is on that side of the town that
faces the gulph of Cariaco ; is built on a high
and commanding hill, and, at that time, only
two pieces of cannon were mounted on the fort.
It is not an open fort, but is a block-house sur
rounded by a deep ditch, and by the way in
which we approached it there is no road, and
the ascent is particularly rugged and steep ; the
guns completely commanding the advance to
it. Near this hill, but further from the town, is
another eminence, nearly as high, upon which
there are no fortifications. This latter is so
close to the former, that it would be impossi
ble for ten minutes to maintain a footing.
The attacking party was provided with
two guides from Colonel Montes' Creoles;

but on our halting, as before mentioned; they
were taken away by Montes, and detained (for
what we could never learn,) upwards of three
quarters of an hour. Notwithstanding it was
clear to every body that the assault ought to
have been made before day-light, the guides
Were not brought back in time ; and when
the party moved on, the dawn was percepti
ble. But will it be believed that these guides
conducted the men up the wrong hill, and
affected not to find out their mistake till they
were two-thirds of the way ?• The party was
then obliged to descend, and being perceived
by the Spaniards in the fort, they were saluted
with a discharge of grape. There can be
little doubt but that this was a piece of wilful
treachery, and Colonel Montes was strongly
suspected of having given them instructions
to that effect. He had blockaded Cumana
for a length of time, and was perhaps fearful
that the success of the British would be a
reflection upon him.
Lieutenant-Colonel Friedenthal, ofthe Ger
mans, instantly cut one of the guides down,
but the other made his escape. Meanwhile
our men mounted the right hill with cheers,
but were sadly galled by the enemy's fire.
The officer, commanding this attacking

62
party, was not furnished with any directions ;
nor had he previously been shewn any plan by
which to form an idea of the course necessary
to be pursued. As usual, these useless et ceteras
were neglected! All, therefore, that the offi
cer knew of the subject, was, that he was to
attack the fort of Agua Santa; but whether
that fort was round or square, whether it was
easier of access one way than the other, he
was utterly ignorant. Neither was his party
provided with scaling ladders, or, as they
ought to have been in this instance, with axes.
General Urdaneta seems to have sanction
ed the assault from necessity, and does not
appear to have calculated upon any operation
beyond it. The possibility of success doubt
less never entered his head, nor do I believe
he wished it to succeed : his desire was to
march away : and he well knew the capture of
Agua Santa would oblige him to remain, and
that much more was to be done before the
town could be taken.
He was a man, whose arrangements were
such as to render the bravery and ardour of
any troops ineffectual ; and upon this occa
sion, so far from aiding in the reduction of
the. place, he seemed desirous of throwing
every possible obstacle in its way. For in-

63
stance— one part of the plan of attack recom
mended, was, the service of cannon, which
might have been placed Upon some of the
eminences in the neighbourhood, and would
of course have been of much utility. But
then, on the other hand* it would have been
attended with labour and trouble; conse
quently, all arguments in its favour were lost.
He would not suffer a gun to be landed.
He had not thought it necessary to concert
measures with Brion, otherwise some of the
ships might have approached and taken off
the enemy's attention from one exclusive
point; but nothing of this kind being done,
the troops below, in support of the storming
party, were exposed to the fire of all the
batteries. Those, whose long guns could
not bear upon us, fired shells from their
howitzers and mortars, and considering the
cannonade under which we stood, it is next ¦
to a miracle that our loss was not greater.
A house in our rear, chosen for a temporary
shelter for the wounded, was obliged to be
abandoned ; and scarcely had the sufferers
been conveyed from it before it was knocked
to atoms.
The storming party had closely invested
the fort, but could no where force an entrance

64
to the block -house ; while the Spaniards from
within kept up a heavy fire of musquetry
from their loop-holes : occasionally opening
ports to fire their guns, or throw hand-gre
nades into the ditch. This was briskly re
turned from without, and our men had almost
silenced their fire — when General Urdaneta
ordered a retreat ! In vain did General Eng
lish, Colonel Blosset, and others, entreat him
to let them remain. The latter had ascended
for the purpose of ascertaining how things
were going on, and reported very favourably;
the men being then under cover of projecting
rocks, and from which they greatly annoyed
the fort. But these statements were ©f no
avail. A retreat, therefore, was ordered, to
the utter astonishment and disappointment of
the besiegers, who already concluded the fort
in their power.
Our loss on this occasion was-comparatively
trifling ; being no more than two officers
killed, two wounded, and seventy-five men
killed and wounded. The latter almost all
died; as to be wounded in that country is
almost certain death — owing, as much to the
want of proper attention, as to the character
of the climate. The most trifling wounds
will bring on lock-jaw, and this consequence

65
has followed from slight flesh-wounds in the
arm. The two officers who were killed were
much regretted, for the legion was, 1 may
say, robbed of two of its brightest ornaments.
Captain Sadler, of the light Company, for
merly of the British 69th regiment, an Irish
man, was in every respect a soldier. He fell,
gallantly leading on his men to the assault,
and was afterwards represented by them to
have displayed the most heroic' Courage.-^-
Lieutenant Lyans, of the grenadier Company,
also an Irishman, was about twenty-two
years of age ; and possessed one of the most
amiable dispositions. He was a general
favourite, and was also reported to have be
haved most gallantly. He was dreadfully
wounded, and could not be brought away.
When the Spaniards were at liberty to sally
from the fort, he presented his sword to the
first who approached him, and was barba
rously murdered with His OWN weapon i
The injury done to the Spaniards was, as I
afterwards learned, five killed, and sixteen
wounded ; which was tolerably considerable,
when it is recollected that the shot must pass
through the sides of the blockhouse before?
taking its effect within. F

66
A party of one hundred Spaniards, coming
from Cariaco, were attempting to pass us,
to make their way over the hills to Cumana.
They were, however, perceived and attacked ;
but not till they had entered the bushes, and
begun to ascend. Many of them were killed;
and the Captain commanding them, and three
men, were made prisoners.
These were no sooner in the hands of the
Creoles, than they were stripped naked and
bound. General Urdaneta promised them
their lives, but did not keep his word. It was
now that We witnessed the manner of putting
their prisoners to death, which filled all the
British with horror. These unfortunate men
were taken to some distance from the camp,
tied together, and speared at the .back of the
neck till dead. Their countenances" became
horribly disfigured, and each body had at
least twenty wounds.
Can it be believed, that the Creoles delight
in the exercise of this diabolical cruelty ? and
that they undertake the massacre of those,
who unfortunately fall into their hands, with
an avidity and apparent thirst of blood truly
appalling to the human mind ? But so it is ;
and General Urdaneta, as an excuse for his
breach of faith to these ill-fated men, repre-

67
sCnted the danger of not permitting the Creole
troops to wreak their vengeance upon those
whom they considered as their lawful victims.
The distressing sight we here beheld, made
a deep impression upon myself and some
Other officers ; and from that moment we con
sulted together as to the means of withdrawing
ourselves from these ignorant, cowardly, and
cruel wretches. We naturally Considered
ourselves as parties to such deeds of blood,
so long as by the support we gave them we
added to their means of conquest, and con
sequently of murder. The ideas under which
we had identified ourselves with the Inde
pendents, were quite of a different nature :
they were honourable, though mistaken. In
becoming the advocates of their cause, we
had ceftainly never thought of sacrificing
those feelings of humanity so predominant in
the British Character, or of refusing to listen
to the cries ofthe afflicted ; much less to thirst
for the blood of those, whose unfortunate
situation ought to be an additional motive to
the exercise of pity and kindness !
It was now resolved tO proceed immediate
ly over the mountains to the plains ; and time
was promised to allow the officers to get, from
F 2

68
their baggage on board, such things as they
might require. Many of tbem, from the sup
position that we were to continue our coast
ing operations, brought nothing on shore,
from an aversion to carry a knapsack in so
hot a country. Brion, however, who was in
hourly fear ofthe return ofthe Spanish squa
dron, resolved to decamp while his passage
out was undisputed ; and accordingly, very
unexpectedly, he set sail, and left us to our
fate. This conduct, on his part, was highly selfish
and inconsiderate ; but his fear for himself
and ships rohbed him of all consideration for
us. Our situation was truly distressing; there
being amongst our men a great many, who,
from exposure to sun and rain, want of
food, and bad water, had been attacked with
violent fevers, and were in a state of great
danger. Thus these poor creatures, who
were unable to stand, were either to be left
behind to be butchered by the enemy, or to
be conducted over mountains, in some places
almost inaccessible. It was intended to have
embarked them for Margarita, but this plan
was thus prevented.
Officers, too, who had been at considerable

69
expense in England, in providing themselves
with necessary clothes, were, without a second
shirt or pair of shoes, about to be marched
into the interior of this wild and solitary
country, with the prospect of being shortly
naked. This was fortunately not my case, as
I had taken care to bring with me a well-
stored knapsack, of which I scarcely ever
quitted sight.
Such was our situation when, on the morn
ing of the 9th of August, 1819, we moved
from before Cumana, and began a march,
the fatigues of which were to consign many
to the grave. Several of the unfortunate
sick men above-mentioned were conducted
a short distance; and then, from necessity,
left; whilst others lay down and died.
The country around Cumana, which was
represented to us, as being in the highest state
of cultivation, before the revolution, was
now a wilderness; overgrown with bushes,
and presenting nothing to the eye but the
rugged work of nature. We passed many
cottages, but none were inhabited. The Pa
triots and Spaniards were alike fearful of
each other, keeping within their respective
defended precincts. We beheld before us the
lofty mountains we were shortly to ascend,

70
and looked forward with some pleasure to
the interest such a march was likety to create :
little thinking of the sufferings we were to.
encounter, or of the many of our companions
who were to bid us an eternal farewell. Ge
neral English, who doubtless anticipated the
misery to be endured, and feared the feelings
it would excite in the men towards himself,
wisely embarked for Margarita ; otherwise I
verily believe he would have been sacrificed
to their fury.
We reached the position in the mountains
occupied by Colonel Montesi and which is
certainly by nature very strong. The ascent
to it is steep and difficult, and is unassailable
except by one track ; the sides being so over
grown with trees and bushes, as to render it
impenetrable. Any attack must therefore be
made in front; and the assailed, from their
elevated situation, would have, of course, so
decided a superiority, that a few could im
pede the advance of many.
This position is distant from Cumana about
five leagues, and affords the Independents an
admirable place of shelter, from which they
frequently descend, and annoy the Spaniards
in the town. Here we found a few open
straw sheds, erected as shelter for the Creole

71
troops; but there being but little room in
them, the greater part of us took up our
quarters amongst the bushes, where we were
dreadfully tormented with ants and mos
quitoes. This day I was suddenly startled by the
noise made by a beetle, very common in the
woods of South America ; the body of which
I never could see, but which has been de
scribed to me as not unlike the cricket. The
noise it makes is, to one unaccustomed to it,
truly terrific ; and several others, as well as
myself, at first thought it proceeded from a
serpent. It commences by a loud hissing,
which increases to the most harsh and grating,
hut at the same time shrill, sound imaginable.
Were I to mention to what it most ap
proaches, I fear my veracity would be in
danger of being questioned. We were after
wards so accustomed to the sound as to dis
regard it.
As it was expected to be moonlight that
night, we were ordered to fall in for march
ing at 12 o'clock ; which we accordingly did,
and were given to understand we had the
next day to pass over a mountain nearly as
high again as the one upon which we were
halted. This information was not received

72
with much pleasure, as we had not forgotten
the labour it had cost us to arrive at our pre
sent elevation.
At 12 o'clock we began our march ; and
went this day the most fatiguing journey by
far in our travels over these mountains. We
left Montes's first position, descending into a
valley, and passing through several rapid
streams. We then ascended to as great a
height as the eminence we had left ; and de
scended again, passing through another val
ley, prior to our arrival at the foot of the
mountain so much dreaded. This was called
by the natives " El impossible'," and cost us
infinite labour to climb. The clouds almost
always rest upon its summit, as they did at
that time. Many of the men fell, exhausted
from fatigue, and were unable to proceed.
Of these no notice was taken : they were left
by their humane conductors to shift for them
selves ; and unless they made an effort to get
on, they stood an almost certain chance of
starving. The descent was, if possible, more distress
ing than the ascent ; and the road in many
parts was such as to be with difficulty passed.
My great surprize was, how they could ma
nage to conduct cattle up and down such

73
places ; but certain it is they do so, although
many of them, as may naturally be supposed,
die by the way. When we got so far down
as to be out of the clouds, the scenery was
certainly very sublime. A valley on the
right was tolerably wide, through which ran
a rapid river, the sides of which were skirted
with impenetrably thick woods. (These
woods, by the by, continue equally thick
even to the very summit of some of the
mountains.) Our ears were now assailed
with a tremendous roaring, which the Creoles
informed us proceeded from the tigers : great
numbers of which are to be found in all parts
of South America, but more particularly in
thqse the least frequented. Parrots were to
be seen in flocks ; and as soon as the noise of
the tigers ceased, the chattering of the mon
keys was heard. In short, had we been less
fatigued and hungry, we might have enjoyed
such novelties.
For my own part, the passing of " El im*
possible*" made an impression upon me never
to be forgotten ; and indeed all my compa
nions seemed to have the same feelings, for it
has frequently since been the subject of con
versation. When we reached the bottom, we were

74
scarcely able to stand. Here, therefore, it
was determined to kill the oxen, and cook.
We were now upon the bank of a river,
branching from the one I have above men
tioned ; and in this, as in other shallow rivers
in South America, there are interspersed here
and there, large stones, upon which three,
four, sometimes five, or six men, could con
veniently sit. The water was overhung with
lofty trees, and in this romantic spot we pass
ed two hours; for the bullocks were killed,
and the beef cooked and eaten, within that
time. The fires for cooking were lighted on the
stones, and there each party was assembled
to make his miserable meal. It was remark
ed to me, by a brother officer, how many
persons in London would delight to pass the
day in such a lovely spot! To this I as
sented ; but conceived it most probable they
would prefer something better than one pound
of bad beef, eaten broiled without salt, and
water as the only beverage.
We had been warned at Margarita to pro
vide ourselves with salt, as otherwise we
should severely feel the want of it ; but as we
had no means of conveyance for any thing
beyond what we could ourselves carry, we

75
found it impossible to take any considerable
quantity ; and what we had, was either con
sumed or destroyed by the rain when before
Cumana. It was on the banks of this river, that we
saw a great number of small monkeys, of a
light green colour, frolicking in the trees. Of
course it was not permitted to waste powder
by firing at them, but I do not recollect ever
to have seen any smaller^or apparently more
delicate. We resumed our journey, and marched
without intermission till six o'clock in the
evening. It must be recollected that this
season of the year was the rainy season, and
this afternoon we proceeded by a road, wind
ing round a mountain, a river being on our
right, t;he current of which descended with
an astonishing rapidity and noise ; the rain in
t£ie mean time falling in torrents. We were
stopped several times by the water from the
mountain intersecting the road.
At length our passage was completely ob
structed, and a scene presented itself to our
view awfully majestic. The rain, descending
from the mountain, of course works a chan
nel down, and the one we now saw seemed to
he the principal ; several smaller ones emptied s

76
themselves into the main track, and an im
mense body of water rushed from this lofty
summit with an indescribable force and
velocity, rolling down huge stones, and pass
ing our path with the rapidity of lightning
to the river below, and with an almost deaf
ening roar. Never do I recollect to have
seen a more frightful, but at the same time,
impressive sight; every one gazed with silent
wonder and fearful admiration. An hour
elapsed before the rain subsided, and the fall
Of water then gradually diminished ; but an
officer, fancying prematurely he could resist
the current, endeavoured to pass through.
He was immediately carried off his legs, and
borne down by the stream ; but fortunately
encountering a small tree in his way, he clung
to it and was saved. To those who were ac
customed to travel amongst these immense
mountains, such a sight was not new, but to
us it was a most surprising and novel spec
tacle. It was intended this evening to reach Cu-
manacoa, a Patriot town, and the head-quar
ters of Colonel Montes ; but the heavy rain
had so swelled a river we had to cross, as to
render it impassable, and we were necessitated
to spend the night in a perfect swamp. The

77
next morning we marched nearly all the way
through mud, artd were continually wading
through streams of water; at length we
reached Cumanacoa, wearied beyond mea
sure, having left behind us many of our poor
men who had dropt by the way»
No quarters were provided for the officers,
but they were left to shift for themselves.
Finding, therefore, a small empty shed, I had
erept into it, and was reposing myself, when
a coloured Creole rushed in — and asked me
what I did there ? He had neither shoes nor
Stockings on ; wore a check shirt, an old pair
of coarse canvas pantaloons, and an old straw
hat. On demanding his reason for such an
enquiry; he told me he was an officer, and
that I had taken his quarters. Such an ap
pearance for an officer not a little surprised
me; but finding he was in earnest, I asked his
rank, to which he replied, a Sub-Lieutenant.
I then informed him I was a Captain, and
should not turn out but for one of superior
rank to myself. He then went away, and I
saw no more of him. I soon, however, found
that many Patriot officers were much worse
provided with clothes than this man.
General Urdaneta, in order to urge on the
men, had promised them rum and bread on

78
their arrival at Cumanacoa ; but no sooner
was he there, than he forgot all he had said.
This ruse- de- guerre was attempted to be prac
tised more than once, but the men afterwards
paid no attention to it.
Cumanacoa is situated in a valley, and
surrounded by mountains; the ground around
it is exceedingly fertile, and noted for its very
excellent tobacco — the best on the Spanish
Main. It was before the revolution a hand
some town, the houses being built of stone,
all of which were destroyed by the Spaniards.
They are therefore now of straw, as indeed
are all the Patriot towns, except Old Guay-
ana and Angostura. In general these straw
houses are exceedingly ill built, but in Cuma
nacoa they were quite the contrary, having
an air of great cleanliness and neatness.
The town is provided with two large for
tified houses for its defence against the Spa
niards, or rather for the reception and defence
ofthe Creole soldiers. In these, stages are
erected one above the other, where the men
stand and fire at their enemy through loop
holes. These houses are large and built of
wood, the roof being covered with straw.
The Spaniards do occasionally fall upon
them> advancing from the Gulf of Cariaco ;

79
and two years prior to this period they had suc
ceeded in destroying the town, and killing
or taking off many of the inhabitants ; but
they were unable to drive the Creoles from
their ground.
There is very little to be got at this place
beyond sugar, Indian corn, and Cassava
bread ; of which, although there was abun
dance in the town, it wa§ not thought neces
sary by our brutal Chief to procure it for
either officers or men ; notwithstanding he
had given his promise to do so. We were
therefore obliged to receive, and endeavour
to satisfy ourselves with, our pound of fresh
beef. Our situation was certainly most pitiable,
and the unhappy men made repeated but
useless complaints. They were now com
pletely in the power of the Patriots, and whe
ther they were satisfied or not was perfectly
immaterial. Here a general court-martial was held, for
the trial of the eight deserters from Barcelona,
who had not shared the fate of their com
panions. They were convicted ofthe charge
against them, and sentenced to be shot, but
were pardoned by General Urdaneta. Such,
however, had been their sufferings^ while in

80
the custody of the Creoles, that not one sur
vived ; all dying shortly after!
We had here a day of rest ; and in the
evening those men, who from sickness were
unable to proceed, were assembled for the
purpose of medical inspection prior to being
left behind. The number amounted to one
hundred and forty, besides officers ; also a
considerable number of the rifle corps. Even
Creoles sunk under the fatigue, and from want
of nourishment.
A most barbarous order was here put into
execution. These unfortunate men were
stripped of their clothes, for the purpose of
completing those who could go on; and were
thus left, in this inclement season of the year,
in a state of the most abject misery. About
thirty of them afterwards, joined their corps,
and the last accounts I heard of the remainder
Were — that only one had survived !
The day we marched from Cumanacoa, we
passed through no less than twenty-five rivers
and streams, some tolerably deep, others
shallow ; and we bivouacked for the night
on the summit of a mountain. In short, till
our arrival at the plains, we were daily as
cending and descending; in the ravines, pass
ing through rivers and stagnated water ; all

81
this time subsisting upon one pound of beef,
which rather resembled carrion. Although,
both on the mountains and in the vallies,
there is the greatest abundance of wood, we
found no trees bearing wholesome fruits;
nothing eatable was to be met with but limes
and pepper. The latter is growing wild al
most every where.
Tigers abound here ; and we were informed
by the inhabitants Of Cumanacoa, that it was
with difficulty they could preservetheir mules
and horses : the natives seeming to be in con
stant dread of them, though I could not learn
that they very frequently; or successfully, at
tacked men.
The summits of some mountains we found
of considerable extent, having the appearance
of plains of pasture : but what astonished us
was, frequently meeting, even there, with fine
clear springs of water. These we found very
acceptable. The air is much Colder, and the
atmOsphere finer than below ; that is to say,
when the clouds are off. The herbage looked
greener, and, for my own part, I should
much prefer my abode here to the ravines.
On reaching the extremity of the moun
tain-tops, the descent would frequently pre
sent an aspect the most rugged and frightful ;
G

and exclamations of surprise} at the nature
ofthe road before us> would burst from every
mouth. Trees, high and bushy, growing from
the brow even to the bottom* rendered the
passage so inconceivably dark, that it would
appear We were about to enter some intermi
nable abyss. We Were obliged to descend
with the greatest caution, clinging to the
projecting foots; vbut that cattle should be
enabled to encounter, and overcome, such ob
stacles to their passage, Was to me and all my
companions, a matter ofthe greatest wonder.
We Saw but few natives of these parts, al
though we passed through three small villages.
Those we did see, presented an appearance
of almost inconceivable misery and poverty ;
and the interior of their habitations Was dis
gustingly filthy. 'The Indians are always cor
pulent and healthy looking, but they are not
permanent settlers anywhere.
On the thirteenth day, after our depar
ture from before Cumana, we reached the
plains. As we approached them> the moun
tains becoming smaller and less furnished
with wood, but ending in black rocks, or ap
parently withered grass. In short, the wild
fertility of Our former route was now <som-
spletely changed. This, however, we hailed

S3
wjth. rapture, as we we were informed it indi
cated £hat we were shortly to leave tbem be
hind. The view pf tne plains, from the eminence
Upon whifih/ we stood, was most beautiful.
AiS fk? as the eye could reach, scarcely a
rising was perceptible. The ground, after
tne rains, hope eyidenjt marjis of improye-
jment ; and instead of the burnt and barren
f^ospect we had lately been led tq expect,
•every thing wore tho appearance of verdure.
Woods and (clusters of trees, interspersed here
and there, added a diversity to the scene, truly
enchanting; and we this day saw, I thjij^k,
as great a number of parrots and .paroquets,
as I have seep at one time in any pa,rt of
tlaat country.
On descending the mountain, for the last
time (at least Jfqr the present), we felt light
.of heart, and ,cqngi;afeul,ated each q^heron our
arrival at the plains; but w,e soon .perceived
that our legs 'qnly were likely to ,be beneficed
by the change : for although every thing had
a dehghtful appearance to the eye, we .could
jfindjuothing to gratify the palate. We still
seemed destined to taste only beefi Tthe ;bare
sight of which became every day jinare dis
gusting, -and was eaten rfrqm necessity alone.
g 2

84
We next arrived at a large Patriot -towrt
(built of course with straw) called Aragua, and
by this time the number of our sick and dis
abled men was very considerably increased:
added to which, many had remained between
Cumanacoa and this place ; not by desire of our
General (who insisted upon their advancing,
whether able or not) but because they really
could not get on. These.we afterwards learned
were robbed of every thing they possessed, by
the hard-hearted inhabitants for whose liberty
they were fighting. We had also lost five men
one morning, crossing a river unusually deep
and rapid ; and thus our strength was daily
decreasing. At this place, the poor old woman, in whose
wretched hovel I took up my quarters, gave me
a most distressing account of the misery her
self and many of her friends and acquaintance
had suffered by the revolution. She repre
sented herself to have been in a situation of
affluence; having slaves, abundance of cattle,
and cultivated grounds : all of which she had
lost, together with her husband, who had been
obliged to take arms and was killed : and she
was then reduced to so great a state of poverty,
as sometimes to be unable to procure a suffi
ciency of food. The poor woman shed tears

85
on her recital of these sufferings, and told me
how heartily she cursed the revolution, as did
all those whom she knew.
From Aragua, we marched to a small
Indian village, where we remained for the
night. In the neighbourhood of this place
our half famished men found some berries,
which they greedily devoured, but which near
ly proved fatal' to them. Almost all who had
eaten of them were seized with convulsions,
and endured for a long time the greatest
agony. This taught them1 to be more upon
their guard for the future.
¦[..' On the 24th of August, 1819, we reached
Maturin, the head-quarters of what is termed
by the Patriots, the Province of the East.
This day I was seized with the fever; and so
completely did it deprive me of all sense of
.what I was about, that I marched from a
place where we had halted for an hour, and
left my sword hanging upon a small tree. Nor
did I make the discovery till the next morning.
Here it was resolved that we should stay a
considerable time, until some plan of future
operation was decided upon. Still our Gen
eral took no steps to provide us with bread,
but the quantity of beef was increased half a
pound per day. During my illness at, this

m
place, which was howevef short, I took so
great a dislike to the sight of beef, as to be
unable to bring my self to taste it: until corn^
pelled to do so for the support of nature.
We all now began to perceive the desperate
Situation to which We had reduced ourselves,
and most heartily repented not having listened
to the warning voice raised in England against
this MAD speculation ! There had been a time
when we rilight have gained something for
ourselves by our sWOrds, had we been pro
perly commanded ; and the hope of doing SO
had in some degree supported us; but now,
eVen this prospect had vanished, and we beheld
ourselves pennyless; many of O^kr companions
naked ; and, tO crown all, the whole of Us starv
ing/-— The murder of the unfortunate Spanish
prisoners at Cumana was not forgotten; and
the subsequent unfeeling conduct of our tsten-
'eral towards his own troops, excited in us re
sentment for the past, and alarm forthelfatUfe.
In short, despair was imprinted Upon every
countenance, and tiothrhg was heard tyut la
mentation. Maturin was by far the largest Paftfiot towii
we had yet seen on the Main, and was also
formerly built lof stone, but destroyed by the
Spaniards. It stands on an arm of the river

CSuajrapiehe, b§T wpich there is a commnpica-
tion,tby the Gulpji qf ,Paria, wj{;h Trinidad.
This arm is narrow, with a rapid stream, and
navigable only by ^pats. ,jjtefi,vj»
The town is composed pf straw hquses;
some few with mud walls, wh^tpwasjjed.^lts
plaza, or square, is large, frpm which branch
various streets : hut every thing in it has th^e
appearance of poverty aqd wretchedness. . Jt
is defended by a few guns, placed in the Sjquar^
and a traversing twenty-four pounder; upqn a
wooden platform, erected on the plains at the
distance of about a quarter of a miJ,e. The in
habitants are enrolled as mili,tia{or itsdefence,
jfaatare destitute of fine-arms.
I do not suppose it to,qe possible tq witness,
in one place of this sige, such an assemblage of
sals as in Maturin. The houses i»eing built ojf
straw, there is abundant room, both in the
sides and thatch, for them to nestle; .and as
jfehe inhabitants u.se no means to destroy thern,
they are daily increasing. .In the day-time they
oxsmain perfectly ^still ; -tiut towards evening,
and all the night, the galloping, squeaking,
and jear-piercing noise they make* is ,beyond
belief. Inshort, (the ,whole place is overrun
with them, to the great annoyance of all
strangers, particularly Europeans.

88
. This place was1 formerly of considerable
note for its trade in mules and cattle with the
West India Islands; but there is now a great
scarcity of the latter, and hardly any of the
former. Indeed the embarkation of mules
from Maturin is prohibited.
It being the head- quarters of the Province
of the East, the Independent Generals in
command have so frequently, under pretepce
of the exigency of the case, made seizure of
all cattle brought for embarkation, that traders
, are deterred from going there. When these
seizures are made, no attention is paid to the
loss or total ruin of the proprietor : nay, the
milch cows of the inhabitants, many of whom
had scarcely any other means of subsistence,
were, on our arrival, taken from them, and
killed, for which not the smallest recompense
was made.
Small vessels can come up the river Gua-
rapiche, within about forty miles of Maturin,
and a few articles of sale are brought from
Trinidad. But so miserable are these people,
and so little have they occasion for pen, ink,
and paper, that not a sheet of the latter was
to be procured in the whole place. This too
at a town, where a staff establishment is kept
up!

89
Here our men were dying daily ; while
fever, the ague, and other disorders were
hourly attacking them. Nor was there any
medicine for their relief. Our surgeon, (a
young man of great ability, named Murphy,
who had entered this service in England from
the idea that he should find ample scope for
practice,) made repeated strong representa
tions to the General, urging the necessity of
procuring medicine, and pointing out the
barbarity of suffering the unfortunate soldiers
to perish for the want of it ; but Urdaneta
was a man with whom no statement of this
kind was likely to have any effect. So long
as he could follow his own degrading plea
sures, he cared not whether his soldiers were
fed or starved* or died or lived.
He was in the constant habit of gambling
the whole day long, as were General Valdes
and Colonel Montilla. Indeed Urdaneta has
been frequently seen putting five doubloons
on a card, at Monte, although he would not
give one farthing for bread for his famished
troops, or take the least trouble to procure
medicine, to save the sick from the grave!
This latter might have been had with facility
from Trinidad, in the course of three weeks
or a month.
Officers and men were alike attacked with

90
a horrible disease, very prevalent in tbiS
country, called <( MaJdhV' This wqrd liter
rally §ignifie§ a curse. The arms, hands, legs,
and feet, are covered with sores that eat tq
the very bone, and are attended with great
inflammation, running, and exeruejatiug pain.
I have been informed that amputation, and
even death, have frequently been caused by
them. An open shed, (galled an hospital, was
crowded with these unhappy -wretches ; pre
senting a spectacle of human suffering that
baffles all description. Destitute ,of ought
whereon to repose, of medicine to check the
ravages of disease, or «tven of the common
necessaries of life, these poor men wece
breathing their last; their bodily: sufferings
augmented by the swarms of sandnflies, which
their diseases attracted, and by which they
were inoessantily tormented, I do»notrbelieve
it possible for a anoue distressing (or [heart
rending scene (to be any iwhere witnessed ;
and I think could iGejaen&l Edagiiah thave seen
the state to wibich Jhe had, for .the sake of
sordid gain, reduced his countrymen, his
heart, had it /heen made of iflint, must have
feitssome icompunction.*
* Notwithstanding this, I afterwards read an extract of a
letter, inserted in some of the English Newspapers, said to be

91
In this state of things, many officers insist'
ed upon resigning; hoping to be able to get
to Trinidad, and from thence to their native
country. In that number was myself ; but
we were hot only refused permission to do
so, but it was made known to all, by order
of General Urdaneta, that any officer for the
futtife tendering his resignation, would be
sent a prisoner to the Fortress of Guayana.
We were told we were the property of
tjIE Republic; that they had engaged to
pay a certain sum for our services, which^ if
not willingly given, would be exacted by
force. It was acknowledged the government
had not observed their obligations to us, nor
were they likely to do so, but still we were
their property and must remain. This rea
soning, by the chief of Urdaneta's staff, con
vinced us we had indeed embraced the naust
of IMetty !
It rflarf be demanded by some, w*hy, w*hen
from Trinidad, giving South American news about this period,
and stating that the British legion at Maturin was in high
hedlth and sjiirilts." And'fhus, to answer the -purposes 'df inter
ested persons-^to keep up,^s they ter m i t, " public opiniDri"—
have the most infamous falsehoods and exaggerated statements,
respecting this country and cause, been propagated; to the
ruin and death of many hundreds, who have been so unfortu
nate as to read and put confidence in them.

92
thus treated, we did not rise ? I have been
asked this question several times ; but although
the men would have taken arms to follow any
officer who would have proposed such a thing,
the officers saw too well that, in so wild
and intricate a country, with the great diffi
culty of procuring food, such a step would
have been attended with inevitable destruc
tion. Finding all hopes of being able to withdraw
with consent at an end, several of us de
termined to attempt an escape. Secret meet
ings were accordingly held, and plans sug
gested and discussed ; but none of them ap
peared likely to be attended with success.
At length it was ascertained there was a fine
large boat at a plantation, three miles dis
tant. It was therefore agreed to reconnoitre
the place, and see how far it would be pracr
ticable to seize this and decamp. Our in
tention was to get to Trinidad. We were
Well aware of the difficulty and danger of
the enterprise, as well as of the fate that
awaited us should we be taken ; but we were
ready to risk every thing — so earnest was our
desire to leave this horrid land, and the more
horrible savages in whose service we were
enlisted.

93
We found, however, so many persons at
this plantation, that our own number, which
was five, would be inadequate to, carry the
plan into execution. I proposed to enlist
some of the men in our cause, but this was
overruled ; although, for my own part, I
would have depended upon any of them. In
consequence, for the present, the project was
abandoned. We now formed an acquaintance with a
young Canadian, who had come from Tri
nidad on business. To him, therefore, we ad
dressed ourselves for advice and assistance,
which he readily seemed disposed to give us.
He, however, represented the danger of the
above project of the boat, from the difficulty
of obtaining sufficient provisions; the rapidity
of the current, and intricacy ofthe passage of
„ the small river; our own want of experience
in boating, &c. &c. This induced us to give
up all further idea of it, he promising, how
ever, to endeavour to procure us means of
disguise ; and as he himself would be shortly
going, to take us in his boat in the great
river. Some of our soldiers now deserted, which
circumstance gave us much apprehension;
as it would put Urdaneta on his guard, and

94
render our escape so much less practicable.
Others shortly followed the first example,
but all were taken. The time was fast ap
proaching when our attempt was to be made,
but unfortunately our friend the Canadian
was attacked with a violent fever, and we
were once more nearly reduced to despair.
We now heard, to our utter astonishment,
that General Urdaneta had received the
thanks of Ooaagiress for his bravery in having
possessed himself of Barcelona! Of this I am
¦certain, that, had a General of any ©fcber coium*-
try conducted himself as this fellow had done,
eternal disgrace to himself would ihave been
the ooneequenoe.
A oircuiMBtanoe respecting our operations
at that place, also aaoiw came to our know
ledge, wshidh will serve jaoore particularly
4® inrark the military character of this man.,
it wiM be recollected that, during our stay
¦in JBareelomsa, we were daily expecting to
ibe joined by ^General Bei»udez with horses
and cattle. We now learned that, in conse
quence of ^advice from Urdaneta, he was in
possession ofthe place. Bermudez, who was
^on the plains in that .province, 'lost no time
-in iBst^king preparations to join him : and
knowing that the ;fleet was there also, .and

m
that he cOuld be Supplied with what ammuni
tion he stood in need 6C took with him tmty
two rounds per man.
His force was said to be twelve hundred
men, and he had collected five hundred head
of cattle and two hundred horses, with which
he marched for Barcelona. But what was
<his surprise!, on arriving at that town, to find
it evacuated by Urdaneta, without his having
received any previous notice of such an in
tention?! The Spa'ni'ardsi, who were still at Espirito,
iand had been reinforced from the province of
Caraccas by a considerable number of troops,
^ent by^ea/rio soower heard of the arrival of
Uerfriudez, than they marched to attack him;
and he, havinfgiioia'nimunition to defend him
self with, was >o*bHged to decamp, leaving be
hind his cattle and horses. He was of bourse
¦pursued by the enemy, *and his men obliged
to Separate and hide themselves iu tfce 'moun
tains between (Barcelona and Cumana.
He afterwards arrived Jat Cumana&oa, with
the remnant of his men, in a most deplorable
fetate, iand infuriated to the highest degree
against Urdaneta ; of whose conduct she com
plained to Congress. The latter 'excused
•himself 4sy throwing the blame >^pOn Brion,

96
who retorted upon him, and thus the matter
rested. Urdaneta still being esteemed an able
General, and Brion still holding his empire
over the fleet.
I now positively declared my resolution,
be the consequences what they would, to
serve no more ; and absolutely refused to sit
as judge-advocate on the trial ofthe men who
had lately deserted. On the cOntrary, I ex
pressed openly my opinion, that, considering
the brutal treatment towards them, it was un
natural to expect they should not endeavour
to escape from such a state of misery and
slavery. For this I was summoned before the chief
of the staff, and recommended to be cautious
of what I was about: the latter at the same
time intimating, that the General would re
present such conduct to the Government,
which representation would operate power
fully against me, and would entirely destroy
all my hopes of being at a future period per
mitted to resign. How far Urdaneta might
have carried his resentment, had he remained
in command, I know not; but suddenly, andY
to our great delight, he was superseded by
General Marino.
At this period we heard of the capture of

97
Santa Fe ; and the riches, taken there by Boli
var, were said to be immense : for, although
in his despatch to Congress he only ac
knowledged having found half a million of
dollars, yet so effectually did these gentle
men exercise their talents in multiplication,
that his half million was soon made five or
six millions !
Bolivar ordered that Urdaneta should be
directed to join him forthwith; for so fond
was the president of this able commander, that
no consideration of distance, or of his being
on other duty, could induce him to withstand
the temptation of having his favourite near
him. General Marino, the next in military rank
to Bolivar, is a man possessing the most
gentlemanly and winning manners ; but is
destitute of talent, and is as great a gambler
as his predecessor Urdaneta. He had for
merly conspired against Bolivar, who offered
a price for his head : but although outwardly
they appear as friends, they are well known
to be secret enemies.
Marino soon however ingratiated himself
with the officers and men ofthe British legion,
as much by his pleasing manner, as by his
immediately taking measures to have the
H

98
troops supplied with Cassava bread. He had
also brought with him, from Angostura, a
small sum of money, and a dollar and a half
was distributed to each man, and a few dol
lars to each officer. I was however denied
any share, owing to having declared my der
termination no longer to serve.
General Marino also visited the hospital,
which Urdaneta never had done. The sur
geon informed me he was so shocked at this
deplorable sight, that he turned pale, and
immediately quitted the place : at the same
time expressing his resolution to do every
thing in his power to alleviate the condition
ofthe men. The bare expression of kindness
from this General, when compared with the
brutal coldness of his predecessor, made sueh
an impression, that the poor fellows all swore
they would die by his side !
To him, therefore, I applied for permission
to go to Trinidad. In reply he told me he
could, not consent, as he had no authority to
suffer any one to leave the territory of the
Republic; but offered me leave to proceed to
Angostura, the seat of Government, where I
could represent my case to the Vice Presi
dent; who would, he said, perhaps suffer me
to resign. At the same time, he introduced

99
me to a Colonel Sucre, who was to set off the
next day, and politely requested of him to
shew me attention on the road.
This introduction was, by the by, a most
fortunate circumstance; for otherwise, my
permission to go would have availed me very
little, as I should not have known in what
way to get there; it being a distance of at
least 300 miles over the plains : whereas now,
Colonel Sucre offered me the use of one of
his mules, which I most thankfully accepted.
General Marino, to do him justice, did not
appear to approve of obliging officers to serve
against their consent ; as he had that day given
permission to two others to proceed to An
gostura also : but it being represented to
him that he would, at that rate, shortly lose
all the officers ofthe corps, he refused further
applications of that nature. The two officers
abovementioned were not, however, so fortu
nate as myself; for although they had leave,
they had no means of taking advantage of it:
and I never afterwards saw them, though
I remained a considerable time at Angostura.
I endeavoured, while at Maturin, to learn
if the natives were at all acquainted with the
ancient history of their country ; and upon
this subject questioned several of them, but

100
all they seemed to know was, that the Indians
were the original possessors, and were cap
tured by the Spaniards.
One man spoke to me of the splendour in
which the ancient Indian kings had lived ;
and said, that in that time, gold and silver
were in such abundance, that their houses were
made ofthe former, and their seats and uten
sils ofthe latter ; that if the king was in the
interior, however far, his subjects would form
a line from the sea-coast ; and by offering
fish, taken from the sea alive, from hand to
hand, convey it to the habitation ofthe king
in the greatest perfection. He told many
ridiculous stories of this kind, and seemed to
believe them to be true.
I observed, during my stay at Maturin,
that there was nightly a heavy fall of dew ;
notwithstanding which, many of the natives
would, from preference, sleep in the open air,
and with little or no covering. Nor would
they enter the house all the night, unless
compelled to do so by rain. It did not ap
pear that this was attended with any injuri
ous consequences to them.
When the men heard that I was about to
proceed to Angostura, for the purpose of re
turning to England, many of them came and

101
requested I would make known, on my arri
val in England, the treatment they had expe
rienced there, and the miserable condition to
which they were reduced ; and seemed to
derive some consolation from the assurance I
would do so.
On the 25th of September, 1819, I set off
from Maturin in company with Colonel Sucre,
mounted on a good mule, and in high spirits
at the prospect of being shortly able to leave
this detested country. The road, we now
passed, was widely different from the one by
which we had reached Maturin; the herbs,
in many places, completely obstructing our
view of the small beaten track we followed ;
and I am sure, without the assistance of a
guide, I should have left the proper direction
fifty times.
We this night passed another arm of the
Guarapiche river, and rested at a house about
two leagues distant from it ; where we were
treated with anecdotes of the boldness of the
tigers in that neighbourhood, and ofthe losses
the relater had suffered by them. We were
unable to close our eyes for the swarms of
musquitoes, against the stings of which there
is hardly any preventive.
Early the next morning we continued our

102
route over these apparently boundless savanas,
and saw immense numbers of wild deer, and
many most curious birds. In passing through
woods, we were always much amused with
the frolics ofthe monkeys in the trees.
We this day arrived and took up our quar
ters at a house on the bank of the river
Tigre; so called, from the number of tigers
that infest the woods that skirt it. They
were represented to me as larger and fiercer
than ordinary; and the old woman, who oc
cupied our present habitation, told me that
her dread of them was great. Here Colonel
Sucre met some friends coming from Angos^
tura to Maturin, in consequence of which we
remained the next day, and then proceeded.
On this day's journey we crossed the river
Morescao Largo, the banks of which are lined
with thick woods, so infested with musquitoes
and sand-flies, as to be called by the natives
" la Madre de la plaga." I need not say we
made all haste to get rid of such tormentors.
It is curious to observe the mules, when
disburthened of their saddles, walk into these
rivers, and swim across of their own accord ;
waiting on the opposite side the arrival of
their masters. Colonel Sucre was accom
panied by two Creole servants ; one driving

103
a sumpter mule, and the other attending us :
there was also a little Creole boy going to
Angostura, who walked every step of the
way, nor ever appeared to be fatigued. On
the contrary, when we rested for the night,
he would immediately proceed to light a fire,
and prepare supper, and was as active as
though he had not stirred the whole day.
Our attendant, who was mounted, was a
Samboe, and certainly for that country a most
useful and active fellow. He would plunge
into the rivers with a load upon his head,
and convey it to the opposite bank without
its receiving any injury ; and upon every oc
casion was equally serviceable.
We this evening bivouacked on the plains,
lighting fires, and keeping our mules near us
to protect them in case of attack. We had
that day seen several tigers, and one particu
larly large. They invariably gazed at us for
a short time, then turned round, and walked
leisurely away. Our mules always gave no
tice of our approach to them, as they never
failed making a stop — pricking up their ears,
and looking earnestly in the direction of their
well known enemy.
Colonel Sucre informed me he had known
instances of mules, when resting, being at-

104
tacked and borne off within five or six yards
of their masters; notwithstanding fires had
been lighted- He also related his having seen
a very extraordinary and interesting battle
on the open plains, between a tiger and a
wild bullock ; in which the latter was com
pletely the conqueror, and not only made his
enemy run, but chaced him.
The following day we reached an Indian
village called Tobasko, and passed the night
in a house occupied by a black Patriot Colo
nel, who was there recruiting. I have never
yet met with a man of his colour, who pos
sessed such engaging manners. They would
not have disgraced an English drawing-room.
The Indians of Tobasko make many curi
ous things of grass, particularly hammocks,
which are exceedingly strong, though light. I
fancied these people were taller than I had
seen them elsewhere.
The next day we had a long journey before
us, intending to reach Barancas, a town on
the river Oronoko ; and there take shipping
for Angostura. We Consequently started at
three o'clock in the morning, and at seven
arrived at the river Coa, by far the largest we
had yet crossed, and which consumed much
time. We here found an old Indian residing,

105
who obtained his living by transporting tra
vellers over this river, and whose assistance
was very welcome.
It was here also I. saw five amphibious
animals, called by the natives " chickwis."
They appeared to me to resemble the sheep,
and were just of that size. As we approach
ed them, they betook themselves instantly to
the water, and disappeared. The}^ feed, I
understand, upon herbs, and are exceedingly
fat ; tasting not unlike veal. The plains and
waters of the Apure are said to abound with
them. Horses and mules are frequently drowned
crossing this river, it being upwards of a quar
ter of a mile broad, with a rapid current : an
accident of this kind had happened the pre
ceding day, but we fortunately escaped any
thing of the sort.
About twelve o'clock we met a troop of
herdsmen conducting cattle to Maturin. They
had halted and just killed a calf) of which we
were invited to partake. I now witnessed
their manner of roasting meat, with the skin
on, using a long stick for a spit, which they
point, and thus hold it to the fire till done.
I certainly never, either before or after, tasted
meat in South America half so delicious.

106
This I have since learned is the common way
of cooking by the herdsmen.
We were this afternoon completely lost,
but went on at hazard. At length we came
to a piece of deep stagnant water, by which
our passage was impeded, and which seemed
to extend to so considerable a distance to the
right and left, that we determined to cross it
there. In doing so, I found myself, on reach
ing the opposite side, covered with leeches;
and what was most singular, Colonel Sucre
had none. While employed in removing
them, I was beset with such a swarm of large
horse-flies, that, what with the one and the
other, I was nearly driven mad. With much
difficulty, however, I removed the leeches
and continued the journey.
As we approached Barancas, we had a view
of the mountains on the other side of the
Oronoko ; the bare sight of which recalled
so powerfully to my recollection what we had
suffered in passing those between Cumana
and Maturin, that they excited feelings of
pain. We reached Barancas at eight o'clock in
the evening, and fortunately found a schooner
about to ascend the river to Angostura the
following morning. It was some time since

107
I had seen so fine a stream as the Oronoko,
which the natives consider the wonder of the
world, and cannot be brought to believe that
its equal exists. I looked upon it with plea
sure as the channel by which I hoped once
more to be placed under the protection ofthe
British flag.
This journey across the plains had afforded
me much delight ; and the circuitous route by
which we proceeded to Angostura, had given
me an opportunity of seeing more than 1
otherwise should. My attention had been
constantly taken up by curious, and to me
unknown birds and animals; and those vast
uncultivated and almost uninhabited plains
gave me some idea of the desolate wildness
of these regions.
Further in the interior, you may march
for days without seeing a human form or
habitation ; and even here we had travelled
from morning to night under the same cir
cumstances. Sometimes, as far as the eye
could reach, in either direction, nothing was
observable but sky and grass ; and the latter
quite parched by the burning heat ofthe sun.
It may easily be imagined what an effect it
must have upon the traveller, who is pre
vented, when he does arrive at a wood or

108
cluster of trees, taking the advantage of their
shade, owing to the musquitoes that swarm
there. I observed here, equally as in the moun
tains, that where wood is abundant, nothing
is to be found eatable but limes, and occa
sionally guavas. This latter fruit is so un
wholesome, that it is almost a misfortune to
meet with it, as you are tempted by its agree
able smell to partake of it.
It is impossible that any birds can be more
common in any country than are parrots and
paroquets in this ; for whether in the moun
tains or on the plains, they equally abound ;
and though, when domesticated, they are ap
parently sluggish, their flight, when wild, is
exceedingly swift. There are also great num
bers of macaws, but I cannot say I much
admire these birds in South America, parti
cularly when tamed ; as their noise is into
lerable, and their feathers always rugged and
out of order.
Barancas is a very small place; but being
on the Oronoko, and consequently having
frequently communication with vessels from
the West India islands, there was a much
greater appearance of comfort. For instance,
the houses were furnished with chairs and

109
tables; and cups and saucers, plates, knives
and forks, and spoons, are here made use of ;
things wholly invisible and unknown in the
interior. Even at Maturin, although there
was a communication with Trinidad, not one
house in twelve was furnished with a chair,
and knives and forks seemed to be out of the
question. The inhabitants squat themselves down on
the ground, and are so used to this, that they
can either sit or rise without the assistance of
their hands. Sometimes they make use Of
small low stools, or blocks of wood. For a
table they take whatever first presents itself,
such as a wooden box, but most frequently
the ground serves them.
When they eat meat, one dish (frequently
of wood,) is placed in the middle, and each
helps himself with his fingers ; which, how
ever, they always previously wash. Before
they begin to eat, either a boy or girl says a
long grace; but in so hurried and careless a
way, that, were it not for the sign of the
cross first made, a stranger would suppose it
to be any thing but an address to Heaven.
All the men carry long sharp knives in
a leather sheath by their side, which serve
them either for personal defence, to cut their

110
meat, or for purposes of labour. Where an
edged instrument is required, you never find
the want of it. The Indians, Samboes, and
many ofthe blacks, generally go naked ; but,
at most, their dress consists of short linen
drawers and a shirt. They are naturally very
indolent. Arriving, therefore, at Barancas, and see
ing a degree of neatness and comfort in the
interior of the houses, to which I had latety
been so unaccustomed, I found it an agree
able surprise. Here we heard a confirmation
of a report, prevalent at Maturin, that the
pest had been raging most violently, and was.
not yet entirely subsided at Angostura, and
that numbers had been carried off by it. It
was said most particularly to attack strangers,
coming either from the exterior or interior of
the country, which not a little alarmed us.
We staid but one night at Barancas, em
barking in the schooner and setting sail next
morning. The day following we reached
Old Guayana, and remained there four hours.
This place is defended by two large and
strong forts, of long standing, which com
pletely command the passage of the river ;
for though it is here as broad as I remember
to have seen it any where, the channel is so

Ill
near the shore as to oblige vessels to pass
within gun-shot.
When the Spaniards evacuated this place,
they destroyed the greater part of it. There
are, however,. yet many stone houses, but the
greater number are of straw. The pest had
been raging here likewise ; and the haggard,
unhealthy looks of the inhabitants were truly
distressing. This town was garrisoned by a
few miserable : Creoles, but the number . is
quite .inadequate to its. defence in case of
attack. It was here that Colonel Wilson was so
long kept a prisoner by Bolivar; and here
also Urdaneta threatened to send the officers
ofthe British legion, who should tender their
resignations. From Old Guayana we arrived
in three days at Angostura; during which
time we anchored close to the shore whenever
the breeze fell short, and on one of these Oc
casions were furnished with muskets from
the vessel, and went on shore , shooting. It
was agreed we should separate for a short
distance, in order to have the greater chance
of game.
I proceeded, with some trouble a short way;
my passage being much obstructed, by shrubs
and brambles,: till I could get no further*

112
I then attempted to return ; but the more I
struggled to get out of such a labyrinth, the
more I was entangled. The sun was intoler
ably hot, and I dreaded snakes, or alligators.
In short, I was really terrified. At lengthr
with much difficulty and labour, Igot to the
water's side, and was soon joined by the others,
who had been precisely in the same predi
cament, and were equally scorched and torn
with myself. We returned onboard, not much
pleased with, or inclined to renew, a shoot
ing excursion on the banks of the Oronoko.
At Angostura 1 found my old acquaint
ance, General Arismendi, (of whose arrest at
Margarita I have before spoken), not only
with a head on his shoulders, but raised to
the dignitjr of Vice President; and conse
quently, in the absence of Bolivar, the Presi
dent, Chief Magistrate of the Republic.
To him I made known the nature of my
errand, and begged his permission to leave
the service and return to England, on the
plea of bad health. This he informed me
was utterly impossible. He could not give
such permission to any officer, and wondered
I should desire it at a time when they were
preparing for the invasion and certain capture
of Caraccas. He ended by desiring me to

113
remain, and, take rest at Angostura; after
which I must rejoin the army. Thus for
the present my hopes were blasted.
Having letters to present to Mr. Hamilton,
a merchant well known at that place, and
who has much weight with the Government,
he politely invited me to take, up my quarters
at his house; and his good table, and excel
lent Madeira wine, assisted not a little to
keep up my spirits., But this comfortable
method of living was unfortunately not to
last long, for money being sent from Santa
Fe, and Bolivar requesting Mr. Hamilton to
take part of it to the islands, to purchase arms,
I was of course obliged to seek quarters else
where ; after being in that gentleman's house
six or seven days, . during which time I had
been in the habit of almost daily seeing there
the members of congress and ofthe adminis
tration. Angostura, the seat of government of the
Independents, and their place of principal
commerce, is about five hundred miles up
the Oronoko, and is rather a handsome town,
possessing some very excellent houses. It is
•built upon an eminence, the grqund being
hard and rocky, which attracts the heat of the
sun— and its unhealthiness is, by some persons,
I

114
in that way accounted for. formerly a great
quantity of cocoa was growfi in its neighbour
hood, as was Coffee, cotton, &C* and exports
of those articles were made from it : but now
nothing is to be procured in exchange for
goods frOm the West Indies but cattle brought
from the Apttre. These are dear arid scarce.
Mules and nOrSes are sometimes shipped fbt
the islands, but rarely; as the forrrier are
very dear> and the latter are very bad.
Oh the opposite Side of the river (which is
here abOut a mile in breadth)' stands the vil
lage of Solidad; the houses of which are built
Of straw. Here persons from thoeity retire as
tO the country. It is singular that this place
was hOt tisited by the pest, although it raged
so violently at Angostura.
The population of Angostura* was stated to
me to be six thousand ; but, from my own
observation, I should not think it so much.
This includes peOple of all colours. That
part ofthe country leading to the open plains,
is for some distance cultivated, but very im
perfectly ; as there is no certainty in the
* U is well known and even acknowledged by the Patriots,
that many persons, resident in this city, are secret friends of
the Spaniards. They are of course, for their own security,
obliged carefully to disguise their sentiments.

115
establishment of the cultivators : they b,eing
in constant fear of being pressed and sent up
to the army. Consequently, articles of food
are exceedingly dear.
The Indians from the upper banks qf the
river occasionally come down in their canoes,
bringing the Cassava bread, Indian corn,
plaintains, bananas, &c. for sale. They are
most extraordinary looking beings ; men and
women being quite naked, wearing only a
ceinture round the middle, apparently for
decency sake.
Their bodies and faces are rubbed over
with a red powder, resembling ochre : the
women wear (no doubt as an ornament) a
sort of broad bracelet between the knee and
calf of the leg, which is strapped so exceed^
ingly tight, as always to cause a painful sen
sation to the European beholder.
The men appear to be immoderately fond
of spirituous liquors ; and generally, after th.e
sale of their produce, get brutally intoxicated;
drinking unmixed rum in great quantities.
Neither do the women abstain, but drink as
freely as the men : they then go about the
town howling and playing antics, and usually
fight amongst themselves. Upon such occa
sions the inhabitants never interfere with
t2

116
them. When their money is expended, they
return to their homes.
I was once witness to a scene of this kind,
where an Indian man was so far drunk as to
be unable to stand; but was supported in the
arms of another. A woman, who had like
wise swallowed a tolerable portion, advanced
to him, with a full glass of rum. She opened
his mouth, and poured the liquor down his
throat: the poor wretch then sunk, unable to
move or speak.
I met in Angostura several officers from
the army of the Apure, commanded by Gen
eral Paez, who had come with the same inten
tion as myself. The account they gave of
the deplorable state of the British there, was
truly distressing. Many officers were not only
without shoes, but in as complete a state of
nudity as the Indians themselves : nor was
it without the greatest difficulty they could
obtain permission to visit Angostura, to get a
supply of clothing.
They mostly went up to the army well pro
vided with clothes, of which they were soon
robbed by the Creoles ; from whom the oldest
and most cuhning English soldiers could not,
for any length of time, preserve the smallest
"articles beyond ivhat they wore. And when

117
sleeping, they would stand a chance of being
deprived of part of them, particularly shoes :
nor could they ever obtain the least satis
faction. They represented Paez as a man willing to
do more for them than any other commander
they were ever under; and described his
manners as amiable though rough. There
being a superabundance of officers, they
formed a part of his guard of honour, taking
the right : retaining the rank of officers, but
performing the duty of privates.
We were not an atom better off at Angos
tura than on the plains ; for although at the
seat of government, the ration consisted only
of bee£ the extravagant custom of adding to
it bread and spirits having been some time
since discontinued. It would also appear that
the very worst cattle were killed for the
British. This I solemnly assert to be the
fact; for the meat issued to us was, generally,
of the most strong and, rancid quality.*
* It was not infrequent, that no meat was to be procured,
and upon those occasions we were left to shift for ourselves
and do the best we could. If complaints of this were made
to the Vice President, the answer was : " You must wait till
tomorrow ;" and in the interim we might, like the camelion,
feed on air. -> This, I repeat, was frequently the case,

118
We were, in short, ill-treated and insulted
in every possible waf. The native generals
and officers, being in their own country, had
means of procuring money unknown to us;
and Were mostly dressed in uniforms, which
they had purchased for trifling sums from the
distressed and starvin g English officers. These
fellows Would pass us in the streets (even
those we knew) with an overbearing hauteur
and apparent contempt, highly wounding to
our feelings.
Had we occasion to wait on members of
the government, we Were generally received
'and treated as menials ; and instead of con
sidering themselves indebted to us for the
assistance We We're rendering them, they ap
peared to look iipdh it as an honour conferred
oy them, to lillow'us'to endure starvation and
^misery, and to have the almost daily prospect
of death, in their service! When they ad
dressed their proclamations to us, as a body,
it was invariably, "Generous Strangers!" and
we were loaded with fulsome praise and
\tnanks. But their conduct to us individually
belied their every public assertion.
\ While at Margarita, we had, by proclama
tion, beeti promised the strict fulfilment of
our engagements ; but t!hey were protteitta-

119
tions addressed to answer present purposes,
and never considered hereafter. We washed
for some document more satisfactory to us,
and binding upon them. Accordingly, at
Maturin, Colonel Stopford, of our corps, had
been deputed to write, in our .names, stating
the promises made by General English, and
to request the government to guarantee theob-
servance of them, in order that we might know
the grounds upon which we were acting.
These representations were made and re
peated without obtaining an answer. At
length, that gentleman was requested to pro
ceed to Angostura and address himself to
the ministers, personally, upon this very inte
resting subject. This ;he accordingly did ; and
found, to his astonishment, that all the papers
rha4 | been received, but immediately thrown
.aside, as if qf the most trivial nature.
Whe only paper under English's* hand in
possession of the legion, which enumerated
the rewards for our services, was likewise laid
;asjde, i and pretended , to be lqst. Tjijs paper,
^iarenwal English had died .some, Jjnie previous, at Mar
garita, of the jest, which was taken to that island by a vessel
from Angostura; where also, at the same period, upwards of
^M^\fMv^X9,^9f>d^\P,hm^KA m^n pfpeyerejia's legion, died
of the same disorder I

120
1 doubt not, was wilfully destroyed, as its
loss left us at their disposal. They then call
ed for official documents, to prove the nature of
General English's engagements in their name,
knowing they could not be procured; as they
would doubtless refuse a paper upon the oath
or word of honor of the officers of the legions
Colonel Stopford then addressed the Con
gress, and proposed the appointment of a
Committee to receive and consider our claims,
which was agreed to ; but the committee
could never be brought to assemble. Find
ing therefore all his efforts useless, he was
obliged to relinquish the attempt.*
In the mean time, with a view to quiet the
British legion on the subject, Arismendi issued
a proclamation, in which certain promises
* The British legion was not only deprived of the hope of
ultimately receiving the recompense upon which they had
depended, but the officers were even robbed of what they had
brought with them from their native country. Their baggage
had been left on board one of Brion's vessels, for the purpose
of being forwarded to Angostura; but on its arrival it was
found to have been so plundered, that little besides the empty
trunks and portmanteaus remained. One of the senior naval
commanders of Venezuela, (in observing to me upon the hard
ship to the officers, and shame to Brion, for the little attention
paid by him to the interests of men, whom it was his duty as
much as possible to protect,) said) he should not be astonished
if he were the instigator of, and participator in, the robbery.

121
Were made, and said to be binding on the
part of the government ; but what those pro
mises were, no one could understand. The
paper in question was so artfully worded, as
to admit of no construction either one way or
the other.
I had at that time occasion to wait on
Mr. Zea, the late Vice President, to interprets
for a friend. The discontent of the British
was a subject introduced; upon which he said
the late proclamation would tend to remove
it. 1 told him nobody could understand its
terms, and that we were as much in the dark
as ever. He then explained its meaning to
be, " that when the Independence was gain
ed, they were to receive, on account of pay,
&c. what the government could afford to give
them." I need not say this was unsatisfac
tory ; as, after years of service and suffering,
they might be presented with any trifle, and
be expected to receive it willingly; because
the government might be said to be able to
afford no more.
I had not been long at Angostura, before
I was attacked with the fever by which so
many had been carried off. This was follow
ed by the ague, till I was reduced to a state
of weakness the most deplorable; and cer-

tainly, under Heaven, owed my life to the
kind attention of an English medical gentle
man, named Kirby, who removed me to his
house ; provided me with his own medicine ;
and treated me with the kindness of a bro
ther. Had not this been the case, I might
have lain and perished — for any assistance I
should have received from the beings whom
it was my misfortune to serve !
When a little recovered, I crawled to the
Vice President, and begged his permission to
leave the country. Seeing that I was not a
subject for campaigning, he consented ; and I
thus had the happiness to obtain my pass
port; but was detained for a vessel to go in
a very considerable time.
Meanwhile, nothing was spoken of but the
intended invasion of Caraccas, and the most
extravagant accounts were given of4he dis
tress to which General Morillo must 'be re
duced, by the preparations then making, and
by the number of points to which his attention
must necessarily be drawn. Variousopinions
"Were given as to the course he would pursue.
Some thought vhe would embark his forces,
and proceed to the liHavannah or Carthagena ;
butthe general belief expressed, was, that he
would'retire^O) and Shut;khimselfcup m^Puerto

123
Cabello; which, being of great strength, would
enable him to hold out till he received assist ¦>
ance from Spain, At all events his passage
out was sure.
'General Arismendi had, through Mr. Ha
milton, forwarded to England, the pattern of
a superb uniform, Which, with a General's hat
and plume, sash, sword, *&c. was to be pre
pared and sent Out forthwith — in order to
make a triumphal entry into the city of Ca
raccas ; thus proving (as I doubt not to snew)
his utter ignorance of Morillo's situation, arid
of the country through which he would have
to pass*; of which, in his capacity of Vice Pre
sident, he certainly should have had a more
correct knowledge.
Every man thatcould be spared, Was sent
to the army ; and the Workmen at planta
tions, and those following trades, were in
stantly pressed and sent to the same destina
tion. At Maturin, all men entering the place
were seized and enrolled; a strict eye 'being
kept over them to prevent their escape. And
at Angostura, guards were sent round the
town at night, ;to trfke all "they could find*
who were immediately put into boats kept in
Teadiness, and forthwith despatched.
Arms, ammunition, '&c. were embarked,

124
and sent to Santa Clara on the Oronoko, the
place of rendezvous ; and every effort was
apparently making by Arismendi to carry
into execution his darling scheme, for the
accomplishment of which he seemed most
particularly to depend upon the army of the
east, commanded by Marino, the number of
which was multiplied to four thousand. But
how they could make it thus augmented,
since I had left it, is known only to them
selves ; for God knows it was then far short
of one thousand.
It was said Marino would advance on the
right, Paez on the centre, and a corps com
manded by Soublet, to be sent by Bolivar
from New Granada on the left. But the
sequel proved that Bolivar was not only igno
rant of the proceedings, but totally disap
proved of them. He, however, was supposed
(atj least so I should imagine,) to be so far dis
tant, as to cause no apprehension on the part
of Arismendi from his interference ; the latter
no doubt calculating to monopolize all the
credit of so great an undertaking, as the con
quest of the capital of Venezuela. ,
We now heard that Colonel Urslar„ who,I
have before mentioned as commanding the
rifle corps, was taken by the Spaniards in a

125
boat, while crossing the Gulf of Cariaco on
his way to Margarita — whither he had been
sent by Marino for the purpose of command
ing the Irish legion then at that place : there
having been a schism amongst the seniors of
that corps, some of whom had retired from
the island, and it being intended in some way
to get the legion over to accompany the great
expedition against Caraccas.
General Arismendi left the seat of govern
ment, (a thing highly irregular,) to inspect
the troops at Maturin, where he issued a pro
clamation, beginning as usual " Generous
Strangers !" — and filled with the unmeaning,
pompous language they generally use in their
productions of this nature : scarcely two words
of which are connected.
He was absent about a month, and very
singularly arrived at Angostura a few minutes
before Bolivar ; who, on his return frOm* New
Granada, hearing ofthe mighty preparations
ofthe new elected Vice President, lost no
time in flying to put a stop to them. But be
fore I proceed to relate the failure of Aris-
¦mendi's hopes, it may not be amiss to look
back to the means by which he obtained his
present exaltation ; which was doubtless not
only highly displeasing, but also alarming, to

126
Bolivar ; to whom Arismendi must prove a
dangerous rival.
When Bolivar installed the congress, in
the month of February of the same year,
Mr. Zea was (doubtless by his recommenda
tion) appointed Vice President, in which ca
pacity he had acted ever since ; but Bolivar
being now in the kingdom of New Granada,
and consequently supposed to be out of the
way of all interference, a party was formed
by Marino and Arismendi to effect the dis
missal of Zea, and the nomination of the lat
ter in his place.
In consequence of this, it was necessary to
have recourse to stratagem ; and a false report
was raised of the march of the Spaniards from
the province of Barcelona towards Angos
tura; which caused much ferment and alarm.
Mr. Zea was questioned as to the state of de
fence ofthe city; to which he answered, that,
not being a military man, he left arrange
ments of that nature to the military governor.
This answer was received with great dis
approbation ; and the necessity urged of im
mediately naming, as Vice President, some
General, who by his conduct had merited the
good opinion of the people of the Republic.
Occasion was immediately seized of enume-

127
rating the military qualities of Arismendi,-
and his public services at Margarita and else
where ; and a proposition followed to appoint
him to supersede Mr. Zea.
The latter, seeing how things went, ten
dered his resignation, which was however re
fused ; the conspiring party, no doubt, wish
ing their victory to be most decisive, by hav
ing the satisfaction of dismissing him them
selves. The friends of Bolivar made a stand
in behalf of Zea, but without avail. The
opposite side succeeded, and moreover gave ,
Marino the command ofthe army ofthe East,
of which he had some time before been de
prived by Zea;
This conspiracy having answered their ex
pectations, the arrangements before men-
tionedj for the capture of Caraccas, were
made and continued with unabated zeab
until the sudden and unexpected arrival of
Bolivar gave a death-blow to their hopes.
He no sooner heard of What had transpired at
Angostura, than he hastened to counteract
the effects of their machinations : doubtless
entertaining much alarm at the power placed
in the hands of such a man as Arismendi i
who, although devoid of common education)

128
possessed much cunning, intrigue, and ambi
tion. Marino, too, the old and well known enemy
of Bolivar, commanding the army of the
East, was another cause of fear on his part :
for the British, Germans, and Irish, were to
compose a part of it, and the " suaviter in modo"
of the former was too irresistible not to make
him, in such a situation, dangerous to Bolivar,
particularly when leagued with Arismendi.
On the 12th of December, 1819, at about
seven o'clock in the morning, a boat arrived
bringing the intelligence that Bolivar would
be at Angostura in two hours. This news
caused the greatest astonishment, as it was
hardly supposed possible he could have arrived
at the Apure. At about ten o'clock Bolivar
made his appearance, and was received with
firing of guns, and the huzzas of the assembled
inhabitants. A band of music preceded him
to the government house, where he was met
by Arismendi, who had reached the place
only in time to dress for his reception.
The congress was now as obsequious in
Bolivar's presence, as they had before been
contumacious in his absence; and imme
diately, on his suggestion, rescinded their ap-

129
pojntment of Arismendi, and named, as his
successor, I)r. Herman Roscio, formerly mi
nister of finance. Marino was recalled from
the army of. the east, . and his place in that
command was filled by Soublet.
Still, however, the conquest of Caraccas
was spoken of, and said to be certain. The
motive for keeping this report in constant agi
tation, was, that it deceived their creditors,
made them patient by hope,, and frequently
procured fresh advances : for when Caraccas
was taken, all debts were to be paid, and pro
mises of reward to the military to be fulfilled
although the Spaniards who held it were suffi
ciently poor.
Every body waited upon the President to
pay their respects; and, although. exceedingly
ill, I was prompted by curiosity to make one
of the number. In a conversation, in which
I interpreted for my medical friend (who was
in treaty with the government to undertake
the duty of inspector of hospitals, but who
wished previously to know what ultimate
prospect of reward he might expect) Bolivar
distinctly < stated that the Republic did not
recognize the principle of pay to their troops :
that " they were too, poor to pay." This was
now avowed by him, after promising us the
K

130
fulfilment of our engagements with General
English ; and when he had just written a pro
clamation to the Irish legion to the same
effect: knowing, as he naturally must, that
they could not in reason be expected to serve
for nothing, and that pay had been promised
them. Bolivar is a native of Caraccas ; and was,
before the revolution, one of the richest men
in that province: possessing, besides consider
able lands in the Valley of Aragua, many
houses in Caraccas and La Guayra ; indepen
dently of which he was left, at the death of
his father, upwards of one hundred thousand
dollars in ready money. He is thirty-seven
years of age, ten of which he has past in a
leading capacity in the revolution.
He is short and meagre : his hair is now
grey, and his mustachios quite white. His
eyes are large and very light, and the general
effect of his countenance is in the highest
degree unprepossessing. His voice is harsh
and disagreeable, and his manners are cold
and forbidding in the extreme. In short,
having heard so much of this man, and my
expectations being raised, my disappointment
was great indeed. In conversation, his eyes
are always cast down; and he never looks any

131
one in the face : merely answering yes or no ;
and appearing to wish not to go beyond
these monosyllables, if possible. His dress
consisted of a jacket resembling that of the
British horse artillery ; red pantaloons ga-
looned with gold lace, a cap and feather
like that of the ordinary British infantry, and
his cravat, with a standing collar, put on with
much study.
He speaks French remarkably well, but
very few words of English.
He is quick in his motions ; and walks, or
rather struts, with an apparent air of great
self-complacency. His manner evidently be
trays the effect produced upon him by the
extracts, carefully copied into the Oronoko
Courier, from the English and French papers;
in which the appellations of " a second Wash
ington," " hero," and " liberator of his coun->
try," are frequently found. These compli
ments seem to have been dwelt upon by him,
till he fancied himself the first man of the
age ; at least, such was the impression made
not only upon myself, but upon others of my.
countrymen. He is universally acknowledged to possess
no abilities, but his activity and perseverance
are astonishing; particularly the former, by

132
which Morillo cannot calculate upon his pre
sence in any one place for a single day. He has
many enemies amongst the Patriots, and does,
I believe, command their respect only by the
recollection of his former riches. So great,
however, is the party against him, that were
Paez a man of ambition, he would have long
since deprived him of the chief command ; so
much more is he beloved by the natives, who
always speak of him as the main stay of the
war. It is said to be owing to Bolivar's
jealousy of him that he remains a Brigadier-
General; whilst Urdaneta, Santander, and
Soublet, are Generals of Division (the latter
lately made), who have not half his claim or
military talent; for though nOne of them
can be said to possess the latter, Paez has,
by all accounts, more pretensions than any
other. Bolivar is said to be vindictive and tyran
nical, and is by many accused of having mur
dered the unfortunate Pierre, a General of
Colour; who was shot some time ago for a
supposed conspiracy to massacre the whites.
On the other hand it is asserted by many,
with greater probability, that this event took
place because Pierre possessed talent, and was
growing too great a favourite with the people.

133
Of this, however, I have no proof, although
I know.it stands upon high authority.
Bolivar ordered the execution of a British
sergeant, because he became spokesman for
the soldiers who, when they were required
to march without shoes, refused so to do. I
have likewise heard of his passing an English
soldier, who was resting himself, and, enquir
ing his reason for not proceeding, (to which
he was answered he could not from fatigue,)
he fastened him by a cord to his horse's tail,
aqd thus obliged him to march. Of the latter
circumstance I have no doubt; as I had the
testimony of several British officers for it,
upon whose words I could safely rely.
Of his justice, I form an opinion from my
own observations; and I would ask, what
right he had to send his agents to England,
to bring out, under false promises, so many
unfortunate men to undergo the miseries of
which he was previously aware ? Whether
taken out by General English, Elsom, M'Gre-
gor, or Devereux, the same infamous de
ceptions have been practised ; and he, by
receiving them, and by his proclamations
endeavouring still further to deceive, has
made himself a party to. the fraud.
But, towards the soldiers, the same preme-

134
ditated deception was doubtless sanctioned
by him as towards the merchants : which
latter are for their own interests constrained
to be silent. I have seen copies of con
tracts at Angostura, in which an immediate
part-payment, in the produce ofthe country,
was promised them on the landing of the
troops ; which not only was not observed, but
which Bolivar knew, before signing, he could
not possibly observe. And yet, some persons
would argue he was justified in doing this
by his necessities ! — that is to say, to answer a
man's own views, fraud and murder are to
be had recourse to, and such a principle
is to be defended upon the ground of expe
diency !
I have even heard Bolivar accused, by
his own partisans, of cowardice; but this
charge is, I think, refuted by the bare circum
stance of his undertaking, at the season of the
year he did, the conquest of Santa Fe, so
fraught with difficulty; besides his having
carried on a ten years' war in such a country.
The march to New Granada was, prior to its
success, very generally disapproved; butBoli-
var was prompted to it by his distress for
men, not knowing where to procure them,
and being obliged thus to stand or fall.

135
I have subsequently learned, that, When
Morillo heard of the fall of Santa Fe, he
could not believe it possible ; supposing the
Spanish force there to be quite adequate for its
defence. The success of Bolivar was entirely
owing to the want of skill in Colonel Barrero,
the Royalist commander, who was only twen
ty-four years of age, and without experience;
and who, contrary to all advice, forsook the
strong posts in the Cordilleras of the Andes,
where, according to Bolivar's report to Con
gress, " two hundred men might have opposed
the advance of ten thousand." Barrero ex
pected to be able to cut off Bolivar's retreat, by
allowing him to enter New Granada ; but in
stead of that, he placed himself in so aukward
a position as to be himself cut off, and obliged
to surrender.
The Spanish Commander, and many offi
cers and men were put to death (as I under
stood at Angostura,) for having been engaged
in a conspiracy to effect a counter-revolution;
and the prisoners taken from M'Gregor, were
retaliated upon by the Royalists. It was
afterwards circulated at St. Thomas, by the
friends of the Independents, that General
Santander, Vice President of Santa Fe, put
the Spaniards to death by way qf retaliation

136
for the massacre of M'Gregor's party. The
execution of the Spaniards I heard of before
quitting Angostura, though it was not till
considerablv afterwards that I learned the fate
of the latter. It is but justice to acknow
ledge, that, when in the field, Bolivar seeks
not to live better than his soldiers, but, as I
have always heard, he shares with them in
common. Mr. Zea, ci-devant Vice President, is a na
tive of New Granada, considerably advanced
in years, and spoken of as a man of great
ability, being fond of the study of philosophy
and botany, and having been, it was said, a
friend and correspondent of the late Sir Jo
seph Banks. It was however remarked by me,
as well as by others, that, when deprived of
the Vice Presidency, he was almost continu
ally in the streets, either gossipping or walk
ing about with his hands behind him, as if at
a loss how to pass his time; whereas it would
be presumed a philosopher would find amuse
ment in the perusal of his books. He was, it
must be confessed, always polite and gentle
manly in his manners to us ; but, upon the
whole, considered by all disinterested persons,
to be utterly unfit for the office to which he had
been named. While Vice President, he used

137
to write the Oronoko courier, which, when he
retired, was edited by Dr. Roscio. ;
General Arismendi, successor tq Zea, is a
native of Margarita, and was originally a
fisherman. During the war between England
and Spain, a British man of War having land
ed marines, with the intention of destroying
the fort of Juan Greigo ; Arismendi collected
his companions, and opposed them with great
bravery; for which he was made an officer
by the Spaniards, and by degrees became the
principal man in the island, possessing land
and houses. He Was the promoter and con
ductor of the revolt, and was, on the arrival4
of Morillo in 1814, made prisoner.
;<-When brought before that General, he
threw himself at his feet, embraced his legs,
and kissed the ground before hini ; begging
his life with an earnestness and abject humi
liation, perhaps unparalleled : swearing here
after eternal allegiance to the king, and to
leave no means untried to make, amends for
his former conduct! Morillo was softened;
listened to his protestations of sincerity, and
hot only spared his life, but restored him his
land, houses, and property; requiring him in
return, to use his influence to bring the re
volted inhabitants to their duty. Thus Mo-^

138
rillo appears to have acted both wisely and
humanely ; but in what way was such cle
mency and mercy repaid? Why, by this
monster in human shape plotting the murder
of Morillo and his officers, at the very moment
that he shared their confidence and councils?!
This act of deliberate villany was however
prevented by a discovery. Arismendi fled to
the mountains, where he was concealed a con
siderable time. Being active and daring, he
conducted the operations against the Spa
niards, and finally obliged them to decamp ;
in the mean time, rendering himself conspi
cuous by the exercise of every species of bar
barity towards the ill fated prisoners who fell
into his hands, and putting them to death by
slow torture. These, and many other acts of
wickedness, were related by his own party,
and afterwards confirmed to me by the Spa
niards. Such was the man the Congress of
Venezuela elected to be the Vice President
of the State !
Never shall 1 forget the manner in which
this arch-fiend threw himself into the arms of
Bolivar, against whom he had been conspir
ing. Not content with the same demonstra
tion of respect used by others, he pressed his
head with an apparent warmth and affection

139
to that bpsom, which, to answer any purpose
of personal ambition, he would doubtless have
gladly made the sheath of his dagger !
Arismendi is of short stature, and possesses
a countenance perfectly expressive of his
character. When deprived of the Vice Pre
sidency, the black scowl upon his brow shew
ed the inward working of his soul. It is
needless to say, that such a man is beloved or
respected by no one. On the contrary, both
at Margarita and on the Main, I have heard
him spoken of by the natives as an accom
plished villain.
Doctor Herman Roscio, his successor, is 1
believe a native of the Canaries, and a law
yer. He is one of the " savios" of the Inde
pendents ; and was Minister of Finance [Ha
cienda) prior to being Vice President. His
manners are insolent and overbearing to those
who wait upon him ; and a circumstance,
which came to my knowledge at Angostura,
will serve to convey some idea of the bless
ings to be expected from his administration.
A poor Italian, who had brought goods
to that place for sale, had them seized by the
government, under the plea that such things
were required for the public service, (this by
the by is very frequent,) and received in lieu

140
of payment, papers acknowledging him cre
ditor for such an amount. This man, de
pending almost entirely upon the goods seized,
for a livelihood, made repeated but useless
representations to the government, and was at
last referred to Dr. Roscio, to whom he com
plained of the hardship of his case ; when
this enlightened advocate of liberty, told him;
" if he were not satisfied, the mouth of the
Oronoko was sufficiently wide for him to go
out." Dr. Roscio, as editor of the Courier, was
author of " Intercepted Letters from Car
thagena," in which a most deplorable and
touching picture was drawn of the miserable
state to which the Spaniards there were re
duced for want of provision, at a time when
the place was so overstocked with wine and
flour, that ships from Spain with the former,
and from America with the latter, could not
find a market. The trade between Cartha
gena and the islands was also during this
time uninterrupted.
The next person of importance in the ad
ministration of that country, was Diego Ur-
baneja, Minister of War and of Marine. He
is a native of Cumana, and also a lawyer,
possessing manners as unbending as those of

141
Roscio. ; It was to him that our letters were
addressed, on the subject of our engagements
vvith General English ; and by him we were
treated with much contempt, as well as our
documents mislaid. He was also doubtless
the author of Arismendi's unmeaning procla?
mation on that subject,; and perfectly suc
ceeded in making.it unintelligible and invalid :
the two objects which of course he had in
view. When persons waited on him on busir
ness, he always desired them to ." call to
morrow." At Cumana, his native place,
every body laughed heartily on hearing of
his elevated post in the Republican Govern
ment. ,
Amongst the Independents, there are few
who, prior to the revolution, were of property
or consideration. The most respectable are
the Montillas of Caraccas and the Sucres of
Cumana, the former having possessed estates
in the valley of Aragua, and the latter having
been the principal merchants of their place.
The elder Sucre was a Lieutenant-Colonelof
Militia in the Spanish service, and has two
sons engaged in the revolutionary war ; one
a General of Brigade, and the other a Co
lonel. L
Colonel Mariano Montilla, who was chief of

1'42
the staff of Urdaneta's division, formerly con
spired against Bolivar, with a view to advance
himself to the supreme direction. He was,
however, obliged to fly to St. Thomas, where
he remained five years, and was recalled by
Bolivar shortly before he joined us at Mar
garita. He is a man of considerable talent,
speaks remarkably good French and English,
but is false and intriguing, and very little
respected. His brother is Brigadier-General,
and so addicted to drink, as to be frequently
intoxicated before breakfast.
General Marino is a native of Cumana, and
is also a man of property ; still possessing
estates near Gueria on the coast of Paria.
His very engaging manners have gained him
many friends ; but he is jealously watched by
Bolivar, whose interest however it is, to retain
these men of weight and property in the
cause, as it not only adds to its respectability,
but influences the people ofthe country.
General Soublet, who was a considerable
time chief of Bolivar's staff, and with whom
he is a favourite, was, prior to the revolution,
a school-master in the province of Caraccas.
He is said to possess ability, but to be desti
tute of courage. He is one of the most re
spectable in appearance amongst them, being

143
tall, well made, and possessing a military
carriage. General Bermudez is a native of the Plains ;
low born, ignorant, and brutal. I was in
formed at Maturin, but could scarcely credit
the report, that he had been guilty there, some
time before, of excessive cruelty ; of cutting
open alive a pregnant woman— -whose only
crime was, her being a native of Spain. This
character of him was given to me by the
natives of the country. His countenance be*-
speaks ferocity, and is strongly marked.
Paez is a native of the Plains, and was forr
merly a herdsman. As I have before said, he
is much respected, and always spoken of fa
vourably. Being a man, who, though un*
educated, possesses much natural talent, he is
beloved by his men who do not desert from
him ; and has been known to act on some
occasions with much generosity towards the
English officers. I have never seen him, but
speak of him only from the reports of British
officers who have served with him.
General Gomez of Margarita was, before
the revolution, a shoe-maker. He has be
haved with much bravery, and is said by the
Spaniards to be a man of great humanity ;

144
and at his own risk to have saved the lives of
some of their countrymen condemned to death.
Admiral, Brion is a native of Curacoa, and
was left considerable property by his father,
who was a ship-builder. He is not a sailor,
but has acquired what knowledge of ships he
possesses by his father's trade. When he
first came to the. assistance of the Indepen
dents, he brought with him his own vessels,
and never, fails enumerating the services he
has rendered them ; which by the by have
not been gratuitous : for> during our stay at
Margarita, he was constantly purchasing for
himself prize merchandize and vessels, which
are doubtless disposed of, on his account, by
his agents in , various parts. I need only
mention one instance: a fine new Spanish
brig was pointed out to me at Juan Greigo,
with. good rigging, sails, and ropes, purchased
by Brion for four hundred and. fifty dollars !
He is of middle stature, and stout ; having a
fierce saturnine countenance, rendered more
so by a pair of large black mustachios. His
character for cowardice is well known, and
universally acknowledged.
Commodore Joly is.a Frenchman, and mar
ried to Arismendi's sister. He was a priva-

145
leer's man,- during the war with France and
England, and has been represented to me as
very brave. Some of the finest vessels of the
squadron belonged to him, but under various
pretences were seized by Brion, and himself
imprisoned. I have however since heard of
his enlargement; but whether his vessels were
restored to him I cannot say. He is reported
to have committed many acts of piracy.
Prior to my arrival at Angostura, 1 had
heard much of the execution done to the
enemy by the cavalry of General Sardenio ;
but was not a little surprised to see him there
in idleness, having neither men nor horses.
He is an ignorant man, who cannot even
write, and is so tyrannical to his men, as to
drive them all away from him.
There are, independently of thOse 1 have
named, other Generals and Commanders, of
whom I know little. General Valdes, who
Was second in command to us, I have hardly
spoken of. He is a desperate gambler, as
indeed are the greater part of them, and is
described by the Spaniards as sanguinary.
The government of this nominal Republic
is the most contemptible imaginable : totally
devoid of energy, and practising every, species
of fraud and injustice. There is no confi-
L

146
dence reposed in it, ands^those I met with,
(with very few exceptions) who had been
engaged in mercantile transactions with it,
expressed themselves heartily to repent it.
At Angostura every petty vender designates
himself a merchant; and of the foreigners
trading there, the most part are either men
whose credit and character are ruined else
where, and who seek their fortune there as a
dernier resort; or those, who, having made
themselves creditors to the government, dare
not Withdraw for the fear of themselves and
their claims being totally forgotten : and who,
in the mean time trade on the Spot, to watch
over their interests and to avail themselves of
whatever may present itself favourable to the
creditors generally.
I never could yet learn of the Independ
ents having honourably fulfilled one of their
engagements; and although many persons,
tO answer their own views, circulate abroad
the most favourable reports respecting the
country, government, and cause, it is only
necessary to be on the spot, where the mur
muring, abuse of the government, contempt
expressed for it, and constant accusation of
its Want of faith attd honour, present a sad
contrast to such public assertions.

147
Merchants are obliged to be cautious in
selecting their goods, to bring none likely to
be serviceable to the government, otherwise
they would in all probability be seized, and
paid for in paper of so little value, that many
possessors would be glad to dispose of it for
one third its amount. * When I left Angos
tura, there was a great want of flour and
rum, articles usually brought from the West
Indiaislands ; which (particularly the former)
would have found a ready and good market :
but every one was afraid to undertake the
speculation, as the public service would doubt
less have required it.
When the Irish legion was at Margarita,
and known to. be in a state of starvation, the
officers and men receiving no ration beyond
a third of a pint of rice daily ; the govern
ment received the account of it, and of the
disunion jand dissatisfaction which it created,
wifeh the greatest sang froid: using no efforts
* A friend of mine had sold a boat to the government for
fifty-four dollars, for which he received an order on the chest.
This order not only remained unpaid at the end of fifteen
months, but was not likely to be discharged within the succeed
ing fifteen months, I was present when he offered it to a,
merchant at a considerable loss : who answered he would not
give two pence for it, having himself many such, and which he
considered as little better than waste paper.
L2

148
to relieve it; although they might, and un
questionably ought to, have sent them cattle,
numbers of which were daily embarking for
the islands. " In like manner, and with the
same indifference, did they hear of the misery
of the British legion, and of the mortality
amongst them, which a little medicine would
in great measure have stopped. But although
they had medicine at Angostura, they would
not take the pains to forward it to Maturin :
fancying they did sufficient by addressing their
bombastic proclamation to those " generOus
strangers," they would use no exertion to
administer to their common necessities, much
less to their comforts.
In all cases they are equally neglectful and
inert : exciting the pity and contempt of all
who are near them. Arismendi, it is true,
was industriously active in his preparations
for the march to Caraccas; but to this he
was stimulated by personal and selfish consi
derations. Had he however, been allowed
to put his mad scheme into execution, he
would, I am persuaded, have retired rather
faster than he advanced.
The inhabitants of Venezuela consist of
whites, descendants of the Spaniards ; people
of colour from whites, and blacks originally

149
from Africa ; Indians, the first possessors ofthe
country ; and Samboes, or coloured people of
the plains, a race originally between the
Indians and settlers. The Independent army
is composed principally of blacks, Samboes,
and coloured people ; any of whom may
become officers. There are some Indians
under arms, but comparatively few; as they
not only deserted, but even fled to the moun
tains, and defended themselves against, the
levies made amongst them ; till at length the
Congress was obliged to pass an' act exempt
ing them from service against their incli
nations. The Patriot force is kept up by the blacks :
who, when 'Bolivar promised them freedom
from slavery, deserted in numbers from their
Spanish masters, but would, by all accounts,
be glad now to return; also by Samboes,
a people naturally fond of a roaming life, and
prospect of plunder ; some few Indians, and
pressed Creoles of all colours.
Desertion is very frequent amongst them ;
as an instance of which I need only mention
that, when the British legion marched from
Maturin on a route to Santa Clara on the
OrOnoko, at a village called Santa Barbara,
the new levied Creoles (who omitted no op-

150
portunity of absenting themselves Without
leave) were placed in the square of that place
with a guard ofthe British round them ; and
one or two arrested deserters were punished
with the cat of nine tails by order of Aris
mendi, who had accompanied them So far on
his return to Angostura.
It is impossible to conceive a more motley
sight than that presented by a Creole force ;
which usually consists of men and lads of all
ages and colours : some naked, others with
merely a shirt, or pair of drawers; one or
two wearing old military jackets, perhaps
without pantaloons ; some bareheaded, whilst
others have straw hats or hairy caps. Those
who are armed with muskets, have their car
touches strapped round their middle; but
a considerable number have no arms beyond
pikes loosely fixed to rough short sticks.
They are Without discipline, and generally
march in Indian files. A very Common dress
amongst them is also a blanket^ with a hole
in the centre, through which they put the
head ; and Paez's cavalry have these blankets
dyed red.
Neither Officers nor men receive a farthing
of pay; merely their ration of beef: all the
rewards for their services being promised

151
when, Caraccas is taken, and the independence
gained. Ajms, ammunition, clothing, accoutrements,
and saddlery, have been furnished the Pa
triots either from Engla.no!, or from the West
Indies, but for very little have they yet paid.
IVfany things with which they were supplied
frprai England were, for the service of such a
country, perfectly useless. Now, it would be
presumed, that, did they seriously consider
payment hereafter, qr calculate upon having
the means, they wquld not take from those
who furnished them without directions, ar
ticles of no utility, fpr w,hie|i an enormous
charge is made. But they appear, on the con
trary, eagerly to grasp at what they can, and
tp leave to chance the future settlement of
accounts : qr, in fhe words of an old adage,
" all is fish that comes into their net."
The solders' plqthing is issued to officers
W-b,en they visit Angostura, as also to those
troops who do duty there : in |^e latter case,
with no ^tt^eqljon to it? fitting them. 'Jhe con
sequence js, they look, if possible, worse with
than without it. Bohya/s guard of honour
($ambpes) ^tweep f^y ^nd forty in num
ber, wj^o accompanied him to Angostura, were
j^stantly ,c,|qthed witfy dresses brquglu/ put

152
by Colonel Hippesley. The officers put a
strap on the shoulder by way of distinction.
They have amongst them the military
order of " Libertador ," established by General
Bolivar; the distinguishing mark of which is
a piece of yellow ribbon, suspended from the
breast, but without any medallion. This order
can be awarded either by the President or
Vice President.
/In no country is there a greater laxity of
/morals than in South America. The people
bathe together without distinction of sex;
and the decency in this respect observed
by the better orders, is undeserving the name,
as they merely (even at Angostura) move
a few yards distant from each other. The
most disgustingly indecent conversation is
carried on, and permitted, before women, in
which the latter even join; and there is a
Patriot song constantly sung by children,
male or female, grown up girls and women,
without regard to place or company : — the
words of which are not only in many parts
grossly indelicate, but the chorus of it is the
very height of obscenity.
There is no distinction between mistresses
and married women : each indiscriminately
mixing together. Neither is the company of

153
women, whose characters are notoriously bad^
at all shunned, (of which I could mention
several examples) ; but they are as well re
ceived, even at balls, or parties of any descrip
tion, as though they were without blemish.
Infidelity to the marriage bed is considered
a mere bagatelle.
The natives of all descriptions are much
addicted to theft : so much so, that it is always
necessary to keep the strictest eye upon what
you have. When parties have been given
by foreigners, they have generally found their
silver spoons, forks, &c. reduced in number;
and on one occasion, after a ball given by an
English merchant at Angostura, a Patriot
Colonel was detected by a servant in the act
of carrying away a bottle of brandy, with
which he had already descended the stairs.
The military who can afford to dress,
may wear what uniforms they please; pro
vided they do not put on epaulettes, to which
their rank does not entitle them. Civilians
mostly wear white linen jackets and panta
loons. The women observe no medium in
their dress ; being either indecently slovenly,
or ridiculously finely clad. The veils worn
by the ladies in Spain, are here superseded
by straw bonnets. When at balls, they wear

154
wreaths of artificial flowers on the head, and
are otherwise tastefully attired.
The appellations of Don and Donna are ob
solete amongst the Independents ; and ciuda-
dano or ciudadana (citizen), is substituted in
their place.
The country is generally unhealthy, and
has a particular effect upon Europeans: as
may be judged from what I have myself
suffered. And although I had some years
previously been in the West Indies, and
might be supposed to be in a degree seasoned
to a tropical climate, I had the flux repeatedly,
dysentery, inward fever, and violent ague;
the disease I have before described, called
malditas, and the itch ; which latter you can
scarcely avoid catching, for at least two out of
three of the natives h^.ve it Although there
are few countries possessing so many medicinal
plants as this, there are few people who make
so little use of medicine. Castor oil, which
they can themselves prepare, they use as a
purgative; and as a remedy for almost a}j
qther complaints, lemonade wljieb £hey take
hot; from the idea that, to cause free perspi
ration is the sure way of cure. Ti^e, ague
rages more or less in every part; and for Jthjs,
lemonade is their constant remedy, which, it

155
may naturally be supposed, frequently fails
of the desired effect.
The deep rivers of South America abound
with noxious fish ; for which reason the na
tives in swimming make a great splashing in
order to drive them away. The Oronoko is
swarming with alligators, some of which are
very large. There is also in this, as in most
other rivers, a small flat fish called " the
CaribS," the bite of which is venomous to a
degree, and frequently attended with serious
consequences. The electric eel is also to be
found, but more particularly in the rivers ap
proaching to New Granada ; where Colonel
Sucre informed me he had seen many mules
and cattle, when crossing, sink from the effects
of their electricity. In short, bathing in the
deep rivers is attended with much danger.
Prior to my quitting Angostura, Bolivar
repaired to the Congress* preceded by a band
of music ; his entry to the hall being an
nounced by a discharge of artillery. He
here recapitulated the particulars of his march
to Santa Fe, and the capture of the place;
and then shewed cause against the continua
tion of Arismendi in the office of Vice Presi
dent. After Which he retired, leaving them
to their deliberations; and returned to the

156
Government House, attended as before by
the band.
On his withdrawing, long speeches were
made by Mr. Zea and a Doctor Alsulo ; this
latter rendering himself conspicuous by being
vociferous in the praises of Bolivar ; when,
(during his absence, and in the affair of the
dismissal of Zea,) he had not only opposed
him, but vilified his character and motives.
Being, however, blest with the gift of speech,
(of which blessinghe availed himself on every
occasion that presented itself!) it was no
doubt considered by Bolivar as politic to be
on terms with him, and his court to Alsulo
was generally remarked.
The " Soberano Congreso" (Sovereign Con
gress as they are styled,) then availed them
selves of Bolivar's suggestions; dismissed Aris
mendi, and appointed Roscio ; voted the
union of Venezuela and New Granada, under
the title of the Republic of Columbia, and
moreover declared their intention of erecting
a city to be called Bolivar ; the site of which
should be determined by the General Con
gress of Columbia to assemble in 1821.
Thus did these supple legislators not only
annul their antecedent proceedings, but load
the object of their former abuse with the

157
most fulsome praise ; and would doubtless, in
his absence, if instigated by another daring
and ambitious man, adhere to the precedent
they had established, and undo their present
doings. An Englishman of very considerable talent,
then at Angostura, represented them as
" wretches too cold-blooded to draw the
sword for their country's cause, and placed
by Bolivar in the Congress, because they were
the only persons at hand he could appoint."
On the 23d of December, 1819, I left An
gostura in a polacre called the Industry, hav*
ing on board eighty-three head of cattle, and
bound for Barbadoes. Never did I feel more
light of heart than when about to leave a
country, service, and people, whom I so much
detested : nor, as I descended the river, did
I cast " one longing, lingering look be
hind." Little, however, did I imagine that I should
so soon be undeceived with respect to the
Spaniards and their situation in that country;
for having no information on the subject, be
yond the reports ofthe Independents, I could
not then possibly know the truth ; and al
though judging by their exaggerations of
themselves, I naturally concluded the Spanish

158
distress was overrated, still I was impressed
with an idea of a rapid decline in their power
and ascendancy in that part of South Ame
rica. As usual with vessels going from the Oro
noko to the Islands, we had sufficient provi
sions for a calculated voyage of eight or ten
days ; but as the captain of this polacre
was much reduced, (by his dealings with the
Independents, from whom he had expe
rienced the most infamous treatment,) our
accommodations in this respect were very
indifferent. The vessel had two sets of papers, viz.
Patriot and Danish; the latter imperfect, and
intended merely in case of necessity. She
had been purchased at Margarita from Brion,
being a Spanish prize, taken thence to St.
Thomas, sold and rebought in that harbour,
by which she became entitled to a Danish
register; but which the captain had not in
"tiis possession.
The current of the Oronoko ran at this
time about four knots and a half to the
hour; but at certain seasons it has been repre
sented to me as descending at double that
Tate; at which time no vessels can go up.
Its banks are skirted by thick woods, which

159
prevent your seeing beyond one or two hun
dred yards from the water's edge, and rarely
even that.
Its immediate neighbourhood is inhabited
by many tribes of Indians ; and those called
the Bravo Indians ofthe Oronoko, occupying
a part considerably higher up than Angos
tura, hearer to the river Apure, are much
dreaded, and said to be cannibals to this day :
boats ascending go well armed in conse
quence of them, and carefully avoid their
banks. The other tribes are peaceable and
harmless, and all speak languages peculiar to
themselves. Between Angostura and Old Guayana
are the missions, or settlements of Indians
converted to Christianity by Spanish priests,
Who established themselves amongst them.
Since the revolution these poor creatures have
undergone extreme misery, suffering from
disease and scarcity of food ; and the late
pest at Angostura being communicated to
them, swept off great numbers, and drove
the survivors from their habitations to the
mountains. These missions have been ceded
by the Republican Government to various
persons for purposes- of cultivation ; but their

160
progress is slow, owing to the want of hands
to work them.
Innumerable small rivers empty themselves
into the Oronoko ; amongst which is the
Cariny, said to possess the best water in South
America, and the stream of which presents
a striking contrast to that of its receiver;
being clear, and apparently of a fine black
colour, while the other is of a clay cast. Ves
sels when passing it, get as much of its water
as they can.
The swarms of musquitoes with which you
are troubled, when sailing in the Oronoko,
are a constant annoyance, and destroy all
possibility of repose. They are far-famed for
the length of their fang, and venom of their
sting. It is impossible to descend to the
cabin, as it is always full"of them. You are,
therefore, obliged to remain on deck, exposed
to the daily sun and nightly dew; and even
there you can hardly obtain one moment's
rest. Independently of this torment, I had
daily a severe fit of the ague.
We passed Old Guayana. and Barancas,
and on the fourth day arrived at the village
of Sancho Pan, a short time previously oc
cupied by a numerous body of Indians, the

161
greater part of whom the pest had destroyed.
The place was quite deserted, except by
myriads'of our old enemies the musquitoes.
Here we cut grass for the cattle: It' may
not be amiss ' to contradict a generally re
ceived opinion that musquitoes will not ap
proach a body of cattle. This I proved both
here, and in the interior, to be an erroneous
idea; as I have found little or no difference
from their proximity.
In two4 days from Sancho Pan we reached
Bird Island, upon which there are one or two
trees. It is so called, from there being con
stantly flocks of birds hovering over it : be
ing near the mouth ofthe river, the tide ebbs
and flows,;
Through the carelessness of the pilot, we
ran on shore, and, at low tide, were in no
more than two feet : and a half of water,
though the vessel required ten to float her.
In this situation we remained two days; but
at length got off with infinite labour, an
chored in deep water, and proceeded to cut
grass. '¦'¦
The pilot had left us, and we intended to
Cross the bar, if possible, the next day ; but,
at night, it blew a hurricane, when we parted
from our cable, and again drove on shore, to
M

162
our utter, dismay. The. wind, however, for
tunately subsided, and the tide rising, we
again got off Early the following morning,
when about to weigh, anchor, our only boat
drifted . from the vessel ; the captain imme
diately offered a reward to any nian who
would jump overboard after it. A Portuguese
sailor instantly /volunteered* but had scarcely
been two minutes in the water, when, in sight
of us all, the unfortunate man was seized by
an alligator, and dragged! under, to rise, no
more! — After so distressing a sight, it may
naturally be supposed the boat w.as^ suffered
to go without further effqrt to. save it..
The part of the river we had nqw; to pass
is the most dangerous, and most requires a
pilot ; but, as there is almost constantly: so
heavy a swell, the open boats of those men
would not live there : Consequently, they
would be unable to return. Several vessels
havebeen wrecked in this part; and in such
an event, there is little chance of saving the
lives of the crew. In case of our striking,
we had not even a boat to send out an an
chor to heave off, and should most probably
have perished. Our alarm and anxiety may
therefore be easily imagined, particularly as
we were not able to cross the bar that day,

163
and were obliged to anchor for the night; the
weather, too, being squally and unsettled.
The following day, however, we stood' to
sea, to our great comfort. There is not, even
at high tide, more than two fathoms of water
on the bar, and the wind being then tempes
tuous, occasioned a terrific swell. We had
now, given up all idea of reaching Barbadoes,
owing to want of provisions for ourselves,
and grass for the cattle; but endeavoured to
make Tobago. We found ourselves, the next
morning, on the coast of Trinidad, with the
wind and current against us, and the vessel's
sails and rigging being exceedingly bad, we
were unable to gain upon the wind, but drove
to leeward.
It was then determined to put about, and
run through the passage called the Serpent's
Tongue, between Trinidad and the American
Main, into the Gulf of Paria, and endeavour
there to beat up to the Port of Spain. This
was accordingly attempted ; but, towards
evening, the weather being bad, in trying to
anchor at a part of Trinidad called Punto de
Cacao, through the stupidity of the mate,
who let go the anchor before the vessel's
progress was sufficiently checked, we lost our
qther anchor and cable. Nothing now re-
m 2

164
mained but the kedger, which was however
too small to hold on ; we drifted therefore in
to the channel, and were obliged to make sail.
The succeeding day, we found ourselves
close upon the main land ; and made useless
efforts to weather a rock well known in this
passage, called the Soldier. On every tack
we lost way, and were in hourly expectation
of striking on this horrible coast, which, to
avoid, we were under the necessity of pass
ing to leeward of the rock, by the entrance
to the river Guarapiche, over to the coast of
Gueria. Nothing but necessity would have
induced the captain to adopt such a course,
as the coast of Gueria was known to be fre
quently the station of Spanish gun-boats.
Such was the shattered state of the po-
lacre's sails, that we could make nothing on
the wind, and were in a most distressed situa
tion, having neither grass for the poor ani
mals, nor food for ourselves beyond salt-fish,
which latter, for want of fuel, we were obliged
to eat raw, every stick we could find for that
purpose having been consumed! — We saw
no boats, and had no harbour under our lee
to which we could go for assistance.
In this state, with five out of ten of the
crew sick, we were on the night of the 6th qf

165
of January, 1820, standing from the shore,
when, at about half past nine o'clock, we
perceived a boat in the vessel's wake; and,
from the rapidity with which it approached,
had no doubt of its being a Spanish gun-boat.
We hailed — asking, as usual, if the boat was
coming to us ? and were answered, " We want
that ship ;" and they almost immediately
were alongside, and five-and-twenty armed
men on board.
The first order, given by the captain ofthe
boat, was, to kill every body ; when I was im
mediately knocked down, and a cloak I wore
taken from me. They then proceeded to
bind our sailors, when I addressed myself in
Spanish to their commander, — told him we
could make no resistance, that the vessel was
consequently his, and begged he would harm
nobody. He then inquired respecting the
number of cattle, of the crew, &c. ; and up
on receiving answers to his several question's,
which convinced him of the security of his
prize, he ordered our sailors to he unbound,
and assured us of our safety ; inquiring, how
ever, for all Creoles, and desiring them in
stantly to be brought before him:
We had but three on board, viz. the super
cargo, and two men of colour, who had in-

sMntly descended, and were Waiting, with
trembling anxiety belbw, to know their fate.
NoW that they were ordered before this man,
I fully expected to see them butchered on
the spot. The poor creatures apprehended
the same also, for they approached with up
lifted hands, and begged for mercy. The
captain, however, only questioned them ; and
perceiving their fear, pledged himself to in
jure no one.
This captain was a coloured Creole of
South America, a native of Angostura. All
his men Were likewise Creoles of the coun
try, and were volunteers in the Spanish gun
boats. Their leader could neither read nor
Write, but owed his present command to his
personal bravery. He was naturally of a
humane character, and, as I afterwards
learned, more so than any of the others,
many of whom are men of the most sangui
nary dispositions. He behaved towards us
with as much humanity and kindness as we
could expect from one in his situation.
On the first night of Our capture, he slept
with his party on deck, while we occupied
the cabin, from Which the sea-air had driven
all the musquitoes. The slightest search not
having been made, we found means to throw

1®7
overboard the Patribtjlag, retaining Only the
Danish. There was no one amOngst us Who had SO
much cause of alarm as myself; for had it been
discovered that I was a military man, and
had borne arms against the Spaniards, I had
very little mercy to expect ; at least, so I
firmly believed, having heard from the Pa
triots Such horrible accounts of the massacre
of those who had been engaged in acts Of
hostility to Spain.
I had by me, very imprudently, not only
papers which would shew Who I was, but, at
the time of capture, WOre a pair of military
pantaloons and a stock. It being, however,
dark, I had hoped they had not beeh noticed.
—Having immediately descended, I put on
others, and hid the former under some sails
in the cabin, there being no opportunity Of
throwing them overboard.
The moott rising in the niiddle of the night,
I arose, assured myself of being unobserved,
and took from niy papers all thOse of a dan
gerous nature ; but oh ascending the deck,
for the purpose of destroying them, found too
many JierSotis on the Watch, and, therefore,
put them in thy pocket, tb take the chance Of
a future opportunity.

168
The following morning, our new com
mander gave us an excellent breakfast of
biscuit, turtle, and fruits, which, to persons
who had fared latterly as we had, was highly
acceptable. Finding he made no semblance
of descending for the purpose of examina
tion, I fancied it would be deferred till our
arrival at Cumana, whither he notified his in
tention to take us, and had pulled off my
coat and waistcoat, to undergo the operation
of shaving, when he suddenly came down to,
the cabin, and began a general search, taking
from every one his money, papers, and such
of their clothes as he thought proper for him
self and men.
All the lockers, and every part of the cabin,
were examined ; by which means my mili
tary pantaloons and stock were discovered,
and he conceiving my air, perhaps, more mar
tial than that of the rest, immediately taxed
me with being an officer, and declared he had
noticed the stock the preceding evening on
my neck. This, however, I resolutely de
nied, and asserted the suspicious articles to
belong to one of the sailors.
All might now have passed off well, had
not my coat and waistcoat unfortunately been
off my back. These he took up, and, to my.

169
utter consternation, found in the pocket my
concealed papers. He then reiterated his
former assertions, which I now perceived it
would avail me nothing longer to deny: con
sequently, I acknowledged the fact, upon
which he gave me the assurance that I should
inevjitably lose my head !
These papers consisted of letters addressed
to me, as captain of the British legion, (all
of which proved my anxiety tq leave the
Independent cause,) my passport from the
military governor of Angostura, and a letter
of introduction for me to Lord Cochrane,
from a person of distinction in England,
which I had guarded, in case I should by
hazard have fallen in with his lordship. This
letter was sealed with black sealing-wax, and
the contents were of course unknown to me.
;The , other papers now taken, although
proving the capacity in which I acted among
the Patriots, shewed also I was about to leave
them, and were so far in my favour: one,
however, adverted to some occurrence when
we attacked Cumana, which, though in ridi
cule of our then cqmmanders, established the
fact of my having been there; and I was
justly apprehensive that the murder of the

Sp'anish captain and rnen niight be revenged
by a retaliation upon rhyself.
These alarming consideration's Caused hie
uftspeakable uheasiiress ; but the impression
likely to be ftrade by trie letter to Lord Cod*-
rane troubled me irn%iiteiy more than the
rest, and I resolved at all risks to get it into
my possession. Onr captor had tied the pa
pers ih a silk-handkerchief, making a particu
lar knot : he theft left them ih a comer of
the Cabin, and threatened With death Who*
&ver should touch them; but considering I
Was sure to die if I observed his injunction, I
determined to hazard my life by disregard
ing it.
I have before stated he could neither read
nbr Write ; consequently, If I substituted a
letter with a black seaT'fdr that of Lord
Cochrane, he was hot likely to discover ^he
fraud. Accbfdingty I got a sheet of paper*
and Wrote whatever first suggested itself", (of
course,' in rny oWn favour,) sighed the narrie
Of a pefsbft hOt existitig, ahd ador'esserl it tb
sbiiie one ih England, ris if to be delivered
by rtffself. The letter Written, I theft sbugn'r.
the scaling- wax, knOwifig I had, a feW d&ft
previously, possessed a small piece of br&el

471
wax, but Which I ftow sought ih vain. I Was
almost despairing of success, when I disco
vered it in a corner of iny waistcoat-pocket,
and in such quantity only as to answer the
present purpose.
The letter being sealed, I proceeded, With
fear and trembling, to open the handkerchief,
looking every instant behind with anxious
dread, fearing the consequences of detection.
However, I withdrew unobserved the subject
of alarm, and succeeded in substituting my
recent composition, nor Was the imposition
detected. On reading this letter to Lord
Cochrane, I perceived the fall extent of nly
danger, had it remained in their hand's, attd
felt truly thankful to heaven that I had been
enabled to recover it.
The letter was stated to be intended as "aft
introduction to his lordship of an aspirant to
military reputation, and a firm friend of South
American Independence, who," the writer
doubted not, u would, prior to presenting hirn-
self before him, establish a title to his lord
ship's patronage and protection, by his previdiis
conduct in the caust of liberty" and Contained
much more of such a tenor. Now, What
would have been the inference draWn frdrn
such a lette* by the Spaniards ? Why doubt-

172
less that I had undergone a schooling in
Venezuela, and was then proceeding to join
his lordship in Chili ; and I feel quite con
fident that had the authorities found such
a letter in my possession, it would instantly
have decided my fate. Thus would an in
strument, dictated by the warmest heart that
ever was implanted in the breast of a human
being, and intended to do good, (which is
the uniform effort of its distinguished writer)
have been diametrically opposite in its ef
fects, and attended with consequences, the
bare suspicion of which would have caused
the most poignant sorrow to its author. I
lost no time in destroying it, and felt relieved
of an inconceivable weight.
We were taken to a Spanish post on the
Main, called Carupinar : from which, in clear
weather, Margarita is perceptible. Here we
were not disembarked, and remained only
one day. I found no alteration in the con
duct of the commander towards myself, al
though he knew I had been an officer ; on the
contrary, 1 was treated with much kindness
by him and his sailors. He shewed us his
instructions from the commandant qf gun
boats, which contained the strongest injunc
tion to treat with respect all persons captured.

173
This, however, I understood afterwards, few
of them attend to.
From Carupinar we proceeded. to Cuma
na, sailing round Margarita, without one of
Brion's vessels being on the look out, to pre
vent their enemy passing with the prizes
within sight of their harbours. On reaching
the Gulph of Cariaco, we were again, from the
Vessel's ragged sails, unable to make,- way
upon the wind, and were driven nearly half
way to Barcelona. Gun-boats were sent from
Cumana, and we were by them towed into
the bay of Santa Fe ; made fast to the shore,
and the sails repaired.
Here we were visited by the chief com
mandant of gun-boats, a man who had greatly
distinguished himself on many occasions : his
name, Guerrero, signifying, in Spanish, War
rior. He behaved to us with much affability,
and removed me and our supercargo to his
own vessel, a very beautiful felucca; in which
we proceeded to Cumana, and where we were
treated with much attention, sharing with him
his cabin. . .:>¦
Prior to being sent on shore at this place,
I Was sworft and examined touching all I
knew respecting the Patriots, as was every
sailor of the polacre. This commandant as-

174
sured me I should be permitted to return
to England, and should not be imprisoned ;
which assurance gave me much comfort- — as
he said there was a wide difference between.
one taken in arms, and one who, like myself,
had seen my error, and had forsaken the In
dependents. On the 13th of January I disembarked,
and was taken by Guerrero to the Governor
(General Cires) who receivedi me very po
litely, and expressed his surprise that so many
British should have been made the dupes of
such wretches, as he termed the Patriots. He
promised me the kindest possible treatment,
and placed me in the house of relations of his
own, where nothing could exceed their friend
ly reception and subsequent attention, and
where my every want was anticipated.
Ihere underwent another examination, be
ing previously sworn ; and was questioned by
the Governors in every possible way, and all
I knew of the Independents was thus elicited.
They were unacquainted wifchuthe> death of
their countrymen, taken before the place, -but
which of course theyi suspected; : and on de
manding it of me, not daring to avow the
truth, dreading the consequences to myself,
I pretended to be ignorant of their fate.

l?|
It was here I fyeard of the manner in which
poor Lieutenant Lyans had been killed with
his own, sword, and saw the soldier whqcorn-
mitte^tbe act; which not only the Governor
expressed Iftmself highly to have regretted,
but alsq every officer wife whom I conversed*
All did justice to thq bravery displayed by
qur troops, but expressed their astonishment
at the plan of operation followed. They
ceased to wonder, when I informed them
XJrdanejta was its5authqr, as they had before
supposed that Qeneral English was entrusted
with the conduct qf the ajtaqk.
I now perceived, that, h,a,d we succeeded a$
Agua Santa, its, capture would have been
useless; as the principal fort, San Antoniq,
would in five minuses havet levelled it w^ith
the. ground^, The pjjaee, uPl9n the^ whole, is
strqng, and is. not likely tq be reduced by
troops, without the service^ of, a battering
train. A?. f°r ^ke Patriots, who have attacked
it seyen qr eight different times without suc
cess,, they may repeat thejr efforts as many
more, but with no Probability of a different
issue- Cumana js a, large town, built upon, a sandy
foundation, in cpnsgquence .ofwbich it j, can,"
not be pftyed,. There; ;aro several gpoJ: street

176
and houses, but the number of its present in
habitants is very few, as there have been con
siderable emigrations. It is supplied with
Indian corn and Cassava bread from Cariaco,
and with flour from without. Meat is rarely
to be had, as the Patriots occupy the direct
passage from the plains; but there are not
many places where fish is so abundant. Upon
this latter, the people principally subsist.
Were Brion a deterrhined character, with
so considerable a squadron as he had, the
place might easily be reduced by blockade,
as all supplies to it are brought, whether from
Cariaco or the exterior, by water.
During my stay at Cumana, I was witness
to a representation called by the Spaniards
" Nacimiento de Dios," or the Birth of Christ.
This performance lasted three hours and a
half, and consisted of puppets representing
scriptural characters, exceedingly well ina-
naged. Much joking and irrelevant matter
was introduced, and in a manner savouring
but little of religious feeling ; for instance, a
black figure was pursued by the devil in the
form of an alligator, the chace exciting much
mirth ; the black was at length protected by
an angel descending from above, who keeps
down the devil with his foot. The former has

177
then his turn, and capers about his vanquish
ed foe, making the most ridiculous observa
tions upon him, and urging the angel to anni
hilate him in toto. This, however, is not
done; and the devil and black afterwards play
at hide and seek, till the latter makes his
escape. During this scene the audience in
dulge in the rnost immoderate laughter, and
any thing in the world prevails, but the solem
nity to be expected from the name of the re
presentation. The Governor and all persons
of respectability in the town were present,
and the crowd was very great.
I was shortly informed by General Cires of
his intention to send me to La Guayra. On
this occasion he promised to write to General
Morillo in my favour, and at the same time
expressed his sorrow that I should have had
my clothes taken from me by the captain of
the gun-boat ; which however he could not,
he said, order to be restored, as it was his
legal plunder. He then begged my accept
ance of a few dollars, to answer any want
that might present itself. It was not only
this General who treated me thus differently
to what I had expected, but from every officer
in the place I received the greatest politeness,
particularly from Colonel Carbonel, of the

¦/

/

178
Spanish Veteran Battalion, who purchased a
hat for me, and begged, if I had hereafter oc
casion for his good offices, to command them.
The other prisoners were treated equally
well ; and the supercargo, a native of the
place, was sent to his family then residing at
Cumana, and was perfectly at liberty like any
other inhabitant. This, however, I afterwards
learned he ill repaid, by deserting from his
friends to the insurgents.
On the evening of the 21st of January, I
left Cumana in a gun-boat, the captain of
which received the strongest injunctions to
treat me with every possible attention and
respect, which he failed not to observe. The
following morning we landed at the Moro of
Barcelona, to prepare breakfast ; and whilst
here, were visited by some gun-boats from
La Guayra, escorting Colonel Tovar, com
mander of the regiment of Navarre, and his
suite to Cumana. He was proceeding to take
upon himself the government of that place,
vice General Cires, who had obtained leave
of absence.
. It is utterly impossible that any words of
mine can convey an idea of this gentleman's
kindness to me. Being as usual attacked
With a violent fit ofthe ague, he detained the

boat till if was past ; in the meantime, both
himself and attendants administering what
ever they considered would be of service.
He sent from his own stock, for mv use on
the passage, wine, and other things he had
with him ; and took leave of me with the
liveliest expressions of interest for my fate :
promising, immediately on his arrival at Cu
mana, to write to General Morillo, which I
afterwards learned he did, and in the hand-1
somest terms.
It may well be imagined that the opinion^
which I had formerly entertained of the Spa
niards in South America, was very mate
rially changed ; and that I could not fail per
ceiving they had been grossly misrepresented
by the Independents, who denied their pos
sessing one spark of humane and generous
feeling ; and always accused them of mur
dering whoever they captured, whether civi
lians or military, Creoles or foreigners. My
own treatment, and that of those with whom
I was taken, proved the falsehood of these
charges, to the circulation of which they are
instigated by motives of policy ; for the more
tyrannical and barbarous they pourtray the
Spaniards, the greater is the sympathy and
consideration excited for themselves,;
n 2

180
About a day's sail to windward of La
Guayra, we entered a small bay occupied by
fishermen ; at a short distance from which,
over a small mountain, stands a little village.
I went there in company with the captain of
the boat, and was particularly struck with
the apparent comfort of the inhabitants ; so
different to what I had observed amongst the
Patriots. Here they were well dressed ; the
interior of their cottages presented a neatness
to which I had long been a stranger, and
they possessed utensils of every kind neces
sary for them. It wras impossible not to ob
serve the contrast. We procured abundance
of oranges, gratuitously given, and with much
goodwill. We arrived at La Guayra on the morning
of the 26th of January, having had rather a
long passage. Here I witnessed a scene of
bustle, created by commerce, which was to
me quite novel. The bay was crowded with
vessels, and the mole covered with articles of
merchandize just landed, and others in readi
ness to be shipped ; the sight of which but ill
accorded with the Patriot reports of the mi
sery, state of starvation, and stagnation of
trade amongst the Spaniards.
I was taken to the house of the Comman-

181
dant, who, however, I did not see ; but to my
astonishment and terror, was from thence
conducted a prisoner to the main guard, and
placed in confinement. After the very gene
rous treatment 1 had experienced at Cumana,
I was at a loss to account for this reverse, and
racked my imagination to find grounds for it.
At one time I was disposed to impute it to an
order of the General in Chief, Morillo ; who,
it was not improbable, had already seen my
papers, and perhaps determined on my death;
then again I hoped it was only a temporary
imprisonment till his pleasure should be
known. I was in short divided between hope
and fear, but the latter greatly predominated.
I had heard at Cumana, both from the
Spaniards and Creoles, a character of Gene
ral Morillo, quite opposite to that given him
by the Independents. He was represented
to me as a man of humane feelings, who was
ever ready to extend mercy ; and who had,
by his conciliatory manners and conduct,
made converts of great numbers of the origi
nal advocates ofthe revolution. They all in
deed expressed their regret that the entire
body, under his command, was not animated
with his sentiments, and actuated by his ex-
ampje. These expressions of respect for Ge-

182
neral Morillo, coming even from the natives
of the country, caused me the greatest sur
prise ; as 1 had, both in England and in the
Patriot territory, been led to regard him as a
fiend in human shape.
At La Guayra I was visited by English and
American merchants, and the above character
of the Spanish Commander was confirmed
by them. These gentlemen behaved to me
with much kindness, and one offered to be
come responsible for me to any amount, if
the Commandant would consent to my being
a prisoner at large. This was however refused,
and a more than ordinary watch kept over me
from that time ; the Commandant fearing, no
doubt, from the interest excited for me, that
some attempt might be made to effect my
escape. Meanwhile my anxiety may be better con
ceived than described ; for I well knew that,
on both sides, prisoners were put to death :
and although, when captured, I was not in
arms, still there was incontrovertible proof of
my having been so. I received four reals
for my daily support, which is equal to one
shilling and eight-pence of English money ;
and whatever I stood in need of, was brought
me by one of the soldiers of the guard, who
of course made me

185
In that country there are two ways, one of
which is usually resorted to in putting their
prisoners to death. They are either massa
cred in their prison, or sent to some place,
and despatched on the road. It may there
fore be imagined, that, under the impression
of the probability of the former, my rest was
not the most undisturbed ; on the contrary,
the least noise would cause me to start up,
and images of death were constantly before
my eyes. In short, no one who has not been
in such a situation can form a due estimate
of the feelings it engenders.
The ague had left me, but I was now at
tacked with the horrible disease I have before
described, called malditas ; and my suffering
of body, as well as^of mind, was almost into
lerable. In this situation I remained twelve
days, and was at the end of that time inform
ed by the town adjutant, that there was an
order to send me to Caraccas.
; No sooner was I made acquainted with
this determination, than my distempered
fancy immediately suggested that I was to
be murdered on the road ; and I left my pri
son with the persuasion that I was going to
death. On my way to the house ofthe Com
mandant, I met some of my English and.

1B4
American friends, who perceived my agita
tion, and endeavoured to comfort me.
I was mounted on a mule, and set forward
escorted by an armed soldier, whose every
motion I narrowly watched, but whose coun
tenance possessed nothing of the ferocity to
be expected in an executioner. I was at that
time unable to make use of my right hand,
so much was it inflamed ; and both legs and
feet were equally bad. It would therefore
have been impossible to make the least resist
ance. Caraccas is five leagues distant from La'
Guayra, the road lying over an exceedingly
high mountain, on the summit of which the
clouds almost continually rest. The ascent,
though steep, is not difficult, as it is paved
with small stones, and kept in repair, there
being a constant thoroughfare of mules and
horses. The air strikes astonishingly cold as
one approaches the top, and the water is con
stant^ dripping from the trees, even though
there has been no rain for a considerable time.
There is a narrow valley on the left, and at
its extremity another mountain, and the sides
of both, as well as the ravine between, are
everywhere cultivated and interspersed with
cottages, some of which stand in the most

185
extraordinary, and (as it should appear at first
sight) dangerous situations.
On the top of this mountain are a few
houses where travellers may procure refresh
ments. The air is here cold in the extreme.
I had relaxed considerably from my state of
fear, as I perceived so many passers by, and
moreover observed a degree of ease and care
lessness in the carriage of my conductor;
which, had his intentions towards myself been
of the hostile nature I at first suspected,
would not, I imagined, have existed; inde
pendently of which we had maintained a very
friendly conversation, and he presented me
with a few segars.
Some of the first-rate riding-mules will go
from. La Guayra to Caraccas in three hours
and a half, or four hours, but the time in
which it is ordinarily accomplished is about
six. hours. We had set out at half past two,
consequently when we reached the top, even
ing was approaching ; and, as I had no great
coat or cloak, the wonderful change of cli
mate was such as to cause my teeth to chatter.
Before beginning to descend, there is an ex
ceedingly fine view of the city below, which
has a beautiful effect, and it Was some tiine

186
since I had seen so large a place. We had
not descended far before it was quite dark ;
and the steepness of the mountain, and dark
ness of the night, together with the cold and
pain I endured, rendered my journey one of
very great suffering.
We did not reach the city till past eight
o'clock, and my guard conducted me to the
house of the Captain-General, Don Ramon
Correa. Notwithstanding the lateness of the
hour, he was still in his office, and attended
by several military officers of rank, and im
mediately gave orders for my admittance. I
perceived an elderly, respectable-looking man,
dressed in a military garb, and decorated with
several orders. He however received me with
much haughtiness; and demanded, with some
severity, who I was — which, by the by, he
knew very well before. On receiving my an
swer, he inquired if I spoke French, and being
assured that I could, he began a conversa
tion in that language, which I afterwards
learned he never neglected an opportunity of
doing. He shortly relaxed from his severity
of manners, and spoke with much affability,
offering me a seat by him, and proceeded to
inform me that General Morillo had desired

187
I should be sent to his head -quarters, as he
wished to avail himself of what information
I possessed respecting the enemy.
He told me I should, the next day, have
medical assistance, to enable me to travel,
and then despatched his aide-de-camp with
me to the principal inn, where he ordered me
to be lodged and provided with what I wanted,
at his own expense. This treatment was quite
unexpected, and I need not say most agree
able; as I naturally concluded that, were it
intended to put me to deafh, I should not be
thus differently circumstanced to other pri
soners ; for the captain-general had informed
me that Colonel Urslar, whose capture I have
before mentioned, and a young officer of De-
Vereux's Legion, were in close confinement at
Caraccas. When I arrived- at the inn, I there met
with two of my old sea-companions. I mean,
two pointers that had been the property of
an officer of the British legion, and had sailed
to South America in the Francis and Eliza*
On our attack upon Cumana, these dogs were
frightened, and had sought refuge in the town,
where they got into the hands of Captain Rfo
driguez, who was there at that time, and had
thence accompanied their new master to Ca*

188
raccas. The poor animals knew and caressed
me. I was, at this inn, the object of general
curiosity, but was disrespectfully treated by
no one.
The following day I was inspected by a
surgeon, who reported me unfit to undertake
so long a journey, and urged the necessity
of my being at least ten days under his hands.
This, however, the Captain-General would
not permit, as he said General Morillo wished
to see me without delay, and that I must
consequently travel in the state I was. The
Captain-General was one of those men, who
would not for the wqrld take upon himself to
neglect to act upon superior orders, under al
most any consideration ; otherwise he would
never have sent me, in such a suffering condi
tion, to undertake a journey of several days,
Over mountains, and exposed to a tropical
sun. He was a Brigadier-General of the
Spanish army, and is said to have displayed
much bravery. He was placed by General
Morillo in the important post of Captain-
General of Caraccas, (formerly the first in
Venezuela) not so much on account of any
ability he possessed, as from the circumstance
of his being a conscientious good man, who
would administer justice impartially. He is

189
a strict observer of the religious forms of the
Catholic Church, and confesses every four 01
five days ; which, ridiculous as it may appear;
has gained him the appellation of " a saint"
from some of the lower orders. However, he
acts up to his religious principles, and is mucti
respected, not for his talent, but for his worth,
The city of Caraccas has been represented
to me to have been, before the great earth
quake of 1812, a very beautiful place, and is
said to be now vastly inferior to what it then
was. It is, however, even at this time, a hand
some city, and far surpassing any town in
South America which I have seen.
It is built at the declivity of the mountain
which separates it from La Guayra, and oc
cupies a considerable extent of ground ; hav
ing four or five streets of about a mile and
a quarter in length, running parallel to each
other, which are intersected by others. There
is a large square, called " la Plaza de las Ar
mas," and several minor ones. The houses
(as in, all South American towns) are white
washed outside, and some of them tastefully
ornamented with carving work and paintings:
they do not exceed one story, as, owing to
the frequency of earthquakes, much danger
would attend their being built higher: but

190:
the space each house occupies below, makes-
amends for the deficiency in height. There
is rather a noble cathedral, with a high
spire, which stood the shock that levelled so
many inferior buildings to the ground. Many
churches still remain in ruins, but several are
entire, and are handsome edifices.
The trade of Caraccas is very considerable,
as persons from other towns and distant parts
come there for the purchase of goods. The
shops make a good display in many streets,
and there is a constant ingress and egress of
mules, laden either with produce for embark
ation, or with imported goods for internal con
sumption. There are also, at this place, many
persons of very considerable property.
The climate of the town and neighbour
hood of Caraccas is perhaps one of the most
delightful in the world ; being neither too hot
nor too cold, and forming a singular contrast
with that of La Guayra, though the distance
is so trifling. Arriving at Caraccas from the
latter place, strangers are always chilly, par
ticularly in the morning and evening, at which
times the ordinary light clothing worn in that
country is insufficient: nor do you find it
possible to pass the night comfortably with
out a blanket, in addition to sheets and counn

191
terpane : whereas, at La Guayra, the bare
sheet is scarcely to be borne.
In consequence of this coolness of the at
mosphere, European as well as tropical fruits
and vegetables are grown, and the former ar
rive at great perfection ; for instance, of vege
tables, there are potatoes, cabbages, carrots,
peas, French beans, cauliflowers, &c. &c. :
and of fruits, apples, apricots, and peaches.
Jn.no other part of Venezuela is this the case,
except in this province. Articles of food ar§
exceedingly cheap, every thing being in the
greatestplenty, and, generally speaking, gpoq\
, Earthquakes are very frequent, and are
always felt with equal severity in every part
of La Guayra. The inhabitants, knowing
how subject the country is to them, wOuld
prefer being frequently visited by them ; as, in
that case, they come with less force, and dp
little or no injury. As spon as the hollow
rumbling sound, that precedes a shock, is
heard, every one runs to the street, and each
house is in an instant forsaken : nor do they
re-enter, until they are assured the earthquake
has entirely subsided.
, A celebrated traveller in that country has;
expressed an opinion that it is not improbable
that Caraccas may one day disappear; and. the

192.
valley, in which it stands, become a lake.
This idea seems to be supported by what
I have heard from persons who witnessed the
great calamity of 1812. At that time they
stated the surrounding mountains to have
been cleft, and water to have oozed from the
openings in considerable quantity: — to their
no small alarm. The natives are now so ac
customed to this phenomenon, as apparently
not to entertain any dread of it beyond the
moment. The streets of this city are wide and well-
paved, and every thing has an air of great
neatness. The houses are intolerably infested
with fleas, which is said to be owing to the
quantity of mud used in the composition of
their walls ; which principle of building, al
though proved by experience to be highly
unadapted to a place where earthquakes are
so frequent, they obstinately persist in.
There are no amusements whatever in Ca
raccas, beyond those which the inhabitants
have amongst themselves ; consequently, a
stranger, being unacquainted in the place,
must pass his time in a manner tediously mo
notonous, for, when he has viewed the town,
his mode of recreation must entirely depend
upon himself. The people of Caraccas dress

193
better than those in other parts of the Main
I have visited; and the veils worn by the
ladies in Spain, and the Spanish mode ol
dressing generally, continue to be adopted.
In the afternoon of the 10th of February,
I set off from Caraccas, mounted on a mule,
and accompanied by a soldier of the regi
ment of Castile, also mounted. The recep
tion I had met with there, had materially
abated the apprehensions I had felt before;
but there was still an uncertainty as to my
future fate, which rendered my situation far
from enviable. I knew not what conduct
would be observed towards me by General
Morillo; and whether I should ultimately be
enlarged, was a question involved in much
doubt. It would also occasionally Occur to
me, that I was probably treated in a manner
so distinguished, merely to influence me in
giving more copious information of the state
of the enemy, and that when the policy of
sUch treatment was useless, I might be put to
death. The result has proved how much I
wronged the Spaniards by these doubts of
their honour ; but their existence was not
unnatural in a perspn situated as I then
was. The first night, we rested at a small village
o

194
four leagues from Caraccas, at the foot of a
range of mountains, which we were the next
day to pass over. The road to this place runs
by the side of a clear, shallow river ; and the
ground in this valley was every where plant
ed, exhibiting a prospect of verdure. I found
my companion to be an old soldier, who had
served twenty -five years, and had borne a part
in the war in Spain. He was, for one in his
situation, possessed of considerable informa
tion ; and his kind and attentive conduct to
me, proved that the trade of war had not de
prived him of those feelings which do honour
to the heart.
The following morning we started at day
break, having to pass fourteen leagues over
mountains. At the first rise of ground there
was nothing to occupy the attention, all be
ing bleak and dreary ; but as we reached the
summit, we perceived cottages and some signs
of cultivation. A ravine on our right, and
the mountain's side from which it then di
vided us, was everywhere in a state of use
ful vegetation, and presented a delightful
view. We shortly descended to a small but fruit
ful valley, in which stands the village of San
Pedro. This we traversed, and again began

195
to ascend. I was now about to witness one
of the most superb and enchanting scenes ir
nature. Every part of this lofty range, frOn
San Pedro, presents a picture of the richest
fertility. At the mountain's top, there is th<
rnost extensive and interesting view imagina
ble ; and the whole presents one continued
and uninterrupted prospect of cultivation.
The valleys to the right and left, slopes of
the mountains, as well as the summits, are
planted ; and innumerable cottages, standing
in situations the most extraordinary, add a
pleasing diversity to the scene. The whole
is, in short, picturesque and beautiful beyond
conception. I had received an account of these moun
tains at CaraGcas, which had considerably
raised my curiosity ; but far from being dis
appointed, no idea I had previously formed
could do justice to the reality; and I consi
der it to this day the most splendid spectacle
which I have ever beheld.
Its productions are coffee, cocoa, sugar, in
digo, cotton, and fruits and vegetables of all
kinds. Passing these mountains, we were
constantly met by droves of mules, laden
with produce, proceeding to Caraccas ; and
every thing had an appearance of confidence
o2

196
and the energy to which it gives rise. The
traveller here finds houses of refreshment at
each step.
The rays of the sun were scorching this
day ; and the pain I was in, from the constant
ascent and descent, considerably diminished
the pleasure of so interesting a journey. At
about the centre of the mountain stands a
small but neat church, where persons, from
some leagues around, attend divine worship.
At length, on approaching the descent, there
is a delightful view of a beautiful and verdant
valley, in which stand, at no great distance
from each other, three small towns, called
"Las Cucuisas," four leagues distant from
Victoria.
As the route continued through this val
ley, we passed several thriving plantations,
upon which are some very respectable ha
bitations, situated generally on romantic
spots ; but having advanced about a league
and a half, the road became less interesting,
till within the immediate vicinity of the town
of Victoria, which we reached late in the
evening. Victoria is an exceedingly neat town, hav
ing one principal street, of about a third of
a mile in length, from which minor streets^

197
branch to the right and left ; it has also a large
square and church. The houses are, as
usual, white, some of them of great respect
ability, and there are also many shops. Tht
town is not fortified, and, at that time, hac
no troops in it, but was under the control o
a magistrate called " Teniente de Justicia," oi
Lieutenant of Justice, the appellation giver
to the civil magistrates under the Spanish go
vernment. The country around Victoria is highly pro
ductive, and well cultivated. Here I saw
fields of wheat and oats, which however fall
far short of their kind in Europe, the plants
being diminutive, and the ears considerably
smaller. The ground is everywhere fertile,
and yields abundantly articles of tropical
growth. We departed, at six o'clock the following
morning, for Maracay ; and at about a mile
from Victoria crossed the small river of Ara
gua, from which this fertile valley is named,
and over which General Morillo has caused
an exceedingly neat bridge to be built. It
is a mere purling stream, of no depth. We
then passed some high and commanding hills,
but which, after those we had previously
crossed, were undeserving the name of mourt-

198
tains. From the highest of these we had a
view ofthe town of San Mateo and the coun
try around it, which latter did not materially
differ from that we had passed, but was viewed
by us with much curiosity, from the circum
stance of extensive lands in this neighbour
hood having formerly belonged to Bolivar.
Descending these hills, we past the house
which was Bolivar's country residence. It is
on the right ofthe road, and is built upon an
eminence, from which there is a most exten
sive prospect. In the event of the advance
of the Independents to Caraccas, it would
become a military post of great Consequence,
as it completely commands the main road.
It is about a quarter of a mile distant from
San Mateo, and is now in a state of dilapida
tion. The town is two leagues distant from
Victoria, is very small, and undeserving of
notice. Two leagues from San Mateo stands the
town of Tumero, containing a square, in which
is its church, and of which the exterior is taste*
fully decorated with gilt-work and paint
ings. The town possesses also some hand*
some houses. Four leagues distant from
Tumero is Maracay. The country between
these two towns produces a very consider-

199
able quantity of cocoa, large groves of which
We passed. These groves are always sur
rounded by high, bushy trees, the cocoa-tree
being so tender as to require every means to
be used to shelter it from the wind.
Maracay is considerably larger than Vic
toria, though the former is far inferior in point
of beauty to the latter. It contains, however,
one of the finest churches in the province of
Caraccas, the interior of which was then un
dergoing repair. No spot can possibly be
more productive than the ground around
Maracay ; particularly in fruit, considerable
quantities of which are sent to Caraccas. It
is famous for the growth of the sweet lime,
which, by many persons, is much esteemed.
The environs of this town are truly delight
ful, and its cultivation is in the highest state
of perfection, presenting a blooming proof of
the richness of its soil.
On my arrival at this place, the exertion of
travelling and heat of the sun had so much
increased the disease with which I was afflicts
ed, that my situation was not only pitiable
but dangerous. The commandant, (Don
Christoval Zurita,) perceiving the state to
which I was reduced, declared it impossible I
should proceed, as the consequences might be

200
fatal, and said he was sure General Morillo
would not require it. This worthy man took
me into his own house, where I remained six
days ; during which time every attention that
humanity could dictate was shewn me, not
only by himself, but by his wife also. At
the end of that time I was forwarded in a lit
ter, borne by four men.
During my stay in the house of the com
mandant of Maracay, I was much amused
with a mocking-bird in his possession, which
certainly was more deserving of the name
than any I have previously or subsequently
met with. This bird was about the size of
the English blackbird. Its back and wings
were black, [the latter striped with yellow ;
and the breast quite yellow, as were the legs
and feet. The eyes were light blue. It would
imitate dogs, pigs, goats, ducks and fowls, and
even the chattering of a monkey, an inmate
ofthe same house; and would perch itself on
a chair and whistle most melodiously for a
considerable time. No sound it uttered was
half so musical as its whistle, when enraged.
This by the by was rather a misfortune to it ;
as the bird was frequently teazed, to provoke
the sound. It was very tame, but I never
heard it speak.

201
A somewhat extraordinary affection, or dis
ease, exists at Maracay and Tumero ; the fe
male natives of these towns being subject tc
large wens, which invariably extuberate or
the throat. This misfortune does not extend
to the men, but is confined to the women, and
it is said renders them short-lived. It is also
I was informed, exclusively peculiar to those
towns, and the number afflicted with them is
truly astonishing.
From Maracay I proceeded to San Joachim,
distant eight leagues. At a short distance
from the former, there is a fine view of the
lake of Valencia, which is very extensive.
Its banks are richly cultivated, and the ground
is exceedingly fertile. This journey is, from
the beauty of the scenery, one of the most
agreeable in the valley of Aragua. San Joa
chim is a very small town, and quite un
worthy of notice.
From San Joachim to Valencia, an •equal
distance with the journey of the preceding
day, there is nothing much deserving of at
tention. The country begins visibly to der
crease in fertility, and there is a great scarcity
of water on the road; owing to which, few
cottages are to be met with. There is a small
village between these two places, in the neigh-

202
bourhood of which stands the property that
formerly belonged to the Marquis de los
Toros ; who took an active part at the com
mencement of the revolution, and who is now
settled in the island of Trinidad.
Valencia is a town of considerable extent,
containing several churches. The entrance
to it is by a newly erected stone bridge, for
which the inhabitants are indebted to Gene
ral Morillo. The town is very irregularly
built, the houses straggling from each other,
and the toute ensemble having a most aukward
appearance. Some of them are, however,
(taken by themselves) very elegant, and are
beautifully carved, and otherwise ornament
ed. From its contiguity to Puerto Cabello,
being only twelve leagues distant, it enjoys a
very extensive trade, and is the place of resi
dence of some wealthy merchants. The coun
try around it falls far short of that of Caraccas,
Victoria, or Maracay ; notwithstanding which,
the town is equally well supplied with fruits
and vegetables. The morning and night air
is much cooler than further in the interior,
but infinitely less cold than at Caraccas.
On setting forward from Valencia, I was
able to mount again on my mule, though far
from being recovered, and arrived early in

203
the morning at the small town of Tocuyito,
three leagues distant from Valencia, where 1
remained to avoid the heat of the sun, and al
three in the afternoon again took horse for Co-
lebobo, four leagues further. Having left Va
lencia, the country, compared with the beautj
ofthe parts previously seen, appeared flat and
uninteresting. At a short distance from thai
place are extensive plains, upon which great
numbers of cattle are seen grazing ; but the
further you retire from it, the more dreary and
uninteresting does the scenery become.
Calebobo consists of only three houses, dis
tant from each other, on a large and barren
plain. It has, however, become famous by a
battle fought there some years ago, before the
arrival of Morillo, in which the -Spaniards
were routed. We took up our quarters at the
house of the Teniente de Ju&ticia, and were
not a little alarmed by the reports of travel
lers from the town of Pao, (where General
Morillo had his head-quarters,) of the bad
ness of the roads, and frequency of robberies
by banditti infesting the mountains we had
to pass. This latter, our ihoslt informed us, had
.always been the case, even long before the
revolution ; and that these robbers seldom
spared the lives of those who had the misfor-

204
tune to fall into their power. We were also
recommended to provide ourselves with pro
visions, as we should find nothing to eat on
the road.
After traversing the plain of Calebobo, we
began tq ascend bleak and barren mountains,
having little wood on their sides, or summits*
but presenting a sad and cheerless prospect,
rendered the more striking by the contrast
with the lovely vale we had left behind. Oc
casionally we arrived at a lonely hut, built of
straw, on the principle of those in the Patriot
territory. Upon such occasions I never failed
to express surprise that human beings should
thus establish themselves, apparently far from
the haunts of their fellow creatures ; and won
dered whence they procured their food, as no
signs of cultivation were any where visible.
My companion (who had never travelled this
road before,) was equally astonished with
myself. At Calebobo we had joined several other
persons going to Pao, who knew the road,
and who were equally glad of our company,
as our number afforded us mutual protection.
We found the declivities of the mountains in
many places so exceedingly rugged and dan
gerous, as to call forth expressions of alarm ;

205
but we were desired to restrain our complaints
till we had real cause for them, which would
shortly be the case ; and the difficulty of the
passage of a mountain, called " La Loma," was
represented to us by our fellow-travellers, and
the place itself pointed out.
Descending from a small mountain, we
crossed a narrow ravine of about thirty yards,
in breadth, through which runs a clear stream,
and at its extremity is the foot of La Loma.
Its first rise is so exceedingly steep, and diffi
cult of access, that my mule made two useless
efforts to gain a firm footing on it, to my no
small danger ; the third attempt, however,
succeeded. On gaining the summit, in many
parts there is -scarcely room for the animals
to stand, while the amazing depth on either
side renders it really terrific. Accidents very
frequently occur, but we fortunately passed
unhurt. To describe the descent is impossi
ble. I expected at every step to break my
neck, but having at length reached the bot
tom, I was wearied beyond measure, and con
strained to halt for a short time.
From the top of La Loma nothing was
discernible, on either side, but the same parch
ed and dreary mountains, destitute of -the

206
least vegetation ; and the waste and solitary
road, yet before us, seemed to me to hold out
a prospect of almost endless labour. Amongst
these mountains the sight was not cheered, as
in other parts, by flocks of parrots, or the
many party-coloured birds that abound ge
nerally in these regions. None were to be"
seen but buzzards, and Turkey buzzards, who
were on the look out for the poor animals1
that fall exhausted from fatigue : carcases of
which we every now and then saW.
The Turkey buzzards, called by the Spa
niards " zamoras," are very common in all
parts of South America, (whether in the moun
tains or on the plains,) and even in the wildest
parts seem to be little alarmed at the ap
proach of man. They are mostly all black ;
but here I saw a species which I had not be
fore observed, differing from the others by hav
ing a mixture of red feathers in the head. They
are the mOst ravenous birds I have ever met
with, and feed upon every species of refuse
and filth ; and are doubtless, in the neigh
bourhood of towns, of much utility in clear
ing away what might otherwise infect the air,
particularly in a country of which the inhabi
tants are not very cleanly. I have seen the

207
young in their nests, shortly after being
hatched ; in which state they are covered
with down, like young ducks.
We continued travelling without any va
riation of scene till eight o'clock in the even
ing, when we rested at a small cottage, up
wards of four leagues distant from Pao. The
moon rising, we started at one o'clock, and
continued our journey in order to reach the
town before being exposed to the heat of the
sun. As we drew near the head-quarters of
the Spanish commander, Morillo, I felt a
considerable increase of anxiety, ahd half-
dreaded the approaching interview.
Descending from the mountains, we enter
ed a spacious and widely extended plain, en
tirely surrounded by mountains. Consider
able numbers of horses and cattle were feed
ing upon apparently good pasture. The town
was hid from our view by a thick grove of
trees, and we had yet to travel a league be
fore we could reach it. We arrived at half
past six o'clock in the morning, and were
soon directed to the house occupied by the
General, who had already risen.
All the officers of his staff came out to see
me, and I became the object of general cu
riosity. No sooner had the aide-de-camp

208
informed him of my arrival, than I was desired
to be shewn in ; and in proceeding to appear
before this celebrated man, in whose hands was
not only my future fate, but even my life it
self, I was agitated by feelings unknown to
those who have never been in such a situation.
On my entrance, he immediately rose;
presented me a seat ; apologized for his hav
ing been the cause of my travelling in so bad
a state of health, which he assured me he was
ignorant of till it was too late ; said he had
received letters in my favour from General
Cires, Colonel Tovar, the Captain-General,
and the Commandants of La Guayra, Mara
cay, and Valencia, which increased the good
opinion he had formed of me from the perusal
of my papers. He then told me I was from
that instant free, and begged I would remain
at his head-quarters as long as was agreeable
to myself, and join the officers of his staff at
his table.
A reception from General Morillo, so far
surpassing in kindness any thing of which I
could have formed an idea, was, it may be
supposed, highly gratifying, and relieved me
at once of a load of uneasiness that had
pressed heavily on my mind. The hope, too,
of again seeing my country, after the many

dangerous, situations in which T had been
placed, was indeed cheering. In short, so
great was my happiness to what it had been
only an hour before, that I could hardly con
sider it a reality, and was at that moment in
finitely recompensed for all I had endured in
South America.
The General entered into conversation re
specting the Patriots, for whom he expressed
a most thorough contempt, and ridiculed their
threat of invading Caraccas, — which, he said,
he heartily wished they would undertake, as
it would give him an opportunity of getting
much nearer to them, than they would ever
yet permit him. He asked me if, in common
sense, it was to be supposed that an undisci
plined, irregular rabble, like the force of the
Patriots, could reasonably be expected to
cope with the respectable troops I saw under
his command ?
Against no one ofthe revolutionary leaders
did he express himself so strongly as against
Arismendi, who had so unworthily repaid the
obligations of life, and the restoration of pro
perty, he had received from him. He laughed
heartily at that General's sending to England
for a superb uniform, with which he was to
enter Caraccas, and regretted that the sudden
p

210
return of Bolivar had prevented the progress
of his plan; as, in such an event, it would
have been most probable that he would have
received his deserts. He accused Arismendi
of being ignorant of the country through
which he was to pass, and of the force he
would have found to oppose him ; and asked,
if it were an easy task to deprive an enemy of
the positions they held in such mountains as
I had traversed? That, even upon the suppo
sition that he should be obliged to retire be^
yond Victoria, would an invading force find
it a matter of small difficulty to carry those
steep and difficult passes to Caraccas? He,
however, defied their whole united strength,
much less a detached part of it, to overcome
his army.
General Morillo stated further, that he
placed the fullest reliance upon the inhabi
tants of the whole province of Caraccas, who
were more numerous, wealthy, and respecta
ble, than those of any other province on the
Main ; that he was convinced of the decided
preference they gave to the Spanish govern^
ment ; and that> although the whole world was
led to believe that the struggle, then pend
ing, was that of the whole population of South
America against the Spaniards, it was, on the

211
contrary, the efforts of a few ambitious men
who unwarrantably stated, in their reports tc
the world, that they were the majority of theii
countrymen. In support of this, he instanced Margarita
When he retired from that island, he Was ac
companied by all the most respectable inha
bitants, who had since settled themselves un
der the Spanish dominion. Also Barcelona —
which place (when the Patriots captured it,
Of which I was a witness,) was deserted by
all its former occupants, who followed the
Spaniards. This he asserted was invariably
the case, and that when the Independents
were many years back obliged to evacuate
the many important places they then held —
even Caraccas itself — their expulsion was as
much effected by the spirit manifested by the
natives themselves, as by the force of the
Spanish arms.
He observed Upon the ridiculous reports
propagated abroad respecting his desperate
situation, and shewed me an extract from a
Demerara paper, in which he was said to have
arrived with the remnant of his force at Ha-
vanna'h, highly grateful for his deliverance
from the danger to' which he had been ex
posed on the Main ! p 2

fl2
In speaking of the determination, express
ed by the Congress at Angostura to erect a
city to be called "Bolivar," he said he sup
posed it would be built of straw, as he knew not
what else they had with which to construct it.
One ofthe officers of General Morillo's
-.staff, was a Scotchman, of the name of Ar-
buthnot, who had been in Spain since the age
of eight years, and had accompanied the re
giment of Castile, (with which he had served
in the mother-country) to South America,
with the rank of Captain. I lodged during
my stay at Pao with this gentleman, accom
panying him to breakfast and dine with the
General. From Captain Arbuthnot I received in
formation upon several subjects, which only
tended to confirm my own observations.
Amongst other things, he declared it was im
possible that any one could have come to
South America, with intentions more pacific
towards the inhabitants than General Morillo;
as an instance of which, he mentioned, his
conduct towards Arismendi. He said the
General had been driven to adopt measures
of severity towards them, by their own brutal
treatment of all Spanish prisoners, who were
not only put to death, but that in a manner

213
which the most ingenious cruelty could de
vise! In Margarita, he declared that women and
children took part in these diabolical acts oJ
barbarity, and seemed to derive pleasure from
the writhings of their wretched victims. He
instanced the massacre of a Spanish Captain,
at Norte, who was placed upon an ass in the,
open square, whilst persons of both sexes and
of all ages, attacked him with knives, scissars,
pins, firebrands, and in fact with whatever
presented themselves, that could answer their
horrible purpose. This so enraged General
Morillo, that he ordered neither age nor sex
to be spared.
Far be it from me to attempt to defend, or
palliate, this act of the Spanish commander ;
which perhaps consigned to death many who
were innocentof even the slightest act of hosti
lity towards him or his followers ; but I have
recorded it as it was related to me. It cer
tainly establishes the fact of this cruel man
date not having been given without some pro
vocation ; — and that great irritation of feeling
was created by the knowledge of the hapless
fate of his countrymen, is not surprising.
Throughout my march to this place, I had
on my arrival in every town, been the object

214
of general attention ; but here the house in
which I was quartered, was beset with per
sons whose eager curiosity to see the English
Captain was ridiculously amusing. Captain
Arbuthnot was constantly requested, under
some pretence, to draw me forth, in order to gra
tify the numerous visitants ; and the proprietor-
of the house was indebted to me for many
kind inquiries after his health, that would
doubtless not otherwise have been made.
Captain Arbuthnot is a young man much
esteemed, not only by General Morillo, but
by all the Spanish officers. He is of a good
family in Scotland, and the only Catholic in
it. The manner in which he became so, and
subsequently a Spanish officer, as related by
himself is of so singular a nature, that I shall
perhaps be excused for repeating it. He
had a grandmother of that religious persua
sion, who was, it seems, so well satisfied ofthe
truth of hei- creed, and of the consequences
(believed by that qhurch) of differing from, it,
that she resolved to make an effort to effect
the salvation, of her grandson. She therefore
requested his father would permit him to.
make her a visit of some length, to which he.
reluctantly consented, knowing the rigour of
her religious, sentiments. No.sooner was the

215
boy (then eight years of age) in her hands
than she instantly sent him privately to Spain
and had him placed in a convent, to be edu
cated for the church, and informed his fathei
he was dead ! — which the latter (not suspect
ing the cheat) had no reason to doubt.
At the breaking out of the revolution ij
Spain, he had made considerable proficiency
in his studies, but had no relish for the profes
sion ©f the church. He therefore took ad^
vantage of the times, and succeeded in get-1
ting a commission in the regiment of Castile,
in which he had served ever since. He was
then a Captain ; and, prior to my quitting the
country, Was promoted to be Lieutenant-
Colonel, the next rank in the Spanish service.
He had not, for a considerable time, heard
from his family, and is perhaps for ever sepa
rated fromi them. He now speaks English
with a foreign accent, but understands and
writes it perfectly well.
The town of Pao> is small. The houses are,
generally speaking, mere hovels, and the in
habitants principally people of colour,, who
havte1, however, proved themselves, on all oc
casions, sucta staunch supporters of the King's
cause, that the place has been honoured by
the name of '* the loyal town of Paov" The

216
square is extensive, and in it stands the church,
which, for such a place, is very large. The
heat in this town is excessive, and the incon
venience arising from it is augmented by
the great quantity of dust that everywhere
abounds. The soil around it is barren, and
produces barely sufficient for the consumption
of its natives.
A short time prior to my arrival here,
eleven English soldiers, from the army of
Paez, had deserted, and with much difficulty
had made their way to Pao, where they were
well received and treated by General Mo
rillo. With some of these men I had frequent
conversation, particularly with one who was
a sergeant-major amongst the Patriots, and
had formerly been a sergeant ofthe 31st regi
ment. He informed me that all the British
soldiers, with whom he was acquainted, were
eagerly watching an opportunity to desert,
which, however, but rarely presented itself.
He represented them to be in a state of inde
scribable wretchedness. Two, in addition to
the number who had effected their escape,
had started with them; but had, he feared,
been overtaken or discovered ; as they were
all pursued by a detachment of Paez's ca-;
valry, into whose hands they were prevented

217
falling, by the kindness of the inhabitants,
who not only concealed them, butfacilitated
their desertion in every way-
He said they had set out with the determi
nation to effect their purpose or die in the at
tempt, as death was preferable to the state oi
suffering in which they had so long been,
They had been engaged for the Patriot ser
vice by Colonel Urslar (then a prisoner),
against whom they all expressed great re
sentment, not only to me, but also in their
formal declarations ; in which latter they re
presented him to have recruited, equipped,
andforwarded to South America, nearly eight
hundred men ; which declaration did him irre
parable injury.
I was questioned by General Morillo as to
my knowledge of Colonel Urslar, and endea
voured to make my answers as favourable as
possible for him ; but, unfortunately, they had
quite an opposite effect, and, with the accusa-
sation of the men above mentioned, no doubt
decided his fate. That unhappy man had, in
his declaration, (invariably taken from pri
soners) very imprudently stated himself to be
an Englishman, and to have formerly been a
Captain in the Guards. This he had no doubt
done from the expectations of being better

218
treated and considered. Of the nature o£ his
declaration I could not be otherwise than ig
norant, and had represented him to be, what
he really was, a German, and to have served
in the German legion. General Morillo's im
mediate observations proved to- me, that Co
lonel Urslar had nothing to hope. I denied he
was the man who had sent out the corps of
eight hundred men, but explained the nature
of his engagement with General Elsoro, by
whom he was as much deceived as I had been
by General English : both the latter men hav
ing received from Bolivar, personally, their
authority to engage troops for the cawse. This,
however, the General seemed not to. foe satis
fied with, and perhaps suspected it was merely
stated by me from motives friendly to Urslar.
With respect to the Eiwglish deserters^, su eft
of them as wished, received, passports for the
Colonies or England; and those who volun
teered, remained in the Spanish seirvice. Of
the latter, the number was three ; one of which
informed me he made such a choice, solely to>
have the satisfaction- of revenging hiimselif ©n
the Patriots^ for their treatment of him,
I remained at Pao eight days, during which
time I continued^ to receive from General*
Morillb every possible kindness. He always-

219
placed me at his right hand at table, and was
scrupulous in his attention to me. He never
addressed me but as Captain : in short, had I
been recommended to him by his Sovereign,
he could not have displayed a more friendly
conduct. General Morillo is apparently about forty-
five years of age. He is tall and stout ; has
a full face ; his eyes, hair, and whiskers, are
black; his countenance generally is agreeable,
and his whole air exceedingly military. He
does not wear mustachios. There is an open
ness and frankness in his manners highly
engaging, and he cannot disguise his feelings.
He is totally destitude of pride, and enters as,
freely into conversation with an ensign as
with a general. J always saw him in good
humour, and his discourse at table was inva
riably lively and interesting. He is -witty*
and, on several occasions, played* upon words
with much ingenuity. When' any thing hap
pens to. discompose him, his paroxysms of
rage are, I was informed, very violent; but
they shortly subside, and he is then- ashamed
of having given way t© theim He is not fond
of pomp and shew ; and will, whenever he
can, dispense with a guard at his door, which*
was the case at Pa©. When he removes from

220
one place to another, he goes with few atten
dants, and enters as privately as possible, in
order to escape the formalities with which he
would otherwise be received. He dresses
exceedingly well, and always wears two stars,
besides minor orders. He receives all who
wait upon him with much familiarity, and
listens attentively to the representations of
the most humble individuals ; while, in pass
ing them in the town, I have heard him, on
several occasions, address them with much
condescension. Never was a commander more beloved
than Morillo is by his officers and men. His
presence, under any circumstances, animates
and assures them. He is, in short, idolized
by them. The inhabitants, also, who are
subject to his jurisdiction, appear much to
respect him, and many of them expressed
themselves to me in terms the most affec
tionate of General Morillo. Indeed, the cha
racter he bears amongst them is the very re
verse of what his adversaries represent.
He seemed to delight in the recapitulation
of the campaigns in Spain, and spoke very
highly of the British commanders and of the
British army generally. The regard he ex
pressed for Lord Hill (in whose division he

221
commanded a brigade) was unbounded. He
regretted that the " poor English" (his own
expression) had been practised upon by the
grossest fraud, and brought to endure mise
ries under which they must ultimately sink ;
and declared the pain it gave him to meel
men in the field as enemies, with whom he
had so long fought asfriends ; but he observed,
that they had sought him, not he them, and that
they must take the consequences : — he having
received orders from his government respect
ing them (should they fall into his hands)
which it was his painful duty to obey.
It is not, perhaps, generally known, that
Morillo is one in whom the military talent
is inherent, he having owed his present ex
alted rank to his own personal merit alone.
He began his military career as a private sol
dier ; and was, at the commencement of the
revolution in Spain, only a sergeant of Ma
rines. Being shortly, by his good conduct,
promoted to the rank of Alferes, (correspond
ing with that of ensign in the British service,)
he assembled as many of the armed peasants,
&c. as he could collect, and invested Vigo.
Having in an action defeated the French
force at that place, and driven them into the
town, he summoned them to surrender. The,

222
French commandant refused so to doj solely
because he had heard there was not an officer
of sufficient rank with whom he could treat.
Upon this, Morillo invested himself with the
distinguishing marks of a Lieutenant-Colonel,
and informed the Frenchman that Lieute
nant-Colonel Morillo would receive his capi
tulation, and the place was accordingly sur
rendered. On making knoWn this conquest, and the
manner in which it was effected, to his go
vernment, he received the warmest praises
for his conduct, and Was authorized to retain
the rank he had assumed. He continued to
distinguish himself, and raised the regiment
of the Union, (now with him in South Ame
rica, urtder the name of " the Regiment of
Valancay,") and subsequently commanded a
Spanish brigade in Lord Hill's division. He
was represented to the King as an officer of
the greatest merit, and was by him vested
With unlimited authority, to endeavour to ef
fect the pacification of the revolted colony of
Venezuela. As a proof of the truth of his assertion,
" that he placed the fullest reliance upon the
inhabitants," it need only be mentioned, that
he rides about that Wild country unarmed,

223
and attended only by one or two of his staff,
equally unprovided with means of defence.
Were he, therefore, the detested tyrant his
opponents depict him, nothing would be
easier than to effect his destruction, noi
would the perpetrators be in much danger
of detection. His dispensing with a guard
is also a further proof of his confidence and
want of fear, and presents another means of
easily despatching him, were such a thing de
sired. But I solemnly believe that the death
of General Morillo would be as much de
plored by the greater part of the natives of
the country, under his government, as by his
compatriots themselves.
When I took leave of General Morillo, I
endeavoured to express my gratitude for the
generous treatment I had experienced, and
must confess that 1 almost felt regret at quit
ting- him. He expressed the best wishes for
the perfect recovery of my health, and for my
safe arrival in my native country, and begged
I would wait upon the Duke de San Carlos,
then ambassador at London, and give him
information respecting the proceedings in
that country — adding, " I require you to
speak no more than the truth. You have
seen both sides, and can form a correct opi-

224
nion : tell, therefore, the truth, and nothing
but the truth."
I had a passport under the General's own
hand, in which I was ordered to be furnished
at each town with a baggage-horse, and to
be paid, for my subsistence, the same sum as
is received in lieu of a ration in kind by. a
Spanish captain ; namely, three reals, equal to
about one shilling and three pence English.
With this sum (in a country so abundant, and
where every article of subsistence is so cheap
as in the province of Caraccas,) I not only
could live exceedingly well on the road, but
also save out of it sufficient to purchase se
gars, &c. But at many places the people
refused any recompense for what I had ob
tained from them.
I retraced my steps over La Loma, again
traversed the plains of Calebobo, and arrived
at Valencia, where I staid a day to see the
town ; General Morillo having desired me to
travel at my leisure, and remain as long as I
thought proper in any of the towns. I was
here billetted, by the Alcalde, on a retired
captain of militia, named Spinosa, who had
the character of behaving very rudely to all
officers quartered in his house. On knocking
at the door, I was answered by a young girl

225
from a window, who stated that her father was
notat home, nor could she Open the door, being
locked in. It was nearly ten o'clock at night.
She said her father would shortly return, and
that I must wait at the door till he came;
This I accordingly did, and was soon asked
by the old gentleman what I did there. He
received the billet very ungraciously; and,
finding something perhaps extraordinary in
my accent and dress, demanded- who Iwas.
On being satisfied, he entered, leaving me
outside, till he had fastened his daughters in
; another part of the house, and then suffered
me to enter. His manner continued equally
Uncourteous, till I shewed him General Mo-
rillo's passport; upon which he declared him
self highly pleased at my being in his house,
and notified his intention to seat me at his
table, as I was to remain the following day.
The next morning he took me to all his
acquaintances, by whom I was kindly re
ceived; and, as he had promised, provided me
with repasts, which,' however, were very frugal.'
When about to depart, he brought me the bil
let, and desired me to write in Spanish, on the
back, the following recommendation : — " He
received me as an officer and gentleman,
treated me with the best in his house, nor
Q

$26
had I occasion to spend any thing while with
him." His poor daughters were kept pri
soners till I was gone. This man was after
wards represented to me as a perfect Ori
ginal. At Valencia, so far from the inhabitants
seeming to apprehend that the Patriots could
put into execution their threat of marching to
Caraccas, they were repairing their churches
and many of their houses.
I continued my journey through San Joa
chim, and arrived at Maracay, and again re
mained in the house of my good friend the
commandant, who expressed his satisfaction
at my improved state of health. He was
already informed, by a letter from General
Morillo, of my departure from Pao, and con
gratulated me on having obtained my liberty.
I remained with him two days, and then con
tinued my march.
From Maracay I proceeded to Tumero,
where I remained the night. Here I visited
the unfortunate Colonel Urslar, who was a
prisoner in charge of the regiment of Valan-
$ay. He was closely confined, but received
an allowance quite equal to procure him com
fortable food. There was likewise a young
Irish officer of Devereux's legion confined

227
with him, who, on his arrival at Juan Greig<
in Margarita, was put on board a small sloop
with about thirty men, to be transported t<
Pampatar ; which sloop, on her passage, wai
captured by the Spaniards. He was, therefore
a prisoner, without having set his foot on th<
Patriot territory. The men had been placet
in the Spanish regiment of Burgos, where
they were well satisfied ; and this young man
expressed his determination to. enter the ser
vice, even in the capacity of a drummer, if
they would allow him. He represented him
self to be eighteen years of age, to have just
left school prior to quitting Ireland, and to
have been sent by his father against his own
wish to South America.
The treatment Colonel Urslar had received
from the crew of the gun-boat that captured
him, was very different from mine. He was
immediately stripped naked, and bound down
to the boat, exposed in that condition to the
scorching rays of the sun. He was more
over beaten, and otherwise ill-treated. On
arriving at Cumana, he was first examined
by the governor, and afterwards put in pri
son, where he remained five days, and was
at the. end of that time, sent in irons to
La Guayra. The moment he reached La
a 2

228
Guayra, his irons were struck off, and he
was properly clothed and conducted to Ca
raccas, at which place, though kept a close
prisoner, he was furnished with a bed, and in
other respects considerately treated, receiv
ing for his support six reals a day, which, for
that country, was a most liberal allowance.
He had been . offered rank in the Spanish
service by the Captain General, which he re
fused, not, as he informed me, from any per
sonal objection to it, but from the fear that,
¦if it were known to his friends in England, it
might injure his character, as they all knew
he had embarked in the Independent cause;
He inveighed bitterly against the Patriots, for
the infamous deceptions they had practised
upon us all ; and expressed a desire that the
foreigners in their service could be made as '
well acquainted with the situation of the Spa
niards as we were, it being so very different
from what he had had the most distant con
ception of.
It was heart-rending to see a man, who had
served so long in the British service, and who
was an excellent and gallant officer, in the
situation inwhich he was then placed — parti
cularly as I felt assured there was little hope
of mercy for him. He had been informed of

229
the declarations given against him by the de
serters; and had, indeed, been called upon,
by General Morillo's order, to answer them
in his own defence. But it was not likely
that any statement of his should have the
effect of counteracting the impression made
by the oaths of eleven men ; and the charge
of having enlisted and equipped 800 men
was thus almost insurmountable. Still he
relied upon the excellent character he daily
heard of General Morillo, and almost calcu
lated upon his enlargement. Although I felt
no disposition entirely to destroy his hopes,
I advised him to be less sanguine, and left
him with feelings of great interest excited by
his hapless situation and prospect. I subse
quently heard at Caraccas that he had been
shot. At Tumero I was quartered in a house oc
cupied by two old women and four younger
ones, sisters, every one of whom had a wen
On her throat : this, I have before mentioned,
was peculiar to this town and Maracay.
From Tumero I proceeded to Victoria, and
on the journey was overtaken by a coloured
Creole, going to Caraccas, with whom I enter
ed into conversation. He expressed his senti
ments very freely, which were all in favour of

230
the Independents; and declared hirhself to
be a great admirer of Bolivar, and some other
of his partizans whom he named. This man
asserted, that the non-success of the cause was
owing solely to their own want of unanimity;
that each was too much guided by his own
private interests, to which the public good
was sacrificed; and that, so long as every
one continued to be actuated by selfish con
siderations, the expectations of establishing
their independence would assuredly be disap
pointed. From many of this man's observations, I
perceived he was better acquainted with the
Patriots, and their system of operation, than
those with whom I had generally conversed ;
and I endeavoured, therefore, to ascertain by
what means he had obtained his information.
He soon satisfied me, by stating that, some
time ago, he had been sent into the province
of Barinas by his master, and had there been
made prisoner by the Patriots, and placed in
their service in the capacity of a soldier ; that
he underwent considerable fatigue, and en
dured hardships and privations to which he
had been unaccustomed in his master's house,
and had, in fact, just seized the opportunity
that presented itself of deserting to the Royal-

231
ists, and had given every information respect
ing the opposite party, of which he was pos
sessed, to the Spanish General Morales at Ca.
leboso, and was then proceeding to rejoin his
former employer at Caraccas. At this reci
tal, after his prior eulogium of the Indepem
dents, I laughed heartily, and reminded him
of his preceding remarks. He said, it was
true that his conduct was blamable ; but that
the services of one man the less could make no
essential difference; and that, in short, it was
useless for him to remain exposed to such
misery, to support a cause that was hopeless,
so long as it was opposed by so many of the
natives of the country.
In retracing my steps to Caraccas, I passed
a night at a house on the summit of the
beautiful mountains between Cucuisas and
San Pedro. The cold was extreme, infinitely
greater than in the town of Caraccas, and
was the more severely felt by me, as I was
destitute of proper covering to protect me
from it.
The following evening, the 9th of March,
1820, I reached the city, and was received by
the Captain- General with the most distin
guished politeness, and invited by him to din
ner before I departed for La Guayra. He

232
desired me to stay at Caraccas so long as was
agreeable to myself, and again placed me
free of all expense at the inn.
At about half past nine o'clock, this night,
we felt a severe shock of an earthquake,
which caused the fall of several small houses.
The moment the rumbling noise, preceding
it, was heard, every one ran into the street,
but it was only momentary. The sensation I
felt, was, as if the house was lifted up and
put down again, while the eye-sight was for
the moment dimmed, as if by a shadow.
I remained at Caraccas five days, and then
proceeded to La GUayra, bearing orders from
the Captain- General to the commandant of
that place, for me to be provided with a pas- •
sage to England if an opportunity presented ;
otherwise, to whichever of the West India
Islands I should prefer going. His Excellency
had desired I might not be sent in a vessel
under the Spanish flag, as I should then be in
danger of being captured by Independent pri
vateers, which I earnestly wished to avoid.
At La Guayra I was greeted with the warm
est congratulations by the English and Ameri
can merchants, &c. at that time there. I re
ceived a billet, as captain, upon an inhabitant
for the period I should remain, and continued

233
during the whole time to be paid the alio
ance of three reals a day.
In this journey, which I had made throu
a great portion of the province of Caracc
having visited some of the most consideral
towns in Venezuela, I had constant oppor
nities of conversing with the inhabitants, a
of judging of their sentiments — which I ne
neglected doing. The result of these obser
vations has been, a conviction that the greater
part of the natives of the country are averse
to Independence ; at least under its present
advocates. They were constantly designated
marauders and murderers, and their so often
repeated threat of marching to Caraccas, was
ridiculed. The Patriots invariably reported, that, when
they undertook the conquest ofthe capital,
they should be joined, not only by the inhabi
tants of the towns in the province of Carac
cas, but by the Creole troops in Morillo's
service. This had been before boasted of by
them, when we attacked Barcelona and Cu
mana ; but 1 make no doubt that they had
just as much grounds for such an assertion in
the one instance, as experience had proved
they had in the other. With respect to the
Creole troops being ready to join them, the

234
conduct of those men, in the Royalist cause,
gives a direct contradiction to such an assert
tion, and of which the action of La Cruz on
the plains was a specimen. At that place, a
body of Creoles was attacked by a very su
perior force under the command of General
Paez ; the former made a desperate resistance,
and ultimately obliged the latter to retreat
with considerable loss. Every officer and ser
geant of Morillo's Creoles was either killed
Or wounded, and the survivors of this devoted
party were brought out of action by a private
soldier, who assumed the command.
Were the inhabitants generally disposed to
favour the Independents, as asserted by them,
the destruction of Morillo's force would not
be difficult. In the province of Caraccas all
the natives are armed, nor does any one travel
otherwise. Even to visit their plantations,
close to a town, they invariably wear their
swords ; and when undertaking a journey of
any extent, they carry with them, in addition
to swords, carbines or pistols ; consequently
they are already in a state to aid the Patriot
cause were they so inclined, and the whole
number of those thus armed, together with
the disposable Independent force, would form
a body too numerous for General Morillo to

235
contend with. But I think, the circumstance
of the natives indiscriminately being per
mitted to go armed, establishes indisputably
the fact of General Morillo's confidence in
them ; for, did the distrust and dissatisfaction
prevail which the Patriots so industriously
assert, it is not an unreasonable supposition,
that the Spanish chief would, for his own
safety, prohibit the use of arms.
In Order to avail himself of the services of
as many of his men as possible, General
Morillo leaves very trifling garrisons in Puerto
Cabello, La Guayra, Caraccas, or Valencia.
How easy, therefore, it would be, for the two
former places at least (they being fortified
towns), to be seized and retained ! — but, so far
from there appearing to be any wish of this
kind, the inhabitants of these towns, not ex
cepting those of the highest respectability,
are enrolled as militia, and on the least alarm
take arms for the Spaniards with great ala
crity and zeal. An instance of this was given
when Brion appeared before La Guayra, a
short time prior to my arrival at Margarita.
I also witnessed the same feeling, when re
ports were circulated, during my stay at La
Guayra, of the rising of the blacks in various
parts, particularly at Ocumare. The inhar

236
bitants instantly turned out, and nightly form
ed patrolling parties for the protection of the
town. There appears to be much discontent
among the blacks working at plantations, who
frequently seem disposed to rise ; but this is
asserted by many to be unconnected with any
feeling of friendship towards the Patriots.
/ That there are those, even in Caraccas, who
have favourable feelings towards the Indepen-
! dents, is certain ; but that this number is very
inconsiderable, when compared with those
of opposite sentiments, is evident from the
non-existence of any co-operation with them.
They are men who are swayed solely by their
interests, and whose friendship therefore, is
worthless. I was informed that, even men
of these sentiments, have, upon all occasions;
retired on the approach of the Patriots, and
many of them have settled in Caraccas and
the adjacent parts, to be outof reach of those
whose cause they wish to prosper.
The greater part of the inhabitants of that
country would undoubtedly be ; glad to see
themselves independent,* but not under the
* Many of the natives are impressed with a belief, that it
would not be possible for them to maintain their Indepen
dence, even were they successful over the Spaniards ; owing
to the scanty population of their country. I was informed in

237
system adopted by its present champions, for
whom there is a general feeling of hostility,
excited by their cruel and unjust conduct.
They have, themselves, done infinitely more
to destroy public confidence, than any thing
that the most forcible representations of their
opponents, could possibly have effected.
Many, who took an active part at the com
mencement of the revolution, having become
disgusted with the line of conduct adopted by
the revolutionists, withdrew themselves from
the contest, and have subsequently accepted
the pardon offered by General Morillo, and
have become repossessed of their property,
and reconciled to the Spanish government.
The faith observed by the Royalist com
mander, upon all such occasions, has made
him deservedly respected by the inhabitants;
and I again repeat, and solemnly assert, that
I have seldom witnessed a more amicable feel
ing towards any individual, than that which is
the Patriot territory, by General Sucr6, that, prior to the revo
lution, the whole population of Venezuela did not exceed one
million of souls. This statement has been confirmed by others
in the province of Caraccas ; and the last estimate I heard,
was made by a merchant of La Guayra, who said, allowing
for the diminution that must have since been caused by
the war, emigration, &c. &c, he did not suppose they could
reckon, at the present time, above six hundred thousand.

238
invariably expressed by the natives towards
General Morillo.
The desire for the establishment of peace, is
/unfeigned. The horrible character ofthe war
which has, for ten years, been ravaging their
country; the sanguinary conduct ofthe revo
lutionary chiefs themselves ; and the constant
state of perturbation and of uncertainty, in
which they have so long lived — have rendered
the desire for tranquillity general. I have
often heard them speak, with great feeling, of
their flourishing situation prior to the war ;
and express their doubts whether the young
est of them would live to see their country
again in such a state of prosperity.
I do not mean for a moment to assert that
the Spanish system of government was then,
or is now, unexceptionable; but I do con-
ceiye that/ftie natives stand a better chance
of enjoying happiness and prosperity underthe
Spaniards (who are ready to concede to them
advantages of which they were before unpos
sessed, and to relinquish measures that were
before offensive to them) than under the In
dependents — who have proved how utterly
ignorant they are of the import of the word
liberty ; and how different is the practice
from the theory of it, in the example of such

239
men. "With them, there has been a constant
struggle for personal advancement, or personal
aggrandizement; and for the attainment OI"
their own purposes, they have broken down
the barriers of justice, and violated every law,
human and divine.
The policy adopted by the Spaniards, to
wards their colonies generally, was one found
ed in palpable error. The illiberal preference
shewn to natives ofthe mother country, to
the prejudice of those of the new; the impo
litic restrictions on agriculture and commerce,
with a view of making the latter exclusively
beneficial to Spain ; and, above all, the state of
ignorance in which the people of South Ame
rica were kept, by the laws prohibitory of in
tercourse with persons of other nations— have
themselves frustrated their original purposes,
and, at length, brought down upon their au
thors, the very evils they were blindly in
tended to repel.
In becoming reconciled to the established
order of things, the natives are not actuated
by any feeling of objection to a government
constituted by themselves, were such properly
organized and founded : but they have learned,
from experience, that the men who have pro
fessed so much ; who have raised their voices

240
against the Spaniards, as advocates of despo
tism, and enemies to liberty; and who have
condemned their measures, as teeming with
injustice and danger to those under their
government — have conducted themselves in
such a manner, as really to excite the belief
that they have endeavoured to surpass, in acts
of mismanagement, those against whom they
have so bitterly inveighed;
The Independent government, forgetting
the original complaints against Spanish mon
opoly, have established a system of this kind,
which they have not the sense to perceive
is highly injurious to trade. At AngOstura
and elsewhere, the right of shipping cattle,
or selling rum, tobacco, and other articles,
even quarappo, (the ordinary drink of the
natives), is confined to whoever tenders the
highest price for such right; consequently;
every other person is prohibited vending such
articles, without the sanction of him who
has purchased the authority, and with whose
terms they must previously comply. Thus,
in an act, regarding even the most trifling
commerce, have they improved upon a sys
tem they before denounced.
Had the revolution been throughout con
ducted upon principles founded upon justice

241
and humanity, its conductors would doubt-'
less have had the sanction and support of the
majority of their fellow-countrymen ; but
they have themselves destroyed their own
cause ; and the natives appear rather to trust
to the favourable change likely to be effected
with the Spaniards, by the experience of the
impolicy of their former measures, than to
a desperate chance of amendment in their
condition, under the men I have before de
scribed. The Spaniards and natives are upon the best
possible terms. They mix indiscriminately
together, and the feeling of animosity, which
the Patriots assert to exist between them, is
no where perceptible. I must confess, that I
was one night at a public coffee-house at La"
Guayra, much shocked at the indelicacy and
want of prudence of two young Spanish of
ficers, who, in a conversation together, (suf
ficiently loud to be overheard by those stand
ing near), were making the most illiberal and
offensive remarks upon Creoles generally.
Such conduct was not only highly unwar
rantable, but inconsiderate ; and would, I am
confident, if known to General Morillo, have
been most severely visited.
Observations will certainly be often made
R

342
to foreigners, by the Spaniards upon the
Creoles,, and by the Creoles upon the Spa
niards, in which they respectively act the
part of critics, on each other ; but, except in
the instance above mentioned, when in com
pany together, I have always observed the
most perfect cordiality and unanimity to
prevail. It must be acknowledged that the
Creoles have infinitely greater reason to com
plain ofthe Spaniards, than the latter of them ;
and that any critique upon the former, comes
with an ill grace ; as, whatever they are, and
however far behind other countries in civili
zation, they are indebted for their little ad
vancement to the Spaniards, upon whom their
present condition is far from an honourable
reflection. With regard to the respective force of the
Spaniards and Patriots, the numbers have
doubtless been much exaggerated on both
sides. When I left Angostura, the latter as
serted that they had at least ten thousand men
in Venezuela: which force they considered
equal to the capture of the province of Ca
raccas. I have before bserved, how much,
upon all occasions, they multiply their own
advantages, and diminish those of their oppo
nents; and although I am convinced their

2?43
army was far short of ten thousand men, yet
even that number (undisciplined and badly
armed, as it is) would be quite unable to con
tend with Morillo's army.
The Spaniards declared the number of
men under General Morillo's command, to
be, (according to the latest returns of daily
rations issued)1 upwards of fifteen thousand :
all civilians, and the garrison of Carupinar',
Cumana, &c. &c, being included in this num
ber: This Statement, 1 am convinced, is
equally overrated with the other ; but I be
lieve General Morillo to have (independently
of the before-mentioned garrisons) a dispos
able force of eight thousand men. Those of
his troops I saw, were admirably disciplined
and well1 appointed1.
Never Were finer regiments seen than those
of Valancay and Castile. The former was
twelve hundred strong, and performed the
military evolutions in the most superior man
ner. This being Morillo's own regiment, it
is constantly kept completed, and great care
is taken of it. The other regiments are equal
to it in a knowledge of milita'ry exercise,
but not in numbers. I have seen, besides
these, parts of the regiments of Barbastro,
Burgos, and Navarre,' the hussars4 of Ferdj-
r2

244
nand the Seventh, and Creole lancers ; all of
which are well clothed and appointed. Ge
neral Morales commanded the advance at
Caleboso, whose force I did not see ; and Ge
neral La Torres had with him a body of
Creoles, to annoy the Patriots on their road
to and from New Granada.
It may be asked, why the Spaniards, being
so superior in every respect to the Patriots,
do not march against, and annihilate them ?
Persons, unacquainted with the difficulties to
contend with in that country, would naturally
suppose this possible ; but the fact is, those
difficulties form the safeguard of the Inde
pendents, who, being natives of the soil, are
better able to contend with, and overcome
them. Could Morillo succeed in bringing
them to a general action, the matter would
be very shortly decided, as the Patriots could
not possibly stand against such superiority of
discipline. This, however, they carefully
avoid; always retiring if followed by Morillo,
who may pursue them on those vast plains
without much probability of overtaking them,
but only thereby destroy his own men, who
are unable to contend with the hardships and
privations they must there encounter.
When he first arrived from Spain, Mo-

245
rillo (being then unacquainted with the na
ture of the climate,) lost the flower of his
army by a line of operation, which experience
has since proved to him to be ruinous; and I
much question whether the largest and most
efficient body he could reasonably hope to
receive from Europe, would enable him to
tally to annihilate the native force on the
plains. He might effectually protect that part
ofthe country worth retaining, but would oc
casionally be subject to the predatory incur
sions of men, who could exist where aliens
could not exist to oppose them, and the supply
of whose few wants is within their own reach.
The Spanish soldiers, though well clothed
and fed, are not paid. The officers receive
one-eighth of their pay only, and not even
that when actively employed. They are all,
equally with the natives, tired of the war, and
constantly express their desire to return to
their native country. Both officers and men
entertain the strongest feelings of enmity to
wards the Independents, owing to the cruel
ties they have exercised upon their country
men who have fallen into their hands. Not
withstanding their destitute situation, from
not receiving their pay, the soldiers behave in
the mOSt Unexceptionable manner, and in-

246
stances of desertion are almost unknown
amongst them.
When by sickness or wounds they have
become disabled from following active ser
vice, they are put into what they term " has
companias consadas," or disabled companies;
and are then employed on garrison duty only,
at Caraccas, Puerto Cabello, or La Guayra.
The men who compose these companies do not
receive the same good clothing and appoint
ments, which are issued to effective men, but
those things only that they absolutely require.
If they are so far disabled as to be unfit even
for this duty, they may remain in South Ame
rica, and are provided in like manner with
the others ; but if they receive their discharge
upon their own application, no passage is
furnished them to Spain, but they must get
there as they can. I have seen some of these
poor creatures in great distress, and conceive
that their misery, and the existence of such
want of facility in the return to their country,
of men who have wasted their health and
strength in the cause of their king, reflects the
greatest dishonour on the Spaniards.
The inhabitants ofthe province of Caraccas
pay more attention to outward appearances
than those of less populous provinces ; but I

They are expert in throwing a bullock by
the tail when at full gallop, his pursuers on
these occasions being on horseback. ' The
women seem to take as much delight in wit
nessing this inhuman sport as the men. The
vice of gaming is very general. At Caraccas
and La Guayra, public gambling is prohibit
ed, but it is notwithstanding followed at 'all
the Coffee-houses.
No people behave better to their domestic
slaves, than those of the province of Caraccas.
This I also remarked some years ago at Ha-
vannah, and it is asserted to be the general
custom in Spanish colonies, which is ^cer
tainly much to their credit, and from Which
West Indians would do well to take a lesson,
as I have observed the slaves in some islands
treated more like beasts than human beings.
The province of Caraccas is highly pro
ductive, and provisions are consequently- very
cheap. Although flour is brought in abun
dance from North America to Puerto Cabello
and La Guayra, and may, from those places,
be easily transported into the interior, yet
wheaten bread is rarely met with ; as the inha
bitants seem to prefer that made of Indian
corn. Their principal beverage is a drink
called Guarappo, made of sugar-cane and' In-

250
dian corn, and which, when not too strong, is
very agreeable. It is, however, intoxicating ;
and with this the natives frequently " steep
their senses in forgetfulness." A bottle of it
may be procured for the value of a halfpenny.
I remained at La Guayra nearly six weeks,
during which time I continued to receive
the most considerate attention from the autho
rities and inhabitants. I met there an English
merchant from Curacoa, named Roche, who
purchased for me a sufficiency of clothes, and
behaved otherwise most kindly to me. By
this gentleman I was introduced to the most
respectable merchants and families of the
place* and thus passed my time as agreeably
as I could reasonably expect* in a place so
destitute of amusements.
La Guayra is built in a situation the most
extraordinary, being at the rise of lofty moun
tains. On the immediate spot where it stands,
there is no level ground, consequently, when
proceeding from the mole, to almost any part
of the town, you must constantly ascend. A
small but clear river, falling from the moun
tains amongst rocks, runs through it to the
sea. The town was so considerably injured
by the great earthquake of 1812, that it is
now little better than a heap of ruins. Houses

cannot say I could perceive any very material
difference as far as regards their moral cha
racters. The same absence of propriety of
conduct exists, and strangers are as much
disgusted with the want of delieacy on the
part ofthe females. It is, however, but jus
tice to acknowledge, that I have met with
exceptions to the latter observation, though
they are unfortunately rarely to be found.
The natives, (whether under the Spanish
or Patriot government,) are very uncleanly,
particularly in their houses, which they suffer
to remain unswept for several days together.
Neither is this slovenliness confined to the
lower orders — for I have remarked it in the
houses of those in superior circumstances, who
even hold the first rank amongst the Creoles
of the country. The consequence is, that
buildings of the most respectable- looking ex
teriors, present, in the interior, a slovenly and
comfortless appearance ; and this, doubtless,
is not a little the means of harbouring many
noxious insects. Scorpions are constantly seen
running up the walls, or along the ceiling; and
in short are so numerous, that it is always pru
dent, before retiring to rest, to examine your
bed, to be assured of its being free from them.
The inhabitants have a most extraordinary

248
custom of never dining in their rooms, but
invariably choose, for that purpose, an outer
passage, and which not unfrequently is very
objectionably situated. They have, however,
not the most distant idea of real comfort;
therefore to them the situation is immaterial.
They have another practice of keeping their
windows constantly closed, as though the ad
mission of fresh air were disagreeable to them.
This custom renders, their want of cleanliness
still more insupportable.
In every part of this country I have visited,
the practice of smoking segars is carried to
excess, and even extends to children. Little
girls begin this custom at the age of eight or
ten years, and ultimately so habituate them
selves to it, as to be unable to leave it off. In
the larger towns, women of respectable fami
lies forego this disgusting habit when in so
ciety, but they almost all follow it in private.
It is very rarely that persons of either sex are
seen with good teeth : they are usually so much
decayed as to excite general observation.
This, I should imagine, is not unlikely to be
caused by excessive smoaking.
The few amusements they have in South
America are very unrefined, consisting chiefly
in tormenting bullocks, and in cock-fighting.

251
and storehouses let for an amazing rent, as
there is an extensive trade, and but little
room. In the market-square, which is small,
there is a monument erected to the memory
of the unfortunate Spaniards, (and Creoles
wno supported them,) who were put to death
by the Patriots, when they possessed them
selves of the place prior to the arrival of Mo
rillo.* The bay is hardly deserving the name,
and appears to have been chosen as a port
solely from its vicinity to Caraccas. The
swell is great and almost incessant, and the
anchorage is so bad, that a vessel rarely visits
La Guayra without losing an anchor. The
landing is not only extremely disagreeable
but dangerous, owing to the swell that con
stantly sets in. Boats are frequently upset;
and goods landing, or being shipped, conti-
nually receive damage. The shores of the
coast contiguous to La Guayra, abound with
cocoa-nut trees, and a great quantity of oil
is made from their fruit.
On the 23d of April, 1820, 1 sailed from La
* These ill-fated victims were eight hundred in number,
They were taken to a spot about a mile distant from the town;
were there shot two by two, and the bodies then placed in a pile
and burned. A cross is also erected here to commemorate
their suffering.

252,
Guayra for St. Thomas in his Majesty's ship
Salisbury. In quitting this place, I did so
with feelings of great regret, excited by the
recollection of the humane treatment I had
received from men, whom I had before been
led to regard as pityless ruffians, but whose
generous conduct to me had proved them to
possess hearts warmed by the finest and best
impulses of humanity. During the whole
time I had been amongst them, I could not
charge my memory with having experienced,
at their hands, the slightest insult, or the most
trifling unnecessary severity. When in pri
son, my guards exercised their duty with be
coming consideration towards me. If I re
quested the least indulgence, even of a private
soldier, it was, if possible, immediately grant
ed, and in a manner that greatly enhanced its
value ; but if I was, from necessity, denied, the
refusal was invariably conveyed in terms that
proved the pain which such necessity created.
Worn down by sickness, I had received from
enemies, (who were not so from necessity, but
from my own choice,) that friendly care, that
kind solicitude, that unasked support, which
had restored me to the enjoyment of the first
great blessing of life ; and which evinced, on
their part, a spirit ofthe most refined and disin-

255
terested charity. I had in short experienced>
from the constituted authorities, from the mi
litary, and from the inhabitants without any
exception, that generous attention, and mer
ciful treatment, which the unfortunate should
never fail to command. It is not therefore
wonderful that I should feel regret on leaving
men to whom I was so much indebted ; for I
did then, (and I trust ever shall) entertain to
wards them the liveliest sentiments of grati
tude. On arriving at St. Thomas, my situation
was one of great distress and hopelessness.
It was true, I was possessed of liberty ; but was
in danger, amid plenty, of feeling the want of
the common support of life. In a place where
I could have no claim upon the government,
being an alien to their country, where I
knew no one, and was without money, I had
little prospect beyond misery and want. If
the latter were relieved, it must be by the
charity of strangers ; to whose scrutiny, taunts,,
or reproaches, 1 was equally exposed, and
whose assistance (if given at all) must be
voluntary, as my spirit would not stoop to
beg. In the state of mind likely to be created by
being thus circumstanced, I paced the streets

254
©f St Thomas, looking mournfully around
me, and hoping to receive some providential
means of relief. I gazed on the buzy multi
tude1, occupied in the exercise of their daily
fufflfetions, and made a si'lent contrast between
my helpless situation and their's. Agitated by
feelings of bitter remorse* for having so incon
siderately abandoned my native country,; to
seek preferment in almost unknown regions ;
and, dwelling with all the force of anguish
upon the abject state to which such im
prudence had reduced me, I fancied, at the
moment, there was not a wretch under hea
ven half so destitute as myself !
The hand of providence, however, inter
posed to snatch me from such a prospect
©f impending misery. The officers of the
Salisbury, from whom I had received every
kindness on the passage, offered me an asy
lum on board the ship, as long as she remain
ed at St. Thomas ; and one, with whom I had
©ceasiona'l'ly been in company at London,
fevoured me withthe loan of a sum of money/
to answer my immediate wants^
This relief, though highly acceptable, was
but temporary ; when my permanent rescue
was effected by the friendship of a native of
that country, against which, I had proceeded

255
from England in arms. I had, at La Guayra,
been in the constant habit of dining at the
house of Don. Esteven. Escobar, a merchant
of high respectability, where I had frequently
met my present kind deliverer. This gentle
man's name is Don Manuel Uhagon, of , the
respectable mercantile firm of that name at
Bilboa, from which place he had been at
tracted by curiosity to visit La Guayra, Ca
raccas, and some of the West India Islands.
It was my happiness to meet with him at St.
Thomas's, and no sooner had his questions eli
cited a statement of my hapless circumstances*
than he made a generous offer of his purse and
services, and in a manner the most delicate.
He was on the point of proceeding to Europe,
and invited me to accompany him, which in-r
vitation I gladly accepted, and a passage to
Bordeaux was immediately secured for me.
This noble-minded young man was not ig
norant of the adventurous spirit of enmity to
Spain, by the indulgence of which I had be
come thus reduced ; but he is one who is
above those petty prejudices which unfortu
nately divide persons of different nations, and
therefore looked upon me only as a fellow-
creature, who, by a mistaken zeal for a mis-

256
taken cause, was placed in a situation of great
trial, from.which, under similar circumstances,
he would hail the hand of deliverance. He
therefore acted up to the spirit of the divine
law, " and did to another as he would ano
ther should do to him." I trust I fully ap
preciate his motives, for they were, I am well
convinced, the most pure and disinterested.
We sailed from St. Thomas on the 15th of
May, heartily rejoiced at leaving that nest of
robbers. The island belongs to the Danes,
and is a place of resort for all the outcasts of
other islands, where every nefarious species
©f commerce is tolerated, and where men of
the most desperate characters and fortunes
are assembled. It is openly acknowledged
that, without recourse to a system that would
almost everywhere else be scouted, St. Tho
mas would soon dwindle into insignificance.
The island is barren, and utterly destitute of
water ; the rain-water is therefore caught in
tanks, and there being so many of the latter,
causes great swarms of musquitoes. The town
is built upon three hills, the houses of which
are principally composed of wood. Nothing
is worthy of notice beyond the ruins of two
towers, formerly erected by the celebrated

257
buccaneers. The port is one of the finest in
the West Indies, and is, in fact, the only re
commendation of the island.
On our passage home, we spoke with many
vessels; and the enquiry, on both sides, inva
riably was, whether any Independent priva
teers had been seen ? — for against their depre
dations no merchant-ship is secure, as they
frequently take advantage of their Unpro
tected situations, Without regard to the co
lours under which they sail.
We arrived safe at Bordeaux, where I was
further provided by my generous friend with
the means of proceeding to my own coun
try ; and travelling by land through Paris
to Boulogne, I there took^ shipping, and oh
the 4th of August, 1820, had the happiness of
once more treading the soil of England.

THE END.

J. M'Creery, Took»-Court,
Chancery-Lane, London.

ERRATA.
Page 52, 1. 3, for were, read was.
9-i, 1. 24, /or he, read the latter.
115, 1. 1% for decency sake, read decency's sale.
202, 1. 12, for toute ensemble, read <o«( ensemble*
216, 1. 5, for (as, read las.

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