Caraccas, embarked, carrying away all the public and private property he could collect, and leaving at the mercy of the conqueror, nearly 1500 Spaniards, who had no means of escaping. The treaty of capitulation, notwithstanding this violation of it by the governor, was sent to Monteverde, at Porto Cavello, who declined ratifying it, for the wise reason, "that it was derogatory to the dignity of the Spanish nation to treat with insurgents."

Bolivar made a public entry into the capital, on the 4th of August, 1813. The first meeting of his troops and the inhabitants was deeply affecting and impressive; they embraced one another as friends and brethren who had long been parted, and who had toiled, suffered, and bled in the same cause. The dungeons and prisons were thrown open, and those victims of royal cruelty, whom a year's confinement had not relieved by death, were restored to their liberty, their friends, and their country.

Venezuela was now again rescued from the dominion of tyrants; the eastern part having been freed by Marino, and the rest delivered from their power by Bolivar, who justly obtained the title of el liberador de Venezuela,--the liberator of Venezuela. The town of Porto Cavello alone was in possession of the royalists. Bolivar immediately sent a flag of truce, proposing to Monteverde an exchange of prisoners; and although the Spanish prisoners in his possession were much the most numerous, he proposed to release them all, if the Spanish commander would liberate the prisoners he had at Porto Cavello. But having received during the negotiation 1200 troops from Spain, Monteverde obstinately refused any exchange. Feeling able to act on the offensive, he attacked the patriots at Aguacaiente, but suffered a dreadful defeat, nearly his whole force being either killed or made prisoners, and himself seriously wounded. In consequence of Monteverde being thus disabled, Saloman took the command of the remnant of the royalists which escaped to Porto Cavello.

Bolivar renewed the same offer of an exchange of prisoners, to Saloman, by whom it was not only refused, but the bearer of the flag of truce was seized, loaded with fetters, and thrown into prison at Porto Cavello. Istueta, the successor of Saloman, also committed the savage outrage of placing the patriot prisoners along his line, exposed to the batteries of their countrymen, to prevent their firing; and at night they were thrown into prison, where nearly fifty died at one time by suffocation. This led to retaliation, and the besiegers exposed the Spanish prisoners before their line of battle; which occasioned a greater outrage still on the part of the Spanish general. He ordered four of the most distinguished patriots in his possession to be placed in front of the encampment of their countrymen, and in their view publicly to be shot. These were Pellin Osorio, Pointet, and Manuel Pulido,

all distinguished for their patriotic zeal, and highly esteemed and admired by their fellow citizens.* No farther attempt at an exchange of prisoners or communication took place between the belligerant parties, but the contest became an exterminating war, and was carried on with destructive fury on both sides. Bolivar prosecuted the siege of Porto Cavello, the place being invested by sea and land; the town fell into the hands of the besiegers, except that part conmanded by the fortress, which alone remained as a refuge to the royalists. But although the garrison wanted provisions, and were wasting by disease, occasioned by the damp soil the Spanish commandant refused to listen to terms of capitulation. A haughtiness of temper, a proud and unyielding spirit, which no difficulties can subdue, and an obstinate perseverance, are the primary characteristics of the Spanish character. Porto Cavello continued to hold out, and the position of the fortress is so advantageous, and the garrison well supplied with ammunition, were so active and determined in its defence, that it could not be taken by storm without a sacrifice of lives, which Bolivar was unwilling to make.

The royalists of Coro, being re-enforced with troops from Por to Rico, marched into the territory of Caraccas, and on the 10th of November, 1813, defeated a party of the independents at Barquisimeto. Bolivar marched to repel them; he engaged and routed them at Vigirima, Barbula, and Araure. In the action of Barbula the patriots lost young Girardot, who had been distinguished for his active intrepidity in numerous battles, both in Venezuela and New Granada. The liberator ordered an annual mourning for this national calamity, and assigned a pension to the family of Girardot for ever.

Bolivar had invaded Venezuela under the auspices of the confederacy of New Granada, and had been directed, on his liberating the country, to restore the republican government, which, from the unsettled state of affairs, he did not consider advisable to do. Since the capitulation of Caraccas, the country had been under a military government; and although this power, odious in its mildest form, was not abused by the deliverer of the country, his inferior officers, not under his immediate control, were in some instances guilty of arbitrary and oppressive conduct, which occasioned complaints against the military government, and Bolivar himself. This gave him uneasiness, as he could not, from the commencement of his career, endure, even that he should be suspected of entertaining ambitious projects, or other designs than the liberation of his country. He summoned a general convention, consisting of the magistrates, the higher ecclesiastics, the members of the municipality, colleges, the board of trade, and all * General Bolivar's Letter published in Walton's Expose.

the proprietors of lands, to resign his authority into their hands, and leave them to establish such provisional government as they might deem expedient. This assembly convened on the 2d of January, 1814; and Bolivar appeared before them; after explaining his views and intentions in invading Venezuela, he resigned his authority; and retiring, desired the assembly to provide such authorities as in their opinion, the safety of the country required. Mendoza, the governor of Caraccas, Rodriguez, president of the municipality, and Aizuru, successively addressed the assembly, and urged the expediency, under the existing aspect of affairs, of suffering the supreme power to remain in the hands of the liberator, and proposed to re-vest it in him, as dictator, until a representative government could be established, either for Venezuela alone, or in conjunction with New Granada. This proposal was approved of, and the supreme power was vested in the liberator.

The royal chiefs were filled with rage at the success of Bolivar, and were determined, that, if they could not re-conquer Venezuela, they would destroy it, and render it a useless acquisition to the victorious patriots. Not satisfied with the blood and devastation of a civil war, they wished to light up the torches of a servile one, and to arm the slaves against their masters. For this purpose emissaries were sent into the interior of the country to excite the revolt of the slaves, and organize a servile force. The most obnoxious of these, were Boves, Yanez, Rosette, and Puy, Spaniards; and Palomo, a negro, who had been outlawed as a robber and an assassin. The governor of Spanish Guiana supplied Boves and Rosette with arms and ammunition, who were to operate in the eastern part of the province of Caraccas; and Puy and Palomo had assigned to them, as their theatre of action, the western part of the province of Caraccas, Barinas, Merida, and Truxillo, and were assisted by the royalists of Porto Cavello, Coro, and Maracaibo. There were 70,000 slaves in Venezuela, who, roused, not only by the prospect of obtaining their liberty, but by the promise of the wealth and fortunes of their masters, and of all the disloyal part of the population of the country, afforded materials for raising an army, alarming from its number, and its turbulent character:-an army every way worthy of its leaders, and of the cause in which it was to be employed. With this incendiary force, Puy and Palomo subjugated Barinas, Guiana, and several other towns, covering the country with blood and desolation. Boves and Rosette marched from the banks of the Oronoco to the vallies of Tuy and Aragua, spreading desolation before them, and tracing their paths in blood, which, if collected into one channel, the purple current' would have tinged the mighty waters of the Oronoco. It is almost incredible, yet VOL. II.

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what was well established, that in an extent of country of 400 miles from the Oronoco, to the environs of Caraccas, forming the limits of this murderous campaign, not a human being was spared, who did not join the robbers. By such an exterminating and murderous warfare, they spread terror over the country, which served to increase their numbers to 8000 men. Of this entire army, there were only fifty Spaniards and creoles, the rest, with the exception of a few free mulattoes, being slaves. Animated by the hopes of plunder, and some of them stimulated by revenge, their turbulent fury overcame every thing which opposed them; they spread terror before them, and left ruin and desolation behind. Boves took possession of Victoria, only forty miles from Caraccas; and Rosette entered Ocumare thirty miles from the capital, while Puy and Yanez, having subdued Barinas, advanced to join Boves, in February, 1814. Encouraged by these successes, the Spanish prisoners at Caraccas, and Laguira, amounting to nearly 1400, entered into a conspiracy against the government, and were prepared to revolt. Many Spaniards united into a body, and stationed themselves in the road between Caraccas and La Guira, for the purpose of murdering travellers, and to cut off the communication. The situation of Caraccas was critical, and its danger imminent; it required uncommon exertions to prevent its falling into the hands of an enemy, whose mercies were like those the tiger shows to its prey. The number of the forces of Bolivar were greatly inferior to those of the enemy, and were scattered over the country. Should the garrisons of Caraccas and La Guira be called into the field, there would be the greatest danger of the rising of the Spanish prisoners in the city, who were rendered desperate by the determination of the Spanish chiefs, to admit of no exchange with the insurgents. Under these alarming circumstances, which threatened Caraccas with the greatest of all evils, that of falling into the hands of the slaves, harassed with cares, and his mind oppressed with anxiety, and the responsibility of his situation, and at the same time, highly exasperated at the outrages of a ferocious enemy, and the recent massacres at Ocumare, Bolivar, from the distraction of the moment, was hurried into an act, which, however it might be justified by the lex talionis-the principle of retaliation is shocking to contemplate, and was as impolitic as it was unjust. He gave orders to execute the prisoners, and 800 Spaniards were put to death on this dreadful occasion. The commandant at Porto Cavello, the moment he heard of these executions, ordered every American prisoner at that place, amounting to several hundred, to be shot.

The danger from the slaves being removed, Bolivar marched against the enemy, and obtained a signal victory over Boves, at Victoria; and colonel Rivas defeated Rosette on the banks of the

Tuy, and about the same time, the forces of the Yanez, were also defeated, and their leader killed at Ospinos. These victories were not won without severe fighting and a heavy loss, the patriots being greatly inferior in number to the enemy. They cost them one third of their troops; and the advantages derived from them were not great, as from the want of cavalry the republicans. had not been able to pursue the enemy but a few miles. Los Llanos, on which Caraccas is dependant for horses, being in possession of the enemy, Bolivar's cavalry was but poorly furnished. Boves and Rosette having received some re-enforcements, again took the road leading to Caraccas. Perceiving the storm gathering over Caraccas, general Marino marched from Cumana to the assistance of Bolivar, and having joined a body of troops under general Montilla, their united forces attacked and defeated the royalists at Bocachica, and about the same time Bolivar himself obtained a decisive victory at San Mateo. These two victories relieved Valencia, which had been besieged by the royalists under Cevallos and Calzadas.

These losses of the royalists compelled Boves to retire to Los Llanos, and Cevallos, to San Carlos, whither the latter was pursued by general Marino; but the republican general being defeated on the 16th of April, retreated to Valencia. Monteverde was succeeded as captain-general of Venezuela by Cagigal, who brought re-enforcements from Coro, and uniting them with the troops of Cevallos and Calzadas, marched towards Valencia. After some delay and reconnoitering on both sides, the two armies engaged the 28th of May, 1814, on the plains of Carabobo. The action was the most bloody that had been fought; royal rage and popular fury were brought into the conflict; the greatest efforts were made on both sides, and instances of valour exhibited, approaching to desperation; victory was long doubtful, but at length fortune once more declared in favour of the patriots. The royalists were compelled to leave the field covered with their dead and wounded. Their whole loss, including prisoners, was 500 men, and a large amount of arms and ammunition.

The royalists retired to Coro and Los Llanos, whither Bolivar pursued them, with the intention of driving them from these territories, from whence they drew all their resources. He sent Urdaneta with 500 men against Coro, and Marino with about the same number to San Fernando, on the river Apure, in the province of Barinas. The remaining division of his army, of about the same strength, Bolivar retained under his immediate command, which he deemed sufficient to oppose Boves, who not having been in the battle of Carabobo, was marching against him, with a numerous squadron of cavalry. This division of his army