yranny practised by the Spaniards upon these poor people was
inconceivable. Tens of thousands, I may say hundreds of thousands,
perished from the labour exacted from them in the mines, and the whole
people were kept in a state of poverty that the Spanish officials might be
enriched, and that the annual amount of gold and silver sent to Spain
might be obtained. No doubt it was the successful revolt of the North
American colonies against us that first inspired these down-trodden people
with the hope of shaking off the intolerable yoke under which they
suffered. The first leader they found was Francesco Miranda, a Creole of
Venezuela, that is to say, he belonged to a Spanish family long settled
there. He came over to Europe in 1790, and two years later took part in
the French Revolution. Hearing that revolutionary movements had taken
place in Mexico and New Granada against Spain he obtained a promise of
assistance from Pitt, who naturally embraced the opportunity of crippling
Spain, which was hostile to us, and in 1794 went out and threw himself
into the struggle, which continued with but doubtful success for some
years.

"In 1806 Miranda obtained some valuable aid from my uncle, Sir Alexander
Cochrane, who was then in command of the West Indian station, and things
looked much brighter for the cause of independence. But unfortunately a
few months later Pitt died, the Whigs came into power, and as usual a
feeble policy succeeded a strong one, and all aid was withdrawn from
Miranda. The result was that, for a time, the Spaniards were able to crush
the insurgents. In 1810 Miranda again organized a revolt in Venezuela; but
he was unable to cope with the power of Spain, and two years later he was
taken a prisoner and sent to Madrid, where he died in prison. However, his
work had not been without result, for the same year that he commenced his
unfortunate venture in Venezuela a revolt broke out in Mexico headed by a
priest named Miguel Hidalgo. This was conducted in a barbarous fashion and
was speedily crushed. Two leaders of a better type, Morelos and Rayon,
still continued to carry on the war, but their forces were defeated in
1815, and though I believe there has been occasional fighting since then,
matters have been comparatively quiet.

"In South America things went better. In 1809 a revolt broke out at Quito;
it was headed by a man named Narenno. His force, however, was never strong
enough to seriously menace the power of S