uch men + «opu07 A NMOWS MaHLLYW Ag aaliag ZAAYHD OONH AG NOLLONGOWLNI YVAIIO NOWIS Sec sene sane nennee Caan ene sananOnOES NOILNTOARY NVIVAIIO€ SHL aiqeear ony6 THE JAMAICA LETTER 6 September 18/5 jentational support for isaged as part of a larger ' colonies. Like his predecessor td eye tothe rec 6 efforts of British tunfors, ars and credit. rwarded to from the period of her discovery even to the present day. THEJAMACA LETTER 4 am also anxious to respond to your request for information telative to the history of my mation. Bue the want of necessary #s and books, added to the slender knowledge I possess an immense, varied, and unknown country as the gre continent, render it, in my opinion, impossible fo answer your questions. Even Baron Humboldt himself with his versatility of talent, could scarcely reply ¢o them with much accuracy. Although some of the statistics and some of the revolutionary events are known, I can confidently tell you the most important events ate obscured, as it were, in darkness, nd consequently none but the most vague conjectures can be formed of th may be the future fate and real intentions of the Americans, ‘whose nation, because of its physical possessions, the viciss of war, and the line n and European policies, is subject all other nations in history Tam writing this letter because I consider myself bound to sive every attention to your much esteemed favour, on account of your very kind and philanthropic views, I id that you will not i you hope for, r 4 simple presentation of my thoughts and wishes, Three ages are elapsed,” you observe, “since the commencement of those barbarities which were committed by the Spaniards in the great hemisphere of Colombia.” Contemporaries had refused to believe in these barbarous Stories, seeing them as fables instead which fell so far below the depravity of human nature that they could not be credited. ‘Yer they are confirmed by texts which establish their unhappy truths. The philanthropic bishop of Chiapas, Apostle of the Indies, [Bartolomé de Las Casas} has left posterity a brief narrative, extracted from the legal documents found in Sevilla The barbarism of the conquest as recounted by Las Casas is acknowledged by all people of consideration and eminence, and even by the tyrants’ own secret documents. Archbishop(42. THE BOLIVARIAN REVOLUTION Davila Padilla, Philip II’s chronicler, tells us that the celebrated Spanish writers Hervera, Mufioz, Torquemada, and others, copied and venerated his faithful text? In a word, all impart people have acknowledged the zeal, truth, and virtue displayed by Las Casas, that friend to humanity, who fearlessly and bol denounced the most horrid crimes con influence of a sanguinary frenzy, before his own government and his contemporaries. | shall say nothing to you of the English, French, Italians and Germans who have writte as you are withoue doubt sufficiently | felt deep gratitude when I read the paragraph in your letter wherein you express a hope, “that the same success which then attended the Spanish arms may now follow those of her opponents, the oppressed children of America.” I take this worthy hope as a prediction. If justice be allowed to determine the contests of men, then success will crown our efforts Doubt it not: The destiny of America is irrevocably fixed. The different portions of that immense monarchy were only linked together by an illusory tie. What ten united them, now divides em. Our hatred for the Peninsula is vaster than the ocean which separates her fom us. It would be easier to join the two continents than to conciliate the two countries. Before, we were tied to Spain by the habits of obedience to constituted werchange of interests, knowledge, and r e, and a tender concern for the mot! micestors. In sum, all our hopes, all our wishes, lay centered in Spain, From them came a principle of submission which appeared etemal, although the misconduct of our governors gradually weakened this feeling of attachment to the principles of government. Today, the opposite is true ‘we are threatened by death and the most terrible dishonour by a disgraced wicked stepmother! But the veil has at last been cast off. Although she wished to keep us in darkness, we have seen light. We have been free, but our enemies want to enslave THE JAMAICA LETTER 43 iberty, and thus far, Our tin others, our sult? Is not the contest undecided? Do we not see the whole of this new world in motion, armed in our defense? Let us east our eyes and we shall see, throughout the whole extent of this immense whole extent of this immense hemisphere, a simultaneous struggle. 7 The warlike disposition of the River Plate provinces has territory, and continued in victory to Peru and and alarmed the royalists of Li liberty there red by 800,000 soul, is resisting snemy. The Royalists wil fil there because those ng ago put an end to the conquests of this enemy, che free are the neighbors and and compatriots ° ence. The sublime example of the ‘Reascanins fs proof to thse fighting in Chile that a people wh love independence will eventually achieve it! The of Peru, with over one an lion inhabits he Liberators are victorious in some areas, w enemies have their advantage. But what is a half million inhabitants, is without doubt the most submissive, a there the greatest sacrifices have cen extorted from them forthe royal cause. Yet although there are various reports regarding that beauifil portion of Americ, iskown o be very oma te of trang, nd wl not able to ress the overwhelming torent which threat of the Perovim provinees ns neh ea New Grama, which my be considered the her of South erica, obeys its general Independent government, The on execpons are che kingdom of Quo, which soe estan its enemies from a warm partiality to the cause of their country and the provinces of Panama and Santa Marta which sill safe Spanish oppresion #