Page 277 - Vida y Obra de Vizcardo Guzman - Vol-1
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Nueva Colección Documental de la Independencia del Perú
Vida y obra de Juan Pablo Viscardo y Guzmán
to see a revolution happen in that country, which they think might easily be
effectuated and to which they are willing to contribute. They have great con-
nections in the Peru, their gradfather was corregidor fo the provinci of Con-
doroma and governor of Arequipa, where the last rebellion originated. They
have a right to an inheritance in those provincs wich they have not been able
to obtain from the Court of Madrid and this personal motive with that of the
common cause has incensed them so much that they offer to serve the Court
of England in any undertaking to promote a revolution in South America.
By different letters, which I gave seen, from their correspondents in
many parts of South America, such as Lima, Quito etc. (the last of which is da-
ted the 5th October 1781) it appears that the spirit of opposition to the Spani-
sh Goberment rages more tha ever throughout all South America; that Diego
Tupac Amaru, brother to the famous don Giuseppe Tupac Amaru, was at the
head of 30,000 Indians about Cuzco; that La Paz and Santa Fe were all in arma,
and the Spanish creoles are as much tired of the Spanish yoke as the Indians,
being overburthened with new taxes vexations of all kinds; the treasures of
Spain in that country are quite exhausted, they cannot work their mines in
these turbulent times and whole provinces remain without cultivation as all
the habitants are in arms.
Such is the picture drawn from the relations given by don John de Guz-
man, one of the two brothers afore-mentiones, and also from letters of some of
the Spanish officers that have been interceptd and communicated to him.
It is said that the Cabinet of Madrid is so sensible of the weakness
of Government in those parts, that it was long under dubious consideration
whether a capitulation demanded by the Caciques, consisting of twenty four
articles, should not be granted, though they amount to little less than an absolu-
te independency, and it is said that the resolution has been taken to allow them.
Under these circumstances don Johm de Guzman proposes an expe-
dition to Lima of four ships of the line and two frigates, which would be su-
fficient to take Lima and bring about an entire insurrection in the Peru. The
Spaniards have only two ships of the line, the Achilles and the Astuto, in the
port of the Conception in the Cili, which might easily be destroyed before the
English ships went to Lima. The Peruvians being once masters of Lima and
having the assistance of the English by sea would be able to undertake the siege
of Panama, the fortifications of which are said to be in a ruinous state, and which
if taken would make them masters of the isthmus and give the last destuctive
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