489'
PAPEHS OF :MIRABEAU BUONAPAHTE LAMAR
lead, styling itself the Supreme Junta of Spain, and the Indies and declared war against France, 6th of June 1808.- Tidings of these things having reached Mexico, 29th July 1808, operated like a spark of fire in a magazine. It produced a sudden burst of indignation throughout the country against the french. The• creole population was excited to the highest pitch of resentment, and was ready to make common cause with the mother country.- No one thought at that time of availing themselves of the troubl_ed condition of the Peninsula to shake off the Colonial yoke a"!ld to establish the independence of the country. On the contrary, there was an almost. universal determination on the part of the Creoles to resist the author-. ity of the new King and to· maintain their allegiance to the captive, Ferdinand. He was every where proclaimed King; and large sums of money were collected· by voluntary contribution and sent to Spain for the purpose of sustaining his right to the Crown and aiding in the war against his perfidious captor. Instead of striking at once, and boldly as they ought to have done at that favorable crisis, in defense- of their long-trampled rights, they generously iorgot their own wrongs in their resentment of those which were heaped upon their oppressors.- It was evidently the policy of the Mother Country-situated as she. was-to have fostered these feelings, and to have maintained the most. amicable relations with her Colonies; for she needed both the money· and men which they were able and willing to furnish; but instead of' appreciating their zeal and loyalty, and keeping down all causes of dissention and complaint, she seems to have disignedly adopted the very opposite course, as if it were her determined purpose to extinguis_h their effection and drive them into rebellion. Joseph Bonaparte, after the abdication of Ferdinand in his favor, lost no time in despatching agents to Mexico, to announce the change of Government, and to claim the allegiance of the people. A similar demand was also made by two setts of Commissioners from the Penin- sula, sent by the rival Juntas of Seville and Asturias, both claiming the right to rule th_e Colonies as the substitute of Ferdinand, and each at the same time denouncing the other for the assumption of unwar,.. rantable power. Besides these claimants, there were two others that: set up their pretensions to control the commercial and political affairs, of the Colonies. These were the Council of the Indies, and the R.e-. gency appointed by Ferdinand previous to his departure for Bayonne,. Thus we behold five competitors for the Royal prerogative-King-· Joseph; the Junta of Seville; that of Asturias; the Council of the_, In9-ies, and the Fe"rdinand-Regency. These conflicting pretensions, and the contradictory orders eminating from them, proved a source of· great perplexity to the government as well as to the people of Mexico.. The difficulties were still increased by internal dissensions which threat- ened the country with anarchy and discord. T_he emisaries of Bona•- parte had succeeded in winning over the Spaniards to the french cause by giving assurances. to those who held office, that they should retain their places, and by promises of Royal favor to the rest. This occa- sioned great bitterness of feeling between them and the Creoles; while the latter, though united in their hostility to the french, were divided among themselves upon the question of obedience to the Juntas of the Peninsula. They regarded all these demands upon their allegiance ai:,
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