JB/012/085/003

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important places on the coast, and jeopardize the tranquillity
of the whole Country. To account for this it is necessary to
take into consideration that the army of the Republic
necessarily small, was weakened after the action of
Carabobo by the Expedition to Quito, while the pact
that remained was scattered along an immense extent
of Coast, any point of which the Spaniards by having
the command of the sea, could attack with a relative
superiority, and shift the scene of their operations with
little loss or hazard. Such moreover is the state of opinion
in this Country that every partial success is sure to
procure them partisans among the natives, who are
easily swayed both by their own prejudices, and by the
artifices of the Priests who are very generally Royalists.
Under these circumstances a spirit kindled in a
distant province rapidly becomes a flame, before
the means can be procured to extinguish it, so that
the final result of an enterprize is very often extremely
disproportioned to its beginning. Energy, public spirit,
and individual strength of character are still lamentably
deficient in all classes. The mass of the people is ignorant,
timid, and superstitious, and their chiefs too rarely
form exceptions to the general rule. The Capture
of Maracaybo is both directly and incidentally a heavy
loss to the Govt. – Loss of immediate revenue – Loss in
expences necessary for recovering the place – Loss of public
confidence a consequent animation of the Royalists,
and loss public tranquility – Loss of Labour withdrawn
from Commerce and Agriculture – Loss of credit abroad –

Identifier: | JB/012/085/003 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 12.
Date_1	1822-10-17	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	012	Main Headings
Folio number	085	Info in main headings field
Image	003	Titles
Category	correspondence	Number of Pages	4
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering
Penner	francis hall	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections	jeremy bentham	Paper Produced in Year
Notes public	letter 2932, vol. 11	ID Number	4146
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