Show FRANCISCO MIRANDA there is an old building with thick adobe walls at caracas which j ig aa sacred in the afes ees of south american patriots as independence batlin in philadelphia is to the peo ide of the northern continent and wt similar reasons one side faces the plaza bolivar and from he windows can be seen the ancient mth cathedral edral the equestrian statue of the great liberator which is modeled after that of andrew jackson in front mt of the white house at washington and the casa amarillas Ama villas or yellow house in which the levident le ident eident of venezuela resides op te the west walls of the old across a wide shaded is the palacio federal fadem or capitol of the republic in which the pees sits site and official cenemo CIA 4 nials are held it is id nov now the city hall ball the seat of the municipal government ern ment but it used to be the residence of the governor when the country was a colony of spain WHEN independence WAS proclaimed in this building in the large council chamber at the corner on the ath of july 1811 a junta or mass convention of th the leading citizens was assembled and formally proclaimed their independence it was the beginning of the great revolution in which all the spanish american colonies threw off the yoke of spain the first step toward freedom on the southern continent there had been considerable disturbance tur bance previously just as the people of boston threw the tea overboard and the spanish governor had been driven away after being forced to abdicate in april of the year before but this was the first time any citizens of spanish america had assembled publicly and in a solemn formal manner declared that they would not longer submit to the exactions or obey the decrees of the king the original doc document in the handwriting of francisco miranda hangs upon the wall today bearing his own signature and those of sixty or more of his fellow patriots representing the best families of venezuela it is faded and frayed and some of the chies are almost illegible but it is the most precious historical relic in the country and is preserved with religious care at the end of the room hangs a large painting perhaps the finest work of art at caracas representing the scene with approximate accuracy although some of the many figures were painted from memory it resembles in the grouping of the characters and in the general treatment nt of the subject a similar picture that hangs in the rotunda of the capitol at washington the signing of our own declaration of independence the foremost acure and the most conspicuous is that of a slender man with striking features and soft white hair bair worn in a cue he is francisco miranda the first leader in the revolution for independence in south america a native of caracas and the most romantic ch character arac in the history of venezuela dr ernst the german scholar and scientist who knows the country and its records better than any one else and can judge from an impartial standpoint being a foreigner regards miranda as the ablest and most brilliant figure in south amerlean american history and by far the greatest man venezuela has produced al though he was not so successful a soldier as simon bolivar FRANCISCO MIRANDA miranda was born in 1754 his parents belonged to one of the oldest and w wealthiest families of the colony and according to the customs of their class the son was sent to spain to receive his education he was given the commission of a lieutenant lin in the spanish army and served for a time in guatemala he was very youg but even at that age bis patriotism revolted at the treatment of the colonies by the court at madrid wd and he be declined to participate in such outrages therefore he resigned his commission and went to france where the marquis de lafayette was preparing to leave for north america to aid washington ton and the continental armye army the e young marquis bad been once to america had served two years as a soldier and at this time 1778 had bad returned to paris to secure funds and reinforcements for washington miranda Miran who was about the same age twenty five years old and in the same social plane with lafayette was familiar with the batters lat career in the colonies and from his friends as well as from Pr 11 anklin dean and arthur lee the revolutionary commissioner at paris had become inspired with sympathy for the struggling colonies and a desire to assist them thus when lafayette called for assistance he was the first to volunteer in january 1779 he sailed from havre to boston and served under washington until the end of the war most of the time in the staff with the rank of lieu lieutenant tenant colonel s THE washington OF VENEZUELA it was during this service that the abbl ambition tion was conceived in him to be th the washington of venezuela the liberator of his bis native land and as soon as the war in the northern continent was over he sailed for south america and raised the standard of y liberty in 1783 venezuela had suffered more from the oppression of the spanish kings than any other of the colonies chiefly because she produced little or nothing of value from the other provinces the crown got gold and silver which were the only products regarded warth exportation por tation but she yielded neither and therefore not being considered worthy of any attention she was left to the mercy of the brutal and despotic governors sent from madrid in I 1 n 1528 the entire colony was ceded by charles V to the family of belmares Bel merchants of augsburg the of that time who had loaned him money they discovering that the king had swindled them stripped the cou country of all that was valuable and then gave it as a prey rey to the agents they had placed F in charge the successor ofa of charles V canceled the cession and once more established a colonial government but the people of venezuela were prohibited from engaging in in commerce and were not allowed to use man manufactured articles from any country but spain in 1748 an in insurrection was raised b by y juan francisco de leon one of the most intelligent and wealthy of the planters of the country but he was easily overcome and although he be managed to escape capture his family were made prisoners and sent to spain in his to buildings ui ings were razed to t the e ground round and his hacienda the finest nest and most productive in all venezuela was sown with salt by orders of the governor PENALTY METED OUT TO A REBEL in 1781 there was a similar uprising simultaneous with that in ecuador and peru when the natives attempted to overthrow their spanish oppressors and restore tupac amaru the descendant of the ancient incas to the throne of his ancestors but it was a failure and the u unfortunate nate amaru was sentenced to a punishment unish ment that udger makes one shudder sh first his tongue was cut out and his ears were amputated then he was led to the center of the plaza at cuzco where his wife and children were all butchered in the most horrible manner before his eyes ropes were then tied around his ankles and his wrists and attached to four horses which were started A slowly lowly in op opposite poste directions so that his body was gradually torn apart 9 1 r t the fragments were then N gathered a t hered up and hung in the plaza ais a a warning to traitors to the spanish crown two years later francisco miranda with the fate of amaru still fresh in the public mind attempted to revive the revolution and it is not strange that he did not succeed but he escaped arrest and fled to europe he visited france germany italy and spending two or three years at st petersburg where he was distinguished by the favor of catherine the great and became one of the accepted lovers of that remarkable woman the cleopatra of modern times he was a man of brilliant intellect graceful presence and fascinating manners wrote poetry was gifted wasja in musi caud cand had other accomplishments which in those days made him a popular and a useful of apy any court but his motive in all his travels seems to have been patriotic to excite the sympathy and obtain the assistance oi of the E european european powers to secure the independence of his country and the furtherance of his own ambition behind the gay manners of a courtier he be endeavored to conceio conceal rd the craft of a diplomatist and while entertaining the monarchs and millionaires with his accomplishments he was striving to secure financial and military aid to promote his darling object DOCUMENTS LEFT LEFI BY MIRANDA after mirandas death his papers were sold to the british government by his son leandro for a considerable sum of money in hand and a life pension of 1200 and they are supposed to be still in the archives of the foreign office in london dr jose maria ro bojas jas formerly of caracas but now residing in paris where he some years ago purchased the title of in marquis acquis was once allowed to examine these documents and obtain possession of many others including a thousand or more letters written by miranda to friends in venezuela during his residence in europe with this material the marquis prepared a biography of miranda which has been printed in french and spanish and is a most entertaining work the rojas collection has been since purchased by the venezuela government and will no doubt be published as the bolivar papers have been among these papers are some very curious and interesting evidences of mirandas amours with the empress of russia particularly his letters to friends at home in which his adventures and daily life in the palace at Tsar selo and at the hermitage in st petersburg are described at great length and detail their publication if they are allowed to appear intact will create a decided sensation among the papers in the british archives area are a in number u in ber of orders for money to 0 b be ep paid a 1 d miranda signed by catherine and addressed to her chamberlain which he appears never to have used A GLANCE AL MIRANDAS LIBRARY in the museum at caracas miranda das s library is preserved and his literary taste and culture are shown by many manuscript notes and annotations which appear in his handwriting they have also his sub saah a flue fine piece of silk net and a beautiful traveling desk of inlaid pearl which is said to have been presented him by his imperial mistress these relies relics have been or are to be sent to the french exposition miranda left few descendants and such as survive now DOW live at lima peru where a grandson a gentleman of considerable ability and nd notable wit has made a reputation in literature and politics A grandniece was only a few weeks ago murdered at florence italy by a discarded lover with all his diplomacy and wit and personal charms miranda failed to interest catherine in the welfare of his country although she had showed marked sympathy with the north american colonies in their struggle for independence and had for this reason been sought bought by him either losing his patience or her favor he left russia and returned to france where he participated actively in the french revolution and became a general of division sion he was held responsible for the low loss of the battle of neerwinden Neer winden tried before a revolutionary tribu tribunal nikI for complicity in the treason of du 1 mouriez and acquitted although he j was deprived of his command and compelled to leave the countr country after spending some years in eng land he returned to venezuela but received no encouragement in his revolutionary projects and in iset sailed for france but NT napoleon apoleon then first consul expelled him birn from rom the country and he be sought refuge in the united states where he was not cordially received because of ids his reputation as an adventurer but he succeeded in exciting considerable sympathy and acquiring sonie some funds with which he organized A filibustering expedition ani and sailed for venezuela intending to drive out the spanish sli authorities and d establish a republic with himself as it its head he dreamed of a career like washington but his enemies assert that napoleon bonaparte wea his ideal and that his ambition was 1 not entirely unselfish HOT RECEPTION AT LA guay the spanish authorities were however advised of his hi move movements menta and on the of march 1806 when he arrived off the town of f commare halfway half way between the ports of la guayra gudyra and puerto cak C bello he was attacked by men of war lost two of his three vessels and 1 most of his brool broo s and supplies a and narrowly escaped capture h himself the governor of carat caracas don man uel de guerara offered ed a reward ol 01 of for his arrest alive and 20 for but he suo ceedee in reaching the engligh englishe 1 island of trinidad where he placed himself under the protection of admiral alexander cochrane the commander of the british fleet foj of the prisoners taken at Ocum ai citizens of the united states were headed beheaded be ten were hanged and th remainder were im imprisoned in th the dungeons at puerto cabello abello cartha j wena gena and san juan del pu puerto rico ico from which they never ear 1 the english at this time were at war with spain and sir admiral cochrane assisted miranda I 1 itt fitting out another expedition vl which he landed at coro ou on the venezuelan Venezuela lu coast at the head dt at six hundred men mostly Engli english alk men mein after capturing the city ma miranda raised his standard and decla declared reds republic but he met with no eyma pathy or operation cooperation co from the leofy pie was compelled to retire sailed for jamaica where he i pealed to the english governor 1 military assistance the lattery at ing to respond miranda disch 1 his troops and sailed for lor london d lay his case before the ming an andl cabinet but they had matters mattei hs 1 I more moment to absorb their attention SEASON OF GRIEF napoleon 1 I had placed his foot upon the rest of europe and was grasping a aping at the crown of 81 alu f england 1 glaud selecting the weaker of her two enemies attempted to save the scepter of charles IV and sent gold and troops into the peninsula mi randa dis heartened and bewildered penniless and friendless lived a lonesome jon esome life in the coffee houses and low resorts in london the lover of an empress was glad of any breakfast he could get in the meantime simon bolivar a young man of 24 years whose family had been intimate with that of miranda in caracas although he was little more than half the lat batters age having completed his education was traveling through europe he met the distressed patriot in london and sympathizing with his opinions and plans furnished him funds from his own well filled purse and the two together attempted to excite an interest in the affairs of their country among the british statesmen and soldiers independence AT LAST in the meantime the cause of liberty had been gaining ground in venezuela and nearly all the citizens of prominence belonged to republican clubs when napoleon made his brother joseph king of spain they refused their allegiance and although they had suffered terribly under the despotism of charles V declared in favor of the dynasty on april 19 1810 the french governor of the colony was compelled to abdicate it was a national feast day and all the citizens were in the streets As the governor returned to his palace the old structure I 1 have described he was met at the entrance by a mob that filled the house conducted to the council chamber and then given his choice between abdication and death resigned he signed the renunciation of power that had been prepared for him and sought refuge on a french man of war then lying in the harbor at la guayra gudyra A Jun junta talI or committee of citizens was selected to administer the government and continued to exercise authority until JB bolivar olivar arrived from england with miranda when the latter was |