in 1806, a British squadron, commanded by Sit Home Popham, lowered in the Rio de In Plata, from which a force was landed under the command of Major-General Beresford, for the reduction of Buenos Ayres. Some trifling resistence was offered by the Spaniards; but, in the end, General Beresford entered the town with little oprition. He. Appears to have teen partly indebted for his success to the surprise into which the Spaniards were thrown by this unexpected ilivasion, for when they had mid& ciently recovered from their panic, and had leisure to consider the inconsiderable numbers of their ene mies, the British were assailed by 'such a superiority of force, that they were compelled to yield them selves prisoners of war on the 18th of August, hav ing had possession of the place for about the space of six weeks. In the meantime, reinforcements ar rived from the Cape, and Sir Home Popham, hav ing made an unsuccessful attempt on Monte Video, took possession of the fort of Maldonado, at the mouth of the Plata. Additional reinforcements hav ing arrived under the command of Sir Samuel Ach muty, the invaders succeeded at length in taking Monte Video by storm, and they only waited fur farther succours to resume the attack of the capital.
The expected reinforcements at length arrived, in May 1807, under General Whitelock, to whom was committed the chief command of the expedition'; and, on the 15th June, a farther reinforcement was received under General Crawford. With this force, a mounting to 8000 men, it was resolved to attack Buenos Ayres by marching into the town. But no sooner had they entered the place, than they were assailed, from all quarters, with a commanding and superior fire of grape and musketry. The streets were in tersected by deep ditches secured by cannon which poured upon the assailants an incessant and destruc tive fire ; while, from the windows and tops of the houses, they were to a galling fire of mum , ketry, to hand-grena bricks, and stones. In this unequal contest, about a third of the British army was either killed, wounded, or captured, without any material advantage gained ; and, next day, an armis tice was concluded, which issued in a convention, by which it was agreed that the British should eva cuate the Plata in two months ; and that all prisoners taken on both sides should be restored.
The project of the French Emperor to subdue Spain, for the purpose of establishing his brother Joseph on the throne, gave rise to a spirit of just in dignation throughout the South American colonies; and when his successes seemed to pave the way for the subjection of the mother country, their first care was to take effectual • measures for the se , curity of their own independence. With this view,
in the town of Buenos Ayres, the government of the . viceroy was superseded by one of popular appoint ment ; and though the leaders of the revolution still professed allegiance to Ferdinand, it was generally believed that they had secretly resolved to shake off the yoke of Spain. Different views, however, pre vailed in other parts of the country. In Monte Video the Regency of Cadiz was recognised; and, in the • interior, a .counter-revolution was begun under the influence of Liniers and the adherents of the new government in Spain. To suppress this move ment, a force was dispatched into the interior, at whose approach the chiefs of the counter-revolution fled, and being pursued and taken, they were bar • barously murdered. The opposition to the revo lution begun at Monte Video, was of a more formi dable character. It was directed by Elio, an officer of marine, who arrived from Spain with the com - mission of viceroy, and who, not being able to vail on the Junta of Ayres to recognise his authority, proceeded to bonibard..the city.and to de stroy its commerce. On the other hand, the Junta sag their army winst.Monte Yideo, and compelled Elio, to take refuge within the walls of the fortrets. An armistice was afterwards concluded between the parties ; but the subsequent tmnsamioes are yet in. volved in considerable obscurity. We propose to reserve the .account if the revolution which has been begun in these colonies, for the Article Bourn AMERICA; trusting that, before we shall have 'ad vaned so far in the course of our work, the cause of independence will have finally triumphed, and that we shall then be able to exhibit a distinct and sa tisfactory view of its progress, and of its probable re mita both to America and to Europe.