The public revenues of the Caraccas arise from various taxes, namely, from the alcavala, which is a ,tax of 5 percent. collected on all sales, whether of moveables, or of landed property. Every species of merchandise or territorial production is made subject to this impost, the moment it is exposed to sale ; and retail dealers are in the habit of compounding with the Government, by the payment of an annual sum on their whole stock. This tax produced, in 1798, 150,862 dollars, and, in 1797, only10,248, owing to the.suspension of maritime commerce. A revenue is also derived from export and import duties, from duties on all distillers of intoxicating liquors, and on the shops where they are sold ; from the sale of titles and offices, from stamps, from the sale .of bulls granting spiritual indulgencies, from the monopoly of tobacco, and from various other local imports. The tithes, which are rigorously levied throughout the Caraccas, form a branch of the pub lic revenue ; two-ninths belonging to the Crown, and the remaining seven-ninths being appropriated to the payment of the ecclesiastics, and to the building and upholding of religious edifices.
Of this population the whites form two-tenths, the slaves three-tenths, the descendants of freedmen four, and the Indians compose the remainder. Some writers are of opinion that this account of the pupa. lation is rather exaggerated.
The principal towns of the Caraccas are, Caraccas the capital, containing 34,000 inhabitants, Cumana 24,000, Porto Cavello 7500, Valencia 6500, Mara cay 8400, Guayra 6000, Tulmero 8000, Victoria 7800, Coro 10,000, Carora 6200, Barquisimeto Tocuyo 10,000, Guanara 12,300.
This country was first discovered by COlumbus I in the year 1498, in the course of his third voyage' to America. Several attempts were made to settle it by means of missionaries, all of which proved un successful. The natives were at last subdued by it military force, and the management of the Spanish settlements in this province were, for a pecuniary con sideration, consigned by Charles V. to &German mer cantile company named the Weiser& Under their go vernment, the country experienced the most cruel oppression. The company were, in consequence deprived of the sovereignty in the year 1550, and a supreme government was appointed by the Crown.
Since this period, these provinces continued under the government of the mother country until the year 1810, when Spain was nearly overrun by the armies of France, and when no reasonable expect tation could be entertained that she would be able to resist the invading force. In these circum stances, the colonies being aggrieved by useless re strictions on their commerce, and by other oppres sions, a strong party was formed, ostensibly to pro tect them from the yoke of France, but really, it it supposed, with a view to detach them entirely from the dominion of the mother country. At last, on the 4th July 1811, the congress of Venezuela pub lished a formal decree for their independence. A de claration of rights was afterwards issued, and with such severity was the new system enforced, that the jails were crowded with persons suspected of disaf fection to the revolutionary measures adopted ; great numbers were proscribed ; some were banished and imprisoned; others were executed, and their heads stuck upon poles, as examples of terror to others. Several towns, sad among others Coro and Valen cia, declared against the new system. Troops were immediately dispatched to reduce the former city by force ; these were beaten back with considerable loss. General Miranda was at the same time sent against the town of Valencia, and after some sangui nary encounters, he obtained possession of the place, from which, however, he was soon driven with loss by the determined resistance of the inhabi tants. Being reinforced, he renewed the attack, and finally succeeded in his object. Since this pe riod, the war between the two parties has been carried on with various success ; and, from the latest atemmts, it would appear that the cause of the in dependents is gaining ground. At present we have no- information , by which we can decide as to the issue of the contest ; and we must, therefore, defer any farther account of it till we arrive at the general article of SOUTH AMERICA.
See Semple's Sketch of the Present State Oh. Ca raccas, 1812.—Travels in South America, by F. De. peas, 2 vols. 8vo, 1807.--Humboldt's Personal Nar rative of Travels in Nye Eluinoctiad Regions, 2 vols. 8vo, 1814. (o.)