first caused the idea of Independence to be conceived here: That this idea began to develope itself in 1808, in the claim preferred by the Ayuntamiento of Mexico, and countenanced by certain individuals,—to exercise sovereign authority; That this claim was preferred, and could be preferred, with no other object,—as is confessed by the rebels in their official papers:—That the Europeans checked the progress of these machinations, by deposing the Viceroy, who protected them, from whence proceeded the infernal hatred conceived by the rebels against them,—a hatred, of which they have given evidence, by the murders, and other atrocities, committed in the very outset of the rebellion, and which admit of no other explanation. That the second great error, was the not sending out instantly a Viceroy of energy, activity, and experience; in lieu of which, a weak and unjust government was allowed to exhaust the remains of that moral force, which had, till then, maintained the tranquillity of the country; and thus to afford room for the revival of the former projects:—That if the wisdom of the first Regency gave to Mexico a Viceroy of a very different character, it was no longer time to prevent an explosion, although it rendered its consequences less fatal:—That, as a necessary consequence, the rebels were forced to seek impunity for their crimes in a Revolution, the cause of which has constantly been the ambition of the few, and the immorality of the many:—That the Clergy have turned against the State that propensity to disorder, which has always characterized these natives, and have done so with impunity:—That a rebellion, founded upon such principles, and favoured by such powerful assistance, could not fail to make great progress, and must continue to do so, until recourse is had to the only measures capable of correcting it. That generosity and mildness will rather increase than diminish the evil; because they will be attributed to fear, or to weakness, on which account permanent Indultos, and forgetfulness of offences, have rather fed than quenched the flame:—That the most liberal institutions are thrown away upon such men as these; and that, as a necessary consequence of the above, the sacred Constitution itself is so likewise, it not being possible to execute some of its articles, while others have been necessarily infringed.
