by the act of May the first last, accordingly cease from this day, in relation to France. French armed vessels may therefore be admitted into the harbours and waters of the United States, any thing in that law to the contrary notwithstanding. Treasury Department, 13th Nov. 1810. Your letter of the tenth instant has been received. All goods imported from the dominions of Great Britain, and arrived in the United States, subsequent to the second of February, wait, in my opiniou, become forfeited, according to the provision of the law of May the first 1810. If Great Britain shall not on that day, have revoked her edicts to the manner contemplated by that act, it follows, that if no knowledge of such revocation shall have been obtained on that day, goods imported as aforesaid, must be seized by the custom-house officers; although it be also true, that if the revocations have actually taken place before that day, no forfeiture will have occurred, and the goods must in that case be restored, whenever the fact of such revocation is known. The inconvenience of the detention of the goods in that case is unsterstood, but cannot, under the existing law, be avoided, except through the ine tervention of the courts, who may direct an immediate restoration of the property on satisfactory bonds for its value being given, to abide the final decision of such courts. I have the honour to be, respecte fully, &c. It also follows, that if Great Britain shall not, on the second of February next, have revoked or modified in like manner her edicts, violatung the neutral commerce of the United States, the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eighteenth, sections of the act to interdict the commercial intercourse between the United States and Great Britain and France and their dependencies, and for other purposes, shall in confornity with the acts first above mentioned, be revived and have full force and effect, as far as relates to Great Britain and her dependencies, from and after the said second day of February next, Unless therefore you shall before that day be officially notified by this department of such revocation or modification, you will from and after the said day carry into effect the above mentioned sections, which prohi bit both the entrance of British vessels of every description, into the harbours and waters of the United States; and the importation into the United States of any articles the growth, produce, or manufacture, of the dominions, colonies, and dependencies of Great Britain; and of any articles what- 1. Declaration of the Provinces of ever brought from the said dominions, colonies, and dependencies, I am respectfully, sir, your obedient servant, ALBERT GALLATIN. To the Collector of the Customs of the district of (Signed) ALBERT GALLATIN, VII. SOUTH AMERICA. i the Caraccas. " It has pleased Almighty God, to grant to every country alike, the natural right of its own sovereignty. These provinces planted by Spain, fostered and protected by her power, power, have, and of right, ought to have submitted to her guidance and direction during the period of their infancy, when, from imbecility and weakness, they were incapable of their own government and protection. But Spain, deprived of her king by the unparalleled pertidy of the emperor of the French, her European states vanquished by his treachery and his arms, and the ancient, lawful, and acknowledged government of the country, destroyed by the violent outrages of his sanguinary policy, there exists neither reason, right, nor justice, for continuing our dependance on a power that has no existence but in memory; policy and self preservation, therefore, demand that we should provide for our common safety, and the protection of these provinces, by taking into our hand the natural sovereignty of our country. The period has at length arrived, when these united provinces possess both the strength and the power to protect themselves. With a population of nine millions of iuhabitants, with an extent of fertile territory superior to any empire on the globe, and abounding with all the riches that bounteous nature ever bestowed on the buman race, it would be contrary to sound policy, in the present state of the world, to submit, and we are determined no longer to submit to the domination of any European or foreign power whatever. : For whilst a lawful government existed in Spain, and her legitimate king sat upon her throne, we have ever been loyal to his person, and faithful to his government; and our treasures have been the only sup port of the European monarchy and its allies, whilst we had no inlerest whatever, and our country drained of those riches which natore has bestowed upon the inhabitants of America, for their owu happiness, support, and defence. Under these considerations, to prevent the inevitable and ruinous consequences of falling under the yoke of the emperor of the French, the tyrant of Europe, and the op pressor of Spain, We, the Spanisht Provinces in America, declare ourselves a free, sovereign, and independant people, not acknowledg ing the domination of any power on earth, refusing submission, and denying and repelling the authority of whatever nation may attempt dominion over us. This we una nimously engage and pledge ourselves to maintain aud support with our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honours, calling upon every inhabitant of the provinces to aid and support in carrying into effect this our laudable and just resolu tion, and establishing for ourselves and our posterity, a free, equitable, and independent government, that shall secure our happiness, and give us a place of honour and respect among the independent nations of the earth. And we do earnestly entreat all foreign nations to guarantee our independence, and to favour us with such alliance and assistance as may enable us to defeat the designs of the enemies of our country. By thus disavowing our dependence on Spain, we solemnly appeal to Heaven for the rectitude of our intentions, and we do protest before the sacred majesty of God himself, that in all our measures we have ever been actuated by motives : motives pure and honourable, and that we have no other design in view than the preservation of ourselves, and the protection of our common country. And we do most humbly supplicate that Being who decides the fate of nations, to smile on our exertions, and to bless and protect this our newly established empire. where great dispatch is required, the signatures of the president, authenticated by his secretary, will be sufficient. 5. In matters that are decided by the junta, the president and ten members will form a quorum, but in affairs of high import to the government, every member must concur in the measure. 6. In statements and official papers, addressed to the whole junta, the members are to be styled 2. Declaration of the Junta of their excellencies, but no such dis La Plata. The provisional junta of government of the provinces of Rio de la Plata, in the name of king Ferdinand the Seventh, communicates the following order, respecting the mode of conducting public business: 1. The junta will meet daily in the royal fort, where the president will reside, and business will be transacted from nine in the morning till two in the evening, and from five till eight at night. 2. All the concerns of the treasury will be conducted there in the offices of the respective department. 3. The department of secretary of state is under the direction of Dr. D. Juan Jose Passo, and that of war under the direction of Dr. D. Mariano Moreno. 4. In the decrees on subjects relating to the capital, on inferior matters, and in certain cases' tinction is to be paid to the members individually. 7. The military are to pay the same honours to the junta, as before to the viceroys, and on other occasions they are to take the same rank. 8. The president is to receive the same compliments as is bestowed upon the junta in a body, and on all occasions and circumstances. 9. Matters relating to the disposal of places are to be laid before the junta as before to the viceroys, without prejudice to the alterations necessary from the alteation of affairs in the peninsula, 10. Each citizen is allowed to send to each member, or the whole junta, and to state what he thinks conducive to the cause of publie happiness and security. D. MORIANO MORENO, Secretary. Buenos Ayres, May 22, 1810, ! CHARACTERS. : CHARACTERS. Anecdotes of the Last Hours, with a Sketch of the Character of the late Right Honourable William Pitt. [From Mr. Gifford's Life of Pitt.] MR. R. PITT's health experienced a rapid decline in the autump of 1805; and he was recommended to go to Bath, having, in a former illness, derived great benefit from the waters of that place, which, it was hoped, might still have a beneficial influence on a frame now reduced almost to the last stage of debility. He accordingly went thither in December. Soon after his arrival he had a fit of the gout, and thought himself better for a short time. But the gout appeared again during his stay at Bath; and he never afterwards recovered even a moderate degree of strength. His appetite almost entirely failed; and, it being deemed improper for him to drink the waters, he left Bath, and was in such a debilitated state, that he was four days on the road to Putney, at which place he arrived on the 11th of January, accompanied by Sir Walter Farquhar, his medical attendant. When a consultation was held the next day, with Dr. Baillie and Dr. Reynolds, they told the Bishop of Lincoln, who had repaired to Putney, that they saw no danger, no disease, but great weakness, in consequence of the gout, and they thought he might recover in a few weeks. They stated the necessity of quiet; but the approaching meeting of parliament, and the state of Mr. Pitt's affairs, were such as to leave him little prospect of enjoying it. Mr. Pitt felt better on the Sunday, and on the Monday morning he took an airing in his coach; but in the evening, Lord Castlereagh and Lord Hawkesbury having obtained permission from the physicians to visit him, entered upon some points of public business, probably relating to the dissolution of the new confederacy, by the peace of Presburgh (which had been concluded about three weeks before) which visibly agitated and affected him. Mr. Pitt, after this interview, observed, that during the conversation he felt some sensation in his stomach, which he feared it might be difficult to remove. On Tuesday, the 14th, Mr. Pitt again went out in his carriage, for the last time. His strength was manifestly diminished. On his return, he saw his brother, Lord Chatham; and on Wednesday, the 15th, Mr. Rose was admitted to him for a few few minutes, and was very much stricken by his emaciated appearance. He was able to take but very little nourishment; bis powers of digestion were greatly impaired; and scarcely any thing would remain on his stomach. He seldom spoke, and displayed an anxiety to follow the directions of his physicians, " to be as quiet as possible, and completely to divest his mind of all public business." He desired the Bishop of Lincoln, who remained with him from the period of his return from Bath to the day of his death, to open all his letters, and to conununicate only such parts of them as he should consider it necessary for him to know. On the 17th, the physicians admitted that Mr. Pitt was much weaker, but still maintained that there were no unfavourable symptonis. At the same time, they declared their opinion, that he would not be able to attend to business in less than two months, and expressed a doubt of his ability to take an active part in the House of Conmons during the winter. The Bishop of Lincoln was, naturally, very urgent with the physicians to allow him to apprise Mr. Pitt of the probable duration of his confinement, in order that he might decide on the propriety of resigning, or of retaining his office. But the physicians were unanimously and decidedly of opinion, that nothing should be said to their patient on the subject. Mr. Pitt daily grew worse; and on Monday, the 20th, the physicians declared "the symptoms were unmpromising, and his situation was bazardous." In the evening of that day he became much worse; and Lis anind, as is usual in cases of ex treme debility, occasionally wandered. Sir Walter Farquhar passed the night by his bed-side, and at four o'clock on Wednesday morning, he called up the Bishop of Lincoln, telling him he was much alarmed, and could now no longer object to any communication which the bishop might think proper to make him. The bishop, who appears never to have entertained those hopes which the medical attendants encouraged, had continually pressed the physicians to permit him to intimate to Mr. Pitt, that his situation was precarious, in order that he might receive his instructions respecting his affairs and papers, and call his attention to religious duties; but they had constantly affirmed, that they saw no danger, and could not sanction any proceeding which might create agitation of mind; as such agitation might be productive of serious mischief. The bishop immediately went to Mr. Pitt's bed-side, and told him he found it to be his duty to inform him, that his situation was considered as precarious, and requested his leave to read prayers to him, and to administer the sacrament. Mr. Pitt looked earnestly at the bishop for a few moments, and then, with perfect composure, turned his head to Sir Walter Farquhar, who stood on the other side of the bed, and slowly said, "How long, do you think I have to live?" The physician answered, he could not say, and expressed a faint hope of his recovery. A half simile on Mr. Pitt's countenance shewed that he placed this language to its true account. In answer to the bishop's request to pray with him, Mr. Pift said, "I fear I have, like too many other |