urder the whole
family if any objection was made. Fugitives, if not cut off, made their
way in canoes to Trinidad and Demerara, often arriving almost dead from
the privations they had endured. Delicate Spanish ladies and little
children sometimes arrived--their pitiable condition causing an outflow
of sympathy from the planters, and a feeling of detestation for their
persecutors.

At the commencement of the year 1820 the Columbian Republic had become
an accomplished fact, and on the 25th of November an armistice was
concluded between Morillo and Bolivar, which virtually ended the
struggle. The United States had looked upon it with favour, and
Lafayette in France said that opposition to the independence of the New
World would only cause suffering, but not imperil the idea. In 1823 the
celebrated Monroe doctrine was formulated, and Canning said in the same
year that the battle was won and Spanish America was free.

Central America had not suffered like Venezuela and New Granada. From
Mexico to Panama was the old captain-generalship of Guatemala, but
little interest was taken in the province, Spain leaving it almost
entirely in the hands of the Catholic Missions. It was not until
Columbia had gained her independence that Guatemala moved in the same
direction, although there were slight disturbances in Costa Rica and
Nicaragua from 1813 to 1815. At first there was a project to found a
kingdom, but this gave way to the proposal for union with Mexico under
the Emperor Iturbide, which was carried out, but did not last long. In
1823 Central America established a Federal Republic, and at once
abolished slavery and declared the slave-trade to be piracy--a decision
to which the other revolted colonies came about the same time.

[Illustration]

XIV.

ABOLITION OF SLAVERY.

Negro slavery, although it formed the sinews and backbone of the
plantations, was, as we have seen, considered unjust by the French
republicans and immoral by a large section of the benevolent in Great
Britain and the United States. In both countries the Society of Friends,
or Quakers, commenced to influence public opinion against its
continuance as early as about 1770, and had it not been for the French
Revolution it is probable that emancipation would have taken place early
in this century. The premature and inconsiderate action of the French in
Hayti lost to France her most valuable plantation, for some years giving
such an example of what migh