Herald Of The United States

APOLLO's FOUNT

ON TIME.

TIME, empty form, by fancy wrought,
Thin, subtle, flying, airy thought,
What shall we think of thee?
No sooner come, but fled and gone,
One flying instant quickly blown,
What can thy essence be?
Once thou art past, we call in vain,
No tears can bring thee back again,
Nor stay thy wing'd career:
Still flitting, changing, cutting short
Our joy, in spite of all effort,
While we are pilgrims here.
What past time is, let sophists tell,
But let us use the present well;
And in another sphere,
Without dispute we'll gladly find,
That present, future, past, are join'd
To make us happy there.

NEW-YORK, October 21.

MIRANDA.

Extract of a letter from an officer belonging to the expedition under Gen. Miranda, to his brother in this city, dated Island of Aruba, 7 leagues west of Curacoa, August 3d, 1806.

We arrived here on the 16th inst. all in good health. We left Trinidad the 24th July, in company with the Lilly, sloop of war, Capt. Campbell, who acts as commodore in the expedition, his Majesty's brig Express and Attentive, and the schooner privateer, two gun-boats, carrying each a 24 pounder, and an American brig with provisions and our own ship the Leander. The armed vessels under the commodore were dispatched by Admiral Cochrane to assist us. The Sunday following, about 10 o'clock in the morning, we passed along close to the principal town of the Spanish island of Marguerita—we could easily distinguish the inhabitants coming out of the church to defend the town, supposing our intention was to attack. As we passed the Grand Battery, in defence they fired several shot at us, we coolly kept on our course.
We made it to the Main the 21st. the Main, where we came to anchor that day at 5 P. M. and remained there until the next day: we then pursued our voyage until the 1st of August, when we arrived in the Bay of La Vela de Coro. The Royal city of La Vela de Coro, as the Spaniards call it, is situated in the E. part of the bay of that name. We came to anchor on the west side of the bay, owing to the mistake of the pilot, in the night, even or eight miles to leeward of the city. We attempted to debark at day light next morning without success, owing to a strong head wind and a heavy sea; our disappointment gave the inhabitants an opportunity of carrying away the public and private treasure, which was effectually done. The morning after, we landed to the number of 150 including marines, and sailors, and although the town was defended by 15 pieces of artillery, 400 infantry and some cavalry, we drove the enemy from post to post, and in half an hour the city was ours and the Columbian flag hoisted at the principal battery; we had only one man wounded, the Spanish troops were panic struck and fired at random. The ardour and briskness of the attack quite astonished the Dons we took 20 of the Indians prisoners, armed with bows and arrows. Our troops had been all the day before cooped up in the boats trying to land, and were so fatigued that they could not overtake the enemy, the most of whom took the road to Coro, 13 miles S. W. of La Vela. We spent the day in debarking more troops and reconnoitering the different roads and environs of the city, and in posting sentinels. About midnight we marched for Coro, with two pieces of light artillery and about two hundred and fifty troops, including sailors and marines. General Miranda hoped to surprise the enemy at break of day, before the King's treasure could be removed but he was disappointed, for we found an empty city ; the inhabitants fled to the mountains with their valuables, few old men and women, some negroes and children, and a few tables and chairs only remained. Coro is one of the earliest built cities of Spanish America; it is regularly laid out and well built, every house is almost cannon proof ; they are generally built of stone, which they cover with a white plaster and the roofs are generally of strong heavy tiles ; the city is about four miles in circumference. There is a large cathedral in the centre square of the city, superbly ornamented within with gold, it has a number of altars around it, within and over every altar is a niche containing in coloured wax, either Jesus Christ, the Virgin, or some of the Saints. There are several other public buildings for the religious, among them is an elegant and extensive convent of Franciscan Friars : it was built by one of the Queens of Spain and presented to those Friars ; it is called the convent of St. Francis : it has fifteen altars magnificently inlaid with gold, and the vaulted roofs over the altars seemed to be paved with golden bells; all the Friars, except two, abandoned their convent—one of them seemed to be deprived of reason, for he took the liberty of flogging himself severely every morning. What I am about to mention would have been related more regularly in a former part of this letter. but I have too little time to think of order and so I will say what occurs as it comes in and out of my memory. We entered Coro so early in the morning.that we could not distinguish friend from enemy, and here a melancholy scene took place : When the advanced guard, which I followed closely with the leading piece of artillery, arrived in the centre square they advanced to the prison, which they supposed was a fortified citadel, or something like it, one of the soldiers imprudently fired at a man at the prison door, whom he took to be one of the enemy, it proved to be one of our men ; he was shot dead on the spot : at this moment the prisoners, clanking their chains, cried out through the grates of the prison. "Vive Miranda," when the guard without the prison fired a feu de joie ; at this time, still dark, the infantry was drawn up on the side of the square opposite to the prison and close in front of the cathedral, the artillery in front of the infantry in the centre of the square; and while we were unharnessing the mules from the pieces and preparing to fire upon the prison when ordered, the infantry behind us hearing the feu de joie of the advanced guard, believed the place was defended, and without waiting for orders commenced a heavy fire at they knew not what ; they wounded their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Kirkland ; they put two musket balls into him, one of which came out at the arm ; he is in a fair way of recovery. They wounded two men at my gun one close to my right side, and the other as close on my left. I had the good fortune to remain unhurt amidst a shower of balls that whistled about my ears for some minutes.
After remaining 4 or 5 days at Coro, endeavouring in vain to persuade the inhabitants to return to the city, we returned to La Vela, where we waited some days for news from our friends in the interior : not receiving any, and most of the ships being in want of water, we embarked and came here to supply ourselves. In the mean time Gen. Miranda dispatched two vessels, one to Admiral Cochrane on the windward station, at Barbadoes, and another to Admiral Dacres on the leeward station at Jamaica, to inform them of our proceedings, and I believe to obtain some troops, the general having,previously heard, as I learned, that the Duke of Kent had arrived with 10,000 troops at Jamaica, a part of which are destined to assist us. We have recently received information that one of Miranda's friends has a corps of 2000 men ready to join us ; that Miranda is a favourite toast at Porto Cavello, when the king's partisans are not present ; that songs favourable to Miranda have been composed on the occasion, and are frequently sung in the different towns in the provinces of Caraccas, the birth place of our general. We have also heard with great pleasure, that all the prisoners they took from us in April last, are in good health, and kindly treated in the City of St. Leon de Caraccas. We have heard that the officers were hung and the men sent to the mines at Vera Cruz. We might have believed it, did we not know the weakness of the Spanish forces in that quarter. The fact is, they would have executed every prisoner without remorse, were it not that they feared, and with reason too, instant retaliation, and that from the hands of their own citizens. We expect in a few days to hear from Admirals Cochrane and Dacres, in the most favourable way, and then to leave this Island for a part of the Main, more convenient and nearer to our Spanish friends than La Vela or Coro. From all the various information we have obtained, there is now I think, no doubt of the success of Miranda, at least in the province of Caraccas, which is one of the most rich and val- uable of all the provinces in Spanish America. The frigate Galatia has just joined us--the Osprey is expected every hour, besides some other vessels. Since we arrived here a fever has ap- peared among the crew, of our ship ; one man died last evening, and there are about 20 now sick.