Historical Sketch.
(A COMPILATION.)
Four years after the River Plate was discovered by Juan Diaz de Solis, Hernando de Magallanes, following the same route as the former, went up the River Plate and discovered part of the rivers Uruguay, Guazu and Parana. But as he could not find the channel, which, he thought, ought to lead him to the East Indies, he soon came back and sailed southward, discovering afterwards the strait.
In the year 1527, Sebastian Gaboto who had travelled over the Rivers Uruguay, Parana and Paraguay, built the first fort on the coast of the River San Salvador at a short distance from the Uruguay, so as to defend himself against the Indians who peopled the territory that now belongs to the Republic.
Then began the first essays of colonization made by the Spaniards, notwithstanding all kinds of difficulties and fights against the Indians who, with great constance and heroism, went on defending the land that was theirs.
In the year 1550, Irala sends from the Asuncion a few people over to the Oriental territory; and the first settlement is there founded, on the banks of the river San Juan, with the name of San Juan Bautista. Two years after the settlers gave up the place and went away, on account of the increasing attacks of the Indians which they could not resist.
In the year 1574, Zarate had a new fort built in the very same place where Gaboto in 1527 had already built one and gave it the name of San Salvador. Two years later, the settlers had to go away for want of resources and on account of the continuous wars with the natives.
In the year 1624, Fray Bernardo de Guzman began founding a new settlement, the most ancient one in the Republic, called Santo Domingo de Soriano, two leagues distant from the mouth of the Black River, Rio Negro.
In 1680 was founded Colonia del Sacramento, by Don Manuel de Lobo, the governor of Janeiro.
In 1724 the field-marshal, Don Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, founded the town of Montevideo.
From that time many more towns and important settlements went on being founded. In 1762, Villa de San Carlos, in 1763, the town of Maldonado, in 1778, Villa de San Juan Bautista, now Santa Lucia, 1782, the settlement of Paysandu, in 1783, Minas and in 1793, Rocha.
Early in the nineteenth century, the question of dominion was finally settled in favor of the Spaniards; and in the mean time, in spite of wars, the Banda Oriental was being peopled and civilization continued to advance. In the central districts, as well as on the coasts of the Atlantic and of the large rivers, the Spaniards had founded many small towns and ports, the most important of which was Montevideo.
In the early days of the Spanish settlements in these regions, the whole of the River Plate district was included in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Subsequently a separate viceroyalty was created in Buenos Ayres and the Banda Oriental, which had been subject to the Colonial Government of Paraguay, was transferred to that of Buenos Ayres. At the beginning of the century, Montevideo was ruled by a military and political governor appointed by the Crown of Spain. Since the year 1730, Montevideo had a Cabildo or Municipality.
Soriano, Maldonado, Colonia and other places were subject to military commands and also had their own cabildos. The population of Montevideo was then about 15,000 inhabitants; the same number of people existed in the interior of the province.
At the beginning of the century Montevideo already possessed a gratuitous school, paid by private persons, and also primary schools, under the care of friars of the Order of St. Francis; it had a comedy hall, had finished giving names to all its streets, and established the light service in the principal ones; and its cabildo or municipality, listening to the proposals made by the Governor Bustamante y Guerra, was already thinking of providing the town with a good hygiene service, with pavement, with causeways, with a regular drinkable water service, with a public washing place, with a complete service for the cleaning and conservation of the port, with the building of bridges over the Miguelete, Paso del Molino and Arroyo Seco, designing for the public municipal service the amount of $47,600, which would be taken from the product of the cattle outbidding sales for the slaughterhouses during the years 5th and 6th.
Undoubtedly the administration of the Governors Bustamante y Guerra and Ruiz Huidobio was an era of prosperity for Montevideo (1797 to 1807). Uruguay had lived under despotism until those governors came and raised it to the very rank it deserved by its topographical position and natural riches.
Such was the situation of Montevideo when took place the English invasions in the River Plate.
On the 27th of June, 1806, Buenos Ayres fell to the power of the expedition commanded by Berresford and Popham.
Montevideo, with all its war elements and all the popular elements enrolled in the very moment, succeeded in reconquering Buenos Ayres. The first English invasion was repelled. A new attack of the English gave as a result the taking of Montevideo after a furious fight on the 3d of February, 1807.
Seven months later the English had to withdraw from Montevideo after the defeat suffered in Buenos Ayres by General Whitelock, who, on capitulating, had to surrender Montevideo and all other places occupied by his troops.
On the 25th of May, 1810, the people in Buenos Ayres gave the first decisive step for the conquering of the independence of this continent.
The Governor and Municipality of Montevideo did not join then the movement.
The Junta or Revolutionary Committee, established in Buenos Ayres, sends regular troops to the Banda Oriental. General Don Jose G. Artigas commands the Oriental troops.
After various encounters and fights that were all favorable to the Revolution, the Spanish power was forever destroyed in the River Plate, on the 23d of June, 1814.
General Artigas does all he can that the Banda Oriental be one of the confederate provinces among the united ones of the River Plate. There occur some difficulties and the general government is obliged to surrender Montevideo, and the troops retire on the 23d of February, 1815.
The Portuguese, who greedily sought after possessing this territory, invades it then with a powerful army. Fortune is first favorable to them; and, on the 20th of January, 1817, General Lecor takes possession of Montevideo and other places, giving to the Banda Oriental the name of Cisplatine State (Estado Cisplatino).
The Brazilians part from the crown of Portugal, and after they have declared themselves independent the new Cisplatine state becomes a dependence of the Brazilian empire, the troops of which enter into Montevideo on the 28th of February, 1824, and take possession of the whole land.
Some emigrated Orientals, residing in Buenos Ayres, do all that they possibly can so as to conquer again their independence and native country.
They join the few elements they can dispose of and on the 19th of April, 1825, thirty-three fearless patriots, under the command of the Oriental General D. Juan Antonio Lavalleja, tread the shore of the Agraciada, near Nueva Palmira, and with the device, "Libertad o Muerte" (Liberty or Death), written on the national flag, begin the heroic campaign—the liberating expedition to which the whole country joins.
The first encounters were favorable to the Oriental arms. General Lavalleja convokes the people for the electing of Deputies, and in the Villa de la Florida establishes itself the Deputy Chamber, which, on the 25th of August, 1825, sanctions—giving the strength of a law—the Declaration of the Independence of the River Plate Oriental Province.
The Brazilians complain to the Argentine government on account of the decided protection it had given to the Oriental Revolution, and a war ensues between both nations that obliges the Argentines to send an auxiliary army to this territory.
The struggle went on, being a series of victories for the united republican arms: the Imperial power was defeated, the last encounter, that put that memorable campaign to an end, taking place in Bacacay. Negotiations of peace were undertaken, and on the 27th of August, 1828, the preliminary treaty was signed, by which the Oriental Province of Uruguay was declared sovereign and independent.
A provisional government was appointed and, after the country had recovered peace and quiet, a constituent and legislative Assembly was elected which compiled and published the Constitution that nowadays is still ruling, and that was solemnly sworn amid the greatest popular joy on the 18th of July, 1830.
It was at this period that a man rose into note in the Argentine Confederation who was destined to exercise an overshadowing and pernicious influence on both sides of the River Plate. In 1829 Don Juan Manuel Rosas became Governor of Buenos Ayres. Possessed of great capacity he maintained tranquility in his native province and extended his sway over the neighboring states of the Confederation; but his system of government was despotic, and his rule was for some years one of sanguinary terror. His intervention in the intestine quarrels of the Republic of Uruguay, and his attempt to close the River Parana to foreign vessels, led him into hostilities with England and France, whose joint naval squadrons protected Montevideo from his attacks by sea, whilst his troops and their Oriental allies, under General Oribe, besieged the city. The siege of Montevideo by the Blancos or Whites, as the Oriental partizans of Oribe were called, continued for nine years, and for that period, from 1843 to 1851, the history of the Republic of Uruguay is the history of the defence of Montevideo.
The defence concluded with a treaty of peace on the 8th of October, 1851, in which it was declared that there were neither conquered or conquerors.
On the 3rd of February in the following year, Rosas himself was completely overthrown at Monte Caseros, near Buenos Ayres, by the combined forces of Brazil, Oriental Republic and the Argentines in revolt under the governor of Entre Rios General Justo Jose Urquiza, the commander-in-chief of the allied army. From that date, when the normal intercourse of Montevideo with Buenos Ayres and the riverain ports of the Uruguay and Parana, as well as with the interior of the Republic itself and with Brazil, was resumed, the Oriental Republic may be said to have recommenced its national existence. Whilst her material progress has continued with little intermission, her political history during the last thirty or forty years has been again chequered by many internal troubles and domestic events, one too recent, the others too insignificant to be included in the present historical sketch. But the old parties, Blanco and Colorado, have long since been transformed; and at the same time that new rivalries and new parties were coming out, the hatreds and exclusive passions of the ancient times have all disappeared; the constant communication with Europe, and the general influence of a newer education and of different ideas is permeating all classes in the capital, and gradually extending to the rural districts, where foreigners are introducing the habits and industrial methods of European countries: all which, owing to the national culture and civilization permits to count for the future with a complete stability in the institutions and government of the country, this stability being the strongest wish of all the parties, whilst it is also the best and most solid warranty of the progress and increase of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.
