Rodriguez Peña introduced Castelli to Irishman James Florence Burke, who informed Castelli that the British government supported proposals published by Francisco de Miranda which aimed to emancipate the Latin American colonies from Spanish colonial rule. Unbeknownst to Castelli, Burke also working as a spy, gathering information about the Spanish colonies. Using promises of British support, Burke founded the first Latin American secret society organized for such purposes. It would henceforth be known as "party of independence", and included Castelli, Burke and major contributors of Vieytes's newspaper. Burke was eventually uncovered by Viceroy Rafael de Sobremonte and expelled from the viceroyalty, but his involvement in espionage was not disclosed to his associates.