1823.] 
have for this condemned San Martin, 
events have pronounced his abso- 
lution. > : 
- This general set out for Chili; car- 
ried ina litter; tcr his health would 
not ‘allow him’ to travel sotherwise. 
While he was’ crossing «the Andes, 
anarchy was ravaging the provinces to 
the east of those mountains. The 
army of General Belgrano refused 
obedience to his orders: a squadron of 
chasseurs of the Andes, one of the 
best corps inthe army, disbanded, 
depriving the country of the service 
of a thousand veteran ‘soldiers. Ge- 
neral Rudesindo Alvarado could only 
keep 2000 men together, by removing 
thenr from. the focus of that moral con- 
tagion, and conducting them to Chili. 
Factious partisans had dissolved the 
general government of the Argentine 
Republic. San Martin learned this on 
his route, and was for resigning the 
command of his: division, as the autho- 
rity which had nominated him was no 
longer in existence. He then made a 
general halt, assembled the officers, 
and announced his dismission. Una- 
nimous acclamations nominated him 
afresh commander-in-chief; a title and 
function which he refused to accept, 
unless the division would accompany 
him to Peru. 
All obstacles to retard the expedi- 
tion were then removed. The com- 
bined liberating army of Peru quitted 
Valparaiso,’ August 20, 1820; San 
Martin was constituted generalissimo. 
To contribute to the charges of this 
enterprise, he had sold, at half-price, 
a domain that the Chilian government 
had obliged him to accept. Admiral 
Lord Cochrane was put under his 
orders as commandant of the naval 
forces, 
This grand expeditionary army con- 
sisted of about 5,700 men. It was 
going to invade a country, defended 
by more than 20,000 soldiers, well- 
disciplined, and trained to wars. {fn 
this campaign, General San Martin 
particularly signalised his talents,— 
political as well as military. Leaving 
nothing to chanee, moving forward 
with due precaution, and well second- 
ed by his troops, he came off victor in 
every combat. General Arenales, 
whom he had detached into the Sierra, 
completely defeated the Spanish ge- 
neral O'Reilly, and took him prisoner. 
Almost all the provinces joined in the 
insurrection: the soldiers came over 
by hundreds, to enlist under the co- 
Memoirs of General San Martin. 
43 
lours of the liberators. The Viceroy 
Pezuela had ‘been deposed, and re- 
placed. by: General Lacerna;« and, 
about the) same time, D.» Manuel 
Abrou, captain ofa frigate, arrived 
from ‘Europe, in the quality of, Com- 
missary of the Constitutional, King of 
Spain, deputed to. the provinces - of 
Chili and Peru. A conference, tend- 
ine to a gencral pacification, was held 
at Punchauca on the 2d of June, 1820. 
Had it depended on the generals San 
Martin and Lacerna, hostilities would , 
have ceased, by) admitting, as it is 
reasonable to: believe, the indepen- 
dence of America. But the chiets of 
the Spanish army rejected every pa- 
cific overture, and the war continued. 
At the end of six months, the forts of 
Callao were the only posts occupied 
by the royalists; and the capital had 
opened its gates to the liberating 
army. 
When San Martin found himself 
master of the country, his first care 
was to organise a vigorous govern- 
ment, and, under the circumstances of 
the times, he judged it expedient to 
assume an autocratic or dictatorial 
power, under the title of Protector. 
This sort of usurpation was not wiih- 
out its advantageous results. The 
enemy were yet in pessession of Cal- 
lao; parties had taken refuge in the 
Sierra, whence Arenales could not 
chase them; there were other bodies 
scattered through the province of 
Arequipa, and in Upper Peru. 
After some time, the royalists issued 
out of the Sierra, and drew near to 
Lima, expecting to enter it without 
opposition., But San Martin, who 
was looking out for them at some dis- 
tance from the city, surprised and de- 
feated them, and the foris of Callao 
were soon after surrendered to the 
conqueror. The Order of the Sun _ 
was then instituted; and a Peruvian 
patriot, the Marquis de Torre Tagle, 
was authorised to regulate all that 
concerned the national army, and to 
prepare an interview with Bolivar. 
This memorable conference could not 
take place till the 24th of July, 1522, 
on the banks of the Guyaquil. It is 
desirable that these two celebrated 
interlocutors would, in due time, fa- 
vour the public with the details of their 
interview. As to its results, they 
were not unforeseen by discerning 
politicians. 
As soomas General Martin had re- 
turned to Lima, General Alvarado, NS 
the 
