640 
we assure him, on our own view of the mat- 
ter, he may, with the exception of Co- 
lumbia, get to understand the story, and 
course of the revolutionary war very well. 
He will, perhaps, accept our help. 
The first movement in Chili, was in 
July 1810, when the captain-general, Car- 
rasco, was displaced by Count de la Con- 
quista, who favoured the appointment of a 
junta in September, which acknowledged 
Ferdinand, and its own authority was im- 
mediately recognized by all, high and low. 
During the election of the Congress, which 
assembled in June 1811, an attempt to re- 
establish the old government failed, and the 
ringleader was shot. ‘The Congress itself, 
however, in December, was dissolved by 
the sudden usurpation of the three brothers, 
Carrera, one of whom assumed the supreme 
authority, and exercised it with great cruel- 
ties. The dissatisfaction excited by the 
tyranny of this man, prompted Abiscal, 
viceroy of Peru, to invade Chili, but he was 
successfully resisted by Carrera, aided by 
the patriots, among whom O’Higgins and 
M‘Kenna were conspicuous. About the end 
of 1813, Carrera was ousted, and O’ Higgins 
took the command of the army, and had some 
successes against the Peruvians. At this 
time, Captain Hillyear, of the English navy, 
mediated between the parties, and the 
Peruvians agreed to withdraw ; but, before 
the terms of the treaty could be executed, 
Carrera again got the government into his 
hands: and scarcely was he in possession, 
when intelligence arrived of the Peruvian 
government’s refusing to accede to the 
treaty, and of the Peruvian forces being 
close at hand. O’Higgins sacrificed his 
resentments, and united once more with 
Carrera to repel the enemy again. But 
their unlted exertions were this time in 
vain. Osorio, the Peruvian commander, 
carried all before him, and O’Higgins, in 
October 1814, fled with a considerable body 
of emigrants to Mendoza, where San Mar- 
tin was encamped, with the forces of Buenos 
Ayres. Chili was ruled successively by 
Osorio and Marco, with extraordinary seve- 
rity, till San Martin’s invasion in the be- 
ginning of 1817. At the time O’Higgins 
fled to him for refuge, San Martin had just 
been appointed to the government of Cayo, 
on the frontiers of Chili; and, from that 
moment, he bent all his energies to the 
assembling of a force adequate to the reco- 
very of Chili from the hands of the viceroy 
of Peru. Full two years were spent in pre- 
parations for this enterprise ; but, almost 
immediately after crossing the Andes, one 
fortunate battle, that of Cachabuco, gave 
him the sovereignty of Chili. He, how- 
ever, declined the honour the Chilenos 
would have conferred; and O’Higgins 
was, in consequence, named Supreme Di- 
rector. Inflamed with success, San Martin 
resolved to push forward the cause of inde- 
pendence, and carry his successful arms into 
Peru. He flew to Buenos Ayres, laid his 
Monthly Review of Literature, 
[Dec. 
plans before the government, was furnished 
with some additional troops, and in January 
1818, when Miller joined him, was en- 
camped near Val Paraiso, preparatory to 
his advance upon Peru. 
But just at this period came back, with 
considerable re-inforcements, Osorio, to re- 
invade Chili ; and marching upon the capi- 
tal, was encountered by San Martin and 
O’ Higgins, and finally defeated at the bat- 
tle of Maypo, which fixed (says Miller) the 
destinies of Chili. Fresh assistance was 
required, before he could venture with his 
reduced force into Peru, and he accord- 
ingly returned once more to Buenos Ayres, 
to solicit a new reinforcement. In the 
meanwhile an expedition was dispatched by 
the Chilenos, to intercept some vessels, 
bringing supplies to Peru from Spain, which 
succeeded. This was in January 1819, by 
which time Cochrane arrived, and new ex- 
peditions were planned along the coast, 
especially to Callao, most of which failed, 
but finally one against Valdivia accom- 
plished its. purpose. The capture of Val- 
divia, February 1820, the only place of 
strength which had remained in the roya- 
lists’ hands, left San Martin, who had, by 
this time, returned from Buenos Ayres, at 
full liberty to pursue his plans upon Peru ; 
but unluckily, just at this period, broke out 
disturbances in. the Plata provinces—Tu- 
caman, Cordova, &c., and San Martin was 
commanded to proceed thither, and bring 
the revolters back to submission. Reso= 
lute, however, not to be diverted from his 
favourite object, he refused obedience—but 
refused on the ground, that such was the 
unsettled state of the government, he knew 
not whom to obey ; and, forthwith—know- 
ing perfectly what he was about—he re- 
signed his command into the hands of the 
soldiers, who, of course, re-appointed him. 
By these several impediments, the libe- 
rating army, as it was now termed, amounts 
ing to 4,500, was unable to embark before 
August (1820). The royalist force in Peru, 
at different points, was calculated at 25,000; 
but the commanders, Laserna, Valdez, 
Penuela, were notoriously not acting very 
cordially together. Landing at Pisco, after 
encountering sundry obstacles, and a variety 
of fortune, in the following May (1821), 
they advanced within two leagues of Lima. 
An armistice was instantly agreed upon, 
and terms of accommodation proposed. 
These, however, were finally rejected by the 
royalists ; and, in July, hostilities re-com, 
menced, and so actively on the part of the 
patriots, that the royalists, finding their 
supplies cut off, were compelled to abandon 
Lima. The capital was immediately seized 
by San Martin, who forthwith declared him- 
self Protector of Peru (August 1821). At 
Lima he remained with a part of his troops ; 
and, while Las Heras was dispatched to 
harass the retreat of the royalists, he took 
possession of Callao, to prevent Cochrane 
seizing the castles, which he was disposed 
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