74 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



Balta Lad been thrown into prison, This 

 turned out to be true, the principals engaged in 

 the transaction being General Tomas Gutierrez 

 and his two brothers, Silvestre and Marceliano ; 

 the former issued three bombastic proclamations, 

 to the citizens, the army, and the navy, calling 

 upon them to support him, and proclaiming 

 himself " Dictator " and supreme chief of the 

 republic. The meeting of Congress had already 

 taken place, when, in consequence of these 

 events, the House of Deputies drew up a protest 

 condemning the action of Gutierrez, and declar- 

 ing him and his accomplices out of the pale of 

 the law. 



In Callao the naval commanders met together 

 and unanimously resolved to ignore the Dictator 

 and his Government; the immediate result of 

 their consultation being that the Peruvian fleet, 

 consisting of the " Independencia " and " Huas- 

 car," ironclads, the " Apurimac," wooden steam 

 frigate, and the " Chalaca," paddle-wheel 

 steamer, left their moorings in the bay during 

 the night of the 22nd of July, and anchored off 



