CO PRESENT STATE OF PERU. 



daring our stay in the country. The Chilian army was still 

 quartered in Lima, at the expense of its devoted inhabitants. 

 Public confidence was destroyed, commerce at a stand, the 

 mines were neglected, the people looked discouraged, and 

 war with Bolivia was inevitable, unless Gamara, the present 

 incumbent and usurper, placed by force in the presidential 

 chair by the Chilians, was removed. The most uncompro- 

 mising hostility is evinced by the Bolivian government to- 

 wards the administration of this president ; and we were 

 assured, both by intelligent natives and foreigners, that 

 until he shall be banished from the country, no reconcilia- 

 tion of affairs can take place between the two governments. 

 The English, also were very clamorous, and threatening to 

 sieze upon the revenue of the country, if their claims were 

 not speedily attended to. Indeed, it seemed to have every 

 trouble before it. The people are as yet in infancy as re- 

 gards self-government. Instead of taking matters in their 

 own hands, they allow themselves to be governed by a fac- 

 tion of military men, whose only desire is their own self- 

 aggrandizement. A few months since they met to make 

 some new elections, but they allowed Gamara to overthrow 

 them, and by force of arms destroy their ballot-boxes ; and 

 nothing is more common than to hear of officers being ex- 

 iled, and rich citizens stripped of their wealth, merely for 

 their political opinions. ISTor is this all : — The depraved 

 morals of the church are proverbial in Peru ; and there 

 is scarcely a crime perpetrated of which its members 

 are not guilty. Even on the Sabbath the priests may be 

 seen resorting to the theatres, billiard-rooms, and gamb- 

 ling-houses. The public revenue of this fine country is im- 

 posed in the mest oppressive manner, and impoverishes the 

 people from whom it is collected. The hordes of robbers it 

 nourished during the revolutionary war, still continue to 



