SANTIAGO. 269 



broke a blood-vessel in consequence of over-exertion at Callao, and 

 is obliged to invalid, as the surgeon thinks the voyage round the 

 Horn, whither the ship is bound, would be fatal. It is very dis- 

 tressing to me not to be able to go instantly to Valparaiso to receive 

 him, but 1 am confined to bed myself. I have also kind letters 

 from Lord Cochrane, enclosing an introduction to General Freire, 

 in case I should ride down to Conception, as I intended, from hence : 

 but proposing the better plan of going by sea in the Montezuma, 

 when His Lordship himself goes. Alas ! I can do neither ; and I fear 

 I must give up my hopes of visiting Peru, as well as going to the 

 south of Chile. My own slight illness I should think nothing of, 

 but the poor invalid at Valparaiso must have all my time and 

 attention. 



18th. — The anniversary of the independence of Chile. The first 

 thing I heard after a long sleepless night was the trampling of horses ; 

 and I got out of bed and went to the balcony, whence I saw the 

 country militia going to the ground where the Director is to review 

 them all. They are in number about 2000; armed with lances, 

 twenty feet long, of cane, headed with iron. The men are dressed 

 in their ordinary dress, with military caps and scarlet ponchos ; and 

 the different divisions are distinguished by borders or collars, or some 

 other trivial mark. I have heard many jests upon the discipline of 

 the red cloaks ; but B., who knows them well, says, " True, they 

 may on parade mistake eyes right for eyes left, but at the battle of 

 Maypu they never mistook the enemy ;" and, in truth, on that day, 

 when the regular troops had begun to give ground, they are said to 

 have turned the fortune of the day. They are admirable horsemen, 

 as indeed every country-bred Chileno is. They ride like centaurs, 

 seeming to make but one person with their horse ; and I have seen 

 them wrestle and fight on horseback as if they had been on foot. I 

 I was glad the Casa Cotapo stands so directly in the way of the exer- 

 cising ground. The only compensation I can have for not being 

 present at the national rejoicing is the seeing the troops pass. I 



