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long ere their states may be settled ; the forms of their government 

 may long fluctuate, and perhaps much blood may yet be shed in the 

 cause, — for, alas! what human good is there which has not been 

 purchased by some evil ? But never again will the iron sceptre of 

 the mother-country be stretched out over these lands. 



Tuesday, December Hd. — The earth, which seemed to have re- 

 sumed its stillness, has this day been violently convulsed. At half 

 past three a. m. ; at nine ; at noon, a long and very severe shock with 

 much noise ; at two o'clock another ; and at midnight a fifth, not in- 

 ferior to those of the three first days, always excepting the first 



great one. 



Wednesday, 4th. — Four severe shocks before eight o'clock this 

 morning seemed to threaten a renewal of the first days after the 

 19th November ; but since we have had only two slight ones to-day. 



The tidings of Freire's march from Conception is now public, as 

 well as the news of the meeting of the provincial convention, and its 

 censure of that of Santiago, first, for declaring itself the first repre- 

 sentative assembly ; secondly, for receiving the Director's resignation 

 and re-electing him : each of which acts is considered as illegal. It 

 is whispered, that the Director talks of resigning. He is much hurt 

 at what he calls, and perhaps feels, the ingratitude of Freire, to whom 

 he was attached as one brave man to another, and whom he had 

 always favoured. But Freire and his soldiers have carried on suc- 

 cessfully a long and harassing war. They have not been paid ; and 

 it is said that Freire has another cause for resentment against the 

 Director's family, if not against himself. General Freire was, it 

 appears, passionately attached to a young lady, an orphan, who 

 became so by the event of the battle of Maypu ; and his regard was 

 returned, and he hoped to marry her ; — when, as the lady was, by her 

 orphan state, a ward of government, her hand was bestowed upon 

 another ; and thus, with her rich possessions, she was taken from 

 her lover to reward, it was said, a deserving officer. But who could 

 deserve more than Freire ? He said nothing — but can he have 

 forgotten this ? Besides, another marriage was offered to him from 



