362 JOURNAL. 



" tiago might not likewise hope for? Their evils were the same, 

 " their wants the same, their circumstances the same, and the reme- 

 " dies the same : in no one province could there exist separate 

 " interests or separate views. Nevertheless the junta had not the 

 " folly to assume the supremacy without the consent of the other 

 " towns. It indeed desired that the republic should continue entire, 

 " and informed the provinces, that it was about to call a congress ; 

 " and that in the meantime it was necessai-y, in order to avoid the 

 " appearance of anarchy, that a central and supreme authority should 

 " exist ; that it was in the power of the provinces themselves to ap- 

 " point it provisionally to act till the meeting of the Congress ; but 

 " that as the election of the deputies to the Congress, as well as that 

 " of members for the provisional government, must be a work of 

 " time, it appeared better and more consonant to the despatch with 

 " which the nation desired to call together its representatives, to ac- 

 " knowledge the junta of government as a provisional government, 

 " until the installation of the said Congress ; for whose convocation 

 " the assemblies of Conception and Coquimbo were consulted, in 

 " order that the terms and time of election might be agreed on. The 

 " answers of the provinces were contradictory : none were willing to 

 " recognise the central authority of the junta of government, nor to 

 " agree to the convocation of a congress, without first establishing 

 " a new provisional government. We then perceived that the dreaded 

 " evil was hanging over our heads — the immediate separation of the 

 " different provinces of the state. In order to form a general go- 

 " vernment, a centre of union to a republic, one and indivisible, the 

 " junta opened negociations with General Freire and his deputies ; 

 " of which the minister will give a particular account. These were 

 " in great part listened to, but remained ineffectual to the end, on 

 " account of the full powers which the deputies from Conception de- 

 " clared they had demanded from that assembly. To this day, the 

 " provinces therefore are independent in fact ; and a deputation from 

 " the assemblies of Conception and Coquimbo have but now arrived 

 " in this capital, with ample powers to bring about the re-union of 



