366 JOURNAL. 



" not only an important part of Chile, which ought to be united to 

 " the rest of the nation ; but the enemy having possession of it, it 

 " furnishes a serious and continual subject of alarm, and renders the 

 " war of Valdivia interminable. The continual expense demanded 

 " by the land and sea forces to cover that point to which the enemy 

 " calls continual attention, is well worth the effort, once for all, of 

 " destroying that last refuge of tyranny in Chile. By a new popular 

 " sacrifice, an expedition against Valdivia had been concerted ; which, 

 " by the preparations for it, and the bravery of our troops, ought to 

 " have ended the continental war. Our political movements have 

 " rendered this enterprise abortive. Great part of the garrison re- 

 " turned to Valparaiso ; and although the junta, in concert with 

 " General Freire, had sent back the necessary force to Valdivia, 

 " Chiloe continues under the Spanish yoke, and is a point whence 

 " tyranny in its last act of desperation, and with the important assist- 

 " ance it has received, may renew the scenes of 1813, organising 

 " and directing on the continent armies which may subdue us. A 

 " general government might revive the expedition to Chiloe, and blot 

 " out the disgrace from the country of still suffering a foreign enemy 

 " to remain within its limits. 



" Our external relations subsisting on the same footing as in July 

 " last, although they give us no fresh motives of affliction, remind 

 " us that our misfortunes must bring with them the dishonour of 

 " Chile, and the loss of the credit acquired so dearly during twelve 

 " years. In Europe there was no want of confidence in the fate of 

 " America. The union and the consistency of our governments 

 " were justly looked upon as the best security for our independence ; 

 " and Spain, in order to keep back the European powers from the 

 " solemn recognition of our independence, used no other means 

 " than those of representing us as plunged in anarchy. In America 

 " the reverses of Peru will be remediable from the moment we are 

 " united ; and the junta, after having gained time here to renew our 

 " relations with Columbia and the trans-andine states, has exhorted 



