466 



APPENDIX. 



On the third day after our arrival in Mendoza, the ringing of bells and 

 firing of the artillery announced the arrival of Gutierres, who immediately 

 ordered that the sentence of death should be read to General Carrera and 

 Colonels Benevente and Alvarez in the dungeon ; and 11 o'clock next day 

 was appointed for their execution. There was no formality of a trial, because 

 they could not be tried by officers of inferior rank ; and as all in town were 

 inferior, there could be no court-martial : the sentence was therefore given 

 in the name of the general and officers of the army of Mendoza. Godoy 

 Cruz, the governor, denied having any part in the death of Carrera, and said 

 he was obliged to comply with the wdl of the town. 



Priests were sent to the dungeon to prepare the souls of the condemned 

 for the other world. Carrera would allow no priest to speak with him, unless 

 he were allowed the confessor of Madame Fuentacilla, his mother-in-law, who 

 had been banished Chile and resided in the town. This was denied him. 

 He then requested of the government permission to have a short interview 

 with his mother-in-law, which the Governor was pleased to grant ; but she 

 found herself too weak for so affecting a scene, and declined coming to see 

 him : however she procured him permission to write to his wife, and to 

 deposit the letter in her hands. 



The morning appointed for his execution (Sept. 5th) had come ; and Car- 

 rera was busily employed writing his last letter to his wife, when an adjutant 

 of the plaza came into the dungeon, and informed him that he was reprieved 

 by the government, and that his only punishment would be banishment. 

 Carrera did not appear elated at this news, but threw aside the letter he was 

 writing, and commenced a new one on another sheet ; but in about fifteen 

 minutes afterwards the guards came to take them out to be shot. He re- 

 quested of the officer but a few moments before he would accompany him ; 

 and laying aside the letter he had before him, he took the first he had been 

 writing, and finished it by informing her, that in that moment he was about 

 to accompany his executioners to the banco. He requested that whatever 

 love she had for him would henceforward be directed to their children, and 

 particularly to his son ; whom he ordered to be sent to England or the United 

 States, when he should have attained his seventh year, that he might in one 

 of those countries receive his education. 



The reason of the government for reprieving (or pretending to reprieve) the 

 life of Carrera a few minutes previous to his execution was, that these sudden 

 changes in his hopes might enervate him in sight of the populace, by whom 



