282 JOURNAL. 
scepticism.” And this appears to me to be exactly the state of 
San Martin’s mind. From religion, and the changes it has un- 
dergone from corruptions and from reformations, the transition 
was easy to political revolutions. The reading of all South Ame- 
rican reformers is mostly in a French channel; and the age of 
Louis XIV. was talked of as the direct and only cause of the French 
revolution, and consequently of those in South America. A slight 
compliment was thrown in to King William before I had ventured 
to observe, that perhaps the former evils and present good of these 
countries might in part be traced to the wars of Charles V. and his 
successor, draining these provinces of money, and returning nothing. 
A great deal more passed, ending in a reference to that advance of 
intellect in Europe which in a single age had produced the invention 
of printing, the discovery of America, and begun that reformation 
that had bettered even the practice of Rome herself. Zenteno, glad 
to attack Rome, and to show his reading, exclaimed, “ And well did 
her practice need reform ; for she would have crowned Tasso, and 
did crown Petrarch, but imprisoned Gallileo.” Thus taking the 
converse of Foscolo’s true and admirable doctrine, — that the exact 
sciences may become the instruments of tyranny ; but never poetry, 
or history, or oratory. I was glad of the interruption afforded by the 
entrance of tea to this somewhat pedantic discourse, which I never 
should have made a note of but that it was San Martin’s. I apo- 
logised for having no matee to offer; but I found that both the 
General and Zenteno drank tea without milk, with their segars in 
preference. But the interruption even of tea, stopped San Martin 
but for a short time. Resuming the discourse, he talked of physic; 
of language, of climate, of diseases, and that not delicately ; and 
lastly, of antiquities, especially those of Peru; and told some very 
marvellous stories of the perfect preservation of some whole families 
of ancient Caciques and Incas who had buried themselves alive on 
the Spanish invasion : and this brought us to far the most interesting 
part of his discourse,—his own leaving Lima. He told me, that, 
resolved to know whether the people were really happy, he used to 
