358 JOURNAL. 
won together, of his pride in their attachment. A very few, on this 
appeal, declared for the Director. Many said the cause of the coun- 
try had been ruined by his measures; Freire was as well beloved as 
he, and had also been their companion and leader ; and to crown all, 
the names of the Carreras were whispered in the ranks. He bared 
his breast, and told them since he had failed to satisfy his country- 
men and fellow-soldiers, he offered them a life now little worth ; and 
after one cry of “ Long live the Director O’Higgins !” from his own, 
guard only, he retired, charging them all to remain quiet, as he would 
not hazard the shedding the blood of his fellow-citizens ; and this I 
believe was the last public act of that good though weak man. 
He had been made the tool of a speculating trading company, 
through the influence of his mother and sister, and his fall was not 
surprising. He wished to retire to Ireland, the country of his fathers ; 
but he has been detained under I know not what pretence of making 
him accountable for the treasury expenditures, and he was placed in 
the custody of Zenteno. 
The army of Freire marched straight to Valparaiso, where it 
was joined by a small force by sea from Talcahuana. Hence it 
proceeded to the capital ; not, however, so suddenly as to rouse what- 
ever spirit of affection for the Director might have prompted resist- 
ance from the troops. Meantime the partizans of Freire and the 
enemies of O’Higgins made common cause: the old convention 
was dispersed, and the new one, consisting, however, of many of the 
old members, met, elected in a more popular manner. Freire long 
resisted the solicitations of all parties to assume the dictatorship, 
alleging his proclamations and avowed intentions only to remove 
bad ministers by his expedition from the South. But it was clear that 
O’ Higgins would be no longer suffered. The country required some 
chief magistrate ; and at length on the 31st of March, 1823, an official 
letter was presented to him, signed by the deputies plenipotentiary 
of Santiago, Conception, and Coquimbo, insisting on his accepting 
the office. Another was also written, appointing these three, i. e. 
Juan Egatia plenipotentiary for Santiago, Manoel Novoa for Con- 
