POSTSCRIPT. 361 
“ not in our own power to mend our fate, and to be respectable and 
“ happy when we truly desire it. 
“ In the beginning of last November, Chile formed one indivisible 
“republic: the towns, distressed by the weight of oppression, with- 
‘“* drew their obedience from the director of the state, and established 
** assemblies which might unite the representation of each respective 
“ province. This generous effort, directed solely against the citizen 
“‘ who governed arbitrarily, could not be a revolt against ourselves ; 
“ it could not have had for its object to impugn the unity of the nation. 
“ The Director, during the last days of his command, in order to 
“ restore that peace to the country wlhtich he could not maintain, offered 
“to the representatives of Conception (who were said to act in con- 
“ cert with those of Coquimbo), to abdicate his supreme direction of 
“ the state which he had exercised, in favour of a person to be pro- 
“ posed by them, in order that the change might not affect the 
* dissolution of the republic. The city of Santiago, ignorant of this 
“ proposal, and which, besides, could not believe that the provinces 
“‘ would accept offers from the chief against whom they were armed, 
‘“‘ and of whose influence they were jealous, hastened to complete the 
‘“‘ revolution, in order to unite itself with the rest of the nation. 
« Permit, Gentlemen, to the junta a species of vanity which, 
“ although the characteristic of weakness, is that which reflects least 
“on the reputation of honest men. Its members had the satisfac- 
“ tion to believe, that by taking on them the provisional government 
“they might collect the will of the nation. The constant enemies 
“ of despotism, and consequently of the late administration, fear- 
«less defenders of the rights of the people, and having given proofs 
“ of their disinterestedness, they were persuaded that if the provinces 
“ had taken up arms solely against the person of the Director, in 
“order to procure a congress, the deposing of the former and the 
“ calling together of the latter would satisfy the general wish. Be- 
“ sides, what evils had been suffered by Conception and Coquimho 
« which had not been felt still more heavily by Santiago? = What 
“advantages could they promise themselves from reform that San- 
3A 
