220 POLITICAL HISTORY OF CHILI. 
grew out of this arrangement. Freyre became disgusted at some 
non-compliance with his orders as captain-general, but instead of 
returning to his family, ill-ad visedly started off to join the party of 
the President in Valparaiso, setting himself in opposition to the Junta, 
and calling upon all the officers to join him. Unfortunately, some of 
the foreign officers did so. He embarked from Coquimbo with troops, 
and thence proceeded to the south, landed, and was met at Lircai by 
General Prieto's army, on the 17th April, 1830, when Freyre was 
entirely defeated. This offence resulted in his banishment. Most of 
the foreign officers were killed ; it is said after they had surrendered. 
The elections now went forward ; Don Francesco Tagle was 
returned President, and Don Tomas Ovalle as Vice-President : both 
extensive land proprietors and respectable men. The first soon 
resigned, and Ovalle exercised the honour but a short time, dying 
soon after succeeding. The President of the Senate acted until 
elections were again held, when General Prieto was returned Presi- 
dent, July 14th, 1831, and continued to hold the office at the time of 
our visit. 
It appears throughout the history of the different administrations 
which have ruled the country since its separation from Spain, that 
all have been directed by a common spirit of advancement to the 
country. All their decrees prove this, and under any one of them, 
had they retained power but a few successive years, it would have 
prospered. As the people of Chili (that is to say, the mass of the 
population,) are proverbial for their apathy, and disposed to submit to 
authority without questioning its origin, the main error of the early 
administrations was their extensive lenity towards political offenders, 
whose turbulent spirit and restless ambition no clemency checked. 
The impunity with w T hich such disorganizes returned to their 
intrigues after repeated pardons, and the too liberal, or, more properly 
speaking, visionary schemes of government, no doubt operated to 
produce the sudden and frequent changes of government, before any 
one of them had time to mature plans of improvement or organize a 
system of legislation, or a mode for the proper administration of laws. 
A want of energy and resolution of purpose encouraged factions to 
hope for success in their attempts to gain the ascendency. Imaginary 
abuses were charged home against each successive ruler, and the 
country was a prey to convulsions. This state of affairs prevailed 
in a greater or less degree till 1831, when the present administra- 
tion came into power. Its course was totally different from its 
