POLITICAL HISTORY OF PERU. 287 



ment, overlooked Santa Cruz, and got themselves confirmed, the former 

 as President, the latter as Vice-President of Peru. This is the secret 

 and chief cause of the great animosity and personal hatred which 

 existed between Gamarra and Santa Cruz, and which has led to 

 several years of revolutions and counter-revolutions in Peru, as well as 

 to the wars of Bolivia. 



In 1829, Gamarra was elected President for four years, and is the 

 only chief magistrate who has retained his office to the end of the term 

 for which he was chosen. Lafuente was at the same time elected 

 Vice-President. During the administration of Gamarra, there were 

 several attempts to revolutionize the country, but they were suppressed. 



In the year 1831, Gamarra being on the frontiers of Bolivia, with 

 the army, he became suspicious that Lafuente was concerned in some 

 of the movements, and gave orders to seize him. Lafuente had little 

 notice of it, but when the party detached for the purpose arrived at his 

 quarters at night, Senora Lafuente, his wife, bolted the door, to give 

 time for her husband to escape. The officer in command, before going 

 to the apartment, had stationed guards around the square, with orders 

 to shoot any one whom they saw escaping. On arriving at the door 

 of the chamber, he found it bolted, and ordered it to be opened. This 

 was done by Senora Lafuente, after her husband had effected his 

 escape through the window. The officer, eager in pursuit, followed, 

 but mistaking the course of flight, got upon the roofs of the houses, 

 where he was seen by his own soldiers, who, true to their orders, fired 

 and shot him dead. Lafuente, thus saved by the good management of 

 his wife, escaped to Callao, where he found an asylum on board the 

 United States ship St. Louis, then lying in the roads. Thence he went 

 to Chili, and from Chili to Bolivia, where he became reconciled to Santa 

 Cruz, and endeavoured to obtain aid from him to overthrow Gamarra. 



Another conspiracy is said to have been discovered by Gamarra in 

 1832, in which Major Rosel was suspected of being the leader. He 

 was then commander of a regiment, and the plot was believed to involve 

 the seizure of the President's person. Some colour is supposed to have 

 been given to this suspicion by the fact that Rosel drilled his men at an 

 unusual hour, and apparently kept them in readiness for active duty. 

 On the 18th of January, while at his quarters in the evening, he was 

 seized, disarmed, tried on the spot, and shot on the following morning. 

 It is believed that this, as well as many other supposed conspiracies, 

 existed only in Gamarra's own fears or suspicions. The summary 

 manner, however, in which he treated all who showed any thing 

 approaching a rebellious spirit, kept the disaffected in subjection. 

 Among other persons, his suspicions fell upon the President of the 



