THE DEPOSED VICEROY. 



99 



breeding was hardly sufficient to conceal their sus- 

 picions of our neutrality. 



Next morning we called upon the deposed 

 Viceroy, rather as a civility than a duty, for his 

 authority was utterly destroyed, and he had re- 

 tired to his country-seat, called La Magdalene, 

 not far from Lima. He was more dejected than 

 we thought a haughty grandee ought to have 

 been ; but he explained this to us, by saying, that 

 he felt deeply for this lost country, which he fore- 

 saw would never prosper under such rebel- 

 lious guidance. Instead, however, of his being 

 afflicted at the change, it is probable he secretly 

 rejoiced at his dismissal from the command. He 

 had done his duty as long as he could, by making 

 a respectable stand against the enemy ; and it 

 was clear, that he must, ere long, have yielded 

 up the capital, not so much to the superior force 

 of San Martin's army, as to the overwhelming in- 

 fluence of public sentiment, the tide of which had 

 • decidedly turned, and was at this time flowing di- 

 rectly against the Spanish authority. 



During the first few days, our thoughts were 

 so much taken up with official duties, that little 



