CHARACTER OF SAN MARTIN. 



99 



ter conduct in quitting Peru, when he found it 

 impossible to govern it in the manner he wished, 

 he may still safely lay claim to the full honour of 

 having also paved the way for the liberation of 

 that country. 



These are no trifling services for one man to 

 perform : and if we believe San Martin sincere in 

 his desire for retirement, as I most sincerely do, 

 we shall have still more reason to respect that dis- 

 interested public spirit, and that generous love of 

 liberty, which could, for so many years, surmount 

 every consideration of a private nature. It is so 

 rare to see such high powers as he unquestiona- 

 bly possesses, united with a taste for domestic and 

 retired life, that many are slow to believe him in 

 earnest. If, however, that doubt be removed, and 

 the above character be supposed fairly drawn, we 

 shall arrive at an explanation of his conduct, per- 

 haps not far from the truth ; by supposing him 

 to have imagined, at the time he retired, that he 

 had done enough ; and that, consistently with his 

 real character and feelings, he could be of no fur- 

 ther service to the Peruvians ; or that, at all 

 events, for the moment his presence was not like- 



