166 



BUENOS AYRES. 



Oct. 1833. 



soldiers^ who were satisfied by gravely looking at an old 

 passport : and at length I was not a little pleased^ to find 

 myself within the city. 



This revolution was supported by scarcely any pretext of 

 grievances. But in a state which^ in the course of nine 

 months (from February to October^ 1820), underwent fifteen 

 changes in its government — each governor^ according to the 

 constitution, being elected for three years — it would be the 

 height of iUiberahty, to ask for pretexts. In this case a 

 party of men, who being attached to Rosas, were disgusted 

 with the governor Balcarce, to the number of seventy left 

 the city, and with the cry of Rosas, the whole country took 

 arms. The city was then blockaded, no provisions, cattle, 

 or horses, were allowed to enter ; besides this, there was 

 only a little skirmishing, and a few men daily killed. The 

 outside party well knew, that by stopping the supply of 

 meat, they would certainly be victorious. General Rosas 

 could not have known of this rising ; but it appears to me 

 quite consonant with the plans of his party. A year ago he 

 was elected governor, but he refused it, without the Sala would 

 also confer on him extraordinary powers. This was refused, 

 and since then his party have shown, that no other governor 

 can keep his place. The warfare on both sides was avowedly 

 protracted, tiU it was possible to hear from Rosas. A note 

 arrived a few days after I left Buenos Ayres, which stated 

 that the General disapproved of peace having been broken, 

 but that he thought the outside party had justice on their 

 side. On the bare reception of this, the Governor, ministers, 

 and part of the military, to the number of some hundreds, 

 fled from the city. The rebels entered, elected a new gover- 

 nor, and were paid for their services to the number of 5500 

 men. From these proceedings, it was clear that Rosas ulti- 

 mately would become the dictator: to the term king, the 

 people in this, as in other republics, have a particular dis- 

 like. Since leaving South America, we have heard that 

 Rosas has been elected, with powers, and for a time altoge- 

 ther opposed to the constitutional principles of the republic. 



