SOUTH AMERICA. 



S67 



would speak of his own country. He professed to be 

 acquainted with state measures, state affairs, and to 

 give, unreservedly, the character of the leading men of 

 the country. San Martin was pre-eminent; Pueyrre- 

 don was now very popular, although not so at first; but 

 his energy had established order, without infrinii,ing 

 the liberty of the state; I could not but remark the 

 constant recurrence of this expression, whereas on the 

 opposite side, it is never used; it is the country of Ar- 

 tigas, his people, his war with the Portuguese, his 

 enmity to Buenos Ayres, &c.; the substance and lan- 

 guage of despotism, wanting nothing but the form. 

 Of the private character of general Carrera and his 

 family, he gave an account which surprised me not a 

 little, as it was similar to what I had read in the let- 

 ter of Lavaysse, published in this country, and which 

 I had considered as a gross slander. He also spoke 

 of Carrera as an instrument in the hands of the Portu- 

 guese, who were disposed to do, in a clandestine man- 

 ner, all the injury they could to the government of 

 Buenos Ayres. I inquired of him why Carrera was 

 not permitted by the government of Buenos x4.yres, to 

 go to Chili with the expedition fitted out by him in the 

 United States, He said that he had gone to the Uni- 

 ted States without any means; that the two vessels 

 were fitted out by persons, who had given instructions 

 to their agent, the naval commander, not to deliver 

 them until paid for; that instead of going to the coast 

 of Chili, they had come to Buenos Ayres, when a 

 quarrel had ensued between them, Carrera insisting 

 that the property had been obtained on his credit, and 

 that he had a right to do as he pleased with it, and 

 the other refusing to deliver it to him. With this 



