the revolutionary forces, at Ica. More than a thousand prisoners were taken, and a great amount of arms and military stores fell into the hands of the royalists.

An interview took place in the month of July, of this year, between the Protector and the great champion of freedom in South America, Bolivar, then in the full pride of success in the northern provinces. The result of the meeting was the augmentation of the force at Lima by two thousand Columbian troops. During San Martin's absence the tyranny of his minister, Monteagudo, who made the deputy protector, the Marquis of Truxillo, a mere tool for the execution of his private projects, excited an outbreak, which was only quelled by the arrest and removal of the offending party.

In the succeeding month the first independent congress was assembled at the capital, and San Martin, having resigned his authority, soon after took his departure for Chili. Congress appointed a junta of three persons to discharge the duties of the executive. Under this administration the affairs of the new republic fell into great disorder. A miserably futile attempt, by sea and land, against the royalists in the southern provinces, created great public discontent, and on the 26th of February, 1823, the principal officers of the army, in a remonstrance to Congress, demanded the appointment of Colonel Jose de la Riva Aguero as president. After some opposition, that body complied with the proposition, backed as it was by all the real power of the republic, and Riva Aguero was proclaimed accordingly. General Santa Cruz, a Peruvian, and partly of Indian descent, then second in command, shortly after, upon the departure of Arenales for Chili, assumed the position of commander-in-chief of the army. A second expedition to the southward against the royalists of the Puertos Intermedios, left the capital insufficiently guarded, although three thousand additional troops had been marched to the city by the Columbian general, Sucre. Canterac seized the opportunity to possess himself of Lima, and with nine thousand men, on the 18th of June, entered that city. The patriot forces were insufficient to make any effectual resistance, and they evacuated the capital on the approach of the enemy.

The Congress, holding its session at Callao, now invested General Sucre with dictatorial powers. Upon the fortress at this place, Canterac was unable to make any impression, and considering it useless to maintain possession of the capital, he withdrew his troops on the 17th of the succeeding month of July. The division of the patriot

forces at the south fared no better than that which had preceded it. A disastrous and disorderly retreat before the royalists resulted in the almost entire dissolution of the army. All hopes of success in the enterprise of the revolution now seemed to rest upon the arrival of foreign assistance, and this was fortunately at hand. Simon Bolivar, the liberator of Venezuela, and the most distinguished of the champions of freedom in South America, had so far reduced the affairs of the recently constituted northern states to order and security, that he was enabled to turn his attention to the distressed condition of the Peruvian patriots. He proceeded at once to the scene of action, and entered Lima on the 1st of September, 1823. The prestige of his previous brilliant successes, and the confidence felt in his abilities as a general and statesman, gave a new impetus to the patriotic cause. He was received with great rejoicing, and was at once invested with supreme power, both civil and military.

CHAPTER XIII.

SUCCESSES OF THE ROYALISTS. MOVEMENTS OF THE PATRIOT ARMY. DECISIVE VICTORY OF AYACUCHO.-SIEGE OF CALLAO.BOLIVAR'S ADMINISTRATION. SUBSEQUENT CONDITION OF THE REPUBLIC.

UPON the elevation of Bolivar to the dictatorship, his first care was to quiet dissensions in his own party. Riva Aguero, indignant at his removal from authority, was carrying matters with a high hand in Truxillo. He assembled and then dissolved the congress, ordering into exile those who remained firm to their former decision. As he commanded several thousand troops from the northern province, his defection presented a formidable aspect. Negotiation proved of no avail, but by the treachery of some of his own people he was taken prisoner, and soon after was banished from the country.

In February, 1824, an insurrection of the garrison at Callao resulted in the recapture of this important stronghold by the Spaniards, and a few weeks later the capital shared the same fate. The revolutionary congress broke up, after declaring its own dissolution and the confirmation of Bolivar's authority as supreme dictator. This gloomy

state of affairs only served to call forth the full energies of the great general. He had under his command about ten thousand troops, the majority of whom were Columbians, stationed near Patavilca. The available forces of the royalists were at this period numerically far superior to those of the patriots, but confidence in the tried abilities of their leader more than compensated the latter for their inferiority in numbers. "There was a charm," says Miller, "in the name of Bolivar, and he was looked up to as the only man capable of saving the republic."

The army of the royalists was quartered at Xauxa, and no effort was made to check the advance of the independent forces until they had effected the dangerous passage of the mountains, and were in full march for Pasco. Great praise is awarded to General Sucre, the chief of the staff, for the admirable forethought and prudent precautions by which the difficulties of this march were met and safely overcome. An action, which, however, did not become general, took place on the plains of Junin, in which the patriots gained a decided advantage, further increased by numerous subsequent desertions from the enemy.

Bolivar was at this period unwilling to risk the chances of a decisive battle, and made little opposition to the retreat of Canterac to Cuzco. At Guamanga a month's halt was made by the patriots. In October, the commander-in-chief, supposing that, on account of the season, no present attempt would be made by the enemy, returned to the coast, having directed Sucre to take up his quarters at Andahuaylos and Abancay. Contrary to Bolivar's expectations, the Spanish viceroy, having effected a union of his main divisions and made the most strenuous exertions to collect an overwhelming force, now recommenced hostilities. Sucre was placed in an embarrassing position: his forces were greatly reduced by sickness, privation, skirmishes, and Indian hostilities, but with his usual military skill he so ordered counter movements and retreats that the greatly superior force of the royalists was unable to attack him at a disadvantage. No general engagement took place until the 9th of December when the decisive battle of Ayacucho, one of the most remarkable in its details, and important in its results ever fought in South America, gave a death-blow to Spanish power in Peru. The attack was commenced by the royalists, under command of the viceroy. Their numbers very considerably exceeded those of the patriots, being set down at over nine thousand, while those of the latter fell

short of six thousand. It was felt, however, by all that the fortune of the day was to decide the fate of the revolution, and, excited by a brief but inspiriting address from their commander, the patriots fought with a firm, though impetuous courage that proved invincible.

After a single hour's hard fighting, the assailants were routed and driven back to the heights of Condorcanqui, where, previous to the battle, they had taken a position. Their loss was fourteen hundred in killed and seven hundred wounded. The patriots lost in killed and wounded a little less than one thousand. Having collected what remained of his scattered forces, Canterac perceived that he was now outnumbered, and must be totally overpowered. Before the close of the day, therefore he rode down in person to the patriot encamp ment, and in the tent of the commander signed a capitulation. His whole remaining army became prisoners of war, and by the terms of the capitulation all the Spanish forces in Peru were also bound to surrender. These requisitions were complied with by the garrisons at Cuzco and Arequipa, without delay, but a strong body of Spanish troops under Olañeta, in Upper Peru, still held out. These were forced to yield in April, 1825, their leader having been slain in an insurrection of his own followers.

General Rodil, in command of the garrison at Callao, still obstinately maintained his position. The fortress was closely invested by sea and land; but such was the strength of its defences, and the determination of the Spanish commander, that it was not reduced until the 19th of January, 1826, when an honourable capitulation was agreed upon. Throughout this long interval of siege the garrison and the royalist citizens who had sought protection in this last stronghold of Spain upon the continent, endured every extremity from disease and famine. The greater proportion of the besieged had perished previous to the surrender.

Bolivar was still clothed with the powers of a dictator in Peru, and his position as governor of Columbia necessarily strengthened and extended his influence and authority over all the recently emancipated territory in the northern portion of South America. He was anxious to bring about the adoption by the Peruvians of the civil code known as the Bolivian Constitution, but it proved generally unsatisfactory. While he remained in the country, it is said, "the people overwhelmed him with professions of gratitude, and addressed him in language unsuitable to any being below the Deity." A rëaction took place notwithstanding, and numbers were found ready to

accuse this truly great man of selfish personal ambition, of carelessness for the true interest of his country, and to impute to him the most unworthy motives in all his efforts for colonial independence.

The continued presence of Columbian troops, who remained quartered at Lima, was a cause of great complaint, both from the expense of their maintenance and the prevalent idea that they were kept there to suppress any free and independent action of the people, and to render perpetual those extraordinary powers conferred upon the commander-in-chief to meet the exigencies of civil war. These apprehensions were removed, during the year following the reduction of Callao, by the revolt and removal of the obnoxious forces, and by the election of General La Mar to the presidency of Peru.

The government had not, however, the elements of stability, and the country remained a prey to factious disturbance and civil war. In the words of Commander Wilkes, the history of the state "may be said to be merged in biographical memoirs of its several rulers, who have, without an exception, acted for self-aggrandizement, without ever looking to the benefit of their country, its peace, or happiness. They have, in their public decrees and acts, been lavish and prodigal of the words honour, liberty, justice, &c., in order to extol themselves and decry their opponents; yet, without exception, the moment they have attained power, they have pursued the very course they before reprobated, and the country has continued to suffer."

At the present time Peru is involved in difficulties with Bolivia, threatening, if not indeed amounting to an actual state of war. The limited extent of available sea-coast belonging to the latter country renders her peculiarly dependent upon Peru for commercial facilities: and among other offensive acts, a heavy transit duty has been levied on all goods destined for Bolivia. Possession has also been taken of the port of Cobija by a Peruvian squadron.