Battalion of Numancia joins the Liberating Army....Victory at Pasco
by Arenales....Route of Arenales from Ica....Courts Martial held in
the Squadron on Officers....Conduct of General San
Martin....Viceroy Pesuela deposed....Expedition to Pisco....To
Arica....Action at Mirabe, under Lieutenant-Colonel
Miller....Description of Arica.... Of Tacna....Of Ilo....Armistice
celebrated by Generals San Martin and La Serna....Prorogation
of....Lord Cochrane leaves Mollendo, and arrives at Callao.
On the third of December the battalion of Numancia, being six hundred
and fifty strong, left the service of the Viceroy of Lima, and passed
over to that of the Patria, joining a detachment of the liberating army,
sent to meet them at Retes in the valley of Chancay. This corps, which
was entirely composed of Colombians, had retained the name of a regiment
sent from Spain under General Morillo, and was considered the stay of
the viceregal authority in Peru. A private correspondence had been held
between San Martin and the officers of this battalion, and promises made
to them by San Martin, which, like many if not all similar ones made by
this great man, were never fulfilled. The loss of so important a part of
the Spanish army was a severe blow to Pesuela and the Spaniards in Lima,
and a great addition to the physical strength of the liberating army.
The arrival of officers and private individuals from Lima increased
daily; on the eighth, thirty-six officers, and a greater number of
persons of respectability in Lima, arrived at Chancay, and joined the
patriot forces.
On the eleventh, the news of the victory at Pasco, obtained by Colonel
Arenales over General O'Reilly and a division of the royal army of
twelve hundred men, arrived at Huaura. After the action at Ica on the
sixth of October, Arenales marched with his division into the interior,
and on the thirty-first he entered the city of Huamanga; but the Spanish
authorities had fled, carrying with them the public funds. The
inhabitants of Huamanga welcomed the arrival of the patriot forces, and
voluntarily declared their independence of Spain and her mandataries. On
the sixth the division left the city, and continued their march towards
the district of Tarma; and the advanced guard arrived at Jauja, thirty
leagues from Lima, at the same time that the Spaniards were abandoning
it; a skirmish took place, and the Spaniards lost eight killed and
twenty-one prisoners, including four officers. On the twenty-second a
division advanced on the city of Tarma, and entered it on the
twenty-third. Tarma immediately proclaimed itself independent of Spain.
On the sixth of December the action was fought at Pasco; the loss of the
enemy consisted in fifty-eight killed in the field of battle, nineteen
wounded, three hundred and forty-three prisoners, including twenty-eight
officers, two pieces of artillery, three hundred and sixty muskets,
flags, ammunition, baggage, and utensils of war; but General O'Reilly
made his escape to Lima. On the arrival of the news of the victory
obtained at Pasco over the royalists, the city and province of Huanuco
declared their independence, and the cities of Cueñca and Loxa, in the
jurisdiction of Quito, advised General San Martin of their having also
abjured all foreign domination, and enrolled their names in the list of
free and independent states. On the fourth of January, the news arrived
of the revolution of Truxillo, under the direction of its Spanish
governor the Marquis of Torre Tagle.
Such a concatenation of successful events was certainly more than the
general of the liberating army could have anticipated. From the fifth
of November to the fifth of January the Spaniards had lost the whole of
their naval force in the Esmeralda, the Prueba and Vengansa having
disappeared: Numancia, considered the flower of their army and the prop
of their authority, had deserted their cause; the division under the
command of their trusty general, O'Reilly, had been defeated by a minor
force; all the provinces to the northward of Lima had declared their
independence, and were contributing with men and every other necessary
to support the army then encamped within thirty leagues of the capital
of Peru; every thing save hope seemed to have abandoned them, while
every thing appeared to favour the cause of the liberating forces, and
to invite them to crown their career of glory by entering Lima, which at
this moment was the pandemonium of oppression and despair.
The incomparable prudence of San Martin, however, revolted at the
effusion of blood which must necessarily be the precursor of so much
glory: he felt more sympathy at knowing that both his own and the
enemy's troops were falling victims almost hourly to the ravages of the
tertian fever and other diseases, for want of proper medicines, care,
and rest.
The situation occupied by the royal troops between Lima and Ancon, at a
place called Asna Pugio, is very swampy, and the number of men who
became affected with intermittent fevers increased daily; the hospitals
in Lima were filled with them, and their decrease by death, as well as
by desertion, was alarming to the Viceroy. The desertions would have
increased if the distance of the head quarters of San Martin had not
been so great, for several deserters were apprehended, and shot by the
royalists.
On the second of February the officers of the ex-Esmeralda, named by
General San Martin the Valdivia, in commemoration of the important
victory gained by Lord Cochrane over this place, addressed the following
letter to Captain Guise:
"Sir,--We have heard with regret and disappointment, that his excellency
General San Martin has been pleased to order that the name of this ship
shall be changed, and that she shall henceforward be known under the
appellation of the Valdivia. We regret that in the squadron of Chile the
immortal memories of Lautaro and Galvarino, who have, ages past, been
sacrificed on the ashes of the aspiring liberty of their country, and
the names of their surviving countrymen, O'Higgins and San Martin, (the
avengers of their wrongs, and the restorers of their rights) should be
associated with 'Valdivia,' a Spaniard who has shed such torrents of
American blood, the conqueror and enslaver of Chile, and founder of the
city which bears his name; and we are disappointed to find nothing in
the new name commemorative of the capture of the Esmeralda, but that it
has been made subservient to the celebration of another victory over the
enemy, which, although we had the misfortune not to participate in it,
yet claims our admiration and gratitude, but which bears no more
relation to the capture of this ship, than the battle of Chacabuco does
to that of Maypo; and, what would the victors of Maypo have thought had
that memorable event borne the name of Chacabuco! It is further to be
remembered, that very few of the captors of the Esmeralda took part in
the affair at Valdivia.--We are fully aware, that there are instances in
the squadron of ships being named after particular victories, (viz.
Chacabuco) but these were bought into the service by the property of the
state; the Esmeralda was purchased by the blood of her subjects.--If the
Esmeralda be destined to lose the name under which she was captured, we
express a hope that she will bear one more consonant to the feelings of
those by whom the service was achieved, than that which has been
selected. We have not had an opportunity of communicating with our
brother officers of the squadron, and these remarks are to be understood
as individually our own; we trust however that they will not appear to
yourself or to the commander in chief irrelevant with the interest which
we must always take in every thing in which the glory and prosperity of
the navy of Chile are concerned.--May we beg, therefore, that you will
take the earliest opportunity of bringing the subject before the admiral
and his excellency general San Martin, for their consideration.
(Signed.) Robert Bell, Lieutenant, H. C. Freeman, Lieutenant, J. M.
Michael, Surgeon, James L. Frew, Purser, Hugh Jerome Kernan, Assistant
Surgeon."
This letter, and the subsequent behaviour of the officers, obliged the
admiral to order them under an arrest, and to exhibit charges against
them for their trial by a court martial, which was held on the second of
March. The charges were "For having, by their letter bearing date the
second of February, 1821, addressed to Martin George Guise, Esq.,
combined falsely to represent to the said Martin George Guise, Esq.,
captain in the naval service of Chile, and on divers other occasions,
that the appellation of the 'Valdivia,' given to the frigate Esmeralda
was in disrespect to, and derogation of, the names of O'Higgins and San
Martin, and thereby to excite dissatisfaction against the admiral and
commander in chief, in commemoration of whose service in the capture of
the fortifications of 'Valdivia' the said name was given to the
'Esmeralda.' For attempting to excite dissatisfaction against their
aforesaid superior officers, by misrepresenting the name of the fortress
of 'Valdivia,' so given in commemoration of useful services, as the name
of a man whom the said officers further, with the intent aforesaid, have
pronounced to be a Spaniard who shed torrents of American blood; and
moreover, that the said officers did further, with the intent aforesaid
to create dissatisfaction against the superior officer, falsely
represent the person named Valdivia to have been the enslaver of Chile.
That the said officers did hold various conversations derogatory to the
vice-admiral of Chile, their commanding officer, and unnecessarily and
impertinently did interfere in the matter of naming the 'Esmeralda,'
contrary to the rules and subversive of the discipline of the naval
service of the state."
The sentence given by the court was, that "James M. Michael, Surgeon,
and James Frew, Purser, be dismissed the naval service of the state; and
Robert Bell, Lieut., Henry C. Freeman, Lieut., and Hugh J. Kernan,
Assistant Surgeon, be dismissed their ship, to be severely reprimanded
and admonished by the court, but to be recommended by the court to the
commander in chief for other appointments. (Signed) Robert Forster,
President, W. Wilkinson, T. Sackville Crosbie, William Prunier, Henry
Cobbett."
During the arrest of the officers of the Valdivia, Lord Cochrane wished
to make an attack on the vessels of war, blockships, gunboats, and
fortifications of Callao, and communicated the order for the same on the
twentieth of February, which order to Captain Guise was answered by a
private note to his lordship, stating, that he could not think of
entering on this service with any officers except those under arrest,
and that in case they were not permitted to rejoin their ship for this
attack, he must resign the command of her, and begged Lord Cochrane to
appoint another person to the command. The admiral answered Captain
Guise, that he could not appoint another person to the command of the
Valdivia, nor admit the resignation of Captain Guise on a private
solicitude, nor even on an official one, without some reasons being
alleged. Captain Guise now wrote officially, stating the refusal of Lord
Cochrane to be a sufficient motive for his resignation, and expressing a
request to be permitted to accompany his officers to head quarters, and
tender his commission to General San Martin. His letter was also
accompanied with one from the petty officers of the Valdivia, who
refused to serve under any other commander than himself. After some
further correspondence Captain Guise informed Lord Cochrane that he had
given the command of the Valdivia to Lieutenant Shepherd, and considered
himself superseded. The admiral, for the fourth time, sent Captain Guise
an order to act as commander of the Valdivia, requiring a categorical
answer to "whether he would or would not obey his orders, and signal to
weigh, made four hours previous to this communication," again requesting
some grounded reason for his resignation. The order to weigh was on
service of importance, and Captain Guise refused to obey it, repeating,
that his officers having been separated from his ship, he could not act,
and had given over to Lieutenant Shepherd the command of the Valdivia.
On the twenty-second of February Lord Cochrane ordered Captain Spry to
proceed in the brig Galvarino to the rendezvous off Chorillos, which
order was answered by Captain Spry, who requested leave to resign the
command of the Galvarino, as "his friend Captain Guise had been obliged
to resign that of his ship," and alleging that he held no appointment
from the Chilean government. Lord Cochrane demanded his motive for this
letter, and why, without the appointment alluded to, he had exercised
the authority of commander of the brig. The answer was, that "I (Captain
Spry) entered the Chilean navy conditionally, to serve only during the
period of the services of Captain Guise, under whose patronage and
protection I left England;" that his appointment was a verbal one from
the governor of Valparaiso, when he received his commission of Captain.
He added a desire to be permitted to go to head-quarters at Huacho, and
explain his conduct to General San Martin, concluding "if Captain Guise
is compelled to resign the command of the Valdivia, I am determined no
longer to hold that of the Galvarino." Captain Spry was placed under an
arrest on the twenty-second of February, on charges to be exhibited, and
such was the state of mutiny on board the Galvarino, that Captain
Crosbie, of the flag-ship, was ordered to anchor her in a safe
situation, which induced Captain Spry to write to the Admiral, stating,
that as he had been superseded by Captain Crosbie, he considered himself
on half-pay, and free from the jurisdiction of the martial law. His
letter was answered by an assurance, that he was not superseded; but
that having disobeyed the orders given, and declared his determination
not to hold the command of the Galvarino, Captain Crosbie had been
ordered to anchor her on the starboard beam of the O'Higgins, this
appearing necessary from the state of the crew of the brig, and that he
was not superseded in consequence of his said determination, nor had he
gone through the usual forms of delivering up the brig. Captain Spry
again insisted on his exemption from martial law; but finding the
Admiral determined to bring the affair to the decision of a
court-martial, of which he was aware that if the sentence were consonant
with the crime, and according to the ordinances of the navy, he would
never leave the deck of the brig, he now expressed no objection to being
tried by his brother officers, who were "neither prejudiced nor
interested."
The charges exhibited by the commander in chief were "for neglecting or
refusing to proceed on service in the Chilean state brig Galvarino,
pursuant to an order of the commander in chief, both verbally, and in
writing, given on or about the twenty-second of February, 1821, in
breach of the 14th article of war, made and provided.--For having
contrary to his duty as an officer written or caused to be written, a
certain letter to his commander in chief, signed John Tooker Spry,
further declining, or refusing to proceed on the duty so ordered, or
longer to serve than during the period of the services of Captain Guise,
under whose patronage and protection he had left England, and for
setting forth in the said letter, that if Captain Guise was compelled to
resign the command of the Valdivia, he the said John Tooker Spry would
no longer hold the command of the Galvarino; thereby delaying and
discouraging the service, in breach of the 14th article of war.--That
the said John Tooker Spry did by his conduct aforesaid, hold forth an
evil example to his ship's company (who immediately thereafter did in
writing and otherwise, refuse to weigh anchor until certain grievances,
which they did not set forth in the said writing, should be redressed),
the same being subversive of all discipline and subordination, and in
violation of the 14th article of war, made and provided."
The sentence of the court-martial was, that "John Tooker Spry be
dismissed the command of the brig Galvarino, be placed at the bottom of
the list of captains, and be severely reprimanded by the court."
On the fourth of March Captain Guise communicated to Lord Cochrane, that
Captain Spry having been dismissed the service by sentence of a
court-martial, he requested permission to accompany him in his own boat
to Huacho, which Lord Cochrane informed him he could not allow at that
critical moment. On the sixth the two captains and the officers went
down by the O'Higgins to head-quarters, where Ld. Cochrane on the
twelfth again offered to Captain Guise the command of the O'Higgins,
which he refused, as also ever to serve under Lord Cochrane again.
The whole of this affair was the result of what had passed at
Valparaiso, before the expedition quitted that port; and from several
circumstances connected with the conduct of these officers, and their
publicly asserting, that General San Martin would not swerve from his
promises made to them, their firm reliance on his support and patronage,
as well as the subsequent behaviour of the general himself, evinced that
he had been the entire instigator of what had passed at Valparaiso in
July and August, 1820, both on the part of the Chilean government, and
on that of the different officers who then and there misconducted
themselves. He well knew that he could not tamper with Lord Cochrane,
whose honourable feelings would not allow him to deviate from that line
of conduct which had marked the whole tenour of his public life: and had
not the officers of the squadron stood forth in support of their
commander in chief, his tender of his commission would have been
accepted by the government.
On the arrival at head-quarters of Captains Guise and Spry, the latter,
in defiance of decorum and example, was appointed by General San Martin
his naval adjutant, Edecan Naval, as if to gall the feelings of Lord
Cochrane, and bring into supreme contempt the sentence of a
court-martial, by protecting in the most public manner the individual
who had merited the chastisement of the law. So elated was Captain Spry
with his new appointment, that in the house of Colonel, now General
Miller, he conducted himself towards Lord Cochrane in the most
ungentlemanly manner, so much so, that the honourable feelings of Miller
were wounded, and he apologized to the Admiral for the conduct of Spry.
On the fourth of March, General San Martin sent Captain Guise and his
officers with a request to the Admiral to reinstate them in their former
appointment: his lordship again offered Captain Guise the command of any
vessel in the squadron with such officers as might at the time belong to
the vessel, and to those officers who had not been dismissed the
service, appointments to the vacancies in the squadron, according to the
recommendation of the court-martial; but Captain Guise again refused to
act with any other officers than those who accompanied him, and the
officers returned their appointments, with the assurance that they would
only serve under the orders of Captain Guise; they therefore all
returned to the head-quarters of the army, where they remained until the
surrender of Callao.
At the same time that the Chilean squadron was a scene of
insubordination and irregularities among those officers whose duty it
was to obey the orders of their commander in chief, not only for the
good of the service of Chile, but to the end that they themselves might
meet with that deference and obedience in their subalterns which
constitute the very essence of military discipline, Lima was the theatre
of anarchy and confusion. On the twenty-ninth of January a revolution
took place in the Spanish army at Asnapugio, founded on the plea of
inability in the Viceroy Pesuela to conduct the affairs of the
viceroyalty, during such critical circumstances as the present. The
result was, that an official communication was made to Pesuela, stating
the absolute necessity of his abdication, and that it must take place
within four hours. Pesuela answered, that the time specified was
insufficient for him to deliver up the authority, but Cantarac,
Caratalá, Valdes, Ricafort, and the other officers at the head of the
insurrection replied, that the answer of his Excellency did not
correspond with their expectations, and that "the troops were under
arms, with all their officers, without a single exception, and that they
would not lay them down until they had obtained an order to acknowledge
General La Serna Viceroy of Peru, and were assured that a similar order
had been given to the different tribunals and authorities. In
consequence of this intimation, Pesuela issued the order, and La Serna
was proclaimed Viceroy and Captain General of Peru. This change only
proves the right of power, which admits of no interpretation, nor leaves
any subterfuge to obedience. The similarity of the fate of the first
and last of the Spanish Viceroys as governors general is rather
remarkable. The first, Don Francisco Pizarro, was murdered in his own
palace at Lima, by his subaltern officers; the last, Don Joaquin de la
Pesuela, was forced to abdicate his authority in the viceregal palace at
Lima, by his subalterns, and to nominate an usurper as his successor. On
the seventh February La Serna addressed the following proclamation to
the royal troops:--
"Soldiers!--Your will and support has placed me at the head of the
government of the viceroyalty!"--A declaration more rebellious than any
one presented by the insurgent chiefs of America, until the conduct of
the Spaniards forced them to declare their independence of Spanish
domination.
On the thirteenth February Capt. Carter, in the brig of war Araucano,
arrived at Chancay, with the Spanish schooner of war Aransasu, which he
had taken on the ninth. The Aransasu was from Panama, bound to Callao,
having on board three officers belonging to the regiment of Numancia,
and several Spanish merchants, as passengers.
On the thirteenth March part of the squadron left the bay of Huacho,
having on board a division of the patriot forces, under the command of
Lieut.-colonel Miller, destined to cause a diversion in the Spanish
troops, by landing at Pisco. This object was effected on the
twenty-first; but owing to the written instructions given by General San
Martin, and from which Lord Cochrane was determined not to swerve, the
result was what might have been anticipated: nothing of importance to
the cause of America.
After the abdication of the Viceroy Pesuela, he retired to a country
residence at the small village of La Magdalena, and wishing to send his
lady and family to Europe, he solicited the necessary passport of
General San Martin, well knowing that they could not escape the Chilean
vessels of war employed in the blockade of Callao; but the permission
was refused. Lady Cochrane and family having arrived at Callao in the
British frigate Andromache, for the purpose of seeing his lordship
before she left South America for England, Dona Angela, the Vicequeen,
supplicated her ladyship to interpose her influence with the general, as
the only means by which she could expect to obtain leave to embark for
Europe. Lady Cochrane, actuated by that sincere philanthropy which so
eminently distinguishes and adorns her, went immediately to Huaura, and
obtained of General San Martin the favour she solicited, on condition
that her ladyship would remain on shore in Peru one month, which was
agreed to; but being the "better half" of a sailor, her ladyship
declined remaining at head quarters among soldiers, and spent the whole
of the time at Huaito, a plantation belonging to Doña Josefa
Monteblanco, highly gratified with the kind and hospitable treatment of
her host. The Viceroy's lady took her passage on board the Andromache,
and Lord Cochrane was honoured by an introduction to her by Captain
Sherriff. After some conversation. Doña Angela declared, that his
lordship was a polite _rational_ being, and not the _ferocious brute_
she had been taught to consider him--a compliment which his lordship
received with all due respect to her Vicequeenship.
On the return of Lord Cochrane to head quarters, it was determined by
General San Martin, that a second division under the command of
Lieutenant Miller should embark, and act according to the discretionary
instructions of the admiral. The admiral left the bay of Huacho, and
proceeded to Pisco, where some minor skirmishes took place with the
enemy. The troops were re-embarked at Pisco on the twenty-second of
April: his lordship hoisted his flag on board the San Martin, and with
the schooner Aransasu proceeded to Arica, where with the assistance of
uncommonly favourable winds we arrived on the fifth of May.
The landing in the bay of Arica is attended with almost insurmountable
difficulties; indeed sometimes it is not practicable, except on the
balsas made by the natives. These are composed of seal-skins inflated:
two are generally sewed together end to end, and the balsa is formed by
lashing two of these side by side, laying some canes on the top. The man
who manages the balsa sits astride on the aftermost part, and impels the
balsa with a double paddle, broad at each end, which he holds by the
middle, and so dexterous are the natives, that there is not the least
danger of being upset, or even of being wetted with the surf. On these
original and apparently precarious rafts, all the merchandize is landed
at Arica, and all the specie brought to the vessels, except the sea be
very calm and the surf run low.
Immediately on our arrival at Arica, a flag of truce was sent on shore
with a summons to surrender, accompanied by an assurance that all
persons and personal property would be respected, except those and such
as belonged to those who by their present conduct should prove
themselves enemies to the cause of South American liberty. This was
answered by an assurance that the persons and property at Arica were
all under the protection of the arms of his Most Catholic Majesty, whose
rights would be defended by his faithful vassals against his rebel
subjects and foreign pirates. Nothing was now left but to enforce
obedience, and the situation in which the San Martin had anchored not
being a commanding one, she was hauled nearer in shore on the sixth, and
a few shells thrown over the town; but as this had not the desired
effect of intimidating the enemy, a landing of the troops was determined
on, and in the night a convenient place was sought for to the southward,
but the search proving fruitless, part of the troops were embarked on
board the schooner Aransasu, under the command of Major Soler, and
ordered to proceed to the northward to Sama, to land and march upon the
town. On the eighth Lieutenant-colonel Miller followed with the
remainder of the troops, to join Major Soler. A few shots and shells
were occasionally thrown into the town, to keep the Spanish troops on
the alert as to the movements of the ship, while our troops should make
their appearance on shore, which happened on the morning of the
eleventh, when the whole of the inhabitants and troops abandoned the
town. Captain Wilkinson with the marines landed with considerable
difficulty, and hoisted the Patriot flag on the staff at the small
battery. Major Soler captured from the enemy fifty-eight thousand
dollars and six bars of silver, under the protection of a guard of
soldiers on their way to Arequipa.
On the fourteenth the whole of the troops and the marines belonging to
the San Martin, amounting to two hundred and seventy men, under the
command of Lieutenant-colonel Miller, left Arica, and marched towards
Tacna, twelve leagues from Arica, where they arrived on the fifteenth,
and without any opposition took possession of the town; they were here
joined by two companies of infantry, who deserted the cause of the king.
Lord Cochrane ordered that these should form the base of a new regiment,
to be called the first independents of Tacna, and as the particular flag
for the troops of Peru was not determined on at head quarters, his
lordship presented them with one having a sun in the centre on a blue
field.
From original papers found in the custom-house at Tacna, it appeared,
that the quantity of European goods in the stores at Arica belonged to
Spanish merchants residing at Lima; consequently an order was issued
for their being embarked in the San Martin.
Immediately on the landing of Lord Cochrane, he called upon the
inhabitants to form a civil government, for the protection of their
property against many individuals who began to come into the town from
the country for the purpose of plunder, assuring them at the same time,
that, although they had not attended to his invitation to remain in
their houses, it was not his intention to deliver up the town to be
sacked, nor had he done it, but at the same time he could not be
answerable for thefts committed, unless the inhabitants would assist in
the protection of their houses and property, and in apprehending all
suspicious and disorderly persons; he also promised them that all
private property belonging to Americans, the friends of the cause of
their country, should be returned if claimed, and, consequent to this
promise, the schooner Dos Amigos, and other property seized, were
delivered to their owners.
Colonel Miller advanced with his division towards Moquegua, and had a
sharp engagement with a party of royal troops at Mirabe, commanded by
Colonel Sierra, who was taken prisoner. On the morning after the
engagement, which took place in the night, another detachment of troops
arrived to join the one stationed at Mirabe; but on hearing the fate of
their comrades they thought it better to retreat than to enter into any
dispute with the victorious troops, and their valiant leader. On the
arrival of this news, and that the troops were at Moquegua, Lord
Cochrane dropped down to Ilo, with the San Martin, for the purpose of
being nearer to Colonel Miller's head quarters.
The town of Arica is the capital of the province of the same name; it is
situated in a small valley, and stands close to the sea. It was
anciently a place of considerable importance and size; but since the
year 1605, when it was destroyed by an earthquake, it has gradually
decreased, the more respectable inhabitants having retired to Tacna;
their departure was also hastened by its being sacked in 1680 by the
pirate John Warren. Arica has at present a parish church, and three poor
convents, San Francisco, La Merced and San Juan de Dios. The population
is composed of whites, indians and a few slaves. Owing to some low
swampy ground, produced by the annual overflowings of the river and the
want of proper drainage, intermittent fevers are very common here, of
which many _serranos_, people from the interior, die, when they come
down on business. All our people who slept on shore at Arica, including
the admiral, suffered by them, and some died. The climate is similar to
that of Lima, it seldom rains, but the fogs are very heavy.
The valley of Arica is small, but at the distance of a mile from the
town it is pretty, owing to the relief which the eye feels when resting
on vegetable productions, after being fatigued with the barren sandy
scenery which surrounds the town. The principal produce of the valley is
_aji_, capsicum, and olives, which are remarkably large, and finely
flavoured; plantains, bananas, camotes, yucas, and other vegetables, are
cultivated in the gardens, and some tropical fruits.
The town of Arica will doubtless become of considerable importance with
the changes that have taken place in South America. Indeed it always
would have been so, had not the colonial laws declared it a close port,
_no abilitado_. It is the key to the provinces of Upper Peru, Arequipa,
La Pas, Potosi, Chuquisaca, &c., being a better landing place than Ilo,
Mollendo, or Quilca; it possesses also the advantage of fresh water for
shipping, which is extremely scarce at the other ports. Arica is
situate in 18° 28´ 40´´ south latitude, and 70° 13´ 30´´ west longitude.
The town of Tacna stands in a very pleasant and fruitful valley, it is
considerably larger than Arica, and has a much better appearance; some
of the houses are large, commodious, and well furnished; thus, among
other articles, I saw several piano-fortes. The principal wealth of the
inhabitants consists in their large droves of mules, for the purpose of
conveying the merchandize from Arica into the interior, and from some
parts of Upper Peru to Lima. Tacna is to Arica what Piura is to Paita.
On the twenty-seventh of May we came to an anchor in the bay of Ilo, and
immediately supplied Colonel Miller with everything that he wanted; he
had removed his head-quarters from the town of Moquegua to a farm called
Rinconada, judging that the climate of this place was better for his
troops, as it was cooler here than in the town.
Ilo is an indifferent anchorage, and a bad landing place; the village is
composed of miserable huts, and a few houses which indicate the
residence of penury; a scarcity of water prevails, and consequently of
fruit and vegetables. Col. Sierra and Capt. Suares were here embarked,
having been sent down by Colonel Miller; but they were soon afterwards
liberated at Mollendo on their parole of honour, having sworn not to act
hostilely until they should be exchanged according to the regulations of
war.
At the moment when Colonel Miller was about to advance into the
interior, having disciplined a number of recruits from different parts
of the adjoining provinces, and when everything promised a general
revolt in favour of the cause of independence, he transmitted to Lord
Cochrane the original communication which he had received from the
governor of Arequipa, announcing a cessation of hostilities for twenty
days, from the date of the receipt of the communication. This armistice
was ratified by General San Martin and the Viceroy La Serna on the
twenty-third of May, and sent express by the latter to Ovalle, the
governor of Arequipa.
The armistice had been personally formed by the contending chiefs, who
met at Punchauca, and agreed on appointing new deputies for the purpose
of conciliation; they were to hold their conferences on board of a
neutral ship in the bay of Callao, for which purpose the Cleopatra was
chosen.
Such was the state of Lima at this period, that the cabildo addressed
the following official note to the Viceroy La Serna:
"Most Excellent Sir,--No title is more glorious, nor more amiable, than
that of a Pacificator. Augustus, when stifling the volcano of civil war
among the Romans, and giving peace to the universe, was the greatest of
mortals, and almost a God upon earth. It is the duty of every prince to
imitate this example, if he be desirous of, and interested in the health
and prosperity of the people committed to his guardianship. Whoever
knows the great advantages and feels what it is to reign over grateful
hearts, will find more charms than in the most fortunate and prosperous
warfare.
"Your Excellency, placed at the head of the junta of Pacification of
Peru, has gained the love, the veneration, and the confidence of this
city. The hope of this great felicity has caused us to suffer with
resignation, losses and privations of every class. The end of the
armistice is fast approaching, and we do not yet perceive one ray of
this celestial gift. Why is it so long retarded, while Lima suffers such
a train of evils that fill her with consternation?
"To the distance of twenty-five leagues round the city, the most
frightful devastation every where reigns. Our cattle, our grain, and
our fruits are the victims of military fury. The richest and most
opulent of our provinces have succumbed to the prepotent force of the
enemy, and the rest are threatened with the same fate; while this
suffering capital experiences the horrible effects of a rigorous
blockade, hunger, robberies, and death. Our own soldiers pay no respect
to the last remains of our property, even our oxen, indispensably
necessary for the cultivation of the land, are slain. If this plague
continue, what will be our lot--our miserable condition!
"The soldier must be supported as well as the citizen, but not to the
injury of the latter: they must both be guided by the same laws, and
must both be equal. Both compose the state, and the support of both is
necessary; founded on the same right of nature and of society. But let
us abandon these melancholy relations, and confine ourselves entirely to
those of peace.
"Peace is the general wish of the people: they have laboured since the
year 1815 under the grievances of war, and have not force to support it
any longer. Without the money, without the provisions, without the
desire, and without the means of supporting an opposition, the people
flock to the standard of General San Martin; hundreds of men leave our
walls, that they may not die of hunger. A swarm of robbers infest our
roads and intercept our provisions, insult us, and plunder our houses.
The public speak loudly against our apathy and silence, and evils worse
than those usually produced by war must soon be the result. The
happiness of the capital and of the kingdom depends on peace, and this
depends on the "yes" of your excellency. The corporation of Lima hopes
to see it established, and promises to your excellency the constant and
everlasting gratitude of the people. God preserve your excellency many
years. Hall of the corporation of Lima, June 7th, 1821. (Signed) The
Count of San Isidro, and all the members of the body corporate."
To this note the Viceroy gave the following answer:
"Most Excellent Sir,--Unquestionably war is the exercise of the right of
force, and the most terrible of all the plagues that destroy the human
species: it does not pardon even the victorious, and the most fortunate
partake of its effects.
"As a philanthropist I love and desire peace; but as a soldier and a
public man, I cannot accede to a peace which is indecorous: thus, if
the general in chief of the invading army will agree to an armistice
honourable and fair to the arms of the Spanish nation, you and every one
of you may remain assured that my vote shall be for peace; but if he
will not, no! for I never will assent to any thing derogatory to the
honour of the Spanish nation, in which case it would be better to die
than to live. I believe that these are also the sentiments of the
individuals who compose the body corporate; and of this city, which is
called heroic, whose inhabitants are well aware, that to deserve this
epithet valour, patience and the other virtues, not common, are
necessary.
"In fine, although I am at the head of the junta of pacification, in it
I have only one vote, so that the corporation is deceived in supposing,
that peace depends on my "yes;" but I repeat, that if it did, I would
prefer war to an indecorous peace; and even supposing that preponderance
which your excellency actually gives to the forces of General San
Martin, you must be aware, that war is a game where more or less is
risked according to the passions of the gamblers: at one time one wins,
and another loses; and when much is won, it generally happens that the
winner continues gambling in the hope of increasing his store; or he
who loses will not desist, in hopes of regaining what he has lost; at
last fortune varies, and the winner not only loses what he had won, but
also what he had when he began.
"This is what I have to say in answer to your note of yesterday. God
preserve your excellency many years. (Signed) Jose de la Serna."
From the number of deserters who daily arrived at Huaura, the head
quarters of general San Martin, the state of Lima was well known. The
officers of the army were divided in their opinions; the cabildo in open
war with the viceroy; the opinion of the people in favour of liberty;
the troops disserting or dying in the hospitals; hunger parading the
streets, and every one, high and low, general and soldier, master and
slave, convinced that the idea of resisting the patriot forces was the
chimera of a madman. Hence it followed that when La Serna proposed to
San Martin an armistice of sixteen months, under the pretence that both
parties should refer the decision to the court of Madrid, the latter
declined acceding to it.
Notwithstanding the favourable appearance of things, the army of San
Martin was tired of their inglorious inaction, knowing full well that
to take the capital of Peru only required them to enter it, and this
opinion was supported by every new arrival from Lima. The consummate
prudence of San Martin, however, did not allow him to risk the firing of
a shot, lest the ball might slay "a brother;" at the same time that his
Guerilla parties were actively engaged in committing all the cruelties
incident to predatory warfare. But the presence of the general was not
necessary in such skirmishes, nor his humanity compromised; the truth
is, his person was in no jeopardy. Complaints began to be every day more
loud in the army, and dissention more visible, so much so, that it
became a daily task at the tables of the officers, to drink to "those
who fight for the liberty of Peru, not those who write, _a los que
pelean por la libertad del Peru, no los que escriven_." San Martin,
aware of the state of his army, embarked in the schooner Montezuma, in
order to re-establish his health, and a prorogation of the armistice for
twelve days more was ratified.
During this cessation of hostilities, his lordship dropped down to
Mollendo, where a neutral vessel was taking in wheat, for supplying the
city of Lima. The admiral immediately wrote to the governor of
Arequipa, expressing his astonishment that neutrals should be allowed
to embark provisions during an armistice, for the purpose of supplying
one of the belligerents, to the injury of the other, and contrary to the
Spanish colonial laws; to which the governor answered, that the whole of
the wheat at Mollendo belonged to Spanish merchants residing at Lima, or
Arequipa, and that no part of it whatever belonged to neutrals, and that
if any had been embarked since the celebration of the armistice, it was
in violation of the orders of the government, to correct which he had
again issued the most positive orders against such an infraction of the
stipulations of Punchauca. With this answer his lordship retired from
Mollendo, but sent in a boat with a lieutenant belonging to the San
Martin, to watch the actions of the enemy at Mollendo; on being assured
that the embarkation of the wheat was persevered in, the San Martin
returned to Mollendo on the nineteenth of June, and shipped the
remainder of the wheat found on shore.
When every thing was ready for Colonel Miller to proceed into the
interior, the news arrived, on the fifth of July, of the prorogation of
the armistice. This with the news received from the army, through
private letters, induced his lordship to equip and victual some of the
prizes taken at Arica, and leave them for the reception of the troops
under Col. Miller, in case of any emergency, and repair to Callao, for
the purpose of learning the true state of affairs at head-quarters. We
arrived at Callao on the eighth of July, 1821.