134

BELGRANO, ARTIGAS, AND RONDEAU.

enemy were of frequent occurrence; and if they did not wholly paralyze military affairs, they beyond all doubt entangled them, and retarded final success.

To return, for an instant, to General Belgrano. Having congregated at Mercedes the remains of his army defeated in Paraguay, and augmented it by some partial enlistments and succours, particularly at San José, the command of it was made over to General Rondeau, who, named by the government commander-in-chief of the army of the Banda Oriental, infused by the aid of different military chiefs, especially of his second in command, José Artigas, great spirit into his troops. Rondeau took over with him from Buenos Ayres a reinforcement of from two to three thousand men, a considerable sum of money, and other military requisites. Artigas had eighteen hundred men under him, being then encamped near the River Santa Lucia, not far from Monte Video. San José had fallen, and Maldonado been taken by Manuel Artigas, the brother of the general. Colonia was threatened; and a concentration of the troops was ordered at the head-quarters of Mercedes, thence to march, and establish the siege of Monte Video. Elio made underhand and de

grading offers of compromise to Artigas, which were indignantly rejected by him. He shortly afterwards, over greatly superior numbers of the Montevidean army, gained the celebrated victory of Las Piedras. This victory delivered the whole Banda Oriental, except the fortress of Monte Video itself, into the hands of the patriots; for at almost the same moment Benavides took Colonia. Foiled in his formal proposals for an armistice, both by the Junta and by the army, the thwarted but energetic viceroy was obliged to shut himself up within his fortress. There, while closely confined within his walls, he made his preparations for warlike aggression. His position was alike disheartening to the soldier, and humiliating to the viceroy, seeing that his appointment as such gave him delegated dominion over one-fourth of South America. But now his last and only strong hold was about to be attacked; for after a spirited proclamation to the troops, from head-quarters at Miguelete (distant from the fortress about three miles), Rondeau laid formal siege to Monte Video.

Your's, &c.

THE AUTHORS.

LETTER XXXII.

THE AUTHORs to General Miller.

Reinforcement from Chile-The British Consul, Robert Ponsonby Staples, Esquire-Casteli's operations in Peru-Abascal and Goyoneche-Casteli and Goyoneche-Belgrano and Goyoneche— Affair of Yuracoragua-Casteli's Defeat-Revolts in Oruro, and dispersion of the Army-Pueyrredon's Retreat admirably conducted-His Difficulties-The Account-His Retreat, continued -And concluded.

London, 1842.

As a reinforcement to Buenos Ayres, and as a proof of the cordiality of Chile, a small auxiliary legion crossed the Andes, and marching over the Pampas, entered the city covered with dust, and overcome with fatigue; but amid merry peals of bells, firing of cannon, and the most kind and hospitable reception from the natives. In mitigation of one of the hardships of war, an exchange of prisoners was effected between Elio and Rondeau. The former having endeavoured to implicate the gallant Captain Heywood, of the Nereus frigate, as a partisan, aiding and abetting the cause of the

THE BRITISH CONSUL.

137

patriots, or feigning to do so, the British officer indignantly repelled the charge. While he maintained

on the station the strictest neutrality, he yet showed Elio that neither British interests nor British principles were to be attacked by him with impunity. The viceroy had now no Elliot to deal with. Admiral De Courcy had insisted, on the ground of our alliance with Spain, and pending negociations for the pacification of the colonies, that our commerce, ships, and subjects should be unmolested; and Elio, first by Ramsay in his invisible schooner, and next by Heywood in his stout frigate, was, ere long, taught that a British admiral's orders were not given to be disobeyed.

In order to separate a little between the naval and diplomatic duties of the station, Mr. Staples, after having for some time been tolerated, but not recognized by our government as English consul at Buenos Ayres, was now formally gazetted in that capacity. De facto, however, a British frigate always carried with the new governments greater weight than consular interference; and the merchants, confiding more in our floating batteries than in our diplomatic appointments, grudged the supplies necessary to support the latter.

138

ABASCAL AND GOYENECHE.

Taking now a glance at the operations in Peru, we find that the High Commissioner Casteli, invested with powers which he calls "unlimited," had pushed on as far as La Paz. He had under him, as commander-in-chief of the Buenos Ayres forces, Brigadier-General Don Ramon Balcarce. The obstacles to his advance to this northernmost boundary of Upper Peru, had been removed by the generals who preceded him, and by the rising of other provinces, as well as that of Cochabamba. These events facilitated the supplies required for his army, and the enlistment of recruits, by which it was strengthened and augmented.

Abascal was at this time (1811) viceroy of Lima; and Goyeneche, (a staunch royalist, although a native of Arequipa,) was in command of the forces opposed to the army of Balcarce, called "the Auxiliary Army of Peru." There were about four thousand men on each side; the headquarters of Goyeneche were at the Desaguadero,— those of Balcarce, which were at La Paz on the 17th of April, were moved forward to Laja on the 13th of May.

The former, either meditating a general move