THE SQUADRON TAKEN FROM ME--I
ACCEPT INVITATION FROM BRAZIL--LETTER TO THE SUPREME
DIRECTO--- SAN MARTIN QUITS CHILI--HIS
PRUDENCE--OPINION OF HIS AIDE-DE-CAMP--MINISTERIAL
NEGLECT--PERMISSION TO QUIT CHILI--LETTER TO GENERAL
FREIRE--FOR THE FIRST TIME MADE PUBLIC--LETTER TO
THE CAPTAINS AND OFFICERS--TO THE CHILIAN PEOPLE--TO
THE FOREIGN MERCHANTS--TO THE PRESIDENT OF PERU--SAN
MARTIN ACTUATED BY REVENGE--THIS SHEWN FROM HIS
LETTERS.
The event alluded to in the
last chapter was the arrival of an express
from the Brazilian Charge
d'Affaires at Buenos Ayres, with a request
from the Imperial Court at Rio
de Janeiro, to the effect that, as by my
exertions the Spaniards had
now been driven from the Pacific, I would
accept the command of the
Brazilian navy, for the purpose of expelling
the Portuguese, who still
maintained their hold upon the greater portion
of that side of the South
American Continent. As acquiescence in this
offer would relieve me from
the embarrassing situation in which I was
placed in Chili, I began
seriously to consider the expediency of
accepting it.
At this
juncture Freire commenced his march towards the
capital, at the
same time sending Captain
Casey to Valparaiso with an armed merchantman,
to ascertain the effect of his
last letter to me. Without coming to an
anchor, Captain Casey sent a
boat on board the O'Higgins to ascertain
my sentiments, but meeting
with a refusal to acquiesce in the
revolution, he again sailed.
The ministers, however, judging me by
themselves, and suspecting
that I was about to become a party to
General Freire's designs,
began to withdraw the ships from my command,
on the pretence of repairs or
converting them into store-ships, several
being thus taken from the
squadron. I was also ordered to place the
O'Higgins and Valdivia under
the charge of the Commandant of Marine,
to be repaired, and to make a
store-ship of the Lautaro, and being
thus deprived of the slightest
authority over them, I was now considered
as a sort of state prisoner;
but in pursuing this course, the little
schooner Montezuma, which I
had rescued from Peru, had been
overlooked, and on board of
her I hoisted my flag.
The
Galvarino was now sent to sea without my permission,
and without
an Englishman in her. The
Lautaro, the pretended store-ship, was also
being got ready for sea, when
I addressed the following note to Captain
Worcester, who commanded
her:--
Memo,
Having
received directions from the Supreme Government
to cause the Lautaro to be
placed as a store-ship, under the command
of the Governor, and observing
that the said order is in
process of violation by the
preparations making for sea; you are
hereby required and directed
to hoist my flag, and obey all such
orders as you shall receive
from me on the service of the State.
Given
under my hand this 8th day of January, 1823, on
board
the Montezuma.
COCHRANE.
Tired of
this heartless ingratitude, and disgusted with the
suspicion
that I was about to join
General Freire with the squadron--an idea which
could only have arisen from
the expectation that I should thus resent
the injuries inflicted on
me--I resolved to accept the invitation from
His Majesty the Emperor of
Brazil, leaving all which the Chilian
Government owed me to the
honour of a juster and more enlightened
administration. Accordingly I
addressed to the Supreme Director the
following letter:--
Valparaiso, Jan. 8, 1822.
Most Excellent Sir,
The
difficulties which I have experienced in
accomplishing
the naval enterprizes
successfully achieved during the
period of my command as
Admiral of Chili, have not been effected
without responsibility such as
I would scarcely again undertake, not
because I would hesitate to
make any personal sacrifice in a cause
of so much interest, but
because even these favourable results have
led to the total alienation of
the sympathies of meritorious officers,
--whose co-operation was
indispensable,--in consequence of the
conduct of the Government.
That which
has made most impression on their minds has been,
not the privations they have
suffered, nor the withholding of their
pay and other dues, but the
absence of any public acknowledgment
by the Government of the
honours and distinctions promised for
their fidelity and constancy
to Chili; especially at a time when no
temptation was withheld that
could induce them to abandon the
cause of Chili for the service
of the Protector of Peru; even since
that time, though there was no
want of means or knowledge of
facts on the part of the
Chilian Government, it has submitted itself
to the influence of the agents
of an individual whose power having
ceased in Peru, has been again
resumed in Chili.
The effect
of this on me is so keenly sensible that I cannot
trust
myself in words to express my
personal feelings. Desiring, as I
do, to extenuate rather than
accuse, nothing shall enter into a
narrative of these
circumstances which is not capable of undeniable
proof.
Whatever I
have recommended or asked for the good of the
naval service has been scouted
or denied, though acquiescence
would have placed Chili in the
first rank of maritime States in this
quarter of the globe. My
requisitions and suggestions were founded
on the practice of the first
naval service in the world--that of
England; they have, however,
met with no consideration, as
though their object had been
directed to my own personal benefit.
Until now
I have never eaten the bread of idleness. I cannot
reconcile to my mind a state
of inactivity which might even now
impose upon the Chilian
Republic an annual pension for past
services; especially as an
Admiral of Peru is actually in command
of a portion of the Chilian
squadron, whilst other vessels are sent to
sea without the orders under
which they act being communicated
to me, and are despatched by
the Supreme Government through
the instrumentality of the
Governor of Valparaiso (Zenteno.) I
mention these circumstances
incidentally as having confirmed me
in the resolution to withdraw
myself from Chili for a time; asking
nothing for myself during my
absence; whilst as regards the sums
owing to me, I forbear to
press for their payment till the Government
shall be more freed from its
difficulties. I have complied
with all that my public duty
demanded, and if I have not been able
to accomplish more, the
deficiency has arisen from circumstances
beyond my control--at any
rate, having the world still before me,
I hope to prove that it is not
owing to me.
I have
received proposals from Mexico, from Brazil, and
from an
European state, but have not
as yet accepted any of these offers.
Nevertheless, the active
habits of my life do not permit me to refuse
my services to those labouring
under oppression, as Chili was before
the annihilation of the
Spanish naval force in the Pacific. In this
I am prepared to justify
whatever course I may pursue. In thus
taking leave of Chili, I do so
with sentiments of deep regret that I
have not been suffered to be
more useful to the cause of liberty,
and that I am compelled to
separate myself from individuals with
whom I hoped to have lived for
a long period, "without violating
such sentiments of honour as,
were they broken, would render me
odious to myself and
despicable in their eyes."
Until this
day I have abstained from pressing upon your
Excellency's
attention my reply to the
infamous accusations presented
against me by the agents of
San Martin--knowing that your
Excellency had more urgent
objects to attend to. Nevertheless, I
now beg your Excellency's
consideration of this matter, in order
that--as has been the case in
Peru--these falsehoods may be
rendered manifest--as well as
the despicable character of that man
who falsely arrogated to
himself the attributes of a General and a
Legislator, though destitute
of courage or legislative knowledge--the
substitution for which was
duplicity and cunning.
(Signed)
COCHRANE.
Foiled in
getting one of the ships of the squadron, wherein to
escape
from the impending storm, San
Martin remained in Santiago till the
beginning of January, 1823,
when finding matters in Chili becoming
dangerous to his safety, he
crossed the Cordillera to Mendoza, and from
thence went to Europe to avoid
reprobation in retirement.
Throughout
this narrative I have been careful that San Martin's
proceedings should be shown
from his own acts and letters, there not
being in this volume one which
has not been published in the gazettes of
Chili and Peru, or of which
the originals are not now in my possession.
Of the latter, I could
communicate San Martin's letters to me by dozens,
and had I so far trespassed on
the patience of the reader, his acts
would have appeared in a yet
more invidious light. What have been given
are strictly relative to
public transactions, and belong to the people
of Chili as part of their
national history, which, rather than any
defence of my own
conduct--which was never brought in question by the
Chilian Government--is my
chief reason for now making them public.
There may
be, however, some who think that I have mistaken
General San
Martin's prudence in not
approaching Lima when every advantage was
before him--for a worse
quality, which until my letter to the Supreme
Director O'Higgins, just
quoted, I had never publicly attributed to him,
though, in the estimation of
every officer of the army and squadron,
richly deserving it. It will
be in the recollection of the reader, that
instead of marching on Lima,
he wasted nearly two months at Haura, and
that from the pestilential
character of the climate, a fearful amount of
sickness amongst the troops
was the consequence. I will here give a
letter to me from his
Aide-de-camp Paroissien, who was subsequently
employed by San Martin to
promulgate his infamous accusations against
me, when he had no longer any
hope of securing my co-operation;
premising that in my ardour to
get the army at once to Lima, and
unsuspicious at that time of
San Martin's secret designs, I had laid
Paroissien a wager that by a
given day we should be in the Peruvian
capital; the Aide-de-camp
being a better judge of his chief than I
was, accepted the wager, and
as a matter of course, won it.
Haura, 10
April, 1821
My dear Lord,
With what
pleasure would I lose twenty bets like that
which I have unfortunately won
of you, if you could but tell me
that I should be the loser.
Nay more, I will lay you the same
wager now, that in another
three weeks we shall not get to the
little room over the great
entrance of the Palaccio. I have received
this afternoon a fine fat
turtle; and egad, if I thought I should
lose, I would fatten him up
all the more--but, alas! I fear we shall
have to calipee and calipash
it in Haura; however, the bustle that has
lately prevailed seems to
indicate some movement; and those of us
who are well, are ready to
march at an hour's notice--but of course
you are infinitely better
acquainted with these things than I am.
Still, I think that were we
more active and enterprising, a great deal
might he done, particularly
with our cavalry--whose swords for want
of use are getting rusty. If
we do not make a push now, God knows
when we shall do so.
* * * * *
The
General appears desirous of striking a blow against
Baldez.
It may be right---and I dare
say it is; but I should rather we had a
touch against the Capital.
Thank God we are about to do something.
Yours very truly,
PAROISSIEN.
The reader
will have gathered from the narrative, that San
Martin struck
no blow anywhere, even
hesitating to enter Lima when no blow was
required to be struck. His
Aide-de-camp's view of the matter can
hardly be mistaken.
It is not
a little remarkable, that in a letter addressed to
the Supreme
Director, before sailing on
the liberating expedition to Peru, I should
have, from the first,
correctly estimated San Martin's character in
persisting not to make any
military movement without an unnecessary
force to ensure his personal
safety, though our recent victory at
Valdivia with a force of 350
men only, could not have given him any very
great idea of the difficulties
to be encountered. As this letter was
omitted in its place, I will
here transcribe it.
May 4,
1820.
Most excellent Sir,
Finding
that all the measures proposed in the
expedition to Peru are made
public--that all that is decided on
to-day is contradicted
to-morrow--that no system is followed, either
in regard to naval or state
matters, which can promote your
interest--that mischievous
delays of all kinds are opposed to the
success of an enterprise,
which your Excellency is desirous of promoting
--that the expedition of 2,000
men (abundantly sufficient),
was not to be delayed on any
pretence, but that it has been delayed
in order to increase it to
4,000--and that even now it is kept back,
in order to ascertain the
position and force of the enemy at Callao,
of which we know just as much
now as we should when the
Montezuma may return, some
forty days hence, after an investigation
to no purpose--in short,
finding that everything stipulated and
agreed upon has been deviated
from. I am desirous to give up the
command of the squadron to
whoever may enjoy the confidence of
your Excellency; which act
will, I hope, add to your tranquillity,
by relieving you from my
opinions in regard to what ought to be
done, but has not been
done--and to that which could be effected,
but has not even been
attempted.
I have
abstained from sending the Montezuma on a
meaningless
voyage of forty days to
Callao, till I receive your Excellency's
definitive
commands--considering that the despatch of that
vessel
is not only useless, but a
pretext for delay, and is calculated to
frustrate all that your
Excellency has in contemplation. Would that
you could yourself note the
palpable treachery which prevents anything
of importance being collected
for the expedition--I say palpable
treason--as not a single
article necessary has yet been procured.
Can your
Excellency believe, that only one vessel is in the
hands
of the contractor; and even
she is not prepared for sea? Will you
believe that the only
provisions that the contractor's agent has in
hand is twenty-one days'
rations of bread, and six days' of salt meat,
whilst to my query whether he
had any charqui ready, his reply
was, "There is plenty in the
country." Will your Excellence
believe that there are only
120 water casks ready for 4,000 troops
and the crews of the squadron?
Your
Excellency may be assured that only your interest
and that
of the State could induce me
to utter these opinions; but, in order
to convince you that I have no
wish to abandon the service, if my
continuance in it can be of
any use--my only wish being to avoid
becoming the butt of disasters
after their occurrence--I now offer
to give up the command of the
squadron, and to accept in lieu
thereof, the command of the
four armed prizes taken by the
O'Higgins in the last cruise,
and with 1,000 troops selected by
myself, to accomplish all that
is expected from the 4,000 troops
and the squadron; the former
being a manageable force, capable of
defeating all the defensive
measures of the enemy--whilst the latter,
solely under military command,
will not only be unmanageable for
desultory operations, but,
from its unhandiness, will paralyse naval
movements.
Lastly, I
must repeat to your Excellency that the inviolable
secresy of determinations and
the rapidity of operations under
present circumstances, are the
only security for the prosperity of
the Chilian Government and the
hoped-for liberty of Peru. If
those are to be set at nought,
I hereby again place at your Excellency's
disposal the commission with
which I have been honoured,
in order that you may be
convinced of my having no other object
than to serve your Excellency
in every way compatible with honour.
I have the honour, &c.
COCHRANE.
To his
Excellency the Supreme Director, &c. &c.
To return
to my, now in reality, approaching departure from
Chili. The
request to be permitted to
retire for a time from the service, was
promptly complied with, and no
doubt gladly so, from the belief of the
Government that I might
otherwise ally myself with General Freire,
though, that I had no such
intention, the annexed reply to his
communications--made shortly
after I had left Chili, and when he had
succeeded in overthrowing the
Government of General O'Higgins--will
shew.
Bahia,
June 21, 1823.
My respected Friend,
It would give me great
pleasure to learn that the
change which has been effected
in the Government of Chili proves
alike conducive to your
happiness and to the interests of the State.
For my own part--like
yourself--I suffered so long and so much,
that I could not bear the
neglect and double dealing of those in
power any longer, but adopted
other means of freeing myself from an
unpleasant situation.
Not being
under those imperious obligations which, as a native
Chileno, rendered it incumbent
on you to rescue your country from
the mischiefs with which it
was assailed by the scandalous measures
of some of those who were
unhappily in the confidence of the late
Supreme Director, I could not
accept your offers. My heart was
with you in the measures you
adopted for their removal; and my
hand was only restrained by a
conviction that my interference, as a
foreigner, in the internal
affairs of the State, would not only have
been improper in itself, but
would have tended to shake that confidence
in my undeviating rectitude
which it was my ambition that
the people of Chili should
ever justly entertain. Indeed, before I
was favoured with your
communications, I had resolved to leave the
country, at least for a time,
and return to England, but accident so
ordered it that at the very
moment I was preparing to execute this
intention, I received an offer
from the Emperor of Brazil to
command his navy, and
conditionally accepted it.
Brazil has
one great advantage over other South American
States,
it is free from all question
as to the authority of its Chief, who has
nothing to fear from the
rivalry to which those elevated to power
are so frequently subject. I
pray God that this may not be your
case. The command of the army
will enable you to accomplish
great things without jealousy,
but the possession of the Supreme
power of the State will hardly
fail to excite the envy of the selfish
and ambitious to a degree that
may operate to the destruction of
your expectations of doing
good, and to the injury of the cause in
which you have embarked.
Permit me
to add my opinion, that whoever may possess the
Supreme authority in Chili--until
after the present generation,
educated as it has been under
the Spanish colonial yoke, shall have
passed away, will have to
contend with so much error, and so many
prejudices, as to be
disappointed in his utmost endeavours to pursue
steadily the course best
calculated to promote the freedom and
happiness of the people. I
admire the middle and lower classes of
Chili, but I have ever found
the Senate, the Ministers, and the
Convention, actuated by the
narrowest policy, which led them to
adopt the worst measures. It
is my earnest wish that you may
find better men to co-operate
with you; if so, you may be fortunate,
and may succeed in what you
have most at heart--the promotion of
your country's good.
Believe me
that I am--with gratitude for the disinterested and
generous manner in which you
have always acted towards me--
your unshaken and faithful
friend,
COCHRANE.
To His
Excellency Don Ramon Freire,
Supreme Director of Chili, &c.
This
letter has never before seen the light, and I here
make it public,
in order to show that the
Government of General O'Higgins had nothing to
fear, even from its
ingratitude to me; my only desire being to escape
from it, even at the cost of
leaving behind the whole amount due to my
services, none of which was
conceded.
Previous
to my departure, I addressed the following letter to
the
squadron:--
To the
Captains and Officers generally of the Chilian Navy,
Gentlemen,
As I am
now about to take my leave of you, at least
for a time, I cannot refrain
from expressing my satisfaction at the
cheerful manner in which the
service has been carried on, the
unanimity which has prevailed,
and the zeal which, on all trying
occasions, you have shown.
These have compensated me for the
difficulties with which I have
had to contend, and which I am
confident have been such as
never before presented themselves in
any service. Your patience and
perseverance under privations of
all kinds were such as Chili
had no right to expect, and such as no
other country would have
demanded, even from its own native
subjects. In all maritime
states the strictest attention is paid to
the necessities of officers
and men--regularity of pay and adequate
reward for services are deemed
necessary as excitements to perseverance,
and the achievement of
effective and heroic exploits--but
your exertions and
achievements have been made independently of
any such inducements.
Gentlemen,
by our united exertions, the naval power of the
enemy of these seas, though
superior to our own, has been annihilated,
and the commerce of the
Pacific is everywhere carried on in security
under the protection of the
independent flag of Chili. To me it is
highly gratifying to reflect,
that these services have not been sullied
by any act of illegality or
impropriety on your part; and that, while
you have asserted the rights
of Chili, and maintained and confirmed
her independence, you have so
conducted yourselves, as uniformly
to preserve the strictest
harmony and good fellowship with the
officers of the ships of war
of all neutral states. The services you
have rendered to Chili will,
however, be better appreciated at a
future period, when the
passions which now actuate individuals
shall have ceased to influence
those in power, and when your
honourable motives shall no
longer be felt as a reproach by those
whose selfishness has withheld
the reward of your fidelity, and
whose jealousy has denied you
even the official expression of public
approbation.
Gentlemen,
the best approbation is that of your own hearts--of
that, none can deprive you.
However, if it be any satisfaction to
you to receive my assurance
that your conduct has, on all occasions,
merited my warmest applause, I
can say with perfect truth that I
have great pleasure in
rendering you that assurance, and in conveying
to you my heartfelt thanks for
your uniform cordial and
efficient co-operation in the
cause in which we have been engaged.
Towards
the brave seamen under my command I entertain
similar
sentiments, which you will
oblige me by communicating to them in
terms most gratifying to their
feelings.
In taking
my leave of you and them, I have only to add, that
if I
have not been able to evince
my gratitude so fully as I ought, it has
not been owing to any
deficiency of zeal, but to circumstances over
which I had no control.
I remain, Gentlemen,
Your grateful and faithful
friend and servant,
COCHRANE.
Jan. 18th, 1823.
On my
acceptance of the Brazilian command becoming known,
several highly
meritorious officers begged to
accompany me--giving up, like myself, all
present hope of adequate
payment for their services. Knowing that in
Brazil--as had been the case
in Chili--it would be necessary to organize
a navy, I gladly complied with
the requisition; so that neither then,
nor afterwards, did they
receive from Chili any recompense for their
unparalleled bravery and
perseverance in the cause of independence.
To the
people of Chili--amongst whom, disgusted with the
treatment I had
received at home, I had once
hoped to spend the remainder of my days in
the bosom of my family--I
issued the following address:--
Chilenos--My
fellow Countrymen!
The common
enemy of America has fallen in Chili.
Your tricoloured flag waves on
the Pacific, secured by your sacrifices.
Some internal commotions
agitate Chili. It is not my
business to investigate their
causes, to accelerate or retard their
effects; I can only wish that
the result may be favourable to the
national interest.
Chilenos.
You have expelled from your country the enemies of
your independence, do not
sully the glorious act by encouraging
discord and promoting
anarchy--that greatest of all evils. Consult
the dignity to which your
heroism has raised you, and if you must
take any step to secure your
national liberty--judge for yourselves--act
with prudence--and be guided
by reason and justice.
It is now
four years since the sacred cause of your
independence
called me to Chili. I assisted
you to gain it. I have seen it
accomplished. It only remains
to preserve it. I leave you for a
time, in order not to involve
myself in matters foreign to my duties,
and for other reasons,
concerning which I now remain silent, that I
may not encourage party
spirit.
Chilenos.
You know that independence is purchased at the
point of the bayonet. Know
also, that liberty is founded on good
faith, and on the laws of
honour, and that those who infringe upon
these, are your only enemies,
amongst whom you will never find
COCHRANE.
Quintero, Jan. 4th, 1823.
On the
same day I issued another address to the English and
other
merchants at Valparaiso who at
the outset had given me every confidence
and assistance,
but--notwithstanding the protection imparted by the
squadron to their legitimate
commerce, the minds of some had become
alienated because I would not
permit illegitimate trading at which the
corrupt ministers not only
connived, but for their own individual
profit, encouraged,--by
granting licences to supply the enemy, even to
contraband of war. In the
subjoined, allusion is made to this matter--
To the
Merchants of Valparaiso.
Gentlemen,
I cannot quit this country
without expressing to
you the heartfelt satisfaction
which I experience on account of the
extension which has been given
to your commerce, by laying open
to all the trade of these vast
provinces, to which Spain formerly
asserted an exclusive right.
The squadron which maintained the
monopoly has disappeared from
the face of the ocean, and the flag
of Independent South America
waves everywhere triumphant, protecting
that intercourse between
nations which is the source of
riches, power, and happiness.
If, for
the furtherance of this great object, some
restraints were
imposed, they were no other
than those sanctioned by the practice
of all civilized states: and
though they may have affected the
immediate interests of a few
who were desirous to avail themselves of
accidental circumstances
presented during the contest, it is a
gratification to know that
such interests were only postponed for the
general good. Should there,
however, be any who conceive themselves
aggrieved by my conduct. I
have to request them to make known
their complaints, in order
that I may have an opportunity of particular
reply.
I trust
that you will do me the justice to believe that I
have not
determined to withdraw myself
from these seas, whilst anything
remained within my means to
accomplish for your benefit and
security.
I have the honour to be,
gentlemen,
Your faithful humble servant,
COCHRANE.
Quintero, Chili, Jan. 4, 1823.
Though I
remained in Chili a fortnight after the date of this
letter,
not a complaint of any kind
was forwarded from the merchants; indeed,
considering the protection
which the squadron had afforded to their
existing commerce, and the
facilities which it had given for extending
it, I had no reason to suppose
that any complaint would be made.
The above
addresses were printed by a lithographic press in my
house at
Quintero, this being the first
introduced into the Pacific States. I had
sent for this press from
England, together with other social
improvements, and a number of
agricultural implements, hoping thereby,
though at my own expense, to
give an impetus to industry in Chili. All
this was, however, frustrated,
and the mortification was not a little
enhanced by the circumstance
that, whilst turning printer for the nonce,
there lay opposite my house at
Quintero one of our best prizes, the
Aguila, a wreck, tenanted only
by shell-fish--she having gone ashore
whilst waiting the decision of
the Chilian Government, previous to being
sold for the benefit of her
captors!
As the
Chilian Government refused to permit my refutation
of San
Martin's charges against me in
a way as public as they had been
promulgated, I addressed the
following note to the Peruvian congress,
together with a copy of the
refutation:--
To His
Excellency the President of the Congress of Peru.
Sir,
I have the honour to transmit
through you to the Sovereign
Congress a copy of a letter
addressed by me to Don Jose de San
Martin, translations of which
I have forwarded to Europe and to
North America, to be issued to
the world through the press.
Mankind will then cease to
accuse the Peruvians of ingratitude,
and will do longer wonder that
an Imperial Crown was withheld
from the Protector as the
reward of labours in the cause of liberty,
but will applaud your
resolution to select from amongst yourselves
the most enlightened of your
citizens--men capable of securing the
independence and promoting the
prosperity of the State on principles
of national freedom under the
rule of law.
Be pleased
to solicit in my name that the Sovereign Congress
may deign to deposit in their
archives that letter and the charges
against me thereto annexed,
which were preferred by Don Jose de
San Martin to the Chilian
Government relative to my conduct in
Peru, in order that a record
may remain whereby to judge of facts
when the actors shall have
passed from this scene. Then the even
hand of time shall poise the
scale of justice, apportioning to all the
due measure of approbation or
reproach.
That the
acts of the Sovereign Congress and of the Executive
Government of Peru may be such
as shall call forth the admiration
and secure the affections of
its people, is the prayer of
Your Excellency's obedient
humble Servant,
COCHRANE.
Valparaiso, Dec. 12, 1822.
One word
more with regard to these accusations of San Martin.
It was not
till all his offers to me to
abandon my allegiance to Chili, and to join
him in his defection had
proved unavailing, that he sought to revenge
himself by such charges, well
knowing that Zenteno and his party in the
Chilian ministry would second
any chance of injuring me in public
estimation from their
unabating personal enmity to me, arising from my
constant opposition to their
selfish measures for private advantage.
Into these matters I have no
inclination to enter, though possessing
abundant materials for
disclosing a career of state dishonesty without
parallel in the history of
Governments.
Up to the
time of my last refusal of San Martin's offers, made
through
Monteagudo, everything was "couleur
de rose"--with all kinds of
declarations that "my lot
should be equal to his own"--though, thank
God, my lot has been of a far
different nature. It was within a week of
my last refusal that his
charges against me were trumped up. I will
select one more from his
numerous letters now in my possession, to show
that nothing but revenge at
being disappointed in my co-operation to
ensure his personal
aggrandisement, could have influenced him to
perpetrate such an act of
meanness.
Lima, 20
Aug., 1821.
My
esteemed friend,
Your
appreciated letter, received yesterday, has
convinced
me that the frankness of your
sentiments is only equalled by
the regard you entertain for
the public cause--especially as to
matters under my charge. I
cannot view the counsel and opinions
you offer, otherwise than as
proof of the zeal you entertain for my
interests. Aware of the
estimation in which you hold glorious
acts, I cannot do otherwise
than sympathize with you, as you desire
that I shall augment those I
have acquired. Without entertaining
a doubt that I shall
contribute effectually in the field still open to
us--more particularly to you,
I wish that the enterprises in which
you evince so much zeal, did
not require so great temerity to carry
them out, and such enthusiasm
to bring them to a successful result.
Believe me, my Lord, that
nothing will make me swerve from the
determination that the lot of
Lord Cochrane shall be that of Gen.
San Martin.
I hope
that in your correspondence with Sir Thos. Hardy,
all
difficulties will be smoothed in a manner
satisfactory to both. I
understand that he is desirous
to accord to our flag all that justice
demands and the policy of
England will permit. On these points I
confide in your prudence.
Never
doubt, my Lord, of the sincere friendship with which
I am
your affectionate
JOSE DE
SAN MARTIN.
It is so
utterly incredible that a man entertaining such
opinions of me
should believe in the charges
he afterwards made against me, with
regard to acts occurring long
previous to this period, even to accusing
me of "endangering the safety
of the squadron from the first moment of
our quitting Valparaiso," that
I will not weary the reader's patience in
commenting further upon them.