The Sun.
London, England, 1824-07-09 00:00:00

P E a U.

The following is an important summary of the
political events which had occurred in Peru and
Chili, down to the Ist of March :

" BuElros Aarnrs, APRIL 23.—Nothing can well be
fancied more intricate and perplexing than the present state of
affairs in Peru. Every month, for the last half year, has
presented the struggle under a new aspect to us ; and so
many difficulties have progressively sprung up to both of
the contending parties (the Royalists and the Patriots), that
it is almost impossible to make up one's mind as to which
of them has most disadvantages to contend with, and ob-
struct their, way to the ultimate objects which they have
respectively in view. The affairs of the Patriots were,
perhaps, at their lowest just before Bolivar's arrival at
Lima. Two parties, among themselves, were struggling for the
supremacy, and the finances of the country were wretchedly '
low. Bolivar succeeded in destroying the ex-President Riva
Aguero's party, and in restoring something like unanimity to
the councils of the Limanians. received reinforcements
from Colombia, and contrived to raise some money, with which
he undertook to open the campaign against La Serna and Can.
terac, the leaders of the Royalists. To these men, Riva Ague..
ro, while yet in arms against the authorities of Lima, had made
overtures for an arrangement by which they might come into
command as the heads of an Independent Government ; and
it would seem these Chiefs were not disinclined to throw
off their allegiance to Spain, and maintain their power in
Peru; neither, it appears, was Bolivar averse to La Serna
and Canterac being placed at the head of affairs, provided
they declared the absolute independence of the country of
Spain.
some reason to hope a negociation may take place. Bolivar
asks for nothing but a declaration of Independence, and is
willing to withdraw his troops, if required. But before such a
negotiation could be carried into effect, Canterac appears to have
got intelligence of a squadron coming to assist him from Spain,
and there the matter dropped. Great distress continued to be
felt by the Government (of' which Torre Tagle was the head)
at Lima, in consequence of the shattered state of public re-
sources ; hut at the same time Bolivar continued to collect his
forces at Patavilia, his head-quarters, and our last accounts
left him there with about 11,000 men, well disciplined, and
ready to march against Camerae.
" But a scandalous transaction in the mean while changed
the state of affitirs at Lima itself; a. black regiments consisting
of 1,200 men, Buenos-Ayreen troops in the Peruvian service,
had long been neglected in their pay, and the officers, it is
said, appropriated to themselves the monies intended for the
privates. The regiment was marched into Callao to garrison
the place, and on the 3d of February the men and non-com.
missioned officers rose cu mane, secured their officers, and the
Governor of the Castle, and thus got complete possession of the
fort. The mutineers were beaded by a serjeant of their own
corps, and their first demand of the Government of Lima was
for 100,000 dollars in money, and vessels to convey them to
Buenos Ay/es. This was refused ; a negociation was attempted,
but failed; and the insurgents having liberated about 10 Spanish
Officers, a Cal. Casa-Riego took the command, and the Spanish
flag was hoisted at the forts on the 11th of February. All ves-
sels were prohibited from leaving the port, and one or two that
escaped during the night were fired at incessantly until without
reach of the batteries. In the mean time British goods were al-
lowed to be embarked from Callao, on playing a small duty to
Casa-Riego, though considerable pillage took place, and British
vessels remained under the protection of his Majesty's ship Fly
in the harbour. The Royalist General Itodil being at Yea, no
great distance from Lima, Cara-Riego sent him a dispatch in-
forming him of what had taken place. From Lima, Bolivar
was also made acquainted with it; but the probable occupation
of Lime by the Royalists was not considered of sufficient mo.
ment by him to induce him to alter the plan of his campaign,
and he therefore declined going down to the capital. On the
other
rhand
from J 'Radaatig
having
a, been joined by General Monet, with
2,0 men lie marched on Callao and Lima, and
took possession of both on the 27th February, and our accounts
left on the following day. Previously to this, Admiral Guise,
of the Patriotic frigate La Prueba, who was blockading Callao,
made a gallant attack on the Venganza and another vessel of
war in the port, and in the hands of the insurgents, and he sire-
ceeded in entirely destroying both. expected to meet
with a friendly reception front the Spanish Chiefs, and had no
idea they would in any way molest the British residents or their
property. General Canterac was expected at Lima.
From Chili they wrote me, 30th of March, thus This
event is not considered as likely to operate much in favour of the
Royalist cause ultimately, for, to retain possession of the castles,
they must weaken their main force ; and the fate of the country
will not be decided by who has possession of Lima, but by a
general engagement. Many speculations are afloat as to when
this may take place, and sanguine expectations are entertained
as to the result, from the very respectable force Bolivar has
now at his disposal, and from his talents as a leader. On the
21st or 22d ,February, Congress was dissolved, Torre Tagledeposed, deposed, and Bolivar named Dictator. Bolivar has been pro.
claimed Dictator; Torre Tagle appears as if he meant to remain,
notwithstanding the approach of the Spaniards ' • at any rate,
his family moves not. Bereedoago, Secretary of Finance, is
confined to his bed to-day, and a good many of the Congress are
also remaining. This appears like a defection from the cause.
Captain Martin, of the My, in answer to a note from Admiral
Guise, intimating a blockade of tlie coast of I'cru, refuses to
sanction the nominal blockade of' any port, as he can consider
none In such ,t a state which has not a vessel of' war at its en-
and a dispatch from the Spanish Ge.
Commander of the Spanish privateer on the
racialtranc e
Radii
r ta o the
rp ne ;
coast, orders him to respect all American and English merchant
vessels, such being the will of the Viceroy
..1,4a Scene.'
" Such are the details of our last
,advices from Lima, and so
far they are more favourable to the Royalists than to the Pa.
triots. But, on the other hand, we have late accounts overland
train Upper Peru, which entirely change the face of the royalist
afildra. The internal divisions which formerly raged among
S
the Patriots, now appear to be in full play among their enemies.
La Serna' Canterac, and Valdez, the great pa
h Constitutionalists. Olaneta, the Comander of the
Spanish forces in Potosi, and who has the entire away of Upper
Peru, is a bigotted adherent •of Ferdinand the absolute.—
ilish leaders, are
all staunc, m
The three former•deposed of their own authority the late Vice.
ray Pezoelo, as a servile, and they have not the slightest rea-
son to hope for favour, from the Government of Spain as
now constituted. Olaneta, Inferior in force to the Constitutional
Chiefs, acted with them till he received accoun is of the final dis-
comfiture of the Constitutionalists in Spain, and then, throwing
of the mask, he proclaimed the King and the Catholic religion,
denounced the others as rebelai accused them of having kept
back the King's Commiesione nominating him to the Vice.
royalty; and promised to crush them altogether, and, restore
the land to Ferdinand. This bravado is contained in a pro-
clamation issued by Olaneta, at Potosi, anal republished here;
and private accounts -state, that he is making exertions to op.
pose La Serna and' Canterac, in consequence of which he had
upwards of 3,000 men in arms, and all the country favourable
to him. It is further averred, that Valdez, the revolution..
ist, was at Oruro, preparing, to march against Olaneta, and
that our next accounts must bring us the detail of sonic general
action. Though there is no doubt of the fact of this, division
among the Spanish Commander, it is to be observed, that we
cannot entirely rely on the details which we receive from the
interior, as we get them through the parties interested. The two
ships of war, Asia and Achilles, going round the Horn, from
Spain, will of course be on the King's side in this dispute, and
tend accordingly farther to embarass La Serna and Camerae in
in their operations. On the whole, it is not improbable that the
ancient regime being restored in Spain, and the Constitutional
leaders in Peru so compromised as to leave them no hope of
pardon 'from Ferdinand, that they may be precipitated into the
measure of acknowledging the independence of Peru. particu-
larly when we see they can make such good terms far them.
selves by so doing."

FOR THE SUN.

INEZ DE CASTRO.

MR. EDITOR—This celebrated and beautiful
lady, whose cruel and untimely end forms one
of the most interesting episodes in the Luciad of
Camoens, was the daughter of a noble Castilian,
named Don Pedro Fernandez de Castro. Her
family was illustrious, and even Monarchs them-
selves had courted its alliance. To the advan-
tages of elevated rank, Inez added the personal
attractions, and the gentle and amiable manners,
which rendered her the pride of her family, and
an object of admiration to all those who were ad-
mitted into her society.
In the year 1340, she accompanied into Por-
tugal the Infanta Constance, who was married to
Don Pedro, heir apparent to the throne of that
country. The heart of Pedro could not with.
stand the charms of Inez, and such was the vio-
lence of his passion, that upon the death of Con-
stance, which happened in 1345, he resolutely
refused the several alliances proposed to him by
his father, and turned a deaf ear to the exhorta-
tions and to the remonstrances of the Nobles,
who urged what advantages the Kingdom would
derive by his acquiesing with the wishes of the
King. At length, wearied with these importuni-
ties, he determined to take a decisive step. He
carried off Inez from Court, and after leaving
her for some time in the monastry of Santa Clara,
at Coimbra, he soon after took her to Braganza,
where, shutting his eyes to the possible conse-
quences of this act of disobedience to the will of
his father, he was privately married to her ; al-
though some of the historians who sought to
blacken the memory of this unfortunate lady,
have not scrupled to assert that no marriage ce-
remony was ever performed. This transaction
could not remain long a secret ; and the entire
devotion of Don Pedro to his young and lovely
bride excited the envy and jealousy of many of
the Portuguese Nobility. It was not, however,
so much the idea of having her for their Queen,
that rendered her obnoxious to these ambitious
men, as the dread lest her own family and con-
nections should become eventually the principal
favourites of the Monarch. This, however, they
scrupulously concealed, proclaiming that zeal for
the honour and welfare of their country alone in-
duced them to reprobate the attachment of their
Prince to a foreigner, who had employed her
charms to seduce him from his duty. It was these
hostile feelings of the Nobles towards her that
rendered un union which might have secured her
felicity, the cause of her cruel and untimely end.
—But upon her destruction, her enemies did not
fail to persuade the weak Monarch that nothing
short of the death of the hapless Ines could in.
sure the security of the State. How this could
possibly be the case, it was no easy matter to
discover; and this consideration, together with
the evident injustice of punishing, Inez, for the
fault of which his own son had been guilty, in-
duced the King to delay passing the final sen-
tence, which must at the same time doom a hap.
less female to death, and brand him with the
name of tyrant. But unable long to resist the
repeated importunities of his cruel advisers, he
at length consented to her death, and determin-
ed himself to see the unjust sentence carried into
effect ; for which purpose he repaired to Cohn-
braN with it
sooneri n n n a r
was
sd fhoer e
unfortunate Inez made ac-
quainted,hitmhattio she anticipated
his
she was agitated, are
tttbe foebjiei thatnewtgistiw brought‘avrhrciai
better conceived than described. Young and
beautiful, the wife of a Prince, the mother of
two lovely children, she could not but look with
terror at the dreadful fate which her enemies had
prepared for her; yet did sine determine to make
one decisive effort to move the compassion of the
father of her husband, and of tine grandfather of
her children. With a countenance which ex-
pressed all the ipward anguish and the terror of
her soul, and holding her innocent babes by the
hand, she awaited the approach of the King.
Then falling at his feet, with all the eloquence
Iwhich maternal affection, and the hprror of
death, could inspire, she protested her inno-
cence, exposed her hapless situation, and with
tears and sobs entreated for pardon and for
mercy.—The King could not witness this sight
without being moved ; compassion and pity en-
tered his soul ; he wept over her misfortunes ;
his relenting heart was about to pardon, when
the evil genius of Inez brought in, at this awful
moment of her fate, the whole force of her bar-
barous persecutors. Their hearts proved callous
to the affecting scene before them. They unani-
mously protested against the merciful disposition
of their Monarch; did not blush to declare that
the safety of the kingdom demanded the de-
struction of a young and hapless female, and
drawing their daggers, they pierced her bosom,
and laid her lifeless at their feet.—So atrocious
an act did not however remain long unpunished.
The mortal spoils of Inez were interred in tine
church of the monastry of Santa Clara ; but as
soon as Pedro had wended the throne, he imme-
diately proceeded to pay every possible honour
to the remains of his beloved wife, anti to punish
such of her barbarous murderers as had not elud-
ed his just vengeance. By his orders, the corpse
of Inez being disinterred, he put a crown of
gold upon her head, and having attired her in all
the trappings of royalty, he placed he. upon a
throne, and compelled all present to kiss her
hand, awl pay homage to their Queen. Then the
corpse was removed, with every possible magni-
ficence, from Coimbra to the royal monastry of
Aicobaca. Tine funeral procession was attended
by all the principal noblity and clergy of the
kingdom. The road for the space of 17 leagues
was tinned on both sides with men holding wax.
lights. When the royal corpse reached the mo-
nastery, the ceremony of kissing its hand was
again performed ; afterwards it was deposited in
a magnificent sepulchre, erected for the purpose
by Don Pedro. The murderers of Inez were

next put to death, am►dst tortures at which
humanity shudders; but such as an enragedahus-
band may be excused to inflict upon the assassins
of a beloved wife, and such as their own unre-
lenting barbarity may be said to have justly
merited. A. P.

„.* A tragedy on this interesting subject was
written many years ago by Dr. SYMMONS, trans-
la tor of THE IENEID, and presented to Drury.
lane Theatre, but declined, with a just acknow.
ledgement of its excellence, because of a supposed
resemblance of some of its incidents and charac.
ters to some occurrences and agents in the highest
walks of life at that time, though actually writ.
ten before those circumstances had happened.
Now, however, the tragedy would be a valuable
acquisition to the Stage.