Star.
London, England, 1824-09-25 00:00:00

J

friends of liberty, which would be more powerful than
song places or disciplined troops. One of his first
objects was to procure a suspension of hostilities be..
tween Spain and Peru; and for this purpose he pro-
pcsed a negotiation to General La Serna, which the
latter was obliged to decline. The harmony which
reigned between the President of the Republic and his
creators, the Congress, was so complete, that they soon
added to his first title that of Marshal of the Armies of
the Republic. The President and Marshal of the Armies,
immediately declared the coast occupied by the enemy'
in a state of blockade; and on the 23d of May dis-
patched from Callao an expedition of more than 5,000,
troops, composed entirely of Peruvians, against the
most southern districts of Peru occupied by the Spa-
niards. This expedition was to be joined by g,OOO menl
from Chile, and about the same number from Buenos,
Ayres. The remaining forces of the allied southern
Republics were to co-operate with those of Colombia in,
the centre, and all were to fall upon the enemy in their!
strong hold in the valley of Jauja, us soon as the dis-'
embarkation in the south had beeadifected. The Pre-!
sident had made other arrangements into which we',
have not space to enter. This expedition to the south
was commanded by General Santa Cruz, who had or-
ders, in case the forces of the Spaniards concentrated in
the Inteintedios, to disembark near Lima, and attack the
Spanish troops assembled in the valley of Jauja. This
plan of campaign appeared so good, that it was im-
po,sible to conceive its failure; but, strange to say, it
did fail: When the Pertivian force left Lima, this
capital was garrisoned by the allied troops, the greatest
part of which were Colombians, commanded by General
Sucre. Hence a lonurain of evils.
Ou the 23d of May, 1523, the Peruvian expedition!
set sail for Arica, the most southern part of Peru ; and
übont the middle of June, the Spanish force, in total,
disregard of the excellent plan laid for their complete,
orerthrow, advanced upon Lima, now nearly destitute
of troops, resolved to force a general engagement, or to'
disperse the new authorities. In this state of things, our
author, the l'reident, thought most opportunely of
saving the Congresa, their archives, and some of the
public property, by conveying them to the fortress of',
Callao. In a council of war, all the military chiefs!
:agreed in the propriety of this retreat. To Callio, ac-
cordingly, the Congress pre ceeded, under the protec-
til r of General Sucre, and the Colombian troops. Here
the disagreement between M. Riva Aguero, and his old
friends, the 'Members of Congress, commenced. Cooped
uii in a small inconvenient garrison town, and con-
demned to hear every day of the enemy's success, their
q rarrels would appear to have increased, directly as the
magnitude of their common danger, and inversely as
the importance of their subjects of contention. The
Gentlemen of Congress, either desirous to resume the
executive authority, of which they had divested them-
e ye. in favour of the President, enraged at the dis-
a ; eaable situation in which they were placed, or dis-
p ised to gratify a powerful neighbour, consulted about
depriving Riva Aguero of his military supremacy, and
conferring it upon the Colombian General Sucre. As
this is the proper time to introduce on the stage this body
of legislators, our author does it in due form, but with
no very respectful ceremonial.
• Congress, before it left Lima, was composed of 79 de-
puties; and only 33 of these had really been
.;lected by
the places which they pretended to represent. Forty-six
of the assembly were the Cure supplementary, and eected
in Lima, as the deputies of America to the Cortes of
Spain had formerly been elected in Cadiz. Among
these supplementary deputies, nine were Colombians,
four from the province of Buenos Ayres, and one from
Chile. These deputies enjoyed each ten dollars a day,
and are accused by our author of creating more numer-
ous !laces than those alrich existed under the Viceroy-
alty, to support their friends, or gratify their creatures.
This assembly, which had passed a decree in 1822,
banishing the Colombians from Peru, as dangerous to
Peruvian independence, n AR/ offered a decree for the
sanction of the President, appointing a Colombian com-
mander of their forces. The President at fist refaced
to sign this document, but afterwards consented to do
so under protest; he being then, as he declares, in the
power of a faction who clamoured for his deposition,
and even threatened his life.
On the 19th of June, the Congress, who found their
situation at Callao neither agreeable nor safe, passed a
Decree for transporting themselves and the Government
to Triadic; a town nearly 300 miles so the north of
Lima, and not far removed from the frontier of Colom-
bia. General Sucre, in this same decree, aas nomi-
nated Commander-in-Chief of the united forces. The
Ea-President likewise proceeded to Truxillo, but sepa-
rated, as he says, from the centre of operations, and
possessing no real authority, he could do i:otl,ing for the
independence of his country v, it hour dissolving the Con.:
gress by which he was in fret deposed. This he did
not hesitate to do after he had received offers of sup-
port from some of the Peruvian Military Officers. :Ic.
cordingly, on the I9th of July, lie issued au order, in
which, after telling the small body of legislators which
he calls the Fraction of a Congress (and which we would
call the rump), that he is answerable to Con and men
for the preset cation of public order, he declares them
dissolved, and deprived of all privileges which they
had usurped.
It would be needless to enter into the question of
Riva Aguero's motives for this conduct. He grounds
his justification on the fact, that the majority cf the De-
puties had never been elected to the trust which they
exercised, b./ the provinces in whose name they acted.
but was not this the same body which appointed him
Presideht ? and if so, was their title better in March than
when matured by the lapse of a whole summer of un-
disputed sway ? In the meantime, the traitor Tagle
was appointed to the command of the forces at Lima,
and Sucre proceeded on an expedition to the south..-
The Members of the dissolved Congress proceeded to.
Guayaquil, to invoke the assistance of General Bolivar
to settle tire divisions. That General accepted the in-
vitation, and set sail for Lima, where he was supported
by 6,000 troops, and was proclaimed Liberator of Peru.
Thus, in the beginning of September, 1824, we have a
President of the Peruvian Republic in Truxillo dissolv-
ing the Legislative Body ; a Commander-in-Chief in the
south, who held his appointment from that body ; and
a Liberator in Lima, declared Supreme Chief, with dic-
tatorial power, by the rump of the Congress which the
President had dissolved. Bolivar, before he was in-
vested with the supreme power, which took place on
the 10th of September, addressed the rival Chief in the
following striking letter, which has already been pub-
lished by us, but which our author does not allude to:

TO SENOR DON JOSE RIVA AGUERO.
" Lima, Sept. 4,1823.
deal frienit—lt is with infinite pain that I have to address

you on a matter the most unpleasant, indat the same time the most
momentous which can occur in the We of a pabile character.
It is unnecessary at this period to enter into an investigation
of the cause of difference between yourself and the Congress, or
even to analyze the character of it. The fact is, you are now at
oven war with the National Representation of your country. This.
Representative Assembly was convoked by the founder of its
liberty, and has been acknowledged by the public Authorities and
people of Peru. You yourself owed your elevation to the Presi-
dency to this Assembly. It is therefore beyond all doubt, that the
authority of a body elected by the nation can never be annulled by
any individual, of whatever rank he may be ; and much less by you,
who was one of the principal agents in the establishment of popular
representation, and to which, as President, you have solemnly taken
the oath of obedience. In fact, my friend, the principle, I believe,
does not admit of discussion : let us see what will be the result of
a line of conduct in opposition to it.
" Bonaparte in F.urope, and Iturbide in America, were the most
extraordinary men, each in his sphere, which modern history pre-
sents to the world. Although benefactors of their country, and
promoters of its national independence, they have.been unable to
escape ruin merely on account of heir political sacrilege in pro-
faning the temple of the laws and the sanctuary of social rights.
You to this have added the most scandalous outrage on the persons
of your Ministers. I think you cannot be insensible to the united
clamours of indignation excited amongst all classes of men at what
took place in Truxillo, and which, believe me, is the blackest stain
that bas sullied the revolution of America; consequently you can
expect nothing but maledictions in this country, and disapprobation
in Europe. I, notwithstanding, make you a tender of my friend-.
ship, and offer you aL the protection which my situation can afford.
If you are inclined to accept my good offices, Colonel Urdaneta and
Mr. Galdeano are authorized to accommodate matters with you, as
well as with those who are acting under you in this horrible affair.
" The ruin of Peru is inevitable should die acceptance of these
generous offers be delayed ; by your refusing them, you can expect
nothing but the slavery of your country, and your execration by
every American. Public opinion will be so decidedly expressed
against you, that not even in your own conscience will you be able
to find an asylum. That you or your partisans can ever rule in
Lima, is out of the question. One and all of us will become the
avengers of Peru ; nor, if the enemy again subjects your country to
the Spanish yoke, can you, even in this case, chtain what you aspire
after. Finally, rest assured, that no propitious fortune can alter the
principles of natural order which you have trampled upon, and this
affair will prove a source of remorse which will accompany you to
w the grave.

- - -
" Have the goodness, my dear friend, to pardon the frankness of
my exposition. Having been actuated by no unworthy personal
motive, but constituted the head of an independent State, I could
not, without failing in my duty, remain silent on the subject of your
conduct, which, at the present unhappy period, may produce incal-
culable mischief to America. On the other hand, I cannot forget
what you have done for America, and particularly for Peru, of
whose relica yoti were the saviour. DOI. IVA IL"
It was difficult with such elements of discord as two
sepseme chiefs and a divided army, to avoid a civil
war. This calamity appears to have been prevented by
an act of treachery on the part of Bolivar's friends, who
thought they had an excuse for their conduct in the ne-1
gociations which the Ex-President had opened with the;
Spanish General La Serna. Colonel Gutierrez de la I
Fnente, who had owed his appointment to Aguero, was 1
the Officer who apprehended him in Truxillo on the
25th of November last, having approached to within
two leagues of that city with his Regiment on the pre-
ceding
day, and having had a conference with the Ex- j
President about settling matters without a civil war.
We have not left ourselves room to describe the mode
in which our author was treated after his apprehension,
or the manner in which he was imprisoned at Guaya-
quil, and afterwards transported out of the country.
life declares, in conclusion, that he was a sincere friend
of Peru, that he entered into the revolution from a
sincere love of independence, and that be has not been
enriched by it, but has expended large sums in its
sctvice, besides enduring humiliations and outrages
which would have deterred any other man from the
cause.—Upon the whole, we cannot highly praise the
work of the Ex. President, either in point of talent or
taste. He never pursues a plain narrative for two pages
on end. He is always quoting letters or dispatches, in-
stead (as be ought to do) of giving a clear statement of
his own, and presuming on the faith of his readers, till
he contradicts himself, or is .contradicted by others.
His pedantry, too, is quite insiifferable. He cannot
state a single political principle,
. though as old as the
world, and as evident as a mattematkal axiom, with-
out overpowering us with authorities from Montes•
quiet', Benjamin Constant, or some other erudite author.
Notwithstanding this, he appears to be a man who, with
more temper, might have been useful to his country,
and whom we regret to see in exile, when that count: y
is so much in want of all the aid of its friends.

TILE' GREEKS.

TWIN! THE FRENCH PAPERS.
SEM LIN, SEP r. 4.

'We learn from Constantinople, by authentic letters of
the 13th of August, that Omer Vrione, PALI of Joan-
nina, is declared a rebel by the Sultan. This news is
highly interesting to the Greeks. Being delivered from
a powerful enemy, who is even going to become tlithr
ally, they may realize the prediction according to which
the triumph of their cause is t,o be decided in Epirus
and Albania.