Conception and Chief of the Army of the South; the keen discrimination
of Freire having estimated San Martin and his proceedings in Peru as
they deserved, and hence he had become obnoxious to those whose design
it was to lay Chili at the feet of the Protector. On Santa Cruz
proceeding to Conception to take up the command, the troops unanimously
refused to obey his authority, or to permit General Freire to leave
them. The people of Conception, who had suffered more from their
patriotism than any other in Chili, were equally resolute, not only from
attachment to Freire, but because they knew that if the ministry gained
their ends, Conception would be destroyed as a port; it being their
object to shut up every port but Valparaiso, in order that by the
corrupt practices prevalent there, they might monopolize the whole
advantage to be personally gained from the commerce of the country.

The Supreme Director was, as usual, made the scapegoat for the
unsuccessful attempt of his ministers to depose General Freire, and the
consequence was that in three months after the attempt was made, General
O'Higgins was deposed from his authority, and General Freire elevated to
the Supreme Directorate!

As I had been falsely accused of stealing money which ought to have been
divided amongst the seamen, I was determined that no ground for future
accusation of the kind should arise in consequence of their not being
paid; and with this view, pertinaciously insisted on the payment of the
arrears due to the squadron. These efforts were seconded by the
commanding officers of ships, who, in a temperate address to the
Government, set forth the nature of their claims. From this address, the
following extracts are given, as forming an excellent epitome of the
whole events of the war:--

"Ever since the capture of the _Isabel_, the dominion of the
Pacific has been maintained by the Chilian navy, and such have
been the exertions of our Commander and ourselves that with
Chileno crews unaccustomed to navigation, and a few foreign seamen
whom we alone could control, not only have the shores of this
State been effectually protected from injury and insult, but the
maritime forces of the enemy have been closely blockaded in the
face of a superior force. By means of the navy the important
province, fortifications, and port of Valdivia have been added to the
Republic. By the same means the Spanish power in Peru was
brought