ill become accountable to God and
man for all the miseries and disorders which may follow, and for the
entire ruin of the country and its inhabitants, by which you will incur
the hatred of all the principal colonists, merchants, and other rich
persons."

"To conclude, I pray God to take you and all your followers under his
most holy protection, and that he may inspire you with proper sentiments
on this occasion, for the good service of his majesty, the eternal
welfare of your souls, and the preservation of your lives, honours, and
estates; and I remain; illustrious Sir, yours, &c.

PEDRO DE LA GASCA."

Gonzalo had only been a few days in Lima on his return from Quito, when
he received letters from Hinojosa informing him of the arrival of the
president. He was much disturbed by this intelligence, which he
immediately communicated to the captains and other principal persons of
his party, and with whom he consulted upon the steps necessary to be
taken in this conjuncture of affairs. Some were of opinion that it was
necessary to get rid of the president, either openly or by secret
assassination; while others recommended that he should be invited into
Peru, where it would be easy to oblige him to agree to all their
demands; or where at least they could draw their negociations with him
to a great length, by insisting on convening an assembly of deputies and
procurators from all the cities of the kingdom at Lima, to deliberate on
the subject of his reception, and to determine whether he should be
received or not; and, as Peru was of vast extent, it would be easy to
put off the meeting of that assembly for two years, during which period
the president might be kept in the isle of Puna under a confidential
guard, by which he might be prevented from writing to Spain that the
country was in rebellion; more especially as they could keep him in
continual suspense, by representing that the general assembly could not
meet sooner on account of the vast distance of some of the cities. Even
the most moderate were for obliging the president to return into Spain.

In this council of the leaders of the insurrection, it was likewise
proposed to send deputies from all parts of Peru to his majesty, to
explain the state of the colony, and the events which had occurred; and
particularly to exculpate their conduct in regard to the battle of Quito
in which the viceroy was slain, by throwing the whole blame upon him as
the aggressor. It was like