On the following day, General San Martin directed a civic guard to be organized in place of the Spanish guard which had evacuated the city, the Marquis of Torre Tagle being appointed its commandant.  At the same time the General retained the whole of the liberating army, though had even a portion of these followed the retreating Spaniards, the greater part would have joined the patriot standard—­it being afterwards ascertained that Colonel Rodil who commanded them, had shot great numbers in the attempt to desert; even the patriot guerilla parties, unaided, had defeated those who were kept together; so that had a division of the liberating army been sent to co-operate with the guerillas, the entire Spanish force might have been annihilated, in place of forming the nucleus—­as they afterwards did—­of a force which, after my departure from Chili, threatened not only the independence of Peru, but even that of the Chilian Republic itself.

Being thus unopposed, and the towns which had given in their adhesion to the cause of independence being left defenceless—­the retreating Spaniards committed great excesses amongst the inhabitants of the interior, who found themselves exposed to more than the rigours of martial law, without the least attempt for their protection; though a promise of this had formed one of the principal inducements for throwing off their allegiance to the Viceroy, at whose mercy—­or rather want of it—­they now found themselves exposed.

In place of protecting the Peruvians in the interior, a number of highly inflated proclamations were issued, in which it was left to be inferred that the city had been taken by hard fighting, though not a blow had been struck, except by the detachment of Colonel Arenales and the squadron, whose vigilance of blockade and previous actions had so dispirited the enemy and reduced them to such straits, that abandonment of the capital was inevitable.  Nor was the large force present even required to maintain Lima, the inhabitants having for a long period been subjected to miseries which they had no disposition to re-encounter.

But General San Martin had other views in retaining the army than protecting those who had confided in his promises; the military force being required for very different purposes to that which had been set forth in his proclamations and in those entrusted to him by the Chilian government.

On the 24th I ordered Captain Crosbie to proceed to Callao in the boats, and cut out as many of the enemy’s vessels as he could bring away.  The service was gallantly performed, for on the following day he brought out two large merchantmen, the San Fernando and Milagro, and the sloop of war Resolucion, together with several launches; burning moreover two vessels within musket shot of the batteries.

On the 27th, the Cabildo sent me an invitation to be present at the public proclamation of the independence of Peru.  As their letter fully recognises the obligations of the Limenos to the services of the squadron,—­I shall transcribe it:—­