t--as well as the despicable character of that man
who falsely arrogated to himself the attributes of a General and a
Legislator, though destitute of courage or legislative knowledge--the
substitution for which was duplicity and cunning.

(Signed) COCHRANE.

Foiled in getting one of the ships of the squadron, wherein to escape
from the impending storm, San Martin remained in Santiago till the
beginning of January, 1823, when finding matters in Chili becoming
dangerous to his safety, he crossed the Cordillera to Mendoza, and from
thence went to Europe to avoid reprobation in retirement.

Throughout this narrative I have been careful that San Martin's
proceedings should be shown from his own acts and letters, there not
being in this volume one which has not been published in the gazettes of
Chili and Peru, or of which the originals are not now in my possession.
Of the latter, I could communicate San Martin's letters to me by dozens,
and had I so far trespassed on the patience of the reader, his acts
would have appeared in a yet more invidious light. What have been given
are strictly relative to public transactions, and belong to the people
of Chili as part of their national history, which, rather than any
defence of my own conduct--which was never brought in question by the
Chilian Government--is my chief reason for now making them public.

There may be, however, some who think that I have mistaken General San
Martin's _prudence_ in not approaching Lima when every advantage was
before him--for a worse quality, which until my letter to the Supreme
Director O'Higgins, just quoted, I had never publicly attributed to him,
though, in the estimation of every officer of the army and squadron,
richly deserving it. It will be in the recollection of the reader, that
instead of marching on Lima, he wasted nearly two months at Haura, and
that from the pestilential character of the climate, a fearful amount of
sickness amongst the troops was the consequence. I will here give a
letter to me from his _Aide-de-camp_ Paroissien, who was subsequently
employed by San Martin to promulgate his infamous accusations against
me, when he had no longer any hope of securing my co-operation;
premising that in my ardour to get the army at once to Lima, and
unsuspicious at that time of San Martin's secret designs, I had laid
Paroissien a wager that by a given day we should be in the Peruvian
capital; the _Aide-de-camp_ being a better ju