On the arrival at head-quarters of Captains Guise and Spry, the latter, in defiance of decorum and example, was appointed by General San Martin his naval adjutant, Edecan Naval, as if to gall the feelings of Lord Cochrane, and bring into supreme contempt the sentence of a court-martial, by protecting in the most public manner the individual who had merited the chastisement of the law. So elated was Captain Spry with his new appointment, that in the house of Colonel, now General Miller, he conducted himself towards Lord Cochrane in the most ungentlemanly manner, so much so, that the honourable feelings of Miller were wounded, and he apologized to the Admiral for the conduct of Spry.
On the fourth of March, General San Martin sent Captain Guise and his officers with a request to the Admiral to reinstate them in their former appointment: his lordship again offered Captain Guise the command of any vessel in the squadron with such officers as might at the time belong to the vessel, and to those officers who had not been dismissed the service, appointments to the vacancies in the squadron, according to the recommendation of the court-martial; but Captain Guise again refused to act with any other officers than those who accompanied him, and the officers returned their appointments, with the assurance that they would only serve under the orders of Captain Guise; they therefore all returned to the head-quarters of the army, where they remained until the surrender of Callao.
At the same time that the Chilean squadron was a scene of insubordination and irregularities among those officers whose duty it was to obey the orders of their commander in chief, not only for the good of the service of Chile, but to the end that they themselves might meet with that deference and obedience in their subalterns which constitute the very essence of military discipline, Lima was the theatre of anarchy and confusion. On the twenty-ninth of January a revolution took place in the Spanish army at Asnapugio, founded on the plea of inability in the Viceroy Pesuela to conduct the affairs of the viceroyalty, during such critical circumstances as the present. The result was, that an official communication was made to Pesuela, stating the absolute necessity of his abdication, and that it must take place within four hours. Pesuela answered, that the time specified was insufficient for him to deliver up the authority, but Cantarac, Caratalá, Valdes, Ricafort, and the other officers at the head of the insurrection replied, that the answer of his Excellency did not correspond with their expectations, and that "the troops were under arms, with all their officers, without a single exception, and that they would not lay them down until they had obtained an order to acknowledge General La Serna Viceroy of Peru, and were assured that a similar order had been given to the different tribunals and authorities. In consequence of this intimation, Pesuela issued the order, and La Serna was proclaimed Viceroy and Captain General of Peru. This change only proves the right of power, which admits of no interpretation, nor leaves any subterfuge to obedience. The similarity of the fate of the first and last of the Spanish Viceroys as governors general is rather remarkable. The first, Don Francisco Pizarro, was murdered in his own palace at Lima, by his subaltern officers; the last, Don Joaquin de la Pesuela, was forced to abdicate his authority in the viceregal palace at Lima, by his subalterns, and to nominate an usurper as his successor. On the seventh February La Serna addressed the following proclamation to the royal troops:—
"Soldiers!—Your will and support has placed me at the head of the government of the viceroyalty!"—A declaration more rebellious than any one presented by the insurgent chiefs of America, until the conduct of the Spaniards forced them to declare their independence of Spanish domination.
On the thirteenth February Capt. Carter, in the brig of war Araucano, arrived at Chancay, with the Spanish schooner of war Aransasu, which he had taken on the ninth. The Aransasu was from Panama, bound to Callao, having on board three officers belonging to the regiment of Numancia, and several Spanish merchants, as passengers.
On the thirteenth March part of the squadron left the bay of Huacho, having on board a division of the patriot forces, under the command of Lieut.-colonel Miller, destined to cause a diversion in the Spanish troops, by landing at Pisco. This object was effected on the twenty-first; but owing to the written instructions given by General San Martin, and from which Lord Cochrane was determined not to swerve, the result was what might have been anticipated: nothing of importance to the cause of America.
After the abdication of the Viceroy Pesuela, he retired to a country residence at the small village of La Magdalena, and wishing to send his lady and family to Europe, he solicited the necessary passport of General San Martin, well knowing that they could not escape the Chilean vessels of war employed in the blockade of Callao; but the permission was refused. Lady Cochrane and family having arrived at Callao in the British frigate Andromache, for the purpose of seeing his lordship before she left South America for England, Dona Angela, the Vicequeen, supplicated her ladyship to interpose her influence with the general, as the only means by which she could expect to obtain leave to embark for Europe. Lady Cochrane, actuated by that sincere philanthropy which so eminently distinguishes and adorns her, went immediately to Huaura, and obtained of General San Martin the favour she solicited, on condition that her ladyship would remain on shore in Peru one month, which was agreed to; but being the "better half" of a sailor, her ladyship declined remaining at head quarters among soldiers, and spent the whole of the time at Huaito, a plantation belonging to Doña Josefa Monteblanco, highly gratified with the kind and hospitable treatment of her host. The Viceroy's lady took her passage on board the Andromache, and Lord Cochrane was honoured by an introduction to her by Captain Sherriff. After some conversation. Doña Angela declared, that his lordship was a polite rational being, and not the ferocious brute she had been taught to consider him—a compliment which his lordship received with all due respect to her Vicequeenship.
On the return of Lord Cochrane to head quarters, it was determined by General San Martin, that a second division under the command of Lieutenant Miller should embark, and act according to the discretionary instructions of the admiral. The admiral left the bay of Huacho, and proceeded to Pisco, where some minor skirmishes took place with the enemy. The troops were re-embarked at Pisco on the twenty-second of April: his lordship hoisted his flag on board the San Martin, and with the schooner Aransasu proceeded to Arica, where with the assistance of uncommonly favourable winds we arrived on the fifth of May.
The landing in the bay of Arica is attended with almost insurmountable difficulties; indeed sometimes it is not practicable, except on the balsas made by the natives. These are composed of seal-skins inflated: two are generally sewed together end to end, and the balsa is formed by lashing two of these side by side, laying some canes on the top. The man who manages the balsa sits astride on the aftermost part, and impels the balsa with a double paddle, broad at each end, which he holds by the middle, and so dexterous are the natives, that there is not the least danger of being upset, or even of being wetted with the surf. On these original and apparently precarious rafts, all the merchandize is landed at Arica, and all the specie brought to the vessels, except the sea be very calm and the surf run low.
Immediately on our arrival at Arica, a flag of truce was sent on shore with a summons to surrender, accompanied by an assurance that all persons and personal property would be respected, except those and such as belonged to those who by their present conduct should prove themselves enemies to the cause of South American liberty. This was answered by an assurance that the persons and property at Arica were all under the protection of the arms of his Most Catholic Majesty, whose rights would be defended by his faithful vassals against his rebel subjects and foreign pirates. Nothing was now left but to enforce obedience, and the situation in which the San Martin had anchored not being a commanding one, she was hauled nearer in shore on the sixth, and a few shells thrown over the town; but as this had not the desired effect of intimidating the enemy, a landing of the troops was determined on, and in the night a convenient place was sought for to the southward, but the search proving fruitless, part of the troops were embarked on board the schooner Aransasu, under the command of Major Soler, and ordered to proceed to the northward to Sama, to land and march upon the town. On the eighth Lieutenant-colonel Miller followed with the remainder of the troops, to join Major Soler. A few shots and shells were occasionally thrown into the town, to keep the Spanish troops on the alert as to the movements of the ship, while our troops should make their appearance on shore, which happened on the morning of the eleventh, when the whole of the inhabitants and troops abandoned the town. Captain Wilkinson with the marines landed with considerable difficulty, and hoisted the Patriot flag on the staff at the small battery. Major Soler captured from the enemy fifty-eight thousand dollars and six bars of silver, under the protection of a guard of soldiers on their way to Arequipa.