gether two years in each others society. We were scarcely ever a month at a time in the same place. We ranged alternately from England to Paraguay, from Corrientes to Buenos Ayres, and from Buenos Ayres to England. Sometimes while the peregrinations of one were limited to those places, the other crossed the Andes, stretched along the shores of the Pacific, from Conception, in Chile, to Truxillo, in Peru; and so, vice versa. In conclusion, the senior writer left South America, for good, in 1830, the junior in 1834.

From this latter year to the present day, our personal observations have been confined to our native country, and to an occasional glimpse at the Continent. But by means of private correspondence, official accounts, and personal intercourse with South Americans in London, we have endeavoured to observe and scan the course of events in South America.

The result of our constant change of domicile, and of our moving generally in distinct orbits, (if we may use a rather high metaphor,) has been a correspondence between us, uninterrupted for almost thirty years. It naturally embraces a

great variety of subject, and is illustrative throughout of the times in which we have lived, of the countries in which we have sojourned, and of the people among whom we have dwelt.

That we may not break in upon the chronological order of our personal narrative, we would entreat our readers to accompany us, incidentally, out of our proper sphere of action in South America. We shall seldom, however, occupy our pages with matter unconnected with that country, which shall engage our chief attention, and embrace by much the larger portion of our space. Our object, in fact, is to throw light on the late Spanish South American colonies; any other matter introduced being merely to preserve the unity of our recital.

We are aware that no class of writing requires more circumspection than that which is designated personal narrative. We shall endeavour to restrict ours, first, to the recital of events involving principles of action calculated to instruct, or developing character likely to interest the reader; and, secondly, to such sketches of scenery and incident of travel as we consider may probably amuse,

allowing only the mention of ourselves, when necessary, for the purpose of completing the characters of the drama in course of representation.

We shall keep to our original plan of giving the general text, something remodelled for publication, of the letters which we possess, written at the period when the events related were passing. At the same time we shall not scruple to make use of other documents, when we find we can do so with advantage to our subject. Such is the latitude we propose taking to ourselves in our personal narrative.

The historical accounts of South America, which have been given to the public, are meagre and incomplete; and, indeed, the recentness of the events of the revolution has left as yet little time for any professedly historical work to appear. On the other hand, our newspapers have always been scantily supplied with accounts of passing events, and their details have generally been erroneous in every way. Availing ourselves, therefore, of such opportunities as we have had of collecting authentic information, we hope our political review, as well as our sketches of public characters, may not be devoid of interest to those who may con

descend to peruse our pages.

We think, also, that we may not only convey to the English reader some more distinct idea than he now has of South American affairs, but that we may be of service to the states themselves, by showing them that their movements are understood here, their backslidings marked and reprobated,-their improvements and ameliorations appreciated,-and their every step in advance towards a state of higher civilization and more enlightened government, hailed as a happy omen of their future rank and importance among the free countries of the world.

THE AUTHORS.

LETTER II.

THE AUTHORS TO THEIR READERS.

MORE MINUTELY INTRODUCTORY,

London, 1842.

BEFORE hastening into the medias res of South American adventures, we crave permission of our readers, more especially of those who have perused our last volume, entitled "FRANCIA'S REIGN OF TERROR," shortly to revert to that book.

By some of our respected critics doubts have been expressed, not of our veracity, but of our impartiality, in the account which we have given of the extraordinary man who was the subject of our memoir. While they implicitly rely at once upon the verity and vraisemblance of our personal observations in this matter, they feel themselves bound to pause for farther evidence ere they lend entire credence to the history of Francia, as supported merely by the testimony of others, conveyed by us into our pages.