Rev. Mr. N―, Mr. Y—, and a host of others. In all these instances, extreme emaciation, hectic fever, purulent expectoration, and the frightful train of symptoms usually indicative of tuberculated lungs, and the approach of death, were present, but, as you already know, removed by the means employed by Mr. Long: thereby conferring on them a character and value, far beyond what the remedial measures usually prescribed by the more regularly initiated in the profession are entitled to.'-Literary Gazette, Sept. 20, 1828.

Now, Sir, this physician of great experience is a surgeon of an Irish militia regiment-or rather was in that capacity; and his knowledge, discrimination, and veracity, will appear very striking, when I assert, beyond the fear of contradiction, that in one of the four cases above-mentioned (in iniitials) the patient is at this moment (25th September) under my care for pulmonary consumption, having a large excavation or ulcer in the right lung, with purulent expectoration, &c. though he is vouched for as cured by Dr. M. If this statement, which cannot be contradicted by the editor of the Literary Gazette or Dr. Long, does not open the eyes of the public to the system of deception now carrying on, I know not what will. But this is not all. The editor of the Gazette adds a note, as from himself, running thus:

"We would ask if the following documents, from many testimonies voluntarily and gratefully offered to us as public journalists by the parties, are not our sufficient warrant for what we have said? The Rev. Mr. N. declares that his lungs were decidedly in a tuberculated state, &c. describing the worst symptoms.-Literary Gazette.

"Well! would not the above imply that Mr. N. was cured? Most undoubtedly it would! I this very day (25th September) examined Mr. N. His lungs are ulcerated; his bowels are in a state approaching to ulceration from the animal food given him by Dr. Long; and (will it be believed?) he never sent any such document as the above to the editor of the Literary Gazette.

We are glad to see men of real science come forward to expose such hollow pretensions; for, next to the blessing which we derive from the power of medical skill, to cure certain diseases, is the benefit which sound knowledge produces of defining the limits in which human skill can be available. The Literary Gazette of the 27th, in a memoir of a most talented artist, and esteemed man, Mr. Bonnington, who has been prematurely cut off in a career of excellence, which promised the most splendid results, says, "his latest effort was to travel from Paris to London, where he arrived last week, to consult Mr. St. John Long." Can any thing be more pitiable than to see a fine mind persuaded to seek relief from empirical pretensions; and perhaps hasten the fatal result by such unavailing exertions? We shall keep our eye upon this controversy; for it is the duty of every public writer to assist in the exposure of any delusion which tampers with the easily-excited hopes of the afflicted.

1

WAR OF INDEPENDENCE IN SOUTH AMERICA.

We have at length an interesting and authentic work on the Revolutions of South America. The Memoirs of General Miller* abound in narratives of extraordinary heroism, of patient endurance, of romantic adventure in a country, peculiarly formed for the scene of great and daring exploits; and, moreover, they appear to us alike free from prejudice and false enthusiasm, and take a sound and dispassionate view of the duties and prospects of these infant republics, which, we trust, are destined to attain, in the fulness of time, the highest happiness that increasing knowledge and liberal governments can bestow. The various contests, which have ended in the destruction of a tyranny, which had lasted for three centuries, amidst the most unbounded exexercise of ignorant, uel, and wanton misrule and spoliation, have been fierce and sanguinary; and they necessarily involve descriptions, revolting enough to every lover of his fellow-creatures, of those atrocities which mark the progress of all war, and particularly of civil war, to which the passions of individuals are most committed. It was fortunate for humanity that Spain had become so utterly powerless and despicable, because so corrupt and enslaved, at the period when the revolutions in her colonies commenced in insurrections against the authority of her viceroys. There could only be one result, however it might have been protracted, of a contest in which those who desired to throw off the yoke had such grievous oppressions to stimulate them to independence; but that contest might have been fearfully prolonged, if the parent-state had possessed any portion of her ancient strength and courage. The cruel stepmother had, however, sunk into dotage and imbecility; whilst the children, who had so long groaned under her harsh and capricious dominion, started at once into a career of honourable energy, reckless of her feeble menaces, and indifferent towards her bootless friendship.

The volumes before us are compiled, by the brother of General Miller, from his private letters, journals, and recollections. The author of the work has himself had the advantage of travelling in South America, "in a neutral capacity, unconnected with military or mercantile pursuits." He has evidently made himself well acquainted with the general history of the Spanish colonies, and more particularly with those events which preceded the period when his brother entered into the service of the Independents, and subsequently raised himself to an eminence the most distinguished. As our principal object is to give a brief account of the individual progress of our brave and adventurous countryman, rather than a connected narrative of the war in which he was engaged, we shall pass over these introductory chapters, referring to them as we may find them necessary to illustrate the story of General Miller's personal enterprises.

William Miller, the honoured companion in arms of San Martin and Bolivar, was born in Kent, in 1795. He served with the British army in Spain and America, from 1811 till the peace of 1815. In 1816 and

Memoirs of General Miller, in the service of the Republic of Peru. By John Miller. 2 vols. 8vo. Longman.

1817 he devoted some attention to mercantile affairs; but being of an ardent spirit he finally resolved to engage as a candidate for military honour in the struggle in South America. Columbia was overrun with English adventurers. The golden prospects of many of these had been grievously disappointed; and, in truth, we believe the rapacity of the agents of some of the Republics seized upon many of these unfortunate persons, for mere purposes of extortion and plunder, without the slightest regard to the interests of the cause in which they professed to be engaged. Miller wisely determined to direct his course to the river La Plata. He left England in August, 1817, when he was under twenty-two years of age, and landed at Buenos Ayres in the September following. In a month after he received a captain's commission in the army of the Andes. During his temporary residence at Buenos Ayres he made some interesting excursions towards Patagonia; and the details of this expedition contain many curious facts connected with the natural history, and the manners of the scattered inhabitants (the Gauchos) of that singular country. In the beginning of 1818, Captain Miller set out for the army of San Martin, and crossed the Andes by the pass of Uspallata. He soon joined his companions in arms; and they appear, from his descriptions, to have been exactly the sort of people-wild, daring, sanguine, and carelessthat one would previously expect to find engaged in a contest which had called forth its soldiers and leaders from every class and condition of men. We shall extract a passage, descriptive of the persons amongst whom the destinies of our countryman were thus cast:

"On the morning of the 26th of January, Captain Miller quitted Santiago, and, after a ride of twenty-five leagues, joined the division of the army bivouacked at Las Tablas, near Valparaiso. The officers and men were comfortably hutted. The encampment extended over above a league of ground, being intersected by ravines, formed by mountain-torrents gushing, in the rainy season, through the bottom of little vales. The different corps, in order to their being conveniently supplied with water, were stationed on the borders, at the distance of about a mile from each other, on the broken plain. Each corps possessed six or eight tents to be used by the guard, and for stores on the march.

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Captain Miller reported his arrival to General San Martin, whose headquarters were at the hacienda of Dorego, three or four leagues from Las Tablas. Miller was ordered to his regiment, the Buenos Ayrean artillery. The commandant, Lieutenant-Colonel Plaza, without inviting him to be seated, sent an orderly to show him an occupied tent. As his baggage had not come up, Miller threw himself on the ground, and slept soundly till morning, when he received visits from the officers of the regiment, whose politeness effaced the unfavourable impression made by the lieutenantcolonel's uncourteous reception. Each grade had a separate mess, and Miller gladly accepted the invitation to join that of the captains.

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Amongst them was Don Francisco Dias, a Spaniard, and formerly in the navy. He was a proficient in the mathematics, understood fortification, spoke English fluently, was familiar with French literature, and was of a disposition highly sociable. His wife, a native of Monte Video, was an amiable woman, and an honorary member of the mess. She had accompanied her husband in all his campaigns, and underwent extraordinary privations and fatigues with unchangeable gaiety.

"Don Juan Apostol Martinez, a captain in the regiment, who, when a

mere youth, distinguished himself in the defence of Buenos Ayres against the British, was a brave officer and a cheerful companion, but of a very eccentric character. His antipathy to Spaniards was unconquerable. He would never call Captain Dias by any other name than Gallego Dias, until three duels, in which each received wounds, produced a tacit agreement, that Juan Apostol was never to mention Dias by the name of 'Gallego in his presence.

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On the march, Don Juan Apostol was accustomed to play his tricks upon the priesthood, if Spaniards or of the royalist party. He has been known to send for a monk, and, pretending to be dangerously ill, would, with groans forced by apparent bodily sufferings, confess himself guilty of all the deadly sins. When he had obtained the full attention of the confessor, Don Juan Apostol concluded by relating a pretended dream, in which he stated that he had kicked a priest out of the house; " and now," said he, "behold the dream of John the Apostle come to pass." More than one holy friar carried, for days, the marks of Juan's anti-apostolical feet. For these and other practical jokes Captain Martinez was sometimes placed under arrest; but, as he judiciously confined the exercise of his wit to disreputable friars, and as his character was held in deserved esteem, he always got off with a slight admonition.

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Captain Beltran was in charge of the artillery field-depôt. Ths revolution found him in the cell of a convent, but he threw aside the cowl, and became an active, intelligent, and useful officer.

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The adjutant, Talmayancu, was an Araucanian Indian, who had been brought up and educated by a missionary. His person was stout and squat; his complexion shallow and shining: from under a low forehead peered out two twinkling eyes, which, from their good-humoured vivacity, relieved the expression of a countenance that was often compared to the full moon. He was fond of creating false alarms in the encampment, by answering the challenge of sentinels at night, as if enemies were at hand. The day after his arrival Miller mounted guard: Talmayancu attempted to play his usual pranks upon the new comer; but his voice being overheard by an officer who knew him, he was detected, and placed under a short arrest. "There was some very fine young men amongst the officers of the corps, and all were extremely obliging. Most of them played on the guitar, or sung, and good fellowship reigned throughout the camp.

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The style of living was simple but substantial. A benign climate permitted persons to sleep and to live in the open air, excepting in the heat of the day. Mate, served by a lame invalid, retained for that purpose, was taken from hut to hut before the occupant arose from his mattress. Breakfast à-la-fourchette was served at nine. The dinner-hour was between two and three: it was composed of excellent soup, roasted strips of flesh, brought to table on a stick or ramrod, which answered the purpose of a spit, poultry, vegetables, and fruit in great abundance. The prices in the camp market were, for poultry one shilling a couple; vegetables for six or eight people, threepence; apples and pears, a shilling per bushel; water-melons, three halfpence each; bread and other articles of food were proportionably cheap."

The first military enterprise of Captain Miller was unlucky, but he subsequently says that he lost no credit by his attempt. The division at Las Tablas marched towards the capital of Chile, to form a junction with O'Higgins. The artillery consisted of ten six-pounders; and Miller of course devoted his particular attention to this branch of the service. The incident to which we allude occurred in crossing the river Maypo, and we extract the account of it, because it is strikingly

illustrative of the difficulties of a campaign in the mountainous regions of South America :

The

"The Maypo is a torrent which rushes from a gorge of the Andes. only bridge over it is made of what may be called hide cables. It is about two hundred and fifty feet long, and just wide enough to admit a carriage. It is upon the principle of suspension, and constructed where the banks of the river are so bold as to furnish natural piers. The figure of the bridge is nearly that of an inverted arch. Formed of elastic materials, it rocks a good deal when passengers go over it. The infantry, however, passed upon the present occasion without the smallest difficulty. The cavalry also passed without any accident by going a few at a time, and each man leading his horse. When the artillery came up, doubts were entertained of the possibility of getting it over. The general had placed himself on an eminence, to see his army file to the opposite side of the river. A consultation was held upon the practicability of passing the guns. Captain Miller volunteered to conduct the first gun. The limber was taken off, and drag ropes were fastened to the washers, to prevent the gun from descending too rapidly. The trail, carried foremost, was held up by two gunners, but, notwithstanding every precaution, the bridge swung from side to side, and the carriage acquired so much velocity, that the gunners who held up the trail, assisted by Captain Miller, lost their equilibrium, and the gun upset. The carriage, becoming entangled in the thong balustrade, was prevented from falling into the river, but the platform of the bridge acquired an inclination almost perpendicular, and all upon it were obliged to cling to whatever they could catch hold of to save themselves from being precipitated into the torrent, which rolled and foamed sixty feet below. For some little time none dared go to the relief of the party thus suspended, because it was supposed that the bridge would snap asunder, and it was expected that in a few moments all would drop into the abyss beneath. As nothing material gave way, the alarm on shore subsided, and two or three men ventured on the bridge to give assistance. The gun was dismounted with great difficulty, the carriage dismantled, and conveyed piecemeal to the opposite shore. The rest of the artillery then made a detour, and crossed at a ford four or five leagues lower down the river."

At the battle of Cancha Rayaola, in which the patriots were defeated, Captain Miller saved two guns. This affair might have had the most fatal results to the cause of the Independents, had not San Martin, without any lack of heart or hope, re-assembled the fugitives, and reorganised his army. He shortly after fought the battle of Maypo, in which the Royalist general, Osorio, was completely routed. This great event fixed the destinies of Chile. Miller was not engaged in this battle, having previously been despatched to take a part in the first affair in which the naval force of the Chilenos was displayed. The result of this expedition was an unsuccessful attempt to capture the Esmeralda, the Spanish frigate then blockading the fort of Valparaiso. The bravery of the English Captain O'Brien, who fell in this bold experiment, was the prelude to the more daring exertions of Lord Cochrane. But, in the meantime, the squadron in which Miller, now a brevet-major, was employed, was increased by the purchase of other ships; and their second cruise terminated in the capture of the Spanish frigate, Reyna Maria Isabel, and of her convoy of troops destined to strengthen the royalist army in Chile. In this expedition Major Miller incurred the greatest personal risk, having been nearly sacrificed to the vengeance of the royalist commander, General Sanchez, at Talcahuano, upon