word, and you die! I have come to liberate my friend, and I will do it.'

'He then approached the door, and turned the key. The tyrant saw resolution in his eye, and trembled.

''See,' continued the German, I have saved you the trouble of drawing the order for his release; it is all ready, together with his passport, and wants only your signature, which you will please affix to it instantly.'

'Quiroga knit his brows, and hesitated.

Come, Senor, there is no time to lose. My life you may have, and you shall be welcome to it, but you must sign these papers! Hesitate one minute longer, and I swear that I will deprive you of the power to commit more murders.'

There was no alternative: the papers were signed. The German went to the door, still keeping Quiroga at bay, beckoned one of the guard, and handing him the paper, said calmly

Here is the governor's order for the release of the foreigner Wilhelm; he commands you to deliver it instantly to the captain of the guard.'

"Then returning, he again fastened the door, and taking a seat, said quietly,

you.'

Now, governor, I will have a half-hour's conversation with

Upon the margin of the order of release, Frederick had written a few words in the German language, directing his friend to take the horse that the captain would deliver to him, and escape, without a moment's delay, from the province.

'This self-sacrificed man conversed with Quiroga for a full hour. He spoke of the injuries that himself and companions had so unjustly suffered at his hands, and entreated him to adopt a different course of conduct towards his fellow-men. By humanity and goodness,' said he, you will win their confidence and love to such a degree that you need fear no conspiracy against your life; but by pursuing your present course, be assured that the sword of Damocles will for ever hang above you, ready at any moment, even as it now is, to fall and destroy you.

Wearied with his imprisonment, Quiroga at length said— "Well, Senor Frederick, you have accomplished your object; your friend is secure, and I suppose you are ready to retire.' "After I have obtained from you a single promise,' he replied. "Well, what is that?'

"I wish you to promise, on your honour, as a Spanish American, that you will order no pursuit within one hour from this moment.' Go; if

I promise it,' said Quiroga, taking out his watch. you can escape in that time, you shall not be harmed.'

Bowing politely, the German retired; but he had been more thoughtful on behalf of his friend than himself. He had provided no horse for his own escape; and rather than lose the time necessary to obtain one, he trusted in his ability to reach the hills, and thus elude pursuit.

'As I have before stated, the Spaniard regards his word as more sacred than his life, and even Quiroga would not break his.

With his watch in his hand,' continued my informant, 'he paced his apartment in frantic impatience; and on the moment when the hour had expired, he sprang to the porch, exclaiming

"Pursue the foreigner! A hundred ounces to him who brings me the head of the foreigner, Frederick !'

'Pursuit was instantly made in every direction, and it was not long before the poor fellow saw the hunters on his track. He had just reached a passage in the hills, when they perceived him. Entering the first recess that presented itself, he ran forward and took refuge in the narrow cleft of a huge rock, hoping they would pass without discovering him; but it was a vain hope: there he was found, and there, fighting for his life, he fell, pierced with a dozen weapons.

Wilhelm escaped into the province of Catamarca, and finally returned to Europe.'-pp. 210-214.

The political condition of the people is depressed and humiliating. Military adventurers rule the country, and their reckless disregard of life and property has broken down the spirit of the provinces. Under the name of patriotism and the forms of self-government, the worst species of tyranny is maintained: and each despot in his turn, signalizes his rule by indiscriminate slaughter and confiscation. In the meantime the people look on, 'so completely subdued,' as our author on one occasion remarks, 'by the horrors already suffered, that they seemed ready at any moment to throw up their garros, and cry vives! to whomsoever should prove himself the most powerful.' General Paz is honourably distinguished amongst his contemporaries, and we regret that his fortune has not equalled his merits. Rosas, the present dictator, is a man of different character, whose career and policy are depicted by Colonel King in the darkest colours. He is a man of most acute and subtle perceptions. He seems to understand the weakness of man's nature, and has made it his study to play upon that weakness in whatever form it might present itself.' In order that his position should be known, it is necessary that the condition of parties be understood. Torn into various factions, animated by the most relentless hostility towards each other, this intriguing and unscrupulous adventurer has succeeded in rendering them the instruments of his ambition. For some time past his power has been absolute, and the country has literally groaned beneath his cruelties. The following extract will explain the political parties of the republic, and show our readers how the supremacy of Rosas is maintained.

'A form of government unfortunately too liberal in perspective,

and consequently too popular, had treacherously led the whole country into a snare. The fundamental principles of that form were, in few words, the entire independence of each separate province, except so far as a unity of action might be found necessary for the transaction of business with foreign powers, or for the defence of the common territory against foreign invasion. The idea of a perfect state sovereignty was so alluring, that the best statesmen in the country were led away; and the masses, at first, with one voice, hailed its advent as affording the ultimatum of their notions of true liberty. The plan was adopted, and the people, or a great portion of the people, after years of trial, and after becoming satisfied that the system itself, aided by ambitious and bad men, was the cause of all their internal commotion and civil wars, determined if possible to change the form, and in the true spirit of e pluribus unum, consolidate the discordant elements in one great harmonious whole, with an executive and representative head, directly responsible to the people.

'As in all countries professing civilization, there arose two great political parties, each advocating and contending for its own separate views and measures, for what they might consider the good of the whole; or, as the case might be, best calculated to accomplish their own private ends. Juan Manuel de Rosas, who seemed to be the master-spirit of the time, and who was at best but an adventurer, with unbounded ambition, aiming as he was at more than a dictatorship; at a power that should transform his will into a law, and enable him to invade with impunity the sanctity of private rights, to set aside with his own word, directly or indirectly, the transactions of those who bore the name of lawgivers, and even at his own discretion, and without responsibility, to take the lives of his citizens; a power, in fact, that should convert the government into a despotism, and the people into slaves, saw in the proposed change an insurmountable barrier to the success of his own plans; and reckless of the cost to the people and the country, resolved at any rate to stay the current of popular desire.

To accomplish this, the (so called) representatives must be moulded to his will; the necessary elements of intrigue, persuasion, and bribery, but more especially coercion, were all subsequently employed, and in the year 1834 (as I think), he obtained from that body the concession of la summa del poder publico (the entire public power).

'The influence of the immense patronage thus thrown into the hands of one bad man, would of itself seem sufficient, if managed with cunning, to keep a people in subjection; and when to this is added the control of the army, and the selection of its officers, it cannot be a source of surprise that he has succeeded in the accomplishment of his object, and in holding his position at the severest cost to the people.

The representatives once subdued, were easily held in a pliant attitude; and as the people, if left to themselves, would naturally

hurl this corrupt coalition from its power, the influence of the bayonet was necessarily brought to bear upon their consciences. Hence the cloud of civil war, that already hung as with a frowning curse above the land, grew darker and darker, and hence, aided by his minions, the people have been goaded and galled into an occasional though transient quietude, through the influence of his military power.

The first form of government was called a confederation, and the party who, with Rosas at their head, sustained it, were denominated Federals.

The other party who desired the establishment of a government with a liberal constitution, and a union of the provinces after the manner of the United States of the north, were denominated Unitarians; and the persecution of these people by Rosas, is the surest evidence of his despotic intentions. The freedom of political discussion, and even of speech, was denied them; or, if exercised, it was so exercised (as will be seen hereafter) at the risk of liberty and of life. They were forbidden admission into the churches, denied communion at the Lord's table, the consolations of religion at the hour of death, and, after death, sepulture. Not only excommunication, but even extermination has been encouraged and preached as an act of religious duty; their property has been given to confiscation to glut the desires of greedy satellites, and every means of cruelty and torment has been employed to break down the rising spirit of freedom and awe them into submission.'-pp. 232–235.

The atrocities practised by this monster scarcely admit of parallel; and we wonder that the patience of the people has endured so long. The day of retribution, however, must come, and the sooner the better. Outraged humanity will at length rise against the tyrant. May the day of its power show that it has learnt wisdom from its sufferings. We will not attempt to depict the scenes referred to by our author. They are too revolting to interest a benevolent mind, and to retail them would be productive of no beneficial result. The following brief summary will acquaint our readers with their general character.

'The statements presented in this work may perhaps appear to the general reader mysterious and incomprehensible. I know it will be difficult for him to realize these atrocities; yet I have not only told nothing but the truth, but what has been told affords only a clue to the actual horrors committed. I have, as a general feature, confined my statements to occurrences that fell under my own knowledge, and of these I have recorded but few. Hence the facts that I have given serve only as examples in the terrible account. In a pamphlet published by Don José Rivera Indarte, at Monte Video, in the year 1843, a table is given containing the names of the principal victims of Rosas's policy, together with the manner of their

several deaths, and to that table is appended the following summary of persons who died for opinion's sake alone, viz :

'Add to this the number killed in battle, and executed by military orders, at a very moderate computation 16,520, and we have by this statement a grand total of 22,404 victims to the sanguinary propensities of this man Rosas, who still lives and governs a portion of the American continent, and with whom the civilized nations of the earth are on terms of friendship!'-pp. 425, 426.

In closing our notice of Colonel King's volume, we merely add, that it merits and will amply repay an attentive perusal. In the present state of our relations with the South American republics, the information it supplies is specially opportune; and if duly considered by our rulers, may enable us to confer important benefits on the people for whom our interposition has been proffered.

Art. V.-The Pictorial History of England during the last Twenty Years of George the Third. Vol. iv. pp. 733. Knight: London. THIS volume brings down the history of our country to the termination of the reign of George the Third, and finishes the prescribed task of the historian. It may be a question with some, whether the conclusion of the work does not approach too nearly to our own time to constitute permanent and effective history. It is seldom that any thing, or much at least, except the bare facts that have occurred, can be stated with certainty by a contemporary; even the consequences resulting from them can be but imperfectly known; while the causes and combinations of motives which gave birth to and modified those facts, can seldom be known, or even guessed at, till long after the actors have quitted the stage of life. If this difficulty applies to facts, with still greater emphasis does it hold good in regard to the real characters of the actors; and, perhaps, of no man will it be more difficult to form a correct and dispassionate estimate, till every thing relating to him shall be fully known, and can be canvassed without prejudice, than of Napoleon Buonaparte. Even now it is somewhat difficult to find a man who can write