protect the man, unless she wished to hear soon of his murder, and he was accordingly concealed in the house. He was a man whom we all knew, and respected highly; and probably, had his concealment been known to all in the house, among whom were several American and British naval officers, there was not one who would not cheerfully have lent their assistance, if it had been required, to screen him from his hunters. He had been several days in the house, when it was whispered that the place of his concealment had, by some means, been made known; and the good landlady, who now felt a deep interest in his welfare, again applied to me for advice.

"If he remains here," she said, “he will be found; and if he leaves the house, I am afraid he will be recognised and arrested. What shall we do ?"

We together went to the gentleman's apartment, and found him in an agony of apprehension; and after a short conversation, I could arrive, in my mind, at but one course that would ensure safety, and that was, to get him, if possible, on board one of the vessels in the harbor. It was proposed that we should make an effort to that end; and the lady, at once concurring, left the room in search of some officer to whom she should break the plan, and endeavor to enlist in its favor. We all knew the penalty, and we knew, too, that many had already been denied the same means of escape; but the life of this man was in the balance, and, when weighed against the commission of a naval officer, the latter seemed as a feather in the scale.

In a few minutes the lady returned, bringing an officer of the British navy; and no sooner were they in the room, than she spread out our petition before him with all the eloquence of an earnest and heartfelt appeal. As soon as she had ended, the object of our sympathies seized the officer by the hand, exclaiming

"For God's sake, for my wife's sake, for the sake of my

children, señor, save my life! Save me, or I must die this night!"

The officer was deeply moved. For a moment he made no reply; then, in a despairing voice, he said

"How can I do this?

would disgrace me forever!"

It is impossible, my friends; it

"Oh, no! it is not impossible!" exclaimed the proscribed man, actually falling upon his knees. "You can save me, señor! you can save me! Do not, then, I pray you, do not give me to these bloodhounds! They will murder me! they will murder me !"

The officer was evidently undecided. He walked to and fro across the room, and seemed greatly agitated.

"Can you hesitate, sir?" said I, speaking in the English language. "Remember, there is no disgrace in the performance of a noble action; and if you deny our request, you will be accounted this man's murderer !"

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Oh, do not say that!" he exclaimed ; give me half an hour to collect my thoughts, and I will answer you !"

Saying this, he went to his own room; and during the tedious interval of about half an hour, that man was seen upon his knees, engaged in fervent prayer. He returned at length, and said

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'My mind is now composed. I have determined to grant your request; come to my room."

The gentleman and myself followed him to his apartment, where he produced a uniform; and borrowing a cap from one of his companions, our friend was soon equipped in a dress that would have deceived even Rosas himself. A pair of green spectacles was added to the disguise; and thus equipped, the two, in company with others, set out just at dusk for the mole, where the officers usually kept a boat in attendance. The boat was there. The officer, with our disguised friend, stepped on board, brushing even against the elbows of the guard. We bade them good-night, the boat pushed off, and

the doomed man was safe! A shudder ran through my frame, as I saw him gliding as it were from the very jaws of death; then came a cheerful sensation, and we returned to our hotel in better spirits than when we had left it.

On the same night that house was searched for the refugee; and on the following morning, the noble-hearted man, who had come forward at the moment of a fellow-creature's greatest need, resigned his commission in the British navy.

CHAPTER XXV.

Treaty with France-Removal of the Blockade-Invasion of the Banda Oriental-Rivera's Resistance-Commodore Coe called into the Service, and supplanted by Garribaldi, an Italian-Intervention of England and France-Importance of the Banda Oriental-Rosas and his Representatives Summary of Victims-Remarks on the Political Condition of the Country-Return to the United States.

ROSAS made repeated efforts at negotiation with the French, but without success, when at length it was rumored that a war between France and England was anticipated, and it was understood that the French government had directed admirals Blanch and Duporté to make the best arrangement in their power with the Argentine Republic, and return with their squadron to France. Be that as it may, new negotiations were opened, and, after two weeks of diplomacy, a treaty was agreed upon, by which the French government obtained the same terms of intercourse, commercial and otherwise, as those of the most favored nations then holding relations with the Argentine. The blockade was removed, and trade once more revived.

Oribe, having quieted the upper provinces, and established there a sufficient power with trusty officers, was himself recalled by Rosas, in the year 1840, to Buenos Ayres, and the two set immediately to work in framing an expedition against the Banda Oriental. Admiral Brown, of the Argentine navy, had, since the flight of Oribe from Montevideo, been comparatively idle, as had also the navy of the Banda Oriental; but, as the services of the former were now necessary to act in

co-operation with Oribe, the admiral again commenced preparations for active duty. President Rivera also began his preparations for defence by land and water, and immediately made overtures to an officer by the name of Coe, who had before served, I think, under Admiral Brown, and distinguished himself in the service of the Argentine. This gentleman was a native of New Jersey, in the United States, devotedly attached to the cause of freedom, and as brave a man as ever mounted a quarter-deck. He, like myself, had withdrawn from public life during the civil dissensions of the country, and, having previously married into one of the best families of the republic, retired to a splendid estate in the province of Entre Rios, at which place he resided when applied to by Rivera, who tendered to him the rank of commodore in the little navy of the Banda Oriental. The offer was accepted, and Commodore Coe entered upon his duties. Here commenced the crusade against Montevideo, which has continued up to the present time, (1846,) and to suppress which the powers of Great Britain and France have been called into the field in compliance with the guarantee given by those governments on the establishment of the independence of the Banda Oriental in the year 1828.

Oribe advanced with a strong force, crossing the Rio Parana into Entre Rios, and thence into the Banda Oriental, subduing the little towns on his way, and laying them under contribution. Rivera, on hearing of his progress, went himself into campaign, leaving the city to the protection of its walls* and militia; and although he has never, with his little power, been able to destroy or drive off an enemy, who has received constant supplies and reinforcements from the other side of La Plata, he has continued to hold him at bay, and has thus far sustained the independence of the country. The only plea made use of by Rosas and Oribe, in their

*The city of Montevideo is enclosed with walls.