Page:A history of Chile.djvu/230

 2IO A HISTORY OF CHILE admirers of General Pinto. Opposed to the liberals were various factions of the conservatives, clericals, and the O'Higginistas, who dreamed of some day being able to reinstate the illustrious exile in power. Con- servatives were nick-named Pelucones, because that party was composed chiefly of old and venerable per- sons who wore pelucas, or perukes. It was not long before there was a revolt of royalists in the island of Chilo6. Freire with three thousand men, defeated these royalists in the battles of Pudeto and Bella-Vista. The island of Chilo6, like Callao, had long held out in favor of the roj'alists, but on the fifteenth of January, 1826, it capitulated, upon the stipulation being made that it should be received into the republic of Chile as a province and on equal terms with the other provinces, and that the officers and troops of the Spanish army, commanded by General Antonio Quintanilla, might remain in Chile so long as they should desire to do so ; prisoners on both sides were set free. Callao surrendered to the patriots about the same time. There was a strong sentiment on the island in favor of the ex-director, O'Higgms. It was claimed in Chile that the many disturbances on the island had been instigated by exiled Chileans residing in Lima, and by the advice of Bolivar, for the purpose of establishing in Chile a strong centralized govern- ment such as Bolivar was seeking to establish in the northern provinces. Certain it was, that most of the troops in the revolts were blacks from Peru led by Peruvian officers. No doubt there was a strong party in Chile at this time in sympathy with the movement, while on the other hand, there was a strong feeling of jealousy entertained by another parrty against Bolivar. On July 4th, 1826, congress met and continued in session for the uncommon period of one year. It