From the South came the great Ejercito Libertador, or Liberating Army, which had been organized by General San Martin in Mendoza and had effected the complete overthrow of the royalist forces in Chile in 1817. The invading troops were composed of two thousand five hundred men and twelve guns, protected by the naval forces of the newly inaugurated republic of Chile, under Admiral Cochrane. Landing near the port of Pisco, in what is now called Independence Bay, on the 7th of September, 1820, General San Martin issued a proclamation the following day, in which he declared that the purpose of his army was not to make conquests, but to liberate a people who had trembled for three centuries under the barbarous rights of conquest. His orders to the soldiers were an evidence of good faith and a proof of his soldierly principles: all robbery was prohibited; all bloodshed, except on the battlefield, was to be punished by hard labor; any insult offered to the citizens of the country, whether Europeans or Americans, was a grave offence and might be paid for at the cost of life itself, according to the circumstances. In concluding his proclamation the Liberator paid a high tribute to the courage and humanity of his troops, stimulating their enthusiasm by an attractive picture of the glories awaiting them as the heroic saviors of their oppressed fellowmen. This interesting document bore the date of issue, September 8th, 1820, with the significant words “First day of the liberty of Peru,” and the signature “San Martin.” The viceroy hastened to make proposals of peace to General San Martin, inviting him to a conference for the purpose of agreeing on a basis of mutual understanding. The invitation was accepted, as San Martin saw in it his opportunity to gain time, to get into communication with the patriots of Lima, to learn the state of public opinion, the situation and strength of the viceroy’s army, and other important matters. The patriots of Lima had not been idle, though the vigilance of the colonial authorities prevented them from securing possession of the enemy’s stronghold; three daring leaders, among them Colonel Gomez, planned an attack on the fortress of Callao but they were captured and punished. Riva-Agüero, Francisco Javier Mariátegui, Pezet and Don Eduardo Carrasco, maintained correspondence with the emissaries of San Martin and gave valuable information. The conference between the envoys of Pezuela—who were Count de Villar and Don Hipólito Unánue—and San Martin’s representatives, Colonel Tomás Guido and Don Juan Garcia del Rio, took place at Miraflores, a suburb of Lima, and resulted in a short armistice, but in no agreement of peace; the viceroy proposed the submission of the patriots to a liberal government under the monarchy, while the patriots demanded the recognition of their independence.