Peru, harassed and divided by internal dissension, turned, as his
native country had turned in the hour of trouble, to General Santa
Cruz. It was proposed to form a confederation of the two republics.
This proposition was carried out and solemnly ratified in 1835;
whereupon the Peruvians, under the protection of their former chief
magistrate, laid down arms, and prepared to enjoy the blessings
of peace. The Confederation was confirmed by a convocation of the
Congresses of Cicuani, Huawra, and Tapacari, in 1836, and General
Santa Cruz was named "Protector of the Confederation." In his capacity
of Protector, the General made a triumphant entry into Lima, in 1837,
where the deliberations of a General Congress of the Confederation
were at once opened, and the constitution of the Confederation was
determined upon. The Protector's liberal policy had secured the
sympathy and esteem of all enlightened nations, gave an impetus to
native enterprise and industry, and above all, restored the credit of
Peru by acknowledging and liquidating the English liabilities. This
prosperous state of things was suddenly checked by the appearance
of a hostile Chilian fleet, which seized upon the fleet of the
Confederation in the port of Callao, without any previous declaration
of war, and by the landing of a Chilian expedition on the Intermedios,
accompanied by a handful of Peruvians who were hostile to the
Confederation. This expedition was soon subdued by the skill of
General Santa Cruz, who exacted from it the treaty of Paucaupata, and
then allowed free egress from the territory of the Confederation. This
generosity on the part of the Protector was met by treachery on the
part of Chili, directly her army was once more on Chilian ground. At
this time the Government of Buenos Ayres made an unsuccessful attack
upon the Confederation. The enemies without having been successfully
repulsed, the prosperous condition of the Confederation continued,