nation. On the 7th, Pinto sent a note to congress, resigning as vice president and giving his reasons for so doing, the chief reason being that the country was destitute of any laws. His resignation was not accepted, and the president of the house, Elizande, was sent to him with the request that he should appear in the legislative hall and take the oath of office as president. We can not be quite sure whether General Pinto was sincere in his resignation, or whether he was merely coquetting, as General Freire had once done.
On the following day. May 8th, General Pinto was introduced at the bar of the house. He acceded to the request ot congress, took the oath and made a short address, in which he pointed out that bad laws were the cause of the disorders and asked congress to pass better ones forthwith; to which address Elizande made a fitting reply. Don Jose Miguel Solar was made minister of the interior and foreign relations, (afterward Don Carlos Rodriguez succeeded him,) Don Ventura Blanco of the treasury, Don Jose Manuel Borgoño, of war and marine.
General Pinto was an officer of distinction as well as a lawyer. He had served in the war of the revolution in South America, not only in Chile but also in the Argentine Republic and in Peru. He had served as minister under Freire and had traveled extensively in Europe. In short, next to Freire, he was the most illustrious citizen of the young republic. He held very decided views of political and social reforms, and was for that reason supported by the liberals, but was objectionable to the conservatives.
The last act of this notable congress was to appoint a national committee consisting of eight persons, who were authorized to approve or reject all propositions which the executive might submit, discharging the
