Page:A history of Chile.djvu/135

THE COLONIAL PERIOD 123 waters from the city. A plan was formulated to turn the waters in this manner. Pino's successor in office, however, disregarded his plans and appointed a com- mission to make a new survey for a route higher up than those plans called for. The commission ap- pointed to this work continued to act for the space of five years, accomplishing in that time very little, but bringing Guzman's administration into rather bad odor on that particular account. Beside canvassing the canal project, Pino's admin- istration did little else than discuss the ways and means and propriety of making Spain a present, a present which the king had solicited by way of pecuniary assist- ance. The royal exchequer being depleted, it had been suggested to the colonies that financial aid would be acceptable, nay, necessary. On the i8th of March, 1801, Pino received the ap- pointment as viceroy of Buenos Ayres, and on the 30th set out for that city. Just at that moment the Royal Audience happened to be without a head to assume the governorship provisionally, as was customary, the chief i^decano) being in La Paz. The office was, there- fore, somewhat irregularly given to the subdecano of the Tribunal, Don Jos^ de Santiago Concha, who was recog- nized as captain-general and president of the Royal Audienceprovisionally. On the 31st of December therfif- ca>ioira.'s,&i arrived, Don Francisco TodeoDiaz de Medi- na y Collado, and on the same day assumed command of the government and the presidency of the Royal Audi- ence. But he only exercised the duties of his office for a period of one month, at the end of which time the new captain-general, Don Luis Munoz de Guzman, arrived from Peru and made his entrance into the cap- ital (January 30th, 1802). Guzman had been president of Quito and from that position was now advanced to