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144 ^ HISTORY OF CHILE At the head of the junta was Doctor Juan Martinez de Rozas, a lawyer from Concepcion, and he was sec- onded in all his efforts by the two secretaries, both of them lawyers, whose names were Gasper Martin and Jose Gregorio Argomedo. Rozas had been assessor of the intendencia of Concepcion and afterward Carrasco's secretary. He had great influence in Concepcion, where he had started the revolution and opposed the bishop, Villodres, who was of the Spanish party. His arrival in Santiago was a gain for the patriots, and being sa- gacious and energetic, he was soon the acknowledged leader. Under the leadership of Rozas the junta organized military bodies and opened the Chilean ports to free commerce with all nations. This quadrupled the cus- toms receipts in a single year. This junta, which was formed on September i8th, was composed of influential members, of whom Toro was placed at the head. The other members were Rayna, Resales, Rozas and Carrera. This was estab- ished in the name of the king, in manner similar to the juntas which had been formed in the Argentine Republic and Venezuela, and even in Spain herself. The office of captain-general was abolished. It seems that even before this time four of the members asso- ciated with Carrasco in the Royal Audience were in favor of cooperating with the junta which had been formed at Buenos Ayres. Don Antonio Jonte, one of the most influential citizens of Buenos Ayres, had been dispatched to Chile by the junta of that province im- mediately upon its formation, to urge the taking of a similar radical step in the sister province. His mis- sion, perhaps, hastened the crisis; when the junta was established, Jonte was continued there in the capacity of charge d' affaires from the new government of Buenos