GENERAL HISTORY. 



[197 



cal existence. Of the other arti- 

 cles, one is particularly honour- 

 able to Captain Hillyar, of the 

 British navy, to whose endeavours 

 the restoration of peace is said to 

 have been in great measure owing. 

 This convention was publicly made 

 known at St. Jago de Chili on 

 May 5th. It appears from the 

 terms that the government of 

 Lima at the same time entered 

 into friendship with that of Chili. 



An attempt to effect a paci- 

 fication between Montevideo 

 and Buenos Ayres, made about 

 the same time by Vigodet, the 

 Spanish governor of the former 

 place, proved abortive. It began 

 with a proposal similar to that 

 which formed the basis of the 

 Chilese negociation, nauiely the 

 acknowledgment by Buenos Ayres 

 and its dependencies of the Spa- 

 nish monarchy under Ferdinand, 

 and the constitution sanctioned by 

 the Cortes. This article was fol- 

 lowed by another, importing, that 

 from the period of the ratifica- 

 tion of the treaty, no other authori- 

 ties should be acknowledged than 

 those designated by the constitu- 

 tion, and which have been ap- 

 ])ointed by the regency of the 

 kingdom. In an address from De 

 Posadas, to whom, under the title 

 of supreme director, the govern- 

 ment of Buenos Ayres had been 

 delegated, these conditions were 

 denominated an unjust and igno- 

 minious submission, with which he 

 could never comply, Montevideo 

 being still closely blockaded by 

 land, the governor made an at- 

 tempt to free its harbour, by send- 

 ing out, on May 14th, a squadron, 

 consisting of four corvettes, three 

 brigs, and some smaller vessels, to 

 attack the squadron of Buenos 

 Ayreis, under the cominaud of 



Guillermo Brown, an English- 

 man. The event, however, did 

 not correspond with the governor's 

 expectations. Brown, by able ma- 

 noeuvres, drew the Montevideans 

 to some distance from their port, 

 and then becoming the assailant, 

 captured two of the corvettes and 

 a biig ; another brig was after- 

 wards intercepted in its retreat 

 and taken, and two smaller ves- 

 sels were burnt. Five hundred 

 prisoners were made on the occa- 

 sion. Vigodet, on the next day, 

 made proposals for a cessation of 

 hostilities, but was informed that 

 no conditions would he listened to, 

 until Montevideo, with all its 

 shipping and public property, was 

 delivered up to the arms of Bue- 

 nos Ayres. The contest was at 

 length terminated by the capitu- 

 lation of that city on June 20tb, 

 after its inhabitants had been rcr 

 duced to great misery from fa- 

 mine, and no hopes remained of 

 succour from the mother country. 

 The terms were, that the garrison, 

 after marching out with all the 

 honours of war, should remain 

 prisoners, that the property of in- 

 dividuals should be respected, no 

 one molested for political opi- 

 nions, deserters pardoned, and no 

 extraordinary contributions levied, 

 and in the ordinary contributions, 

 Montevideo should be considered 

 in the same light as the other 

 towns of the province ; also that 

 the captain-general Vigodet should 

 be allowed to depart for Spain. 

 Large quantities of arms, artillery, 

 military and naval stores, fell into 

 the hands of the victors ; and this 

 success was considered as decisive 

 in favour of the independent in- 

 terest. 



This advantage, however, a|)- 

 [M-'arb to have been more than coun- 



