CHILI. 



185 



History. 



Defeat and 

 death of 

 V!divia. 



Franci 

 Villagran 

 ucceedi 

 to the go- 

 vernment. 



< defeated 

 >r Lau- 

 iro, who 

 ntcri Con- 

 ception 

 with hii 

 victorioul 

 army. 



attack, was surrounded and cut in pieces. A second 

 detachment fell in the same manner. As the conflict, 

 however, became general, the tide of success was for a 

 while balanced, and began at length to flow heavily 

 against the Araucanians. The Spanish artillery penetra- 

 ted, with dreadful effect, their compact and crowded bat- 

 talions. Twice had they been repulsed in disorder, when a 

 third discomfiture completed the confusion, and baffled all 

 the efforts of Caupolican to renew the combat. At this 

 critical moment, the famous Lautaro, a young Araucani- 

 an, the captive and page of Valdivia, seized with a pa- 

 triotic enthuiiasm, darted from the hostile ranks, up- 

 braided, rallied, and at length brought his indignant 

 countrymen with such fury to the charge, that the 

 first encounter proved completely decisive; and with 

 luch fatal promptitude did he pursue the advantage, 

 that, excepting their general who was made prisoner, 

 not a single Spaniard escaped the slaughter : Only two 

 Promaucians reached Conception with intelligence of the 

 battle. Valdivia condescended to ask his life of the con- 

 queror, promising to quit Chili with all his countrymen ; 

 and Caupolican, influenced, as well by his own generous 

 temper, as by the intercession of Lautaro, shewed an 

 inclination to spare him. An old Ulmen, however, more 

 prudent than humane, exclaiming against the folly of 

 trusting to the oaths and the promises of an ambitious 

 adversary, and furious at the thoughts of his escape, 

 secretly approached the prisoner, and dashed out his 

 brains with a blow of his club. A severe punishment 

 would have quickly fallowed this precipitate conduct, but 

 for the obstinate interposition of the Araucanian officers. 



This important victory produced the evacuation of 

 Puren, and the abandonment of Villarica, and the city of 

 the Frontiers. It was celebrated by the Araucanians du- 

 ring three successive days, whilst the heads of their fallen 

 enemies were suspended with savage exultation, areund 

 the place of festivity. Lautaro, who, at the early age of 

 sixteen, had thus gloriously achieved the salvation of his 

 tountry, was created lieutenant-general extraordinary, and 

 entrusted with the command of a separate army ; and 

 Caupolican laid siege to Imperial and Valdivia, the only 

 places of strength in Araucania that now remained to 

 the Spaniards. 



The accounts of Valdivia's overthrow and death, filled 

 the inhabitants of Conception with the utmost dismay. 

 The instructions being opened, which he had entrusted 

 to the magistrates of that city, it was found that three 

 persons, Alderete, Aguirre, and Francis Villagran, were 

 nominated to succeed him in the government ; but nei- 

 ther of the two former being present in Chili, the com- 

 mand devolved upon Villagran. This gallant officer, 

 less intimidated by the late disaster than impatient to re- 

 venge and repair it, immediately upon his accession to 

 the government, levied a considerable army, and marched 

 in quest of the Araucanians. In expectation of his ap- 

 proach, and with a resolution to oppose his passage, the 

 young Lautaro had taken a strong position on the hill 

 of Mariguenu. Villagran soon arrived, attacked him 

 with all his forces, and, after a furious and obstinate 

 contett, was at length totally routed. He effected his 

 own escape to Conception with the greatest difficulty, 

 being attended only by a few horse, and leaving on the 

 field of battle the greater part of liis soldiers. Not con- 

 ceiving the town to be at all tenable against the efforts 

 of a triumphant and vigorous enemy, he embarked in 

 haste the old men, women, and children, to be convey- 

 ed to Imperial and Valparaiso, and with the remaining 

 inhabitants marched by land to St Jago. Lautaro loon 



VOL. VI. f AKT I. 



after conducted his victorious followers into the deserted 

 city, and enriched theoi with its plunder. 



During these operations, Caupolican had pressed the 

 sieges of i mperial and Valdivia; but Villagran, being ap- 

 prised of their danger, and having succeeded in throwing 

 into them sufficient reinforcements, the Araucanian gene- 

 rardiscontinued the attempt, and with a view to some more 

 important cnterprize, united his army with that of Lau- 

 taro. 



About this period, the small-pox, that pestilence to 

 the New World, which a few years before had ap- 

 peared in the northern provinces, was now for the first 

 time introduced into Araucania, during a predatory ex- 

 cursion from the town of Valdivia, by the Spaniards. 

 Its effects were awfully destructive. One district, in 

 particular, was almost completely depopulated. Of twelve 

 thousand persons, not more than a hundred survived its 

 ravages. 



In addition to the late misfortunes, the Spaniards were 

 now menaced with a civil war. Francis Aguirre, whose 

 pretensions to the government were superior to those of 

 Villagran, upon information of Valdivia's death, had 

 relinquished his unpromising attempts upon Cujo, and 

 returned to claim the command in Chili. Happily, how- 

 ever, for the colony, the two rivals were induced to sub- 

 mit their pretensions to the court of Audience at Lima. 

 After an ex pcdient to satisfy both parties, by favouring nei- 

 ther, Villagran was, at the petition of the colonies, con- 

 firmed in his command ; being invested with the more hum- 

 ble title of Corrcgidor. From the same court, he received 

 instructions to re-establish the settlement of Conception. 

 This he complied with, less from a concurrence in the 

 measure, than from a desire to prove his submission. But 

 he was not suffered to remain long unmolested, in the 

 neighbourhood of so vigorous an adversary. Lautaro met 

 him in the field, with two thousand men, was again vic- 

 torious, and once more laid in ruins the city and its for- 

 tifications. 



While Caupolican resumed the sieges of Imperial and 

 Valdivia, his active lieutenant, at the head of six hun- 

 dred chosen companions, undertook to employ the 

 enemy in another quarter. He conceived the bold de- 

 sign, by attacking St Jago itself, to strike a blow at the 

 centre of their power in Chili. Immediately he began 

 his march, and penetrated to the river Maule without of- 

 fering the least violence to the natives : but the mo- 

 ment he entered the Promaucian territory, he gave a 

 loose to his indignation, and with more justice than po- 

 licy, took a dreadful vengeance upon these traitorom 

 apostates, whom, by conciliating, he might have recal- 

 led, perhaps, from their hated allegiance. He then for- 

 tified himself in their territory, in place of marching di- 

 rectly upon St Jago ; a delay which proved fatal to the 

 success of the enterprizc. The inhabitants were quick- 

 ly informed of his approach ; but, lying at the distance 

 of three hundred miles from Araucania, they at first only 

 ridiculed the information, and could scarcely credit the 

 possibility of so daring an attempt, till it was fully as- 

 certained to them, by the surprise and defeat of one of 

 their detachments. Villagran, being unable himself, from 

 indisposition, to head the forces, gave the command to 

 his son Pedro, with instructions to march directly against 

 the enemy. Pedro attempted in vain to force the Arau- 

 canian encampment, and was repeatedly discomfited. A 

 bold stratagem of Lautaro's had nearly overwhelmed his 

 whole army: by turning upon it, during the night, a 

 branch of the river Mataquito. Having scaped thii 

 disaster, he Boon afterwards laid down the command to 

 2A 



History. 



First intro. 

 duction of 

 the small- 

 pox into 

 Araucania. 



Concep- 

 tion re- 

 built, and 

 again de- 

 molished, 

 by Lau- 

 taro. 



Lautar* 

 marches 

 against St 

 Jago, and 

 is slain. 



