C H I L I. 



191 



, 



Uuii. 



A peace 

 concluded 

 between 

 the Arau. 

 Chilians 

 and Spa- 

 niards. 



History, the enemy to rally his dismayed battalions, and lost a 

 s T"' victory whicn thdr valour had in part achieved. The 

 death of P itapichion threw a superiority on the side of 

 the Spaniards. His successor* in the IV ^uiate, with 

 equ-'.l ardour to annoy the enemy, were deficient in those 

 qualities, which could alone secure its accomplishment. 

 Their efforts, though not always ineffectual, seem in 

 gn rai to have been the result rather of temerity than of 

 kill. TKey have the just praise, however, of having 

 hei-n sincere in the great cause of their country, and their 

 sincerity was sealed with their blood. In the course of 

 a very few years Araucania was deprived of five succes- 

 sive I'oquis, and, during that period, was frequently ex- 

 po-ed to severe ravages trom the governor. 



Eipe<ii- The Spanish settlements were again threatened by the 



tionsof the Dutch a:id English. Tile first arrived upon the coast 

 DutcJ^aud In i(j (8, when a storm frustrated their enterprise, by the 

 dispersion of their little squadron. Some years after, the 

 English fleet, on its way to Chili, under Sir John Nar- 

 borough, was l.jst in the straits of Magellan. 



Laso, like some of his predecessors, had engaged bis 

 promise to terminate the war with the Araucanians, but 

 notwithstanding his utmost endeavours, and the vigorous 

 abili'y with which the^e were exerted, they still obsti- 

 nately maintained their freedom ; and he was at length 

 reduced to the necessity of soliciting reinforcements. 

 In-tead of these, however, the court of Spain sent out 

 the Marquis de Baydes to displace him from the com- 

 mand. JLJe Baydes, immediately on assuming the govern- 

 ment, (1613,) opened a conference with theToqui Lin- 

 copichion ; and the two chiefs, entertaining similar views, 

 a peace was concluded on the 6th of January, the follow- 

 ing year, upon the terms proposed to Ancanamon, but 

 with this further requisition, that the Araucanians should 

 not permit the lauding of any strangers upon their coast, 

 nor furnish supplies to any foreign nation whatever. 

 This prudent stipulation proved shortly of the highest 

 importance to the Spaniards. 



The Dutch I" -<4-3. the Dutch, after the reduction of Brasil, re- 

 frustrated r.ewed their attempts upon Chili j but this their last effort, 

 iu their la-t though apparently more formidable and better concert - 

 D ed, was not more successful than the two former. They 

 possessed themselves of the deserted harbour of Valdivia ; 

 and the Araucanians were in vain solicited with the most 

 prebsiiig invitations to break with their ancient enemy. 

 Not only, however, did they remain faithful to their en- 

 , but readily united with a Spanish army to ex- 

 strangers. Upon intelligence of their approach, 

 the Dutch, greatly oppressed Tor want of provisions, 

 found themselves once more compelled to abandon the 

 enterp 



In 1655, hostilities were excited afresh during the go- 

 nrnment of Don Antonio Acugna ; but from what 

 cause, or which party w:is the aggressor, we are not in- 

 formed. The Toqu' Clentaru, in his first enterpri/.e, 

 had the glory of annihilating a Spanish army. He then 

 cleared the c.jii.itry of some remaining fortresses, crossed 

 the Biobio, and a!t;-r defeating the governor, overturned 

 rts of St Christopher and the Eustacia del Rey, 

 and binned the city of Chilian. Don Francisco Mene- 

 ses brought the war to a termination in 1 665. by a peace 

 which lasted forty-eight year-. During this period little 

 occurred deserving particular notice. A slight rebellion 

 took place among the inhabitants of Chiloe ; which, 

 however, was quickly supprt ssed by the prudent exertions 

 of Don Pedro Molina. During the war of succession in 

 1707, the external commerce of Chili foil into the hands 

 f Frenchmen, and remained wholly under their manage- 



di[io-scs 

 the Spa- 



Rupture 

 with the 

 Arauca- 



ment till 1717- Many of them settled in the country, History, 

 and have 1; ft numerous descendants. *""'/" 



The war of 1723 menaced the Spaniards in its com- 

 mencement with total expulsion from Chili. It appears 

 to have been excited by some encroachments on their part, 

 and by the insolent aggressions of those persons styled 

 Captains (>/ the Friends, (Spanish officers placed in Chili 

 for the ostensible purpose of protecting missionaries). 

 The assumption of powers which did not originally be- 

 long to them was deeply resented, and soon stirred to a 

 flame the watchful jealousy of the Araucanians. Villu- 

 milla was elected Toqui in 172i His first aim was to 

 engage the co-operation of all the Chilians, that by one 

 sudden and overwhelming effort he might sweep the 

 Spaniards from every province of the country. But 

 though his measures to this effect were taken with vigour, 

 secrecy, and precision, its accomplishment was entirely 

 frustrated, by the inaction of the conquered Chilians. 

 The long and rigid despotism which had been exercised 

 over them with such barbarity by the Spaniards, had not 

 only repressed the population, once numerous and flourish- 

 ing, but reduced it to a spiritless remnant. The small 

 number therefore, and the broken spirit of these injured 

 and degraded beings, should perhaps exculpate them 

 from the charge of cowardice. On the day appointed, 

 the signal fires served only to remind them of ancient 

 freedom, without exciting a single effort to regain it. 

 Villumilla, thus disappointed of extensive co-operation, 

 though he was not deterred from attacking the enemy, 

 accomplished nothing of importance. He succeeded in 

 taking several fortresses ; but the governor, Don Ga- 

 briel Cano, who had entered Araucania with an army of 

 5000 men, not choosing to attack him, the war was re- 

 duced to skirmishes, and soon afterwards terminated by 

 the peace of Negrete. 



The interval of tranquillity was occupied by a succes- 

 sion of governors, in forming new establishments, and 

 peopling them with great numbers of their countrymen, 

 at that time scattered over the provinces. An attempt 

 to extend the same policy, with very different views, to 

 Araucania, produced a rupture with that vigilant people, 

 who, regarding cities as the emblems of servitude, and 

 with extreme aversion, could not be persuaded to adopt 

 a measure which might one day prove instrumental in 

 subverting their liberties. The subsequent war, how- 

 ever, of which we have no particular account, compelled 

 the Spaniards to forbear even such indirect methods 

 of reducing a warlike nation, resolved to remain inde- 

 pendent, or to perish with its freedom. The peace 

 which followed in 1773, wan a confirmation of the treaties 

 of Cjuillin and Nfgreie. During the negotiations which, 

 at the desire of theToqui Cungnancu, were hel* 1 in St Ja- 

 go, a demand, rather unexpected, was made from the same 

 authority. It was required, that henceforth the Arau- 

 canians should be permitted to keep a minister resident 

 in that city. This also, notwithstanding the opposition 

 of his officers, the governor thought proper to concede, 

 and every obstacle being removed, the terms were adjust- 

 ed and ratified on the bases of the preceding treaties. 



Sinre their last expulsion from Araucania the Spaniards 

 have prudently abstained from any further attempts to 

 regain their poss.'ssions in that warlike province ; the 

 preservation of which had already been attended with so 

 much hazard and bloodshed. In 1792 the colony was 

 in a flourishing state under Don Ambrosio Higgins, a 

 native of Ireland, who increased the number of its cities, 

 extended its commerce and fisheries, encouraged its agri- 

 culture, and by the whole of his able and useful admini- 



