118 



<jiate succour in case of sicç:c. Modern Q-eotrra- 

 phers speak of it as a city not only existing at the 

 present time, but as very strongly fortified, and the 

 scat of a bishropric, when it has been buried in 

 ruins for more than two hundred years. 



Valdivia, intoxicated ^vith this unexpected pror»- 

 perity, displayed all that liberality which frequently 

 marks the conduct of those who find themselves in 

 a situation to give away what costs them nothing. 

 Exulting with his ofííccrs in the supposed re- 

 duction of the most valiant nation of Chili, he 

 assigned to them, conditionally, the extensive 

 districts of the surrounding country. To Francis 

 Villagran, his Lieutenant-General, he gave the war- 

 like province of Maçuegt/a, called by the Arauca- 

 jiians the key of their country, with thirty thousand 

 inhabitants.* The other officers obtained from 

 eight to twelve thousand natives,! with lands in 

 proportion, according to the degree of fuvofir in 



* After the death of \ iUagran, the prnv'mceof j't faillir g ua, was 

 partitioned anew among the conquerors, the principal part of it 

 being assigned to Juan de Ocampo, and the other to Andreas Ma- 

 tcncio ; but, in cfinsequence of its recapture by ihe Indians, they 

 reaped very little if any advantage from these comnianderies. 

 Ocampo afterwards obtained asia reward for his distinguished ser- 

 vice», theCorregidorate of the city of Serena, and that of Mendoza 

 and St. Juan, in the province of Cujo ; in this last province was 

 likewise gra)ited him a comniandery of Indians, which he after- 

 wards ceded to the crown. He was from Salamanca, of a very 

 illustrious family, a relation to the first bishop of Imperial, and 

 one of the bravest officers that went from Peru to Chili. 



t Among those most in favour with Valdivia, was Pedro Agui- 

 lera, who received the gift of a comruandery, containing from ten 

 to twelve thousand Indiaiis. 



