170 



CHAP. V. 



Don Garcia de Mendoza arrives at Chili witlk 

 a reinforcement of troops; His expeditiot^ 

 against CaupoUcan, 



Philip the Second^ who had succeeded his fa- 

 ther, Charles the Fifth, on the throne of Spain, 

 having learned the death of Valdivia, gave in 

 charge to his agent Alderetc, the government 

 and the conquest of Chili,, furnishing him for 

 this purpose with six hundred regular troops. 

 During the passage his sister, who was accusr 

 tomed to read in bed, set fire by accident to the 

 ship in the vicinity of Porto-Bello. Of the 

 whole number, Alderete and three soldiers were 

 all that escaped, and he himself soon after, over- 

 come with grief and disappointment, died in 

 the little island of Taboga, in the gulph of 

 Panama. 



The iMarquis of Canete, viceroy of Peru, 

 being informed of this disaster, appointed to the 

 vacant ofiice his son Don Garcia Hurtado de 

 ^lendoza. But as this charge had now become 

 very dangerous, he resolved that at his> departure 

 he should he accompanied by a body of troops 

 capable of supporting him, and acquiring him. 



