275 



1620, and was, according to the established cus- 

 tom, succeeded by the eldest of the auditors, 

 Christopher de la Cerda, a native of Mexico. 

 For the better defence of the shores of the Bio- 

 bio, he built there the fort which still goes by 

 his name ; he had also a number of encounters 

 with Lientur, and during the short period of his 

 government, which continued but a year, v/as 

 constantly occupied in protecting the Spanish 

 settlements. His successor, Pedro Sores Ulloa, 



was said that men of a fair complexion had been taken Vih<f 

 were supposed to be of this nation. Ovalle, L. 1. c. 5. 

 do. L.l.c. 10. 



The existence of tl)is city was long believed. Even after 

 Feyjor had attempted to disprove, the Jesuit Mascardi went 

 in search of it with a large party of Puelches, and was killed 

 by the Poy-yas on his return from the fruitless quest Dolrey' 

 hojfer, T. 3, 40;. 



The groundwork of this belief is satisfactorily explained by 

 Falkner, c. 4. p. 112. " The report," he says, "that there is 

 a nation in these parts, descended from Europeans, or the re- 

 mains of shipwrecks, is, I verily believe, entirely false and 

 groundless, and occasioned by misunderstanding the accounts 

 of the Indians. For if they are asked in Chili concerning any 

 inland settlement of Spaniards, they give an account of towns 

 and white people, n^eaniug Buenos Ayres, &c. &c. and so vice 

 versa, not having the least idea that the inhabitants of these 

 two distant countries are known to each other. Upon my 

 questioning the Indians on this subject, I found my conjecture 

 to be right; and they acknowledged, upon my naming Chiloe, 

 Valdivia, &c. (at which they seemed amazed) that those were 

 the places tliey had mentioned onder the description of Euro- 

 pean settlements." E. E, 



t2 



