6 INTRODUCTION. 



founded, and the Archipelago of Chiloe discovered by the Spaniards. 

 Ercilla accompanied the discoverers, and inscribed some verses on a 

 tree, recording his name and the date of the discovery, January 31st, 

 1558 ; and on the return from Chiloe, the city of Osorno was built. 



At this period the Araucana of Ercilla closes ; the poem having 

 extended to the events of nine years, the time of the poet's service 

 in the South American army. He then returned to Spain, and was 

 employed in the European wars of Philip II. The continuation of 

 the poem by Osorio is far from possessing equal merit with that of 

 Ercilla : it extends no farther than the death of the second cacique 

 (called Caupolican), the temporary subjugation of Araucana, and the 

 disappearance of its chiefs. 



But while the Spanish governors were engaged in invading 

 Tucuman, and building the towns of Mendoza and San Juan, beyond 

 the Andes, the Araucanians were silently preparing for new wars, 

 and, ere they were expected, sallied from their woods and destroyed 

 the flourishing town of Canete, which was however rebuilt (1665) by 

 the younger Villagran, who had succeeded his father in the govern- 

 ment. The next year Ruiz Gamboa was sent to take possession of 

 Chiloe, and founded the city of Castro and the port of Chacao. 



Meantime, the long continuance of the war in so important a 

 province as Chile, and the consideration of the great inconvenience 

 of applying to Peru in all cases of civil and criminal jurisdiction, 

 induced Philip II. to establish a court of audience at Conception ; 

 but the court, arrogating to itself military as well as civil authority, 

 was soon discovered to be worse than useless, and was therefore 

 suppressed in 1575. There had been a suspension of hostilities 

 between the Spaniards and Chilenos for nearly four years, owing, in 

 great measure, to the effects of an earthquake, which had laid waste 

 a great part of the country ; but the Araucanians had employed the 

 interval in diligently seeking allies among the neighbouring Indians, 

 and had engaged the Pehuenches, a mountain nation, and the Che- 

 quillans, the most savage of the Indians, to assist them in resisting 

 the Spaniards; and the same harassing and continued warfare took 



