76 INTRODUCTION. 



revenue : but they wanted the principles of political economy, and 

 were never able to effect more than temporary supplies. They were 

 more successful in the other branches of government : the laws 

 concerning marriage were revised and placed on a more liberal foot- 

 ing than before. The police of the capital was improved, and gene- 

 rally speaking, a stricter execution of the laws provided for. The 

 southern provinces however had been disturbed by the activity of 

 Benevidies, a man of a ferocious character, who rendered himself 

 hateful, not only by his rigorous obedience of his orders from Spain 

 not to give quarter to Europeans found in arms in favour of the 

 patriots, but by extending the cruel practice to the natives them- 

 selves of all ranks. The atrocities on both sides were shocking to 

 humanity, and the scandalous manner in which the priests prostituted 

 Christianity to the purposes of policy and war is not among the 

 least revolting circumstances of the time* ; upon the whole, the end of 

 the year 1820 was far from being favourable on the southern frontier. 

 About this time, two circumstances occurred characteristic of the 

 times, but otherwise of no importance. An English vessel put into 

 San Carlos of Chiloe in distress, in order to refit and revictual ; 

 the governor seized the crew, alleging that Lord Cochrane and 

 most of the crews of the Chile squadron were English, and that but 

 for them the enemies of the king, his master, could never succeed. 

 The other circumstance seems to give countenance to the idea that 

 at some time and by some party, an imperial crown in South Ame- 

 rica had been offered to a Bourbon prince. Papers from Rio de 

 Janeiro had stated that a number of French ships of war had ar- 

 rived in the southern seas to convoy a great personage, whose views 

 were however, for the present, frustrated by the actual state of Buenos 

 Ayres. Shortly after the arrival of this report, several French ships 

 of war did actually double Cape Horn, and enter different harbours 

 in Chile, upon which the minister of marine applied by letter to the 



* A figure of the Virgin was placed in a conspicuous situation ; the patriot flag was 

 presented to her, she shook her head ; — a Spanish flag was brought, the arms of the 

 figure instantly embraced it ; and the omen was of course accepted by the multitude. 



