THE INCAS AND OTHER RULERS OF PERU. 21 



The colony suffered at times from tlie inroads of privateers 

 belonging to countries at war with Spain. Drake made sad havoc 

 of the coast towns in 1577, sacked Callao and generally disturbed 

 the newly established peace of the countiy. Ten years later, 

 Cavendish made himself equally' objectionable. 



A Dutchman called Spitbt>rg, broke up the Spanish fleet in 

 Callao in 1615, and carried off a large amount of loot About 

 1680 the Pacific coast was troubled for some years by the 

 famous buccaneers. These were, however, dispersed by a Spanish 

 fleet in 1685. During the war between Sjiain and England in 

 1739, the Peruvian coast towns suffered considerably from 

 Admiral Anson's attacks. With the excejition of these occasional 

 troubles the country remained internally peaceful during that 

 long period. Much gold and silver was exported from the country 

 to Spain, and occasionally intercepted by English men-of-war 

 and privateers ; many disputes occurred between the civil authori- 

 ties and the clergy, and many more amongst the clergy themselves ; 

 but generally speaking things went fairly smoothly, untdin 1780 

 a formidable Indian rebellion l»roke out under the chief Tupac 

 Amaru, which nearly cost the Spaniards the loss of the colony. 

 But a strong army was soon organised and Tupac Amaru was 

 defeated and taken prisoner. He was put to death, after having 

 been tortured with extreme cruelty. 



The course of Spanish mis-rule then ran smoothly again 

 until the movement in favour of independence began to spread 

 all over the Spanish colonies in South America, in the beginning 

 of the 19th century. An account of this struggle would extend 

 far beyond the scope of this paper, for the civil wars in the 

 different countries were so closedy connected with one another 

 that a separate description of the Peruvian fight for independence 

 would be almost impossible. The struggle began in earnest 

 about 1820 in Pei-n, and the Declaration of Independence was 

 made on the 28th of July, 1821. But Spanish troops still held 

 part of the country, and tlie figliting only came to an end by the 

 surrender of Callao, '2.3 January, 1826. 



Tlie early yeai's of Peruvian independt^ice were marked by 

 bitter and continual civil strife, ivhich continued until 1811, when 

 General Castilla was elected president. He was a strong an(l 



