"6 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; aud the omen was of course accepted by the multitude. 
