PROVINCE OF RFO GRANDE DO SUL. 



115 



appointed its governor. Rio Grande and other garrisons (unjustly, say the 

 Portuguese) remained under the dominion of the crown of Spain until the year 

 1776, when they were restored by General Bohemi. In this interval, the Spa- 

 niards extended their possessions into the interior, and constructed the fort of 

 St. Tecla, which was demolished at the restoration of Rio Grande. 



In 1774, Don John Joze Vertis, having with sinister views taken his station 

 with eight hundred troops, on a plain near the pass of Taquatinguay, was 

 attacked and destroyed by two companies of Paulistas, commanded by captains 

 Bandeiro and Carneiro. During the tranquillity of peace, an armament, com- 

 manded by Cevalhos, for the purpose of seizing the island of St. Catharina, an- 

 chored in front of the colony, who were unprovided with sufficient provisions, the 

 people having been sustained by the stores of the royal magazines, which it was 

 alleged would only last five days. Assigning as a reason the impossibility of 

 receiving succours, the governor, with a probable want of courage, offered 

 to capitulate, which offer being rejected, he surrendered at discretion, with the 

 exception of some officers, their families, and a few inhabitants, who, by paying 

 a sum of money, obtained permission to go to Rio de Janeiro. The greater 

 part of the colony were conducted at their own expense to Mendon^a and 

 Cordova, in order to augment the population and agriculture of those districts. 

 Cevalhos was cruel enough not to exempt the women from this march, some of 

 whose husbands were sent dangerously ill to the hospital of Buenos Ayres ; 

 others were seen carrying in their arms their infants dying with the small pox. 



The loss of the island of St. Catharina, then more considerable for its ulti- 

 mate advantages, than for its present value, produced a treaty of peace between 

 the two nations, in the same year, 1777, with an article to establish a new line 

 of division in the southern part only, one surrendering the aforesaid island, the 

 other Colonia ; and in the province of Uruguay, a greater portion of neutral 

 territory to remain between the small rivers Chuy, the ancient limit, and 

 Thahim. The demarcation was to proceed in a direct line by the source of the 

 river Arica, northward to the mouth of the Peperi-gua^u ; and passing the 

 Setequeades (Seven Falls) to continue up the Igurey to the Paraguay. 



Thecertamty of war between his CathoHc Majesty and Portugal, being received at 

 Rio Grande St. Pedro, in June, 1801, the governor immediately ordered a procla- 

 mation to be issued to the corps de guard, to regard the Spanish nation as ene- 

 mies ; and, in the expectation of an order coming from the capital to make a formal 

 declaration, he pardoned all deserters who were willing to take up arms. An offi- 

 cial letter now arriving from his excellency the Viceroy, the campaign commenced 



Q 2 



