146 



PROVINCE OF URUGUAY. 



militia and deserters, attracted by the amnesty, were put in motion upon the 

 frontiers of the river Pardo ; amongst the latter of which appeared Joze Borges 

 do Canto, a native of the country, and who had deserted from a regiment 

 of dragoons. He immediately offered to go and commence hostilities in 

 the Spanish territories, on being granted some comrades and the necessary 

 arms. Ammunition only was conceded to him, with the liberty of assembling 

 such people together as would join his standard. Having formed a battalion 

 of forty men, armed at their own expense, he marched direct to the missions 

 of Uruguay, and, encountering on the road a known Indian, who was 

 retiring discontented from the Spaniards, he received from him the certain 

 intelligence that the Indians, on hearing of the war, would not hesitate to 

 subject themselves to the crown of Portugal, as almost all the Indian popula- 

 tion lived unhappily under their present government. Canto persuaded the 

 Indian to return, and announce to his compatriots the opportunity which was 

 now presented of freeing themselves from the Spanish yoke, and of passing 

 under the protection of the Faithful Crown, and to inform them, that he 

 would afford all necessary assistance. The Indian, convinced of this, accom- 

 panied them to within sight of St. Miguel, where there was a lieutenant- 

 colonel, commanding a trench which he had formed in apprehension of an 

 attack from the Portuguese. 



Having arrived thus far at day-break, Canto sent the Indian forward by a 

 bye-way, with orders to bring him what information he could, to a certain 

 situation, whither he should continue to march. As the place was very near 

 to the trench. Canto and his party were discovered by the sentinel, who called 

 out to arms. Under these circumstances. Canto saw himself obliged to advance 

 without order against the entrenched, who were in greater disorder ; and 

 after discharging a few shots they abandoned the fortification, retiring to the 

 town, where the commandant was, and leaving this intrepid squadron masters 

 of the trench, with ten pieces of artillery. 



The commandant supposing himself to be attacked by a great number of 

 another class of combatants, offered a capitulation to the chief of the conquer- 

 ors, who willingly conceded almost all that was asked, in order that the 

 Spaniards might leave the country before a reinforcement arrived, or before 

 they knew that it was only forty adventurers, without any corps of reserve, 

 from whom they had fled. The commandant was a good deal perplexed, at 

 the execution of the articles of capitulation, when Canto, being asked for his 



