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the historian of that name. His government was, 

 however, but of short duration. Alonzo Rivera, « 

 an officer who had rendered himself famous in the 

 Vars of the Low Countries, was sent out by the king . 

 as governor in his place, with a regiment of veterans. 

 On assuming his office, he fortified with strong forts 

 the shores of the Bio-bio, and gréatly encouraged the 

 inhabitants, who had not yet relinquished the idea 

 of quitting Chili. 



After a siege of two years and eleven months, 

 Villarica, a very populous and opulent city, fell at 

 length, in 1692, into the hands of the Araucanians. 

 A similar fate, after a short interval, was experienced 

 by Imperial, the metropolis of the southern colonies, 

 which would have fallen some montiis before, had 

 not its fate been protracted by the courage of a Span- 

 ish heroine, called Ines Aguilera. This lady, per- 

 ceiving the garrison to be discouraged and on the 

 point of capitulating, dissuaded them from surren- 

 dering, and directed all the operations in person, un- 

 til a favourable opportunity presenting, she escaped 

 by sea with the bishop and a great part of the inhabi- 

 tants. She had lost during the siege her husband 

 and brothers, and her valour was rewarded by the 

 king with an annual pension of two thousand dol- 

 lars. 



Osorno, a city not less rich and populous than the 

 preceding, was not able much longer to resist the 

 fate that awaited it. It fell under the violent effiDrts 

 of the besiegers, who, freed from their attention to - 

 the others, were able to bring their whole force 

 against it. Thus, in a period of little more than three 



