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him by the appointment of the viceroy of Peru. The 

 neutral provinces, as had been concerted, had now 

 declared in favour of the others, and the war was 

 prosecuted with vigour. Curignancu on the one side, 

 and his brave Vice Toqui Leviantu on the other, 

 kept the Spanish troops which had been reinforced 

 by several divisions from Spain, constantly in mo- 

 tion. It is not in our power to notice particularly 

 ^ the different actions ; among others a bloody battle 

 was fought in the beginning of the year 1773, men- 

 tion of which was made in the European gazettes 

 of that period, at which time the war had cost the 

 royal treasury and individuals one million seven 

 hundred thousand dollars. 



The same year an accommodation was agreed on. 

 Curignancu, who was invested by his nation with 

 full powers to settle the articles, required as a pre- 

 liminary, that the conferences should be held in the 

 city of St. Jago. Although this requisition was 

 contrary to the established custom, it was neverthe- 

 less granted by the Spaniards without much diffi- 

 culty. When they afterwards came to treat of the 

 terms of peace, the Araucanian plenipotentiary 

 made another proposition, which appeared more ex- 

 traordinary than the first. He required that his na- 

 tion should be allowed to keep a minister resident in 

 the city of St. Jago. The Spanish officers who were 

 present strongly opposed this demand, but the go- 

 vernor thought it advisable to grant it, as by this 

 means he would have it in his power more readily to 

 adjust any disputes that might arise. These two 

 proposals, however, considering the disposition and 



