400 SPANISH AMERICA. 



royalists, totally defeated them in the battle 

 of Las Piedras, in May 1811 ; and having 

 received reinforcements from Buenos-Ayres, 

 they laid siege to the city of Monte Video. 

 Elio, finding himself hard pressed, applied 

 to the Portuguese government in the Brazils, 

 by which four thousand men w^ere sent to 

 his assistance. Elio then made proposals of 

 peace to the government of Buenos-Ayres, the 

 terms of v^hich being agreed upon in No- 

 vember 1811, the siege of Monte Video w^as 

 raised ; but the Portuguese, in violation of the 

 treaty, remained, and afterwards committed 

 hostilities in Rio de la Plata. At this period 

 also the troops of Buenos-Ayres, which had 

 been sent in the direction of Peru, were 

 defeated by the royalists at Rio Nazareno, 

 near Suipacha, and the vanguard of the lat- 

 ter, commanded by General Tristan, took 

 possession of the province of Salta. The 

 patriot general Belgrano retired by order of 

 the Junta to Tucuman. 



