408 SPANISH AMERICA. 



the naval force under his command, for the 

 South Seas. Success at first attended this 

 expedition in its attacks upon the Spanish 

 commerce ; but Brown's ship running on 

 the sands near Guayaquil, it was captured 

 by the Spaniards : Brown, however, was 

 exchanged for the new governor of Guaya- 

 quil, who had some days before been taken 

 prisoner by his cruisers. Brown captured 

 several ships in the South Seas, and sent 

 some of them to Buenos-Ayres ; he at length 

 sailed for the North, with a valuable booty, 

 in the Hercules; but was captured by a Bri- 

 tish ship of war, and his vessel carried into 

 Antigua, where it was condemned, on the 

 ground of a violation of the navigation 

 laws. 



The Congress of Tucuman issued a de- 

 claration on the 9th of July 1816, formally 

 announcing the independence of the pro- 

 vinces of Rio de la Plata. 



It was soon after this that the Portuguese 



