HOSTILITIES IN QUITO. 517 



thither with a large army, met with the Spa- 

 nish General Murgeon on the heights of Cu- 

 riaco ; an engagement ensued on the 7th of 

 April, in which the Spaniards were defeated, 

 leaving a great number of prisoners, and the 

 principal part of their ammunition and stores, 

 in the hands of the Colombians : Murgeon 

 was severely wounded, and died two days 

 afterwards. General Sucre also, who com- 

 manded a patriot force operating against 

 Quito, on the side of Guayaquil, after at- 

 tacking and defeating a body of royalists, 

 took possession of Rio Camba. Tn May, 

 the watch-tower called Mirador de Solano, 

 which commanded the town of Puerto Ca- 

 bello, surrendered by capitulation to Gene- 

 ral Paez ; and the garrison were conveyed 

 to Puerto Rico. 



On the 24th of May the battle of Pichin- 

 cha was fought, in which the royalists were 

 totally defeated, with the loss of one thou- 

 sand five hundred men, besides one hundred 

 and sixty officers, killed, wounded, and pri- 



