A VOYAGE TO 



Book VIII. 



CHAP V. 



Defer iptio?2 of the City of Conception, in the 

 Kingdom of Chili; with an account of its 

 commerce y and the fertility of the country. ■ 



CONCEPTION, otherwife called Penco, was finl: 

 founded by captain Pedro de Valdivia, in the 

 year 1550. But the powerful revolts of the Indians 

 of Arauco and Tucapel. obliged its inhabitants to re- 

 move to Santiago. They cannot, however, be charged 

 with having quitted their fettlement till they had been 

 defeated feveral times by the Indians, in one ot which 

 they loft the abovementioned Pedro de Valdivia, who 

 as governor of that kingdom, was commander in chief 

 of the forces employed in the conqueft of it. The 

 fame unhappy fate alfo attended Francifco de Villagra, 

 who as Vaidivia's lieutenant general had fuccecded in 

 the command. Thefe misfortunes, and the fuperiority 

 of the allied Indians, obliged the Spaniards to abandon 

 Conception. The inhabitants however being defirous 

 of poffelTing again their plantations in the neighbour- 

 hood of that city, and of W'hich they ufed to make 

 fuch large profits, petitioned the audience of Lima for 

 leave to return to their original city. But had foon 

 fufficient caufe to repent of not having exerted their 

 induftry in improving the place whither they had re- 

 tired, the Indians, on the firft notice that the Spaniards 

 were returned to the city, forming a powerful alliance 

 under a daring leader, called Lautaro, took by ftorm 

 a fmail fort, which was the whole defence of the city, 

 and put all to the fword, except a fmall number who 

 had fortunately efcaped to Santiago. Some time after 

 Don Gracia de Mendoza, fon to the Vice-roy de 

 Mendoza, Marquis of Canete, arriving as governor 

 of Chili, with a body of forces funicient for making 

 head againfl: the Indians, reftored the inhabitants of 



