366 T/6^? DiSCOV E.RIES 
the Dutch having failed half a I.eagiie up it, they ob- 
ferved three Channels, of which, taking the Middlemoft 
they rim aground, and it was two or three Days before 
they could get all thhr Ships afloat again ^ fo that it was 
the 28 th before they arrived at the Town of Bddivia, 
where they only found the Ruins of the ancient Gates, 
which w'^ere very high, and ftrong built *, but the Place 
was now over-run with Bufhes and Weeds, and more 
like a Wildernefs than a City : Here they found three or 
four hundred Chilefe Horfe and Foot armed with Spears, 
eighteen Foot long, fome of whom came on board, and 
welcomed them at their Arrival. The Dutch General 
harangued them by an Interpreter, and acquainted them. 
That the Hollanders were now in the Poffelllon of Brazil, 
upon the fame Continent, not above two Months fail 
from them, and w^ere in a Condition to fupply them from 
time to time with Arms and Ammunition, and would 
affift them to drive their Enemies, the Spaniards, out of 
the Country, defiring they would enter into a League 
offenflve and detenfive with them. He alfo prefented 
them with the Letters from the Prince of Orange, of the 
like Tenour j which were interpreted to the Indians ; for 
it is to be remarked here, that neither the People of the 
Eafi or Wejl Indies have any Notion of a Republican 
Form of Government, and therefore the Hollanders, in 
all Negociations with thofe diftant Nations, pretended to 
be authorized to treat whth them by the Prince of Orange, 
or fome fingle Perfon, whom they infmuated to be their 
Monarch. 
The Caziques gave the General no other Anfwer to his 
Propofitions at prefent, but. That they would confuk 
their Brethren ot Orfor?io and Coneo, and then return to 
Baldivia. Whereupon the Dutch proceeded to land their 
Soldiers on the 2d of September, and the General took 
a View oi the Ground, in order to ereft a Fort. The 
fame Evening arrived above one thoufand Chilefe from 
Orfcrno and Coneo, to treat with the Hollanders ; and the 
next Day the General, by his Interpreter, made them 
another Speech: He acquainted them. That the chief Mo- 
tive of their Voyage was to afTift the Chilefe, the Fame of 
whofe great Adlions had reached as far as Holland: That 
the Dutch had been at War with the Spaniards for up- 
wards of fourfcore Years, as well as the Chilefe, for the 
Prefervatiqn of their Liberties, and had met with the like 
Succefs, extending their Conquefts as far as Brazil ; 
and if the Chilefe would now enter into a Confede- 
racy with the Hollanders, they w'ere ready to fupply them 
with Cannon, fmall Arms, and Ammunition •, which 
they would exchange for the Produdt of their Country •, 
and the Chilefe^woxAd. be enabled thereby, not only to 
defend - themfelves, but to expel the Spaniard's from their 
Coafts. After which a Letter was delivered to every one 
of the Caziques, as fent them from the Prince of Orange. 
To which the Caziques anfwered. That they thought 
themfelves extremely fortunate to meet with a Supply of 
Arms from fo diftant a Country as Holland, at a Time 
when the W ar with the Spaniards was revived ; and that 
they would confider of what was propofed. 
The Dutch thereupon enquired if the Chilefe could fup- 
ply their Fleet with Flefli hid other Provifions, if they 
continued on their Coaft to prote6t them againft the 
Spaniards F To which they unanimoufly anfwered. They 
would not fail to bring them all the Provifions they 
wanted, for they had Plenty of Corn and Cattle •, pro- 
vided the Fleet did not ftir from the Coaft. And they 
readily entered into a verbal Alliance Oflfenfive and De- 
fenfive, with tht Hollanders againft the Spaniards ; but 
would not be perfuaded to execute written Articles, which 
were offered, and interpreted to them ; declaring. That 
this was not cuftomary amongft them ; but, that Pro- 
mifes were ever looked upon as facred, and of equal Obli- 
gation wdth written Contradls. The Hollanders then pro- 
ceeded to build a Fort at Baldivia, for their Security ; which 
the Natives did not feem to oppofe ; but when the Dutch 
propofed the Trafficking with the Chilefe, and exchange- 
ing Arms for their Gold, the Caziques immediately ap- 
peared jealous of their new Allies ; and declared, they 
had no Gold Mines, nor was there any fuch Thing as 
Gold in Ufe amongft them : They remembred indeed 
and Settlements _ Book I. 
that, heretofore, they had been obliged to pay heavy 
Taxes to the Spaniards in Gold, on Pain of lofing their 
Ears and Nofes, as many of them aflually did who could 
not procure as much as was expefted ; and this had 
given them fuch an Abhorrence of that Metal, that they 
could not bear to hear it named amongft them ; that they 
were very far from valuing or coveting it as they found 
all Strangers did ; and that it was the Caufe of many 
Mifchiefs to them, from which the Indians were free. 
The General finding the Natives were not ignorant of 
his Views, replied they were not come to exadl any thing 
of them, as the Spaniards had done ^ but were ready to 
pay them with AriViS, or whatever Merchandize they 
liked beft for their Gold ; and every one was at Liberty to 
exchange what he pleafed. Whereupon the Caziques flared 
at one another without returning one Word of Anfwer ; 
and the Dutch relate, they did not think fit to urge them 
any farther on that Head, left they fliould imagine they 
had a Mind to, ferve them as the Spaniards had done, 
though they were certain there were very rich Mines in 
that Part of the Country. Dh.tDutch General, therefore,, 
feeing now he could expedl but little Aftlftance from, the 
Natives, and that it would be impoffible to maintain his 
Ground long againft the Spaniards, and the reft of the 
Chilefe in Alliance with them, difpatched Captain Chrif- 
pinfon, with two of his Ships, to Fernamhuco, in Brazil, 
to give their Friends an Account of the State of their 
Affairs, and to defire a further Reinforcement •, and, in 
the mean Time, continued to fortify the Poft he had 
taken at Baldivia, where he hoped to defend hiiufelf till 
thofe Supplies arrived. In the Letter the Dutch General 
fent by Captain Chrifpinfon to Brazil, he informs the Go- 
vernment, that the Spaniards had not more than fifteen 
hundred Soldiers, either on the Continent or Elands of 
Chili, viz. three hundred in Valperifo and St. Jago one 
hundred in Serena or Coquimho ; one hundred on the 
Bank of Riolio ; eighty in Fucupel ; five hundred in the 
Forts in the Valley of Arauco one hundred and twenty 
in the Eland of Chiloe, Carelmappa, and Calembuco ; what 
the Number of the Spanifh Inhabitants were, he does not 
fay, only that they were more numerous than the Garri- 
fon Soldiers ; and it is evident, that many of the Chilefe 
profefted the Chriftian Religion, and were intermarried 
with the Spaniards at this Time •, and therefore were, in 
a Manner, one People with them, and that fome Tribes 
or Clans that were not under the Spanifh Government, 
were in Alliance with them, though moft of them were 
in a State of War with the Spaniards. And in thofe Cir- 
cumftances the Dutch General informs the Government 
of Brazil, that in Cafe ten Ships, and three Yachts, with 
eight hundred Soldiers, Seamen, Cannon, and Ammuni- 
tion in Proportion, were fent to his Affiftance, he did not 
doubt of making himfelf Mafter of all the Spanijh Settle- 
ments above-mentioned ; and ftiould have no Occafion to 
be afraid of all the Force the Spaniards had, either in 
Chili or Peru ; and if he could make himfelf Mafter of 
Chili, by this Means, it might encourage the Natives of 
Peru to throw off the Spanifh Yoke. 
Thefe Indians having entertained an inconceivable 
Averfion to the Spaniards, he informs his Employers alfo, 
that they had received the Advice, that the Natives of 
the neighbouring Provinces of La Plata, had role upon 
the Jefuits (the then Sovereigns or Ufurpers of 'that 
Country) and had murdered many of thofe Fathers, which 
w^as looked upon as an Indication of a general Revolution 
againft the Spaniards ; and then repeating his Importuni- 
ties for a fpeedy and effectual Supply, concludes, that 
when the War was once kindled on that Side, it might 
fpread over all the Spanijh IVeJl Indies and the Holland- 
ers might fupplant them in the Weft, as they had done 
the Portuguefe in the Eaft Indies and Brazil. This Ex- 
prefs had not been difpatched a Week, before the Dutch 
General became fenfible of his Miftake ; and that v/hat- 
ever Mifunderftanding there might be between the Chilefe 
and the Spaniards, the Natives were much more afraid of 
the Hollanders, than of their ancient Enemies, and would 
probably join with Bit Spaniards to expel them their Coun- 
try. For the next Conference he had with the Caziques, 
they gave him to imderftand, that he muft expedt no Pro- 
vifions 
