founded, and the Archipelago of Chiloe discovered by the Spaniards. Ercilla accompanied the discoverers, and inscribed some verses on a tree, recording his name and the date of the discovery, January 31st, 1558; and on the return from Chiloe, the city of Osorno was built.

At this period the Araucana of Ercilla closes; the poem having extended to the events of nine years, the time of the poet's service in the South American army. He then returned to Spain, and was employed in the European wars of Philip II. The continuation of the poem by Osorio is far from possessing equal merit with that of Ercilla: it extends no farther than the death of the second cacique (called Caupolican), the temporary subjugation of Araucana, and the disappearance of its chiefs.

But while the Spanish governors were engaged in invading Tucuman, and building the towns of Mendoza and San Juan, beyond the Andes, the Araucanians were silently preparing for new wars, and, ere they were expected, sallied from their woods and destroyed the flourishing town of Cañete, which was however rebuilt (1665) by the younger Villagran, who had succeeded his father in the government. The next year Ruiz Gamboa was sent to take possession of Chiloe, and founded the city of Castro and the port of Chacao.

Meantime, the long continuance of the war in so important a province as Chile, and the consideration of the great inconvenience of applying to Peru in all cases of civil and criminal jurisdiction, induced Philip II. to establish a court of audience at Conception; but the court, arrogating to itself military as well as civil authority, was soon discovered to be worse than useless, and was therefore suppressed in 1575. There had been a suspension of hostilities between the Spaniards and Chilenos for nearly four years, owing, in great measure, to the effects of an earthquake, which had laid waste a great part of the country; but the Araucanians had employed the interval in diligently seeking allies among the neighbouring Indians, and had engaged the Pehuenches, a mountain nation, and the Chequillans, the most savage of the Indians, to assist them in resisting the Spaniards; and he same harassing and continued warfare took

place which had marked the government of each successive captaingeneral from the time of Valdivia.

Notwithstanding these continued disturbances in the south, the quantity of the precious metals derived from Chile, the fertility of the country, and the mildness of the climate, began to attract the attention of other nations. The English, under Sir Thomas Cavendish, who arrived in 1586, with three ships, attempted to form a settlement in the bay of Quintero, but were immediately attacked and repulsed by the Spaniards, who suffered no nation to interfere in their new settlements. A second expedition under Sir John Narborough, in the reign of Charles II., was still more unfortunate, the whole fleet being lost in the straits of Magellan.

The Dutch also, with five ships, attempted in 1600 to make a settlement in the Island of Chiloe, and began by plundering the settlement and massacring the settlers; but the crew of their commodore having landed at Talca, the Indians fell upon and destroyed them, and the enterprise was therefore abandoned. Meantime the Araucanians, under Paillamachu, had leagued themselves with all the Indian tribes, as far as the Archipelago of Chiloe. Every Spaniard that was found outside of the fortresses was slain, and the cities of Osorno, Valdivia, Villarica, Imperial, Cañete, Angol, Coya, and the smaller fortresses, were invested at once. Conception and Chillan were burned, and in little more than three years all the settlements of Valdivia and his successors between the Biobio and Chiloe were destroyed: the inhabitants, after suffering the extremes of famine, were made prisoners, and the unmarried of both sexes given to people of the country, but the married allowed to retain their wives and families. The descendants of these prisoners are among the most inveterate enemies of the Spaniards, but the Indians have improved in the arts of civil life by their means. The fortunate cacique died in 1603, the year after the taking of Osorno, the last place that he reduced.

To prevent a recurrence of these disasters, a body of 2,000 regular troops was established on the frontier in 1608, which has at least

served the purpose of preventing the Indians from any serious invasion of the northern districts; but their predatory inroads have never been wholly repressed, and Araucana continued free.

In 1609, the court of audience, which had been suppressed at Conception, was re-established at Santiago, a city far enough from the Indian frontier not to dread the incursions of the natives, but too distant from the sea, being ninety miles from Valparaiso, its nearest port. This situation, however, had at that period its convenience, as it was out of the reach of the French, Dutch, and English adventurers, who then disturbed the tranquillity and endangered the possessions of the Spanish settlements on the shores of the Pacific.

In 1638, the Dutch made an attempt to form an alliance with the Araucanians, and thus obtain possession of Chile; but that nation refused all intercourse with Europeans, and destroyed the parties the Dutch had landed both in the islands of Mocha and Talca. Not disheartened, however, that enterprising people returned in 1643 with a numerous fleet, troops, and artillery, took possession of the deserted Valdivia, and began to build three strong forts at the entrance of the harbour. But the Indians not only refused to assist them in arms, but denied them provisions; and they were compelled to abandon the place three months after their landing. The Spaniards availed themselves of the labour of the Dutch; finished their forts, and strengthened the island of Mancura. So that the settlement remained undisturbed from without till the late revolution.

While the provinces of southern Chile were thus desolated and depopulated by a continual warfare, the same causes that threw back the other Spanish provinces operated also upon this small state. The unnatural aggrandisement of Spain during the reign of Charles V. involved it in all the wars of the continent of Europe; and as it had lost the advantages it had derived from the arts and agriculture of the Moors, which were never replaced by any corresponding industry, the sole resources whence the long and expensive contests of that prince could be supplied, lay in the quantity of the precious metals im

ported from the new world. Hence the short-sighted policy of repressing all industry in the colonies, that was not directly applied to the procuring gold and silver, the jealous exclusion of commerce, and the prohibitions of manufactures, excepting the very coarsest for home consumption. The misfortunes which attended the successors of Charles in some measure fell also on their foreign possessions; and as the demand for treasure became more urgent, the circumstances of South America became such as to render the supply more difficult. The wars and the cruelties of the Spaniards had destroyed so many of the Indians, that there were scarcely any left to labour in the mines; and though a bargain was made with the Dutch to supply African negroes for the purpose, the number of these, in Chile at least, was never great. The first viceroys and governors had been men of enterprise and talents; and although the character of Valdivia is not free from the imputation of cruelty, yet the building of towns, establishing something like lawful tribunals, and a disposition to win over, if possible, the natives, which form the principal object both of his government and that of some of his immediate successors, were highly beneficial. But before the accession of Philip V. the wants of a needy court had set up the high offices of the Indies to sale. The viceroys no longer sought to distinguish themselves by arms or policy; and they jealously guarded commerce from the intrusion of strangers only that they themselves might become the sole monopolists. The instructions sent by the court of Versailles to Marsin, the ambassador at Madrid, in 1701, contain the following observations :- "The rights of the crown of the Western "Indies have been sacrificed to the avarice of viceroys, governors, and "inferior officers.' And again, "The different councils of Madrid 66 are full of abuses, and that of the Indies particularly so. In it, so far "from punishing malversations, the guilty are supported in propor"tion to their bribes. The excesses of the viceroys and other officers "remain unpunished. This impunity, and the immense property " which they bring back, encourage their successors to follow the same example. On the contrary, if any one, from a principle of honour,

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pursues a different course, his disinterestedness is punished by a "shameful poverty. If he is a subaltern, the reproach which his " conduct draws on his superiors, or the attention he bestows to "throw light on theirs, exposes him to hatred. He soon feels the "effects, in the loss of his employments; for truth never reaches the king of Spain; distance gives facilities for disguising it, and timely presents can always obscure it."

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Meanwhile, the ambitious and enterprising court of Louis XIV. had turned its views to the advantages to be derived from a colony on the western coast of South America, or, at least, an exclusive right of commerce. Accordingly, having obtained the privilege of supplying Peru and Mexico with slaves, instead of the Dutch, the French ships began to trade thither; and, as opportunity occurred, men of science in different branches were sent to observe and report on the state of the country. Father Feuillé, to whom we are indebted for the best botanical account of Chile, where he resided for three years, was one of these; and Frezier, whose " Voyage to the South Sea" can never be sufficiently commended for its accuracy, was another. But the consequences of this French commerce, as exclusive as that of the Spaniards themselves, were far from beneficial to Spain or the colonies. The French traders were formed into two companies, which interfered with the rights of the Spanish merchants, and excluded all others; and in 1709 we find the following remarkable passage in the memorial on the state of Spain, transmitted by the French minister, Amelot, from Madrid: "The riches of Peru "and Mexico, those inexhaustible sources of wealth, are almost lost "to Spain. Not only are complaints made against the French mer"chants for ruining the trade of Cadiz and Seville, in spite of the

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regulations of the French court against those who infringe the "established rules; but the enormous abuses of the administration "of the viceroys continue in full force. Avarice and pillage are un"punished; fortresses and garrisons are neglected; all things seem "to portend a fatal revolution." At this period the viceroys were recalled; and an attempt was made to restrain the enormous profits