Chili.* The Spaniards at present established in this Archipelago amount to about fifteen thousand, and its commerce is conducted by means of three or four ships which trade there annually from Peru and Chili. To these they sell large quantities of red cedar boards, timber of different kinds suitable for carriages, upwards of two thousand ponchos of various qualities, hams, pilchards, dried shell-fish, white cedar boxes, cloaks, enbroidered girdles, and a small quantity of ambergris which is found upon the shores; and receive in exchange, wine, brandy, tobacco, sugar, herb of Paraguay, salt, and several kinds of European + goods.

*The temporal government of these islands at the present time (1792) is vested in the viceroyalty of Lima.-Spanish

Trans.

+ For a farther account of the Archipelago of Chiloé, see the Appendix.-E. E.

CHAP. III.

Establishment of the Court of Royal Audience; Government of Don Melchor Brave de Saravia; Military operation of Paillataru, and of his successor Paynenancu; Suppression of the Court of Audience; Second Government of Quiroga; Foundation of Chillan; Some Account of the Pehuenches.

THE continuation of the war, and the great importance of the conquest, finally induced Philip II. to erect a court of Royal Audience in Chili, independent of that of Peru. To this he confided not only the political, but even the military administration of that kingdom. TIC

preme tribunal, which was composed ativour judges of law, and a fiscal, on the 13th of August, 1567, made its solemn entry into Conception, where it fixed its residence. Immediately on assuming its functions, it removed Quiroga from the government, and gave the command of the army with the title of general to Ruiz Gamboa. This commander, having learned that Paillataru was preparing to besiege the city of Canete, hastened thither immediately, and finding him in possession of a post not far from that place, at

tacked and defeated him after a long and obstinate contest. This defeat enabled the victors to overFun and lay waste the country, without opposition, for the space of a year, from whence they took a great number of women and children, whom they made slaves. In the meantime the Spanish general attempted repeatedly, to no purpose, to persuade the Araucanians to commence negociations for peace. Preferring all possible evils to the loss of liberty, they constantly refused to lend an ear to his proposals.

As peace, so necessary to the welfare of the colony, appeared to be daily more remote, notwithstanding no means were spared to obtain it, the military government of the Royal Audience was thought inadequate to the purpose of its establishment; and it was deemed more expedient to place it, as before, in the hands of a single chief, distinguished by the new titles of president, governor, and captain-general of Chili, from his being president of the Royal Audience, the head of the civil department, and commander of the armies. Don Melchor de Bravo was, in 1568, invested with this triple character; a man well qualified to fill the two first offices, but utterly incompetent to sustain the latter.

He was nevertheless very desirous of engaging the enemy, and signalizing the commencement of his government by a splendid victory. Having learned that Paillataru, who had collected a new

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army, had occupied the fatal height of Mariguenu, which the Spaniards, for what reason I know not, had never thought of fortifying, he immediately marched against him at the head of three hundred European soldiers, and a large number of auxiliaries. Paillataru, like several of his predecessors, had the glory of rendering this mountain famous by the total defeat of the Spanish army. The president, who very fortunately escaped being made prisoner, withdrew precipitately with the small remnant of his troops. to the city of Angol. Greatly intimidated by his defeat, he there resigned the command of the army to Gamboa, the marshal, and to the quarter master Velasco, whom he ordered immediately to evacuate the so often destroyed and rebuilt fortress of Arauco. These officers, while conducting the inhabitants of that place to Canete, fell in with a division of the enemy, which they attacked and defeated. Nevertheless, Paillataru, having taken the post of Quipeo, marched two days after against that city with a determination to blockade it, when the marshal came out to meet him with all the troops that he could raise. The battle was continued for more than two hours, and was one of the bloodiest ever fought in Chili. The Spaniards, though severely handled, remained masters of the field; but Paillataru, having in a short time repaired his losses, returned to oppose the marshal, who had entered

the Araucanian territory to ravage it, and compelled him to retreat with loss.

After this success, the two belligerent nations observed, till the death of Paillataru, a period of about four years, a truce or suspension of arms. This was probably in a great measure owing to the general consternation caused by a dreadful earthquake, which was felt throughout the country, and did great injury to the Spanish settlements, particularly the city of Conception, which was entirely destroyed. The Spaniards, ever attentive to consolidate and give importance to their conquests, erected, in 1570, another bishopric in the city of Imperial, to which they assigned as a diocese the vast extent of country lying between the river Maúle and the southern confines of Chili.

About this time the Mustees, or descendants of the Spaniards and Indians, having multiplied greatly, the Araucanians, perceiving the advantages which they might derive from their assistance, resolved to attach them to their cause, by letting them see that they considered them as their countrymen. With this view, on the death of Paillataru in 1574, they conferred the office of Toqui on one of these men, called Alonzo Diaz, who had taken the Chilian name of Pay nenancu, and had for ten years fought in their armies, where he had distinguished himself by