their conversion; and in the patriarchal simplicity which is still conspicuous in their government and domestic relations. The principal addition to their resources, and consequent change in their occupation and pursuits, consists in the introduction of horses and cattle, to the raising of which their country is well adapted. The European colonies of Chili remained subject to Spain until the period of confusion consequent upon Napoleon's peninsular campaigns; a period originating that series of revolutions, which resulted in the loss to the parent-country of all her American continental possessions. By the direct influence of the Count de la Conquista, the captain-general of Chili, in September of 1810, an assembly of landed proprietors was summoned for the purpose of concerting measures for an overthrow of the Spanish power. A junta, having for its president the count himself, was accordingly formed, and an election was ordered to take place in the spring ensuing. Entering upon their office, not without some bloodshed, the members of the independent congress proceeded to annul the powers of the court of royal audience, and to enact laws securing liberty and equality to the inhabitants. Three brothers, named Carrera, who had taken a prominent part in opposing the partial system of apportioning the electoral districts, after that abuse had been corrected by the congress, fomented a new disturbance, and, gaining over to their views a considerable party, succeeded in dissolving, first, the original junta, and afterwards the congress itself, leaving the entire administration of affairs in the hands of a council of three, among whom was one of their own number. Such a usurpation of power could hardly be expected to remain undisturbed at a period when the South American colonies were just throwing off the fetters with which they had so long been burdened. The disaffection of the inhabitants, and the dissensions which weakened the power of the self-created rulers of Chili, invited the interposition of the Peruvian authorities, and the viceroy of Lima accordingly dispatched an army, under General Pareja, to seize upon the country. That officer, in 1813, marched into Chili, and, gaining over the troops at Conception, proceeded southward. He was attacked at his encampment, on the night of April 12th, by the patriot army, under one of the Carreras, and met with such loss that he withdrew to Chillan. General Carrera, continuing to carry matters with a high hand, and making use of his military commission to commit many acts of tyranny and oppression, was deposed from his command, and the office of commander-in-chief was bestowed upon the celebrated Col onel O'Higgins. With his brother Luis Carrera, he was shortly afterwards taken prisoner by the royalists. The patriots, under their new general, effected little or nothing until the spring of 1814, when such signal advantages were gained over the invaders, that a treaty was negotiated, by the terms of which the Peruvian forces were to be withdrawn. Meantime, Chili was distracted by new revolutions and disturbances. The junta'was dissolved, and Lastra, the governor of Valparaiso, was created dictator, only to be displaced by the intrigues and influence of the Carreras, who had made their escape from captivity. The royalist general neglected to comply with the treaty, and maintained his position until autumn, when powerful reinforcements having arrived from Peru, he overran the whole country, and compelled the rebellious provinces to submit once more to Spanish oppression. "The inhabitants became the victims of royal vengeance; arrests, imprisonments, punishments, and banishments followed, filling the country with terror, suffering, and horror. More than one hundred patriots were exiled to the desert island of Juan Fernandez, three hundred and eighty miles from the coast."* For the final establishment of their independence, the Chilians were indebted to foreign assistance. An army of republicans, under General San Martin, governor of the province of Cuyo, in the early part of the year 1817, was marched across the Andes, and, joining the patriots, annihilated the Spanish power in Chili for ever. The subsequent campaigns of the combined armies of that country and of Buenos Ayres, especially those connected with the history of the establishment of Peruvian independence, will be found briefly nar rated in another portion of our history. In the year 1825, a constitution was framed by the congress of Chili, in accordance with the provisions of which the country has been subsequently governed. O'Higgins remained at the head of affairs in Chili for the term of six years from the period of his elevation, April, 1817. He was generally esteemed, both for his military services, and his good intentions in the conduct of the civil administration; but the unsettled. condition of the country in those early days of the republic, required * Niles' History of South America and Mexico. a firmer hand in the correction of abuses, and a more thorough oversight and control over subordinate officials than were exhibited by the patriotic, but negligent director. Upon his deposition he retired to Peru, where he was received with honour and distinction, and where his services in the cause of republicanism were rewarded by an appropriation from the government. For several years after O'Higgins' departure, Chili was in a disturbed and tumultuous state. The successive presidents were unable to maintain order, or to carry out their plans for giving stability to the government. In 1829-30, civil war fairly broke out, the powers of legislation being claimed respectively by the congress, with the president, and by a junta appointed by deputies sent in to Santiago from the various disaffected towns and districts. The army, under General Prieto, favoured the junta, and in April, 1830, the con gressional forces, under General Ramon Freyre, who had been O'Higgins' successor in the directorship, were completely defeated. At a general election, held immediately after the engagement, Prieto was chosen president of the republic. Under the vigorous administration of this officer, who, by the advice and assistance of his minister, the celebrated Diego Portales, avoided the errors and consequent weakness of his predecessors, the powers of government were wonderfully strengthened and established. The organization of a militia of the country opposed an effectual check to the enterprises of ambitious military adventurers; judicious financial measures revived the public credit; and a consistent course of firm, and necessarily severe administration of the laws, gave security to life and property. The year 1836 was memorable for an unsuccessful attempt by the ex-director, Ramon Freyre, to bring about a revolution. He sailed from Lima for Chiloe, intending to disembark upon the southern sea coast of Chili, but the government, having notice of his designs, anticipated the movement. A force was sent to Chiloe, and Freyre, with his ships, fell into the hands of the Chilians. The disaffection of Colonel Vidaurre, second in command in the army of Chili, produced more disastrous results. The first demonstration of rebellion was the seizure of the minister, Portales, as he was reviewing the troops; an outrage immediately followed by civil war. Vidaurre attacked Valparaiso, but the city was well defended, and he saw his followers defeated and scattered. The unfortunate Portales fell a victim to the disappointed rage of his captors. He had refused to lend himself to the views of the revolu tionists, although warned that his life depended upon his decision. When the fate of the day was decided, the captive minister was shot, and, the first fire not fully taking effect, was dispatched by bayonets. His body was found lying in the road when the insurgent forces had dispersed. The principal fomenters of this outbreak paid the forfeit of their rebellion with their lives. The soil The natural resources of the Chilian republic are great. is exceedingly fruitful, and the peculiar conformation of the country renders a system of irrigation extensively available. The mines of the precious metals are rich and productive, while those of copper are among the most valuable ever discovered. Good harbours and a favourable geographical position afford facilities for an extensive commerce. Such advantages, combined with a delightful variety of climate and scenery, render Chili a desirable place of residence, but its growth has been hardly in proportion to its resources. It appears that the government has lately held out new inducements to immigrants from other countries, and has offered facilities for their establishment, well calculated to attract the enterprising and industrious. FLORIDA. CHAPTER I. JUAN PONCE DE LEON. HIS VOYAGE IN SEARCH OF THE DE THE beautiful name of Florida, restricted, for more than a century, to a single province, and now to a single state, was, in the early history of America, applied to a vast extent of country, embracing nearly all the eastern portion of the continent, between Canada and Mexico. In narrating the settlement of the West Indies, mention has been made of Juan Ponce de Leon, conqueror and governor of the island of Porto Rico. This man, in addition to the ambition and rapacity common to all his class, possessed, it should seem, rather more than their usual share of fancy and credulity. Deprived, in advanced age, of his hardly-earned command, his imagination became much excited by the accounts of certain old Indians, who averred that far in the north was a land abounding in gold, and possessing a well of such miraculous virtue as to restore youth to those who bathed in it. To discover this land of treasure, and to rēgain the youth which should enable him to enjoy it, became at once the object of his ambition. "Nothing can better illustrate the gorgeous and dreamy imagination of the age, than the fact that this worldly, practical, and experienced man now embarked a great portion of his wealth in such a chimerical enterprise." With three ships, manned, under a leader so redoubted and on an |