When the Spaniards, early in the sixteenth century, entered Peru, their sanguinary career swept with une qualled rapidity over Peru and over northern Chile. They advanced without fear of successful opposition until they crossed the river Mauls, when they at once encountered an enemy not only their equals, hut superiors in the art of war, and though nearly three centuries have elapsed since the Spaniards penetrated into southern Chile, their posterity have rather retrograded than advanced in Arau cania. Under the head of Chile, we have found the provinces of that republic bounded by the Biobia river, with the exception of the detached achipclago of Chiloe. On the Atlantic side of the continent, the civilized set tlements do not extend beyond lat. 38°. The interme diate country, therefore, between southern Chile and the extreme southern settlements of Buenos Ayres and Mendoza, and all beyond to Cape Horn, is in possession of the native Indians. These hordes,' few in number, but fierce and warlike, are inimical to the Spaniards, and interrupt the contmunication between Buenos Ayres and Patagonia. In April, 1822, a commissioner was sent by the provincial government of Buenos Ayres, in order to nego tiate a purchase of a large part of the Indian territory. A conference was had with the caziques, but the high price demanded defeated the negotiation. The following extract shows the relative situation of the Indians and whites, and the ultimate views of the latter at Buenos Ayres. "The Indians who belong to these chiefs, (the caziques who met the commissioner) are seven feet in height, naked half way down the body, and painted, wearing leather hats with a plume of feathers. Most of them agreed to sell lands, but demanded for them silver to an immense amount. Owing to this, and to the opposition made by the Indians called Rangueles, who belong to Chile, and are constantly inimical to peaceful measures, influencing, by their courage, all the other Indians; that Congress, or Parlimento, as they call it, produced no advantageous result, as to the laudable idea of buying those countries, and not taking them away by force.
In consequence of this failure, no choice is now left to the government of the United States, but to resort to -violence; which Buenos Ayres will the more easily carry into execution, as the number of all these barbarians does not exceed 8000 men, armed with slings and lances, with no other advantage than the rapidity of their evo lutions, which they derive front their dexterity on horse back." It would be useless to swell our necessarily brief notice of Araucania and Patagonia with barbarous names which time and civilization must obliterate. This most pro truded continental section of the eat th terminates in a broken, barren, and desolate group of islands, separated from the main land by the celebrated straits of Magellan. They were discovered, passed, and named in 1519, by Magelhaenes, a Portuguese navigator. The tortuous length of these straits is about 450 miles, and their navi gation difficult and dangerous. The cold sterility and desolation of these Magellanic regions have been no doubt too greatly exaggerated. More recent and correct in formation has removed much of the terrific from the face of nature along its shores, and has shown the navi gation much less difficult than was formerly supposed. No permanent civilized establishment has yet been made on the straits of Magellan, though perhaps no other colonial settlement could be made more beneficial to the commercial interests of mankind. In the present state of human affairs, the imperfectly known seas and islands which environ southern Patagonia are regarded as the terror of se-amen, and the sources of prolific fable in phy sical geography.
We have reserved to close this account of the colo nized parts of the continent of South America, a notice of the province recently contended for by Brazil and the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata.