In addition to these misfortunes, the Dutch with five ships of war plundered the island of Chiloe, and massa cred its garrison. Upon landing, however, on the island of Talca, they were repulsed with loss by the inhabit ants, who seem to have mistaken them for Spaniards.
These accumulating reverses were quite overpower ing to the puny spirit of the governor, and he desired permission, which was granted to him, to resign the com mand. Neither the experience of Garcia Ramon, nor the valour of Rivera, who had signalised himself in the low countries, could retard the fall of Imperial,t Villa mica, and Osorno.§ This happened in the course of 1 602, under circumstances of extreme privation.* The treat ment of the prisoners, who by these successes fell into the power of the Araucanians, affords a noble instance of generosity and forbearance. They were distributed among the inhabitants, and though a few fell into brutal hands, and were treated with severity, not one of them was, according to the example of the Spaniards, either mutilated or impaled. The married were in general al lowed to retain their wives, while others had permission to unite themselves to the females of the country : and when an exchange of prisoners took place, some of them who had families preferred remaining with their captors. Such was the conduct of a people, who, by acts of the most ferocious barbarity, had been too frequently provo ked to retaliate, and who, in that instance, possessed the full means of retribution.
The misfortunes of the Spaniards did not cease with the life of Paillamachu, who died at the close of the year 1603. Garcia Ramon, upon his second succession to the command, having been largely reinforced, entered Araucania at the head of three thousand regular troops, besides auxiliaries ; an army which was fondly regarded by the colonists as the certain means of re-establishing their tyranny, and wiping out the stain of their calami ties. He constructed a fortress in the province of Bo ron, which, however, the garrison was shortly compelled to evacuate. The Spanish army then commenced its ra vages in two divisions ; these were separately attacked by the Toqui Huenencura, and with such admirable dex terity and overpowering success, that he destroyed or captured them to a man.
Induced by these repeated disasters, the court of Spain decreed a permanent establishment of two thousand re gular troops to be maintained on the frontiers ; and in 609, after its suppression for thirty-four years, restored the Royal Audience. Garcia once more crossed the Bio bio, and somewhat retrieved the disgrace of his late over throw by defeating the Araucanians. He died soon after
wards in the town of Conception, regretted by the Spa niards, and respected even by the enemy for his honour and humanity. Hucnencura did not long survive him. The succeeding Toqui, Aillavalu the second, has been ranked among the greatest of Araucanian generals, but his fame has outlived the memory of his exploits.
In the year 1612,in consequence of the complaints of Luis Valdivia, a Jesuit missionary, who zealously repre sented to the king the impracticability of propagating religion amid the tumult of arms, great exertions were made, on the part of Spain, to accomplish a treaty. Philip III., a bigotted though devout monarch, issued commands for a suspension of hostilities, and commis sioned Valdivia with full powers to negotiate a peace. Aillavalu, suspicious of the enemy, paid little regard to their professions._ But his successor Ancanamon, after ininute inquiries, entered sincerely into proposals for an accommodation. The conditions proposed were these, That the Biobio should serve as a barrier to both na tions, so that neither should be permitted to pass it with army ; that all deserters, in future, should be mutual ly returned ; and that the missionaries should be permit ted to preach the doctrines of Christianity in the Aran canianterritcnies." After the execution of the required preliminaries, and the treaty the point of being finally concluded, the whole proceedings were completely overturned by the obstinate bigotry or the in terested opposition of the Spanish officers. One of the Toqui's wives, a Spanish lady, whose detention in that ca pacity had been compulsory, seizing the occasion of her husband's absence, fled to the governor with two small children. Ancanamon vainly demanded their restoration : his claim was rejected by a majority of officers. He then claimed his two infant daughters, for whom he bore the fondest attachment ; but of these also the eldest was de nied him, on the plea that she had been converted to Christianity, and might be in danger, in a pagan country, of receding from the faith. In the mean time the Ulmen of Illicura had, from motives of gratitude to Valdivia, en gaged to facilitate the negociation, and at the same time received some missionaries into his province. The ex asperated Toqui, who had now abandoned all desire of peace, no sooner was informed of this proceeding-, than he hastened with a party of two hundred horse to Eli cura, and immediately slew the missionaries with their protector. All attempts to revive the negotiation were fruitless.