Thus frivolously was rekindled a war, which, in its course, had already drained Araucania of its bravest in habitants, and drenched its fields with the best blood of the enemy. Ancanamon poured out his indignant ven geance on the Spanish provinces, and some severe engage ments followed. But the levity of the Spaniards receiv ed its full measure of retribution, during the dictator ships of Lientur and Putapichion. The ardent genius and enterprising spirit of Lientur carried every thing before him. His expeditions were a succession of triumphs to his country, and of discomfiture and humiliation to the Spaniards: he retired with glory in his old age, regarded even by his enemies as the darling of fortune. He was suc ceeded by Putapichion, a leader possessed of talents scarce ly inferior, though less uniformly triumphant, but whose laurels were shamefully polluted, by reviving, happily but in one instance, the cruel ceremony of the pruloncon, or dance of the dead4 He fell gloriously, in a bloody engagement with the Spanish governor Don Francisco Laso, and in the moment of success ; but his soldiers, intent only to remove the body of their leader, permitted the enemy to rally his dismayed battalions, and lost a victory which their valour bad in part achieved. The death of Putapichion threw a superiority on the side of the Spaniards. Ilis successors in the Tcquiate, with equal ardour to annoy the enemy, were deficient in those qualities, which could alone secure its accomplishment. Their efforts, though not always ineffectual, seem in general to have been the result rather of temerity than of skill. They have the just praise, however, of having been sincere in the great cause of their country, and their sincerity was sealed with their blood. In the course of a very few years Araucania was deprived of five suc cessive Toquis, and, during that period, was frequently exposed to severe ravages from the governor.
The Spanish settlements were again threatened by the Dutch and English. The first arrived upon the coast in 1638, when a storm frustrated their enterprise, by the dispersion of their little squadron. Some years after, the English fleet, on its wav to Chili, unck• Sir John Nar borough, was lost in the straits of Magellan.
Laso, like some of his predecessors, had engaged his promise to terminate the war with the Araucanians, but notwithstanding his utmost endeavours, and the vigorous ability with which these were exerted, they still obsti nately maintained their freedom ; and he was at length reduced to the necessity of soliciting reinforcements. Instead of these, however, the court of Spain sent out the Marquis de Baydes to displace him from the com mand. De Baydes, immediately on assuming the govern ment, (1643,) opened a conference with the Toqui Lincopichion; and the two chiefs, entertaining similar views, a peace was concluded on the 6th of January, the follow ing year, upon the terms proposed to Ancanamon, but with this further requisition, that the Araucanians should not permit the landing of any strangers upon their coast, nor furnish supplies to any foreign nation whatever. This prudent stipulation proved shortly of the highest import :vice to the Spaniards.
In 1643, the Dutch, after the reduction of Brasil, re newed their attempts upon Chili ; but this their last ef fort, though apparently more formidable and better con certed, was not more successful than the two former.
They possessed themselves of the deserted harbour of Valdivia ; and the Araucanians were in vain solicited with the most pressing invitations to break with their ancient enemy. Not only, however, did they remain faithful to their engagement, but readily united with a Spanish army to expel the strangers. Upon intelligence of their ap proach, the Dutch, greatly oppressed for want of provi sions, found themselves once more compelled to abandon the enterprise.
In 1655, hostilities were excited afresh during the go vermnent of Don Antonio Acugna ; but from what cause, or which party was the aggressor, we are not informed. The Toqui Clentaru, in his first enterprize, had the glory of annihilating a Spanish army. He then cleared the country of some remaining fortresses, crossed the Biobio, and after defeating the governor, overturned the forts of St Christopher and the Eustacia del Rey, and burned the city of Chillan. Don Francisco Meneses brought the war to a termination in 1665, by a peace which lasted forty-eight years. During this period little occurred de serving particular notice. A slight rebellion took place among the inhabitants of Chiloe ; which, however, was quickly suppressed by the prudent exertions of Don Pedro Molina. During the war of succession in 1707, the external commerce of Chili fell into the hands of Frenchmen, and remained wholly under their manage ment till 1717. Many of them settled in the country, and have left numerous descendants.
The war of 1723 menaced the Spaniards in its com mencement with total expulsion from Chili. It appears to have been excited by some encroachments on their part, and by the insolent aggressions of those persons styled Captains of the Friends, (Spanish officers placed in Chili for the ostensible purpose of protecting mission aries). The assumption of powers which did not origi nally belong to them was deeply resented, and soon stirred to a flame the watchful jealousy of the Araucanians. Villumilla was elected Toqui in 1722. His first aim was engage the co-operation of all the Chilians, that by one sudden and overwhelming: effort he might sweep the Spaniards from every province of the country. But though his measures to this effect were taken with vi gour, secrecy, and precision, its accomplishment was entirely frustrated, by the inaction of the conquered Chi lians. The long and rigid despotism which had been exercised over them with such barbarity by the Spaniards, had not only repressed the population, once numerous and flourishing., but reduced it to a spiritless remnant. The small number therefore, and the broken spirit of these injured and degraded beings, should perhaps ex culpate them from the charge of cowardice. On the day appointed, the signal fires served only to remind them of ancient ft ecdom, without exciting a single effort to regain it. Villumilla, thus disappointed of extensive co-opera tion, though he was not deterred from attacking the ene my, accomplished nothing of importance. He succeeded in taking several fortresses ; but the governor, Don Ga briel Cano, who had entered Araucania with an army of 5000 men, not choosing to attack him, the war was re duced to skirmishes, and soon afterwards terminated by the peace of Negrete.