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94 A HISTORY OF CHILE lieve Osorno, Villarica and Imperial, which were still invested by the enemy. The European wars resulted now and then in attacks being made by the contending parties on the American colonies. The English had sent expeditions against Peru and Chile under Drake and Cavendish (1578 — 1585), Holland now dispatched five warships (1598 — 1600) to the coast of Chile. These plundered the island of Chilo6 and massacred the Spanish garrison stationed there. At the island of Talca, however, the invaders were driven back with a loss of twenty-three of their men, in an attack made upon them by the Araucanians dwelling there, who seem to have taken them for a fresh arrival of Spaniards. Quinones requested to be recalled from the undesir- able government of Chile, and Alonzo Garcia Ramon was appointed to succeed him. Ramon was the An- thony Wayne of Chilean Indian battles but succeeded no better than his predecessor, despite his long ex- perience in Araucanian warfare. Alonzo de Rivera was appointed by the court of Spain to succeed Ramon. The new captain-general had won spurs in the wars of the Low Countries, and, having brought with him from Spain a regiment of veterans, much was expected of him. His first act was to fortify the Biobio with a series of strong forts. This infused new courage into the hearts of the de- spondent Chilean settlers but it did not save the Arau- canian cities which Valdivia had established, and which had been defended so many years with so great an outlay of Spanish blood and treasure. After a siege of nearly three years Villarica and Imperial fell into the hands of the Araucanians. The latter place held out long after the garrison had been reduced to the utmost extremities, encouraged thereto by the