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138 A HISTORY OF CHILE revolution in the neighboring colonies, is necessary to abetter understanding of the same struggle in Chile, for the war had its origin in almost identical causes from Mexico to Buenos Ayres. And the causes were not different, though perhaps more aggravated, than the Stamp Act and the episodes which preceded the North American revolution. Only the Spanish colonies en- dured more, clung more steadfastly to the mother coun- try, and longer sought redresses of their grievances, before resorting to arms. Their first efforts were not to obtain independence, but a redress of grievances ; to establish juntas which should still acknowledge Fer- dinand VII. as king; for they opposed the claims of the central junta of Spain but not of the king in exile. They first asked to be permitted to plant and cultivate whatever their soil and climate would produce ; to open their ports to all nations; to have free trade among themselves and between the colonies and the mother country ; to have all monopolies in favor of the king and the public treasuries suppressed ; to have free working of quicksilver mines; to make Spanish Amer- icans eligible equally with Spaniards to all appoint- ments of rank and employment ; to have consulting juntas formed in each capital to the intent that they might propose persons to fill vacancies. In Caracas, Buenos Ayres, Santiago, La Paz, and Quito, the first juntas made no declarations of independence; they sought only redress of wrongs. The mere statement of the concessions asked is suffi- cient to show the intolerable burdens by which the colonies were oppressed. That the condition of affairs was not much improved after the revolution, is not to be wondered at. The colonies had been educated in a corrupt school; they were not prepared for republic- an institutions; they were rent by factional strifes;