Under cultivation the barks may be expected to yield a much larger per-centage of alkaloids than they ever do in their wild state.
CHINCHONA-CULTIVATION.
Ceylon—Sikkim—Bhotan—Khassya Hills—Pegu—Jamaica—Conclusion.
Thecomplete success which has attended the cultivation of chinchona-plants in the Neilgherry hills, encourages the hope that similar happy results will follow their introduction into other hill districts of Southern India, which have been described in more or less detail in previous chapters. I have no doubt of the suitability of the Pulney hills, the Koondahs, the Anamallays, and Coorg for such experimental cultivation; and trials should hereafter be made on the Mahabaleshwurs, the high hills east of Goa, the Baba-bodeens, Nuggur, Wynaad, the Shervaroys, and the mountains between Tinnevelly and Travancore.
The hill districts of the island of Ceylon, which have the necessary elevation, and are within the region of both monsoons, also offer peculiarly favourable conditions for the cultivation of chinchona-plants, probably equal to the best localities on the peninsula of India. Mr. Thwaites, the Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradenia, takes a deep interest in this important measure, and under his auspices there can be no doubt of its ultimate success. It was from the first determined to send a portion of the chinchona-seeds to Ceylon, although the whole expense of the undertaking has been borne by the revenues of India, and no assistance whatever has been given by those colonies which will thus profit by its success.
The gardens at Peradenia are 1594 feet above the level of the sea, and the following table will give a correct idea of the climate:—
Observationstaken atPeradenia, in Ceylon, in 1857.MONTH.Thermometer.Rainfall in inches.REMARKS.Max.Mean.Min.1857.January8279.374.71.8Fine and sunny. Cold dewy nights and foggy mornings.February82.579.876.51.3Do. do. do.March84.28277.55.8A few showers of rain in the evenings.April86.581.977.58.4Rain in the latter part of the month.May82.581.5754.7Showery, with occasional gales of wind.June82.581.175.56Showery.July80.577.175.59.8Continued rain.August81.579.277.56.4Showery, with high winds.September82.578.875.57.2Rainy.October81.57874.514.9Rainy, with occasional sunshiny days.November8277.973.522.3Heavy rain.December81.578.675.52.8Fine. Cold nights and hot days.96
It is evident that Peradenia is far too low and hot for chinchona cultivation. TheC. succirubra, and some other species, would probably grow to fine large trees there, but the bark would be very thin, and would yield little or no febrifugal alkaloids. But there are many other localities in Ceylon admirably suited, from their elevation and climate, for this cultivation, and sites may be selected, well adapted to the different species, from 5000 feet to Pedrotallagalle, which is 8280 feet above the sea. Among these is the Government garden of Hakgalle, at Nuwera-ellia, which is 6210 feet abovethe sea, in a climate with an annual temperature of about 59° Fahr., and abundantly supplied with moisture. Here most of the chinchona-plants have been established under the superintendence of Mr. Thwaites, who is assisted in their cultivation by Mr. McNicoll, a zealous and intelligent gardener from Kew. Mr. Thwaites reported, last September, that the progress of the important experiment in the cultivation of chinchonæ was satisfactory.
In February 1861 the first instalment of chinchona-seeds arrived in Ceylon, being a parcel of the "grey-bark" species sent from the Neilgherry hills by Mr. McIvor; and soon afterwards a portion of the "red-bark" seeds was received. In April six plants ofC. Calisayawere transmitted from Kew, but two only survived, and are now growing vigorously at Hakgalle. Last September eight cuttings had been taken from them, two of which had rooted. From the seeds received early in 1861, 800 plants had been raised last September, namely, 530 ofC. succirubra, 180 ofC. micrantha, 25 ofC. Peruviana, 45 ofC. nitida, and 60 of the "grey-bark" species without name.
In January 1862 I forwarded parcels of seeds ofC. CondamineaandC. crispato Mr. Thwaites; and early in March six Wardian cases filled with chinchona-plants, from the depôt at Kew, were shipped for Ceylon.
Chinchona cultivation in Ceylon has thus been fairly started. It is exceedingly gratifying to hear that many coffee-planters will be glad to try the experiment upon their estates;[532]and that Mr. Thwaites will shortly be in a position to distribute plants from the Hakgalle garden.[533]
Chinchona-trees, in their wild state, have never been foundat a greater distance than one thousand miles from the equator, and they are essentially inter-tropical plants; though they only flourish at considerable elevations above the sea. The reason appears to be that one of their chief requirements is a tolerably equable climate throughout the year, which the temperate zones, with their great differences of temperature between winter and summer, do not afford. For this reason sites were selected, in the first instance, both in India and Ceylon, within the tropics; and indeed this point was essential for the first experiments, because all the other conditions of the growth of chinchonæ could not have been found beyond the equatorial zone. Under cultivation, however, it is probable that, with other favouring circumstances, these plants might thrive within the temperate zone, at short distances from the tropic, and attention was naturally drawn to the hill districts of the Eastern Himalayas, in Bengal. The usefulness and importance of the introduction of the chinchonæ into India will be much enhanced if their cultivation can be extended to these regions, and attempts will, therefore, be made to form chinchona plantations in Sikkim, Bhotan, and subsequently in the Khassya hills.
The province of Sikkim,[534]at the base of the mighty Himalayan peak of Kunchinginga, consists entirely of the basin of the river Tista, which, with its tributaries, drains the whole country. Its position, opposite to the opening of the Gangetic valley, between the mountains of Behar on the one hand and the Khassya hills on the other, exposes it to the full force of the monsoon. Its rains are, therefore, heavy and almost uninterrupted, accompanied by dense fogs and a saturated atmosphere throughout the year. There are frequent winter rains accompanied by cold fogs, alternating with frost, hail, and snow. March and April are the driest months,but rains commence in May, and continue with little intermission until October. The bounding mountains are very lofty, and snow-clad throughout a great part of their extent; but the central range in Sikkim, which separates the Tista from its great tributary the Rangit, is depressed till very far into the interior. The rainy winds have thus free access to the heart of the province.
The snow-level is at 16,000 feet; and the mean monthly temperature of the English hill station at Darjeeling, which is 7430 feet above the sea, and in lat. 27° 3´ N., is as follows:—
Darjeeling.MONTH.Mean temperature.MONTH.Mean temperature.January40July61.4February42August61.7March50.7September59.9April55.9October58May57.6November50June61.2December42
The annual rainfall is 122.2 inches.
Of course no chinchona-plant would flourish in such a climate; and in the latitude of 27° it will be necessary to seek for suitable sites in much lower situations than in the hill districts of Southern India, which are in corresponding latitudes to those of the chinchona forests. In the Neilgherries the sites have been selected at the same altitudes as those at which the plants are found in South America, but in the Eastern Himalayas the localities must probably be chosen upwards of a thousand feet lower for each species—theC. Condamineaand its companions perhaps at 5000, and theC. succirubrabetween 3000 and 4000 feet.
From the sea-level to an elevation of 12,000 feet Sikkim is covered with a dense forest, consisting of tall umbrageous trees, often with dense grass jungle, and in other places accompanied by a luxuriant undergrowth of shrubs. In the tropical zoneMyrtaceæ,Leguminosæ, and tree-ferns are common, and the air is near saturation during a great part of the year.Vacciniaare found at from 5000 to 8000, and snow occasionally falls at 6000 feet. A sub-tropical vegetation penetrates far into the interior along the banks of the great rivers, and tree-ferns, rattans, plantains, and other tropical plants are found at 5000 feet, in the Ratong valley.[535]
I should conjecture that the extreme limit for the growth of the hardier species of chinchonæ, in Sikkim, will be found where their constant companions the tree-ferns andVacciniaend, namely at 5000 feet; and that the best sites for such species asC. CalisayaandC. succirubraare about 1000 to 2000 feet lower, amidst the sub-tropical vegetation of the valleys.
Bhotan, which adjoins Sikkim on the east, is a mountainous district of much the same character. In its western part the mountain ranges are lofty and rugged, and the river-courses very deep and generally narrow. The climate is equable, and the humidity of the winter appears to increase in the part adjoining Sikkim. The steepness of the mountains, and the influence of the elevated mass of the Khassya hills to the south, make the lower slopes, which skirt the plains of Assam, drier than those more to the eastward. Deep narrow valleys carry a tropical vegetation very far into the interior of Bhotan, among lofty mountains capped with almost perpetual snow. These attract to themselves so much of the moisture of the atmosphere, that the bottoms of the valleys are comparatively dry and bare of forest. The flora resembles that of Sikkim.[536]
The Khassya hills in 25° N. lat. form an isolated mass, rising up from the plains of Assam and Silhet to a height of 6000 feet. They rise abruptly from the plains of Silhet to the south, and at 3000 feet tree vegetation ceases, and is succeeded by a bleak stony region, with a temperate flora, up to 4000 feet, where the English station of Churra Poorji is built. The table-land is here three miles long by two, to the eastward flat and stony, and to the west undulating and hilly. On the south there are rocky ridges of limestone. The southern side of the hills is exposed to the full force of the monsoon, and the rainfall is excessive, as much as 500 or 600 inches annually. Further in the interior the fall is less, and it gradually decreases until the valley of Assam is entered. This great rainfall is attributable to the abruptness of the mountains to the south, which face the Bay of Bengal, and are separated from it by 200 miles of Jheels and Sunderbunds. The heavy rains on the Khassya hills are quite local, as in Silhet the fall is only 100 inches. The plateau presents a bleak and inhospitable aspect, and there is not a tree, and scarcely a shrub to be seen, except occasional clumps ofPandanus. This desolation is caused by the furious gales of wind, and the extraordinary amount of rain which washes off the soil. The valleys are open, though with deep flanks, and the hill-tops are broad. The grassy slopes to the north are covered with clumps of shrubby vegetation, and the forests are confined to sheltered localities. Though the rainfall on the southern side is 600 inches, twenty miles inland it is reduced to 200 inches. The mean annual temperature of Churra Poorji is 66°, and in summer the thermometer rises to 88° and 90°. To the westward of the Khassyas lie the Garrows, which do not attain a greater height than 3000 to 4000 feet.[537]
The flora of the Khassya hills bears a greater resemblance to that of the hills in Southern India than to the Sikkim and Bhotan types. Genera and species forming masses of shrubby vegetation are identical with those of the Neilgherrysholas. It is probable that chinchona-plantations, especially ofC. succirubra, might hereafter be formed advantageously on the northern slopes of the Khassyas, but it is evident that the best chances of success for the species growing at great altitudes, in South America, are offered in the Himalayan districts of Sikkim and Bhotan.
With a view to the establishment of chinchona-plantations in the Eastern Himalayas, plants have been forwarded by Mr. McIvor to the Botanical Gardens at Calcutta. On January 19th, 1862, there were at Calcutta 91 plants ofC. succirubra, all except four supplied by Mr. McIvor; six ofC. Calisayafrom Java, and 133 of "grey-bark" species, of which 106 were supplied by Mr. McIvor, and twenty-seven were raised from the original South American seeds. Altogether there were 230 of the valuable species of Chinchonæ, besides fifty-nine of the worthlessC. Pahudiana. It is intended to commence a chinchona plantation on the lower and outer range of Darjeeling in Sikkim at once, with a propagating-house on the model of Mr. McIvor's at Ootacamund; and afterwards to form a nursery for species growing at lower elevations on the Khassya hills.
There is another region in our Eastern dominions where suitable localities may be found for the cultivation of chinchona-plants, but it is as yet too little explored, and the difficulties of obtaining supplies, labour, and transport would be too great at present to allow of the possibility of forming plantations for some years to come. I allude to the recently formed province of Pegu. Dr. Brandis, the Conservator of Forests in Pegu, reports that it will be preferable to delay the introduction of chinchona-plants into that province, until their cultivation shall have proved successful in other parts.
In Pegu there are four great mountain ranges, running parallel with the sea-coast, which separate the valleys of the principal rivers. Commencing from the eastward, the first range is the Arracan-Yomah, dividing Arracan from Pegu, which is not higher than 4000 feet. The Pegu-Yomah, the principal seat of the Pegu teak, which separates the valleys of the Irrawaddy and the Sitang, only has a mean elevation of 2000 feet. The third range consists of the Martaban and Tenasserim coast-ranges, and barely attains a height of 5000 feet. The fourth and most eastern range, forming the watershed between the Sitang and Salween rivers, extends into the large and compact mountain mass of Yoonzaleen, to the south-east of Toungoo. The area of this lofty region is a hundred square miles, and several peaks rise to a height of 7000 and 8000 feet above the sea. The rains are heavier on these hills than on the adjacent plains, and the temperature is much cooler and more uniform. The formation consists of granite, gneiss, and quartzite. Up to 3000 feet the vegetation is of a tropical character, at which elevation teak disappears, and pines (Pinus Khasyana) begin, and go up to 5000 feet on dry gravelly soil. There are plenty of small mountain streams on these hills, with running water throughout the year; and the valleys and slopes are covered with evergreen forest.[538]
The Yoonzaleen hills are doubtless the best localities for chinchona-plantations in Pegu, but as yet there are no facilities for taking any steps with a view to the introduction of these inestimable trees, which will hereafter be as great a blessing to the fever-haunted jungles of Pegu as to those of India. The Yoonzaleens are forty miles from the town of Toungoo, which is at a distance of fifteen days of river navigation from Rangoon; and until a Sanatarium is formed on those hills, or some European settlers have established themselves there, it will be useless to attempt the introduction of the chinchona-plants. Before many years, however, it is to be hoped that plantations on the Yoonzaleen hills will supply quinine-yielding bark to the inhabitants of the plains of Pegu.
In a former chapter I stated that I gave directions for the transmission of a supply of seeds both of the "grey" and the "red-bark" species to two of our West Indian islands—Trinidad and Jamaica. In Trinidad they did not germinate, but in Jamaica, under the watchful care of Mr. N. Wilson, the Superintendent of the Botanical Gardens in that colony, they came up plentifully. By the spring of 1861 Mr. Wilson had a good stock of all the species in the gardens on the sweltering plains, where the "grey-bark" species naturally began to die off, but theC. succirubraplants were doing well, and sixty of them were quite strong enough to be planted out early in June. On the 4th of June, 1861, Mr. Wilson removed 120 plants, 60 ofC. micranthaand 60 ofC. nitida, to the foot of Catherine's Peak, which is 4000 feet above the sea. Here he was obliged to leave them, as the Jamaica Government had furnished him with no efficient assistant. In November he reported that the plants ofC. succirubrawere doing well, and by the latest accounts, dated March 24th, 1862, all the plants were thriving; but the chinchona experiment is not likely to succeed in Jamaica, owing to the listless apathy of the legislators of this colony. They have taken no steps to supply Mr. Wilson with assistant-gardeners, have allotted no land in suitable localities as sites for chinchona-plantations, and have thus neglected to secure the successful introduction of a product which would have enriched the island, when the means of doing so were placed gratuitously at their disposal by the Secretary of State for India.
In our Eastern possessions the successful cultivation of quinine-yielding plants in the hills of Southern India, in Ceylon, and in the Eastern Himalayas, will undoubtedly be productive of the most beneficial results. Commercially this measure will add a very important article to the list of Indian exports; the European community will be provided with a cheap and constant supply of an article which, in tropical climates, is to them a necessary of life; and the natives of fever-haunted districts may everywhere have the inestimable healing bark growing at their doors.
It is impossible to exaggerate the blessings which the introduction of chinchona-cultivation will confer upon India. Since quinine has been extensively used among the troops in India, there has been a steady diminution of mortality; and whereas in 1830 the average per-centage of deaths to cases of fever treated was 3.66, in 1856 it was only one per cent. in a body of 18,000 men scattered from Peshawur to Pegu.[539]The present measure will not only ensure a constant and cheap supply of quinine to those who already enjoy its benefits, but it will also bring its use within the means of millions who have hitherto been unable to procure it. Many lives will thus annually be saved by its agency. In former ages its use would perhaps have changed the history of the world. Alexander the Great died of the common remittent fever of Babylon, merely from the want of a few doses of quinine.[540]Oliver Cromwell was carried off by ague, and, had Peruvian bark been administered to him, which was even then known in London, the greatest and most patriotic of England's rulers would have been preserved to his country. In time to come the lives of men of equal importance to their generation may be saved by its use, while the blessings which it will confer on the great mass ofmankind, and especially on the inhabitants of tropical countries, are incalculable. The introduction of chinchona-plants into our Eastern possessions will be the most effective measure which could have been adopted to ensure a permanent and abundant supply of febrifugal bark; and a debt of gratitude is, therefore, due from India to Lord Stanley, who originated it, and to Sir Charles Wood, who has sanctioned all the necessary arrangements, until this great enterprise has finally been crowned with complete success. To Mr. Spruce, as the most successful collector in South America, and to Mr. McIvor, who has so ably and zealously conducted the cultivation in India, the chief credit of having achieved so important a result is due; but the author may be allowed to express his deep satisfaction at having been one of the labourers in this good work, where all have worked so zealously.
CANOE ON THE BEYPOOR RIVER.See page 351.
CANOE ON THE BEYPOOR RIVER.See page 351.
GENERAL MILLER, AND THE FOREIGN OFFICERS WHO SERVED IN THE PATRIOT ARMIES OF CHILE AND PERU, BETWEEN 1817 AND 1830.
GENERAL MILLER, AND THE FOREIGN OFFICERS WHO SERVED IN THE PATRIOT ARMIES OF CHILE AND PERU, BETWEEN 1817 AND 1830.
Whenthe war of independence broke out in South America, many gallant spirits were attracted from different countries of Europe to fight for liberty and justice against Spanish oppression. Fired with enthusiasm for the cause of liberty, these knights errant, many of whom had been distinguished in the wars of Napoleon and Wellington, went forth to risk their lives for an idea. That they were in earnest is proved by the fact that, out of the whole number of sixty-seven, as many as twenty-five were killed or drowned, and eighteen were wounded.
In this band of brave adventurers, next perhaps to Lord Dundonald, the late General Miller takes the most prominent place, as one of the ablest, the truest, and the best. There is a halo of romance round all who joined in this crusade for liberty; all passed through many strange adventures, and did honour to the land from which they hailed; but the lamented old warrior who went to his rest last year was pre-eminent amongst his gallant companions, for his many acts of chivalrous daring and bravery.
William Miller, a native of Kent, served in the British Field Train Department of the Royal Artillery, during the Peninsular war, under Lord Wellington. He was present at the sieges and storming of Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, and San Sebastian, at the battle of Vittoria, and investment of Bayonne. He had charge of a company of Sappers and Miners in the American war, was within a few yards of General Ross when he received his death-wound near Baltimore, and was also present at the attack upon New Orleans in 1814.
In 1817, having been placed on half-pay, and tired of an inactive life, he proceeded to South America, and offered his services in the war against the Spaniards. He was appointed Captain of artillery by the Government of the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata, crossed the Andes into Chile, and saved two pieces of artillery, under a heavy fire, at the battle of Talca, in March 1818. In April he became a Major, and assisted with his regiment at the declaration of Chilian independence on September 18th, 1818. In 1819 he commanded the Marines in Lord Cochrane's squadron, and in March an explosion of gunpowder, on the island of San Lorenzo, in Callao Bay, shattered one of his hands to pieces, injured his face, and caused blindness for many days. In October he was again at the head of hismen, leading them to victory at Pisco, when he was pierced by two balls, one passing through his liver, and another through his breast. In February 1820, though still weak and suffering from his former desperate wounds, he headed the storming party in the boats, in the gallant attack and capture of the forts of Valdivia in Chile, where he was again wounded in the head; and in the subsequent attempt on Chiloe he received a ball through his left groin, and a cannon-shot broke one of his feet. In May 1821 he landed in Peru, and defeated the Spaniards in the hard-fought battle of Mirabe; in 1823 he conducted a most adventurous and romantic campaign through the whole range of the deserts of Peru, from Arequipa to Pisco, defeating the Spaniards, with greatly inferior numbers, on several occasions; and in the same year he became General of Brigade.
In May 1824 General Miller received the command of the Peruvian cavalry of Bolivar's liberating army, and took a principal part in the victory of Junin in the following August. Soon afterwards he assumed the command of the whole of the cavalry of the liberating army, at the head of which he charged, and routed the division of General Valdez in the glorious battle of Ayacucho, at a most critical moment. This brilliant action was fought on the 9th of December 1824, and decided the fate of the war, the entire Spanish army of 10,000 men under General La Serna, Viceroy of Peru, being utterly routed. In February 1825 he was Prefect of Puno, and in April of Potosi; but in 1826 he returned to England on leave of absence, to cure himself of his wounds, which still caused him great suffering.
After a stay of some years in England he returned to Peru in June 1830 but, owing to the factious outbreaks in which he did not choose to take part, he again obtained leave of absence in 1831, and visited many of the islands of the Pacific Ocean, especially the Sandwich and Society groups, of which he wrote a most interesting account; and only returned to Peru after the constitutional election of General Orbegoso as President of the Republic. In the early part of 1834 he served in a campaign against the revolutionary chief Gamarra; and, though defeated at Huaylacucho, his operations were on the whole successful, and he was promoted to the rank of Grand Marshal of Peru on June 11th, 1834.
In October 1834 he was appointed Military Governor of Arequipa, Puno, and Cuzco; and it was at this time that he conceived the idea of forming a military colony in the valleys to the eastward of Cuzco, on the banks of some of the tributaries of the great river Purus. In March 1835, while on the point of setting out on an exploring expedition, a revolution broke out in Cuzco, and he was arrested by Colonel Lopera. He was, however, allowed to set out on his expedition, with two companions and seven Indians. He penetrated on foot to a greater distance to the eastward of Cuzco, on this occasion, than has ever been done before or since.
In September 1835 he again placed himself under the orders of the Constitutional President Orbegoso, and in February 1836 he captured Salaverry and eighty officers of his revolutionary army by a very clever stratagem,near Islay. Shortly afterwards Santa Cruz established the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, and General Miller was sent as Minister Plenipotentiary to Ecuador, where he signed a treaty of peace and amity between that Republic and the Confederation. In August 1837 he became Governor of Callao, when all customs duties were reduced one half, smuggling ceased, and the receipts were soon quadrupled. He organized an efficient police; made a subterraneous aqueduct 3 feet wide, 3½ deep, and 280 yards long, for supplying Callao with water; commenced the erection of a college; and formed a tramway for the conveyance of goods from the mole to the custom-house. The people of Callao still look back with satisfaction and gratitude to the period when General Miller was their Governor.
In February 1839, on the overthrow of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, General Miller was banished with many other able and distinguished men, whose names were taken off the army list by a decree dated in the following March. This unjust and illegal act was cancelled by a law of Congress dated October 1847.
After leaving Peru in 1839, General Miller was appointed in 1843 H. M. Commissioner and Consul-General for the Islands in the Pacific. In 1859 he revisited Chile and Peru, partly for his health, and partly to obtain the payment of his large arrears from the Government. When he arrived in Peru the Vice-President Mar, while the President, General Castilla, was absent at Guayaquil in 1859, reinstated him on the army list of Peru, by a decree dated December 9th, the anniversary of the battle of Ayacucho, and granted him his current pay as a Grand Marshal of Peru, and he continued to reside at Lima until his death on the 31st of October 1861. It is satisfactory to be able to record, for the honour of the Peruvian nation, that the whole of his claims were acknowledged in Congress in a most handsome way, and without a dissentient voice. But unfortunately the executive in Peru is still able to set the laws passed by the representatives of the people at defiance; delays and evasions were resorted to by Castilla, and the last days of one from whom Peru had perhaps received as valuable services as from any of her own sons, were embittered by the treatment which he experienced from the President of the Republic.
General Miller was a man of whom England may well be proud. He was one of those characters who combine great ability and extraordinary daring, almost amounting to rashness, with modesty and diffidence. If there was any fault to be found in any part of General Miller's former career, in the camp or in the cabinet, it would be from himself that it would first be heard. To his bravery and prowess, his body riddled with bullets, and the history of South American independence, bear testimony; to his administrative ability the gratitude of the people of Callao and Cuzco is the witness; his pure standard of honour, his scrupulous integrity, his warmth of heart, and single-mindedness are known to a wide circle of sorrowing friends; but of his numerous acts of self-denial and charity few can tell, for he was one who let not his left hand know what his right hand did.
In person he was more than six feet high, and when young he was remarkably handsome; his features and shape of the head being of a thoroughly English type. In society he was exceedingly agreeable to the last; his conversation was always interesting, and often very instructive; and there was a peculiarly gentle and winning expression in his eyes. He took a deep interest in the attempt to introduce chinchona cultivation into India, and I was indebted to him for much valuable advice, and for many letters of introduction which were of great service to me. He also supplied me with most of the material which has enabled me to write the narrative of the insurrection of Tupac Amaru, the last of the Incas, forming the ninth chapter of the present work.
His memoirs, published by his brother many years ago, give by far the fullest and most interesting account of the war of independence in Chile and Peru, though the work of Garcia Camba, a Spanish general, is the best military history.
General Miller breathed his last on board H.M.S. 'Naiad' in Callao Bay, on the 31st of October 1861; and the remains of the gallant old warrior were interred in the cemetery at Bella Vista, with all the honours which the Peruvian Government could bestow. While the body was being embalmed, two bullets were found in it, and twenty-two wounds were counted on different parts of his frame. The most gratifying incident on the occasion was that the people of Callao, who had never forgotten the good he had done them as their Governor, insisted on carrying the coffin.
One of the last things on which General Miller was employed was the compilation of the list of his brave companions in arms. Such a list, I believe, has never appeared before; and as the employment interested and amused him during a time of much harassing annoyance, it gives me great pleasure to be able to insert it here, in order that his labour may not have been entirely in vain.
AListof Foreign Officers, Europeans (not Spaniards) and North Americans, who served in the patriot armies in Chile and Peru, between the years 1817 and 1830, showing the killed, wounded, and not wounded.[The rank specified is that which each officer held when killed, or in 1830.]
AListof Foreign Officers, Europeans (not Spaniards) and North Americans, who served in the patriot armies in Chile and Peru, between the years 1817 and 1830, showing the killed, wounded, and not wounded.
[The rank specified is that which each officer held when killed, or in 1830.]
Killed.
Major-Gen. Frederic Brandsen(French).—Served on the staff of the French army under Prince Eugène. Killed at the battle of Ituzaingo, Feb. 20, 1827.Major-Gen. James Whittle(Irish).—Was present at the battles of Junin and Ayacucho. Killed in suppressing the mutiny of a battalion near Quito in 1830.Colonel Charles O'Carrol(Irish).—Served in the British and Spanish armies in the Peninsula. Killed in an encounter with the Araucanians at Pangal in 1831.Colonel William Ferguson(Irish).—Present at the battles of Junin and Ayacucho. Killed in defending General Bolivar from assassins at Bogota on September 25th, 1828.Colonel Peter Raulet(French).—Was a cornet in the French cavalry at Badajoz, when that place was taken by storm on April 6th, 1812, and remained a prisoner of war in Scotland until the peace of 1814. Married and left children in South America. Killed at the battle of the Portete, Feb. 27th, 1829.Colonel William de Vic Tupper(Guernsey).—Married and left children in the country. Killed at the battle of Sircay, April 17th, 1830.Lieut.-Col. James A. Charles(English.)—Served in the Brigade Royal Artillery, and joined the Lusitanian Legion under the late General Sir Robert Wilson in Portugal in 1808. Upon Sir Robert being appointed Military Commissioner with the Russian army, he served as his aide-de-camp in the campaigns of Russia and Germany, and received the crosses of St. George of Russia, of Merit of Prussia, and of Maria Theresa of Austria. Killed in the action of Pisco on November 7th, 1819.Lieut.-Col. Charles Sowersby(German).—Killed in the action of Junin, August 6th, 1824.Major William Gumer(German).—Killed at the battle of Ica, April 7th, 1822.Major Thomas Duxbury(English).—Present at the battle of Junin. Killed in the affair at Matara, Dec. 3rd, 1824.Captain Quitospi(Russian).—Killed in an encounter with the Araucanians on the Bio-Bio, 1818.Captain Joseph Borne(Irish).—Married, and left children in the country. Killed in an encounter at Arauco, May 1820.Captain John B. Gola(French).—Killed in an encounter at San Carlos, 1821.Captain Robert Bell(English).—Killed at the battle of Sircay, April 17th, 1830.Lieut. Charles Eldredge(U.S.).—Killed at the assault of Talcahuano, December 6th, 1817.Lieut. Ernest Bruix(French), son of Admiral Bruix.—Killed in an encounter with the Araucanians on the Bio-Bio, January 1819.Lieut. —— Gerard(Scotch).—Killed at the battle of Cancha-rayada, March 19th, 1818.Lieut. Le Bas(French).—Killed in the affair of Biobamba, April 22nd, 1822.Lieut. Chris. Martin(English).—Killed near Ayacucho in 1824.Cornet Danviette(French).—Killed in an encounter at Caucato near Pisco, in 1822.Surgeon William Welsh(Scotch).—Killed in the action of Mirabe, on May 21st, 1821.
Major-Gen. Frederic Brandsen(French).—Served on the staff of the French army under Prince Eugène. Killed at the battle of Ituzaingo, Feb. 20, 1827.
Major-Gen. James Whittle(Irish).—Was present at the battles of Junin and Ayacucho. Killed in suppressing the mutiny of a battalion near Quito in 1830.
Colonel Charles O'Carrol(Irish).—Served in the British and Spanish armies in the Peninsula. Killed in an encounter with the Araucanians at Pangal in 1831.
Colonel William Ferguson(Irish).—Present at the battles of Junin and Ayacucho. Killed in defending General Bolivar from assassins at Bogota on September 25th, 1828.
Colonel Peter Raulet(French).—Was a cornet in the French cavalry at Badajoz, when that place was taken by storm on April 6th, 1812, and remained a prisoner of war in Scotland until the peace of 1814. Married and left children in South America. Killed at the battle of the Portete, Feb. 27th, 1829.
Colonel William de Vic Tupper(Guernsey).—Married and left children in the country. Killed at the battle of Sircay, April 17th, 1830.
Lieut.-Col. James A. Charles(English.)—Served in the Brigade Royal Artillery, and joined the Lusitanian Legion under the late General Sir Robert Wilson in Portugal in 1808. Upon Sir Robert being appointed Military Commissioner with the Russian army, he served as his aide-de-camp in the campaigns of Russia and Germany, and received the crosses of St. George of Russia, of Merit of Prussia, and of Maria Theresa of Austria. Killed in the action of Pisco on November 7th, 1819.
Lieut.-Col. Charles Sowersby(German).—Killed in the action of Junin, August 6th, 1824.
Major William Gumer(German).—Killed at the battle of Ica, April 7th, 1822.
Major Thomas Duxbury(English).—Present at the battle of Junin. Killed in the affair at Matara, Dec. 3rd, 1824.
Captain Quitospi(Russian).—Killed in an encounter with the Araucanians on the Bio-Bio, 1818.
Captain Joseph Borne(Irish).—Married, and left children in the country. Killed in an encounter at Arauco, May 1820.
Captain John B. Gola(French).—Killed in an encounter at San Carlos, 1821.
Captain Robert Bell(English).—Killed at the battle of Sircay, April 17th, 1830.
Lieut. Charles Eldredge(U.S.).—Killed at the assault of Talcahuano, December 6th, 1817.
Lieut. Ernest Bruix(French), son of Admiral Bruix.—Killed in an encounter with the Araucanians on the Bio-Bio, January 1819.
Lieut. —— Gerard(Scotch).—Killed at the battle of Cancha-rayada, March 19th, 1818.
Lieut. Le Bas(French).—Killed in the affair of Biobamba, April 22nd, 1822.
Lieut. Chris. Martin(English).—Killed near Ayacucho in 1824.
Cornet Danviette(French).—Killed in an encounter at Caucato near Pisco, in 1822.
Surgeon William Welsh(Scotch).—Killed in the action of Mirabe, on May 21st, 1821.
Total Killed.. .. 21.
Wounded.
Lieut.-Gen. Wm. Miller(English).—(See ante.)Major-Gen. Francis B. O'Connor(Irish).—Brother to the late Fergus O'Connor. Was for some time Chief of the Staff of the Liberating Army, and was present at the battles of Junin and Ayacucho; was wounded at Rio de la Hacha in 1820. He is now residing on his estate at Tarija, in Bolivia. Married and has children in the country.Major-Gen. Arthur Sands(Irish).—Wounded at the battle of Pantano de Bargas, July 25, 1819. Was present at the battles of Junin and Ayacucho. Died at Cuenca in 1832.Major-Gen. Daniel F. O'Leary(Irish).—Wounded at Pantano de Bargas. He was Aide-de-Camp to General Bolivar in Columbia and Peru, and subsequently H.B.M. Chargé d'Affaires and Consul General at Bogota, where he died in 1854, having married and left children in the country.Major-Gen. Philip Braun(German).—Present at the battle of Ayacucho. He was wounded at Junin, August 6th, 1824. He married in the country, and now resides in Bolivia.Colonel George Beauchef(French).—Was at the battles of Austerlitz, Jena, Marengo, and Friedland. Wounded at the assault upon Talcahuano, December 6th, 1817. Died in Chile 1840, having married and left children in the country.Lieut.-Col. Edward Guitekue(German).—Wounded in the action of Pisco, November 7, 1819. Died in Chile 1857. Married and left children in the country.Lieut.-Col. Eugène Giroust(French).—Wounded at the cutting-out of the 'Esmeralda' under the fortresses of Callao, Nov. 5th, 1820. Was page to King Jerome; served in the French Horse Artillery; was made prisoner at the crossing of the Beresina, and sent to Siberia. Married in Peru, and is now residing at Lima.Captain Philip Marguti(Italian).—Wounded at the battle of Maypo, April 5th, 1818. Died in Chile 1848.Captain Henry Ross(U.S.).—Wounded at the battle of Yerbas-buenas, March 31st, 1813. Died in Chile.Captain George Brown(English).—Present at the battle of Junin. Wounded at Ayacucho, Dec. 9th, 1824.Captain James Lister(English).—Wounded in the affair of Rio Hacha in 1820. Died at St. John's, New Brunswick.Captain Henry Hind(English).—Wounded in an attack on Callao, Oct. 2nd, 1819. Since dead.Captain W. Kennedy(Jamaica).—Wounded in an encounter at Rio Cuarto, where both his eyes were shot out in 1821. Died some years afterwards in the United States.Captain Danl. L. V. Carson(U. S.).—Wounded at the assault upon Talcahuano, Dec. 6th, 1817. Married and left children in the country. Died in Chile.Captain Henry Wyman(English).—Present at the battle of Junin; wounded at Ayacucho in 1824. Is now residing in England. Married in South America.Lieut. John Heldes(German).—Wounded at the battle of Cancha-rayada, March 19th, 1818. Since dead.Lieut. James Lindsay(English).—Belonged to the expedition under General Beresford. Wounded at the battle of Maypo, April 5th, 1818. Married and left children in the country.
Lieut.-Gen. Wm. Miller(English).—(See ante.)
Major-Gen. Francis B. O'Connor(Irish).—Brother to the late Fergus O'Connor. Was for some time Chief of the Staff of the Liberating Army, and was present at the battles of Junin and Ayacucho; was wounded at Rio de la Hacha in 1820. He is now residing on his estate at Tarija, in Bolivia. Married and has children in the country.
Major-Gen. Arthur Sands(Irish).—Wounded at the battle of Pantano de Bargas, July 25, 1819. Was present at the battles of Junin and Ayacucho. Died at Cuenca in 1832.
Major-Gen. Daniel F. O'Leary(Irish).—Wounded at Pantano de Bargas. He was Aide-de-Camp to General Bolivar in Columbia and Peru, and subsequently H.B.M. Chargé d'Affaires and Consul General at Bogota, where he died in 1854, having married and left children in the country.
Major-Gen. Philip Braun(German).—Present at the battle of Ayacucho. He was wounded at Junin, August 6th, 1824. He married in the country, and now resides in Bolivia.
Colonel George Beauchef(French).—Was at the battles of Austerlitz, Jena, Marengo, and Friedland. Wounded at the assault upon Talcahuano, December 6th, 1817. Died in Chile 1840, having married and left children in the country.
Lieut.-Col. Edward Guitekue(German).—Wounded in the action of Pisco, November 7, 1819. Died in Chile 1857. Married and left children in the country.
Lieut.-Col. Eugène Giroust(French).—Wounded at the cutting-out of the 'Esmeralda' under the fortresses of Callao, Nov. 5th, 1820. Was page to King Jerome; served in the French Horse Artillery; was made prisoner at the crossing of the Beresina, and sent to Siberia. Married in Peru, and is now residing at Lima.
Captain Philip Marguti(Italian).—Wounded at the battle of Maypo, April 5th, 1818. Died in Chile 1848.
Captain Henry Ross(U.S.).—Wounded at the battle of Yerbas-buenas, March 31st, 1813. Died in Chile.
Captain George Brown(English).—Present at the battle of Junin. Wounded at Ayacucho, Dec. 9th, 1824.
Captain James Lister(English).—Wounded in the affair of Rio Hacha in 1820. Died at St. John's, New Brunswick.
Captain Henry Hind(English).—Wounded in an attack on Callao, Oct. 2nd, 1819. Since dead.
Captain W. Kennedy(Jamaica).—Wounded in an encounter at Rio Cuarto, where both his eyes were shot out in 1821. Died some years afterwards in the United States.
Captain Danl. L. V. Carson(U. S.).—Wounded at the assault upon Talcahuano, Dec. 6th, 1817. Married and left children in the country. Died in Chile.
Captain Henry Wyman(English).—Present at the battle of Junin; wounded at Ayacucho in 1824. Is now residing in England. Married in South America.
Lieut. John Heldes(German).—Wounded at the battle of Cancha-rayada, March 19th, 1818. Since dead.
Lieut. James Lindsay(English).—Belonged to the expedition under General Beresford. Wounded at the battle of Maypo, April 5th, 1818. Married and left children in the country.
Total Wounded.. .. 18.
Not Wounded.
Lieut.-Gen. Michael Brayer(French).—Was present at the assault of Talcahuano, Dec. 6th, 1817, and in the battle of Cancha-rayada, March 19th, 1818. He then returned to France, was reinstated in his former rank of General of Division, and was created a Peer of France.Major-Gen. James Paroissien(English).—Was Surgeon-General to the Buenos-Ayrean army under General Belgrano in 1814, and to the army of the Andes, under General San Martin, at the battles of Chacabuco, Feb. 12th, 1817, and Maypo, April 5th, 1818. Was appointed Aide-de-Camp to General San Martin, and became Major-General in 1821. Associated with M. Garcia del Rio, proceeded from Lima to Europe on a political mission in 1822, returned to Peru in 1825, and died on his passage from Callao to Valparaiso in 1826.Colonel John O'Brien(Irish).—Served at the siege and taking of Montevideo and campaign in the Banda Oriental in 1814; was Aide-de-Camp to General San Martin in the battles of Chacabuco and Maypo; withdrew from active service while with the army in Peru in 1822. Joined General Santa Cruz a short time previous to the battle of Yanacocha, atwhich he was present, August 12th, 1835. He became a Major-General, and died in 1861.Colonel Belford H. Wilson(English).—Son of the late General Sir Robert Wilson; was Aide-de-Camp to General Bolivar from 1823 to 1830; subsequently H.B.M. Chargé d'Affaires and Consul General at Lima and at Caraccas. Was appointed a K.C.B. Died in London in 1858.Colonel Albert B. d'Alve(French).—Son of the French General of the same name. Served in the campaigns in Spain and Russia, 1809 and 1813, and was at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. Died at Valparaiso 1821. Married and left children in the country.Colonel Benjamin Viel(French).—Served in the French army encamped at Boulogne in 1804, and commanded a squadron of cavalry at the battle of Waterloo 1815. Is now a Major-General in Chile.Colonel Joseph Rondisoni(Italian).—Is now a Major-General in Chile.Colonel Clement Althaus(German).—Was present at the battle of Junin. Became a Major-General and died at La Concepcion in Peru, having married and left children in the country.Colonel Salvador Soyer(French).—Was Commissary to the navy, afterwards Aide-de-Camp to General Gamarra, and for some time charged with the Ministry of War. Married and left children in the country. Died at Lima.Lieut.-Col. Lewis Crammer(French).—Retired from the army 1818; was afterwards murdered with his wife and family by the Patagonian Indians.Lieut.-Col. Alexis Bruix(French).—Son of Admiral Bruix; was page to Napoleon I. Was present at the battle of Junin. Was killed by accident at Lima in 1825.Lieut.-Col. Charles Wood(English).—Married and left children in Chile. Died in England while on leave of absence in 1856.Major Michael O'Carrol(Irish).—Died in Chile in 1839, having married and left children in the country.Captain William Smith(English).Captain Miller Hallowes(English).—Was present at the battles of Junin and Ayacucho. Married and resides in the United States.Captain William Harris(Irish).—Is now living at Cuenca, in Ecuador.Captain John Rodriguez(English).—Married and left children in the country. Died at Callao.Captain Robert Young.—Belonged to the 71st under General Beresford. Died in Chile.Lieut. Maguan(French).—Retired in 1818, and was subsequently killed in a duel in France.Lieut. Count Lucien Brayer(French).—Served as Aide-de-Camp to his father, General Brayer, in Chile.Staff-Surgeon Thomas Foley(Irish).—Dead.Staff-Surgeon Charles Moore(English).—Present at Junin. Dead.Staff-Surgeon Hugh Blair(Irish).—Dead.Staff-Surgeon Michael Crawley(Scotch).—Dead, Sub-prefect of Lampa, under General Santa Cruz, in 1837.
Lieut.-Gen. Michael Brayer(French).—Was present at the assault of Talcahuano, Dec. 6th, 1817, and in the battle of Cancha-rayada, March 19th, 1818. He then returned to France, was reinstated in his former rank of General of Division, and was created a Peer of France.
Major-Gen. James Paroissien(English).—Was Surgeon-General to the Buenos-Ayrean army under General Belgrano in 1814, and to the army of the Andes, under General San Martin, at the battles of Chacabuco, Feb. 12th, 1817, and Maypo, April 5th, 1818. Was appointed Aide-de-Camp to General San Martin, and became Major-General in 1821. Associated with M. Garcia del Rio, proceeded from Lima to Europe on a political mission in 1822, returned to Peru in 1825, and died on his passage from Callao to Valparaiso in 1826.
Colonel John O'Brien(Irish).—Served at the siege and taking of Montevideo and campaign in the Banda Oriental in 1814; was Aide-de-Camp to General San Martin in the battles of Chacabuco and Maypo; withdrew from active service while with the army in Peru in 1822. Joined General Santa Cruz a short time previous to the battle of Yanacocha, atwhich he was present, August 12th, 1835. He became a Major-General, and died in 1861.
Colonel Belford H. Wilson(English).—Son of the late General Sir Robert Wilson; was Aide-de-Camp to General Bolivar from 1823 to 1830; subsequently H.B.M. Chargé d'Affaires and Consul General at Lima and at Caraccas. Was appointed a K.C.B. Died in London in 1858.
Colonel Albert B. d'Alve(French).—Son of the French General of the same name. Served in the campaigns in Spain and Russia, 1809 and 1813, and was at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. Died at Valparaiso 1821. Married and left children in the country.
Colonel Benjamin Viel(French).—Served in the French army encamped at Boulogne in 1804, and commanded a squadron of cavalry at the battle of Waterloo 1815. Is now a Major-General in Chile.
Colonel Joseph Rondisoni(Italian).—Is now a Major-General in Chile.
Colonel Clement Althaus(German).—Was present at the battle of Junin. Became a Major-General and died at La Concepcion in Peru, having married and left children in the country.
Colonel Salvador Soyer(French).—Was Commissary to the navy, afterwards Aide-de-Camp to General Gamarra, and for some time charged with the Ministry of War. Married and left children in the country. Died at Lima.
Lieut.-Col. Lewis Crammer(French).—Retired from the army 1818; was afterwards murdered with his wife and family by the Patagonian Indians.
Lieut.-Col. Alexis Bruix(French).—Son of Admiral Bruix; was page to Napoleon I. Was present at the battle of Junin. Was killed by accident at Lima in 1825.
Lieut.-Col. Charles Wood(English).—Married and left children in Chile. Died in England while on leave of absence in 1856.
Major Michael O'Carrol(Irish).—Died in Chile in 1839, having married and left children in the country.
Captain William Smith(English).
Captain Miller Hallowes(English).—Was present at the battles of Junin and Ayacucho. Married and resides in the United States.
Captain William Harris(Irish).—Is now living at Cuenca, in Ecuador.
Captain John Rodriguez(English).—Married and left children in the country. Died at Callao.
Captain Robert Young.—Belonged to the 71st under General Beresford. Died in Chile.
Lieut. Maguan(French).—Retired in 1818, and was subsequently killed in a duel in France.
Lieut. Count Lucien Brayer(French).—Served as Aide-de-Camp to his father, General Brayer, in Chile.
Staff-Surgeon Thomas Foley(Irish).—Dead.
Staff-Surgeon Charles Moore(English).—Present at Junin. Dead.
Staff-Surgeon Hugh Blair(Irish).—Dead.
Staff-Surgeon Michael Crawley(Scotch).—Dead, Sub-prefect of Lampa, under General Santa Cruz, in 1837.
Total .. .. .. 24.
Drowned at sea off Chiloe, in 1823, while prisoners of war on board a Spanish privateer.—Major Soulange (French); Captain W. Hill (English); Captain Robert Hannah (English); and Lieut. Saint Amarand (French).
Drowned at sea off Chiloe, in 1823, while prisoners of war on board a Spanish privateer.—Major Soulange (French); Captain W. Hill (English); Captain Robert Hannah (English); and Lieut. Saint Amarand (French).
Abstract.