Text extracted from opening pages of book: BRITISH EXPLOITS IN SOUTH AMERICA A History of British Activities in Explo ration, Military Adventure, Diplomacy, Science, and Trade, in Latin-America BY W. H. KOEBEL Author of Argentina, Past and Present, Modern Chile, Romance of the River Platte, Uruguay, The South Americans, from, the Social and Industrial Point of View, Modern Argentina, Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of South America. ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS AND OLD PRINTS NEW YORK THE CENTURY CO. 1917 mmm A SOUTH AMERICAN HOME Cas srarxj c sr THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED TO MY MOTHER WHOSE FATHER DID HIS SHARE OF VOYAGING UNDER THE WHITE ENSIGN PEEFACE Among such merits as I may claim for this work is a total lack of haste in its preparation. Written under the stress of no other pre-occupation save that caused by the deep shadow of the war, there has been no question here of a rapid gathering together of material; but rather that of a lengthy process of selection. To pick out the most salient features from the vast field of British enter prise in South America is not an easy task. This book having been written in the comparative soli tude of the country, and its sources of information largely derived from my own library, I have taxed the good nature of a smaller number than usual of the various ex perts. It is, nevertheless, impossible for me to pass by the names of three gentlemen without a special note of thanks. The first of these is his Excellency Senor Don Agustin Edwards, that most notable Chilean Minister Plenipoten tiary in London, whose kindness in obtaining information concerning the early British in Chile must be gratefully acknowledged. To Mr. Herbert Gibson I am deeplyin debted for similar good offices in regard to Argentina and to the British writers on that country. I have, more over, to express my obligation to Mr. Francis Edwards, who has not only placed at my disposal his wide knowl edge of South American bibliography but has most courte ously taken the trouble to send me down for purposes of reference those particular books which I lacked for this work. The subjoined letter, which I found myself under the necessity of sending to the editor of a minor London pub vii viii PREFACE lication, will explain itself. It is true that it was written in the heat of an indignation which appeared justifiable to me; but, on mature consideration, the special nature of this present book, written at this period, seems to de mand its inclusion, sincerely reluctant though I am to introduce any personal matter of the kind. I include it in full, moreover, although some lines have no bearing on the subject. But this is preferable to the employ ment of the asterisk than which there is surely no instru ment of the pen which lends itself more readily to the un fair practices of a juggling mind. It is unnecessary to give the name of the publication to which the following was directed: Sir: In this secluded spot most things, including periodicals, are belated. It is for this reason that I have only now been enabled to read your review, published on the thirtieth of Novem ber, of my book, The South Americans. I have, up to now, man aged to deliver myself of eighteen books without sparring with a reviewer possibly because there has seemed no reason! But there are two points in this review of yours that cannot be passed over in silence. The first is a personal one. Accordingto your reviewer: The name of our author leads one to suppose that he knows a good deal more than he tells of the unceasing efforts of Germany for supremacy not commercial supremacy alone in some of the states, especially in parts of Brazil; as a matter of fact he dismisses this subject airily in twenty lines.‘ ’ Now this, leaping from the flat body of a review, is startling, and imbues one with the sensations of a sitter on a needle-point concealed in a cushion ! If the words have any meaning at all, sir, they surely convey the gravest slur on the loyalty