AN IRISH VICEROY IN PERU.

Evening Post, Volume XLV, Issue 5, 7 January 1893, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN IRISH VICEROY IN PERU.

A little Irish boy named Ambrose Higgins was born, in about 1740, near the castle of Dangan, on the ! estate of Summerhill, in county ! Moatb, and he was employed to carry i letters to the post for Lady Bective. He had an uncle who was a priest at Cadiz, to whom he was sent to be educated. When the priest wished to settle his young nephew in life, lie sent him out in a ship bound for Lima, with a small packet of goods for sale. But the boy landed at Buenos Ayres, and he rode over the pampas and cordillera to Santiago. He went thence to Lima, and opened a little shop under the platform of the cathedral. He hawked about his goods as a pedlar in the streets, but found few to buy them. Returning to Chili, he obtained permission to construct the casucftas, v.r resting-places for travellers, in the pass over the cordillera. This led to other employment, and eventually he got a commission iv the army. Being second in. command on the Araucanian frontier, he showed so much tact and judgment in his dealings with the Indians that he was

selected for the chief command at Concepcion. There he received La Perouse with great courtesy. He fnuat have romanced a little about his origin, for La Perouse Bpeaks of M. Higginß as belonging to one of those families which were persecuted tn- their old attachment to the House of Stuart. But the French officer was niost favourably impressed by the young Irishman, for whom ho felt and affection after the first hour's conversation. The" French Government applied strongly iot bis promotion, and in 1788 he became Captain-General of Chili. At this tittre he prefixed the O' to his name of Hoggins, as being moro aristocratic, fie constructed the road from Santiago to Valparaiso, a!nd ameliorated the condition of labourers on the estates, who were theti' little better than slaves. The CaptainGeneral sent some monoy to bankers in London, to be distributed among hta relations. Inquiries were made thfotrgn 1 Mr. Kellett, the priest at Summerhill, tfnethef it would be better to give it to them in a lump sum or by degrees', bxrf the latter was considered best, as they were found to be very poor and improvident. O'Higgins was created Marquis of Osorno and Baron of Ballenar, and on June 5, 1796, he made his public entry into Lima as Viceroy of Peru. He always retained a strong Irish brogue. He died rather suddenly at Lima in March, 1881, leaving a natural son riamed Bernardo, destined to be the liberator of Chile, and a daughter. — "Latin-American Republics: A History of Peru," by Clements E. Markham.