A Historical and Descriptive Narrative of Twenty Years' Residence in South America

This three-volume work, published in 1825, describes South American society and culture in the final years of Spanish colonial rule.

This three-volume work, published in 1825, describes W. B. Stevenson's colourful experiences in colonial Chile, Colombia and Peru as a traveller, a prisoner, a provincial governor and a revolutionary. It gives a dramatic account of society and culture in South America as the movement for independence from Spanish rule gathered pace.In 1804 when W. B. Stevenson (fl. 1803–25) arrived on the small island of Mocha, just off the coast of South America, he stepped onto a continent on the brink of mass revolution. Over the next twenty years, he had an extraordinary range of experiences: as a traveller, a Spanish government official, a prisoner, and as secretary to an ex-Royal Navy admiral turned revolutionary. In this three-volume work, published in 1825, Stevenson gives a dramatic, fascinating account of the life and culture of South America as it began to break free from Spanish colonial rule. Volume 1 focuses on Stevenson's arrival in 1804, his initial impressions, and travels in Chile, Colombia and Peru. It describes food and drink, society and culture, administration and climate. It also covers his imprisonment in Lima by the Spanish authorities.