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Bernardo O'Higgins
(Biblioteca Nacional de Chile)
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It is not surprising that attracting
Irish immigrants to the south of Mexico (particularly to Osorno
and Isla de la Laja) was among the ambitions of the Liberator of
the then ‘New Republic of Chile.' Of course, the Liberator was
a direct descendant of an Irish military man in the service of
the Spanish crown, Ambrosio O'Higgins, who always had a desire
to bring Irish immigrants to Chile (especially to the city of
Osorno). This he achieved on 19 September 1797, when he was
Viceroy of Peru (1796-1801). His son, Bernardo (1778-1842), also
wanted to fulfil his father's wishes. He proposed a similar
project in his letters to Sir John Doyle, written in Peru
between 1823 and 1830 during his exile, where he turns his
attention towards a project that, together with the independence
of his native country, was his dearest wish - Irish immigration
to Chile. What then was the relationship between Irish
immigrants in Chile and Mexico? This will be explained in what
follows, by detailing who Sir John Doyle was and then referring
to the letter that O'Higgins sent to Doyle regarding Mexico.
Sir John Doyle (1756-1834), one of
the four children of Charles Doyle of Bramblestown, was a
distinguished officer who participated in the events of 1798,
his main aim being to suppress the Irish insurrection. A
graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Doyle served in the English
army in the United States and in 1784 returned to Ireland where
he was elected to the Irish parliament for Mullingar (County
Westmeath). In 1794, John Doyle organised the famous 87th
Regiment that fought in Holland and many other places, including
Buenos Aires in 1807. Later he would join the Princess Victoria
Regiment, which took the name Royal Irish Fusiliers. Doyle also
served in Gibraltar and Portugal, where he gained a great
military reputation, with Sir Arthur Wellesley among his
superior officers. He was the Prince of Wales' private secretary
for a time, and then he retired to the island of Guernsey where
he acted as governor.
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John Doyle (1756-1834)
(William Say, 1817)
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Bernardo O' Higgins's letters to
Doyle were written in Peru during his exile between the years
1823 and 1830, and in them O'Higgins turns his attention to ‘a
project that, together with the independence of his native
country, was his dearest wish - Irish immigration to Chile'. In
regard to Mexico, one of his letters to Sir Doyle, written in
Lima on 26 July 1830 states the following:
In our correspondence I have only
concerned myself with the Irish colonisation of the south of
Chile, but once this is completed, I would say that Northern
Mexico could also be considered; regions like California,
Chihuahua, New Mexico and Texas. I would propose beginning with
California and then continuing with Texas: the first colony
should be established in San Francisco, California. In 1825,
wishing to probe deeper into the issue and to know how the
Mexican government would cooperate with me, I wrote to my friend
Colonel Wavel, who was in that country on a mission to which I
had appointed him when I directed Chile's destiny; in said
letter I told him of my father's [Ambrosio O'Higgins] plans and
the possibility that the north of Mexico be populated by Irish
Catholics, instructing him to broach this matter with President
Vitoria. I received no reply and presumed the missive must have
gotten lost.
I later learnt that Wavel was not in
Mexico; I am now told that he has rejoined your service and I
have no doubts that we can count on a friend in our plans.
Regarding Mexico's leaders, be it Vitoria, Guerrero, Santana or
Bravo, I also believe I will receive total approval, as they
will understand the importance of a colonisation comprising such
industrious and brave people who will also reinforce the
extensive frontier (without defences) of that nation against the
traps of Russians and North Americans (p.456).
Unfortunately for O'Higgins, neither
in Chile nor in Mexico did his project of bringing Irish
immigrants en masse to these
countries prosper. Nevertheless, it is worth highlighting this
man's initiative to populate the continent with people from such
a far distant country as Ireland.
Fabián Gaspar Bustamante Olguín |
