The expedition which was sent out by Spain to form a colony on the shore of the Strait of Magellan, encountered a fierce tempest and only eighteen of the colonists survived. Their leader abandoned them to join the first pirate ships that appeared, which were those of Cavendish, following in the track of Drake, though with less success, as the Pacific ports were better protected than they had been eight years before. But if the pirates took little treasure, their departure was soon followed by the appearance of an epidemic of smallpox, which wrought terrible havoc in the colony. Whole families and even towns were destroyed by the plague, the fields remained uncultivated, the cattle neglected, even the mines were abandoned, the horrors of famine being added to those of the plague. This was in the year that witnessed the defeat of the “Invincible Armada,” a catastrophe that brought in its train many others for the proud monarch of Spain, whose power was no longer in the ascendant among the arbiters of European destiny, as it had been when he was crowned king. But, although Peru suffered much from the plague, the natural riches of the country were so abundant that the worst effects soon disappeared and prosperity reigned, more flourishing than ever. The viceroy did all in his power to promote the best interests of the colony, though his humane laws made him many enemies. He prohibited the forcing of _mitayos_ to do excessive labor and to live in unhealthy localities, and forbade the treating of _yanaconas_ (Indians who carried burdens) as slaves. During his administration the king accorded to graduates of the University of San Marcos in Lima honors and privileges equal to those of Salamanca, the great centre of learning in Spain. The second Marquis de Cañete was appointed viceroy to succeed the Count del Villar in 1589. He came accompanied by his wife and a large suite of Spanish nobility. Their arrival marked a new era in the social life of the capital, which became brilliant with gay functions and the fashionable amusements of a court. The noble Marquis and his retinue were not only received with great ceremony under the crimson canopy of state, but the festivities attending their arrival were of the most elaborate description throughout the whole colony. The viceroy established a strict court etiquette, according to the historian Lorente, giving special instructions “that the women of the court should maintain the greatest reserve, not receiving attentions or seeking husbands, and should pay to the vicereine all the respect which court etiquette demanded.” In harmony with the viceregal grandeur, a royal chapel was erected in the palace and the religious ceremonies of the court were observed with imposing formality. The number of _oidores_ was increased and the Real Audiencia assumed a greater importance, as the growing prosperity of the colony added to its responsibilities and influence.