After receiving reports from several spies, the intendent of the Spanish Essequibo district occupied the Dutch settlements in Guyana. Many Venezuelans and New Granadans praised his move to 'defend Spain against the British and the Dutch'. His move, however, also caused much controversy among foreigners in Spanish America. While Mirte, his Dutch wife, spent summer with her parents in the occupied territory, she developed second thoughts about his 'heroic' move...