| Summary: | The article looks at the European view of the Spanish-American republics in the mid-nineteenth century, as well as the reactions of the latter. More specifically, it analyses the debate between Peru and Spain on the trade and the sovereignty of the Chincha islands, the principal economic resource of Peru and the focus of Spanish political elites. To this end, it puts forward the concepts of public and counterpublic, to explores the ideological tensions that animated this second imperial moment in America. Although studies have focused more on travellers and their narratives, it is also possible to think about the role of European residents in Hispanic America. Often representatives of the European Cabinets and correspondents of European newspapers, they constituted a privileged window on the Spanish-American world for Europe. Their analysis constitutes an important site for understanding the role of those who, less constrained by the military and political discourse, operated discreetly to influence the opinion of the Atlantic powers.
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