For Hispanists, the significance of Timothy Flint's Francis Berrian, or The Mexican Patriot (1826) is twofold. As the first North American novel set Mexico (a setting that soon afterwards became a vogue), it offers proof that from almost the beginning Yankee writers of fiction looked toward the Hispanic world for inspiration. Secondly, it reveals the importance of the role played by Spain the formation of the type of romanticism that was uniquely North American and the type of romantic hero who was strictly Yankee. The novel opens with the author's account, the first person, of his encounter aboard a steamboat with Francis Berrian, a handsome young New England puritan and Harvard graduate, who, search of adventure and his El Dorado, had journeyed the Spanish southwest of Santa Fe, San Antonio, Durango, Monterrey, Vera Cruz, and Mexico City, all then part of Old Mexico. The rest of the two volumes, portions of which are written epistolary style, concerns Francis' adventures from 1815 1825, as told the author, who explains: 'This story I now propose give the reader, as I received it from him.' Near Santa Fe the protagonist met up with the Comanches and their beautiful captive, Martha, the only child of the Conde Alvaro, Governor of Durango and superintendent general of the Mexican mines. Through the aid of an Indian woman, Francis rescued Martha and escaped with her. It was love at first sight, but their romance, after Francis was retained by the Alvaro family as an English tutor, was soon complicated by conflicting emotions and principles: Pedro Guttierrez (sic), a Spanish noble's son and Martha's native suitor, became jealous of his Yankee rival; Francis resisted the Roman Catholicism of Martha's family; and denounced their political views, pro-Spanish and antipatriot. Francis soon realized that he was in the palace of a grandee of Spain, among Catholics, a people of other manners, another language, and another religion. And he asked himself, 'What have I do here? (i, 99) Aiding Mexico her emancipation from Spain, however, seemed be what Francis had to do. After engaging various patriot-royalist skirmishes, chiefly under Jos6 Morelos, Francis went south Mexico City, find that Agustin de Iturbide had been declared emperor, and Pedro, Minister of War. Disgusted with this turn of events, Francis went on Vera Cruz join the rebel forces of L6pez de Santa Anna. Then Martha is again kidnapped-this time by Pedro, with the cowed and frightened Conde's permission. The wedding ceremony was proceeding until Francis arrived the nick of time save her from a fate worse than death. With Santa Anna, Francis thereupon marched Mexico City overthrow Iturbide.