C1III.I. 



101 



under protection of neutral flags, until such time 

 as bit Government might otherwise direct. 



In ISiii) tli- treaty of alliance between Chili 

 nn<l I -i-t Spain, which had been con- 



Hndi-d iii |).-iv-nlH-r, 1865 (gee ANNUAL CTCLO- 

 IVI-MH.V for 1SH,">>, was formally proclaimed in 

 iry, 1866, and was immediately followed 

 by a <ierlarati'>M of war .'iL'niiist IVru. The 

 squadrons of the two republics united in the vi- 



inity of the island of Chiloe. On February 7th 

 an engagement took place, in the port San Carlos 

 <>r A ncad. near the north end of the island of 

 Cliiloo, where the allied squadrons (the Men-S- 

 mack, Union, America, and Covadonga) had 

 anchored between the Spanish vessels Villa do 

 Madrid and Mlanca, which had been in search 

 of the allied squadron, and the shore batteries. 

 After two hours' firing, the Spaniards, finding 

 it impossible to silence the batteries, withdrew, 

 and after remaining a day or two more in the 

 vicinity, returned to Valparaiso. No serious 

 damage was suffered on either side. 



The Spanish fleet, collected at Valparaiso, re- 

 mained inactive until the close of March, when 

 the most notable event in the Spanish-Chilian 

 war, the bombardment of Valparaiso, topk 

 place. On March 16th the Chilian Government 

 issued an order forbidding any vessel which 

 communicated with the Spanish fleet from eji- 

 tering a port of Chili ; but there were no efforts 

 made to fortify any town on the coast, nor any 

 other preparations commenced for resisting tho 

 enemy. During this lull the American Minister, 

 General Kilpatrick, and Commodore Rodgers, 

 commanding the squadron in the absence of 

 Admiral Pearson at San Francisco, were occu- 

 pied in an endeavor to bring about negotiations 

 between the two belligerents for an amicable 

 adjustment of tho difficulties. Various plans 

 were suggested to tho Chilian Government and 

 to Admiral Nuflez for a settlement, none of 

 which were accepted by either party ; the former 

 demanding an unconditional abandonment of 

 the war by Spain, and tho latter refusing to de- 

 part from his plan of hostile operations. The 

 interviews between Commodore Rodgers and 

 Admiral Nufiez convinced the commodore that 

 the admiral would sooner or later bombard the 

 city ; and, conscious of the terrible consequences 

 which would result to human life as well as to 

 American property from such an act, he again 

 visited Santiago on the 19th, and proposed to 

 the Chilian Government that tho two belliger- 

 ents fire a mutual salute and once more attempt 

 to settle the matter in a friendly way. This 

 was rejected by Mr. Covarrubias, the Minister 

 of Foreign Affairs; and on the 20th General 

 Kilpatrick and the commodore returned to Val- 

 paraiso, to learn, if possible, the ultimatum of 

 the. Spanish admiral. As tho other members 

 of the diplomatic corps remained entirely in- 

 active, and an official announcement of a bom- 

 bardment was daily expected, the Representa- 

 tives of the United States determined to make 

 another effort to avert, if possible, the bombard- 

 ment. To that end General Kilpatrick and Com- 



modore Rodgcra visited, on March 21st, tho 

 Nuinancia, Admiral Nunez's flagship. The lat- 

 ter consented to visit, on March n:;d, the Amer- 

 ican flagship, Vandorbilt, and to have a rail 

 disciix-inn of tin- questions between Spain and 

 Chili. At this visit Admiral Nunez stated that 

 the terms upon which peace must bo made, 

 were dictated by his Government, and were in 

 ;iico as follows: 



1. The Chilian Government to pass a note to Ad- 

 miral Nunez, stating that Chili had no intention or 

 \\i-h to insult Spain in tho actions complained of, 

 mid that the treaty between Chili ami Spam had not 

 been broken, but only interrupted, by the declara- 

 tion of war. Chili should also deliver up the Cova- 

 donga, her armament, crew, and officers. 



2. In return for this, Spain would give a note to 

 Chili that she did not desire to humiliate Chili, or to 

 seize any of her territory, but that she had great re- 

 spect for the independence of the South American 

 republics. She would also give up in exchange for 

 the Covadonga and the Spanish prisoners all the 

 prizes (twelve in number) captured in tho Chilian 

 waters, together with all Chilian prisoners. 



8. A reciprocal salute of twenty-one guns to be 

 fired, Chili firing the first gun from one of her for- 

 tresses, and some vessels of the Spanish fleet reply- 

 ing gun for gun. After these preliminaries Admiral 

 Nufiez would proceed to Santiago, in the capacity of 

 envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, for 

 the purpose of consummating the new treaty of peace. 



After making these propositions known to 

 General Kilpatrick and Commodore Rodgers, 

 Admiral Nufiez stated that he would wait fora 

 reply from the Chilian Government until eight 

 o'clock on the morning of the 27th, at which 

 time, if there was no answer, ho should com- 

 mence more stringent measures. General Kil- 

 patrick returned to Santiago on the 24th, and 

 next morning informed Mr. Covarrubias of the 

 result of the interview with the Spanish ad- 

 miral. The Chilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, 

 after listening to the terms proposed, stated that 

 they could not be accepted, and that all similar 

 propositions must be rejected. There were nu- 

 merous reasons given for declining the proffered 

 terms, the principal ones of which were that 

 Chili could accept no peace while her sbter 

 republics, her allies, were threatened, nor could 

 she exchange tho Covadonga, a prize won in 

 fair and open battle on the seas, for any num- 

 ber of merchant vessels picked up by the Span- 

 iards in undefended ports. 



Commodore De Courcy, of the English squad- 

 ron, having visited Santiago for the purpose of 

 consulting with tho British minister concern- 

 ing the best plan for averting the threatened 

 destruction of Valparaiso, an informal meeting 

 of the diplomatic corps was held at the Enjrlish 

 hotel, and it was finally decided that the foreign 

 ministers would proceed in a body to Valparaiso 

 and, if possible, save the city. On March 27th 

 General Kilpatrick visited the Numancia, and 

 informed Admiral NuQez that the Chilian Gov- 

 ernment had declined to accept the terms men- 

 tioned by him as the basis of peace. The ad- 

 miral merely remarked that he must carry out 

 his instructions, and delivered to the general 

 the following manifesto : 



