INTRODUCTION. 39 



prospect of hastening the plans which had long been meditated for 

 carrying the war out of the country. But the government, though 

 gratified with this first success, and proud of the number of ships 

 raised within seven months, still bitterly felt the want of competent 

 officers. Their hopes were anxiously turned towards England, whence 

 indeed the Galvarino* had lately arrived, and had been received 

 into the service. Besides her commander, Captain Spry, she brought 

 out Captain Guise, of the English navy, who was not without hopes 

 of obtaining the command of the naval forces of the Country ; and a 

 number of followers were about him who were so much interested 

 that it should be so, that they seemed to consider it as his right, and 

 had partly persuaded him to think the same. Captain Forster, of 

 the British navy, had also gone to Chile with similar hopes and 

 similar fancied claims ; and at that juncture the success of the late 

 expedition had not rendered either Captain Wilkinson or Captain 

 Worcester willing to yield to any junior officer in the Chileno 

 employ. Where these disputes might have terminated it is idle 

 to inquire : they were, for the present at least, silenced by the ar- 

 rival of one of the ablest officers that even England had ever pro- 

 duced. 



By one of those singular coincidences which not the fondest cal- 

 culation for the benefit of Chile could have anticipated, the agents of 

 the government of that country, who had been instructed, if possible, 

 to procure the assistance of some able commander, (Sir H. Popham, 

 was once named,) were fortunate enough to find Lord Cochrane at 

 liberty to devote himself entirely to the cause of South American 

 independence — A cause to which he could honestly give his talents 

 and his time, without violating those principles of regulated freedom, 

 from which he had never departed. 



The state of the Chilian navy required a man of prudence as well 

 as courage, of temper as well as firmness, and in no one man did 



* Formerly the Hecate, an English 18-gun brig of war. Captains Guise and Spry 

 bought her, and brought her to Chile on speculation. She was purchased from them by 

 the government of Chile, after being refused at Buenos Ayres. 



