£Q INTRODUCTION. 



the Spaniards had still a strong position, under an able and deter- 

 mined officer, Colonel Quintanilla. The account of that expedition 

 is best o-iven in His Lordship's own letter addressed to the Minister 

 of Marine : — 



« Sir, 

 " The unfortunate circumstance, of the running ashore of the brig 

 Intrepid, on the day I last had the honour of addressing Your Excel- 

 lency, and her total loss in this port without either wind or storm, 

 owing to her being quite rotten, deprived me of the greater part of 

 the force and means for taking Chiloe. Nevertheless, I determined 

 to proceed with the schooner Montezuma, and the transport Dolores, 

 Captain Carter of the Intrepid having volunteered to command the 

 latter, in order to reconnoitre the port of San Carlos, and to offer the 

 inhabitants such assistance as was in my power, if they showed an 

 inclination to shake off the yoke of Ferdinand. 



" With this purpose we landed in the bay of Huechucucuy in the 

 evening of the 17th. The soldiers, with the marines of the O'Hig- 

 gins and Intrepid, took possession of the three outer batteries which 

 defend the port, dislodging about thirty foot and sixty horse ; but 

 having afterwards lost their way, owing to the darkness of the night, 

 in roads almost impassable, they halted till dawn, by which time 

 the militia headed by the friars, armed with lances or whatever wea- 

 pons they could get, had assembled in such numbers in the fort of 

 A<my, that it rendered the taking of that strong hold with so small 

 an attacking force impossible. The brave Col. Miller being severely 

 wounded, Captain Erezcano of Buenos Ayres, agreeably to my in- 

 structions not to engage the troops farther, caused them to retreat 

 and go on board. 



" Having re-embarked them, I resolved to return to Valdivia, con- 

 ceiving that the securing that place and expelling the enemy from 

 the province were more important objects than even the establishing 

 a garrison in Chiloe. 



" I ought to add, that the outer defence of San Carlos was entirely 



