INTRODUCTION. 107 



ship ; but he sailed up to the forts, anchored abreast of them as be- 

 fore, and awed them into decency, if not civility. The Venganza he 

 found at Guayaquil ; and certainly had a right to consider her as his 

 lawful prize, having chased her from every other place, and forced 

 her into that port in such a state as to be obliged to surrender ; and 

 the Prueba in the same state had gone to Callao. But the agents of 

 Peru had tampered with the commanders of both the Venganza and 

 Prueba; they promised them lands and pensions in Peru, if they 

 would give up the ships to that government, which they accordingly 

 did. So that San Martin thus tricked Chile of the prizes that 

 belonged to her squadron, and induced the captains of the Spa- 

 nish frigates to sell the ships to which they were appointed by their 

 government. However, Lord Cochrane, determined not to embroil 

 the country he served in any thing like hostilities with its neighbours, 

 sent Captain Crosbie on board the Venganza to take the command 

 for Chile and Peru jointly ; and on the representation of the govern- 

 ment of Guayaquil, left that frigate in the port under Guayaquil co- 

 lours, taking a bond that she should not be given up to any other 

 government whatever, without the express consent of Chile, under a 

 penalty of 8,000 dollars. But these South American governments 

 seem to laugh at contracts. This was shortly broken, and the penalty 

 has never been paid ; so that the officers and men of the squadron, 

 which pursued them at their own expense, having paid for the re- 

 pairs, stores, and provisions necessary to enable them to do so, have 

 not only never received the prize-money due for the taking of those 

 ships, but have literally been defrauded of the sums they spent in their 

 pursuit. The causes and consequences of this public dishonesty will 

 appear from some facts which will be hereafter stated. 



The squadron put in at Guambacho, a little bay south of Guaya- 

 quil, to afford the Valdivia an opportunity of careening. She accord- 

 ingly repaired the larboard leak, which was the worst, and managed 

 to keep tolerably clear with the pumps, of the water made by the star- 

 board one. The ships then proceeded ; and on the 25th of April 



p 2 



