156 JOURNAL. 



Wednesday, June 19th. — These few last days I have been less 

 alone. My friend Miss H. is staying with me, and we have had many 

 pleasant walks together ; and I have become acquainted with several 

 of the Chileno naval officers. Captain Foster, who was the senior 

 captain, has given up his command, and, it is said, has tendered his 

 resignation to the supreme government : he very kindly came the 

 other day to superintend the putting up a stove in my little sitting 

 room. I have hitherto used an open brasier, but, though very com- 

 fortable, the fumes of the charcoal must be hurtful ; but with a stove, 

 they pass off through the funnel. Several houses have now English 

 stoves and grates, but the burning of coal is not yet very general. 

 English coal is of course dear, and the coal from the province of 

 Conception, which resembles the Scotch coal, is not yet worked to 

 a sufficient extent to supply the market. 



Of the officers actually belonging to the squadron, I have seen 

 Captain Crosbie, Lord Cochrane's flag captain, a pleasant gentleman- 

 like young Irishman, brave as Lord Cochrane's captain ought to be, 

 and intelligent. Captain Cobbet, the nephew of Cobbet, with a great 

 deal of the hard-headed sense of his uncle, and also, if all physio- 

 gnomical presages are not false, endowed with no small share of his 

 selfishness, owes every thing, education and promotion, both in the 

 English navy and this, to Lord Cochrane, and has the reputation of 

 being an excellent seaman : I find him polite, intelligent, and com- 

 municative. But the person who seems peculiarly to possess the 

 information concerning all I want to know, is the physician of the 

 O'Higgins, Dr. Craig. Skill in his profession, good sense, rational 

 curiosity, and enthusiasm of character concealed under a shy exterior, 

 render him a more interesting person than ninety-nine in a hundred 

 to be met with on this side of Cape Horn ; and I feel peculiarly 

 happy in making his acquaintance. 



It is not unpleasant to have one's solitude now and then broken 

 in upon by persons who, like these, have characters of their own ; but 

 there is a sad proportion in the English society here of trash. How- 

 ever, as vulgarity, ignorance, and coarseness, often disguise kindness 



