492 APPENDIX. 



of the general commanding in chief the expeditionary forces ; who, having 

 declared us officers of Peru, offered, through his aides-de-camp Colonel Pa- 

 roissieu and Captain Spry, honours and estates to those who should in that 

 capacity promote the further views he then entertained. Nor do we envy 

 those who received estates and honours. But, having rejected these, we may 

 fairly claim the approbation of government for providing the squadron of 

 Chile with provisions and stores at Callao, out of monies in our hand justly 

 due for the capture of the Esmeralda, when such supplies had been refused 

 by the said general and commander-in-chief. We may justly claim similar 

 approbation for having repaired the squadron at Guayaquil, and for equip- 

 ping and provisioning it for the pursuit of the enemy's frigates Prueba and 

 Vengauza, which we drove from the shores of Mexico in a state of destitu- 

 tion to the shores of Peru ; and if they were not actually brought to Chile, 

 it was because they were seized by our late general and commander-in-chief, 

 and appropriated in the same manner as he had previously intended with 

 respect to the Chilian squadron itself. We may add, that every endeavour, 

 short of actual hostilities with the said general, was made on our part, to 

 obtain the restitution of those valuable frigates to the government of Chile. 

 In no other instance throughout the whole course of our proceedings has any 

 dispute arisen but what has terminated favourably to the interests of Chile, 

 and to the honour of her flag; and we may justly observe, that while private 

 friendships have been preserved with the naval officers of foreign powers, no 

 point has been conceded that we could justly maintain, consistently with the 

 maritime laws of civilised nations ; by which our conduct has been scrupu- 

 lously guided, even in its exercise towards the subjects of our native land. 

 And it is no less true, that such has been the caution with which we have 

 acted, that no act of violence contrary to the law of nations, nor any im- 

 proper exercise of power, can in any one instance be laid to our charge. 



" We may add, that during our connection with the squadron, the Chilian 

 flag has waved in triumph, and with universal respect, from the southern ex- 

 tremity of the nation to the Californian shore ; while the population, and 

 the value of all property in and contiguous to the naval port, have been 

 increased at least three fold ; and the commerce and the revenue it produces 

 have augmented in a far greater proportion : which commerce, so productive 

 to the state, might, without the protecting aid of its navy, be annihilated by a 

 few of those miserable privateers which the terrors of its name alone deters 

 from approaching. 



