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 
Pa 
