VALPARAISO. 151 
freely of San Martin, was condemned to be exposed for three 
hours in the streets in a robe of penance ; and that as her voice had 
offended, she was gagged, and the gag used was a human bone. She 
was taken home fainting with a natural loathing, and died ! 
There is now in this port a vessel, the Milagro, full of Spanish 
prisoners, to whom San Martin had promised security and protection 
for their persons and property. However, after paying half their 
property for letters of naturalisation, and for permission to retain 
the rest, and with it to leave Lima, they were seized and stripped 
on the road to Callao, huddled on board the prison-ship, and are 
now in the bay to be sent to the rest of the prisoners at Santiago, 
whose captivity is too probably for life, as they are only to be liber- 
ated when Old Spain acknowledges the independence of her colonies. 
These poor people have arrived without the common necessaries of 
life, and leave has been refused to supply some of their most press- 
ing wants ; — but Lord Cochrane has done it without leave. Would 
that he could inspire these people with some of the humanities of 
war as practised in Europe! 
Two agents of the Peruvian government are said to have arrived 
in the Milagro, for the purpose of spying the state of Lord Cochrane’s 
ships, and perhaps of tampering with the officers, or the government 
itself, to get them for Peru. It is given out, however, that they are 
only agents for the prisoners; it may be so, but the report shows 
the opinions entertained of the honesty of the Protector of Peru. 
The admiral is on the point of visiting the director at Santiago. 
I do hope the government will set about doing him the justice of 
repairing the ships: there is still enough for him to do. While the 
royalists under Quintanilla continue to hold Chiloe, there will always 
be a shelter and receptacle for reinforcements from Spain; and 
though I believe it impossible that these provinces should ever again 
be united to the mother country, yet the contest and the miseries 
of civil war may be protracted. Besides, what is to protect the 
long coast of Chile but its squadron ? 
8th.—I went to pay a visit to the wife of my landlord, who had 
