SPLENDID ACHIEVEMENT OF LORD COCHRANE. 



17 



consisting, at that, time, of the Esmeralda, a large 

 forty-gun frigate, and two sloops of war, were 

 moored under the guns of the castle within a 

 semicircle of fourteen gunboats, and a boom 

 made of spars chained together. Lord Cochrane 

 having previously reconnoitred these formidable 

 defences in person, undertook, on the 5th of 

 November, the desperate enterprise of cutting 

 out the Spanish frigate, although she was known 

 to be fully prepared for an attack. His lordship 

 proceeded in fourteen boats, containing 240 men, 

 all volunteers from the different ships of the squad- 

 ron, in two divisions ; one under the immediate 

 orders of Captain Crosbie, the other under Captain 

 Guise ; both officers commanding ships of the 

 Chilian squadron. 



At midnight, the boats having forced their way 

 across the boom, Lord Cochrane, who was leading, 

 rowed alongside the first gun-boat, and, taking 

 the officer by surprise, proposed to him, with a 

 pistol at his head, the alternative of " Silence or 

 death ! " — no reply was made — the boats pushed 

 on unobserved — and Lord Cochrane, mounting 

 the Esmeralda's side, was the first to give the 

 alarm. The sentinel on the gangway levelled his 

 piece and fired ; but was instantly cut down by 

 the coxswain, and his lordship, though wounded 

 in the thigh, at the same moment stepped on the 

 deck. The frigate being boarded with no less 

 gallantry, on the opposite side, by Captain Guise, 

 who met Lord Cochrane midway, on the quarter- 

 deck ; and also by Captain Crosbie ; the after part 

 of the ship was soon carried, sword in hand. The 

 Spaniards rallied on the forecastle, where they 

 made a desperate resistance, till overpowered by 

 a fresh party of seamen and marines, headed by 

 Lord Cochrane. A gallant stand was again made 

 for some time on the main-deck ; but before one 

 o'clock the ship was captured, her cables cut, and 

 she was steered triumphantly out of the harbour, 

 under the fire of the whole of the north face of 

 the castle. The Hyperion, an English, and the 

 Macedonian, an American frigate, which were at 

 anchor close to the scene of action, got under weigh 

 when the attack commenced ; and, in order to 

 prevent their being mistaken by the batteries for 

 the Esmeralda, showed distinguishing signals : but 

 Lord Cochrane, who had foreseen and provided even 

 for this minute circumstance, hoisted the same 

 lights as the American and English frigates ; and 

 thus rendered it impossible for the batteries to dis- 

 criminate between the three ships : the Esmeralda, 

 in consequence, was very little injured by the shot 

 from the batteries. 



The Spaniards had upwards of one hundred 

 and twenty men killed and wounded ; the Chilians 

 eleven killed, and thirty wounded. 



This loss was a death-blow to the Spanish naval 

 force in that quarter of the world ; for, although 

 there were still two Spanish frigates and some 

 smaller vessels in the Pacific, they never after- 

 wards ventured to show themselves, but left Lord 

 Cochrane undisputed master of the coast. 



• The skill and gallantry displayed by Lord Coch- 

 rane, both in planning and conducting this asto- 

 nishing enterprise, are so peculiarly his own, and 

 so much in character with the great deeds of his 

 early life, that a copy of his instructions for the 

 action and his subsequent despatch, will be read 

 with much interest. 



Cppy of Lord Cochrane' s preparatory Memoran- 

 dum to the Chilian Squadron, dated 



" On board the Chilian States' Ship O'Higgins, 



1st of November 1820. 



" The boats will proceed, towing the launches 



in two lines parallel to each other, which lines 



are to be at the distance of three boats' length 



asunder. 



" The second line will be under the charge of 

 Captain Guise. Each boat will be under the 

 charge of a volunteer commissioned officer, so far 

 as circumstances permit, and the whole under the 

 immediate command of the Admiral. 



" The officers and men are all to be dressed in 

 white jackets, frocks, or shirts, and are to be 

 armed with pistols, sabres, knives, tomahawks, or 

 pikes. 



" Two boat-keepers are to be appointed to 

 each boat, who, on no pretence whatever, shall 

 quit their respective boats, but are to remain 

 therein, and take care that the boats do not get 

 adrift. 



" Each boat is to be provided with one or more 

 axes, or sharp hatchets, which are to be kept slung 

 to the girdle of the boat-keepers. The frigate 

 Esmeralda being the chief object of the expedition, 

 the whole force is first to attack that ship, which, 

 when carried, is not to be cut adrift, but is to re- 

 main in possession of the Patriot seamen, to ensure 

 the capture of the rest. 



"On securing the frigate, the Chilian seamen 

 and marines are not to cheer as if they were 

 Chilenos, but, in order to deceive the enemy, and 

 give time for completing the work, are to cheer 

 'Viva el Rey !' 



" The two brigs of war are to be fired on by the 

 musketry from the Esmeralda, and are to be taken 

 possession of by Lieutenants Esmond and Morgell, 

 in the boats they command ; which being done, 

 they are to cut adrift, run out, and anchor in the 

 offing as quickly as possible. The boats of the 

 Independencia are to busy themselves in turning 

 adrift all the outward Spanish merchant-ships ; 

 and the boats of the O'Higgins and Lautaro, under 

 Lieutenants Bell and Robertson, are to set fire to 

 one or more of the headmost hulks ; but these are 

 not to be cut adrift so as to fall down upon the 

 rest. 



" The watch-word, or parole and countersign, 

 should the white dress not be sufficient distinction 

 in the dark, are * Gloria !' to be answered by 

 c Victoria !' 



(Signed) u Cochrane." 



Whether Lord Cochrane really expected to ex- 

 tend his operations beyond the capture of the 

 frigate, or whether he merely wished to inspire his 

 people with confidence, by making the main object 

 appear only a part of the enterprise, is uncertain ; 

 but in either case, the effect could not fail to be 

 valuable. 



The foregoing memorandum, being addressed 

 principally to Englishmen and North Americans, 

 was written in English. The following letter I 

 have never seen, except in the original Spanish. 



