8 



UNSETTLED STATE OF SOUTH AMERICA. 



centuries of misrule. They even took delight 

 in fostering and encouraging these prejudices, 

 knowing them to he prejudices — a species of 

 wilful self-delusion, which, although indefensible 

 in particular instances, may nevertheless in the 

 long-run contribute essentially to the great cause 

 of their country. The spirit which originally roused 

 the South Americans to throw off the Spanish 

 yoke is kept alive and active by such antipathies, 

 and the people are thus prevented by their pas- 

 sions, as well as their interests, from slumbering 

 at their posts, while their liberty and honour are 

 still in hazard. 



CHAPTER II. 



Communication between Santiago and Buenos Ayres. — 

 Duties of Naval Officers on the South American Station. 

 — Arrival of two French Ships of War.— Picnic Party.— 

 Departure from Valparaiso. 



16th of January. — I had occasion to send a 

 despatch to the naval commander-in-chief, Sir 

 Thomas Hardy, by an express which might be 

 expected to reach Buenos Ayres from Santiago 

 in twelve days : it is said, however, that the 

 journey has, on some occasions, been made in 

 eleven. The distance is 1365 miles, so that the 

 courier must travel, upon an average, about 114 

 miles a day. This communication between Buenos 

 Ayres and Chili has for some years been open ; 

 and post-houses having been established along 

 the whole line of road, the only difficulties in the 

 journey arise from fatigue, bad lodging, and bad 

 fare. At these stations horses are kept in con- 

 stant readiness ; the supply being maintained from 

 the multitudes of wild droves covering the Pam- 

 pas, or plains of Buenos Ayres, which extend 

 from the sea to the base of the Andes. When 

 gentlemen travel on this road, it is usual to make 

 that part of the journey between the mountains 

 and Buenos Ayres, along the level Pampas, in a 

 carriage : but the part lying amongst the Andes 

 can be performed only on horses or on mules. 

 The couriers, who are bred to their business as 

 an exclusive occupation, are generally small and 

 active men ; temperate in all their habits, and 

 possessed of a spirit of enterprise and energy, 

 which distinguishes them from the rest of their 

 countrymen. 



As soon as the despatches were sent off I 

 paid a visit to a Chilian family of my acquaint- 

 ance, and immediately on ray entering the draw- 

 ing-room, the lady of the house and one of her 

 daughters each presented me with a rose, apolo- 

 gising, at the same time, for having omitted to do 

 so before. This custom of presenting strangers 

 with a flower prevails in all Spanish countries, 

 and is one of an extensive class of minute atten- 

 tions, which the Spaniards and their descendants 

 understand better than any other nation. The 

 favour itself is nothing ; indeed it seems essential 

 to the civility that the present should be a mere 

 trifle ; tne merit lies in the simple expression of 

 good-will and kindness, which, while it is really 

 valuable to possess, is of a nature to impose no 

 obligation. 



Whilst we were thus establishing an agreeable 

 acquaintance with the inhabitants of the capital, 



our intercourse was suddenly cut short by a 

 circumstance which obliged me to return with 

 my officers to the port. Accounts had reached 

 Santiago, that a French line-of- battle ship and 

 a frigate had touched at Conception, and intended ' 

 soon to visit Valparaiso. The arrival of such 

 a force at this moment, excited considerable 

 sensation amongst the Chilians, many of whom 

 entertained apprehensions of its object being 

 hostile. Whatever might be the intention of the 

 French admiral towards the Chilians, I felt it 

 right to be on board the Conway at the time of 

 his arrival ; and therefore lost not a moment in 

 returning to Valparaiso. To quit the capital at this 

 time was to me a matter of considerable regret, 

 both on account of the agreeable society, and of the 

 importance of cultivating the personal acquaintance 

 of men with whom I was likely afterwards to hold 

 official intercourse. 



The independence of the South American states 

 had not yet been acknowledged by England ; 

 neither had any consuls or accredited political 

 agents been sent out, The commercial intercourse, 

 however, between the two countries being already 

 very extensive, and every day increasing, points 

 of doubt often arose, which made it necessary to 

 open frequent correspondence of a diplomatic 

 and commercial nature with the various local 

 governments. The only constituted authority on 

 the part of England, in that quarter of the globe, 

 was the naval commander-in-chief ; and upon 

 him necessarily devolved the whole responsibility 

 of these discussions. The task was one of great 

 difficulty and importance, chiefly from the vast 

 extent of his command, and the uncertainty and 

 delay of all communications. The varying nature 

 also of every political relation in those countries 

 — the instability and inexperience of the govern- 

 ments — the agitated state of the public mind, with 

 the consequent absence of mercantile confidence 

 — the novelty, in short, of every institution — all 

 conspired to complicate in a remarkable degree 

 a subject at no time simple, or of easy manage- 

 ment. Owing to the difficulty of communication 

 between the different parts of the station, it 

 became impossible for the Commander-in-chief 

 to attend to the details of business at more 

 than one spot ; the ships of the squadron were 

 therefore distributed at those points where the 

 presence of a British authority was most essen- 

 tially required, namely, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil ; 

 Buenos Ayres in the River Plate ; Valparaiso in 

 Chili ; Lima in Peru ; and San Bias on the coast of 

 Mexico. There were, besides, many intermediate 

 ports where the activity of our merchants had 

 found means to introduce a taste for our manufac- 

 tures ; and all these places required to be occasion- 

 ally visited, that the British interest might not 

 want protection. 



Without going into details which might perhaps 

 seem tedious, it would be difficult to give a com- 

 prehensive view of the various duties, which at 

 this juncture devolved upon the captains of his 

 Majesty's ships, stationed along the coast of South 

 America, and Mexico. It may be sufficient to 

 mention, that as the whole of the consulate affairs 

 fell to their charge, every dispute which arose 

 between British subjects and the local govern- 

 ments was necessarily carried on through them. 

 This was rather a new class of obligations for 



