SIR THOMAS HARDY'S SERVICES. 



ever alike, so that experience did little more than 

 teach the truth and solidity of the principles by 

 which our conduct was directed to be regulated. 

 Had we always had right on our side, — that is, had 

 the commercial transactions which it became our 

 duty to protect always been pure, and the displea- 

 sure of the governments always unjust, the service 

 would have been easier ; but it sometimes hap- 

 pened otherwise. Many prizes, or rather detentions, 

 were made by the Patriot squadrons, on the strongly 

 supported plea of having Spanish property on board 

 — British sailors reported that they had been for- 

 cibly detained, and made to fight against the allies 

 of their country — masters and supercargoes of 

 ships complained that they had been plundered on 

 the high seas, under the form of local usage and 

 the exaction of regular duties — Englishmen repre- 

 sented themselves as being unjustly imprisoned — 

 each party charged us with favouring their oppo- 

 nents — the crews of ships, taking advantage of the 

 general state of confusion, mutinied, and refused 

 to do their duty : — in short, all was out of order; 

 nothing was flowing in its natural course ; every 

 thing being under the guidance of men whose pas- 

 sions were at their height, and whose minds were 

 in such a frame, that they interpreted whatever 

 occurred in the worst language it would bear. 

 This total dislocation of society was not confined 

 to a single port, or a single state, but extended, 

 more or less, over the whole continent, threaten- 

 ing all social order and personal security, as well 

 as destruction to the great mass of commerce, 

 which, notwithstanding the forbidding aspect of 

 affairs, was always ready to flow in at every casual 

 opening, in spite of prudence and experience. 



At a time when very few, if any other man, saw 

 his way clearly through this dark and troubled 

 prospect, Sir Thomas Hardy appears never to have 

 faltered, or been at a loss ; and this confidence, as 

 he sought on every occasion to impress on the 

 minds of his officers, consisted principally in their 

 keeping themselves pure and disinterested, and in 

 avoiding all share in what was going on — in main- 

 taining themselves, above all things, free from 

 political party spirit on every hand — and, whatever 

 apparent provocation might arise, never considering 

 the disrespect intentional, unless it were obvious — 

 being slow, in short, to take offence, national or 

 personal, unless it could not be mistaken ; and re- 

 collecting, in every consequent explanation, that a 

 voluntary acknowledgment, however trifling, was 

 always better than any extent of apology that was 

 compulsory. When decision and firmness, how- 

 ever, became necessary, as they sometimes did, the 

 different new governments and their servants 

 speedily learned that nobody could be more immov- 

 ably resolute than Sir Thomas Hardy. Yet the 

 sentiment of respect and personal esteem which 

 his private habits and public conduct had inspired, 

 not only amongst the Spaniards and the native 

 powers, but amongst the strangers who from motives 

 of gain had sought that country, was of a far 

 kindlier nature ; and in all probability it was 

 essentially owing to this circumstance, that his 

 influence became so commanding and extensive. 

 He was trusted implicitly everywhere, and en- 

 joyed in a wonderful degree the confidence and 

 hearty good-will of all parties, however opposed to 

 One another. His advice, which was never ob- 

 truded, was never suspected; and a thousand bitter 



disputes were at once settled amicably by a mere 

 word of his, and to the advantage of all concerned, 

 instead of being driven into what are called na- 

 tional questions, to last for years, and lead to no use- 

 ful end. When this respect and confidence had 

 once become fully established, everything went on 

 so smoothly under his vigilant auspices, that it was 

 those only who chanced to be placed near this strange 

 scene of political violence who could perceive the 

 extent, or appreciate the importance, of the public 

 good which he was silently dispensing — as, in a 

 well-steered ship, a stranger is unconscious how 

 much he owes to the silent operation of the helm, 

 or how much merit belongs to the hand which, 

 unseen, guides the motions of the whole. It is on 

 this account that I say so much on services 

 which, unlike this officer's former exploits in 

 war, do not speak for themselves, but which are 

 nevertheless in the highest degree entitled to 

 public gratitude, and certainly are most worthy 

 of professional imitation. 



P.S. —March, 1840. Sir Thomas Hardy died in 

 1839 ; and it is very much to be regretted that 

 we have no account of his professional life, so 

 fertile in interests of every kind. 



It had, indeed, long formed a favourite project 

 with me, to attempt a biographical sketch of this 

 great and good officer, and at his death I should 

 have been happy to have availed myself of the 

 copious materials in the hands of his family — of 

 his old and faithful and accomplished secretary — 

 and of his numerous friends. But I then learned 

 positively, what I had suspected before that he had 

 expressly forbidden any such life to be written. 



I cannot say that on my own account I re- 

 gretted this, for I could not help feeling how very 

 little qualified I was for so important a task. But 

 I certainly regret, on public grounds, that so large 

 a portion of that extensive, hard-earned, practical 

 experience, which the devotion of his whole life 

 to the Navy had given, and the result of those 

 wonderful resources which he possessed by nature, 

 should be allowed to die with him. It may be 

 asked " Why not impart these, without touching 

 upon Sir Thomas Hardy's own history ?" To which 

 I answer, that unless this were done in conjunction 

 with his own life and opinions, their utility would 

 be greatly diminished. Besides, I should just as 

 soon have thought of disobeying his orders when 

 alive, as presume now to depart in any degree 

 from the spirit, even if I could escape from the 

 letter, of his dying injunction. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



CHILI. 



Part of Guasco.— Village of Asiento. — Copper Mine.— 

 Beauty of the Women. 



On Monday the 19th of November we sailed 

 from Coquimbo for Guasco, another port from 

 which the produce of the mines is exported. We 

 anchored at two o'clock on the 20th of November, 

 and in about an hour afterwards were mounted, 

 and on our way to a village called the Asiento, or 

 seat of the mines. It lies about five leagues from 

 the sea, on the left bank of a stream of snow- 

 water, which, though not large, is sufficient to 



