DIPLOMATIC AUTHORITIES. 



41 



force, at this moment, excited considerable sensa- 

 tion amongst the Chilians, many of whom enter- 

 tained apprehensions of its object being hostile. 

 Whatever might be the intentions of the French 

 Admiral towards the Chilians, I felt it right to 

 be on board the Conway at the time of his arri- 

 val ; and therefore lost not a moment in return- 

 ing to Valparaiso. To quit the capital at this 

 time was to me matter of considerable regret, 

 less on account of the agreeable society, than of 

 the importance of cultivating the personal ac- 

 quaintance of men with whom I was likely after- 

 wards to hold official intercourse. 



The independence of the South American 

 states had not yet been acknowledged by England; 

 neither had any consuls, nor accredited political 

 agents, been sent out. The commercial inter- 

 course, however, between the two countries being 

 already very extensive, and every day increasing, 

 points of doubt often arose, which made it neces- 

 sary to open frequent correspondence of a diplo- 

 matic and commercial nature with the various lo- 

 cal governments. The only constituted authori- 

 ty on the part of England, in that quarter of the 



