350 



CHILI. 



render it their interest to preserve a lasting and 

 cordial friendship with their neighbours. 



On the morning of the 12th of October, au- 

 thentic accounts arrived of Benavides having been 

 defeated near Chilian, and his army dispersed, 

 while he himself had escaped across the frontier 

 accompanied only by a few followers : by the same 

 opportunity, we were informed that the Chilian 

 sloop of war Chacabuco, without waiting for the 

 troops sent by land to co-operate with her, had 

 made an unsuccessful attack upon the Indian ca- 

 pital Arauco. 



. Having previously obtained information, that 

 two of the American seamen, captives w ith Bena- 

 vides, had succeeded in escaping from his camp, 

 and in getting on board the Chacabuco, I imme- 

 diately proceeded in quest of that vessel, being 

 most desirous of seeing these men, in order to 

 learn the fate of their companions. Without some 

 such information, it was obviously impossible to 

 know where they were, or how to assist them. I 

 therefore made the best of my way to the anchor- 

 age of Arauco, but, to my mortification, no ves- 

 sel of any kind was there, and I proceeded on to 



