PIRACIES OF BENAVIDES. 371 



respect to the laws of nations, or he hoped to con- 

 ceal those actions from his government : be this 

 as it may 5 he did everything to establish the cha- 

 racter of a pirate. He equipped a Corsair to cruize 

 on the coast of Chili, giving the commander in- 

 structions to respect no flag whatever, ^ and to 

 put to death the crew of every insurgent vessel he 

 should meet with, and of every vessel which he 

 might even suspect to belong to insurgents." By 

 what law of war can this be justified ? 



" The situation of Arauco, so directly opposite 

 the Island of Santa Maria, where vessels, having 

 doubled Cape Horn, stop for refreshments, gave 

 him an opportunity of capturing the ships Hero, 

 Arsella, Perseverance, and another, exclusive of 

 the boats belonging to ships which he could not 

 take. These vessels were the property of the 

 English and North Americans ; the captains 

 were shot secretly, and the crews were made to 

 serve along with his troops. How came he to ex- 

 press so energetically in his confession, ' that these 

 people had caused him an infinite deal of mis- 

 chief — but it does not belong to Chili to inquire 

 into this matter. 



