1826. 



CHILOE TAKEN BY THE CHILIANS. 



299 



" Upon this occasion the troops landed, on the 8th, at the 

 little inlet of the Bay of Huechucucuy ; and Fort Corona was 

 immediately taken. On the 10th, the disembarkation of the 

 troops was completed. A battalion was left to mask Fort Aguy, 

 while a force, under Colonel Aldunate, passed on, and took 

 the battery of Barcacura. On the 10th, Admiral Blanco shifted 

 his flag; and, leaving the O'Higgins outside, stood into the 

 bay with the rest of the squadron, which anchored off Barca- 

 cura. 



" The governor, Quintanilla, with upwards of three thousand 

 Royalists, took up a strong position on a hill, at the S.E. side 

 of the bay, flanked on the left by an impenetrable wood, on 

 the right by the shore, and supported by three gun-boats in 

 shallow water. These were taken by the boats of the squadron, 

 under Captain Bell, and turned against the Royalists. Their 

 position was thus enfiladed, and they retired. Freyre then 

 advanced : some skirmishing took place : Quintanilla capitu- 

 lated ; and the territory of Chile was no longer sullied by the 

 Spanish flag. 



" Colonel Aldunate, Majors Maruri, Asagra, and Tupper 

 (a native of Jersey) ; and Captain Bell, of the navy, greatly 

 distinguished themselves.^"* — Miller's Memoirs. 



Colonel Aldunate was afterwards invested with the govern- 



o 



raent of the island ; but, owing to the disaffection of the troops, 

 who were urged on by the King of Spain's agents, a revolution 

 took place, Aldunate was imprisoned, and afterwards sent to 

 Valparaiso, and the Spanish flag once more waved in Chiloe. 

 It was, however, for a short time only ; Aldunate was des- 

 patched once more, and with a small force of three hundred 

 veteran troops, headed by Colonel Tupper, and accompanied 

 by the Aquiles, brig of war, again obtained possession of the 

 island, which he has since kept, though not quietly, for the 

 Royalists were constantly on the alert, and made several futile 

 attempts to recover the place for their king. Time has now 

 reconciled the greater number to the change ; and, I believe, 

 Chiloe may be considered a contented dependency of the re- 

 public of Chile. 



