ted out to Sir Thomas Hardy, the ability of
the squadron to maintain the blockade which he recognised.

"Our naval forces, perhaps diminished in apparent magnitude by
distance, was not believed sufficient to maintain the blockade in all
its extent, yet it has had the glory of setting at liberty, and of
placing in the hands of the American Independents, all the ports and
coasts of Peru, excepting only the port of Callao. Moreover, from the
very centre even of that port, and from under the fire of the
batteries, the Spanish ship of war, _Esmeralda_, has been cut out by
our naval forces, and our strength thereby augmented, whilst that
of the enemy is reduced to nothing."

(Signed) "JOSE IGNACIO ZENTENO."

So that, in face of this declaration by the Chilian Minister himself, as
to the naval supremacy of the squadron on the coast of Peru, and its
consequent right of seizure, the Admiralty Court, for its own sinister
purposes, chose to decide that I was liable for seizures of neutral
vessels made by my captains, without my knowledge--condemning me in
costs and damages for their acts; the result being that I was mulcted in
this, and every other charge it saw fit to make in my absence. The
injustice of this was the more striking, as San Martin was appointed
Commander-in-Chief of the squadron as well as the army, so that, even
supposing the decisions of the Admiralty Court to be right, the onus lay
upon him, not me. Yet he was rewarded, and I was compelled to pay for
acts executed under his authority.

In the year 1845, _twenty-three years after_ the liberation of Peru, and
the annihilation of the Spanish power in the Pacific, the Chilian
Government deducted all charges thus unjustly placed to my account, and
awarded me the balance of 30,000 dollars (L.6000) for all the services
rendered to the country. I have before mentioned that, from the
consequence of litigation proceeding from obedience to the orders of the
Chilian Government, I was subjected to a loss in England of nearly
L.25,000; so that in place of my reaping any reward whatever for my
services to Chili and Peru, the liberation of the latter and the
completion of independence of the former cost me L.19,000 out of my own
pocket!

I would ask the Chilian people and Government whether they do not now
see the injurious treatment pursued towards me--arising from the base
impositions then practised upon them, though these have been partly