dismounted with great difficulty, the carriage dismantled, and
conveyed piecemeal to the opposite shore. The rest of the artillery then
made a detour, and crossed at a ford four or five leagues lower down the
river.

Miller soon became advanced to the rank of brevet-major: in November,
1818, he joined Lord Cochrane, who took the command of the naval forces of
Chile, and was accompanied by major Miller, as commander of the marines,
in nearly all his expeditions. Lord Cochrane failing in his first attack
on Callao, resolved to fit out fire-ships, and a laboratory was
accordingly formed under the superintendance of major Miller. Here our
gallant adventurer was nearly destroyed by an accidental explosion; and in
an attack shortly afterwards at Pisco, he was desperately wounded, so that
his life was for seventeen days despaired of.

In the capture of Valdivia, one of the bravest exploits of modern warfare,
Miller acted a distinguished part, and narrowly escaped destruction, a
ball passing through his hat, and grazing the crown of his head. The
narrative of this glorious scene is unfortunately too long for
transference to our columns, and the omission of any of the details would
interfere with its glowing interest.

Miller was again wounded in an unsuccessful attempt, under Lord Cochrane,
to capture the Island of Chiloe. In June, 1820, he was made
lieutenant-colonel of the eighth battalion of Buenos Ayres, and in the
August following, he embarked for Valparaiso, with his battalion, forming
a part of the liberating army of Peru. They made the passage to Pisco, a
distance of 1,500 miles, in fifteen days; and from this point commenced
that series of sanguinary conflicts which terminated, in five years, in
the complete liberation of the country of the Incas. During the land
operations was Lord Cochrane's triumphant capture of the Spanish frigate,
the Esmeralda, in the fort of Callao, which is briefly but vividly told.

Early in 1821, lieutenant-colonel Miller abandoned Pasco, and re-embarked
for the fort of Arica; and after a hair-breadth escape, landed ten leagues
north of that point. The colonel now advanced with his little army of 400
men into the country, where he routed the royalist troops, and in a
fortnight killed or captured more than 600 Spaniards. In 1822, he was
promoted to the rank of colonel, and the civil and military government of
an extensive district in Peru; in which year also he was engaged in
several import