personally, but inviting me to repair to his court, assuring me of the
most honourable reception. This, of course, I could not accept.

On the 2nd of February, a vessel arrived at Acapulco, and reported the
Spanish frigates to the southward, whither, notwithstanding the
unseaworthy state of the ships, I determined to proceed in search of
them.

During our stay an officer of marines, named Erescano--who by cruelty to
his prisoners had made himself notorious at Valdivia--endeavoured to
revenge my disapprobation of his conduct by representing to the men,
that, notwithstanding the expenses we had been put to, there was still
money on board the flag-ship, and that it ought to be divided amongst
them. Failing in this, he had laid a plot to get possession of the
chest, even at the cost of my assassination. All this was duly reported
to me by the commander of the _Valdivia_, Captain Cobbett.

As I did not wish to produce a ferment by punishing this diabolical plot
as it deserved, I contented myself with thwarting its execution, till we
were under weigh, when I ordered Captain Cobbett to send Erescano on
shore with a despatch to the Governor, detailing the whole plot; the
result being, that the traitor was left on shore, the squadron sailing
without him. What afterwards became of him I never heard.

After despatching the _Independencia_ and _Araucano_ to California for
the purpose of purchasing provisions, with instructions to follow us to
Guayaquil, we stood down the coast, and when off Tehuantepec,
encountered a gale of wind, which, owing to the bad state of the
frigate, threatened her destruction. To add to our distress, a sea
struck the _Valdivia_--to which vessel we contemplated escaping--and