upon whom I could place implicit reliance. It so happened that two of
the Chilian commanders, Captains Guise and Spry, had shortly before
arrived from England with the _Hecate_, which had been sold out of the
British navy, and bought by them on speculation. The Buenos Ayrean
Government having declined to purchase her, they had brought her on to
Chili, where the Government took her and received her former owners into
its service. These officers, together with Captain Worcester, a North
American, got up a cabal, the object of which was to bring about a
divided command between myself and Admiral Blanco, or, as they
expressed it--"two commodores and no Cochrane." Finding that Admiral
Blanco would not listen to this, they persuaded one or two of the
inferior ministers--whose jealousy it was not difficult to excite--that
it was dangerous and discreditable to a republican Government to allow a
nobleman and a foreigner to command its navy, and still more so, to
allow him to retain his title; the object being to place Admiral Blanco
in the chief command, with myself as his second--by which arrangement,
as he had not been accustomed to manage British seamen, they expected to
control him as they pleased. Admiral Blanco, however, insisted on
reversing our positions, offering his services as second in command, in
which arrangement I gladly acquiesced. This insignificant squabble would
not be worth narrating, but for its bearing on subsequent events; as
well as enabling me to confer a pleasing testimony to the patriotic
disinterestedness of Admiral Blanco, who is still one of the brightest
ornaments of the Republic which he so eminently aided to establish.

On the 22nd of December my flag was hoisted on board the _O'Higgins_,
after which the greatest despatch was used to get the squadron ready for
sea. Anxious to avoid delay, on the 16th of January I sailed with four
ships only, the _O'Higgins, San Martin, Lautaro,_ and _Chacabuco_;
leaving Admiral Blanco to follow with the _Gaharino, Aracauno,_ and