Total, fourteen vessels, of which ten were ready for sea; and
twenty-seven gun-boats.

In this action my little boy had a narrow escape. As the story has been
told by several Chilian writers somewhat incorrectly, I will
recapitulate the circumstances.

When the firing commenced, I had placed the boy in my after-cabin,
locking the door upon him; but not liking the restriction, he contrived
to get through the quarter gallery window, and joined me on deck,
refusing to go down again. As I could not attend to him, he was
permitted to remain, and, in a miniature midshipman's uniform, which the
seamen had made for him, was busying himself in handing powder to the
gunners.

Whilst thus employed, a round shot took off the head of a marine close
to him, scattering the unlucky man's brains in his face. Instantly
recovering his self-possession, to my great relief, for believing him
killed, I was spell-bound with agony, he ran up to me exclaiming, "I am
not hurt, papa: the shot did not touch me; Jack says, the ball is not
made that can kill mamma's boy." I ordered him to be carried below; but,
resisting with all his might, he was permitted to remain on deck during
the action.

Our loss in this affair was trifling, considering that we were under the
fire of more than two hundred guns; but the ships were so placed that
the enemy's frigates lay between us and the fortress, so that the shot
of the latter only told upon our rigging, which was considerably
damaged.