destroy fortresses, the erection of which had cost upwards of a million
of dollars, and which Chili would find it difficult to replace; and
therefore determined on leaving them intact, with their artillery and
ammunition, intending, before my return to Valparaiso, to render the
rout of the Spaniards who had escaped, yet more complete.

The booty which fell into our hands, exclusive of the value of the forts
and public buildings, was considerable, Valdivia being the chief
military depot in the southern part of the continent. Amongst the
military stores, were upwards of 1,000 cwt. of gunpowder, 10,000 cannon
shot, of which 2,500 were brass, 170,000 musket cartridges, a large
quantity of small arms, 128 guns, of which 53 were brass, and the
remainder iron; the ship _Dolores_, afterwards sold at Valparaiso for
20,000 dollars, with public stores, also sold for the like value; and
plate, of which General Sanchez had previously stripped the churches of
Conception, valued at 16,000 dollars.

From correspondence found in the archives of Valdivia, it was clear that
Quintanilla, the Governor of Chiloe, had serious apprehensions of a
revolt at San Carlos, so that, in place of returning to Valparaiso, I
resolved to see what could be effected there. The loss of the
_Intrepido_ was a serious drawback to our means of transporting troops,
and the flag-ship would no longer float; as, however, we had possession
of the _Dolores_, it was resolved to crowd into her and the _Montezuma_
all the troops that could be spared, leaving Major Beauchef the whole of
those brought from Conception.

Meanwhile, I despatched a _piragua_ to Valparaiso with the intelligence
of our success; the unexpected news, as was afterwards learned, creating
such an amount of popular enthusiasm as had never before been witnessed