aa, during the last six months of my residence in Chili,
to investigate and determine on my accounts, without his proceeding
therein in any effectual way, I was astonished to receive from him
a communication calling upon me to appoint an agent to explain
certain particulars, which I had considered as explicitly set forth in
the documents delivered. This delay and these obstacles, I cannot
consider in any other light than _as mere pretexts to avoid the
payment of the balance due to me for my services_, and for the
expenditure of monies that were my own, inasmuch as I might,
with perfect justice--instead of employing them for the maintenance
of the Chilian navy--have applied them to the liquidation of the
debt due to myself, and have left the service, as the Government
did, to shift for itself. Besides, Sir, let me call to your recollection
that not a _real_ of these monies came out of the pocket of any
Chileno, but that the whole were captured or collected by me from
sources never before rendered available to supply the necessities of
a destitute squadron.

I call upon you, Sir, as the Minister of Marine, to see justice
done on the above subjects, and if in my accounts or demands you
find anything false or fraudulent, let it be printed in the _Gazette_,
and give me the privilege of reply.

I trust you will excuse my entering into the present detail, and
do me the justice to feel that no part of it is irrelevant to the
subject of your letter. Indeed, if I were not desirous of troubling
you as briefly as possible, I could assign numerous other reasons for
desiring to have demonstration of a change of ministerial conduct in
the management of affairs in Chili, before again exposing myself to
difficulties of so painful a nature, and re-occupying a situation
which I have found to be harassing, thankless, and unprofitable.

When the _puertos non habilitados_ (unlicensed ports) shall be
thrown open to the national commerce--when those obstacles shall
be removed which now render the transport by sea more expensive
than carriage by land--when the coasting trade, that nursery for
native seamen, shall be encouraged instead of prohibited, it will be
time enough to think of re-establishing the marine, for, with regard
to foreign seamen, such is the disgust they entertain for a service
in which they have been so neglected and d