were found utterly worthless. There were other instances of false
economy, whereby Lord Cochrane's intended services to his Chilian
employers were seriously hindered. The vessels were refitted, however,
and a new one, an American-built corvette, named the _Independencia_,
of twenty-eight guns, was added to the number.

After nearly three months' stay at Valparaiso, he again set sail on
the 12th of September, 1819. Admiral Blanco was his second in command,
and his squadron consisted of the _O'Higgins_, the _San Martin_, the
_Lautaro_, the _Independencia_, the _Galvarino_, the _Araucano_, and
the _Puyrredon_, mounting two hundred and twenty guns in all. There
were also two old vessels, to be used as fireships.

The fleet entered Callao Roads on the 29th of September. On this
occasion there was no subterfuge. On the 30th Lord Cochrane despatched
a boat to Callao with a flag of truce, and a challenge to the Viceroy
to send out his ships--nearly twice as strong as those of Chili in
guns and men--for a fair fight in the open sea. The challenge was
bluntly rejected, and an attack on the batteries and the ships in
harbour was then planned. On the 1st of October, the smaller vessels
reconnoitred the bay, and there was some fighting, in which the
_Araucano_ was damaged. Throughout the night of the 2nd, a formidable
attack was attempted, in which the main reliance was placed in the
Goldsack rockets; but, in consequence of the treacherous handling
of the Spanish soldiers who had filled them, they proved worse than
useless, doing nearly as much injury to the men who fired them as
to the enemy. Only one gunboat was sunk by the shells from a raft
commanded by Major Miller, who also did some damage to the forts and
shipping. On the night of the 4th, Lord Cochrane amused himself, while
a fireship was being prepared, by causing a burning tar-barrel to be
drifted with the tide towards the enemy's shipping. It was, in the
darkness, supposed to be a much more formidable antagonist, and
volleys of Spanish shot were spent upon it. On the following evening
a fireship was despatched; but this also was a failure. A sudden calm
prevented her progress. She was riddled through and through by the
enemy's guns, and, rapidly gaining water in consequence, had to be
fired so much too soon that she exploded before getting near enough to
work any serious mischief among the Spanish shipping.

By these misfortunes Lord Cochrane was altogether disheartene