he subjected to the contumely and neglect of which he
complained in the letters just quoted from: he was also directly
mulcted to a very large extent in the scanty recompense for his
services to which he was legally entitled, and indirectly injured to
a yet larger extent. "I was compelled to quit Chili," he wrote at
a later date, "without any of the emoluments due to my position as
Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, or any share of the sums belonging
to myself and the officers and seamen; which sums, on the faith of
repayment, had, at my solicitation, been appropriated to the repairs
and maintenance of the squadron generally, but more especially at
Guayaquil and Acapulco, when in pursuit of the _Prueba_ and the
_Venganza_. Neither was any compensation made for the value of stores
captured and collected by the squadron, whereby its efficiency was
chiefly maintained during the whole period of the Peruvian blockade.
The Supreme Director of Chili, recognizing the justice of payment
being made by the Peruvians for at least the value of the _Esmeralda_,
the capture of which inflicted the death-blow on Spanish power, sent
me a bill on the Peruvian Government for 120,000 dollars, which
was dishonoured, and has never since been paid by any succeeding
Government. Even the 40,000 dollars stipulated by the authorities
at Guayaquil as the penalty for giving up the _Venganza_ was never
liquidated. No compensation for the severe wounds received during the
capture of the _Esmeralda_ was either offered or received.
Shortly after my departure for Brazil, the Government forcibly and
indefensibly resumed the estate at Rio Clara, which had been awarded
to me and my family in perpetuity, as a remuneration for the capture
of Valdivia, and my bailiff, who had been left upon it for its
management and direction, was summarily ejected. Unhappily, this
ingratitude for services rendered was the least misfortune which my
devotedness to Chili brought upon me. On my return to England in
1825, after the termination of my services in Brazil, I found myself
involved in litigation on account of the seizure of neutral vessels
by authority of the then unacknowledged Government of Chili. These
litigations cost me, directly, upwards of 14,000_l._, and, indirectly,
more than double that amount. Thus, in place of receiving anything for
my efforts in the cause of Chilian and Peruvian independence, I was a
loser of upwards of 25,000_l._, this being more than double