illiance,
he was to the end seriously hindered by the wilful and accidental
mismanagement of his employers.

Lord Cochrane lost no time, however, in correcting by his own prudent
action the evil effects of this mismanagement. Not choosing to run the
risk of a second failure, and believing that two good ships would be
more serviceable than any number of bad ones, he took his squadron to
the Moro San Paulo, where he transferred all the best men and the most
serviceable fittings to the flag-ship and the _Maria de Gloria_. There
he left the other vessels to be improved as far as possible, directing
that instruction should be given in seamanship to all the incompetent
men who showed any promise of being made efficient, and that several
small prizes which he had taken on his way from Rio de Janeiro should
be turned into fireships for future use. With the two refitted ships
he then went back to Bahia, to watch its whole coast and blockade the
port.

The wisdom of this course was at once apparent. Several minor captures
were made; the supplies of Bahia were cut off, and the enemy's
squadron was locked in the harbour for three weeks. Lord Cochrane went
to the Moro San Paulo on the 26th, leaving the _Maria de Gloria_ to
overlook the port, and then the Portuguese fleet ventured out for a
few days. It dared not show fight, however, and was driven back by the
flag-ship, which returned on the 2nd of June. "On the 11th of June,"
said Lord Cochrane, "information was received that the enemy was
seriously thinking of evacuating the port before the fireships were
completed. I therefore ordered the _Maria de Gloria_ to water and
re-victual for three months, so as to be in readiness for anything
which might occur, as, in case the rumour proved correct, our
operations might take a different turn to those previous intended.
The _Piranga_ was also directed to have everything in readiness for
weighing immediately on the flag-ship appearing off the Moro and
making signals to that effect. The whole squadron was at the same time
ordered to re-victual, and to place its surplus articles in a large
shed constructed of trees and branches felled in the neighbourhood of
the Moro. Whilst the other ships were thus engaged, I determined to
increase the panic of the enemy with the flag-ship alone. The position
of their fleet was about nine miles up the bay, under shelter of
fortifications, so that an attack by day would have been more perilous
than prude