On leaving Acapulco, the Independencia, Captain Wilkinson, and Auracano, Captain Simpson, were ordered to proceed to the bay of California, for the purpose of purchasing provisions for the vessels of war, and then to follow us to Guayaquil, Callao, and Valparaiso.
On the night of the tenth we experienced a very severe gale in the bay of Tehuantepec, and owing to the bad state of the frigate, we expected she would go to pieces with every sea that struck her: our only consolation was, that the Valdivia being almost within hail we should be enabled to save our lives by taking to the boats, and going on board.
In the morning the gale subsided, to our no small joy; but a signal of distress was made by the Valdivia, and afterwards a communication by telegraph, that a sea had struck her, and that seventeen timbers had given way on her larboard side; that for want of pumps the water was gaining on them considerably, and the men were nearly exhausted with baling. Some logs of wood were sent from the O'Higgins, together with every man who fancied himself a carpenter, and the damage done was soon repaired as well as circumstances would permit.
On the fifth of March we made the coast of Esmeraldas, and early on the morning of the seventh we came to an anchor in the port of Tacames or Atacames.
After I had landed, my old subjects were both astonished and delighted; they had heard no tidings of me since the year 1812, and supposed me to be dead. The news that we obtained here was, that the Spanish general Crus Mourgeon arrived at this port from Panama, with a number of officers, and eight hundred men, on the twenty-fifth of December, and marched to join the forces at Quito; that immediately after he left Panama, which was on the twenty-eighth of November, the inhabitants rose, and declared their independence; and this they did although the two frigates Prueba and Vengansa had arrived after the departure of Crus Mourgeon; these two frigates, they told us, left the port of Tacames on the first of January, for Guayaquil and the coast of Peru. With these advices Lord Cochrane immediately proceeded to Guayaquil river, and we arrived at the island of Puná on the tenth.
The intelligence obtained here was, that the Prueba and Vengansa were several days at anchor off the island; that deputies had been sent from the city to negotiate with the two captains Don Jose Villegas of the Prueba, and Don Jose Joaquin Soroa of the Vengansa; that on the twenty-third of February the Vengansa and sloop of war Alexander had proceeded up the river to Guayaquil, and on the twenty-fifth the Prueba had left the river for the port of Callao. On receiving this advice his lordship stood up the river with the following tide, and came to an anchor off the city on the morning of the thirteenth, where we found the Vengansa bearing the Peruvian flag.
Lord Cochrane was directly informed, that the captains Villegas and Soroa had negotiated the surrender of the Spanish frigates Prueba and Vengansa with the commissioners appointed by Don Francisco Salasar, the Peruvian envoy at Guayaquil; which treaty was ratified by the respective parties on the fifteenth and sixteenth of February last, the principal condition being, that the whole of the officers and crews should receive from the government of Peru all the arrears due to them; that those who chose to remain in America should enjoy all the privileges of citizens; and that those who preferred returning to Europe should have the expenses of their passage defrayed by the government of Peru. After several inquiries made on shore, it appeared, that when the negotiations were about to be interrupted by the mutinous crews and some Spanish officers, who, indignant at the conduct of the captains, in thus selling the Spanish vessels of war to the enemies of Spain, began to canvass an opposition, the government of Guayaquil availed themselves of the subterfuge of having had a correspondence with Lord Cochrane, who with the Chilean squadron had anchored in the bay of La Manta, in the province of Guayaquil, on his passage to the capital. This stratagem had the desired effect: the officers and crews came to the terms offered, rather than decide the controversy by honorable warfare. On being positively assured of the transaction, and conscious, that had not the Chilean squadron driven them to this last action the Spanish captains never would have surrendered their vessels, his lordship on the morning of the fourteenth sent Captain Crosbie on board the Vengansa, with orders to hoist at her peak the flag of Chile jointly with that of Peru.
This act created great confusion in the city, the gunboats were immediately manned, and pieces of cannon were brought down to the side of the river, where the people employed themselves in placing logs of wood to serve as a breastwork; the Spanish sailors appeared to take a more than active part in resenting this insult offered to the vessel, which a few days previously they had cowardly sold to their enemies, through the fear of having to defend her while under the Spanish flag; indeed every thing on shore bore the most hostile appearance; while on board the O'Higgins and Valdivia no preparations whatever were made, the Admiral being too busy in smiling at their warlike preparations and mock means of defence. On the night of the seventeenth the courage of our self-constituted enemies was put to the test.
With the return tide the Valdivia drifted up the river near to where the Spanish officers and seamen had anchored the gunboats, which the government had allowed them to manage, as being more acquainted with naval tactics; but these heroes, supposing that the frigate was about to attack them, ran the boats on shore, and fled to the back of the city, leaving the natives to replace them on the water before daylight. This, however, was in vain, and the effects of the preceding night's alarm were visible on the following morning.
After some correspondence between the government and the admiral, it was agreed on the nineteenth, that deputies from both parties should meet ashore, and adjust such terms as should be most conducive to the public tranquillity, and to the honour and welfare of all parties. Accordingly, the government appointed the captain of the port, Don Manuel Lusuriaga, Dr. Don Bernabé Cornejo, and Captain Indaburu. Lord Cochrane appointed Captain Crosbie, Captain Cobbett, and myself. Having met at the cavildo, the following articles were agreed to, and immediately ratified by Olmedo, Ximena, and Roca (forming the junta of government) and Lord Cochrane.