Page:A history of Chile.djvu/210

I go A HISTORY OF CHILE the bay under a heavy fire from the batteries. Of the "Esmeralda's" crew one hundred and twenty were killed and wounded; the boarding force lost eleven killed and thirty wounded. This action gave the patriot fleet the undisputed mastery of the coast. San Martin named the "Esmeralda" "Valdivia," in honor of Cochrane, and thenceforth she became a Chilean vessel. Following this action, the troops at Ancon were again embarked and on the loth of November, landed at Huacho. San Martin's headquarters were then established at Huara, a place a few miles distant from Huacho and seventy-five miles north of Lima. Lord Cochrane's brilliant achievements had given so much popularity to the patriot cause, that, shortly afterward, December 3rd, the Numancia regiment of eight hun- dred men deserted the viceroy and joined San Martin's army. Guayaquil and Truxillo declared for the patriot cause, which practically gave independence to all lower Peru, save only the capital, and even in the latter the cause of the viceroy was daily losing ground. With the exception of an advance made to within three leagues of the capital, San Martin preferred to maintain an inactive and conciliatory policy for the following six months, to the great disgust of Lord Cochrane and some others of the more spirited officers. The port of Callao was blockaded, by which means the patriots hoped to reduce the inhabitants of the capital to submission by keeping supplies cut off; in the end this plan had the desired result. Satisfied that there would be no active military move- ments about the capital, Lord Cochrane toward the end of April, 1821, collected a small force and set sail in the "San Martin" for Arica. Here the authorities had time to remove the public treasures to Tacna, forty-five miles