March’. y ears ag° as a chapel of eafe, for the purpofe of accommodating the
t— v— -> country inhabitants who came into the town on fundays to attend divine
fervice, but who frequently could not find room in the churches ; and it
had likewife been appropriated for the penitential acknowledgments of
the women.
Our time on board was bufily employed in making every thing ready
to proceed in the fervice we had to perform, the inftant we Ihould re-
Saturday 28. ceive the fanftion of the Prefident for lb doing. On faturday evening,
agreeably to our calculations, the courier returned, and I had the fatisfac-
tion to receive from His Excellency Sen'- Don Ambrofio Higgins de Val-
lenar, prefident and captain general of the kingdom of Chili, the mod
ample confirmation o f all the liberal offers which had been made to us by
governor Alava; together with a letter containing the mod polite congratulations
on our having thus far fafely accomplilhed the great objeft of
our expedition, and having at length arrived in a country where nothing
Ihould be wanting within the reach of his power to fupply, that could in
any way contribute to the redoration o f our health, adminider to our
future comforts, or tend to re-equip the veffels, and repair the damages
which they had fudained. Thefe obliging, and friendly offers were further
accompanied by a communication to governor Alava, dating, that
if myfelf and fome of the principal officers Ihould be inclined to vifit the
capital, we had His Excellency’s permiffion to do fo ; and in the event of
our undertaking a journey to St. Jago, the governor was requeded by the
Prefident to employ his good offices, in feeing that we were properly
provided for the excurfion.
I embraced the earlied opportunity to return my mod grateful acknowledgments
to the Prefident, for his extreme politenefs and liberality towards
us; and I lod no time in fetting hard to work on the various fer-
vices which now demanded our attention. My fird and principal objeft
Monday 30. was to get out the main-mad; for this purpofe, on monday morning the
fhip was moved nearer in Ihore, and moored in 4 fathoms, to infure
more effeftually finooth water for performing that operation. After
this was accomplilhed, on the following morning, the mad was hauled up
on to the beach between Valparaifo and the village of Almandrel, where
a tent
a tent was erefted,' and at the governor’s 'exprefs defire A guard of ma- R‘j95-
rines from the Difcovery was poded'there, to prevent thefts, or other 1---- -—
improper conduft on the part o f the inhabitants, as fome of the pinnace’s
covering had been ftolen the preceding night.
Whether this application from the governor proceeded from a fenti-
ment of delicacy towards us, or whether he confidered that our marines
would be more adequate to the proteflion of our property than the Spa-
nifh foldiers, is noteafy to decide ; but it appeared to be a . very unprecedented
and extraordinary circumdance, that a guard Ihould here be
requeded by the governor.from ah Englilh man of war, to do duty in
the dominions of his Catholic majedy. The marines however were landed
with a ferjeant, and planted as centinels, with pofitive orders from me,
on no account to hurt any of the inhabitants,- even though they Ihould
be detected in the very aft of thieving; but to fecure their perfons,
that they might be dealt with according to their own laws.
On the mad being examined we had the mortification to find, that the
damage it had fudained was greater than we had fufpefiled, as it was
fprfihg nearly two thirds through, a little below the hounds. Some
Spanilh carpenters, in addition to our own, were immediately fet to work
upon it ; and as both the veffels required much caulking, the artificers o f the
country were alfo hired ,for this; fervice. Our fail-makers were employed
in repairing the old.and making!fome new fails; the coopers in fetting up
calks for the reception of dour, and repairing thofe made ufe of for water;
and the armourer was making the ncceffary iron work for the repair and
fecurity of the main-mad and other purpofes, whild thofe remaining on
board were varioufly employed about the rigging, and in the hold for the
reception of a quantity of Ihingle ballad. Not being yet pofitively determined
whether our route home Ihould be round Cape Horn, or through
the draits of Magellan, and our cables and hawfers being worn-to the
lad extremity, a fupply of each fort was ordered to be-made' for both
veffels, -according to the dimenfions we required; for although we had'
found an abundance of fmall white cordage in the warehoufes, there
were no cables ; there being little demand at Valparaifo for fuch dores;
nor Was there any tarred rope of any defcription, the cordage from
Von, III. 3 ° four