A letter received in Liverpool from Captain Calder, of the
British ship Harland,' lying at Valparaiso, and quoted in the Pall Mall Gazette of Monday, contains a stirring account of the doings of H.M.S. Warspite.' Boats, the writer says, were not allowed on the water after half-past 5 in the after- noon, or before 6 in the morning, and were fired on if found breaking this rule. The British Admiral, however, stopped. this by declaring that if any British subject were shot or drowned, he would blow the Customs House down. On one occasion, a dingy from the 1Warspite ' was on the water after .6 o'clock, and was fired at by the Chilians. When the coxswain reported the circumstances to the Admiral, he manned all his boats, raised anchor, went close into the town, and going on shore, declared that if he did not get an immediate apology, he would give the English residents time to get to the northern part of the town, and then bombard the town. "At this there was a scare among the Chilians, who blamed the sentry for firing on the boat, and had him shot. This appeared, however, only to increase the Admiral's displeasure. He branded them as cowards for shooting the poor fellow for doing what was his duty according to their laws." Ultimately, a personal
apology was sent by President Balmaceda, and the incident ended. Whether the Admiral was justified in his action by international usage, we do not feel sure; but anything which mitigates the horrors of the civil war in Chili may be excused.
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