, 1866-01-03
SOUTH AMERICA.
The Chilian Spanish War Actually
Commenced.

The E1Fzt Naval Engagement OF the
~ar-Capturc Of n spantsh GunboAt
by = Gillian War Steamer.
lFfom the Panama Mercantile Chronicle, Dec. p
bcr: By this sr11sh We have news ol one Of thote
gallant feats OF Arms for which Chit uaa dis!ln-
Gu1Fhed tn The En1 Of Independence. The Spanish
gunboaf cosaconEn, cafT.lne the Admiralk dis
petche4 from spain. Wae aptnrcd within ten leagues
Of the SpAnish Admiral, and within gnnshot hear
ing OF the spanisA squadron.
The Gillian e.c.me1n Esmeralda md Maipu slipped
ont Of Valparaiso under the shadows OF night II
vac suppored they bad gone 10 some far-or eca out
leaned that he Esm1alds iouna asr way t to ' he
ChinchA islands, fruu, uhich place Ehe started hack
In November last to lhe coast Of Chst touching at
2iss. On the 2i!h hhe len fos Coqalmbo, to look
afte the spaairh eunboat CosadUns1, anchored
there. and Tie Nat'as Consiso, an English steamer
captured by the SpaniaFdR And doing blockade dn-
II. The Caplaln u the E=mcraIdz, Don Juan VIII
llnm9 tooolieddo. beinr informed that the Spanish
4h,p Blanca had a,so arrived nj Coquinho, put into
f1pDdo.ChAno to await a letter. On the morning
OF the A0th The Eemes1ldz communicated NTH the
Pacific Steam Navigation Company's steamer Val
pa.a'.o. M @ III. ws* paseine md must have learned
The topma.tR were at once ssruek, rrepara.
tsons nude for action, and the Esme1alda tteamed
b es Z r.. f. !n1 H. 1a ;hsS ~
induce the Covadon"a 10 ttop and be thus in easier
target. As soon A. this wns effected the British
D.
The Esmer.lda opened nrc, 70 which the Cos1donga
ni once replied, 4 brltk cannonate VA Kept IN
BY thc Eemcsalaa. delivering shot and rhen with
mounted one of lie cavadouea's cannon, md id
other damage. Al the end o! twenty minutes the
Coyadonga was 20 much injured that fhe e,ruek her
nlua,s movements. md the ere4, rapldity and ac-
cutaeJ OF her IRE, nstunlthrd The spautArd4, WIN
a fan n ay ~ Go1aonea @ aeipowledreu th., n icss
1han ten minutes motc TIC Esnc1aida would have
sunk him. Tn s,lrcndcrtne, Inc prisoners consist
Ing ot II? mcn snd u oflcerr, were Immediately
wounded. Ihe Eamesalda did noi W 1o-e = msa. md.
iialas steamed out Of por. wilt lhe Covadonsa Ia
eouboEt+ under command OF Chpt. Thompson, with
4 crew Of Chllan tallost. ior parts unknown. The
whole afzais, from the beginning OF the attack to
the departure Of the sh,p- tsom rapudo. occupied
The 1smamcnf Of the Coyndonga IS t~o prot
guns OF IS pounds, and one OF - pounds. In he-
1rnory werr found 800 rifles, 10 rcvolvezs. 70
boarding .h2'chetr, 100 cutlassee, &c
1ns ain.nen. .1s of the EsmsE.lda, n,ne-hapasea
ehort th,rty-two and twenty-tout pouDders, hut II
1e supposed she landed come OF her Euns at one oi
the southern forts. On the 9Th of November her
The ~hole Of Admiral Pa1e,a'a correspondence
from Spain. and his code Of slcnals were captured
On the gunboat, md rent With the crew to sau-
Inc Senate Of Chill voted promotion to Capt.
so,tpc b. see,amaon. Is 1es Se. .ss shaated M I IN
the churches and The fcjofcings have been rnl1n-
lied All the Officers Of the Victorious ship tlave
n to 1he sI p %.a. sea ia
reached oveF {s00. Chill may veil be proud Of
this feat for it ehowt 1h1t the spirit Of Cochrane
and 0'niggtns still an'mates the hcartA OF hes eal.
Du1ng the engagement the canncnadtng was dis.
tinct5 beard tn Valparaiso, but although curiosity
act .hat was being performed. When the mai steam.
CT Fdtpnruaso 1eachcd Valparaiso on the 18th, It
WAS known On shore stat tie Copadon9a had len
-[oQu1mb0 -four hours heforc the mali steamer, and
thai tic E<meT0!dd had been sem OF papudo. 1t
appear this information was withheld from the
Admiral. The ness Of the victory reached va.pa.
habitants sno'hered their JOY. sest the Admiral
ehonh get hint Of the great .lewt and send 1flcx
he Es,aa g. ct. TIE nestpspsrs ato kept r,en.
published and the admiral learnt on that dsy. fol
The trst time Of the 1ose Of his eunboat, and Thai
The crew had been sent to Santiago.
The Chflians note several happy condolences In
xhis affair. The Esmes.lda was the name Of coch
14nc's famous flagship; the Coyadonca was the fri,
of the spznish squadron that arrived in Chii.ar
afscr he explosion Of the Spanish mgate Tfiuniss
1t the CAcha Isl1nds 2na most OF the crow Of tut
Coyadonea were men from the 1nnnfo. The Cap
Admiral rare;a, who i. said 10 be ILL., sailed from
Valparaiso On the lat Of December, II the Vile d.
Madrid. It l. supposed for Callao. The blockade o
Talparai.o IL maintained By the yencedorA ane
1fe<olucion. There was no sh1p to blocGadc Tala
Ananp.
Preceding tbs glorious aoai. We Ielrn OF the co
x,uston. This launch, mourning i ca3non. bad
ben dolng @ duty at Qusttqulne, Tome and rAcanu
1.s ~ thc evening Of tne 17lh Of November. the
ntue cnllan tnE steame. lndepcndrn-ta. two guns
VIZ fteaulhe along the coast Of 1tata, and when
%1thm eannon shos OF the launch WAS brought 10
% otcna1Ge me steamer stopped It once Ind
put out 0T Lights. The ,aunch camc alouA1de de-
InhndinE her surrender and boarding beT Tiih lofty
1nen. ~ eoon a. they were On deck. the crew of
the I0dependendA aef7ed and .nade ererr 1ssn mis-
cueI, took the launch IN tor IL hsujed uyer In
prize and prisoner 70 the authorizes ii Mamie.