Page:A history of Chile.djvu/305

Rh tage. Fully alive to the importance of having a good navy, the Chilean government early sent her officers abroad to examine warships and gain experience in the foreign service. She also purchased the best modern ironclads, two of them of English build, together with a splendid corvette. At the breaking out of war her navy consisted of the "Almirante Cochrane" and "Blanco Encalada, " ironclads, well armored and carrying heavy machine guns; the corvettes "Chacabuco" and "O'Higgins, " the "Magallanes, "the "Abtao," the "Covadonga, " the "Esmeralda," and ten steam transports. The "Magallanes" carried one large and two small guns ; the "Abtao, " "Covadonga" and "Esmeralda" were old boats, but each had from two to three heavy artillery pieces, besides as many more small guns. Bolivia was without a navy ; Peru had few good iron- clads of the latest make. The "Huascar" and "Independencia" were ironclads built in 1865 and 1866, but were barely able to cope with the "Almirante Cochrane" and "Blanco Encalada." There were two antiquated monitors, the "Atahualpa" and "Manco Capac, " used principally for the defence of Callao and Arica, and two wooden corvettes, the "Union" and "Pilcomayo. " This comprised the Peruvian navy, unless we may include the "Chalaco" and "Limina, " armed transports. Chile, as will be seen, made up in energy, discipline, effective guns, good ironclads, and in good officers, what she lacked in numerical strength. It was due to her energy and enterprise that the Atacama desert had become a source of enormous wealth; it was due to the same enterprise that she began a war against two strong, but somewhat lazy rivals. Perhaps she was aggressive, perhaps she coveted the nitrate territories, but England, animated by the same spirit, has colonized and enriched the world while being herself