Page:A history of Chile.djvu/338

 3o6 A HISTORY OF CHILE the Chilean torpedo-boats were drawn into an action with a Peruvian armed steamer, the "Arno, " in the har- bor of Callao. The fleet took part and this drew the fire of the shore batteries. One of the torpedo-boats, the "Fresia, " was struck by a shell and sunk, but was soon afterward raised by the Chileans. A few days afterward, four of the blockading vessels engaged the monitor, "Atahualpa, " which had moved out about a mile from the mole. During the engagement the big one hundred and eighty-pounder breech-loading gun of the "Angamos, " which had, on account of its range, done much valuable service for the Chileans, broke from its connections and fell overboard. The loss of this gun was probably felt more than the loss of the unfortunate lieutenant whom it killed as it went over. While the Chileans were moving their troops down from Tacna and massing them at Arica, preparatory to embarking them for the north, the United States min- ister at Santiago, Mr. Osborn, was offering the good services of his government to bring about peace. It was arranged that a conference should take place on board the United States warship "Lackawanna" in the harbor of Arica, representatives from the three govern- ments engaged in the war to be present. Don Aurelio Garcia y Garcia and Don Antonio Arenas represented Peru; Don Mariano Baptista and Don Juan Carrillo, Bolivia ; Colonel Vergara, the new Chilean minister of war, Don Eulogio Altamirano and Don Eusebio Lillo, represented Chile. Mr. Osborn, United States minis- ter to Chile, Mr. Christiancy and Mr. Adams, repre- senting the same government in Peru and Bolivia, were present. The meeting took place October 22nd ; the Chilean representatives required the province of Tara- paca south of the Camarones, the Bolivian seacoast and a war indemnity of ^20,000,000, one-fifth of which