When Chili and Peru indulged in a war in 1879-81, the latter country owned the _Huascar_ and the _Independencia_. The latter was an armoured vessel of 3,500 tons, built in England in 1865, and occasionally confused with the other _Independencia_ built on the Thames a few years later for another South American State, but which passed into the possession of the British Government. The Peruvian _Independencia_ carried two 150-pounders, twelve 72-pounders, and four 30-pounders, all muzzle-loading rifled guns, and for this war her fighting power was strengthened by the addition of a 9-ton gun and a 150-pounder. The _Huascar_ had been reboilered since her fight with the _Shah_ and the _Amethyst_. The Peruvian navy was a fairly formidable fighting fleet, but what it displayed in this respect was more than neutralised by the inefficiency of its personnel who, however brave individually they may have been, sadly lacked order and control. The Chilians included in their fleet two modern powerful ironclads, the _Blanco Encalada_ and the _Almirante Cochrane_, both of which were built in England in 1874-5. Each was of about 3,500 tons, and designed on the central box battery plan, and as will be seen from the accompanying particulars of the _Almirante Cochrane_, both vessels were exceedingly formidable fighting ships. The _Blanco Encalada_ also had two Nordenfeldts and the _Almirante Cochrane_ one. The _Almirante Cochrane_ was 210 feet in length on the water-line, with a breadth of 45 feet 9 inches, and a depth of hold of 21 feet 8 inches; and in fighting trim she drew 18 feet 8 inches of water forward and a foot more aft. Her whole length in the neighbourhood of the water-line was protected by a stout belt of armour and teak backing 8 feet wide, with the armour-plates 9 inches thick at the water-line and the teak backing 10 inches. The battery was amidships, and was armed with six 12½-ton Armstrong guns. The whole of the armour and backing was fastened to a double thickness of skin plating by bolts similar to those used in the British Navy. She was the first ironclad built at Hull. With the three guns on each side she was able to fire over all the points of the compass, this advantage being attained by placing each of the fore and aft guns at the corners of the battery, and recessing the side of the ship so as to enable the foremost guns to fire right forward and in a line with the keel, and in like manner the after guns to fire right aft. The batteries being octagonal, the corner guns could be brought into the broadside position and command any single angle between that and the line of keel. The midship guns on each side were made to fire on the broadside, and also to support the fire of the forward guns up to within 20 degrees of the line of keel. It is unnecessary to describe the naval manœuvres preparatory to the meeting of the hostile vessels, or to deal with the causes of the war.