• Preface • Introduction - March 31, 1866 • The Valley of Paradise and Chile's Independence • A Land of Plenty Opens to the World • Perspectives of Valparaiso in 1866 • The Wars - Peru, Chile and Much Ado About (Almost) Nothing • The Blockade that Never Was • European Leaders Seek a Deal • Four Heroes • Lost in the Fog • Looking After the Spaniards • The Confidential Agent and the Public Scandal • An Embarrassment of Torpedoes • Get Your Stuff Out of There! • Some Explosive Personal Chemistry • Bluff, Retreat and Cats' Paws - The Final Days • Drawing up the Accounts • Settling Scores, Avoiding Shame • Paying the Political Costs in Capitals • What the Papers Said • Aftermath - The Tide Turns for Spain • Reflections on a Matter of Honour • Appendix:  The Ships - Hardware, Firepower and the New Craft of Marine Warfare • Bibliography