league of the town ; but this only in the 

 very fine months, as you lay much expofed. 

 The beft anchoring-place is Taicaguana, 

 the fouthernmoft neck of the bay, in five 

 or fix fathom water, good holding 

 ground, and where you are .flickered 

 from the northerly winds. The town 

 has no other defence but a low battery, 

 which only commands the anchoring- 

 place before it. The country is extremely 

 pleafant, and affords the greateft plenty 

 of provifions of all kinds. In fome 



% * 



excurfions we made daily from Talca- 

 guana, we faw great numbers of very 

 large fnakes ; but we were told they 

 were quite harmlefs. I have read fome 

 former accounts of Chili, by the jefuits, 

 wherein they tell you that no venomous 

 creature is to be found in it, and that they 

 even made the experiment of bringing 

 bugs here, which died immediately j but I 

 never was in any pkt^e that fwarmed 

 with them fo much as St. Jago ; and they 



have 



