1835.] TORRENTS OF THE CORDILLERA. 317 



coverable. So was it with these stones ; the ocean is their eter- 

 nity, and each note of that wild music told of one more step to- 

 wards their destiny. 



It is not possible for the mind to comprehend, except by a slow 

 process, any effect which is produced by a cause repeated so often, 

 that the multiplier itself conveys an idea, not more definite than 

 the savage implies when he points to the hairs of his head. As 

 often as I have seen beds of mud, sand, and shingle, accumulated 

 to the thickness of many thousand feet, I have felt inclined to 

 exclaim that causes, such as the present rivers and the present 

 beaches, could never have ground down and produced such 

 masses. But, on the other hand, when listening to the rattling 

 noise of these torrents, and calling to mind that whole races of 

 animals have passed away from the face of the earth, and that 

 during this whole period, night and day, these stones have gone 

 rattling onwards in their course, I have thought to myself, can 

 any mountains, any continent, withstand such waste ? 



In this part of the valley, the mountains on each side were from 

 3000 to 6000 or 8000 feet high, with rounded outlines and steep 

 bare flanks. The general colour of the rock was dullish purple, 

 and the stratification very distinct. If the scenery was not beautiful, 

 it was remarkable and grand. We met during the day several 

 herds of cattle, which men were driving down from the higher 

 valleys in the Cordillera. This sign of the approaching winter 

 hurried our steps, more than was convenient for geologising. 

 The house where we slept was situated at the foot of a mountain, 

 on the summit of which are the mines of S. Pedro de Nolasko. 

 Sir F. Head marvels how mines have been discovered in such 

 extraordinary situations, as the bleak summit of the mountain of 

 S. Pedro de Nolasko. In the first place, metallic veins in this 

 country are generally harder than the surrounding strata : hence, 

 during the gradual wear of the hills, they project above the surface 

 of the ground. Secondly, almost every labourer, especially in the 

 northern parts of Chile, understands something about the appear- 

 ance of ores. In the great mining provinces of Coquimbo and 

 Copiapo, firewood is very scarce, and men search for it over every 

 hill and dale ; and by this means nearly all the richest mines 

 have there been discovered. Chanuncillo, from which silver to 

 the value of many hundred thousand pounds has been raised in 



