The Injlucncc of the German Element in Chile. 291 



ments, which greatly hampered their desire to show all due 

 honour to our Expedition. Not less cordial, however, was 

 our reception, nor the warm interest taken by the entire 

 German community of Valparaiso in the scientific attain- 

 ments of certain of its members.* Nowhere did the old Ger- 

 man hospitality shine forth with more serene lustre than 

 among the Germans of Chile, nowhere is there a more 

 splendid manifestation of the vigorous intellectual life of the 

 good old stock, nowhere a more thorough expression of Ger- 

 man unity in foreign countries ! Exercising a powerful 

 influence in society, as merchants, physicians, professors, 

 naturalists, astronomers, chemists, engineers, architects, &c., 

 the activity of the German in Chile in every avocation of 

 life has not been without a permanent influence on the desti- 

 nies of this free State, and has already left in its institutions 

 many a trace of German origin. 



One of our most pleasing reminiscences is undoubtedly that 

 of the magnificent natural fete got uj) by the German re- 

 sidents of Valparaiso in honour of the Novara one heaveidy 

 Easter morning, which came off at the beautiful Quebradas 

 of Quilpu<^, about twelve miles from the port. Quilpue is a 

 station on the railroad which runs from Valparaiso into the 



* We must especially remark the large and valuable zoological collection with 

 which our natural history stores were enriched by a German gentleman, Dr. C. Seget 

 of Santiago de Chili. With similar liberality another gentleman, Mr. Friedrich 

 Leybold, a Bavarian by birth, now resident in Santiago, where he practises as a 

 chemist, presented the Expedition with several valuable geological and botanical 

 specimens. 



U 2 



