The University. — The Giiamul. — The Ohservatorij . igg 



The University is also charged with the custody of the na- 

 tional library of 32,000 volumes, embracing works upon every 

 subject of scientific inquiry,* and the museum of natui'al his- 

 tory, in which are very complete ethnographical and geologi- 

 cal collections. The most remarkable object in the latter is 

 undoubtedly the native stag, Iluemid, or Guamul (Cervus 

 Chilensis), which figures conspicuously on the Chilean escut- 

 cheon, and was long regarded as a fabulous animal, as it had 

 never been seen alive. However, in the year 1833, the 

 specimens (male and female) at present in the museum were 

 shot in the Cordillera de Campania, within a short period of 

 each other, f 



The observatory w^is in temporary quarters on an eminence 

 in the midst of the city, but within a few years the new 

 building would be completed, which was being constructed 

 by Government for astronomical purposes, outside the town 

 not far from the school of agriculture. The instruments in 

 use were chiefly provided by the well-known North American 

 traveller Sillis, who for many years carried on astronomical 

 observations for the American Grovernment in South America, 

 especially in Chile, and when his labours were completed, left 

 his instruments with the Chilean Government by way of in- 

 demnity. The management of the observatory is intrusted 



two statements of 6 per cent. The proportion of females to males attemUng school is 

 45 to 100 i of those able to read and write, of 51 females to 100 males. 



* There are in the whole country 37 public and 12 private libraries (including in 

 the latter only such as are really worthy of the name). 



t See Gay's History of Chile, Zoology, vol. i. p. 161. 



