CHILI. ^O 



preserved in large earthen vessels: there are no 

 barrels. Beasts of burthen, asses of a very line race, 

 and mules, supply the place of carriages, of which 

 there are but very few, and of the same kind as 

 those in St. Catharine's. The Governor-Intend- 

 ant alone has a chaise, made in Lima, which he 

 seldom or never uses. The horses are very fine, 

 and good, and riding is quite general; the women 

 also ride in their journies, or make use of carts 

 resembling our shepherds* huts, which are drawn 

 by oxen. 



The Creole is always on horseback ; the poorest 

 possesses at least a mule, and even a boy rides 

 behind the asses which he drives. The noose, or 

 lazo, is in general use. 



We will mention a custom singularly founded on 

 religious ideas, which was offensive to our feelings. 

 When a child dies, after having received baptism, 

 the evening before the burial, the corpse itself is 

 dressed up as the image of a saint, and placed erect 

 in a lighted room, on a kind of altar, which is 

 adorned with burning tapers, and garlands of 

 flowers. The company then assemble, and they 

 amuse themselves during the night, with wordly 

 songs, and dancing. We twice witnessed such 

 festivals in Talcaguano. 



Several Araucanians whom -we saw in Concep- 

 tion, as they belonged to the lowest class of their 

 people, who hire themselves to the S])aniard:3 as 

 day-labourers, could not give us a faithful por- 



c 4 



