DISTRIBUTION OP INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES. 47 



southern bank of the river, and 15 miles to the southeast of San Felipe. It* extent and ap- 

 I" .nance in 1825 were n<>4 greatly dissimilar to the latter city, each then having a population 

 of about 5,000 souls. But Santa Rosa* has stood Htill during the progress of its neighbor, 

 whose dimensions and numbers have nearly doubled. Santa Rosa is the frontier customs 

 .station, in Aconcagua, for goods to and from the Argentine republic, and travellers usually 

 make their final arrangements here for the passage of the Andes. 1'utaendo, in the valley 

 watered by the river of the same name, is about 10 miles to the northward; its population, 

 including tbe suburbs, not far from 5,000. Petorca is in the valley of, and near the head- 

 waters of the Longotoma, one of the streams whose combined waters form flu- Ligiia. In 1847 

 its population numbered 2,400. La Ligua is still smaller. It is on the southern bank, and 

 about 10 miles from the mouth of a stream of the same name; its people, as well as those of 

 Petorca, relying as much on mining as on agricultural labors for their support. Besides these 

 towns, there are villages named Coquimbito, Llaillay, San Roque, Panxegua, Curimon, Puente 

 de la Viscacha, Melon, and Purutum, on or near the Aconcagua; Molles, Quilimari, Conchali, 

 and Guantelaque, near the coast; and Lunaula, Pupido, Hierro, Alicagua, and Longotoma, 

 more in the interior. The southern half of the province is much the most densely settled, this 

 moiety having a better supply of water for agricultural purposes, and a shorter distance to 

 market for the produce of its mines. It has no port of entry, though coasting and other vessels 

 call at Papudo, Pichidanque, Conchali, and Zapallar, where they deliver small quantities of 

 goods, and receive copper and agricultural products. None of these are very safe anchorages, 

 nor is there one in all the province. They are embraced in the Valparaiso collection district, 

 from which license must be obtained before visiting them a formality not followed by all mari- 

 ners, as is known, to the cost of the revenue. 



The face of the country is thoroughly broken, several ranges of mountains from the great 

 cordilleras dividing into minuter ramifications, that spread over by far the larger proportion of 

 the province. Yet, even among these there are many small ravines and basins favorably 

 situated for cultivation, and the valley of Aconcagua and Quillota, as it is called nearer the 

 sea, is justly famed for its fertility and fruitfulness by every stranger who visits it. The length 

 of the valley in which. San Felipe is situated is about 15 miles, its breadth 13 ; that of Putaendo, 

 north of, but communicating with it, somewhat smaller. All of this valuable portion is parcel- 

 led out in possessions of small extent, which are separated by enclosures of adobes ; and it is 

 said that, by this system, the land here will yield about one third more than an equal space 

 of ground elsewhere in the republic. Further north there are other less extensive, though 

 scarcely less productive, plains. All tbe fruits, vegetables, and cereals cultivated in any part of 

 Chile thrive well here and lower down the valley : even the cherimoya, an exquisite tropical 

 fruit, attains considerable perfection. Its white strawberries and grapes have great reputation 

 at Santiago, and the aguardiente, distilled from the juice of the latter, is preferred to that of any 

 other province. Olives also yield well, and there is wanting but a little more enterprise 

 and industry to obtain an immense produce from this small district. As its ample fields afford 

 adequate supplies of alfalfa, a most nutritious pasturage with which to fatten cattle, very 

 large numbers are raised. The part of the province most used for breeding and rearing them 

 lies between the valleys and central ridge of the cordilleras, whose ravines and table-heights 

 afford very good natural pasturage from the time that the snow disappears. Some of these 

 tables and other similar tracts near the coast are sown with wheat or barley, dependent on 

 rains to sustain and mature them before the dry season is fully commenced. Such crops, 

 called ll de roule," are never so good as those of artificially irrigated fields. 



Gold, in small quantities, is found at several "lavaderos" (washing places)* Argentiferous 

 copper in many mines, and varieties of exceedingly rich copper ores, have been discovered about 

 the hills of San Lorenzo, San Antonio, Catemo, and Jajuel ; all of which are wrought product- 

 ively. From most of these mines specimens are now in the collection brought home by the 

 Astronomical Expedition, as is mentioned in the report of Dr. Smith, There are no published 



