54 POLITICAL DIVISIONS AND 



at its base, and perpetual snows at its crests, and on the other by a low chain of hills, barren 

 to the vision as the sands of Zahara. Far up the slopes of the eastern range, and deep within 

 its valleys, does the husbandman spread his fields; whilst his herds of sheep, oxen, and horses 

 roam never-failing pastures yet farther within the Andes. If, by chance, the summer affords 

 no rains, and the near grazing-grounds are exhausted, the flocks are driven to sequestered 

 glens beyond the first range, where they are sure of an abundant supply. From its surplus 

 of grain, charqui, tallow, cheese, wine, aguardiente, and wool, most of the haciendados derive 

 handsome revenues. The expense of conveying grain to the distant northern markets, attended 

 as it is with so many charges on a long land-carriage, amounts to so large a proportion of its 

 value, that cattle-raising has become of more importance in the province. This kind of farm- 

 ing scarcely encourages the growth of population ; and as the small return for cereals is no 

 incentive to extend their cultivation, and the inducement of higher wages in Colchagua or 

 Concepcion tempts many laborers born here to leave their homes, the average annual increase 

 during the last twenty-five years has not exceeded 500 souls. This impediment to prosperity 

 and the true agricultural interests of Talca must continue until navigation of the Maule is 

 facilitated by steam, or a railroad be completed to the north; then the haciendados may 

 extend their operations, as its fine soil and climate justifies. Other individuals; of humble 

 rank, now manufacture "ponchos," coarse woollens, and blankets, all of which have fame in 

 the northern markets for the closeness of their texture and durability of colors. Many of the 

 blankets are elaborately embroidered in colors, and form handsome as well as ornamental bed- 

 coverings. There are two flour-mills in operation, both of which are at the city of Talca. 



Its mineral wealth, so far as known, is not great. Gold and copper are found ; but the ores of 

 the first are mixed with so much rubbish, and those of the second are so distant from market, 

 that mining them pays a very small profit. The mines of Chivato and Chuchuncho are both 

 mentioned in the chapter before referred to, and Mr. Miers heard of many very valuable ones 

 in the cordilleras to the eastward of Talca ; but the accounts of their extent and richness are 

 undoubtedly exaggerated, as is proved by the fact that nothing could be ascertained respecting 

 their products. Molina gives a marvellous account of "a little hill to the northeast of Talca 

 (which) consists almost entirely of amethysts. Some are enclosed in a gray quartz, which 

 serves them for a matrix, and others isolated among the sand. They are more perfect, both 

 in color and hardness, in proportion to their depth ; and were those who search for them to dig 

 deeper, they would, most probably, discover them in the highest state of perfection. A short 

 time before I left Chile, I saw some that were of a beautiful violet, and would cut glass repeat- 

 edly without injuring their points. Among them were a few of as fine a water as the dia- 

 mond, and perhaps they may serve as precursors to that most valuable gem. They are so 

 abundant, that in some of the crevices of the rocks, those of a fine purple may be discovered at 

 almost every step." If such a deposite ever existed, it was long ago exhausted; but it is to be 

 apprehended that Molina's information on this as well as many other points of natural 

 history was derived from visitors to his monastery who were not always the most intelligent 

 or reliable. 



MAULE. The province of Maule (formerly called Cauquenes), erected in 1826, from a part of 

 Concepcion, has for its northern boundary the river Maule. Its southern is the provinces of 

 Nuble and Concepcion, from which it is separated by the rivers Perquilaoquen and Itata ; by 

 the former from its source to the central range of the cordilleras, and by the latter from the 

 same chain to the ocean. The Andes and central chain from the Perquilaoquen southward 

 form its eastern, and the Pacific its western limit. There are portions of the province from 

 latitude 35 12' to latitude 36 10', and from longitude 71 to longitude 72 48'. From the best 

 estimates made by a commission specially appointed, in 1843, to collect provincial statistics, -it 

 appears that the departments composing it embrace 750 square leagues of territory. These are 

 named Cauquenes, (^onstitucion, Linares, Parral, and Itata; which are separated into 30 sub- 

 delegations, comprising 129 districts. In the first department there are two towns, Cauquenes 



