DISTRIBUTION OP INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES. 55 



and Chanco. Can|ii IK-S, the provincial capital, made a city in 1828, wa founded in 1742. 

 It is situated on tin sl.>|n- of a hill, between a river of the same name and Tut titan creek, n..t 

 more than 1'i.in- <>i livo squares distant from either. From these and wells a supply of drinking- 

 water is derived. Its 150 taxable houses are built on seven streets, running north and south, 

 and six others which cross them at right-angles. There is a plaza on the eastern aide oi 

 city, a public promenade, two churches, and seven schools. Of the last, one is supported by the 

 city government, one by the Franciscan convent, and the others by individuals. Only 80 males 

 and -I.". f< -males were in attendance just one for each 28 inhabitants. Population, 3,500. 



The village of Chanco, W.N. W. from Cauquenes, and near the ocean, is a small and miserable 

 place, composed of 30 or 40 wretched houses, built mostly of straw and without order. For a 

 long period the sea has been steadily wearing away the small intervening strip of land; and in 

 a few years more the waves will probably overwhelm it, should not its people remove to a 

 locality where there is something else than barren sands. Its actual population scarcely 

 exceeds 200 souls, for whom and the country children of the vicinity there were five schools, 

 though only 4*7 boys and 6 girls were in attendance. Formerly, Chanco cheese was quite 

 famous along the coast as far as Peru. 



Constitucion is fully mentioned in the " Visit to the Southward." The town of Linares 

 was founded in 1793, on the plain between the rivers Longavi and Maule. Its streets are 

 rather wider than usual, but are not paved ; indeed, it was laid out for a more magnificent city 

 than the wealth of its 2,500 inhabitants have yet permitted them to make it. No lew than 

 twelve streets cross its plaza; and the alameda, which is above 200 feet wide, is planted with 

 four rows of trees for nearly a third of a mile, and terminated by public squares. In all, the 

 town comprises 80 squares, about 300 houses some of the latter very well built, a handsome 

 church, a smaller chapel, and a large market-house. 96 boys were in attendance at its only 

 public school. The village of Yerbas-Buenas, in the same department, owes its origin to a 

 chapel, erected there many years ago. It contains only about 20 houses and 250 inhabitants, 

 of whom 35 boys and 6 girls were distributed among four public teachers. 



Parral, also on the great plain and midway between the Longavi and Perquilaoquen, was 

 founded in 1795, under the title of Reina Luisa. Although near much swampy ground, it is 

 reputed to be very healthy. The great highway from north to south passes through it ; and 

 from this origin, perhaps, most of its streets in that direction are tortuous. It has about 100 

 houses supplied with water from the Longavi, through a canal cut by the municipal board, 

 at an expense of $8,000. The population is 2,200, for whom there is one church and six 

 schools, the latter attended by 106 boys and 31 girls. There is no other town in the department. 



Quirihue, departmental capital of Itata, is situated half a league west of Cerro Coiquen, from 

 which the percolation of water is such as to keep the town very little better thafa a swamp. 

 Including ranches of the suburbs, there may be 300 houses built on four longitudinal and 

 six transversal streets, an incomplete parish church, and a market-house, in which last is also 

 the school for primary instruction. There is one other school in the town, supported by indi- 

 viduals, and the two have 87 male pupils. Population of Quirihue, 1,500. 



The ports of the province are Constitucion and Curinape the latter an open bay, midway 

 between the mouths of the Itata and Maule, where very small craft sometimes take off timber 

 and other products ; but physical obstacles will forever prevent it being rendered fully avail- 

 able for the wants of even this small district. 



In 1843 the total number of schools in all the departments was 56. They were attended by 

 871 male and 172 female scholars; and among the entire population, numbering 119,428 souls, 

 there were only 7,353 males and 3,141 females who could read and write. The ratio of distri- 

 bution of the population was found to be 292 for each square league in the department of 

 Cauquenes, 239 in that of Constitucion, 220 in Itata, 102 in Linares, and only 76 in Parral ; 

 55,550 were less than fifteen, and 2,141 more that seventy years of age; 547 cripples, 175 

 blind, 158 lunatics, 54 paralytics, 81 deaf-mutes. 



