SANTIAGO. 



215 



Holding office wholly by the will of the President, as has hecn elsewhere stated, he is, of 

 course, ready to carry out the views of the government or resign. 



A municipal council callM <-,il, ;/>/,,. to represent the interests of the people, is elected by them 

 every three years, or rather is selected by the Minister of the Interior and Intendento, and voted 

 for by the people accordingly. This is literally the fact. The Intendente presides at their 

 meetings, iiml lius the power to veto. Their duties nominally are: to fix the tax on house- 

 In .[tiers for lighting the streets and police, on cattle killed for consumption in the city, and 

 one or two other minor objects of direct taxation ; to provide sanitary regulations ; to direct 

 juiMic improvements and ornaments; supervise primary education, the hospitals, prisons, 

 repairs of streets, &c. But the rates of taxation must be sent to the Minister for revision ; they 

 cannot establish even a primary school without the sanction of the Minister of Public Instruc- 

 tion, nor spend a condor ($10) in the most essential repair or improvement without the same 

 high authority ; and, in short, as far as any actual power intrusted to them is concerned, the body 

 appears wholly superfluous. This is one of the subjects of complaint by the southern towns, who 

 like not to see the revenues derived from their pockets taken for the adornment of the capital, 

 whilst their own streets and neighboring roads so greatly need repairs. There are no taxes on 

 personal or real estate, nor will property-holders listen for an instant to the propriety of chang- 

 ing the system by which the poor pay the great burden, as will readily be seen in the following 

 exhibition of the receipts and expenditures during 1850 : 



Balance from 1849 $1,018 



Tax for serenos, and lighting streets .... 47,775 



Tax on animals slaughtered, and skins ... 30, 167 



Rent of market-houses 19,825 



For privilege to sell snow 15,150 



Rent of theatre 1,895 



Tax on ball-alleys 2,520 



Tax on cock-pits 2,20 



. . 1,820 



. . 1,345 



. . 1,341 



. . 1,060 



. . 747 



. . 423 



. . 39 



. . 4,000 



Extraordinary receipts 3,389 



Rent of pasturage, San Jos6 . 

 Horses taken up and unclaimed 



Tax on auctioneers 



Ground- rents 



Fires 



Product of house of correction, &c. 

 Interest received from debts . . . 

 Loan . 



Total $134,714 



EXFENDITURU. 



Police $63.717 



Prison* 18,551 



Officers of Cabildo 5,124 



Public schools . , 8.360 



Salaries to persons not regularly employed . . 2,374 



Lighting the streets 16,075 



Loans to individuals . . . 

 To watchmen and lamplighters 



Ground-rents 



Charities and insolvencies . 

 Ordinary expenses .... 

 Extraordinary expenses . . 



.... 150 



.... 1,909 



.... 2.349 



.... 1,897 



.... 9,365 



.... 1,500 



Unforeseen expenses . 2,050 



Total 9133,421 



The privilege to sell snow, as also the contracts for lighting the streets and furnishing prisoners 

 with provisions, is disposed of to the most favorable bidder at auction. It is not an extraordi- 

 nary occurrence, however, that the competitor who comes with a note of recommendation to the 

 treasurer presiding at the auction, succeeds in obtaining the contract he desires. Fortunately 

 these collusions are now far less common, the spirit of the age tending towards greater integrity 

 in public transactions. 



From what has been said respecting the actual powers of the Cabildo and Intendente, we 

 scarcely wonder that the streets remain in such a filthy condition during several months of the 

 year, or that the most important works of public necessity should be so far behind the age in 

 economy, utility, and convenience. One scarcely sees any repairs of a public nature, except 

 those made by manacled prisoners from the public jail, under charge of police and armed 

 soldiers, in such numbers that the latter alone might easily accomplish the task in less time than 

 is usually occupied. It shocks one to pass along the street where these chain-gangs are at 

 work. In the coldest weather of the climate, there are often thirty or more poor outcasts limp- 

 ing under the weight of iron they carry, many of them more than half naked, yet forced to 

 work at street paving. Nearly all beg from every passer-by, whilst the dozen or two soldiers 

 with fixed bayonets, and mounted supervisors, distributed along the street, lounge against the 



