CHILI. 



195 



Pkyiical 



organic* 

 i a. 



Caverns. 



Stati'ics. the shock, if felt at all, was but slightly perceptible in 

 ""Y"'' Copiapo and C -quimbo : this ^oine have attributed to 

 the suppos d ex.stence of certain large subteri aneous ca- 

 verns intersecting these provinces, which, by affording 

 vent to the inflamed substances, may thus suddenly ar- 

 n-st tlie progress of the convulsion. It is a very great 

 alleviation of this tremendous scourge, that its approach 

 is invariably announced by certain hollow sounds, the 

 eft'ect of a vibratory motion in the atmosphere, which 

 givt the inhabitants warning to quit their houses, and 

 take refuge in the streets, courts, and gardens. Hap- 

 pily t!ie streets are of such a breadth as to afford a safe 

 retreat, though the houses on each side should fall to the 

 gr> und. Only five considerable earthquakes have oc- 

 curr. d in Chili since the arrival of the Spaniards to the 

 year 1782, a period comprehending 244 years. The first 

 in 1520, and the second in 1645, were attended with no 

 very serious injury. The third, which took place on 

 the 15th of March 1657, overturned a great part of St 

 Jago. The fourth, on the 18th of June 1730, produced 

 an inundation of the sea, which beat down the walls of 

 Conception. The fifth, on the 26th of May 1751, was 

 immediately preceded by Alight shocks, and the appear- 

 ance of a ball of fin- darting from the Andes -to the sea. 

 It completely overwhelmed Conception, and destroyed 

 all the fortresses and villages between the 31-th and 40th 

 degrees of latitude. Its course was from north to south, 

 and slight tremblings, with intervals of fifteen and twenty 

 minutes, w-re experienced for the space of a month after 

 the earthquake. 



Viriou^ marine substances are to be found almost in 

 every part of Chili, and on the tops even of iti loftiest 

 mountains. In tne main ridge of the Andes, the exter- 

 nal form of the mountains is that of a pyramid, covered 

 in some instances with conical elevations. Their internal 

 structure consists of large primitive rocks of quartz., difr 

 fering wry little in general configuration. The maritime 

 and midland mountains, together with the lateral chains 

 of the Andes, are of secondary formation, and, in their 

 structure, differ essentially from those of the main ridge, 

 which are primitive : they rise abruptly from the base ; 

 their summits also are more rounded ; and their strata, 

 which are horizontal and of unequal thickness, abound 

 with marine productions, and contain the impressions of 

 animals and vegetables. These secondary mountain s are 

 in general stratified, containing a large variety of miner- 

 als, and covered wilh a deep s Jl and plentiful vegetation. 

 Some it them, however, are humogen ous, all of which 

 are birren, and exhibit on thfir surface only a few ian- 

 guid slirubs. Of the homogeneous mountains some are 

 composed entirely of -.hells, others of gypsum, of granite, 

 of qu irtz, of freestone, of basalts, of lava, and some are 

 calcareous. The rtfanization of the values is similar to 

 that of the stratified mountains. The maritime moun 

 tains present on their western declivities mai.y curious 

 excavations or grott--s, all beautifully hung with shells 

 and par. These caverns are also very numerous in the 

 Andes. Tbe most remarkable of them is that near the 

 source of the river Longavi, which, immediately before 

 sun-r.se, exhibits to the spectator a very unexpected phe- 

 nomenon : the rays, penetrating the cavern by some 

 hidden aperture, reach his eye before they have yet tin- 

 ged the summits of the Cordillera. In the same range 

 also may be seen, a large mountain of gypsum, p<-r- 

 forat- d quite through by the river Mendoza. It is cal- 

 led the Inca's bridg- ; and has its interior surface fiuely 

 ornamented with iirge clusters of stalactites. Among 

 these natural curiosities, we must notice an immense bl;ck 

 of white marble completely insulated, and measuring in 

 a tight 75 French feet, 224 in length, and 54 in breadth. 



It stands on the left bank of the river Maule, about f. ur atatUtici. 

 hundred paces from its mouth, and. trom its appearance, T" 

 li.is b-en called t ie church. It contains a vast arching 

 cavity, furnished with three semicircular apertures. At 

 one of these the sea enters, and the cavity is thus fre- 

 quently visited by sea wolves. 



Chili contains almost every kind of metal. It has MINERA- 

 mines of gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, and tin. There LOGY - 

 has been lately discovered also in the mountains of Copi- ( 



apo, the ore of a new metal unknown to the miners, but 

 which, from their description, is upposed to be platina. 

 Gold is particularly abundant, and found in all parts -.f the Metalt. 

 country ; in every precipice and mountain, as w.,11 as in 

 the sand of its numerous rivers. The principal gold 

 mines are those of Copiapo, Guasco, Coquimbo, Petor- 

 ca, Ligua, Tiltil, Putaendo, Cien, Alhue, Chibat< , and 

 Huilli-Patagua. The three last are of recent discovery, 

 the others have been wi ought since the conquest. The 

 metal dug in the two provi ces of Copiapo and Guasco, 

 ha^ from its superior quality, received the appellation of 

 oro capote. Though in Chili gld is found united with 

 almost every sort of stone and earth, it usual matrix is 

 a red clay stone, extremely brittle. The course uf its 

 veins is commonly from south to north. In Si me places, 

 however, they descend almost vvrt.cally, and, in others, 

 take a circular direction. Independent of the mines, 

 great quantities of gold are obtained by washing the 

 sands of nvers, which sometimes yield solid lump-, of a 

 pound in weight. This operation is generally performed 

 by individuals of the poorer class, who are not able to 

 afford the expence of mining. The gold of Chili is in 

 general from 22 to 23^ carats. There has be<:n no cor- 

 rect estimate of the quantity annually collected. That 

 which pays the duty or fifth part to the king, amounts 

 to about 900.000 pounds sterling ; but there is also a 

 very great proportion smuggled. This has been compu- 

 ted at more than a third part of the whole product. The 

 ores of silver are confined to particular districts, and found 

 only in the most elevated regions of the Andes. The 

 m-.st productive are those of St Jagu, Coquimbo, Copi- 

 apo, and Aconcagua. In the last province is the mine of 

 Aspalata, the largest and richest of the silver mines in 

 Ciuli. Its precise extent is unknown, but it has been 

 traced running in a northerly direction to the distance of 

 thirty leagues, and is imagined by some to be a ramifica- 

 tion of the mine of Potosi. It yields a sort of black 

 ore, which is greatly esteemed. Of this ore there are 

 three varieties, but the best of them is that called 

 pinmbo ronco, which is the most readily si parated. 

 Copper is plentiful, and, like gold, is confined to no 

 particular district. The best mines of it, however, 

 'are situated between the 24th and 36th degrees of lati- 

 tude. The mine of Payen, which was form* rly the most 

 productive in Chili, has bei n long abandoned, on account 

 of the hostilit) of the Puelches, in whose territories it 

 was discovered. It is said to have produced pieces of 

 pure metal, from fifty to a hundred pounds in weight, of 

 a colour resembling pinchb ck, and containing, in most 

 instances, more than an equal portion of gold. A mine, 

 not inferior to this, has been lately opened at Curico. 

 The copper of Chili is found variously mineralized ; but, 

 in general, it appears in combination, with a greater or 

 less proportion of gold. There are only two kinds of it 

 at present wrought by the inhabitants : these are the 

 malleable copper, and the grey or bell-metal, which, from 

 its composition, colour, and brittleness, maybe regarded 

 as a sort of native br nze. The others, though rich in 

 metal, are considered as of no value, from the difficulty 

 attending their separation. Of the malleable copper, 

 those mines only are wrought, whose ore gives half itl 



