198 



CHILI 



The quelg *<, or the strawberry of Chili, frequently at- 

 '- ' u -' tains the enormous iie of a hen' egg, and differs far- 

 ther from that of Europe in the roughness and inccu- 

 lency of in leaves ; it ii of thref kind, the red, the 

 white, and the yellow ; the two first are the mot fre 

 quent ; the yellow is found chiefly in the provii. 



icay and Huilquilrimi. The seeds of the madi, a 

 new genus utipply an oil which has been preferred to 

 any of the French olive oil*. Three species of the pi- 

 mento are employed in seasoning. Besides these, and 

 many other alimentary herbs, there is, in the province of 

 St Jago, a particular species of wild liaxil, from whose 

 leave* the inhabitants gather, every morning, a kind of 

 salt, which in taste far exceeds the common salt. 

 Htb owl Certain vegetable dyes have been long employed with 

 f^r dyeing success by the Chilians, producing lively and very dura- 

 ble colours, which yield neither in washing, nor by ex- 

 posure to the air. The relbun, a species of madder, 

 furnishes a beautiful red: yellow is obtained from a spe- 

 cies of agrimony, and a kind of cress named pnqurl, the 

 stalks of which supply also a green colour. The berries 

 of the cvllen give a violet ; and the root of the pan let, a 

 perennial plant, yields a fine black, which, besides its use 

 as a dye, possesses likewise the properties of an excellent 

 ink. 



MWnmak A knowledge of medicinal plants forms the whole 

 medical science of the unconverted Chilians, who are 

 careful to exclude all strangers from any participation 

 in their accumulated experience. Without the advanta- 

 ges, however, of this desirable aid, there have been dis- 

 covered nearly 200 medicinal herbs, the principal of 

 which are the cachanlahurn, celebrated for its efficacy in 

 fevers, sore throats, and pleurisy, and also as a purga- 

 tive, dissolvent, and vermifuge ; the \-irn vira, a kind of 

 bouscleek, extremely aromatic, and used in intermitting 

 fevers, the infusion of which is sudorific, and given in 

 caUrrhal complaints ; the retamilla, which possesses 

 qualities similar to those of the vira vira ; the payco, 

 which is an excellent stomachic, and of much benefit in 

 pleurisy ; the i/uincliamali, whose juice is applied to 

 bruise? ; the pic/ioa, the clinclin, and the gvilno, all 

 of them purgatives ; the diuca-lultuen, vulnerary ; and 

 the corecorf, a specific for the toothache. Chili af- 

 fords two kinds of cultivated tobacco, the common, and 

 the little tobacco, of which the last is by far the most 

 powerful. 



Climbing ^ climbing plants, the most remarkable is the cogitl, 

 pUnttii.d which having reached the top of one tree, immediately 

 franc*. begins to descend, and in a short time has attained 

 the summit of another, from which it pioceeds in the 

 tame manner to a third ; it has thus frequently been 

 found to extend itself over a space of 200 yards. The 

 stalk being tough, and exlrem ly pliable, is used for 

 baskets and cables, and these cables are said to be more 

 durable even than those of hemp. The peitoi is used 

 fr similar purposes, in the Archipelago of Chiloe, and 

 supplies excellent ropes for the Permguas. We shall no- 

 tice only two species of grass, the quila, whose stalk 

 the Araucanians use for their lance* ; and the rush of 

 Valtlivia, which affords a handsome cane, is employed 

 in the manufacture of cages, and serves the inhabitants 

 as a covering for their houses. 



Mallows, endive, trefoil, and some others, are com- 

 mon i<i Chili and Europe ; lupins, love apples, celery, 

 Bius'ard, Spaniih pimento, and cresses, occur in a wild 

 Utr. Of tropical plants, are the pine-apple, the su- 

 gar cane, tin- banana, the cott MI, jalap, mechoacin, 

 and the sweet potatoc, all of whick succeed in the north- 

 rm province*. 



i', ooui; . 

 HUM. 



Though Chill \i not inferior to any part of the New tUtii. 

 Woild, in soil, climate, and vegetation, it must yield to A 

 the other countries of America in the number ot IU ani- 

 mal productions. 



The horse, the ass, horned cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, 

 and cats, were early introduced by the Spaniards, atid 

 most of them, besides increasing in size, li 

 improved in their peculiar qualities. Tin- Aoriftrare well 

 shaped, swift, vigorous and spirited. Th-.-y are d. 

 into three breeds, each named from its invariable and 

 distinguishing K~n- The trailers are the strongest, and 

 much used by the country people; the pactrt, renurk- 

 able for an easy, active and well-supported motion, are 

 principally used in long journio, m ^reat demand, and 

 preferred to the best horses of Andalusia; the parade 

 liortr.*, which never quit a foot pace, are only used oa 

 occasion of show ami ceremony. These last are highly 

 valued, and cost, ab.nu thirty years ago, from OIK- hun- 

 dred to five hundred crowns; while the price of a com- 

 mon horse did not exceed four shillings sterling. The 

 mountain horses are hardier and more robust than those 

 of the plain, and their hoofs are so firm as only to re- 

 quire shoes when employed in cities. The peasants of 

 Chili are almost perpetually on .horseback, and not u [in- 

 frequently perform journirn of a hundred leagues upon 

 the same animal, pencilling him only to feed and rest 

 during the night. The ass, more than any other Euro- 

 pean quadruped, has undergone a favourable and almost 

 unaccountable alteration ; but, though greatly surpassing 

 the original stock in strength and sire, is very seldom 

 put to any use. It is found wild on the Andes, ar.J 

 hunted for the sake of its skin. The mulet are strong, 

 sure-footed, and active. The horned cattle have cnj .) vd 

 a more than proportional share of the general improve- 

 ment, and display different degrees of excellence, accord- 

 ing to the richness of their pasture. The oxen of the 

 midland provinces are of a larger size than tln.se of t!ie 

 maritime, and an- excelled, in their turn, by such as are 

 reared in the vallies of the Andes ; they art yoked to 

 the plough in pairs, and drag it by means of a rope passed 

 through iheir horns. It is a common practice among 

 the land holders to fatten a thousand head ot cattle, 

 either cows- or oxen, and to slaughter them at Christmas. 

 Very little of this beef, however, is consumed in the 

 country, but is chiefly disposed of in Peru. The s/ieef> 

 breed twice a year, and are equal to any in Spain. The 

 breed has been crossed by the Pehuelches, and the result 

 is an animal considerably larger than a sheep ; its hair, 

 which is often two feet in length, and somewhat curled, 

 po^sesseK ail the softness of wooL The other quadruped* 

 v." shall notice are indigenous to Cinli. The guenul or 



.', in >-ize, hair, and colour, bears a considerable re- 

 semblance to the ass, but differs from that animal in Ins 

 formation of its ears, which are thurt and pointed j in 

 shape al.40 it is more handsome. The voice is a sort of 

 neigh, and its teeth are exactly similar to those of a horse. 

 It is fleet and he^dvtrong, and found only in the most 



-:ible regions of the And I. The vicugna, clrli- 

 hueque, and guauaco, in their manners and ccon my, .ire 

 not unlike the camel; and, though gr< atly inferior in 

 point of size, th.-y somewhat resemble it also, in the 

 s'rucluM 1 of ttu-ir internal parts: except the guanaco, 

 li wi vvr, neither of these a;rmals have an arched back, 

 and all ,t them, in th' upper jaw, are completely desti- 

 tute both of incisors and carune teeth. Their only de- 

 teno, when attack, d, or otherwise molested, is to squirt 

 from their mouths a quantity ol saliva, wl.icli i> said to 



.1 caustic nature. The vcugua is about the me of 

 a tame goat, but greatly exceeding it, in the length of it* 



