202 



C H I L I. 



JMtrict. occupation. The mechanical arts, excepting those of car- 

 pantry and the working of metals, have made but little 

 progress. A favourable impulse, however, has of late 

 year* b en given to the arts and science* in general, by 

 a liberal patronage on the part of government, of which 

 the good effect* have already appeared. 



Population. The population of Chili consists principally of Spa- 

 niards, Indians, and Mustees, besides whom are a few 

 French, English, and Italians, and seme Negroes. There 

 exists no proper estimate of the general amount, nor any 

 sufficient data by which to compute it ; but it is certain, 

 that the country is yet very far from being stocked with 

 inhabitants. The encouragement given to commerce has 

 proved particularly favourable to the Spanish population ; 

 that of the Indian provinces, however, has been con'idcr- 

 ably retarded by the immoderate use of spirituous li- 

 quors. 



. , The Spanish provinces were anciently possessed by 



the Copiapins, Coquimbanes, Quillotanes, Mapochinians, 

 Promaucians, Cures, Cauques, and Pi-neons ; most of 

 which, once flourishing tribes, are now almost completely 

 extinct, and the only remains of them are a few hamlets, 

 the principal of which is IMTO in the province of Maule. 

 These tribes, before the arrival of the Spaniard", had evi- 

 dently attained somedegreeof civilization. They had esta- 

 blished themselves in villages, each of which had an Ulmen 

 or chief magistrate. They seem to have made considerable 

 progress in agriculture : convenient and well construct- 

 ed aqueducts were employed in some districts to irrigate 

 the fields ; and there slill remains a canal in the vicinity 

 of St Japfo, which, in its extent and workmanship, may 

 be regarded as a standing monument of their industry and 

 skill. They were acquainted also with the process of 

 fermentation, and from their grain and berries obtained 

 several kinds of liquors. In the manufacture of cloths, 

 they used the spindle, the distaff, and two sorts of looms. 

 They employed a variety of nets, the cord of which was 

 procured from the plant gnochia. Hatchets of bell- 

 metal-copper sometimes occur in the ancient sepulchres. 

 They employed dyes, both vegetable and mineral, and of 

 all colours ; and fixed them by means of the stone called 

 polcura. Their language was rich and harmonious, and 

 contained terms to express the numbers ten, a hundred, 

 and a thousand. But of all their attainments, the know- 

 ledge they displayed in astronomy and physic is by far the. 

 most remarkable. Of these, and of their religion, mui , 

 and military skill, a detailed account will be found in the 

 article AKAUCANIA. To this article we must refer also 

 for a description of their manners and customs ; the 

 Araucanians, as Molina observes, being still the faithful 

 depositories of all the science and ancient customs of the 

 Chilians. 



The tribes of native Chilians that still maintain their 

 possessions and independence are the Araucanians com- 

 prehending the Puelches. to an account of whom we 

 have just referred; the Pehuenchcs, Chiquillanes, Clin- 

 ches, and Huilliches, allies of the Araucanians, but in 

 some respects differing from that people in iheir manners 

 and customs. The Pehuenches occupy that part of the 

 southern Andes lying between the Sith and 37th degrees 

 of latitude. They dwell in tents made of skins ; and, 

 for the convenience of pasturage, are continually chan- 

 ging their situation. They are expert riders, and spend 

 the day on horseback : the bits which they use, as also 

 the stirrup* and spurs, are of wood. They frequently 

 employ themselves in hunting tlie guanaco and ostrich, 

 and use the laqiti both in this exercise and in war. In 

 dress they differ from the Araucanians, by covering the 

 vraiot with a piece of loose cloth in place of drawers ; and 



Pchu- 



delighting in ornament, they paint their bodies, faces, Statistiet. 

 and particularly thtir eye lids. Though possessing nu- < "^"i'~" > ' 

 merous herds of sherp and horned cattle, they live in ge- 

 neral upon the flesh of horses. Of the other tribes, there 

 is little mentioned deserving particular notice. Molina 

 observes in general, of the mountaineers who inhabit the 

 eastern vallies of the Andes, (including under that de- 

 signation the Puelches, Pehuenches, Huilliche*, and Chi- 

 quillanes.) that th'-ir complexions are much redder than 

 those of their countrymen, who dwell to the westward of 

 that mountain ; " that they all dress thdnselvet in skins, 

 paint their faces, live in general by hunting, and lead a 

 wandering and unsettled life ;" that they are, " generally 

 speaking, of a lofty stature and great strength, and no 

 other than the celebrated Patagomans, who have occa- 

 sionally extended their wanderings to the Straits of Ma- 

 gellan, and have at one time been described as giants, and 

 at another as men little above the common stature." 



The colour of the Indians, in general, is a copper 

 brown ; but the inhabitants of Boroa, a tribe in the heart 

 of Araucania, are white, and in their features and com- 

 plexion little inferior to the northern Europeans. M. 

 Rollin, who accompanied La Porouse as surgeon major, 

 describes the Indians whom he saw at Conception, as of 

 lower stature than Europeans, their faces as larger and 

 more rounded, the features more strongly marked, the 

 eyes small, black, and deep seated, the forehead low, the 

 eye-brows black and shaggy, the nose short and flatted, 

 the cheek bones high, the lip thick, the mouth wide, 

 and the chin diminutive. Very few of the native Chili- 

 ans have almost any beard, being accustomed to pluck 

 it out with pincers. 



They all speak the same language ; a language remark- Language, 

 able for its regularity, softness, and power of expression. 

 The Chilian is in no respect connected with the other Ame- 

 rican languages, and differs essentially from them all, both 

 in its words and construction. The rules of its composition 

 are simple and precise, and the theory of the language 

 may be acquired with the greatest facility. There is not 

 in its whole vocabulary one irregular verb or noun. It 

 contains a great number of radical words ; but the ge- 

 nius of the language consists in the formation of com- 

 pounds, which are extremely numerous. Except the i, 

 which is wanting, the Chilian alphabet is the same with 

 that of the Latin. Like the Latin, also, its harmony is 

 somewhat injured by a too frequent recurrence of the 

 letter v. It does not, however, possess a single guttural 



r or vocal aspirate. 



The population of Spanish Chili, as we have before Spanish In- 

 noticed, ha been considerably augmented since the re habitanti, 

 moval of certain impolitic and oppressive restrictions 'nnn<rr, 

 upon maritime commerce. The wealthier inhabitants """' 

 are in general fond of splendour and magnificence, which 

 appears in their dress and equipage. The fashions are 

 directed by those of Lima. Byron, who resided for some 

 time in the country, gives the following description of 

 the manners anil cu-toms of St Jago. " In their assem- 

 blies many intrigues are carried on, for they think of no- 

 thing else throughout the year. Their fandangoes are 

 very agreeable. The women dance inimitably, most of 

 them have delightful voices, and all play upon the guitar 

 and harp : on the harp they excel every other nation. 

 They are cxtieniely polite: :>ud when asked cither to 

 play, dance, or sing, they do it without a moment's hesi- 

 tation, and that with an exceeding good grace. They 

 have many figure dances ; but what they take most de- 

 light in are more like our hornpipes than any thing I can 

 compare them to, ai.d upon these occasions they shew 

 lurprUing agility. The women are remarkably hand- 



