J87 



the science and ancient customs of the Chilians. 

 Their language contains also words indicating 

 a knowledge of several other arts, which I de- 

 cline mentioning, as there are no guides of suf- 

 ficient accuracy to conduct our researches into a 

 subject so important, and at the same time so 

 doubtful. The first Europeans who visited these 

 countries, attracted by other objects of far less 

 interest, thought little or nothing of those that 

 merit the attention of every observing mind, on 

 visiting an unknown people. From thence it 

 has happened that their accounts, for the most 

 part, furnish us only with vague and confused 

 ideas, from whence we can draw nothing but 

 conjectures. The Chilians, however, remained 

 in much the same state of society as I have de- 

 scribed, until an unexpected revolution com- 

 pelled them, in a great measure, to adopt other 

 customs and other laws. 



