S69 



tetliements in Isla Grande are built, forty-one in number ; 

 there is a road across the mountains, but the whole of the in- 

 terior is waste. The Isle of Quinchau has six settlements, 

 Lemui and Llaicha ieach four, Calbuco three, the other in- 

 habited islands only one each, and on the continent there are 

 three. These pueblos may better be called parishes than any 

 thing else ; for the houses are as scattered as the property : 

 every one lives upon his land, and the church stands near the 

 beach, with a few huts round itj erected merely for the pur- 

 pose of lodging the parishioners when they come to mass, or 

 any festival. In tlie whole Archipelago there are but four 

 places where the houses are near enough together to assume 

 the appearance of a village, Chacao, Calbuco, the city of 

 Castro, and the Puerto de San Carlos. This last is the largest 

 and most flourishing. In 1774- it coutalned sixty houses, and 

 four huiKlred and sixty -two inhabitants: in 1 791 there were 

 above two hundred houses, and the population exceeded 

 eleven hundred. But its prosperity is founded upon the ruia 

 of Chacao ; for, till as late as 1 76s, Chacao was the only port 

 In the Archipelago. This harbour is very dangerous in con- 

 sequence of rocks and shoalsj and is also exposed to the north 

 and north-east. On this account, Don Carlos de Bcranger, 

 when governor of the province, recommended that a town 

 shbuld be built at Gacui del Ingles; and accordingly, in 17^7* 

 orders were issued by tlie court of Madrid to that effect. The 

 bay was then newly named Bahia del Rey, and the harbour, 

 Puerto de San Carlos. It is situated in latitude 41. 57- south. 

 Ships are frequently wrecked at the entrance, but this is en- 

 tirely occasioned by the tremendous hurricanes whioh come on 

 suddenly, and completely hide the land. The port itself is 

 good. San Carlos is now the seat of government. 



It is difficult to understand what motives could have in- 

 duced the Spaniards to settle in this miserable country, when 

 there was the whole of this side of South America open to 

 them. Where there is gold or silver to be found, men will 



VOL. II. B b 



