98 NOHTUER.V C'lin,E. 



lith. — We reached Coquimbo, where we stayed 

 a few days. The town is remarkable for nothing 

 but its extreme quietness. It is said to contain 

 from 6000 to 8000 inhabitants. On the morning 

 of the 17th it rained lightly, the first time this year, 

 for about live hours. The farmers, who plant corn 

 near the sea-coast, where the atmosphere is more 

 humid, taking advantage of this shower, would 

 break up the ground ; after a second they would 

 put the seed in ; and if a third shower should fall, 

 they would reap a good harvest in the spring. It 

 was interesting to watch the effect of this trifling 

 amount of moisture. Twelve hours afterwards the 

 ground appeared as dry as ever ; yet, after an in- 

 terval of ten days, all the hills were faintly tinged 

 with green patches, the grass being sparingly 

 scattered in hair-like fibres a full inch in length. 

 Before this shower every part of the surface was 

 bare as on a high road. 



In the evening. Captain Fitz Roy and myself 

 were dining with Mr. Edwards, an English resi- 

 dent, well known for his hospitality by all who 

 have visited Coquimbo, when a sharp earthquake 

 happened. I heard the forecoming rumble ; but, 

 from the screams of the ladies, the running of the 

 servants, and the rush of several of the gentlemen 

 to the doorway, I could not distinguish the motion. 

 Some of the women afterwards were crying with 

 terror, and one gentleman said he should not be 

 able to sleep all night, or if he did, it would only 

 be to dream of falling houses. The father of this 

 person had lately lost all his property at Talcahu- 

 ano, and he himself had only just escaped a falling 

 roof at Valparaiso in 1822. He mentioned a cu- 

 I'ious coincidence which then happened : he was 

 playing at cards, when a German, one of the party, 

 got up, and said he would never sit in a room in 



