VALLEY OF COPIAPO. 109 



as happened during one period of thirty years, so 

 that not a drop entered the sea. The inhabitants 

 watch a storm over the Cordillera w^ith great inter- 

 est, as one good fall of snow provides them with 

 water for the ensuing year. This is of infinitely 

 more consequence than rain in the lower country. 

 Rain, as often as it falls, which is about once in 

 every two or three years, is a great advantage, be- 

 cause the cattle and mules can for some time after- 

 wards find a little pasture on the mountains. But 

 without snow on the Andes, desolation extends 

 throughout the valley. It is on record that three 

 times nearly all the inhabitants have been obliged 

 to emigrate to the south. This year there was 

 plenty of water, and every man imgated his 

 ground as much as he chose ; but it has frequently 

 been necessary to post soldiers at the sluices, to 

 see that each estate took only its proper allowance 

 during so many hours in the week. The valley is 

 said to contain 12,000 souls, but its produce is suf- 

 ficient only for three months in the year, the rest 

 of the supply being drawn from Valparaiso and 

 the south. Before the discovery of the famous 

 silver-mines of Chanuncillo, Copiapo was in a rap- 

 id state of decay ; but now it is in a very thriving 

 condition, and the town, which was completely 

 overthrown by an earthquake, has been rebuilt. 



The valley of Copiapo, forming a mere riband 

 of green in a desert, runs in a very southerly direc- 

 tion, so that it is of considerable length to its source 

 in the Cordillera. The valleys of Guasco and 

 Copiapo may both be considered as long, narrow 

 islands, separated from the rest of Chile by deserts 

 of rock instead of by salt water. Northward of 

 these there is one other very miserable valley, 

 called Paposo, which contains about two hundred 

 soiils ; and then there extends the real desert of 

 IL— K 



