326 CENTRAL CHILE. 



ments made by the officers in the Beagle, its height 

 is no less than 23,000 feet. The Cordillera, how- 

 ever, viewed from this point, owe the greater part 

 of their beauty to the atmosphere through which 

 they are seen. When the sun was setting in the 

 Pacific, it was admirable to watch how clearly 

 their rugged outlines could be distinguished, yet 

 how varied and how delicate were the shades of 

 their colour. 



I had the good fortune to find living here Mr. 

 Richard Corfield, an old schoolfellow and friend, 

 to whose hospitality and kindness I was greatly in- 

 debted, in having afforded me a most pleasant 

 residence during the Beagle's stay in Chile. The 

 immediate neighbourhood of Valparaiso is not 

 very productive to the naturalist. During the 

 long summer the wind blows steadily from the 

 southward, and a little off" shore, so that rain never 

 falls ; during the three winter months, however, it 

 is sufficiently abundant. The vegetation, in conse- 

 quence, is very scanty : except in some deep valleys, 

 there are no trees, and only a little grass and a few 

 low bushes are scattered over the less stee2') parts 

 of the hills. When we reflect that, at the distance 

 of 350 miles to the south, this side of the Andes is 

 completely hidden by one impenetrable forest, the 

 contrast is very remarkable. 1 took several long 

 walks while collecting objects of natural history. 

 The country is pleasant for exercise. There are 

 many very beautiful flowers ; and, as in most other 

 dry climates, the plants and shrubs possess strong 

 and peculiar odours — even one's clothes, by brush- 

 ing through them, became scented. I did notr 

 cease from wonder at finding each succeeding day 

 as fine as the foregoing. What a difference does 

 climate make in the enjoyment of life ! How op- 

 posite are the sensations when viewing black 



