1 834.] AT CASTRO. 277 



San Carlos, in lieu of a debt ; and this he sold for 350 

 dollars, or about ;^7o sterling. 



The two succeeding days were fine, and at night we 

 reached the island of Quinchao. This neighbourhood is 

 the most cultivated part of the Archipelago ; for a broad 

 strip of land on the coast of the main island, as well as on 

 many of the smaller adjoining ones, is almost completely 

 cleared. Some of the farmhouses seemed very comfortable. 

 I was curious to ascertain how rich any of these people 

 might be, but Mr. Douglas says that no one can be 

 considered as possessing a regular Income. One of 

 the richest landowners might possibly accumulate, in 

 a long industrious life, as much as ;^iooo sterling ; but 

 should this happen, it would all be stowed away in 

 some secret corner, for it is the custom of almost every 

 family to have a jar or treasure-chest buried in the 

 ground. 



November ^f^th. — Early on Sunday morning we reached 

 Castro, the ancient capital of Chiloe, but now a most 

 forlorn and deserted place. The usual quadrangular 

 arrangement of Spanish towns could be traced, but the 

 streets and plaza were coated with fine green turf, on 

 which sheep were browsing. The church, which stands in 

 the middle, is entirely built of plank, and has a picturesque 

 and venerable appearance. The poverty of the place may 

 be conceived from the fact, that although containing some 

 hundreds of Inhabitants, one of our party was unable any- 

 where to purchase either a pound of sugar or an ordinary 

 knife. No individual possessed either a watch or a clock ; 

 and an old man, who was supposed to have a good idea 

 of time, was employed to strike the church bell by guess. 

 The arrival of our boats was a rare event in this quiet 

 retired corner of the world ; and nearly all the inhabitants 

 came down to the beach to see us pitch our tents. They 

 were very civil, and offered us a house ; and one man even 

 sent us a cask of cider a.«- a present. In the afternoon we 

 paid our respects to the governor — a quiet old man, who, 

 in his appearance and manner of life, was scarcely superior 

 to an English cottager. At night heavy rain set In, which 

 was hardly sufficient to drive away fiom our tents the large 

 circle of lookers-on. An Indian family, who had come to 

 trade in a canoe from Caylen, bivouacked near us. They 

 had no shehor during the rain. In the morning 1 asked 

 a young Indian, who was wet to the skin, how he had 



