Chilian traits. Police. 



CHILL 



Shops. Markets. 

 Chilians fond of dancing. The chingano. 



neighbouring springs on the hill, which, if the 

 supply is sufficient, will give the town many com- 

 forts. On the hills are many neat and comfortable 

 dwellings, surrounded by flower-gardens. These 

 are chiefly occupied by the families of American 

 and English merchants. This is the most pleasant 

 part of the town, and enjoys a beautiful view of the 

 harbour. The ascent to it is made quite easy by 

 a well-constructed road through a ravine. The 

 height is two hundred and ten feet above the sea. 

 The east end of the Almenclral is also occupied by 

 the wealthy citizens. The lower classes live in the 

 ravines. Many of their habitations are scarcely 

 sufficient to keep them dry during the rainy sea- 

 son. They are built of reeds, plastered with mud, 

 and thatched with straw. They seldom contain 

 more than one apartment. 



The well-known hills to the south of the port, 

 called the " Main and Fore Top," are the principal 

 localities of the grog-shops and their customers. 

 These two hills, and the gorge (quebrada) between 

 them, seem to contain a large proportion of the 

 worthless population of both sexes. The females, 

 remarkable for their black eyes and red " bayettas," 

 are an annoyance to the authorities, the trade, and 

 commanders of vessels, and equally so to the poor 

 sailors, who seldom leave this port without empty 

 pockets and injured health. 



It was difficult to realize the improvement and 

 change that had taken place in the habits of the 

 people, and the advancement in civil order and 

 civilization. On my former visit, there was no 

 sort of order, regulation, or good government. 

 Robbery, murder, and vices of all kinds, were 

 openly committed. The exercise of arbitrai-y mili- 

 tary power alone existed. Not only with the 

 natives, but among foreigners, gambling and knavery 

 of the lowest order, and all the demoralizing effects 

 that accompany them, prevailed. 



1 myself saw 011 my former visit several dead 

 bodies exposed in the public squares, victims of 

 the cuchillo. This was the result of a night's de- 

 bauch, and the fracas attendant upon it. No other 

 punishment awaited the culprits than the remorse 

 of their own conscience. 



Now, Valparaiso, and indeed all Chili, shows a 

 great change for the better ; order reigns through- 

 out ; crime is rarely heard of, and never goes un- 

 punished; good order and decorum prevail out- 

 wardly every where : that engine of good govern- 

 ment, an active and efficient police, has been es- 

 tablished. It is admirably regulated, and brought 

 fully into action, not only for the protection of life 

 and property, but in adding to the comforts of the 

 inhabitants. 



The predominant trait of the Chilians, when 

 compared with other South Americans, is their 

 love of country and attachment to their homes. 

 This feeling is common to all classes. There is 

 also a great feeling of independence and equality. 

 Public opinion has weight in directing the affairs 

 of state. The people are fond of agricultural pur- 

 suits, and the lower orders much better disposed 

 towards foreigners than in other parts. Schools 

 and colleges have been established, and a desire to 

 extend the benefits of education throughout the 

 population is evinced. 



The credit of forming the police is given to Por- 

 tales. It consists of two distinct bodies, one 

 mounted, the other on foot. The watchmen carry 



swords only. The former patrol the streets on 

 horseback, while the latter take their particular 

 walk round a square or two, for which they are 

 responsible. A message may be sent through them 

 to the furthest end of the city, and an answer re- 

 turned, in fifteen minutes. They carry a loud and 

 shrill whistle, the sounds of which are varied as 

 occasion requires, and by it a concentration of 

 force can be effected in a few moments. 



When they cry the hour they all sing the same 

 tune, but the pitch is ranged in accordance with 

 the scope of the voice. The manner of singing the 

 hour, Viva Chili, Viva Chill, las dlez anda y serena, 

 is pleasing. 



In the morning they add to it a prayer, as Ate 

 Maria purissitna las cinco y media. 



This police adds greatly to the comfort as well as 

 to the safety of the inhabitants. To give an in- 

 stance of its effects, apothecaries are chosen weekly 

 to keep their shops open all night, and in case 

 of sickness or requiring any aid, one has only 

 to call for the vigilante, who takes the recipe and 

 passes it to the next, and so on to the shop, where 

 it is obtained, and returned as soon as possible, 

 without any trouble whatever. They have their 

 particular rounds, and each door is obliged to have 

 a padlock. If any door is found without it, they 

 put a lock on, for which the owner has to pay a 

 fine of four dollars to the city to have it removed ; 

 half is the reward of the vigilante. 



A complaint during our stay was made by one of 

 the officers, of exactions made by a policeman. It 

 was instantly taken notice of, and punished. It is 

 to be regretted that this police should still wear 

 the military uniform, as it seems unbecoming in a 

 republican form of government ; at least we thought 

 so. 



The shops are well filled with almost all articles 

 of English, American, and French manufacture. 

 The markets are well supplied. There are no 

 market-gardens in the neighbourhood of Valpa- 

 raiso, and nearly all the vegetables are brought 

 from the valley of Quillota, about sixteen miles 

 distant, on the backs of mules, in panniers. The 

 mode of bringing grass or clover to market is 

 peculiar : it sometimes almost covers both horse 

 and rider. 



There are but few amusements. Among them 

 is a theatre, which is small and inconvenient, and 

 the chingano, both of which are usually open on a 

 Sunday evening. 



The Chilians are extremely fond of the dance 

 called the samacueca. This may be called the 

 national dance, and is in vogue among the common 

 people. It is usually performed at the chingano, 

 which is a kind of amphitheatre, surrounded by 

 apartments, where refreshments, including strong 

 drinks, are sold, and is generally well filled by 

 both sexes. The dance is performed on a kind of 

 stage, under an open shed. The music is a mix- 

 ture of Spanish and Indian, and is performed 

 altogether by females, on an old-fashioned long and 

 narrow harp, one end of which rests on the lap of 

 the performer, and the other on the stage, ten 

 feet off. A second girl is seen merrily beating 

 time on the sounding- board of the instrument. On 

 the right is another, strumming the common 

 chords on a wire-string guitar or kitty, making, at 

 every vibration of the right hand, a full sweep 

 across all the strings, and varying the chords. In 

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