42 



Arrival at San Felipe. 

 San Felipe described. 



CHILI. 



Manufacture of aguardiente. 

 Mr. and Mrs. Newman. 



hundred feet above the level of the sea. The 

 mountains in the immediate neighbourhood were 

 from six to seven thousand feet high, exhibiting a 

 gorgeous appearance as the sunbeams lighted them 

 up, and at times the brilliancy was so great as to 

 dazzle the eye. They left the rancho at seven 

 o'clock, and although it was only ten miles distant, 

 they did not reach San Felipe before eleven. The 

 road passed over a third cuesta, which exhibited a 

 regular columnar structure. The hills inclining 

 to the northward, open and present to view the 

 broad plain of Aconcagua. San Felipe de Acon- 

 cagua stands about fifteen miles from the foot of 

 the Andes, and the mountains are seen from 

 thence in all their grandeur. The peak of Tupon- 

 gati is, however, lost sight of as the town is ap- 

 proached, disappearing behind the nearer snowy 

 peaks. This mountain is situated on the dividing 

 or eastern ridge of the Cordilleras, and within the 

 United Provinces of La Plata. 



On arriving at San Felipe they proceeded at 

 once to the house of Mr. Henry Newman, an Eng- 

 lish gentleman resident there, and engaged in 

 mining operations, to whom they had letters. Mr. 

 Newman was not at home, but they were hospita- 

 bly received by his lady, a native of Chili, who 

 treated them with great kindness and attention. 

 In the absence of her husband, she made them 

 acquainted with an American gentleman, a Mr. 

 Chase, who happened to be on a visit there from 

 Santiago. He had been in Chili since the failure 

 of the expedition of Carrera, when he, with several 

 of his companions, settled in Chili, and afterwards 

 engaged in mining operations. He had several 

 times amassed a large property, and as often lost 

 it by the revolutions that had taken place in the 

 country. He is now engaged in working a silver- 

 mine in the vicinity of Santiago, and attempting 

 the German process of smelting, as there are vast 

 quantities of ore, containing a large per centage 

 of silver, which have hitherto been neglected, 

 from the impracticability of separating the silver 

 by the usual method. There is now only one sur- 

 vivor from among the thirty persons who settled 

 in Chili with Mr. Chase. From his operations he 

 expects in a few years to realize a large fortune. 



The town of San Felipe is laid out with great 

 regularity, in the form of a square, surrounded by 

 extensive alamedas, which are planted with Lom- 

 bardy poplars. Mr. Newman gave the population 

 at from twelve to thirteen thousand. In the centre 

 of the town is a large open square, one side of 

 which is occupied by the town- hall and offices 

 connected with the municipality. Opposite are 

 the church and barracks, and the remaining sides 

 are occupied with shops and private dwellings. 

 The houses are all of one story, and are in a good 

 style of building. The better class of houses stand 

 some distance back from the street, and are de- 

 corated tastefully with paintings in fresco on the 

 walls. Roses and jessamines were seen in every 

 court-yard, and the gardens are well filled with 

 various fruits, apples, peaches, pears, grapes, pome- 

 granates, oranges, lemons, and quinces; the latter 

 are remarkably fine, and in great plenty. The 

 houses, as in other parts of Chili, have no fire- 

 places, in lieu of which they use brazeros, or pans 

 of live coal, when heat is required. Mr. Chase 

 took them to a friend of his to see the process of 

 manufacturing the acida and aguardiente of the 



country. The whole process is carried on in a 

 large court behind the house. The grapes are 

 brought in large baskets, or hand-barrows, made 

 with poles and raw hide, and are emptied in 

 heaps under an open shed. Here several small 

 boards are placed, on which the grapes are 

 laid by the men, who separate them from the 

 stalks by rolling them rapidly in their hands, the 

 grapes falling along the boards, which are inclined 

 into a large vat, where they are trodden out by 

 men. The juice, which runs off through a rude 

 strainer at one end, is received into large earthen 

 jars ; the pumice, or residuum, is from time to 

 time taken out of the vat, and placed on a plat- 

 form, when more juice is expressed, by laying 

 boards and heavy stones upon it. That part which 

 is intended for wine proper, or the " must," is re- 

 ceived, like the first, into earthen jars, where it 

 undergoes the requisite fermentation, and receives 

 a small quantity of brandy, or the aguardiente of 

 the country, to give it body. The chicha is made 

 by boiling down the clear grape-juice, after fer- 

 mentation, for several hours over a slow fire. 

 After this process it was put in enormous earthen 

 jars, containing sixty to one hundred and twenty 

 gallons, which are covered over, and tightly luted. 

 The portion not required for consumption is after- 

 wards distilled with the pumice into aguardiente 

 of the country. The stills are of the simplest con- 

 struction, being nothing more than a number of 

 large earthen pots, holding from eighty to one 

 hundred gallons, placed in the ground over a long 

 narrow oven. Instead of a worm, a straight pipe 

 of copper is used, about twenty feet long; one of 

 these was inserted into each pot or jar, and to 

 effect the condensation, a stream of water from 

 the river was led so as to pass over them. All 

 the agricultural implements are equally rude and 

 primitive. The ploughs are nothing more than a 

 crooked stick, with the share-end pointed, and 

 hardened by charring. Notwithstanding these dis- 

 advantages, they are enabled to raise large crops, 

 and bring their farms into tolerable condition. 



In the evening they had the pleasure of seeing 

 Mr. Newman, who returned ; and his reception of 

 his guests was, if possible, even more kind than 

 that of his good lady. Learning that our gentlemen 

 wished to visit some of the mines in the neighbour- 

 hood, he immediately made arrangement to send 

 his agent to his own establishment, five leagues 

 beyond San Felipe, and provided them horses and 

 mules, in order that their own might recruit for 

 their return journey. The temperature at San 

 Felipe varied, between noon and 10 P.M., from 63 

 to 49. The night was remarkably clear and fine. 



The next morning they started, with Mr. George 

 Alderson, for the mines, which are near the sum- 

 mit of the first Cordillera, on the Mendoza road, 

 and about three thousand feet above the level of 

 the sea. They were here informed, that in conse- 

 quence of the late heavy falls of snow, the roads 

 were all covered and congealed, and that it extended 

 several thousand feet below the limit of perpetual 

 snow. 



The part of this valley where the ranches are 

 situated is called La Vega of Jaquel. This is the 

 principal smelting-place, the ore being brought 

 here by mules from the foot of the mountain, down 

 whose sides it is thrown from the mines. The 

 descent is about two thousand feet, and very steep. 



