AN 



HISTORICAL RELATION OF THE KINGDOM OF CHILE, 

 BY ALONSO DE OVALLE, 



OF THE COMPANY OF JESUS, 

 A NATIVE OF ST. JAGO OF CHILE, AND PROCURATOR AT ROME FOR THAT PLACE. 



Printed at Rome by Francifco Cavallo, 1649, with Licence of his Superiors. 



TRANSLATED OUT OT SPANISH IMTO ENGLISH*. 



The TranJIaUr*s Preface, 



ll/^HEN the tranflation of the hiftory of Chile was firll undertaken, it was more 

 out ofconfideration of making that part of the world, fo remote from ours, better 

 known, as to the geographical part, the natural hiftory, and the firft fettlements of 

 the Spaniards, than to enter into a diftinft narrative of the events of that invafion, 

 which contain little inftruflion, being between a people of great arts and abilities on 

 one fide, and another of great natural courage, and no culture of the mind or body, 

 on the other. The cafe was fo extravagantly unequal between them, when the odds 

 of guns, armour, horfes, and difcipline, are weighed againft nakednefs, anarchy, panick 

 terrors, and fimplicity, that it feems a kind of prodigy that the^love of liberty and a ftock 

 of natural unpolifhed bravery, fhould hold a conteft with armed avarice, fpirited by 

 fuperftiticus zeal, for almoft a whole century. 



The natural hiftory of Chile is fo admirably performed, that it may be a model for 

 moft relations of that kind ; for there are exa£t defcriptions of all the beafts, birds, 

 fifhes, plants, minerals, coafts, rivers, bays, and inhabitants of the country, that can 

 be wiflied for. There is, befides, an excellent account of the climate, the feafons, the 

 winds, the manner of living both of the Indians and the Spaniards. The defcrlption 

 of the great Cordillera, or chain of mountains, which runs for almoft a thoufand leagues 

 in a parallel line with the South Sea, and divides Chile from the ultra mountain 

 provinces, is fo accurate, that nothing of that kind can be more fo : the narrative of 

 the manner of travelling through thofe vaft plains of Cuyo and Tucuman, as far as 

 Buenos Ayres, and the river of Plata ; the topographical defcription of the ftreights of 

 Magellan, with all its bays, ports, and its whole navigation, are of great inftrudion, as 

 well as very entertaining. 



♦ From Churchill's Colledion, toI. iii. third edition 1745. The importance of the countries has been 

 Adore attended to than Arid chronology. 



In 



