86 ovalle's historical relation of chile. 



owners ; and being once in thofe mountains, they have increafed fo wonderfully, that 

 they are become a game, and many go to kill them, or take them for profit. 



CHAP. ICXII. — Of the Trees growing in Chile, 



AMONGST other obligations which the land of America has to Spain, one is, the 

 having enriched it with f© many noble plants, trees, and feeds, which it wanted ; for 

 before the Spaniards conquered it, there were not in jll America either vines, fig-trees, 

 olive-trees, apple-trees, melicotoons, peaches, auberge*?, quinces, pears, pomegranates, 

 cherries, apricots, plumbs, oranges, lemons, citrons, nor almonds. As for feeds, there 

 was neither wheat, barley, nor oats, anifeed, coriander-feed, cumin, nor oreganum, lint- 

 feed, flax, peafe, beans, nor cabbage, lettice, raddiflies, cardoons, chicory, nor indive, 

 berenguenas, gourels, melons, cucumbers, parfley, garlick, nor onion. But inftead of 

 thefe trees, fruits, and plants, the Author of nature had provided them with others of 

 great ufe and good rehfh, fuch as maize, all over America : Frifoles, Las Papas el 

 Madi, Los Capallos, and fome others, are proper only to Peru, and the land within 

 the tropicks ; the Camotes, Guayabas, Mammeyes, Plantanos, Zipitapotes, Anones, 

 Nifperos, Aquacates, Pinnas, Guanabanas, Papayas, Pitabayas, and many others, which, 

 though highly commended, do not generally come up to the relifh of the European 

 fruits. Aiid the bread and wine has been a Angular addition to them, fuch as the In- 

 dians value more than all their product, and particularly the wine, which is their chief 

 delight ; as for bread, they value it, but not fo much. 



Though America is obliged to Europe for all this addition, yet Chile much more, 

 as having the greateft advantage by it, and with more plenty than Sttiy other part of the 

 new world ; for though all that we have named of European plants are to be found 

 fomewhere, yet not all every where ; for in fome .there grows corn, and not wine ; in 

 others, both thofe, and not oil ; in others, neither corn, wine, nor oil, but other fruit- 

 trees. The fame thing may be faid of the animals to eat ; fome have beef, others mut- 

 ton, others pork, which on the continent is a delicacy, and is given to the fick ; fo 

 that running over all America, we may find that this communication of new creatures 

 has reached fome parts for one thing, and fome for another. But as for the kingdom 

 of Chile, it may be faid to have been totally obliged and enriched ; for all the trees, 

 feeds, plants, and all the animals, &c. of Europe, are to be found there, and that 

 almofl in every part of it, for it is rare to fee any thing take in one place, and not in 

 another ; but if it does, they may eafily have it from their neighbours, if it be not fo 

 good, or not at all with them. 



In the third chapter of this book, we have already mentioned how all thefe Euro- 

 pean fruits and feeds take in Chile, but we can never enough dilate upon that fubjeft : 

 it will hardly be believed by moft people, particularly by thofe, who, never having 

 been out of their own country, are fo in love with it, as not to imagine there can be 

 any equal to it, much lefs exceed it ; and we relating things fo diftant, of which we 

 cannot bring ocular witneffes, we are the more liable to contradidion ; but fince we 

 are writing a hiftory, we muft fpeak the truth as we know it, and it really is. 



Some trees do not exceed in bignefs thofe of Europe of the fame kind, as cherry- 

 trees, quince-trees, almond, peach, and pomegranate-trees, olive, orange, lemon, and 

 citron-trees, melicotoons ; which laft, in Tucuman, are neverthelefs very large, and to 

 that degree, that three or four men fometimes cannot embrace the body of one of 

 thofe trees. I have feen fome apple-4:rees as big as elm-trees ; the pear-trees are yet 



bigger, 



