ULLOA*S VOYAGE TO SOUTH AMERICA. ^79 



Here is alio a tribunal of Croifade, the members of which are a fub-delegate com- 

 miflary, an accountant, and treafurer. Likewife a commiflion of inquifition, all the 

 officers of which are appointed by the tribunal of inquifition at Lima. 



The temperature of the air at Santiago is nearly the fame with that of Conception. 

 The luxuriancy of foil, and exuberance of all kinds of provifions, the commerce, and 

 other neceflary particulars, I Ihall mention in the following account of the kingdom 

 of Chili. 



CHAP. VIII. — Account of that Part of Chili within the jurifdiBion of the Audience 



of Santiago, 



THE kingdom of Chili extends from the frontiers of Peru to the ftreights of Ma- 

 gellan, the diftance being five hundred and thirty leagues. Thefe two kingdoms, as I 

 have mentioned in another place, are feparatcd by the defart of Atacamo, which extends 

 eighty leagues between the province of the fame name, being the lall of Peru, and the 

 valley of Copoyapu, now corruptly called Copiapo, the firfl in Chili, and in every 

 particular refembles the defart of Settura. Eaftward, fome parts of this kingdom 

 terminates on the frontiers of Paraguay, though fome uninhabited defarts intervene ; 

 and others border on tiie government of Buenos Ayres ; though between thefe are 

 the Pampas, or extenfive and level plains. Its weltern boundary is the fouth-fea, ex- 

 tending from twenty-feven degrees nearly, the latitude of Copiapo, to 53° 30'. But 

 to confine ourfelves to the true extent of this kingdom, as inhabited by the Spaniards, 

 it begins at Copiapo, and terminates at the large ifland of Chiloe, the fouthern ex- 

 tremity of which is in 34° of fouth latitude ; and its extent from weft to eaft is the 4i- 

 diftance between the Cordillera, which is here^of a ftupendous height, and the coaft 

 of the fouth-fea ; that is, about thirty leagues. 



Part of the country which at prefent compofes the kingdom of Chili, was fubjefted 

 to the empire of the Yncas by Yupanqui, the tenth emperor ; who, incited by the 

 inchanting account given of thefe provinces, undertook the conqueft of them ; and 

 profeculed the enterprize with fucfi fuccefs, that he fubdued the feveral nations inha- 

 biting the valleys of Copoyapu or Copiapo, Coquimpu or Coquimbo, and Chili. But in 

 his intended career fouthward, the vidloriousYnca met with an unfurmountable difficulty 

 I from the Purum.auco Indians, and other nations, whom the rapidity of his conquefts 

 had induced to oppofe him by a general confederacy. Thus he found himfelf under a 

 neceffity of defifting, after having carried his arms as far as the river Mauli, which is 

 in the latitude of 34° 30'. 



After the Spaniards had undertaken a defcent in Peru, and made themfelves mafters 

 of its feveral provinces, the Marflial Don Diego de Almagro was commiffioned for the 

 conqueft of Chili. Accordingly he marched from Cufco at the beginning of the 

 year 1535, and after lofmg the greateft part of his Indians, and a confiderable num- 

 ber of Spaniards, who periftied with cold in paffing over the Cordillera Nevada, he 

 arrived at Copiapo, where the Indians, without trying the chance of war, fubmitted. 

 Animated with fuch unexpected pufillanimity, he proceeded to the conqueft of other 

 nations ; even fuch as never had acknowledged the Yncas. And though he here 

 met with a more warlike people, who were determined to fell their liberty dear, he 

 carried on the war profperoujfly. But His Majefty, in confideration of his great fer-^ 

 vices, performed with fo much hazard, having conferred on him the government of a 

 territory a hundred leagues in length, fouth of that which belonged to the Marquis 



I Don: 



