CHILE. LIMA. 159 



CHILE AND PERU. 



CHILE. 



CHILE, as may be seen in the maps, is a narrow strip of 

 land between the Cordillera and the Pacific ; and this strip is 

 itself traversed by several mountain -lines, which, near Quil- 

 lota, run parallel to the great range. Between these outer 

 lines and the main Cordillera a succession of level basins, 

 generally opening into each other by narrow passages, extend 

 far to the southward : in these the principal towns are situ- 

 ated, as San Felipe, Santiago, San Fernando. These basins 

 or plains, together with the flat cross -valleys (like that of 

 Quillota) which connect them with the coast, I have no doubt 

 are the bottoms of ancient inlets and deep bays, such as at 

 the present day intersect every part of Tierra del Fuego and 

 the western coast. The resemblance of Chile to the latter 

 country was occasionally shown strikingly when a level fog- 

 bank covered, as with a mantle, all the lower parts of the 

 country ; the white vapor curling into the ravines beautifully 

 represented little coves and bays, and here and there a soli- 

 tary hillock peeping up, showed that it had formerly stood 

 there as an islet. 



LIMA. 



LIMA stands on a plain in a valley formed during the 

 gradual retreat of the sea. It is seven miles from Callao, 

 and five hundred feet higher; but, from the slope being 

 very gradual, the road appears absolutely level, so that when 

 at Lima it is difficult to believe one has ascended even one 



