VALPARAISO. 123 



shore, where it oozes through a sand-bank to the sea, close to a little 

 cove filled with fishermen's houses.* On ascending the ravine 

 a little farther, I found at the top of the waterfall, a bed of white 

 marble lying along on the sober grey rock ; and beyond it, half con- 

 cealed by the shrubs, the water formed a thousand little falls — 



" Through bushy brake and wild flowers blossoming, 

 And freshness breathing from each silver spring, 

 Whose scattered streams from granite basins burst, 

 Leap into life, and sparkling woo your thirst." 



But this valley, like all those in the immediate neighbourhood of 

 Valparaiso, wants trees. The shrubs, however, are beautiful, and mixed 

 here and there with the Chilian aloe (Pourretia Coarctata), and the 

 great torch thistle, which rises to an extraordinary height. Among 

 the humble flowers I remarked varieties of our common garden herbs, 

 carraway, fennel, sage, thyme, mint, rue, wild carrot, and several 

 sorts of sorrel. But it is not yet the season of flowers ; here and 

 there only, a solitary fuscia or andromeda was to be found ; — but I 

 did not want flowers, — the very feel of the open air, the verdure, the 

 sunshine, were enough ; and I doubly enjoyed this my first rural 

 walk after being so long at sea. 



Friday, May 11th. — Three days of half fog, half rain, have given 

 notice of the breaking up of the dry season, and my landlord has 

 accordingly sent people to prepare the roof for the coming wet 

 weather. This has given me an opportunity of being initiated in all 

 the mysteries of Chileno masonry, or architecture, or whatever title 

 we may give to the manner of building here. The poorest peasants 

 live in what I conceive to be the original hut of every country, a 

 little less carefully constructed here, where the climate is so fine and 

 the temperature so equal, that, .provided the roof is sufficient during 

 the rains, the walls are of little consequence. These huts are made 

 of stakes stuck in the ground, and fastened together with transverse 



• This is the only rivulet near Valparaiso : the old maps and travels, therefore, which 

 represent the port as standing at the mouth of a river are wrong. Valparaiso is midway 

 between the mouths of the Acoucagua and of the Maypu. 



R 2 



