MELIPILLA. 259 



of the shortness of the time allowed for preparation, but our hunger 

 would have relished a much worse ; there was excellent roast beef, 

 a stewed fowl, good bread, and a bottle of very tolerable wine. The 

 beds appeared to embarrass Mr. de Roos more than any thing : but I 

 am an old traveller, and our Chileno friends are used to the sort of 

 thing ; so my young Englishman made up his mind to our all passing 

 the night within the same four walls. An excellent matrass, with all 

 proper additions, was laid on one end of the estrada for Dona Rosa- 

 rio and me ; and across the foot of our couch the skins and carpets 

 of the saddles furnished forth Mr. de Roos, while another of the same 

 kind served Don Antonio. I thought of the " Sentimental Jour- 

 ney," and placed a parcel of high-backed chairs, and spread the long 

 skirt of my riding-habit between Rosario and me and our companions, 

 — a work of supererogation, if all slept as soundly as I did, which I 

 presume they did, because when I rose at day-break I found them 

 all still ; so I crept into a little closet, where potatoes and wool had 

 been kept, and where I had contrived a dressing-room ; so that I was 

 ready to receive two strangers, who walked into the room before any 

 of the rest were stirring, and -seating themselves without ceremony, 

 began to question us about ourselves and our journey. I soon found 

 that one of these was an Englishman, who had belonged to a whaler 

 which foundered off Juan Fernandez. He is now at the head of a 

 large soap and candle manufactory here, belonging to a gentleman 

 of Chile. This is a favourable situation for such a business, both on 

 account of the tallow, and of the facility of procuring ashes and 

 charcoal : by-the-bye, I saw them making charcoal near Longuien. 

 The pieces of wood are cut about two feet long, then laid in a trench 

 covered with earth, and so burned. I suppose this to be a wasteful 

 process. Were not the discouragement of all coasting trade so great 

 here, Melipilla might be immensely rich : it is only ten leagues from 

 the mouth of the Maypu, where there is the safe little harbour of 

 Saint Augustin ; where the cheese, butter, charqui, hides, tallow, 

 soap, and earthenware might be shipped for every port of Chile. 



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