458 SOUTH AMERICA— THE ANDES REGIONS. 



Efforts, however, are now being made to extend the southern headland by means 

 of dykes and breakwaters. 



The form of the city is determined by that of the shore-line. A long quay 

 skirting the curved beach presents a frontage to three parallel thoroughfares, 

 which fill the whole space between the sea and the foot of the hill, and which 

 are intersected at intervals by transverse streets. The two rows of houses lying 

 nearest to the roadstead stand on level ground which has been widened several 

 hundred yards, either by the effects of an earthquake, or by matter washed in 

 with the waves. Continuous lines of suburbs climbing up the slopes are con- 

 nected with the low-lying quarters by means of lifts, 



Beino- entirely devoted to trade, Valparaiso has scarcely any noteworthy 

 monuments, but it possesses large arsenals, shipyards, workshops and a naval 

 college. In the peaceful year 1890 the shipping exceeded 2,400,000 tons, and even 

 in 1891, a time of sieges, blockades and battles, it fell little short of 1,900,000 tons. 

 The greater part of this trade is carried on with Great Britain, and British 

 influence is everywhere in the ascendant ; in some quarters English is spoken as 

 generally as Spanish. 



At the narrow depression between the hills and the shore, much additional 

 space was obtained by levelling a western promontory and throwing the debris 

 into the sea. But even this new quarter with the districts ascending the escarp- 

 ments of the hills, no longer suffices for the growing population. East and north- 

 east, beyond the quays and the railway station, the rows of houses have already 

 reached the foot of the cliffs, here uniting with the fashionable quarter, Vind 

 de Mar, where are situated the bathing establishments, hotels and suburban 

 villas. 



Santiago. 



Vina de Mar and Sa/to, another pleasant retreat from the bustle of the 

 trading quarters, are railway stations on the only line (1893) connecting 

 Valparaiso with the capital by Quillota and the Aconcagua valley. The much 

 shorter but more difficult route over the mountains runs by Casa Blanca 

 (" Whitehouse "), an old wayside inn which has developed into a rural town. 

 A third road, soon to be replaced by a railway, follows the south coast by San 

 Antonio and the Bio Maipo valley round to Santiago. 



This place was founded as capital of the provincial government over 350 

 years ago. A white marble statue of the Conquistador Pedro de Valdivia, crown- 

 ing the Santa Lucia eminence which dominates the city, bears an inscription 

 to the effect that the " captain," first Governor of Chili, settled his troop of 150 

 men in this place, where he founded the city of Santiago in the year 1541. 

 Born in Estremadura, he gave the colony the name of his native town, Santiago 

 del Nuevo Extremo, a now forgotten designation replaced by that of Santiago 

 simply, or more specially Santiago of Chili. 



On the Pacific seaboard the Chilian capital has no rival in the southern 



