422 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



were informed was the Museum, but after a time were 

 directed to his colleague Mr. Landbeck, who informed us that 

 Dr. Philippi was not then at the Museum, and courteously 

 offered to send a person with us to show us the way to his 

 house. We thankfully accepted this proposal, setting forth 

 preceded by our guide, and after walking for a considerable 

 distance, were fortunate enough to encounter the object of 

 our search, to whom we accordingly introduced ourselves. 



Dr. Philippi was kind enough to accompany us to the 

 Museum, where we spent a couple of hours in his company 

 in the examination of specimens of Chilian plants and ani- 

 mals, receiving a great deal of information from him regard- 

 ing the fauna and flora of Chili, of both which the Museum 

 possesses, thanks to his zeal, an admirable representation, 

 causing us to regret all the more the poor accommodation 

 allotted to it by the Chilian government. The ornithological 

 and malacological collections, as well as the herbarium, struck 

 me as particularly fine, and remarkably well arranged for 

 purposes of study. 



After leaving the Museum we called on a Chilian gentle- 

 man to whom I had been given an introduction by one of the 

 English merchants in Valparaiso, and in the evening dined 

 with him at a large club, of which he was the secretary. 

 As he possessed an excellent knowledge of the English 

 language, we gained much information from him regarding 

 Santiago and its inhabitants. Although a Eoman Catholic, 

 he appeared to entertain the very lowest opinion of the 

 morale of the priesthood, describing their general character 

 in very forcible terms, and giving us plainly to understand 

 that they possessed but little religious influence, save with 

 the female portion of the community. On the forenoon of 

 next day, which was very fine, though the distant prospect 



