VALPARAISO. 117 
and a door in the hall opens into another a little less. This is the 
body of the house, in front of which, looking to the south-west, there 
is a broad veranda. Adjoining, there is a servants’ room, and at a 
little distance the kitchen. My landlord, who deals in horses, has 
stables for them and his oxen, and several small cottages for his 
peons and their families, besides storehouses all around. There is a 
garden in front of the house, which slopes down towards the little 
river that divides me from the Almendral, stored with apples, pears, 
almonds, peaches, grapes, oranges, olives, and quinces, besides pump- 
kins, melons, cabbages, potatoes, French beans, and maize, and a few 
flowers ; and behind the house the barest reddest hill in the neigh- 
bourhood rises pretty abruptly. It affords earth for numerous beau- 
tiful shrubs, and is worn in places by the constant tread of the mules, 
who bring firewood, charcoal, and vegetables, to the Valparaiso mar- 
ket. The interior of the house is clean, the walls are whitewashed, 
and the roof is planked, for stucco ceilings would not stand the fre- 
quent earthquakes, of which we had one pretty smart shock to-night. 
No Valparaiso native house of the middling class boasts more than 
one window, and that is not glazed, but generally secured by carved 
wooden or iron lattice-work ; this is, of course, in the public sitting- 
room; so that the bedrooms are perfectly dark: I am considered 
fortunate in having doors to mine, but there is none between the 
hall and sittingroom, so I have made bold to hang up a curtain, to 
the wonder of my landlady, who cannot understand my finding no 
amusement in watching the motions of the servants or visitors who 
may be in the outer room. 
May 10th.— Thanks to my friends both ashore and in the frigate, 
I am now pretty comfortably settled in my little home. Every body 
has been kind ; one neighbour-lends me a horse, another such fur- 
niture as I require: nation and habits make no difference. I arrived 
here in need of kindness, and I have received it from all. 
I have great comfort in strolling on the hill behind my house; it 
commands a lovely view of the port and neighbouring hills. It is 
totally uncultivated; and in the best season can afford but poor 
