THE SPANISH LANGUAGE. 



37 



that was at first inexplicable merely from our ig- 

 norance, became obvious and useful information, 

 when we knew how to reckon the currency in 

 rhich its value was expressed . In families where, 

 J from whatever cause, we found little sympathy 

 J either in taste or in sentiment, it became impossi- 

 ble to find language to express even the merest 

 common-places. In others again, where we were 

 understood, and the foreign ideas which we im- 

 ported were eagerly grasped at, it was wonderful 

 with what effect we could give them utterance. 

 Mere ignorance has no curiosity in its nature ; 

 and we observed everywhere, that in proportion 

 as the people were instructed, so they required 

 information. Some of the families at Valparaiso, 

 with whom we made acquaintance, entertained us 

 with nothing but a few tunes on the guitar, or a 

 native dance, or some disquisition on a new dress ; 

 but others threw down their work the moment we 

 appeared, crowded round us, and would sit half 

 the night asking questions about London, and all 

 our habits and customs ; and in return told us of 

 their own, and drew such interesting comparisons 

 as excited the highest admiration of their acuteness. 



On these occasions, I have sometimes been led 

 to think, that the very want of full power to ex- 

 press our thoughts reciprocally was of use. In 

 the search for just expressions, the ideas were 

 more carefully investigated. This first version 

 was generally overstrained, and was not intelligible 

 on that account ; the second attempt gave more 

 insight into the subject ; and in the course of these 

 efforts to embody the thoughts, the conception it- 

 self was often sifted, and purified, and rendered 

 distinct, and consequently applicable by the dis- 

 cipline it had undergone. 



It was some time, however, before we came, in 

 practice, to a right apprehension of these truths, 

 which were of considerable consequence, and re- 

 quired much address on the occasions alluded to, 

 even when both parties were quite willing to un- 

 derstand each other. More or less these obser- 

 vations will apply to every state of society ; but 

 they were especially remarkable in the case of the 

 South Americans, just awakening from a state of 

 mental lethargy, or, more strictly speaking, of 

 error. They had as much to unlearn as to ac- 

 quire anew ; and the jumble of old and new ideas 

 was often curious, and in many cases highly in- 

 structive. 



3rd of April. — I rode this morning from the 

 city, in company with two English gentlemen, to 

 see a waterfall. To attain this object, we had 

 climbed from the plain on which Santiago stands, 

 by a long and steep path, to the height of about 

 four hundred feet. We imagined ourselves to be 

 mounting the side of a steep ridge, and that on 

 reaching the top we should look down the other 

 side on the low ground beyond ; but, instead of 

 this, we found ourselves on the level of a great 

 plain joining that which we had come from, which 

 also most strangely appeared to be exactly at the 

 same elevation with it, notwithstanding the addi- 

 tional altitude we had gained. This singular opti- 

 cal deception must have been caused by the extreme 

 regularity of the slope in the ground from the 

 point we stood upon to the plain we had left. In- 

 deed, the enormous scale of everything around us, 

 with the dimensions of which we were yet far 

 from sufficiently familiar, made it impossible to' 



appreciate correctly either heights, distances, or 

 levels. 



One of the party happening to descry at a dis- 

 tance the country-house of a friend, we agreed to 

 try our fortune there, as we had been disappointed 

 with the waterfall, which proved quite contempti- 

 ble. The master of the house, an old Spaniard, 

 was delighted to see us, and very kindly took us 

 over his vineyards, and his olive groves. His vines, 

 which were loaded with fruit, were planted in the 

 manner of those at the Cape of Good Hope, form- 

 ing rows like gooseberry-bushes, and supported 

 only here and there as occasion required. He 

 showed us also his wine-presses, and his immense 

 cellars ; along which were ranged many hundreds 

 of Botijas, or gigantic jars, capable of holding, at 

 least, a tun each. He had been a naval captain in 

 his day ; but having become disgusted with the 

 service, and being of a quiet disposition, he had 

 bought this place, married, and given up all 

 thoughts of honour and glory ; so that we found 

 him most amiably ignorant of all that was passing 

 beyond the boundaries of his estate : but with re- 

 spect to machinery, the manufacture of wine, or 

 the culture of olive-trees and vines, he was full of 

 information, and caught eagerly at any hints for 

 their improvement. 



In the evening we called on several families to 

 take leave, it being our intention to return imme- 

 diately to Valparaiso. At one house we were the 

 only visitors ; at another we could scarcely get in 

 owing to the crowd of company, and when at length 

 we gained a seat near the ladies, we found it not 

 easy nor agreeable to converse in our lame Spanish 

 before so great an audience of the natives. Our 

 reception at the first house was much warmer, and 

 proved more satisfactory, and more useful to those 

 who were anxious to improve themselves in the 

 language. At the other we saw a larger company, 

 but made fewer and less valuable acquaintances. 

 In both, and indeed I may say in every house, 

 there seemed to prevail but one kindly disposition 

 to treat us with attention and hospitality ; and to 

 assist us, with the most polite, friendly, and patient 

 assiduity, in acquiring their language : a remark 

 which may be extended to the whole coast which 

 we visited. 



The following anecdote was at this time current 

 in the city ; and from all we heard during our 

 short stay at Santiago, we were satisfied that the 

 influence of the priests had been gradually on the 

 decline ; and that a more liberal spirit, especially 

 in matters of education, had recently been intro- 

 duced, and was fast spreading over the country. 



A gentleman had thought fit to instruct his 

 daughter in French, — a circumstance which the 

 girl, unconscious of any crime, mentioned in the 

 course of her confession to the priest, who, after 

 expressing the greatest horror at what he heard, 

 denounced the vengeance of Heaven upon her and 

 her father, refused to give her absolution, and sent 

 the poor creature home in an agony of fear. The 

 father soon discovered the cause, and after some 

 correspondence with the confessor, went to the 

 head of the government, who sent for the priest, 

 questioned him on the subject, and charged him 

 with having directly interfered with the letter and 

 spirit of the constitution, which gave encourage- 

 ment to every species of learning. The priest af- 

 fected to carry matters with a very high hand, and 



