SUCCESS OF THE PATRIOTS. 



we overtook a party of soldiers conducting a 

 number of Spanish prisoners of war towards the 

 capital. They had been recently taken in battle 

 in Peru, then the seat of war between the Chilians 

 and royalists. As there will be occasion, in the 

 next chapter, to give some account of the rise and 

 progress of the Chilian expedition against Peru, it 

 is needless to dwell upon it at present. The 

 pleasing train of reflections, however, suggested 

 by the first good view of the Andes, was dispersed 

 by this disagreeable and unexpected sight. It is 

 painful, indeed, at all times, to see men in chains, 

 be the punishment ever so just ; but it is peculiarly 

 so in the case of prisoners of war : and it was im- 

 possible not to feel for these men, whose only 

 crime consisted in having faithfully adhered to the 

 cause of their king. 



We found the state of society in Santiago, as 

 might be expected, superior to that of the Port. 

 The inhabitants are wealthier and better educated, 

 and know more of what is passing in other parts 

 of the world : their manners are comparatively 

 polished ; they dress in a neater and more costly 

 style ; and they are much more commodiously and 

 elegantly lodged. They resemble the inhabitants 

 of Valparaiso, however, in their kindness to 

 strangers, and, above all, in their indulgence and 

 consideration for those who speak the language 

 imperfectly. The city is divided into quadras, or 

 solid squares, by streets crossing one another at 

 right angles ; the houses are flat-roofed, and of 

 one story only, with a neat parapet running along 

 the front above the cornice ; they are all white- 

 washed, and the streets being kept perfectly clean, 

 nothing can exceed the neatness of this most 

 regular town. The houses are quadrangular, and 

 all the rooms may be entered either from a square 

 court in the middle, called the patio, or by doors 

 of communication leading from one to the other. 

 The entrance to the patio from the street is by a 

 broad, and generally an ornamental porch, on 

 either side of which are the stables and coach- 

 house. The drawing and dining-room occupy 

 that side of the patio fronting the entrance, and 

 the bed-rooms and counting-house the other two 

 sides. In the hot season, an awning is drawn 

 over the patio, which contributes greatly to the 

 coolness of the rooms. Behind every house lies 

 a garden, beyond which runs a clear rapid stream. 



1th of Jan. — I was introduced to a family this 

 morning, long known to strangers for their hospi- 

 tality and useful friendship. They were seated in 

 the corner of a room, kept almost dark, with a 

 view to the exclusion of the heat. It is the fashion 

 of the country for the ladies to crowd into corners, 

 or to plant themselves in determined lines along 

 the walls, not a little formidable to strangers. 

 Upon the present occasion, one of the ladies per- 

 ceiving the conversation to be hurt by this 

 arrangement, rose and went to the piano-forte ; 

 the rest remained at their needle, as formal as 

 ever, but presently some other visitors coming in, 

 the parties became intermixed, and the stiffness 

 which had chilled us at first, yielded to a more 

 cheerful and familiar intercourse, which the young 

 ladies encouraged with much spirit. Just as 

 matters had fallen into this agreeable train, a 

 merry-looking old gentleman came skipping into 

 the room with a jest in his mouth, and the easy 

 familiarity of a privileged person. He was a 



clergyman of seventy, but possessed the health 

 and animation of seventeen, and cracked his jokes 

 to the right and left without mercy, seeming 

 determined to set the whole company at defiance. 

 For some time, he carried all before him, and the 

 adroit manner in which he quizzed every one 

 without distinction was very diverting. At length, 

 however, some of the young ladies rallied, and 

 being rather nettled, perhaps, at some of his sar- 

 casms coming too near the truth, retorted upon 

 their tormentor very smartly, and even repaid 

 him with interest. The good-natured father, en- 

 chanted with their vivacity, stimulated them to 

 fresh attacks by a ludicrous affectation of suffering 

 under their severity. At length he took his leave, 

 though unanimously entreated to remain. 



We were curious to know who this old gentle- 

 man might be ; and learnt that he had been for 

 upwards of fifty years the pastor of a remote Indian 

 village, where he had acquired, by his talents and 

 virtues, an extensive and important influence 

 over the natives, whose condition he had greatly 

 improved, by converting them to Christianity, and 

 introducing education, together with the arts of 

 civil life. 



In the evening, about sunset, every one flocked 

 to the Alameda, or public walk ; called also the 

 Tajamar, from one of its sides forming an em- 

 bankment to prevent the inundation of the river 

 Maypocho, a stream insignificant in winter, but 

 which becomes a violent torrent when the snows 

 of the Andes begin to melt. This promenade con- 

 sists of a wide and finely-kept carriage-way, with 

 a broad walk on both sides of it, each of which 

 walks is shaded by a double row of lofty poplars. 

 Under these trees there stretches a low wall, on 

 the parapet of which the ladies, who generally 

 appear in full dress, spread their handkerchiefs 

 with great care and affected formality, before they 

 venture to sit down. Every part of the walk 

 commands a view of the magnificent Andes, which, 

 though not less than fifty or sixty miles distant, 

 seem to overhang the town. 



On the 9th of January, the capital was thrown 

 into commotion by the arrival of news from the 

 army in Peru, giving the details of various suc- 

 cesses gained over the Royalists ; and such, it 

 appeared, had become the popularity of the Inde- 

 pendent cause, that a whole regiment of the 

 king's troops had passed over from Lima in a 

 body and offered their services to the Patriots. 

 So completely were the inhabitants of Santiago 

 engrossed by this news, that nothing was thought 

 of or talked of for several days but the Peruvian 

 expedition. This state of things furnished us with 

 frequent opportunities of discovering the public 

 feeling on the general question of the revolution ; 

 for every one was delighted to converse on the 

 subject, while the enthusiasm of the moment made 

 it the most popular topic in all companies. The 

 principal object of their thoughts, or that which 

 they dwelt upon with the steadiest determination, 

 was the preservation of their independence ; the 

 next, a bitter animosity against their former 

 rulers, the Spaniards — a feeling sometimes carried 

 to a most unjust and unreasonable length. They 

 often, for instance, blamed living individuals and 

 whole classes of individuals, for faults and errors 

 with which they were in no respect chargeable, 

 but which resulted from the slow operation of 



