CHILI. X71 
occupying a level plain to the east. Its location is by no means such 
as to show it to advantage. The principal buildings are the custom- 
house, two churches, and the houses occupying the main street. 
Most of the buildings are of one story, and are built of adobes or 
sun-dried brick. The walls of the buildings are from four to six feet 
thick. The reason for this mode of building is the frequent occur- 
rence of earthquakes. The streets are well paved. The Plaza has 
not much to recommend it. The Government House is an inferior 
building. Great improvements are now making, and many buildings 
putting up. 
They are about bringing water from one of the neighbouring 
springs on the hill, which, if the supply is sufficient, will give the 
town many comforts. On the hills are many neat and comfortable 
dwellings, surrounded by flower-gardens. These are chiefly occupied 
by the families of American and English merchants. This is the 
most pleasant part of the town, and enjoys a beautiful view of the 
harbour. The ascent to it is made quite easy by a well-constructed 
road through a ravine. The height is two hundred and ten feet 
above the sea. The east end of the Almendral is also occupied by 
the wealthy citizens. The lower classes live in the ravines. Many 
of their habitations are scarcely sufficient to keep them dry during 
the rainy season. They are built of reeds, plastered with mud, and 
are thatched with straw. They are seldom of more than one apart- 
ment. 
The well-known hills to the south of the port, called the " Main 
and Fore Top," are the principal localities of the grog-shops and 
their customers. These two hills, and the gorge {quebrada) between 
them, seem to contain a large proportion of the worthless population 
of both sexes. The females, remarkable for their black eyes and red 
"bayettas," are an annoyance to the authorities, the trade, and com- 
manders of vessels, and equally so to the poor sailors, who seldom 
leave this port without empty pockets and injured health. 
It was difficult to realize the improvement and change that had 
taken place in the habits of the people, and the advancement in civil 
order and civilization. On my former visit there was no sort of 
order, regulation, or any thing that had a tendency to good govern- 
ment. Robbery, murder, and vices of all kinds were openly 
committed. 
The exercise of arbitrary military power alone existed. Not only 
with the natives, but among foreigners, gambling and knavery of the 
