BOUNDARIES. 1 5 



made a drinking cup of his skull, and trumpets of his bones. 

 This is said to have been the sad end of General Valdivia. 



On the shore of the river Lebo, Garcia Mendoza built 

 the town Canete, which, not long after, was deserted by 

 reason of the wars with the Chilians. He built also the towns 

 of Nueva Londres, in the province of Calchaqui, and 

 Cordova, in the territory of the Juries ; but they were alsa 

 soon deserted. 



After many cruel wars with the natives, the Spaniards 

 conquered all the country, excepting Araucania, and retained 

 it until 1810, when Chili, in conjunction w^ith Buenos Ayres 

 and Colombia, raised the cry of Independence. Since, it has 

 greatly developed, and is now one of the most prosperous of 

 the South American Republics. 



In consequence of its very favourable climate, which is 

 neither too warm nor too cold, Chili has been selected by 

 many English, French, Americans, Italians, and others, as a 

 place of residence, and they have much contributed to the 

 welfare and prosperity of the country. Lately Chili has much 

 suffered from a cruel and long civil war, with great losses 

 on both sides; but it is to be hoped, now that it has concluded^ 

 that a new and lasting era of peace and prosperity has com- 

 menced for that country. 



The Republic of Chili occupies the narrow strip of 

 country lying along the south-western part of South America, 

 between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. It extends from 

 the Camarones River on the north, separating it from Peru^ 

 to Cape Horn in the south. The treaty made wdth the 

 Argentine Republic in 1881, gave to Chili the greater part of 

 Tierra del Fuego and the Straits of Magellan, taking Cape 

 Virgin, on the Atlantic, for its starting point, running directly 

 south to the Ocean, and west to the summit of Mount Avmon, 

 thence along the northern shore of the Straits of Magellan, to 

 where it intercepts the 52nd parallel of latitude, in longitude 

 70° west. Thence the lines follow the summit of the Andes to 

 the northern extremity of the two countries. 



A lower range of mountains, called the Cordillera of the 

 Coast, runs parallel with the lofty Andes, and walls in the 

 great central plain, leaving only narrow^ passes for the rivers 

 W'hich descend from the Andes. Its actual area is about 

 300,000 square miles. 



The narrow fertile strip of land which forms the territory 

 of Chili may be regarded as the skirt of the Andes, sloping 



