July.] 



CITY OF VALPARAISO. 



109 



characterized this worthy and venerable officer. His family residence 

 is on the north side of the bay, at some distance from his office, which 

 is in the principal street of the city. 



After introducing myself, and making him acquainted with the situa- 

 tion of the schooner, together with my own deficiency of funds, he 

 offered to render me every assistance of which I stood in need, and 

 begged me to draw on him to any amount I pleased. These court- 

 esies were accepted with as much frankness as they were offered, and 

 I took my leave of the worthy consul with sentiments of gratitude and 

 respect, which many subsequent interviews have only tended to heighten 

 and increase. He was at this time about sixty-five years of age, and 

 was universally esteemed as one of the worthiest men in the world. 



The town or city of Valparaiso, which eight months previous to my 

 arrival had been almost totally destroyed by an earthquake, was now 

 nearly rebuilt in its original style. The buildings are principally situ- 

 ated on one irregular street, extending along the base of a steep hill, 

 or mountain, which overhangs the curvature of the bay, from Point 

 Angels, on its south-western side, to the Almendral, on its north-eastern 

 side : the latter is so called from the almond-gardens and olive-groves 

 which flourish in this quarter ; and in this delightful retreat is the resi- 

 dence of our venerable consul-general, Michael Hogan, Esq. 



From this gentleman I learned that the now splendid city of Valpa- 

 raiso was very humble and insignificant in its origin ; consisting at first 

 of a few warehouses merely, in which the merchants of St. Jago, the 

 capital of Chili, had their goods stored, for the convenience of shipping 

 them to Callao, in Peru. At this period the only inhabitants of Val- 

 paraiso were a few servants, left by their respective masters to take 

 care of these warehouses. In process of time, however, the merchants 

 themselves, together with several other families, removed hither from 

 the metropolis, in order to be more conveniently situated for trade ; 

 since which it has gradually increased, and would still continue to grow 

 in magnitude as in wealth, were it not so inconveniently situated on 

 account of the rugged precipices behind it, which prevent its extending 

 in that direction. 



The buildings, as is usual on this coast, where earthquakes are so 

 frequent, are generally of one story only, made of unburnt brick, with 

 roofs of red tile ; but being whitewashed, and most of them embellished 

 with shrubbery, they have a neat refreshing appearance, especially to 

 mariners from a long voyage. Those that stand nearest the water, ar- 

 ranged along the curvature of the bay, are mostly shops and store-houses, 

 the greatest number of which are occupied by American and English 

 merchants, who monopolize a principal part of the trade at this port. 

 The custom-house is conveniently situated near the water, about the 

 centre of the curving beach, opposite to which all boats are compelled 

 to land. 



The precipice which overhangs the town, composed of red earth 

 and rock, is divided in one place by a narrow glen or ravine, having 

 at its mouth a kind of open square, from which zigzag streets run up 

 the sides of the hills. The principal streets are well paved, the win» 

 dows glazed, the shops well furnished, and all enlivened by the activity 



