110 



VALPARAISO— ST. JAGO. 



[1823. 



of business. Carts, wagons, horses, oxen, &c, all served to remind 

 me of similar streets in the United States. The market is excellent ; 

 and, as Mr. Hogan afterward assured the Rev. Mr. Stewart, " what- 

 ever else may be said of Chili, she can boast as good eating and drink- 

 ing as can be found in any part of the world." 



The capital of Chili, St. Jago, or St. Iago, or, as many spell it, 

 Santiago, is not quite fifty miles from Valparaiso, in the direction of 

 east-by-south. Of course it is an inland city, and on that account 

 more convenient as the metropolis of a great republic. Its situation, 

 Mr. Hogan informed me, was convenient and delightful ; being on the 

 side of a fertile plain twenty-four leagues in extent, and bounded on 

 the other side by a majestic hill. Its streets are broad and well paved, 

 crossing each other at right angles ; its gardens are watered by canals, 

 and the principal square is adorned with a fine fountain. The plain 

 just mentioned is called Mapocho, through which meanders a river of 

 the same name ; and rich mines of gold and silver abound among the 

 adjacent hills. 



The city contains about sixty-five thousand inhabitants, and is plen- 

 tifully supplied with every convenience and luxury of life. The houses 

 generally are of one story only, with flat roofs, surmounted by a para- 

 pet running along the front, just above the cornice, and the walls are 

 whitewashed. There are more shops here than in any other city of 

 Chili ; as it is the centre of all the internal traffic of the country. The 

 inhabitants are gay and hospitable, and in these qualities excel their 

 countrymen in the Old World, who are proverbial for their gravity. 

 Music and dancing are the favourite amusements of the people ; as is 

 the case in almost every part of Spanish America. 



Between Santiago and Valparaiso there is a fine road, and incessant 

 communication ; while from the capital to Buenos Ayres, there is not only 

 a good road, but a regular mail-route established, by which the inhabit- 

 ants of either city obtain letters eighteen days after date. These cir- 

 cumstances are of great advantage to Valparaiso, and have contributed 

 much to her growth. Previous to the revolution, her trade was chiefly 

 confined to Peru, which it nearly supplied with grain, hemp, and 

 cordage ; receiving in return sugar, tobacco, indigo, spirits, and 

 coffee. 



Ships bound to Valparaiso should always make the land to the 

 south of the bay, at least two leagues, as southerly winds prevail on 

 this coast more than seven-eighths of the time, for the year round. Six 

 or seven miles to the south of the bay, the coast is nearly north and south, 

 and indented with many small coves and bays. About four miles 

 south-west of Point Angels there is a little bay, with a sand-beach at 

 the head of it, and a ragged rock at the mouth. After passing this rock, 

 the coast tends more to the eastward ; but with an offing of two or three 

 miles, the western point of Valparaiso Bay will be visible. This is 

 called Point Angels, jutting out from the coast in a north-west direction ; 

 and in doubling this point ships enter the Bay of Valparaiso, which is 

 open towards the north. In entering here with a southerly wind, a ship 

 should keep Point Angels close aboard ; for though there are a few 

 rocks lying a little off-shore, just within the outer point, yet they are 



