26 



CHILI. 



Our curiosity was naturally directed towards 

 politics, and, knowing that we should eventually 

 have ample opportunities of learning the state of 

 political feeling in the upper classes, we occupied 

 ourselves, upon this occasion, in ascertaining 

 the sentiments of the peasantry. At first we 

 were rather disappointed with their calmness, and 

 wondered to hear them speaking with so little en- 

 thusiasm, and in terms so little vindictive of the 

 Spaniards ; while we remarked that the upper 

 classes, in the same town, were filled with anima- 

 tion when the subject was mentioned, and never 

 allowed themselves to think of their ancient rulers 

 without expressing the bitterest animosity. 



It must, however, be remembered that, with 

 regard to the effects of this Revolution, the upper 

 and lower classes were differently circumstanced. 

 The peasant's station in society had not been ma- 

 terially changed by the subversion of the Spanish 

 authority ; while that of his landlord was essen- 

 tially altered in almost every point. The lower 

 orders here, as in all countries, are not those who 

 feel most sensibly the oppression of bad goverri« 



ment ; and although, unquestionably, their pro- 

 i 



