VALPARAISO. 



7 



rising nearly to the height of two thousand feet, 

 sparingly covered with stunted shrubs, and thin- 

 ly strewed grass. The town is built along a nar- 

 row strip of land, between the cliffs and the sea ; 

 but as this space is limited in extent, the build- 

 ings have straggled up the sides and bottoms of 

 the numerous ravines which intersect the hills. 

 A suburb called the Almendral, or Almond 

 Grove, larger than the town itself, spreads over 

 a low sandy plain about half a mile broad, at the 

 upper or eastern side of the Bay. In the sum- 

 mer months, from November till March, Val- 

 paraiso is a safe and pleasant anchorage; but 

 during winter, especially in June and July, is 

 subject to occasional hard storms, blowing from 

 the north, in which direction it is open to the 

 sea. 



We were fortunate in having reached Valpa- 

 raiso at a moment when the Christmas festivities 

 were at their height ; and multitudes of people 

 had been attracted from the country to witness 

 the bull-fights and other shows. On the evening 

 of Christmas day, which corresponds nearly with 

 our Midsummer, every body had strolled abroad to 



