182 



CHILI. 



the letter and spirit of the constitution, which 

 gave encouragement to every species of learning. 

 The priest affected to carry matters with a high 

 hand, and even ventured to censure the director 

 for meddling with things beyond his authority. 

 This was soon settled : a council was immediate- 

 ly called, and the next day it was known through- 

 out the city, that the priest had been seen cross- 

 ing the frontiers, escorted by a military guard. 

 An account of the whole transaction, with the 

 correspondence between the parent and the con- 

 fessor, was also published officially in the Gazette, 

 and full authority given in future to every person 

 to teach any branch of knowledge not inconsistent 

 with morals and religion. 



From the Sth of April to the 26th of May, 

 we remained at Valparaiso ; but our occupations, 

 however interesting to ourselves, were not of a 

 nature to be here detailed. The few leisure mo- 

 ments which our professional avocations left UiS, 

 were employed in making surveys, in astronomical 

 observations, principally on a comet which re- 

 mained in sight from the 1st of April to the Sth 

 of June, and in experiments with Captain Kater's 



