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CHILI. 



his captives ; but the governor drew up at this, 

 and expressed some surprise at my thinking it ei- 

 ther proper or possible to negotiate with this des- 

 perate outlaw, who was, he said, little better than 

 a wild beast, and approachable only by force. 



As correct information respecting the further 

 proceedings of Benavides would probably reach 

 the local government in the course of a couple of 

 days, I determined to wait for the courier, and to 

 employ the interval in examining the Bay of Con- 

 ception. An officer was accordingly sent with 

 boats, to survey and sound all the different an- 

 chorages, while the ship proceeded to several small 

 ports lying round the bay. The first of these was 

 Penco, a town built on the site of the old city of 

 Conception, which was swept away by a great 

 wave, that accompanied the earthquake of 1751. 

 When the city was to be rebuilt, a more inland 

 situation was chosen, but as it stands at present 

 on low ground, it is questionable whether an earth- 

 quake wave of any magnitude might not still reach 

 it. As we had heard of coal being in this district, 

 we engaged a guide to show us where it was to be 

 found, and had not walked a mile into the coun- 



