190 



PASSAGE ACROSS 



very nice family of all ages. While I was talking 

 to her she opened and unrolled the paper, and after 

 glancing at it for a moment, she passed it to her 

 family, who looked at it one after another with an 

 apathy which quite provoked me. It was then 

 handed to me, and I no sooner saw what it was, 

 than I howed to the family, and left in the hands 

 of the lady, not a picture of her child, but a school- 

 boy's large, coarse chalk-drawing of the head of 

 John the Baptist ! 



During the short time I was at Santiago, I was 

 constantly occupied in gaining information, without 

 which I could not have commenced my inspection 

 of the mines ; and as many unforeseen difficulties 

 were impeding my progress, and occupying my at- 

 tention, I had neither time nor inclination to enter 

 into any sort of society, or to see any more of 

 Santiago than what chanced to be going on in the 

 streets. 



The town is full of priests — the people are con- 

 sequently indolent and immoral; and I certainly 

 never saw more sad examples of the effects of 

 bad education, or a state of society more de- 

 plorable. The streets are crowded with a set of 



