54 



bracelets are of glass, and their ear-rings, which ai e 

 square, of silver ; they have rings upon each finger, 

 the greater part of which are of silver. It is calcula- 

 ted that more than a hundred thousand marks of this 

 metal are employed in these female ornaments, since 

 they are worn even by the poorest class. 



I have already given some account of the dwel- 

 lings of the ancient Chilians ; the Araucanians, te- 

 nacious, as are all nations not corrupted by luxury, 

 of the customs of their country, have made no 

 change in their mode of building. But, as they are 

 almost all polygamists, the size of their houses is 

 proportioned to the number of women they can 

 maintain. The interior of these houses is very 

 simple, the luxury of convenience, splendor and 

 show, is altogether unknown in them, and necessity 

 alone is consulted in the selection of their furniture. 



They never form towns, but live in scattered vil- 

 lages or hamlets, on the banks of rivers, or in 

 plains that are easily irrigated Their local attach- 

 ments are strong, each family preferring to live upon 

 the land inherited from its ancestors, which they 

 cultivate sufficiently for their subsistence. The ge- 

 nius of this haughty people, in which the savage still 

 predominates, will not permit them to live in walled 

 cities, vdîich they consider as a mark of servitude. 



