8 



CHILI. 



ley, or up or down it, as far as the eye could 

 reach, portions of flat spaces, apparently on the 

 same level with that on which we stood; and 

 when, in order to determine this more exactly, we 

 went over the edge of the road or beach, and 

 brought our eye into the plane of one of the roads, 

 we invariably found, on looking round, that the 

 same plane produced would merge into every por- 

 tion of the same road ; exactly as we see the mar- 

 gin of a lake, with all its windings, on a level with 

 the surface, if, while bathing, we bring the eye 

 close to the water and look round. I regretted 

 not having time to return with a spirit level, to 

 examine accurately this question of horizontality. 



In the centre of the valley, which is six or 

 seven miles wide, there stood an extensive plain, 

 narrow at the upper end, and widening out to- 

 wards the sea, thus dividing the valley into two 

 parts. The surface of this insulated space was to 

 all appearance quite flat and horizontal, and, as 

 far as the eye could determine, exactly on a level 

 with the highest of the above mentioned roads ; so 

 that, if a lake ever stood in this valley, at the 

 level of the upper road, the present surface must 



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