COPIAPO BAY. 



21 



our glasses, our Coquimbo friend explained to us 

 that it was a quantity of copper, which was to 

 form the cargo of a ship he had ordered to call 

 here in a few days. He was well pleased to find 

 his agents had so punctually attended to his di- 

 rections, especially as he had not given them any 

 idea of his intention to visit the coast. Present- 

 ly we saw a man riding along the edge of the cliff 

 above the beach on which the copper was placed. 

 On sending a boat for him^ he proved to be the 

 person in charge of the copper, who was delight- 

 ed that his employer had found him at his post. 

 He was instantly dispatched into the country to 

 get horses for our journey next day. 



Early on the 23d of November we set off for 

 Copiapd. Besides the never failing motive of cu- 

 riosity to see a new place, merely because it was 

 new, we were most anxious to witness the effects' 

 of the great earthquake of April 1819 ; and also 

 to visit the silver mines in the mountains near 

 the town. Our party consisted of six, three being 

 passengers from Goquimbo, and three officers, 

 including myself, from the Conway. The first 

 part of the road lay along a level hard surface. 



