22 



CHILI. 



chiefly rock, at some places covered with a thin 

 soil. We then entered a broad valley, the sides 

 of which were formed entirely of water-worn 

 stones and gravel, covered by a stratum or crust 

 several yards thick, of a rock composed entirely 

 of .pieces of broken shells, stretching, as far as we 

 could discover, over the whole country bordering 

 on the sea. The valley was three or four miles 

 acros3, and bore every appearance of having been, 

 at some former period, the channel of a mighty 

 river, though now^ shrunk into a scanty rivulet, 

 flowing almost unseen amongst dwarf willows, 

 stunted shrubs, and long rank grass. The soil 

 was completely covered, at every part of the val- 

 ley, by a layer of salt, several inches thick, which 

 has since been ascertained, by analysis, to be 

 sulphate of soda, or Glauber salts. It looked 

 like snow on the ground, and even when made 

 into roads, and beat down, still bore the same 

 appearance. The dust thrown up by the horses' 

 feet had almost choked us, and the day being 

 dreadfully hot, made our thirst excessive, when 

 we hailed with delight the sight of a stream ; but, 

 alas ! the water was as salt as brine. 



11 



