310 



CHILE. 



Aug. 1834. 



blue haze of a fine day ! The one for a time may be very 

 sublime ; the other is all gaiety and happy life. 



August 14th. — I set out on a riding excursion^ for the pur- 

 pose of geologizing the basal parts of the Andes_, which alone at 

 this time of the year were not shut up by the winter snow. 

 Our first day^s ride was northward along the sea-coast. After 

 dark we reached the Hacienda of Quintero^ the estate which 

 formerly belonged to Lord Cochrane. My object in coming 

 here was to see the great beds of shells^ which are elevated 

 some yards above the level of the sea. They nearly all consist 

 of one species of Erycina ; and these shells at the present 

 day live together in great numbers^ on the sandy flats. So 

 wonderfully numerous are those forming the beds^ that for 

 years they have been quarried^ and burnt for the lime^ with 

 which the large town of Valparaiso is supplied. As any 

 change of levels even in this neighbourhood^ has often been 

 disputed, I may add, that I saw dead barnacles adhering to 

 points of sohd rock which were now so much elevated, that 

 even during gales of wind they would scarcely be wetted by 

 the spray. 



15th. — We returned towards the valley of Quillota. The 

 country was exceedingly pleasant ; just such as poets would 

 call pastoral ; green open lawns, separated by small valleys 

 with rivulets, and the cottages, we will suppose of the shep- 

 herds, scattered on the hill-sides. We were obliged to cross 

 the ridge of the Chilecauquen. At its base there were many 

 fine evergreen forest-trees, but these only flourished in the 

 ravines, where there was running water. Any person who 

 had seen only the country near Valparaiso, would never 

 have imagined that there had been such picturesque spots in 

 Chile. As soon as we reached the brow of the Sierra, the valley 

 of Quillota was immediately under our feet. The prospect 

 was one of remarkable artificial luxuriance. The valley is very 

 broad and quite flat, and is thus easily irrigated in all parts. 

 The little square gardens are crowded with orange and olive 

 trees, and every sort of vegetable. On each side huge bare 

 mountains rise, and this from the contrast renders the patch- 



