326 



CHILE. 



Sept. 1834. 



they were used as heads to clubs^ although their form does 

 not appear at all well adapted for that purpose. Burchell* 

 states that some of the tribes in Southern Africa dig up 

 roots, by the aid of a pointed stick, the force and weight of 

 which is increased by a round stone with a hole, into which 

 the stick is firmly wedged. It appears probable that the 

 Indians of Chile formerly used some such rude agricultural 

 instrument. 



One day, a German collector in natural history, of the 

 name of Renous, called, and nearly at the same time an old 

 Spanish lawyer. I was amused by afterwards hearing the 

 conversation which took place between them. Renous speaks 

 Spanish so well, that the old lawyer mistook him for a fellow- 

 countryman. Renous, alluding to myself, asked him what he 

 thought of the King of England sending out a collector to their 

 country, to pick up lizards and beetles, and to break stones ? 

 The old gentleman thought seriously for some time, and 

 then said, It is not well, — hay un gato encerrado aqui (there 

 is a cat shut up here). No man is so rich as to send out 

 people to pick up such rubbish. I do not like it : if one 

 of us were to go and do such things in England, do not you 

 think the King of England would very soon send us out of 

 his country And this old gentleman, from his profession, 

 belongs to the better informed and more intelligent classes ! 

 Renous himself, two or three years before, left in a house at 

 S, Fernando some caterpillars, under charge of a girl to feed, 

 that they might turn into butterflies. This was rumoured 

 through the town, and at last the Padres and Governor 

 consulted together, and agreed it must be some heresy. Ac- 

 cordingly, when Renous returned, he was arrested. 



September 19th. — We left Yaquil, and followed the 

 flat valley, formed like that of Gtuillota, in which the Rio 

 Tinderidica flows. Even at these few miles south of Santiago 

 the climate is much damper ; in consequence there were fine 

 tracks of pasturage, which were not irrigated. (20th.) We fol- 



* Burchell's Travels, vol. ii., p. 45. 



