264 A VOYAGE TO Book VIII. 



ception, lhall be the military commander in chief i 

 and, confequently, it is to him that the appointment 

 of the general properly belongs ; but this, from very 

 powerful reafons, is difpenfed with, the proper dif- 

 charge of thefe two polls, being utterly incompati- 

 ble and the c vil and military requifite here very rare- 

 ly meeting in the fame perfon. But when this obflacle 

 does not exift, and the corregidor is one of thefe ex- 

 traordinary perfons, the prefident, agreeable to the 

 royal exprefiion, confers the pod of Maeftre de cam- 

 po on the corregidor of la Conception. 



IT. Valparaiso is the fecond military government. 

 But the particular account of it, I iliall refer for a more 

 proper place. 



III. Valdivia has a military governor nomina- 

 ted by the king. Here is alfo a good body of troops, 

 both for garrifoning the place, and the forts built to 

 defend the entrance of the river and harbours in it, 

 Clofe to the river fcands the town, the inhabitants of 

 which are chiefly whites or Meftizos but a village 

 forming a kind of fuburb is inhabited by friendly In- 

 dians. This government has undergone fome vicifli- 

 tudes in point of fubordination, being fometimes inder 

 pendent of the prefidents of Chili, and immediately 

 fubjedl to the Vice-roy of Lima ; and at other times a 

 part of the former. At lad, on weighing the difficul- 

 ties for providing for any fudden exigence, or having 

 a watchful eye over its necelTary concerns at fo great a 

 diftance as Lima, it was annexed to the jurifJidlion of 

 the prefident of Chili, as being nearer at hand to fee 

 that the forces are always on a good footing, and con- 

 llantly in a proper pofture of defence. 



IV. Chiloe has a mihtary governor, w?ho refides 

 at Chacao, the principal harbour of the ifland, be- 

 ing well fortified and capable of making a good 

 defence. Befides Chacas^ v/hich has the title of a 

 city, is anpthcr place much larger, called Calbuco, 



wherp 



