Ch.VIII. south AMERICA. 267 



contain above a hundred families ; but thofe fcattered 

 over the country exceed a thouland. 



VIIT. CoQuiMBO, or la Serena, according to fa- 

 ther Feville, flands in 24^ 54' 10'' fouth latitude. 

 This was the fecond town built in the kingdom of 

 Chili, in 1544, by Pedro de Valdivia, with a view of 

 fecuring the intercourfe between Peru and Chili, for 

 the more convenient fupply of what fuccours might 

 be wanted and at the fame time, for fecuring the 

 fidelity of the Indians who lived in that valley. This 

 place is fituated in the valley of Cuquimpo, from 

 whence it received its original name ; but Valdivia 

 gave it that of la Serena, from an afFedion to the pro- 

 vince of that name in Spain, and of which he was a 

 native. It (lands about a quarter of a league from the 

 coaft of the fouth-fea in a moft delightful fituation, 

 having an extt^nfive profpe6l of the fea, the river, and 

 the country, which prefents the fight with a charming 

 variety of fields of different kinds of grain, and woods 

 of a lively verdure. 



This town is of itfelf large, but not proportionally 

 peopled : the number of families not amounting to 

 above four or five hundred, confiding of Spaniards, 

 Meftizos, and a fev/ Indians. The ilreets are flraic 

 and of a convenient breadth, fome of v/hich lying N, 

 and S. and others interfering from E. to W. the 

 town confifts of fquares of buildings, like Santiago, 

 and other places of note in this part of America. 

 The houfes are all of mud walls, and covered with 

 leaves •, but none are without a large garden, well 

 planted with fruit trees and efculent vegetables, both 

 thofe of America and Spain ; for the climate is hap- 

 pily adapted to a variety of both kinds, the heats not 

 being excefTive, nor the colds fevere fo that both in 

 the fertility of the earth, and the chearful appearance 

 of the country, the whole year wears an alped of one 

 perpetual fpring. The fireets, though regular and 

 cpnvenjent as abovementionedj are not entirely formed 



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