SANTIAGO. 47 



dresses are seen completely from head to 

 foot. 



I have no time to make use of letters of in- 

 troduction to several Chilean families^ as it is 

 important that I should not delay any longer 

 my journey toLima^ in order to arrive at Pana- 

 ma before the rains in June. The fever then 

 becomes prevalent there^ and few escape it: 

 to-morrow^ therefore, we make our arrange- 

 ments, and the day after, we leave Santiago for 

 Valparaiso. 



Feb. 25. — All Santiago is in despair at the 

 news recently arrived of an earthquake, which 

 has destroyed Concepcion, Talcahuana the 

 best seaport in the republic, and as many, I 

 believe, as twenty other towns and villages. 

 The central part of Chile has not been so 

 severely visited, though the shocks which 

 caused this calamity in the southern dis- 



