loo A Voyage to 



Situation of the Place feeming to him proper to execute 

 the Defign he had of building a Town, he caus'd the Plan 



iheTUn. of it to be mark'd out in Squares, like a Draught-Board, 

 by the fame Meafures as thofe of Lima, that is, 150 Varas, 

 or Spanifo Yards, or 64 Fathoms on each Side ; whence 

 came that Meafitre call'd Quadra, which they ufe in that 

 Country to divide the Till'd Land, as it were into Acres. 

 Each of thofe Squares of Houfes was divided into four 

 Parts, call'd by them Solaret, for every Perfon to have a 

 commodious Apartment. In Ihort, tho' in Procefs of 

 Time, that Space has been divided into feveral Parts : They 

 have (till fo much Room, that there is fcarce a Houfe in 

 the Town without a Court before it, and a Garden behind. 



Water*, The Town is water'd on the Eaft Side by the little Ri- 



ver of Mapocho, which is fwell'd in Summer by the melt- 

 ing of the Snow on the Mountain calPd La Cordillera^ and 

 by the Rains in Winter : However, it is, for the moft part, 

 fordable. Being very rapid, its Water is almoft always 

 foul ; but the Inhabitants, who have no other, take care 

 to filtrate, or ftrain it through a Sort of Stones fit for that 

 Purpofe, efpecially at the Time when the Snows thaw, 

 becaufe it is then unwholfome, if not cleans' d i They 

 might, nevertheless, without any great Trouble, bring 

 Water from the Neighbouring Springs, which are not above 

 half a League from the City. 



Vyh and To prevent Inundations when the River overflows, 



Tnmkes. t | ie y k ave ^jjj. a ^all anc j a Dyke, by means whereof 

 they at all Times convey Rivulets or Trenches to water 

 their Gardens, and to cool the Streets when they think fit ; 

 an ineftimable Conveniency to be found fo naturally in few 

 Cities in Europe. Befides thefe fmall Trenches, they draw 

 larger Streams to drive the Mills there are in feveral 

 Parts of the City, for the Conveniency of each Quarter. 



Sm'etj. The Streets are laid with the four Cardinal Points of 



the Horizon, North, South, Eaft and Weft. They are five 

 Fathoms wide, exa&ly in a Line, and neatly paved with 

 fmall Stones, divided in the Nature of Furrows, by others 



