NOTICES OP CHILE. 85 



that year a very commodious jetty was built, under the di- 

 rection of an officer of the Chilian Navy, who is by birth 

 and education an American. In less than a year after it was 

 finished, those piles which were not defended by copper, were 

 completely reduced to a honeycomb state, by a curious little 

 animal, called an auger worm, {terrido navalis,) from the re- 

 semblance its head bears to the common auger. It is small, 

 white, and almost gelatinous, with the exception of the head, 

 which is armed with two moveable plates of shell, by which, 

 it is presumed, the animal perforates the wood. As it advances 

 in the work of destruction, it lengthens, and increases in size, 

 constantly enlarging the cell, in proportion to the demand for 

 accommodation. The cell is lined with a calcareous coating, 

 (the secretion of the animal) similar to the shells of the mol- 

 luscous tribes. The worm sometimes attains several feet in 

 length, and an inch in diameter. From the havoc made on the 

 jetty, it may be easily inferred what would be the fate of a 

 vessel, not defended by copper, were she to remain long in 

 this port. 



The town of Valparaiso is divided into the Port and Almen- 

 drdl. The port consists of one irregular street, and the quebrd- 

 das, which are built in, wherever a site for a house is possibly 

 attainable. " Ranches," or huts, are perched about on the hill 

 sides, like great birds' nests, wherever a resting place can be 

 scooped out. The want of level land is a great drawback upon 

 the advancement of this place ; nevertheless, it improves more 

 rapidly than any other city on this side of Cape Horn. Most 

 of the houses on the main street, are good two story buildings, 

 occupied on the ground floor by stores and warerooms. In the 

 eastern part of the Port, and in the Almendral, the houses are 

 only one story high. They are all built of '^adobes," or sun- 

 dried bricks, white-washed, and roofed with red tiles. 



The great square or plaza is small. Lately, it has been much 

 improved by being paved, and by the erection of a " Cabildo," 

 or government house, on one side of it. During the early part 

 of the day, the plaza is filled with trunks made of hide, full of 

 fruit, vegetables, and baskets of poultry. The market is per- 

 haps the best, and is certainly the cheapest on the coast. Be- 



