86 THREE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



yond the plaza, is a second market-place, formed of booths, 

 ranged in the form of a hollow square, where are sold butcher's 

 meats, as well as vegetables and fruits. The native method of 

 butchering, is very different from ours; instead of cutting the 

 animal into joints and pieces, the large muscles are dissected 

 out separately, which is well adapted to the ways of Chilian 

 cookery. Butcher's meat is also hawked about the town on 

 jackasses, which generally excites disgust in the stranger, both 

 from the dry, dirty appearance of the meat, and the savage, 

 bloody look of the butcher, who carries a large knife in the 

 hand, as he slowly follows the ass, crying, in a drawling tone, 

 <«carne de vaca," — or ^^carne carnero," beef, or mutton. 

 There are one or two English butchers, who supply the foreign 

 residents, and foreign vessels visiting the place. Poultry and 

 game are plent)^, and sold at reasonable prices. In their diifer- 

 ent seasons, varieties of fruits and vegetables, in abundance, 

 are brought to market from the neighboring valleys of Quillota, 

 Milapilla, and Casablanca. The principal fruits are, grapes, 

 oranges, (not very good), apples, pears, peaches, (which have 

 but little flavor,) plums, apricots, nectarins, lemons, (both 

 sweet and sour) limes ; figs twice a year, the first crop being 

 what are termed " brevas," and the second "higos strawber- 

 ries of a very large size, some of them measuring five and six 

 inches in circumference, but of very inferior flavor ; and excel- 

 lent musk melons. The water melons, which are small, but 

 very good, form a large portion of the diet of the lower classes. 

 The Madeira nut, and a large species of chestnut, are very 

 plenty. There is another nut, called pin&n,"* very similar 

 to the chestnut in taste. The vegetables are, potatoes, yucas, 

 cabbages, cauliflowers, cucumbers, radishes, pumpkins, toma- 

 toes, lettuce, celery, peas, beans, &c. Neither the fruits nor 



* In Spanish, the tilde (~) over the n, gives to the word in which the n occurs, 

 the same sound as if it were followed, in English, by the letter yj ih\xs, pihon 

 is pronounced piny one ; niha, as if written ninyas manana, as if written 

 many ana; Bonaj as if written, Donya, &c. 



As I cannot take the liberty of changing the Spanish orthography, I have 

 thought best to give the above explanation now, that the reader may not be 

 at a loss, whenever the h occurs in the course of this work. 



