28 Porter's Voyage 



prepared. The same wa^^i and tube is then passed around the 

 room, and each one takes in turn a draught of it, with much ap^ 

 parent rehsh and dehght. It is also a practice for one glass of 

 water, one spoon, or one segar, to be served to the whole com.- 

 pany. A Chilian lady would consider it a high indecorum to be 

 seen walking arm in arm with a gentleman ; and their refinement 

 is so great, that it is thought indelicate even to accept his hand 

 in any way, except in dancing, when, to be sure, every thin^ like 

 delicacy is laid aside. They are, however, extremely hospitable 

 and attentive to strangers ; and if they have their peculiar 

 customs which seem strange to us, we no doubt have our own 

 equally deserving their animadversion. 



The whole power and force of the kingdom of Chili is now 

 concentrated in one family, who have taken advantage of the 

 state of anarchy into which it fell for want of rulers, and placed 

 themselves at the head of government, This family is the Car-, 

 reras. The eldest brother has created himself commander of the 

 infantry ; the second brother is president of the junta, and com^ 

 mander of the cavalry ; the third, Don Lewis, is commander of 

 the artillery ; and they are altogether capable of bringing into the 

 field fifteen thousand men, but they have not arms for more than 

 six thousand. They are in alliance with the Buenos Ayreans, 

 and have furnished them with five hundred men, properly 

 equipped, to assist them in carrying on their war against the 

 Montevideans. The rest of their force, except a few men on the 

 frontiers of Peru, remains unemployed ; and indeed they all ap, 

 pear too much engaged in the pursuit of pleasure, and the grati- 

 fication of their appetites, to be capable of making any great 

 inilitary exertions. 



There is a strong and secret party opposed to the present ad- 

 ministration, and favourable to the cause of Ferdinand VII. : 

 they are styled Saracens ; the party in power are denominated 

 Patriots ; the former are dangerous, and are not ^ little dreaded, 

 from the concealed manner in which they carry on their hostilities. 

 Several of their emissaries have already been convicted of attempts 

 to assassinate the officers of the present government ; some have 

 been sentenced to be hung, others to be banished to the island of 

 Juan Fernandez. The patriots are known by a tri-coloured 

 cockade, blue, yellow, and white ; and the ladies of that party 

 are distinguished by wearing their hair gracefully brushed over 

 on the left side of the face. They seemed to have entered into 

 the spirit of the revolution, and perhaps not without cause, as 

 most of the patriots are young, dashing, native Chilians, and the 

 adverse party are invariably crusty, old, formal Castilians. The 

 patriots have not yet openly declared themselves independent, nor 

 jias any declaration of war taken place between them and th§ 



