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PORTER S JOURNAL. 



whole company. A Chilian lady would consider it a high 

 indecorum to be seen walking arm in arm with a gentle- 

 man ; and their refinement is so great, that it is thought in- 

 delicate even to accept his hand in any way, except in 

 dancing, when, to be sure, every thing like delicacy is laid 

 aside. They are, however, extremely hospitable and at- 

 tentive to strangers ; and if they have their peculiar cus- 

 toms 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 Carreras. The eldest brother has created 

 himself commander of the infantry ; the second brother is 

 president of the junta, and commander of the cavalry ; the 

 third, don Lewis, is commander of the artillery 5 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 in- 

 deed they all appear too much engaged in the pursuit of 

 pleasure, and the gratification of their appetites, to be ca- 

 pable of making any great military exertions. 



There is a strong and secret party opposed to the pre- 

 sent administration, and favourable to the cause of Ferdi- 

 nand VII. : they are styled Saracens ; the party in power 

 are denominated Patriots y the former are dangerous, and 

 are not a little dreaded, from the concealed manner in 

 which they carry on their hostihties. Several of their 

 emissaries have already been convicted of attempts to as- 

 sassinate the officers of the present government ; some have 

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

 idand of Juan Fernandez. The patriots are known by a 

 tri-coloured cockade, blue, yellow, and white ; and the la- 

 dies of that party are distinguished by wearing their hair 

 gracefully brushed over on the left side of the face. They 

 seem to have entered into the spirit of the revolution, and 

 perhaps not without cause, as most of the patriots are youngs 



