CHAPTER XII 



Central Chile 



Valparaiso— Excursion to the Foot of the Andes— Structure of the 

 Land — Ascend the Bell of Quillota — Shattered Masses of Green- 

 stone—Immense Valleys — Mines — State of Miners — Santiago — 

 Hot-baths of Cauquenes — Gold-mines — Grinding-mills — Perforated 

 Stones — Habits of the Puma — El Turco and Tapacolo — Humming- 

 birds. 



7ULY 23rd.— The Beagle anchored late at night in the 

 bay of Valparaiso, the chief seaport of Chile. When 

 morning came, everything appeared delightful. After 

 Tier-ra del Fuego, the climate felt quite delicious — the atmos- 

 phere so dry, and the heavens so clear and blue with the sun 

 shining brightly, that all nature seemed sparkling with life. 

 The view from the anchorage is very pretty. The town is 

 built at the very foot of a range of hills, about 1600 feet high, 

 and rather steep. From its position, it consists of one long, 

 straggling street, which runs parallel to the beach, and wher- 

 ever a ravine comes down, the houses are piled up on each 

 side of it. The rounded hills, being only partially protected 

 by a very scanty vegetation, are worn into numberless little 

 gullies, which expose a singularly bright red soil. From this 

 cause, and from the low whitewashed houses with tile roofs, 

 the view reminded me of St. Cruz in Teneriffe. In a north- 

 westerly direction there are some fine glimpses of the Andes : 

 but these mountains appear much grander when viewed from 

 the neighbouring hills ; the great distance at which they are 

 situated can then more readily be perceived. The volcano of 

 Aconcagua is particularly magnificent. This huge and irreg- 

 ularly conical mass has an elevation greater than that of 

 Chimborazo ; for, from measurements made by the officers in 

 the Beagle, its height is no less than 23,000 feet The Cor- 

 dillera, however, viewed from this point, owe the greater part 

 of their beauty to the atmosphere through which they are 

 seen. When the sun was setting in the Pacific, it was 



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