VALPABAISO . 
34.3 
short distances from the shore, forming the districts 
known to the sailors as the Fore, Main, and Mizen 
Top. 
The west point of the hay (San Antonio) is well- 
fortified with strong batteries, a precaution taken 
since the bombardment by the Spaniards a few years 
ago. A well-built mole extends from the Plaza in 
front of the Custom House and Exchange, and to the 
right a pile of fire-proof bonded warehouses are built, 
and others are in course of construction. 
The railway runs for 110 miles, passing several 
small wayside villages, and by the valley of the 
Aconcagua, to the north-east of Quilliota and its 
mineral deposits, and so on to Santiago. 
A three weeks’ stay in the port of one of the 
principal commercial cities in South America made 
us quite familiar with the sights. But after all, 
even by frequent walks through its lengthy and 
elegant streets, and occasionally a run up the line 
by rail, it is difficult to form even a slight con- 
ception of Chili and the life and country beyond the 
Andes. 
Everything about the town- — the houses, shops, 
and population — has quite a European aspect ; so 
that go where one would, through streets and 
squares, with their lofty edifices, gay hotels, and 
large and splendid stores, abounding in everything 
that can minister to human requirements and luxury 
(but, I might add, at a most exorbitant price), it 
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