20 6 
the River St. Domingo, who feemed to me to differ little or 
not at all from the Chilinians as to their Perfons ; as to 
their Habit, they are decently clad, in what they call Pon- 
cho Montena , and Poulains : The Poncho is a fort of fquare 
Carpet, with a Slit cut in the Middle of it, wide enough 
to flip over their Pleads ; fo that it hangs upon their 
Shoulders, half of it falling before, and the other behind 
them ; under this, they generally wear a fhort Doublet on 
their Heads. They have the Montera , which is a Cap 
made almofi: in the fame manner with thofe of our Pofli- 
lions ; and on their Legs they fometimes have the Poulains , 
which are a fort of knit Bulkins, without Feet to them •, 
in fhort, their Appearance bears little or no Likenefs to 
the Savage. Their Habitations are better than are com- 
monly made ufe of by fuch a fort of People, being indiffer- 
ently large, and firmly built with Plank, but have no 
Chimneys : Their Houfesare very black and footy within- 
fide % they inclofe fome of their Grounds with Palifadoes. 
Notwithftanding a fufficient Plenty of every thing necef- 
fary for a comfortable Subfiftence, the Inhabitants are de- 
barred, in fome meafure, from tailing of the Fruits of their 
Labour, particularly in the Article of Bread ; for, not 
having the Conveniences for grinding and preparing their 
Wheat, they are put to the miferable Shift of making 
Cakes of the Sea-weeds, which, however, through Ufe, are 
efteemed by them, and were not difapproved of by feveral 
of my People, who eat fome : Befides this, they have their 
Maize, or Indian Corn, which they manage in feveral man- 
ners to anfwer the End of Bread ; and add to all this, their 
Abundance of Potatoes, and other Roots. As to Liquors, 
thefe Indians have not been contented with the Produce of 
Brooks and Springs, like many Nations of their Com- 
plexion ; but have found out a Means of making a Liquor- 
called Chic ha, of the Indian Corn ; In this they, doubtlefs, 
followed the Footfteps of their near Neighbours on the 
Continent of Chili ; but their Drunken-bouts being gene- 
rally the firft Rife of Seditions and Revolts, the Spaniards 
take care to fet Bounds to them in that Particular, as much 
as they pofflbly can. Their Arms are of feveral Sorts ; 
thofe that have no European Weapons, retain their own, 
fuch as Pikes, Darts, &c. They are particularly dextrous 
in throwing a flinging Noofe, at the End of a long Thong 
of Leather, wherewith they are fure of catching an Ox, 
Horfe, Che. or any thing, even in its full Career ; this they 
call a Lays. In fhort, by all I could fee of thefe, and hear 
of the Chilinians , they feem to refemble them in almofi 
every refpedt ; and there can be no Wonder at that, when 
one conflders their clofe Neighbourhood with the Main- 
land of Chili. They make ufe of fmall Drums, fome of 
which I have feen ; they are very fmall, and the Heads 
of them made with Goats-fkins with their Hair on, and 
make a fad dull Sound. They carry on a fmall Woollen 
Manufacture, confifting in Carpets, and Neceffaries for Ap- 
parel before-mentioned. They likewife export Cedar, both 
in Plank, and wrought in Boxes, Chefts, Efcritoires, &c. 
wherewith they fupply all Chili and Peru. As to their Eu- 
ropean Trade, they have none ; but the Spaniard , who 
came from the Governor, told me, that the People of this 
Ifland wondered, that trading Ships never put in here : For, 
Paid he, we have a great deal of Money amongfl us •, and 
.'have here a fafe Port, free from the Dangers incurred by 
•going to Leeward, where they are in perpetual Uneafinefs 
for fear of the Men of War ; whereas Bulinefs might be 
done, and all be over, before they could be advifed of it 
at fo great a Diflance as Lima , could be there fitted out, 
and come fo far to Windward. It has been obferved of 
the Indians of Chili , that, in two Articles in their way of 
Living, they differ from all other Nations that have yet 
been heard of. The firft is, that they have no Notion of 
a fuperior Being of any fort, and of confequence pay no 
rWorMp to any fupreme Power : And the fecond is, that 
' they are fuch Enemies to civil Society, that they never live 
together in Towns and Villages *, fo that the Country feems 
to be thinly inhabited, tho 3 it is very populous ; for they 
live difperfed in Farms at a good Diflance one from the 
other, every one having their Plantations- j fo that almofi 
every Family enjoys the Neceffaries of Life of their own 
manuring and feeding : However, though they are thus 
'fcattered, they are not wholly independent ; for they have 
4 
Book I. 
all of them a Chief of their particular Tribe or Clan, who 
is called a Cacique ; and his Dwelling is conveniently fltu- 
ated amongfl them, for the more fpeedy fummoning them 
together on Affairs of Importance ; which he, does by 
founding a fort of Horn, which heard by his Vaffals, they 
repair to him without Delay. The Cacique commands them 
in War, & c. and has an abfolute Power of executing Juflice 
amongfl his Subjects, who are likewife his Relations, he 
being only the Head of a Family, all the inferior Branches 
of which adhere to the Interefl, and obey the Commands, 
of their Lord, whofe Authority is hereditary. In all thefe 
refpedls, the Inhabitants of this Ifland refemble thofe of 
the neighbouring Part of the Continent, excepting that 
their Caciques are, in fome meafure, ftript of their real 
Authority by the Tyranny of the Spaniards ; who, have- 
ing thefe People in a more fecure Subjection than thofe on 
the Continent, keep them in the rnofl laborious Sla- 
very by their Menaces, and hard Ufage ; whilft the Miff 
fionaries blind them with the fuperflitious Duff of an imperfect 
Converfion to Chriflianity, of which none of them know 
any more, than that they were baptized, without learning 
for what End ; fo that their Devotion confifls of mere Ido- 
latry to the Image of the Crofs, or any of the Saints. The 
Spanijh Clergy take no Pains to undeceive them •, but pro- 
bably think they have gained their Ends, if their Ignorance 
contribute towards the making them contented under the 
Rigour of the Spanijh Government. Thus the common 
Sort being deluded, and the Caciques having changed their 
lawful Prerogative for the vain Oftentation of being al- 
lowed to wear a Silver-headed Cane, which puts them upon 
the Rank of the Spanijh Captains in outward Appearance, 
they are become a miferable Prey to the Will of their de- 
fpotic Mailers. The Spaniards , notwithftanding all this, 
have fometimes ftretched their Adminiftration to fo great 
a Height, that the Indians have been obliged to defend 
themfelves, and have begun to think, that Death is pre- 
ferable to their Slavery ; for Mr. Frezier , in his Voyage, 
has given us an Account of what happened at the Time 
that he was at the South Seas, wherein the Indians killed 
fourteen or fifteen of the Spaniards , who took a fufficient 
Revenge ; for, in Return, they maffacred 200 of them, 
going into the very Iflands to deftroy them ; which ftruck 
fuch a Terror to thofe poor People, that they were glad to 
fit down quietly under their Misfortune : And, though the 
Spaniards are but badly equipped with Arms, they have 
never dared to take fuch Advantages over their Oppreffors 
as they daily might, ftnee the Number of Whites, is but 
inconliderable, when compared with the Multitude of the 
Natives ; and to which they might be encouraged by the 
indolent Neglehl of the Spaniards , who fuffer what little 
fortified Places they have in this Ifland to run to Ruin ; 
fo that any European Power might, with Eafe, poffefs 
themfelves of it ; which might be of the greateft Conie- 
quence, fince it is capable of affording a Subfiftence to a 
very numerous Colony, which might be of unlpeakable 
Detriment to the Inhabitants of Chili and Peru. In regard 
to ourfelves, of what Benefit (in cafe of a War with the 
Crown of Spain) the taking of this Ifland might be, I 
leave to more penetrating Judgments to confider •, and Jfhall 
only add, that the Artifices of the Miflionaries are the 
chief Security of the Spaniards in this Place, as well as in 
moil of the reft of their Settlements in South America , 
Their Embarkations are particular in this, that, for want 
of Nails, and other Utenfils, they few their Boats together 
very artificially with Oziers : They are compofed of three 
Pieces, viz. the Sides and the Bottom, each of which is 
an intire Piece of Timber; and row in the fame manner 
that we do, with more or fewer Oars, according to their 
Bignefs. Our Bufinefs being now over, I propofed to fail 
from hence for the Eland of Juan Fernandez. 
It is now requifite to take notice of what Captain Betagh 
fays, as to fome of the Points mentioned in the foregoing 
Part of the Relation: He admits, that there were Differ- 
ences between him and Captain Shelvocke on the Subjedl of 
eating ; and he gives this Reafon for it, that Shelvocke 
drank hard, and had a very fmall Stomach ; which made 
him think other People, who had a better, were downright 
Gluttons : And, upon this Falling-out, he was ordered into 
Confinement, and fuch a Confinement, as might very well 
induce 
The VOYAGES of 
