270 
CENTRAL CHILE 
CHAP. 
scented. I did not cease from wonder at finding each suc¬ 
ceeding day as fine as the foregoing. What a difference does 
climate make in the enjoyment of life ! How opposite are the 
sensations when viewing black mountains half-enveloped in 
clouds, and seeing another range through the light blue haze 
of a fine day ! The one for a time may be very sublime ; the 
other is all gaiety and happy life. 
August 14 th .—I set out on a riding excursion, for the 
purpose of geologising the basal parts of the Andes, which 
alone at this time of the year are not shut up by the winter 
snow. Our first day’s ride was northward along the sea-coast. 
After dark we reached the Hacienda of Quintero, the estate 
which formerly belonged to Lord Cochrane. My object in 
coming here was to see the great beds of shells which stand 
some yards above the level of the sea, and are burnt for lime. 
The proofs of the elevation of this whole line of coast are 
unequivocal : at the height of a few hundred feet old-looking 
shells are numerous, and I found some at 1300 feet. These 
shells either lie loose on the surface, or are embedded in a 
reddish-black vegetable mould. I was much surprised to find 
under the microscope that this vegetable mould is really marine 
mud, full of minute particles of organic bodies. 
1 5 th .—We returned towards the valley of Quillota. The 
country was exceedingly pleasant ; just such as poets would 
call pastoral : green open lawns, separated by small valleys 
with rivulets, and the cottages, we may suppose of the shepherds, 
scattered on the hill-sides. We were obliged to cross the ridge 
of the Chilicauquen. At its base there were many fine evergreen 
forest-trees, but these flourished only in the ravines, where 
there was running water. Any person who had seen only the 
country near Valparaiso would never have imagined that there 
had been such picturesque spots in Chile. As soon as we 
reached the brow of the Sierra, the valley of Quillota was 
immediately under our feet. The prospect was one of remark¬ 
able artificial luxuriance. The valley is very broad and quite 
flat, and is thus easily irrigated in all parts. The little square 
gardens are crowded with orange and olive trees and every 
sort of vegetable. On each side huge bare mountains rise, 
and this from the contrast renders the patchwork valley the 
more pleasing. Whoever called “ Valparaiso ” the “Valley of 
