c h : 
precipitately. Valdivia ordered them to poflefs a pafs at 
fome diltance from the field, to Hop the puffuit; but, this 
defign being clifcovered to the Chilefians, the Spaniards 
were furrounded on all Tides, and cut in pieces. Valdivia 
was taken and put to death; fome fay he bad melted 
gold poured down his throat; and the Indians made 
flutes and other inliruments of his bones, and preferved 
liis Ikull as a monument of their viftory, which they ce¬ 
lebrated by an annual feftival. The city of Conception, 
being now abandoned by the Spaniards, was taken and 
deftroyed : but the Indians were forced to raife the fiege 
of Imperial; and their progrefs was at length Hopped by 
Garcia de Mendoza, who defeated Capaulican, took him 
prifoner, and put him to death. No defeats, however, 
could difpirit the Chilefians. They continued the war for 
fii'ly years; and to.this day they remain unconquered. 
Their rnofl irreconcileable enemies are the inhabi¬ 
tants of Arauco and Tucapel, thofe to the fouth of 
the river Bobio, or who extend towards the Cordille¬ 
ras. Their manners, which bear a greater refem- 
blance to thofe of the favages of North America than to 
thofe of the Peruvians their neighbours, render them 
confequently more formidable. When they go to war, 
they carry nothing with them, and want neither tents 
nor baggage. The fame trees from which they ga¬ 
ther their food, fupply them with lances and darts. As 
they are fure of finding in one place what they had in 
another, they willingly refign any country which they are 
unable to defend. All places are equally indifferent to 
them. Their troops, being free from all incumbrance of 
provifions and ammunition, march with l'urprifing agility. 
They expofe their lives like men who fet little value on 
them ; and, if they lofe the field of battle, they are not 
at a lofs for magazines and encampments wherever there 
is ground covered with fruits. They fometimes invite 
their neighbours to join them lo attack the common ene¬ 
my, and this they call throwing the arrow, becaufe this 
call flies as fwiftly and filently as an arrow from one ha¬ 
bitation to another. A certain night is immediately fixed 
upon, in the dead of which, the time they always chufe 
for the commencement of hoHilities, they fall upon the 
next village where there, are Spaniards, and from thence 
proceed to others. They murder all the inhabitants, ex¬ 
cept the white women, whom they always carry off. Be¬ 
fore the enemy has time to colled! his forces, they all 
unite in one body. Their army, though more formidable 
from their numbers than from their difcipline, is not 
afraid of attacking the poHs that are mofl Hrongiy forti¬ 
fied. This fury often fucceeds, becaufe they are fo con- 
flantly fupplied with reinforcements that they are not 
denfible of their lofles. If thefe are fo confiderable as to 
oblige them to defifi, they retire to the diflance of a few 
leagues, and five or fix days after fall upon fome other 
place. Thele Indians never think they are beaten un- 
lefs they are furrounded. If they can take poffefiion of 
a place difficult of accefs, they think they are conque¬ 
rors. The head of one Spaniard, which they carry off 
in triumph, comforts them for the death of a hundred 
Indians. The country is of fuch confiderable extent, 
that, when they find theinfelves in danger from the ene¬ 
my, they forlake their poffeflions, and remove into fome 
impenetrable forefl. Recruited by other Indians, they 
loon return into the parts they had before inhabited; and 
this alternate fucceflion of flight and refifiance, of bold- 
nefs and fear, is the circumflance that renders them un¬ 
conquerable. War is to them a kind of amufement. As 
it is neither expenfive nor inconvenient to them, they 
have nothing to apprehend from its continuance ; and it 
is a conHant rule with them never to fue for peace. The 
pride of Spain muH always condefcend to make the fir ft 
overtures. When thefe are favourably received, a con¬ 
ference is held. The governor 1 of Chili and the Indian 
general, attended by the mod difiinguifhed captains on 
both fides, fettle the terms of accommodation at a con¬ 
vivial meeting. The Spaniards are always obliged to 
Vol. IV. No. 2o8» 
L I. 429 
purchafe peace by fome prefents, and, after a variety of 
fruitlefs attempts, they have been forced to give up ail 
thoughts of extending their conquefi, and reduced to 
cover their frontiers by erecting forts at proper diftances. 
Thefe precautions are taken to prevent the Indians, who 
have fubmitted, from joining the independent favages, 
and likewife to repel the inroads of the latter into the 
colonies. 
Thefe colonies are difperfed on the bord ers of the South 
Sea ; they are parted from Peru by a defert that meafures 
eighty leagues, and bounded by the ifland of Cbiloe, at 
the extremity next the Straits of Magellan. On that 
great length of coaft there are no fettlements, except-thofe. 
of Valdivia, Conception, Valparaifo, and Coquimbo, or 
La Serena, which are all fea-ports. In the inland coun¬ 
try St. Jago is the capital. There is no culture or habi¬ 
tation at any diftance from thefe towns. The buildings 
are all very low, made of unburnt brick, and nioflTy 
thatched. This practice is obferved on account of the 
frequent earthquakes, and is properly adapted to the na¬ 
ture of the climate, as well as the indolence of the-inha¬ 
bitants. They are robuft and well-fliaped men, but few 
in number. In all that large fettlement there are not 
20,000 white men, and not more than 60,000 negroes, or 
Indians, able to bear arms. The military eftablifliment 
amounted formerly to 2000 men ; but the maintaining of 
them was found too expenfive, and they are now reduced 
to 500. If Chili is uninhabited, it is not owing to the 
climate, which is one of the moft wholefome in the world. 
The vicinity of the Cordilleras gives it fuch a delightful 
temperature, as could not otherwile be expefted in that 
latitude. There is not a more pleafant province in ail the 
mother country. The gold W'as formerly brought over 
in bullion; but, ever fince the year 1749, is coined in 
the mint fet up at St. Jago. The excellent copper mines 
of Coquimbo fupply the whole kingdom of Peru. A more 
certain fource of wealth, though lefs pleafing to the pof- 
feflors, is the prodigious fertility of the foil. The horfes 
and mules of Chili are in great efteem, particularly the 
former. Prodigious numbers of oxen, goats, and Iheep, 
are fattened in the luxuriant paftures of this province; 
and, indeed, it is the only part of hulbandry to which the 
inhabitants pay any confiderable attention. An ox well 
fattened may be purchafed for four dollars. Turkeys, 
geefe, and all kinds of poultry, are found here in the 
fame profufion. The coafts abound with many excellent 
fifli; there are alfo vaft numbers of whales and fea-wolves. 
The European fruit-trees are obliged to be propped to 
enable them to fufiain the weight of the fruit. Orange- 
trees are in bloom, and bear fruit, throughout the year. 
Olives alfo, and almond-trees, thrive exceedingly well; 
and the inhabitants prefs a kind of mufcadine wine from, 
the grapes, which far exceeds any of the kind made in 
Spain. Mines of gold, filver, copper, tin, quickfilver, 
iron, and lead, abound in this country. Vaft quantities 
of gold are waihed down from the mountains by brooks 
and torrents; the annual amount of which, when manu¬ 
factured, is eftimated at no lefs than 8,000,000 dollars. 
The corn-harveft is reckoned a bad one when it does not 
yield a hundred fold. With all thefe advantages, Chili 
has no direC intercourfe with the mother-country. Their 
whole trade is confined to Peru, Paraguay, and the In¬ 
dians on their own frontiers. The inhabitants of Chili 
fell their moft ordinary and lefs valuable commodities to 
thefe favages for oxen, horfes, and their own children, 
whomtheyarereadytopartwithfor the^oft trifling things. 
Spirituous liquors were fold, till the year 1724, to thefe 
people, who, like moft other favages, are exceflively fond 
of them. When they were intoxicated, they ufed to take 
up arms, maffacre all the Spaniards they met with, and 
fuddenly attack the forts and ravage the country near 
their dwellings. Thefe outrages were fo often repeated, 
that it was found neceffary ftrictly to forbid this danger¬ 
ous traffic. The good effefts of the prohibition are daily 
felt. The commotions of thefe people are lefs frequent 
5 R and 
