thii'kly fovoivi l with o n e iini>orvious bliickisli-grcnn I'ornst.
t i n tho ma rg in s thoro nro soino oloarod spaoos, sn r ro u iu l in g
th o liigh- roofod oottagos .
2 ( ! r n .T h o day roso splondidly oloar. 'I’hc voloaiio ol
Cisorno was spouting out vohnno.s of smoko. 'I’liis most;
boautiful mountain, formod liko a porlool; oono, and white
with snow, stands i>ut in trout oi Iho Ciordillcra. Anotln'r
wvoat volcano, with a saddlo-shapod summit, also omitlod
from its iimnonso orator little jots of stoam. SubsoquonI ly
wo saw tho lofty-poakod Corcovado—w oil deserving the name
of •• ol famoao Corcovado.” 'I'luis wc boheld, from one point
of view, three groat active volcanoes, caoli of winch had an
elevation of aliout seven thousand feet. In addition to this,
far to the soutli. tliere were other very lofty cones covered
with snow, whieli although not known to be active, must
have been in their origin volcanic. The line of the Andes is
not. in this neighbourhood, nearly so elevated as in Chile;
neither does it appear to form so perfect a barrier between the
retrions of the earth. This great range, although running in a
direct north and south line, owing to an optical deception,
always appeared more or less semicircular; for the extreme
peaks being seen standing above the same horizon together
with the nearer ones, their much greater distance was not so
easily recognised.
AVhen landing on a point to take observations, we saw a
family of pure Indian extraction. The father was singularly
hke York Minster; and some of the younger boys, with
their ruddv complexions, might have been mistaken for
Pampas Indians. Every thing I have seen convinces me of
the close connexion of the different tribes, who nevertheless
speak quite distinct languages. This party could muster Imt
little Spanish, and talked to each other in their own tongue.
It is a pleasant thing to see the aborigines advanced to the
same degree of civilization, however low that may be, wliich
their white conquerors have attained. More to the south wc
saw many pure Indians : indeed, some of the islands, sucli as
ChauqueS; &c., have no other inliabitanls than such as retain
the Indian surname. In the ccn.sus of I8-J2, there were in
Chiloe and its depende.neies, forty-two thousand srml.s. 'I'he
greater nuiriher of these afipear to lie little eopper-eoloured
m e n , of mixed lilood. Klevcn thousand actually retain their
Indian surname ; liut it is jirobalde that not nea,rly all of them
arc of pure blood. 'I’heir manner of life is the same with that
of t.hc other poor inhalhtants, and they are a)) Christians : but
it is said that they yet retain some strange superstitiou.s eere-
moriics, and that they pretend to hold communication with the
devil in certain caves. Formerly, every one convicted of this
offence was sent to the Inquisition at Lima. Many of those
people who are not incl uded in the eleven thousand, cannot be
distinguished by their appearance from Indians. Gomez,
the governor of Lemuy, is descended from noblemen of
Spain on both sides, but by constant intermarriages with
natives, tlie present man is an Indian. On the other hand,
the governor of Quinchao boasts much of his pure Spanish
blood.
AA’e reached at night a beautiful little cove, north of the
island of Caucahue. The people here complained of want
of land. This is partly owing to their own negligence
in not clearing the woods, and partly to restrictions of the
government, which makes it necessary before buying ever so
small a piece, to pay two shillings to the surv'eyor, for measuring
each quadra (150 yards square'. together with wdiatever
price he fixes for the value of the land. After liis valuarion,
the land must be put up three times to auction, and if no one
bids more, the purchaser can have it at that rate. Ail t'nese
exactions must he a serious check to clearing the groune.
where the inhabitants are so extremely poor. In most
countries, forests are removed without much diaiculry. by
the aid of tire ; but in Chiloe. from the damp nature of the
climate, and the sort of trees, it is necessary nrst to cut
them down. Tliis is a heavy drawback to the prosperity of
Cliiloe. In the time of the Spaniards tlie Indians could not
hold land; and a family, after having oiearod a pieoe of
ground, might he driven away, and the property soir.od by
von. III. I.
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