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tlic government. The Cluliaii authorities are now performing
an act of justice, by making retribution to these poor
Indians; giving to each man, according to his grade of life,
a certain portion of land. The value of uncleared ground is
very little. The government gave Mr. Douglas (the present
surveyor, who informed me of these circumstances) eight
and a half square miles of forest near S. Carlos, in lieu of a
debt; and this he sold for 350 dollars, or about seventy
pounds sterling.
The two succeeding days were fine, and at night we
reached the island of Quinchao. This neighbourhood is the
most cultivated part of the Archipelago; for a broad strip of
land on the coast of the main island, as well as on many of
the smaller adjoining ones, is almost completely cleared.
Some of the farm-houses seemed very comfortable. I was
curious to ascertain how rich any of these people might be, but
Mr. Douglas says that no one can be considered as possessing a
regular income. One of the richest landowners might possibly
accumulate, in a long industrious life, as much as a thousand
pounds sterling; hut should this happen, it would all he
stowed away in some secret corner; for it is the. custom of
almost every family to have a jar or treasure-chest buried in
the ground.
N o v e m b e r 3 0 t h .—Early on Sunday morning we reached
Castro,—the ancient capital of Chiloe, hut now a most
forlorn and deserted place. The usual quadrangular arrangement
of Spanish towns could be traced, but the streets and
plaza were coated with fine green turf, on which sheep were
browsing. The church, which stands in the middle, is
entirely built of plank, and has a picturesque and venerable
appearance. The poverty of the place may be conceived
from the fact, that although containing some hundreds of
inhabitants, one of our party was unable any where to purchase
either a pound of sugar, or an ordinary knife. No
individual possessed either a watch or a clock; and an old
man, who was supposed to have a good idea of time, was
employed to strike the church bell by guess.
The arrival of our boats was a rare event in this quiet,
retired corner of the world; and nearly all the inhabitants
came down to the beach to see us pitch our tents. They
were very civil, and offered us a house; and one man even
sent us a cask of cider as a present. In the afternoon we
paid our respects to the governor;—a quiet old man, who, in
his appearance and manner of life, was scarcely superior to
an English cottager. At night heavy rain set in, which was
hardly sufficient to drive away from the tents the large
circle of lookers on. An Indian family, who had come to
trade in a canoe from Caylen, bivouacked near us. They
had no shelter during the rain. In the morning, I asked
a young Indian, who was wet to the skin, how he had passed
the night. He seemed perfectly content, and answered, “ Muy
bien, señor.”
D e c e m b e r 1 s t .—We steered for the island of Lemuy. I
was anxious to examine a reported coal-mine, which turned
out to be lignite of little value, in the sandstone (probably of
an ancient tertiary epoch) of which these islands are composed.
When we reached Lemuy we had much difficulty in
finding any place to pitch our tents, for it was spring tide,
and the land was wooded down to the water’s edge. In a
short time we were surrounded by a large group of the
nearly pure Indian inhabitants. They were much surprised
at our arrival, and said one to the other, “ This is the reason
we have seen so many parrots lately; the cheucau (an odd
red-breasted little bird, which inhabits the thick forest, and
utters very peculiar noises) has not cried ‘ beware’ for
nothing.” They were soon anxious for barter. Money was
scarcely worth anything, but their eagerness for tobacco was
something quite extraordinary. After tobacco indigo came
next in value; then capsicum, old clothes, and gunpowder.
The latter article was required for a very innocent purpose :
each parish has a public musket, and the gunpowder was
wanted for making a noise on their saint or feast days.
The people here live chiefly on shell-fish and potatoes.
At certain seasons they catch also, in “ corrales” or hedges
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