Valparaiso--Excursion to the Foot of the Andes--Structure of the
Land--Ascend the Bell of Quillota--Shattered Masses of
Greenstone--Immense Valleys--Mines--State of
Miners--Santiago--Hot-baths of
Cauquenes--Gold-mines--Grinding-mills--Perforated Stones--Habits of the
Puma--El Turco and Tapacolo--Humming-birds.
JULY 23rd.--The Beagle anchored late at night in the bay of Valparaiso,
the chief seaport of Chile. When morning came, everything appeared
delightful. After Tierra del Fuego, the climate felt quite
delicious--the atmosphere so dry, and the heavens so clear and blue
with the sun shining brightly, that all nature seemed sparkling with
life. The view from the anchorage is very pretty. The town is built
at the very foot of a range of hills, about 1600 feet high, and rather
steep. From its position, it consists of one long, straggling street,
which runs parallel to the beach, and wherever a ravine comes down, the
houses are piled up on each side of it. The rounded hills, being only
partially protected by a very scanty vegetation, are worn into
numberless little gullies, which expose a singularly bright red soil.
From this cause, and from the low whitewashed houses with tile roofs,
the view reminded me of St. Cruz in Teneriffe. In a north-westerly
direction there are some fine glimpses of the Andes: but these
mountains appear much grander when viewed from the neighbouring hills:
the great distance at which they are situated can then more readily be
perceived. The volcano of Aconcagua is particularly magnificent. This
huge and irregularly conical mass has an elevation greater than that of
Chimborazo; for, from measurements made by the officers in the Beagle,
its height is no less than 23,000 feet. The Cordillera, however,
viewed from this point, owe the greater part of their beauty to the
atmosphere through which they are seen. When the sun was setting in
the Pacific, it was admirable to watch how clearly their rugged
outlines could be distinguished, yet how varied and how delicate were
the shades of their colour.
I had the good fortune to find living here Mr. Richard Corfield, an old
schoolfellow and friend, to whose hospitality and kindness I was
greatly indebted, in having afforded me a most pleasant residence
during the Beagle's stay in Chile. The immediate neighbourhood of
Valparaiso is not very productive to the naturalist. During the long
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