They are placed upon a simple wooden armchair,
with one band fastened in front of them to prevent their falling
off, and another beneath for them to place their feet on - a most
horrible sight when the sick person is so weak that he can no longer
hold himself in an upright posture.
I was not a little astonished on hearing that, in this country,
where there is yet no post, or, indeed, any regular means of
conveyance from one place to another, that a railroad was about
being constructed from here to Santiago. The work has been
undertaken by an English company, and the necessary measurements
already begun. As the localities are very mountainous, the railroad
will have to make considerable windings, in order to profit by the
level tracts, and this will occasion an enormous outlay, quite out
of proportion to the present state of trade or the amount of
passenger traffic. At present, there are not more than two or three
vehicles a day from one place to the other, and if by chance ten or
fifteen passengers come from Santiago to Valparaiso, the thing is
talked of over the whole town. This has given rise to the belief
that the construction of a railroad has merely been seized on as an
excuse, in order to enable those concerned to search about the
country undisturbed for gold and silver.
Persons discovering mines are highly favoured, and have full right
of property to their discovery, being obliged merely to notify the
same to the government. This licence is pushed to such an extent,
that if, for instance, a person can advance any plausible grounds
for asserting that he has found a mine in a particular spot, such as
under a church or house, etc., he is at liberty to have either
pulled down, provided he is rich enough to pay for the damage done.
About fifteen years ago, a donkey driver accidentally hit upon a
productive silver mine. He was driving several asses over the
mountain, when one of them ran away. He seized a stone, and was
about to throw it after the animal, but stumbled and fell to the
ground, while the stone escaped from his grasp, and rolled away.
Rising in a great passion, he snatched a second from the earth, and
had drawn his arm to throw the stone, when he was struck by its
uncommon weight. He looked at it more closely, and perceived that
it was streaked with rich veins of pure silver. He preserved the
stone as a treasure, marked the spot, drove his asses home, and then
communicated his important discovery to one of his friends, who was
a miner. Both of them then returned to the place, which the miner
examined, and pronounced the soil full of precious ore. Nothing was
now wanting save capital to carry on their operations. This they
procured by taking the miner's employer into partnership, and in a
few years all three were rich men.
The six days had now elapsed, and the captain sent me a message to
be on board with my bag and baggage the next day, as he intended
putting out to sea in the evening; but on the morning of his
intended departure, my evil genius conducted a French man-of-war
into the harbour. Little imagining that this was destined to
overturn all my plans, I proceeded very tranquilly to the landing-
place, where I met the captain hastening to meet me, with a long
story about his half-cargo, and the necessity he was under of
completing his freight with provisions for the use of the French
garrison at Tahiti, and so forth: in a word, the end of the matter
was, that I was informed we should have to stop another five days.
In the first burst of my disappointment, I paid a visit to the
Sardinian Consul, Herr Bayerbach, and told him of the position in
which I was placed. He consoled me, in a most kind and gentlemanly
manner, as well as he could; and on learning that I had already
taken up my quarters on board, insisted on my occupying a chamber in
his country-house in the Serra Allegri. Besides this, he introduced
me to several families, where I passed many very pleasant hours, and
had the opportunity of inspecting some excellent collections of
mussel-shells and insects.
Our departure was again deferred from day to day; so that, although,
in this manner, I spent fifteen days in Chili, I saw nothing more of
it than Valparaiso and its immediate neighbourhood.
As Valparaiso is situated to the south of the Equator, and, as is
well known, the seasons of the southern hemisphere are exactly the
contrary of those of the northern, it was now autumn. I saw (34
degrees South latitude) almost the same kinds of fruits and
vegetables as those we have in Germany, especially grapes and
melons. The apples and pears were not so good nor so abundant as
with us.
In conclusion, I will here give a list of the prices which
travellers have to pay for certain things: -
A room that is at all decent in a private house costs four or five
reaux (2s.) a day; the table d'hote a piaster (4s.); but washing is
more expensive than anything else, on account of the great scarcity
of water, for every article, large or small, costs a real (6d.). A
passport, too, is excessively dear, being charged eight Spanish
dollars (1 pounds 12s.).
CHAPTER VII. THE VOYAGE FROM VALPARAISO TO CANTON VIA TAHITI.
DEPARTURE FROM VALPARAISO - TAHITI - MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE
PEOPLE - FETE AND BALL IN HONOUR OF LOUIS PHILIPPE - EXCURSIONS - A
TAHITIAN DINNER - THE LAKE VAIHIRIA - THE DEFILE OF FANTAUA AND THE
DIADEM - DEPARTURE - ARRIVAL IN CHINA.
