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Show 362 CIIJLOE. Feb. 1835. on which the sea is eternally roaring. Mr. King and myself were anxious to return, if it had been possible, on foot along this coast; but even the Indians said it is quite impracticable. We were told that men have crossed by striking directly through the woods from Cucao to S. Carlos, but never by the coast. On these expeditions, the Indians carry with them only toasted corn, and of this they eat sparingly twice a day. 26TH.-Re-embarking in the periagua, we returned across the lake, and then mounted our horses. The whole of Chiloe took advantage of this week of unusually fine weather, to clear the ground by burning. In every direction volumes of smoke were curling upwards. Although the inhabitants were so assiduous in setting fire to every part of the wood, yet I did not see a single fire which they had succeeded in making extensive. We dined with our friend the commandant, and did not reach Castro till after dark. The next morning we started very early. After having ridden for some time, we obtained from the brow of a steep hill an extensiYe view (and it is a rare thing on this road) of the great forest. Over the horizon of trees, the volcano of Corcovado, and the great fiat-topped one to the northward, stood out in proud pre-eminence; scarcely another peak in the long range showed its snowy top. I hope it will be long before I forget this farewell view of the magnificent Cordillera of Chiloe. At night we bivouacked under a cloudless sky, and the next morning reached S. Carlos. We arrived on the right day, for before evening heavy rain commenced. FEBRUARY 4th.-Sailed from Chiloe. During the last week I made several short excursions. One was to examine a great bed of oyster and Venus shells, of the same kind now living in the neighbouring bay, but elevated 350 feet (measured by the barometer) above the level of the sea. From among these shells large forest-trees were growing. Another ride was to P. Huechucucuy. I had with me a guide who knew the country far too well; for he would Feb. 1835. VALDIVIA. 36;3 pertinaciously tell me the Indian name for every little point, rivulet, and creek. In the same manner as in Tierra del Fuego, the Indian language appears singularly well adapted for attaching names to the most trivial divisions of the land. I believe every one was glad to say farewell to Chiloe. Yet if we could forget the gloom and ceaseless rain of. winter, Chiloe might pass for a charming island. There Is, also, something very attractive in the simplicity and humble politeness of all the poor inhabitants. We steered along shore to the northward, but owing to thick weather did not reach Valdivia till the night of the eighth. The' external features of the whol~ line of country were the same with the central parts of Chiloe. The forest was nowhere cleared away. On the sea-coast bold rocky points projected, but further inla~d the older . format~ons were covered up by plains, belongmg to geological penods of no great antiquity. The next .morning, after anchoring in the fine harbour of Valdivia, the boat proceeded to the town, which is distant about ten miles. We followed the course of the river, occasionally passing a fe': hovels, and patches of ground cleared out of the other~se unbro~en forest; and sometimes meeting a canoe With an lndmn family. The town is situated on the low banks of the stream, and is so completely buried in a wood of appletrees, that the streets are merely paths in an orchard. I have never seen any country where apple-trees appea~ed to thrive so well as in this damp part of South America. On the borders of the roads there were many young trees which had evidently planted themselves. In Chiloe, ~he inhabitants possess a marvellously short method of making an orchard. At the lower part of almost every branch, small, conical brown wrinkled points project: these are always ready 't o chan'g e into roots, as may someti.m es b. e seen, where any mud has been accidentally splashed agamst t~e tree. A branch as thick as a man's thigh is chosen, and IS cut off just beneath a group of these points ; all the smaller branches are lopped off, and it is then placed about two feet |