protect the The wall is

miles length on the south bank of the Mapocho River, built at the instance of the great benefactor Portales, to city against inundation when the river is in flood. twenty feet high and from five to six feet thick. The river is spanned by two bridges; one of them of substantial masonry, six hundred and fifty feet long, supported thirty feet above low water on eleven strong arches. This space is demanded to give passage to this wild mountain stream when swollen.

No more proof is needed to show that Chile is in advance of its neighbor Peru, in the enterprise necessary to develop natural resources, than is found in its railroads and telegraph lines, now in operation or in process of construction. The latter country has but the Lima and Callao, and Lima and Chorillos Railroads, seven and nine miles long respectively; and the Arica and Tacna road of thirty-five miles length. Chile can boast of, First, the Caldera and Copiapo Railroad, seventy-four miles in length; originally built to Copiapo, fifty miles, and subsequently extended to Pabellon, twenty-four miles further; the whole having been finished in 1856 by an English and Chilean company at a cost of $2,500,000, under American construction. Its transportation of copper ores is heavy. Second, the Pabellon and Chañarcillo Railroad, which, although in fact an extension of the first mentioned, was built and is owned by a different company. Its length is twenty-four miles; it was finished in 1859 at a cost of $800,000. The main business of the road is the transportation of copper and silver ores. Third, the Valparaiso and Santiago Railroad, length one hundred and ten miles; finished to Quillota, thirty miles, at a cost of $7,000,000; thence to the capital under contract, and now being pushed forward after considerable delay resulting from political revolutions of the country, and conflicting personal interests striving to divert the road from the route originally decided on by the able American engineer, Mr. Campbell, whose high sense of duty and undeviating integrity and self-respect, led him to resign his position in the employment of the Chilean Government, rather than swerve from his convictions of right, or submit to the intermeddling of the ignorant and selfish. His successor may be more politic and accommodating in unimportant mat

ters, but will be compelled to endorse the surveys and recommendations of Mr. Campbell by their adoption. For, unless the valley of the Quillota River (more appropriately called Aconcagua) is pursued to the point at which that stream is joined by the Tabon River, and thence southeastwardly along that river to the offshoot of the Andes, forming by its westward stretch across the great interior valley of Chile an intermontane link with the Coast Range; and unless that spur of the Andean Cordillera is crossed at the Cuesta of the Tabon, of only twenty-six hundred and fifty feet height, with the Tabon River rising on one side flowing northwardly, and the Zampa River rising on the other side flowing southwardly, to conduct the road to the Mapocho River, and by a slightly deviating line and unsurpassed grade to its eastern terminus, Santiago is likely to be visited from the seaport yet several generations, by ox-teams, French diligences, and American stage-coaches. Mr. Campbell may await the approving verdict of the nation. The pedestal of his monument is erected-the column will soon be placed upon it.* Fourth, the Southern Railroad, from Santiago to Talca, one hundred and forty miles; finished to Rancagua, fifty miles from the capital, at a cost of $3,900,000; and now under contract and progressing to San Fernando, thirty-one miles further. Fifth, the Cañada Railroad, which is merely a city passenger branch of the last-named road. Its double track was laid two miles along the outside of the fashionable Santiago promenade, at a cost of $74,000. It is a profitable investment for the owners, the fare being a decimo, and no official perquisites—in railroad parlance "stealings"-by the conductors. This self-paying operation, to which the attention of railroad stockholders in North America has been directed of late as the great cause of small dividends, or no dividends at all, is prevented in the Cañada city railroad by the passenger being furnished with a metallic check in return for his fare, and on leaving the car he deposits the check in a locked box at the door. The number of checks informs the agent at the end of line, who alone holds the

* Since the above was written the Santiago and Valparaiso Railroad has been completed on the line of survey indicated. Its length is one hundred and fourteen and one-quarter miles; and the running time between the termini is eight hours.

key of the tell-tale, how many fares the conductor has received. Besides the above roads, there are projected one of nine miles from Coquimbo to La Serena, and another of forty-five miles from Tongoy to Ovalle, the latter certainly to be pushed forward with energy, and speedily completed under the superintendence of Mr. J. A. Barnard, civil engineer; a fellow-citizen who honors his own country by serving Chile with rare fidelity and professional skill. Telegraph lines are in operation between Santiago and Valparaiso, Santiago and San Felipe, Santiago and Talca, Caldera and Pabellon, Talcahuano and Concepcion.

I start to-morrow for Talcahuano by the land route to avoid awaiting the steamer at Valparaiso. The journey will be long and wearisome, but the attractions of the great valley will probably repay one for any endurance of fatigue, exposure, and deprivation. As to danger, it might be as well, were it not too late to effect it, to consider the expediency of obtaining a life insurance in accordance with the Chilean custom, to wit: for a specified time, the insured person living for the period named to receive the amount of the policy; if he should die all is lost, but as life is already gone the money can be of no moment to the one most interested. The Santiaguinos consider it an excellent method of providing a marriage settlement for a daughter, who being insured in childhood, on surviving, does not become a bridal beggar; and whose chances of matrimonial bliss are proportionably increased. If she should die, the relief of the husband from the burden of support cancels the loss of insurance.

As the hotel watchman is invariably on the corridor at my hour for rising, enjoying his early morning nap, he cannot be relied on for an early morning rap, and I shall have to "call" myself, to be in time for the southern train. Hence as it is now midnight, this last Santiago despatch must be abruptly closed. And in bidding you good-night, I will also say good-bye to the Hotel Ingles, that one of the three inns of the capital at which tolerable accommodation has been found, although water and towels are sadly needed, and bells also, or an indicator, to prevent the unceasing calls from the galleries, which make of the patio a bedlam from morning to night.

CHAPTER XV.

SOUTHERN RAILROAD DEPOT-GREAT INTERIOR VALLEY OF CHILE BETWEEN THE ANDES AND COAST RANGE MOUNTAINS-MAIPU RIVER-ANGOSTURA DE PAYNE-LANDED ESTATE, SUFFRAGE, TREASON, INTOLERANCE-RANCAQUA-CACHAPOAL RIVER-BATHS OF CAUQUENES—REQUINOA-RIO CLARILLO-RENGO-ANGOSTURA REGULEMU-SAN FERNANDO RIO TINGUIRIRICA-COUNTRY CONVEYANCE--EL DESCABEZADO-RIO TENO.

ON a bright December morning, at a cost of a decimo (ten cents), the usual Santiago hack-hire, and the cheapest probably in the world, I reached the southern railroad station directly south of the west end of the Cañada, with time to spare to take a look at its buildings; and where I was shortly after joined by the United States Minister to Chile, who was to be my compagnon du voyage.

A substantially-enclosed space of sixty acres contained the following buildings, erected with reference to capacity, convenience, and durability, unsurpassed in the northern States: Besides a commodious edifice in which are the various offices of the company, there are a first-class railroad station proper, three hundred by ninety feet in extent, with iron columns, rafters, braces, and corrugated iron roof, all of best finish, made in England for erection in Santiago. A circular engine-house, constructed entirely of iron, one hundred and sixty-eight feet in diameter; also made in England at a cost of $60,000. It is capable of accommodating sixteen engines, nine of which are now built and in use, nearly all American, manufactured by Rogers & Co., of Paterson, New Jersey; and found on full and fair trial to be superior in power and speed to the English imported locomotives, which they have superseded. A machine shop one hundred and twenty by fifty-five feet, of brick and adobe, with projecting corrugated iron roof; the machinery all

American; the workmen Americans, English, and natives. A car shed three hundred and fifty by forty-five feet; a double, open colonnade supporting an iron roof. A freight house two hundred and eighty by thirty-eight feet, thick adobe walls, with close fire-proof shutters and corrugated iron roof.

The water for the use of this station is brought three miles, from the Mapocho River, in iron pipes laid for this special use. There are few railroad stations more complete or better arranged, or as cleanly and orderly, as this of the Southern Chile Railroad Company; and its appearance gave promise of good management in the working of the road on which we were about to trust ourselves to the care of American engineers, certainly with more confidence than can be felt in the wild Chilenos, who dash down the neighboring cuesta as if the question of human endurance were the problem of their lives, which they were daily engaged in solving.

The cars being well filled with first, second, and third-class passengers, at a cost respectively of one dollar and a half, one dollar, and half a dollar, for Rancagua, a distance of fifty-four Spanish (fifty English) miles-the third-class passengers outnumbering both the others-we started in a southerly direction up the valley, because with the ascending scale of latitude; the Andes on our left to the east, and the Coast Range on our right to the west, about twenty-five miles asunder at Santiago, but approaching nearer at some points while they recede at others, an average width of the valley being probably about eighteen miles.

In thus designating the boundaries of the great valley which, stretches to the south from three hundred and fifty to four hundred miles, it may be stated that from twelve to fifteen miles north of Tupungato, the imperial peak of this region, which is but little north of east of Santiago, the Andes throw off a mountainous chain westwardly called Sierra de la Dehesa, which pursues its somewhat flexuous course under the local names of Sierra de la Gualtatas, and Sierra de la Meza alta; on the last is the Cumbre de Tabon. It is near this important cumbre-over which, by the surveys of our countryman Mr. Campbell, the Valparaiso and Santiago Railroad will have to