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The foreign Commerce of Chili was distributed, both in 1850 and 1851, among twenty-six countries. In order to show the relative degree of importance of our Commerce with each country in these two years, the following comparative table has been prepared:

COUNTRIES, THE COMMERCE OF WHICH WITH CHILI HAS INCREASED IN 1851.

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Total.......

643,736

646,890

3,154

5,552

118,262

112,710

$20,558,071 $25,314,129 $4,766,058

COUNTRIES, THE COMMERCE OF WHICH WITH CHILI DECREASED IN 1851.

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Valparaiso..

The foreign Commerce of 1851 yielded to the public treasury $2,724,718, from the various custom-houses, as follows:

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Coquimbo

87,036

Ancud..

3,910

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The amount and value of merchandise received in 1851 at the various ports of Chili, in transitu for other countries, are as follows:

$11,788,193

$15,884,972

$11,392,452

$9,666,354

1,033,807

2,480,037

$12,426,269 $12,146,391

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Of these goods thus warehoused for other countries, there were forwarded

in 1851

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Owing to the civil war with which the republic was afflicted in 1851, the ports of Coquimbo and Talcahuano were closed against all Commerce, both foreign and domestic, from the 7th September to the end of December in

that year.

The exports of these two ports, consequently, fell off, as compared with the preceding year, $279,878 in value; and the number of vessels which entered and sailed were only 517 in 1851.

In spite, however, of these drawbacks, the amount of imports for home consumption has steadily progressed; since, comparing 1850 with 1851, there has been an increase of $4,096,779 in the last named year.

The custom-house returns show a corresponding increase in the amount of duties received:

In 1850 they were......
And in 1851 they were

Showing an increase of...........

$2,626,956

2,724,718

$97,762

MANUFACTURES. The facility with which foreign manufactured goods can be imported into Chili has wisely discouraged the establishment of any important manufactures. A large portion of the population, however, wear home-made stuffs, especially woolen; the importation of British manufactures is increasing; steamboats from England ply along the coast of Chili; but under the Spanish rule the coasting trade was discouraged.

In 1810, the population of Chili rose against Spain, they were defeated in 1814, at Rancagua, by General Osorio, and obliged to submit to their former rulers. In 1817, San Martin, with an army from Mendoza, gained the battles of Chacabuco (1817) and Maypú, (1818,) the result of which was the independence of the country. The constitution then adopted is still considered the fundamental law, and formed on the principle of a centralized government. The executive power is vested in a supreme director. The Legislature is composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate consists of twenty members at the most, and every 15,000 inbabitants sends a member to the House of Representatives.

DESCRIPTIVE SKETCHES OF CHILI AND VALPARAISO: SANTIAGO COPPER

MINES.

Valparaiso has increased in population, extent, and importance within the last twenty years, and has become the great sea-port of Chili and the western coast. Its harbor is inferior to others on the coast, yet it is the nearest and most convenient port to Santiago, the capital.*

Captain Wilkes says:

cause.

Captain Wilkes observes:-"The northers are greatly dreaded, although I think without much One of them, and the last of any force, I had myself experienced in June, 1822, (whilst in command of a merchant vessel.) In it eighteen sail of vessels were lost. But since that time vessels are much better provided with cables and anchors, and what proved a disastrous storm then would now scarcely be felt. I do not deem the bay so dangerous as it has the name of being. The great difficulty of the port is its confined space, and in the event of a gale, the sea that sets in is so heavy, that vessels are liable to come in contact with each other, and to be more or less injured. The port is too limited in extent to accommodate the trade that is carried on in it. Various schemes and improvements are talked of, but none that are feasible. The depth of water opposes an almost insuperable obstacle to its improvement by piers. The enterprise of the government, and of the inhabitants of Valparaiso, is, I am well satisfied, equal to any undertaking that is practicable. "From the best accounts, I am satisfied that the harbor is filling up, from the wash of the hills. Although this may seem but a small amount of deposition, yet, after a lapse of sixteen years, the change was quite perceptible to me, and the oldest residents confirmed the fact. The anchorage of the vessels has changed, and what before was thought an extremely dangerous situation, is now considered the best in the event of bad weather. The sea is to be feared rather than the wind, for the Jatter seldom blows home, because the land immediately behind the city rises in abrupt hills, to the hight of from 800 to 1,500 and 2,000 feet."

"I have had some opportunity of knowing Valparaiso, and contrasting its present state with that of 1821 and 1822. It was then a mere village, composed, with but few exceptions, of straggling ranchos. It has now the appear ance of a thickly-settled town, with a population of 30,000, five times the num ber it had then. It is divided into two parts, one of which is known by the name of the Port, and is the old town; the other by that of the Almendral, occupying a level plain to the east. Its location is by no means such as to show it to advantage. The principal buildings are the custom-house, two churches, and the houses occupying the main street. Most of the buildings are of one story, and are built of adobes or sun-dried brick. The walls of the buildings are from four to six feet thick. The reason of this mode of building is the fre quent occurrence of earthquakes. The streets are well paved. The plaza has not much to recommend it. The government-house is an inferior building. Great improvements are now making, and many buildings on the eve of erec

tion.

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They are about bringing water from one of the neighboring springs on the hill, which, if the supply is sufficient, will give the town many comforts. On the hills are many neat and comfortable dwellings, surrounded by flower-gar dens. These are chiefly occupied by the families of American and English merchants. This is the most pleasant part of the town, and enjoys a beautiful view of the harbor. The ascent to it is made quite easy by a well-constructed road through a ravine. The hight is 210 feet above the sea. The east end of the Almendral is also occupied by the wealthy citizens. The lower classes live in the ravines. Many of their habitations are scarcely sufficient to keep them dry during the rainy season. They are built of reeds, plastered with mud, and thatched with straw. They seldom contain more than one apartment.

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"The well-known hills to the south of the port, called the Main and Fore Top,' are the principal localities of the grog-shops and their customers. These two hills, and the gorge (quebrada) between them, seem to contain a large proportion of the worthless population of both sexes. The females, remarkable for their black eyes and red bayettas,' are an annoyance to the authorities, the trade, and the commanders of vessels, and equally so to the poor sailors, who seldom leave this port without empty pockets and injured health.

"It was difficult to realize the improvement and change that had taken place in the habits of the people, and the advancement in civil order and civilization. On my former visit, there was no sort of order, regulation, or good government. Robbery, murder, and vices of all kinds, were openly committed. The exercise of arbitrary military power alone existed. Not only with the natives, but among foreigners, gambling and knavery of the lowest order, and all the demoralizing effects that accompany them, prevailed.

"I myself saw, on my former visit, several dead bodies exposed in the public squares, victims of the cuchillo. This was the result of a night's debauch, and the fracas attendant upon it. No other punishment awaited the culprits than the remorse of their own conscience.

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Now, Valparaiso, and indeed all Chili shows a great change for the better; order reigns throughout; crime is rarely heard of, and never goes unpunished; good order and decorum prevail outwardly everywhere; that engine of good government, an active and efficient police, has been established. It is admirably regulated, and brought fully into action, not only for the protection of life and property, but in adding to the comforts of the inhabitants."

The Chilians, when compared with other South Americans, love their country, and are fond of their homes. The people are attached to agriculture, and the lower orders are better disposed towards foreigners than in the other Spanish republics. Schools and colleges have been established, and a desire to extend the benefits of education throughout the population is evinced.

The shops are well filled with articles of English, American, and French

manufacture. The markets are abundantly supplied. There are no market-gardens in the vicinity of Valparaiso, and most of the vegetables are brought from the valley of Quillota, in panniers, on the backs of mules; grass or clover is brought to market on horseback, which almost covers both horse and rider.

SANTIAGO. The elevation of Santiago above the sea is 1,591 feet, and stands on the third step or plain from the coast. Its entrance is through avenues between high adobe walls.

The Cordilleras have at all times an imposing aspect when seen from the neighborhood of Santiago, and their irregular outline is constantly varying under the effects of light and shade. Santiago is surrounded by orchards, gardens, farms, and grazing-grounds. The city being inclosed by high adobe walls, gives it a gloomy appearance until entered, when the streets have a fresh and clean look-it is laid out in squares. The streets are paved, and have side-walks. The clean appearance is owing to a law obliging the inhabitants to whitewash their houses and walls once a year, and to the white contrasting with the red-tiled roofs. The houses are mostly one-story high, built round a court or square, from twenty to forty feet wide, round which the rooms are situated. The roof projects to form a kind of piazza or covered way. The gateway is usually large, and the rooms on each side of it are not connected with the rest of the building, but rented as shops. Opposite to the gateway is the center window, guarded by a light and ornamental iron frame, painted green or richly gilt. The court is usually paved with small pebbles from the bed of the Maypocho, arranged fancifully; in many cases, the courts are laid out in flower-plats, with roses and geraniums. The River Maypocho runs through one portion of Santiago, and supplies it with water. In the center of the city is the great plaza, where the public buildings are situated. These are built of a coarse kind of porphyry from the mountains: the cathedral and palace each occupy one side; in the center is a fountain, with several small statues of Italian marble. All the public buildings are much out of repair, having been damaged by earthquakes.

The cathedral is a large edifice-its altar is decked with gold and silver. There are within it paintings and hangings, among which is a large number of trophies, taken in the wars. The niches are filled with wax figures of saints, and there are also "the remains of two martyrs of the church, in a tolerably good state of preservation."

The palace, originally built for the viceroy, is now appropriated to the accommodation of the president and the public officers. On the side opposite to the palace is a colonnade, not yet finished, intended to occupy one whole side of the plaza. Under its portico are fancy and dry goods shops, and between the coluinns various trades, or lace and fringe makers' work. In the evening it is resorted to by females, with large flat baskets, vending shoes, fruit, and fancy articles; others are cooking cakes, and the whole portico is lighted up, and much resorted to.

The mint occupies a square; it has never been completed, and has suffered from earthquakes. The operation of coining is in the rudest form. Both rolling and cutting are done by mule power.

The public library contains several thousand volumes, which formerly belonged to the Jesuits, and many curious manuscripts relating to the Indians. The markets are well supplied; there is one near the banks of the Maypocho which covers an area of four or five acres, and is surrounded by a low

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