The capital is ChiIlan, or San Bartholomew, in south lat. 35° 54', west long. 71° 30'. Pucliacay, on the sea-coast, 12 leagues from north to south, and 25 from cast to west. !lie soil of this province is fertile, and the climate always temperate. It produces the largest strawberries in Chili, and abounds in gold. Conception, in south lat. S6° 49' 10P, west long. 73° 5', is the principal city, though the corregidor resides in Gualqui. //itiNui/cimi, more ge nerally named listanzia del Rey, lies near the Andes, and is 12 leagues from north to south, and 25 from east to west. This province has mines of gold, and produces excellent wine, resembling Muscadel. The capital is I luilquilenm. Valdivia, now used only as a military station, is completely separate from the other Spanish provinces, and encompassed by the territories of the Araucanians. The capital, Valdivia, is situated at the bottom of a secure bay, whose entrance is commanded by the island Alanzera.
All the above provinces, excepting Valdivia, were an ciently possessed by thc Copiapins, Coquimbanes, Quil lotanes, Afapochinians, Prornaucians, Cures, Cauques, and Pencons.. But most of these once flourishing tribes are now extinct, and the few that survive have been wasted to a miserable remnant, by the oppressive tyranny of the Spaniards.
'That portion of Chili which still maintains its inde pendence, lies between the 36th and 41 st degrees of south latitude, extending- from the Biobio to thc Archi pelago of Chiloc. It is at present occupied by three independent nations, the Araucanians, the Cunches, and the Iluilliches. Araucania, extending from the Biobio to the river Callacallas, contains the finest plains of Chili. It is in length 186 geographical miles. Its original breadth was 300, but in the 17th century it was aug mented to 420, by the junction of the Puddles, who inhabit the western side of the Andes. The united ter ritory is computed at 78,120 square miles. It is divided into Lour parallel principalities, termed Uthubmort, which are distinguished by the following descriptive appella tions : Lauquemnapu, or the maritime country ; Lel bunniapu, or the plain country ; Inapirernapu, or the country at the foot of the Andes ; and Piremapu, or the country on the Andes. These are each of them divided into five provinces, which arc again subdivided into nine districts.* Between the river Callacallas, and the Archi pelago of Chiloe, is comprehended the territories of the Cunches and Huilliches, who arc both allies of the Araucanians. The Cunches occupy the part extending
along the coast ; the Huilliches inhabit all the plains to the eastward, between the Cunches and the main ridge of the Andes.
The highest of the Chilian Andes are, the NIanflos, in south lat. 28° 45'; the Tupungato, in 33° 24'; the Des cabezado, in 35°; the Blanquillo, in 35° 4!; the Longavi, in 35° 30'; the Chillan, in 36° ; and the Corcobado, in 43°, all of which are said to be more than 20,000 feet above the level of the sea. The most remarkable of these is the Descabezado, w hose summit presents a plain of more than six miles square, having in the mid dle a very deep lake. This lake is supposed to have been at one time the crater of a volcano. In height, it is probably not inferior to the celebrated Chiinborazo of Quito. Between the 24th and 33d degrees of south la titude, the Andes are wholly desert. From this to the 45th, they are occupied by Chilian colonies, under the general name of Patagonians, but whose different tribes are likewise known by the separate appellations of Chi quillans, Pchuenches, Pucichcs, and Huilliches.
Chili is watered by a vast number of rivers, which pro ceeding westward from the Andes, discharge themselves, by fifty-two mouths, into the Pacific Ocean. The princi pal of these are, the Manic, the Biobio, which is two miles in breadth, the Cautcn, the Tolten, the Valdivia or Callacallas, the Chaivin, the Riobueno, and the Sinfondo, which, with some others, are navigable for a considera ble extent to ships of the line. Their course is very ra pid till they reach the maritime Mountains, where it is retarded by the nature of the ground. They swell to their greatest height about the end of September, when it has been remarked that some of them rise most in the morning, others at mid-day, and others towards evening. At no time, however, do they so much overflow their banks as to lay the adjacent plains under water.
The lakes of Chili arc of two kinds, the salt and fresh water lakes. Of the former are the lakes of Bucalemu, Caguil, and Bojeruca, situated in the marshes of the Spanish provinces. Those of fresh water belong to the inland provinces ; they are the Redaguel, the Aculeu, and the Taguatagua; also the Lauquen and Nahuel guapi, in Araucania, the first of which has a beautiful cone-shaped hill rising from its centre, and is the source of the river Talton. The Nahuelguapi is 80 miles in circumference, has a pleasant island, and gives rise to a river of the same name, which falls into the Patagonian sea.