The winds in Chili are considered as infallible indica tions of weather, and serve the inhabitants for a barome ter. The southerly winds proceeding directly front the Antarctic pole, are cold, attended with fair weather ; the northerly winds, on the contrary, are hot and humid, and usually bring rain. In the provinces of Cujo and Tuco man, they are more suffocating than the Stroc in Italy; but in crossing the snowy summits of the Andes to Chili, their noxious properties are in a great measure removed or qualified. The south wind prevails while the sun is in the scuthern hemisphere. It begins to relax about noon, and is then supplanted for two or three hours by a fresh breeze from the sea, which, from the regularity of its returns, is called the twelve o'clock breeze. The south wind returns in the afternoon, and at midnight is once more succeeded by the western breeze. The east wind is seldom felt in Chili; and there exists but one instance of a hurricane.
Meteors, especially shooting stars and balls of fire proceeding from the Andes to the sea, are very frequent in Chili. The aurora australis seldom appear. One of the largest of these phenomena happened in 1640, and remained visible from February to April.
Among the vast number of volcanoes in the Cordillera, there are fourteen in a state of perpetual combustion, all of which belong to Chili, and are situated near the mid dle of the Chilian range: the lava and ashes discharged from them never fall beyond the limits of the Andes. Only two volcanoes are found among the maritime and midland mountains; one at the mouth of the river Ra pe', which is small, and emits at intervals only a little smoke; the other is the great volcano of Villarica, dis tinguishable at the distance of 150 miles, and said to be connected by its base with the Andes. It continues burning without intermission, but its eruptions have seldom been violent. The base is covered with forests, and its sides a lively verdure. The most remarka ble eruption of the Chilian volcanoes was that of Peteroa, on the 3d of December 1760, when the volcanic matter opened for itself a new crater, and a mountain in the vicinity suffered a disruption to the extent of several miles. A large portion of the mountain fell into the Lontue, and having filled its bed, a lake, which still re mains, was thus formed by the overflowing of the river.
Chili, so highly favoured in other respects, is render ed, by its quantity of inflammable matter, extremely sub ject to earthquakes. There are, however, two of its pro vinces which would seem to be almost totally exempted front their influence. It is a remarkable fact, that while other parts of the country have been violently agitated, the shock, if felt at all, was but slightly perceptible in Copiapo and Coquimbo : this some have attributed to the supposed existence of_certain large subterraneons caverns intersecting these provinces, which, by affording vent to the inflamed substances, may thus suddenly ar rest the progress of the convulsion. It is a very great alleviation of this tremendous scourge, that its approach is invariably announced by certain hollow sounds, the ef fect of a vibratory motion in the atmosphere, which give the inhabitants warning to quit their houses, and take re fuge in the streets, courts, and gardens. Happily the streets are of such a breadth as to afford a safe retreat, though the houses on each side should fall to the ground. Only
five considerable earthquakes have occurred in Chili since the arrival of the Spaniards to the year 1782, a period comprehending 244 years. The first, in 1520, and the second, in 1645, Were attended with no very se m ions injury. The third, which took place on the 15th Of March, 1657, overturned a great part. of St Jago. The fourth, on the 18th of June, 1730, produced an in undation of the sea, which beat down the walls of Con ception. The fifth, on the 26th of May, 1751, was im mediately preceded by slight shocks, and the appearance of a ball of fire darting from the Andes to the sea. It completely overwhelmed Conception, and destroyed all the fortresses and villages between the 34th and 40th de grees of latitude. Its course was from north to south, and slight tremblings, with intervals of fifteen and twen ty minutes, were experienced for the space of a month after the earthquake.
Various marine substances are to be found almost in every part of Chili, and on the tops even of its loftiest mountains. In the main ridge of the Andes, the exter nal form of the mountains is that of a pyramid, covered in some instances with conical elevations. Their internal structure consists of large primitive rocks of quartz, dif fering very little in general configuration. The maritime and midland mountains, together with the lateral chains of the Andes, are of secondary formation, and, in their structure, differ essentially from those of the main ridge, which arc primitive : they rise abruptly front the base ; their summits also are more rounded ; and their strata, which are horizontal and of unequal abound with marine productions, and contain the impressions of animals and vegetables. These secondary mountains are in general stratified, containing a large variety of mine rals, and covered with a deep soil and plentiful vegeta tion. Some of them, however, are homogeneous, all of which are barren, and exhibit on their surface only a few languid shrubs. Of tity homogeneous mountains some are composed entirely of shells, others of gypsum, of granite, of quartz, of freestone, of basalts, of lava, and some are calcareous. The organization of the vallics is similar to that of the stratified mountains. The mari time mountains present on their western declivities ma ny curious excavations or grottos, all beautifully hung with shells and spar. These caverns arc also very nu merous in the Andes. The most remarkable of them is that near the source of the river Longavi, which, imme diately before sun-rise, exhibits to the spectator a very unexpected phenomenon : the rays, penetrating the ca vern by some hidden aperture, reach his eye before they have yet tinged the summits of the Cordillera. In the sante range also may be seen, a large mountain of gyp sum, perforated quite through by the ri> Cr Mendoza. It is called the Inca's bridge ; and has its interior surface finely ornamented with large clusters of stalactites. Among these natural curiosities, we must notice an im mense block of white marble completely insulated, and measuring in height 75 French feet, 224 in length, and 54 in breadth. It stands on the left bank of the river Malik, about four hundred paces from its mouth, and, from its appearance, has been called the church. It con tains a vast arching cavity, furnished with three semicir cular apertures. At one of these the sea enters, and the cavity is thus frequently visited by sea wolves.