Among the shrubs, the most remarkable arc the thu raria, of a new genus, and equal in its properties to that of Arabia ; the puga, which supplies the inhabitants with cork, and which presents a very fantastical appear ance, putting out from its root three or four trunks, in length about 20 inches, and as much in diameter ; the tuna, a species of Indian fig, and equal to any of those in Europe ; tha -kali of 4licant, in great abundance ; and a certain climbing shrub which affords an alkaline salt for the use of soap boilers. Besides these are seven species of myrtle, of which the most valuable is the agni, or mur tclla, yielding a pleasant odoriferous liquor, which is reckoned superior to the best muscat. There arc many shrubs likewise of a medicinal quality, which the native Chilese have understood and'employed from time immemorial. Among these we may notice the cullen (psoralea glandulosa) indigenous to Chili, and well known as a powerful stomachic and vermifuge, the leaves of which, with those of the yellow cullen, a shrub of the same species, affords a balsam of amazing efficacy in the cure of wounds ; a species of acacia, or mimosa, named jarella, which, from its branches, gives a vulnerary balsam. The root of the guacuru is also employed as a specific for all sorts of wounds, being of a quality powerfully astringent ; it is used also with great success in cases of ulcer, scrophula, and dysentery. The expressed juice of the palqui is of excellent effect in inflammatory fevers ; the wood is extremely brittle, and is employed by the Indians for producing fire: " This they accomplish," says Molina, " by friction, turning rapidly between their hands a small stick of this wood, in a hole made in ano• thee piece of the same kind." The herbage, particularly in the wallies of the Andes, is so tall and luxuriant, as entirely to conceal the sheep that pasture among it. There are three species of poi sonous herbs which occasion madness in the animals that happen to browse them, especially in horses. The most injurious of these herbs is the hippomanica, which if a horse cat he will certainly die, unless immediately thrown into profuse perspiration. Of the alimentary herbs, the most valuable are the gua, or maize, which was the only species of corn cultivated in America before its discovery by Columbus, and still continues to be a very general crop in Chili ; a species of bean called degul, and the quinua, a kind of chenopodium, which affords an agreea ble stomachic beverage; the magu, a sort of rye, and the turn, a species of barley, hart been superseded in the estimation of the Araucanians, by the European wheat, which is now cultivated in their room. The potatoe is indigenous to America, and M. Bomare considers Chili as its native soil. There are two species of it, with about 30 varieties. The root of one of these (the sola num car° is in shape cylindrical, and sweet to the taste. There are two species of the gourd, the white flowered gourd, and the yellow flowered ; of the first are many varieties, some yielding a fruit that is sweet and nourish ing, others a bitter fruit which is employed to ferment cider, and which, being of a large size and spherical, furnishes the inhabitants with their calabashes. The guelghen, or the strawberry of Chili, frequently attains the enormous size of a hen's egg, and differs farther from that of Europe in the roughness and succulency of its leaves ; it is of three kinds, the red, the white, and the N chow ; the two first are the most frequent ; the yellow is found chiefly in the provinces of Puchacay and Hull quilemu. The seeds of the madi, a new genus, supply an oil which has been preferred to any of the French olive oils. Three species of the pimento are employed in seasoning. Besides these, and many other alimentary herbs, there is, in the province of St Jago, a particular species of wild basil, from whose leaves the inhabitants gather, every morning, a kind of salt, which in taste far exceeds the common salt.
Certain vegetable dyes have been long employed with success by the Chilians, producing iively and very dura ble colones, which yield neither in washing, nor by ex posure to the air. The relbun, a species of madder, furnishes a beautiful red ; ycliow is obtained from a spe cies of agrimony, and a kind of cress named poquel, the stalks of w'-ich supply also a green colour. The berries of the cullvn give a violet ; and the root of the panke, perennial plant, yields a fine black, which, besides its use as a dye, possesses likewise the properties of an excel lent ink.
A knowledge of medicinal plants forms the whole medical science of the unconverted Chilians, who are careful to exclude all strangers from any participation in their accumulated experience. Witham the advanta ges, however, of this desirable aid, there have been dis covered nearly 200 medicinal herbs, the principal of widen are the cachanlahuen, celebrated for its efficacy in fevers, sore throats, and pleurisy, and also as a purga tive, dissolvent, and vermifuge ; the vira vira, a kind of houseleck, extremely aromatic, and used in intermitting fevers, the infusion of which is sudorific, and given in catarrhal complaints ; the retandlla, which possesses qualities similar to those of the vira vira ; the payco, which is an excellent stomachic, and of much benefit in pleurisy ; the quinchamali, whose juice is applied to bruises ; the pichoa, the clinclin, and the gut/no, all of them purgatives ; the diuca-lahuen, vulnerary ; and the corecore, a specific for the toothache. Chili affords two kinds of cultivated tobacco, the common, and the little tobacco, of which the last is by far the most powerful.
Of climbing plants, the most remarkable is the cogul, which having reached the top of one tree, immediately begins to descend, and in a short time has attained the summit of another, from which it proceeds in the same manner to a third; it has thus frequently been found to extend itself over a space of 200 yards. The stalk being tough, and extremely pliable, is used for baskets and ca bles, and these cables are said to be more durable even than those of hemp. The pepoi is used for similar pur poses, in the Archipelago of Chiloc, and supplies excel lent ropes for the Periaguas. We shall notice only two species of grass, the guila, whose stalk the Araucanians use for their lances ; and the rush of Valdivia, which af fords a handsome cane, is employed in the manufacture of cages, and serves the inhabitants as a covering for their houses.
Mallows, endive, trefoil, and sonic others, are com mon to Chili and Europe ; 1t.pins, love apples, celery, mustard, Spanish pimento, and cresses, occur in a wild state. Of tropical plants, are the pine apple, the sugar cane, the banana, the cotton, jalap, mechoacan, and the sweet potatoe, all of which succeed in the northern pro vinces.
Though Chili is not inferior to any part of the New World, in soil, climate, and vegetation, it must yield to the other countries of America in the number of its ani mal productions.
The horse, the ass, horned cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, and cats, were early introduced by the Spaniards, and most of them, besides increasing in , size, have greatly improved in their peculiar qualities. The horses are well shaped, swift, vigorous, and spirited. They are divided into throe breeds, each named from its invariable and distinguishing gait. The trotters are the strongest, and much used by the country people ; the pacers, remark able for an easy, active, and well-supported motion, are principally used in long journies, in great demand, and preferred to the best horses of Andalusia ; the parade horses, which never quit a foot pace, are only used on occasion of show and ceremony. These last are highly valued, and cost, about thirty years ago, from one hun dred to five lamdred crowns ; while the price of a com mon horse did not exceed four shillings sterling. The mountain horses are hardier and more robust than those of the plain, and their hoofs are so firm as only to require shoes when employed in cities. The peasants of Chili
are almost perpetually on horseback, and not unfrequent ly perform journies of a hunched leagues upon the same animal, permitting him only to feed and rest during the night. The ass, more than any other European quadru ped, has undergone a favourable and almost unaccounta ble alteration; but, though greatly surpassing the origi nal stock in strength and size, is very seldom put to any use. It is found wild on the Andes, and hunted for the sake of its skin. The mules are strong, sure-footed, and active. The horned cattle have enjoyed a more than proportional share of the general improvement, and dis play different degrees of excellence, according to the richness of their pasture. The oxen of the midland pro vinces are of a larger size than those of the maritime, and are excelled, in their turn, by such as are reared in the rallies of the Andes; they are yoked to the plough in pairs, and drag it by means of a rope passed through their horns. It is a common practice among the land holders to fatten a thousand head of cattle, either cows or oxen, and to slaughter them at Christmas. Very little of this beef, however, is consumed in the country, but is chiefly disposed of in Peru. The sheep breed twice a year, and are equal to any in Spain. The breed has been crossed by the Pehuelches, and the result is as animal considerably larger than a sheep ; its hair, which is often two feet in length, and somewhat culled, pos sesses all the softness of wool. The other quadrupeds we shall notice are indigenous to Chili. The guemel or huenze/, in size, hair, and colour, bears a considerable re semblance to the ass, but differs from that animal in the formation of its ears, which are short and pointed ; in shape also it is more handsome. The voice is a sort of and its teeth are exactly similar to those of a horse. It is fleet and headstrong, and found only in the most inaccessible regions of the Andes. hhe vicugna, chili hueque, and guanaco, in their manners and economy, are not unlike the camel ; and, though greatly inferior in point of size, they somewhat resemble it also in the structure of their internal parts : except the guanaco, however, neither of these animals have an arched back, and all of them, in the upper jaw, are completely desti tute both of incisors and canine teeth. Their only de funct, when attacked, or otherwise molested, is to squirt from their mourns a quantity of saliva, which is said to be of a caustic nature. The vicugna is about the size of a tame goat, but greatly exceeding it in the length of its neck and legs. It inhabits the coldest and most precipi tous ridges of the Andes, and has never been domesticat •d. Vicugnas are of a mild and timid disposition, and taken in great numbers for the sake of their wool. Be ing first compelled by the hunters into a narrow circuit, they are immediately surrounded by a rope, to which are attached, at short intervals, a great number of rags : and not daring to encounter this formidable barrier, they arc, without difficulty, overpowered and put to death. The wool, which is of a pale rose colour and very tine, bears a high value in Europe. In the stomach is found the bezoar stone. The flesh, which affords an excellent nourishment, is sometimes applied externally in cases of ophthalmia. 'I' he chilihueque, or, as the name implies, the sheep of Chili, was originally called hueque, but the epithet chili was afterwards prefixed, in order to distin guish it hum the Spanish sheep. It was anciently em ployed as a beast of but then, and guided by a string pass ed through the rim of one of its cars. It has of late, however, entirely given place to the mule, which, for services of that nature, is now universally preferred. It is four feet high, and about six in length. The wool, which is long and soft, and not confined to any particu lar colour, is superior to the Spanish, and reserved en tirely for the more costly articles. The guanaco, or lua, approaches the horse in size, and equals him in speed. It is hunted with dogs, but the old ones are seldom taken except by the Indians, who, being well mounted, and furnished with a /nut,* can strike and entangle them at :he distance of three hundred paces. The guanaco is readily domesticated, and becomes often so extremely familiar as to follow its master like a dog. Its hair is employed in the manufacture of hats, and the flesh is prepared and put up for the use of seamen. Besides these, we may notice the viscacha, which, in its appear ance, unites the lux and rabbit ; the tail and colour being tl ose of a fox, and the form of the other parts, as like wise its manners, connecting it with the rabbit ; whose hair supplied the ancient Chilians with a very beautiful cloth, but is now manufactured into hats. The great wood mouse, which 1 esembles the marmot in colour, lvhile it doubles it in size, and is completely distinguished from that animal by its characteristic features ; with several other kinds of mice, varying considerably in colour, habits, and dimensions. The cover or armadilla, of which there are four species. The largest of these is the bola, or eighteen banded, in length 13 inches ; the inchi, or four banded, which is the least, measures only 6 inches. Of carnivorous animals, the most formidable is the /:agi, or, as the Peruvians name it, the /1111710. Con sidered as a species, it seems to form a link between the lion and the tiger, though, in size and courage, it is greatly inferior to either. It is about live feet long, of a greyish ash colour dashed with yellow spots. Its head is round, like that of the cat, and like the cat also it is fawning and treacherous in its disposition. It is par ticularly destructive to horses, and upon discovering two of these animals fastened together in the fields, has been known to make sure of bum, by first killing thie, and while dragging it off, by striking the other with its paw and compelling it to follow and share the fate of its com panion. Notwithstanding, however, its strength ancl dexterity, the Izagi has learnt to dread tne aspect of man, and a woman or child is often sufficient to scare it from its prey. It is hunted with clogs, and, while engaged in defence, a noose is secretly slipped over its head by one of the hunters. '\Vhen thus entangled,it is said to roar terribly, and to shed a torrent of tears." The skin is manufactured into a strong leather, and afterwards con verted into boots and shoes. There is a species of ferret called chinghue, which, when attacked, besprinkles its assailant with a sort of greenish oil, from a vesicle situat ed similarly with that of the polecat, of an odour so intolerably offensive as effectually to preclude any far ther molestation. Assured of safety from this singular resource, it fears neither dogs nor men, and will boldly enter the houses in search of plunder, nothing daring to thwart its passage, or call forth its displeasure. 'There is but one method of destruction which the inhabitants venture to practise against the intruder. While some one engages its notice by caresses, another catches it up by the tail, and the muscles being from this position so much contracted as to prevent the emission of its loath some fluid, the animal is dispatched without apprehen sion. The odour reaches to a great distance, and repeat ed washings are necessary in order to purify garments that have once received its pollution The skin is much valued by the Indians, who use it for bed-covers. '('hero are likewise the porcupine, the culpeu or wild dog, wild cats, and weasels. In the rivers are found the coypu, a kind of water rat, equal in size to the otter, and capa ble of domestication ; and the guillino, a species of bea ver, in high estimation for the excellence of its fur. The sea contains a great number of phoc ce, besides the chin chimen, which, with a strong external resemblance, pos sesses all the ferocious cruelty of a wild cat, and will dart upon any one that approaches it.