instead of chocolate; from the second they prepared cakes, and a bread called by them couque, which they baked in holes formed like ovens, excavated in the sides of the mountains and in the banks of the rivers, a great number of which are still to be seen. Their invention of a kind of sieve, called chignigue, for separating the bran from the flour, affords matter of surprise; that they employed leaven is, however, still more surprising, as such a discovery can only be made gradually, and is the fruit of reasoning or observation, unless they were led to it by some fortunate accident, which most probably was the case when they first began to make use of bread.

From the above-mentioned grains, and the berries of several trees, they obtained nine or ten kinds of spiritous liquor, which they fermented and kept in earthen jars, as was the custom with the Greeks and Romans. This refinement of domestic economy, though not originating from actual necessity, appears to be natural to man, in whatever situation he is found; more especially when he is brought to live in society with his fellow men. The discovery of fermented liquors soon follows that of aliment; and it is reasonable to believe that the use of such beverages is of high antiquity among the Chilians, more especially as their country abounds in materials for making them.

CHAP. IV.

Political Establishments, Government, and Aris.

AGRICULTURE is the vital principle of society and of the arts. Scarcely does a wandering family, either from inclination or necessity, begin to cultivate a piece of ground, when it establishes itself upon it from a natural attachment, and, no longer relishing a wandering and solitary life, seeks the society of its fellows, whose succours it then begins to find necessary for its welfare. The Chilians, having adopted that settled mode of life indispensable to an agricultural people, collected themselves into families, more or less numerous, in those districts that were best suited to their occupation, where they established themselves in large villages, called cara, a name which they at present give to the Spanish cities, or in small ones, which they denominated lov. But these accidental collections had not the form of the present European settlements; they consisted only of a number of huts, irregularly dispersed within sight of each other, precisely in

the manner of the German settlements in the time of Charlemagne. Some of these villages exist even at present in several parts of Spanish Chili, of which the most considerable are Lampa, in the province of Saint Jago, and Lora, in that of Maúle.

But as no civil establishment can exist without some form of government, they had in each village or hamlet a chief called Ulmen, who in certain points was subject to the supreme ruler of the tribe, who was known by the same name. The succession of all these chiefs was established by hereditary right, a custom that proves the antiquity of these political assemblages. Among other savage nations, strength, skill in hunting, or martial prowess, were the first steps to au thority, and afterwards procured the regal sway for those who were invested with command. But with the Chilians, on the contrary, it would seem as if wealth had been the means of exalting the ruling families to the rank which they occupy, since the word ulmen, unless taken in a metaphorical sense, signifies a rich man. The authority of these chiefs was probably very limited, that is, merely directive, and not coercive, as that of the rulers of all barbarous nations has been, when despotism, favoured by propitious circumstances, has not effaced the ideas of absolute independence, which are in a manner innate among savages, as has been the case with the

greater part of the nations of Asia and of Africa. From hence it will not be necessary to investigate the laws of these small societies, which were probably governed only by usages and customs that had been introduced through motives of necessity or convenience.

The right of private property was fully established among the Chilians. Each was absolute master of the field that he cultivated, and of the product of his industry, which he could transmit to his children by hereditary succession. This fundamental principle gave rise to the first arts, which the wants of nature and their political constitution required. They built their houses of a quadrangular form, and covered the roof with rushes, the walls were made of wood plaistered with clay, and sometimes of brick, called by them tica; the use of which they doubtless learned from the Peruvians, among whom it was known by the same name.

From the wool of the Chilihueque, they manufactured cloths for their garments for this they made use of the spindle and distaff, and two kinds of looms; the first, called guregue, is not very unlike that used in Europe; the other is vertical, from whence it derives its name uthalgue, from the verb uthalen, which signifies to stand upright. Their language contains words appropriate to every part of these looms, and

whatever relates to the manufacture of wool. They had likewise a kind of needle to sew their garments, as is obvious from the verb nuduven, to sew; but of what substance it was made I am unable to determine, Embroidery, to which they gave the name of dumican, was also known to them.

From these arts of the first necessity, they proceeded to those of a secondary kind, or such as were required by convenience. With the excellent clay of their country, they made pots, plates, cups, and even large jars to hold their fermented liquors. These vessels they baked in certain ovens or holes, made in the declivity of hills. They also made use of a mineral earth called colo, for varnishing their vessels. It is very certain that the art of pottery is of great antiquity in Chili, as on opening a large heap of stones in the mountains of Arauco, an urn of extraordinary size was discovered at the bottom. For their vessels they not only made use of earth, but of hard wood, and even of marble, and vases of the latter have been sometimes discovered that were polished with the greatest perfection.

From the earth they extracted gold, silver, copper, tin, and lead; and, after purifying, employed these metals in a variety of useful and curious works, particularly the bell-metal copper, which is very hard; of this they made axes,