the very foot of a range of hills, about sixteen hundred feet high and
rather steep. From its position it consists of one long, straggling
street, which runs parallel to the beach, and wherever a ravine comes
down the houses are piled up on each side of it. The rounded hills,
being only partially protected by a very scanty vegetation, are worn
into numberless little gullies, which expose a singularly bright red
soil. From this cause, and from the low whitewashed houses with tile
roofs, the view reminded me of St. Cruz in Teneriffe.

In a northeasterly direction there are some fine glimpses of the Andes;
but these mountains appear much grander when viewed from the neighboring
hills; the great distance at which they are situated can then more
readily be perceived. The volcano of Aconcagua is particularly
magnificent. This huge and irregularly conical mass has an elevation
greater than that of Chimborazo; for, from measurements made by officers
of the "Beagle," its height is no less than twenty-three thousand feet.
The Cordillera, however, viewed from this point, owe the greater part of
their beauty to the atmosphere through which they are seen. When the sun
was setting in the Pacific, it was admirable to watch how clearly their
rugged outlines could be distinguished, yet how varied and how delicate
were the shades of their color.

The immediate neighborhood of Valparaiso is not very productive to the
naturalist. During the long summer the wind blows steadily from the
southward, and a little off shore, so that rain never falls; during the
three winter months, however, it is sufficiently abundant. The
vegetation in consequence is very scanty: except in some deep valleys
there are no trees, and only a little grass and a few low bushes are
scattered over the less steep parts of the hills. When we reflect that
at the distance of three hundred and fifty miles to the south this side
of the Andes is completely hidden by one impenetrable forest, the
contrast is very remarkable.

I took several long walks while collecting objects of natural history.
The country is pleasant for exercise. There are many very beautiful
flowers; and, as in most other dry climates, the plants and shrubs
possess strong and peculiar odors,--even one's clothes in brushing
through them became scented. I did not cease from wonder at finding each
succeeding day as fine as the foregoing. What a difference does climate
make in the enjoyment of life! How opp