made this offer without any view of ever
being repaid, but purely out of a compassionate motive of relieving us in
our present distress. We returned him all the acknowledgments his uncommon
generous behaviour merited, and accepted of six hundred dollars only, upon
his receiving our draught for that sum upon the English consul at Lisbon.
We now got ourselves decently clothed after the Spanish fashion, and as we
were upon our parole, we went out where we pleased to divert ourselves.

This city is situated in about 33 degrees and 30 minutes south latitude, at
the west foot of the immense chain of mountains called the Cordilleras. It
stands on a most beautiful plain of above thirty leagues extent. It was
founded by Don Pedro de Baldivia, the conqueror of Chili. The plan of it
was marked out by him, in squares, like Lima; and almost every house
belonging to people of any fashion has a large court before it, with great
gates, and a garden behind. There is a little rivulet, neatly faced with
stone, runs through every street, by which they can cool the streets or
water their gardens when they please. The whole town is extremely well
paved. Their gardens are full of noble orange-trees and floripondies, with
all sort of flowers, which perfume the houses and even the whole city. Much
about the middle of it is the great square, called the Placa Real, or the
Royal Square; there are eight avenues leading into it. The west side
contains the cathedral and the bishop's palace; the north side is the
president's palace, the royal court, the council house, and the prison; the
south side is a row of piazzas, the whole length of which are shops, and
over it a gallery to see the bull-fights; the east side has some large
houses belonging to people of distinction, and in the middle is a large
fountain with a brass bason. The houses have, in general, only a ground
floor, upon account of the frequent earthquakes; but they make a handsome
appearance. The churches are rich in gilding as well as in plate: That of
the Jesuits is reckoned an exceeding good piece of architecture, but it is
much too high built for a country so subject to earthquakes, and where it
has frequently happened that thousands of people have been swallowed up at
once.

There is a hill, or rather high rock, at the east end of the city, called
St Lucia, from the top of which you have a view of all the city and the
country about for many leagues, affording a very delightful landscap