Their moral qualities are proportionate to their physical endowments; they are intrepid, animated, ardent, patient in enduring fatigue, ever ready to sacrifice their lives in the service of their country, enthusiastic lovers of liberty, which they consider as an essential constituent of their existence, jealous of their honour, courteous, hospitable, faithful to their engagements, grateful for services rendered them, and generous and humane towards the vanquished. But these noble qualities are obscured by the vices inseparable from the half-savage state of life which they lead, unrefined by literature or cultivation; these are drunkenness, debauchery, presumption, and a haughty contempt for all other nations. Were the civil manners and innocent improvements of Europe introduced among them, they would soon become a people deserving of universal esteem; but, under the present system, this happy change appears impossible to be effected.

All those nations whom either the nature of the climate or a sense of decency has induced to clothe themselves, have made use at first of loose garments, as being the most easily made. But the Araucanians, from their great attachment to war, which they consider as the only true source of glory, have adopted the 'short garment, as the best suited to martial conflicts. This dress is made of wool, as was that of the Greeks and

Romans, and consists of a shirt, a vest, a pair of short close breeches, and a cloak in form of a scapulary, with an opening in the middle for the head, made full and long so as to cover the hands and descend to the knees. This cloak is called poncho, and is much more commodious than our mantles, as it leaves the arms at liberty, and may be thrown over the shoulder at pleasure; it is also a better protection from the wind and the rain, and more convenient for riding on horseback, for which reason it is commonly worn not only by the Spaniards in Chili, but by those of Peru and Paraguay.

The shirt, vest, and breeches, are always of a greenish blue or turquois, which is the favourite colour of the nation, as red is that of the Tartars. The poncho is also, among persons of inferior condition, of a greenish blue, but those of the higher classes wear it of different colours, either white, red, or blue, with stripes a span broad, on which are wrought, with much skill, figures of flowers and animals in various colours, and the border is ornamented with a handsome fringe. Some of these ponchos are of so fine and elegant a texture as to be sold for a hundred and even a hundred and fifty dollars.

The Araucanians make use of neither turbans nor hats, but wear upon their heads a bandage of embroidered wool, in the form of the ancient

diadem. This, whenever they salute, they raise a little, as a mark of courtesy, and on going to war ornament it with a number of beautiful plumes. They also wear around the body a long woollen girdle, or sash, handsomely wrought. Persons of rank wear woollen boots of various colours, and leather sandals, called chelle, but the common people always go bare-footed.

upon

The women are clad with much modesty and simplicity. Their dress is entirely of wool, and, agreeable to the national taste, of a greenish blue colour. It consists of a tunic, a girdle, and a short cloak, called ichella, which is fastened before with a silver buckle. The tunic, called chiamal, is long, and descends to the feet, it is without sleeves, and is fastened the shoulder by silver brooches or buckles. This dress, sanctioned by custom, is never varied; but, to gratify their love of finery, they adorn themselves with all those trinkets which caprice or vanity suggests. They divide their hair into several tresses, which float in graceful negligence over their shoulders, and decorate their heads with a species of false emerald, called glianca, held by them in high estimation. Their necklaces and bracelets are of glass, and their ear-rings, which are square, of silver; they have rings upon each finger, the greater part of which are of silver. It is calculated that more than a hundred thou

and marks of this metal are employed in these female ornaments, since they are worn even by the poorest class.

I have already given some account of the dwellings of the ancient Chilians; the Araucanians, tenacious, as are all nations not corrupted by luxury, of the customs of their country, have made no change in their mode of building. But, as they are almost all polygamists, the size of their houses is proportioned to the number of women they can maintain. The interior of these houses is very simple, the luxury of convenience, splendour, and show, is altogether unknown in them, and necessity alone is consulted in the selection of their furniture.

They never form towns, but live in scattered villages or hamlets, on the banks of rivers, or in plains that are easily irrigated. Their local attachments are strong, each family preferring to live upon the land inherited from its ancestors, which they cultivate sufficiently for their subsistence. The genius of this haughty people, in which the savage still predominates, will not permit them to live in walled cities, which they consider as a mark of servitude.

CHAP. II.

Division of the Araucanian State; Its political Form and civil Institutions.

ALTHOUGH in their settlements the Araucanians are wanting in regularity, that is by no means the case in the political division of their state, which is regulated with much intelligence. They have divided it from north to south into four uthal-mapus, or parallel tetrarchates, that are nearly equal, to which they give the names of lauquen-mapu, the maritime country; lelbunmapu, the plain country; country at the foot of the

mapu, or that of the Andes.

inapire-mapu, the Andes; and pireEach Uthalmapu

is divided into five aillaregues, or provinces ; and each aillaregue into nine regues, or counties.

The maritime country comprehends the provinces of Arauco, Tucapel, Illicura, Boroa, and Nagtolten; the country of the plain includes those of Encol, Puren, Repocura, Maquegua, and Mariquina: that at the foot of the Andes contains Marven, Colhue, Chacaico, Quecheregua, and Guanagua; and in that of the Andes is included all the valleys of the Cordilleras, situated within the limits already mentioned,