CHILI.

West Coast Times, Issue 1329, 25 December 1869, Page 2

CHILI.

' We- {Oamaru Time's) ' have ' been permitted lo make the folowing extracts from a letter received by a gentleman in Oamaru from a correspondent who writes from Kstafeda de Correos, Laguna de Llangnilme. Puerto Moutt,- Chili, under j date June 17, as follows :— " The day after I last wrote I started to go up a lake in a lighter or launch, but the wind has driven us back, and here I am' in an inn kept hy a Geruvm, with nothing to amuse me except learning Spanish, so, here goes to write again. I gave up the Fijis and took a trip to Valparaiso,'and so far as I at present see there is some chance of my remaining™ Chili, lam down near the son hern boundary, latitude 41 or 42 deg. or thereabouts. For several degrees north of this the country is all busby \fith l«ts of rasn at all seasons. Farther north the soil is bare, or covered only with scrub, and is rather too dry for the English style of • farming. The soil is light, hut generally good, and produces gotnl crops, though the system of agriculture is of a very primitive kind. I have selected apiece of land, and am going to it a*; soon as the wind will allow,; for, there heing no tracks cleared for a good part of the .way, we have to go by water. The land fronts on a large lake fifty miles long. There are a lot of Germans brought out by the Chillian Government some years ago, settled on the Lake, and we are the first of our nation who have c >me heie wi h a like intention. The Government have so far treated us very well, giving us nearly 400 acres of land each, and many other privileges, though it took both time and trouble to secure these. There are fb'ir New Zealanders of us altogether ; one, a man with a family, is g f >ing on cleared or partly cleared land which he has purchased, the other two and myself are going on our bush lands at once. I have been in the houses of many of the Germans, and stayed several nights with them, always meeting Avith the greatest kindness. The German settlers, of course, speak among themselves their native tongue, but as the Spanish is the language of the country, they have to make use of what they know of it in conversing with strangers. I myself know precious little of Span ; sh yet ; but a little goes a long way if you are good at making signs. The climate appears to be very jieaUhy, both the native^ and the German settlors looking strong and well. The natives*, that is, the " cross-breed" of the country' (not the Indians) are pretty fair workers. The wages they earn are about 2s to 2s 6d per day. If you keep theraTyou can get them for about £1 or 25s, per month.', I shall have to' employ some of them 'he 1 fore I can get much done, but I intern!' tb : '£o into •kttle if I find the bush' ■'open*' enough. They have very uood cattle here ; good working bullocks are worth ifrom £4 to £4 10s ; cows abf/Ut £3 ; horses, are worth from £4 to £8 ; you can get v very good one for £6. They a> - e small, ,andqnly, fit for riding or light work. They wo. rk,, them in Valparaiso in dray, two abreast,, tfie driver riding on the near horse! , ' !.l t ' „ ' " With regard to the country' generally as a, field for immigration,, l, :bave had too little experience to express- an • opinion. The, Germans all appear to have done well enough, They, make .nearly, i everything they want themselves, and if they have not a great deal of money coming in, they have little to pay out. This is no placefor men to .come to to work for wages. , You must •start something on your own hook to do anyeood. .* * * , *<•• * . * " The voyage to Valparaiso was-'aFquiet, hnm-drum affair, without an of interest to break i's monotony ; but the passuge from .Valparaiso down here was quite a pleasure-trip for us strangers. We were never out of sight of land, and called at all the ports, .some seven or eight in number. "Port Moutt, the, port for this district, is a veiy good onej' but there are never more than four or five vessels in it; at one 'ime. They are employed .ia,, carry ; ng timber to the north of Chili, and to Peru. "Valparaiso is a large shipping place, and there are plenty of war ships of all nations lying there. You will perhaps rememher reading of the Spanish firing shot and shell into the town some favo or ■thee -years- ago. A good marly ofihese missiles ai-e' still to be seen, : half-buried in the clay walls of which many osthßf*Bouses are composed. . C f " The wind is fair again,- and if it, holds till morning we shall have to ibe istirring early ; so I will finish, my letter,, have a

nip of airu r !ien f e, and go to bed. Paid aguardiente is the Fort of whiskey they make here. It is only a shilling a "bottle. Native wine is fivepence a tumbler; and beer — some of which is \o.y good — only ten cents., or about fmpence a bottle, or a shilling a gallsn.