Arica. Arriving at Arica by sea, or departing as well, one may observe in great white letters on the rocky Morro, Vive Battalion No. 4, commemorating the Chilian victory with its massacre of Peruvians, June 7, 1880. The 1700 Peruvians here stationed, whose cannon were directed towards the sea, suffered an assault in the rear from 4000 Chilians who had landed at night several miles below. Short of small arms and ammunition, after an heroic defense for one hour, the commander, Col. Bolognesi, perished having used his last cartridge, and many soldiers leaped to the rocks by the sea, who preferred this death to having their throats cut by the Chilians. Others were crowded off by Chilian bayonets, and for months the bodies were seen below. No prisoners were taken, the entire garrison of 1700 being slaughtered.

The harbor, one of the best south of Callao, is called by one writer the emerald gem of the West Coast, on account of its green trees and other verdure. The line of railway may be seen among the cliffs, and a great cross on the highest hilltop. The town is called by one writer very squalid, by another a neat, attractive place in comparison with most of the port cities, the houses of various colors, blue, green, orange, etc., many with arched entrances affording pleasing views of an inner patio. On account of earthquakes the buildings are chiefly of one story, many of corrugated iron. The most noted of the ’quakes was that of 1868 when two United States frigates were in the harbor. One of these, the Freedonia, was lost with all on board; the other, the Wateree, by a wave 60 feet high, was carried over houses a mile inland, suffering a loss of half the crew. The ship there became the home of several Indian families, until the next earthquake and wave carried it back to the beach without doing injury to the occupants. Rarely from the harbor may be had a beautiful sunset view of snow-crowned Mt. Tacora, 19,000 feet, though other mountains are frequently seen. In this port Hernando Pizarro built ships for the invasion of Chile. On the broad beach is a prehistoric cemetery with embalmed mummies, said to be equal to those of Egypt. Some of the eyes are translucent with a rich amber tint, which scientists say are of squid or cuttle-fish here numerous, substituted for the eyes of the dead. It is said that when some of these were sent to Tiffany’s in New York to be polished, the workmen suffered a violent irritation of the eyes, lips, nostrils, and throat. Though all recovered, the work was not resumed. An analysis showed animal matter with saltpeter and unknown minerals.

It is believed that along here is a subterranean outlet of Lake Poopo, as the fresh water fish of Lake Titicaca, peccajay, are caught in the ocean, and driftwood of the mountain vegetation appears. Formerly Arica was a great market for vicuÑa skins, which were brought down from the interior, but their number has now greatly diminished. A highway constructed by the Incas 1000 years ago, called the camino real, has been in use ever since, the Bolivians, even after the construction of the railroad to Mollendo, still using it to bring down ore by means of llamas and burros and to carry up supplies. The new railroad may not cause a complete disuse of the old route, as the carriage of freight by a road of so heavy grade is likely to be expensive.

Tacna, 38 miles distant, capital of the province, connected by rail with Arica, is a pretty and a larger city, worthy a visit. The prosperity of this section has been delayed by the friction and hostile feeling between the Peruvian and Chilian Governments and peoples, resulting from the unfortunate war 1879-1883, and the unsettled conditions following. The Tacna-Arica question has been one of greater bitterness than that of Alsace-Lorraine; the present arrangement, to postpone the plebiscite twenty-one years, will be greatly to the advantage of both countries. On the desert between the two cities is often an unusual effect of mirage, and from Tacna there is a mountain view of much grandeur.

Iquique. The next important port south of Arica is Iquique, but between the two is Pisagua where many boats call, affording opportunity for any who desire, to disembark and go 124 miles by rail to Iquique, thus to see without loss of time something of the rich nitrate lands of TarapacÁ. This part of the coast may not look very different from some of the Peruvian, yet it is still more of a desert; for the Peruvian will blossom like a rose, with a sufficient water supply, while this is less easily transformed. In Iquique, gardens and plazas have been made by bringing from a distance artificial soil for the trees, shrubs, and plants, which must be carefully nurtured. The nitrate ports are said to look like western mining towns, with wide streets, and one-story houses made from Oregon lumber, with iron roofs. There are many shops selling much liquor and canned stuffs. The streets were formerly dusty, the air full of sand. Unnatural tastes were developed by the conditions. Two miners in earlier days, wishing to enjoy a feast, sat down with two cans of pÂtÉ de foie gras, a loaf of bread, a bottle of brandy, and two cans of condensed milk, the last being eaten with spoons as dessert.

Hotels, Phoenix 8 to 15 pesos, Europa 7 to 15, Grand, 6 to 10, all A. P. Iquique, the principal Chilian port except Valparaiso, is the most important center of the nitrate industry. With a population of 50,000, called a fine city, it has an enormous commerce for its size, not merely from the export of nitrates but because it is unique in having all its supplies brought in by sea, food, fuel, and formerly water. The port receives more than 1000 vessels a year. The population is rather rough and hard to govern, though with a circle of aristocratic society, with the usual accessories. The Arturo Prat Plaza with a statue of the hero in the center is an attractive place. One may here first observe women conductors on the street cars, many of whom will be seen in other Chilian cities.

Water, formerly, when brought by sea, 10 cents a gallon and at times $2.00 when the supply boat was overdue, now comes from the mountains, a distance of 148 miles, by a 10 or 12-inch pipe, partly on the surface of the desert, or buried two or three feet. To Antofagasta water is brought 173 miles from a point 10,700 feet above the sea; to Taltal, 102 miles. Though expensive, costing millions, it has proved profitable. The streets of Iquique are now piped, hydrants protect against fire, the dust is laid by sprinklers, some people have bathrooms, a few, fountains in patios, a costly luxury. It was once said that people drank champagne because water was too expensive. It is an enterprising community with a good portion of Anglo-Saxons; there are broad streets, fine churches, schools, hospitals, a large theater, pleasant homes, and good Clubs. Some of the people entertain sumptuously, with dinner parties as in London. A broad driveway along the beach leads to Cavancha, an attractive resort with a dancing pavilion, and a choice flower garden tended with utmost care. Halfway is the Jockey Club-house, with race track, tennis, and bowling.

A railway climbs the variously colored mountain back of Iquique to the Pampa of Tamarugal, where it branches to various officinas, interesting to visit if time allows. People who are born and have lived in this section can hardly believe stories about grass that has to be cut, and of trees and flowers. A girl of sixteen who had visited Santiago on her return said, “Trees, trees, everywhere, grass growing in a thick mat, and hundreds of flowers! A perfect paradise!”

The valuable nitrate lands which, previous to the war, belonged to Peru and Bolivia are now the chief source of Chile’s wealth. Yet it is a curious fact that though Chile receives from her export tax on nitrates the large sum of $13,700,000 annually, the finances of the country, if they may be judged by the currency, are in a poorer condition than those of Peru, where with a firm gold basis gold and silver coins are used, while in Chile there is paper money of low and fluctuating value.

The nitrate deposits are found in the three provinces of TarapacÁ, Antofagasta, and Atacama, along from Pisagua to Coquimbo, about 300 miles. The deposits with an average width of 2½ miles are between the coast hills and the Andes, 10 to 80 miles from the sea, and from 2000 to 5000 or more feet above its level, covering a tract of about 250,000 acres. The deposits, sometimes on the surface, are oftener overlaid with strata of earth varying in thickness and character, occasionally with guano. They are not continuous, but separated by other deposits, in some places salt. The raw material called caliche carries usually from 20 to 65 per cent of nitrate of soda. It is pickled in tanks from eight to twelve hours, the sand and refuse dropping to the bottom. The liquid called calso runs off into vats. The salt by-product is used or discarded. When treated and ready for export the article carries 15 to 16 per cent of nitrogen and 36 per cent of sodium. The amount of production is regulated by a syndicate, according to the needs of the world. About 35,000 men are employed, the laborers earning from $1.00 to $2.00 a day. These establishments, called officinas, are interesting to visit, but it is a gloomy, depressing region for most persons. The superintendents, doctors, and other officials receive good salaries and are supplied with comfortable quarters. $100,000,000 or more of British capital and some German, is invested here and large fortunes have been made. New nitrate fields recently discovered are held at $2000 an acre.

The nitrate of commerce is a white cheese-like substance from which the highest grade gunpowder is made; it is also used in chemical works to produce nitric and sulphuric acid, etc., but the bulk of it is employed as a fertilizer, doubling or tripling the harvest. A mineral substance, it is distinguished from guano, the excrement of birds. As to its origin there are various theories, but none is generally accepted. A byproduct, a yellow liquor, which in its preparation is drawn off from the nitrate into a crucible, is then chemically treated, poured into smaller pans, and on cooling leaves on the dish a blue crystal, the iodine of commerce, which costs as much per ounce as saltpetre per 100 lbs. The casks in which it is placed are covered with green hides which shrink and keep out the moisture. Worth $700 to $800 a cask, the iodine is shipped in the treasure vaults with bullion. About 40 per cent of the nitrate goes to Germany, 30 to the United States, 20 to France, the rest to Great Britain and Belgium.

Antofagasta. The next port, 200 miles below Iquique, at which express boats call, is Antofagasta, the terminus of the other railway from Bolivia, via Oruro. Here are sea-lions, diving birds, and a considerable town, but no sheltered harbor, in spite of which much commerce is carried on. This, with Iquique, as a poor port, almost rivals Mollendo. One writer says it is an ugly dun-colored place, another that it is the prettiest town since leaving Panama. It has an air of prosperity with good shops and business houses, a comfortable hotel, the Grand, A. P., 7 to 20 pesos, well furnished rooms, and real milk; another says the hotel is very bad. Much depends upon one’s disposition, point of view, what he expects, and where he has come from; and you may read exactly opposite opinions of many places and people, as happens even of cities in the United States.

Some steamers call at Caldera, 207 miles south of Antofagasta, with a sheltered harbor, and the oldest railway in South America connecting it with the town of CopiapÓ; the express boats call only at Coquimbo nearly 200 miles farther and 200 north of Valparaiso.

Coquimbo, at the end of the desert country, a busy port, shipping more copper than any other in South America, is situated at the foot and up the side of cliffs. The country around is very rich in fossils. At Herradura on Horseshoe Bay was found a petrified icthyosaurus 20 feet long, which visitors are taken to see; they are informed that it is 12,000 years old. Above in the mountains, at an altitude of 4000 feet, is a very sacred shrine, a Virgin of the Rosary, at a small village called Andacollo. During Christmas week pilgrims come by thousands from all parts of the country, even from Peru and Argentina, some walking hundreds of miles. Precious gifts and jewels valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars have been presented at various times.

One day’s sail from Coquimbo is Valparaiso.

Chile. The country of Chile is very peculiar; let me hasten to add, in nothing more serious than its shape. It is indeed excessively long and narrow, its great extent from north to south, 18° to 56° S. Lat., a distance of nearly 3000 miles, giving it a remarkable variety of productions and making it larger than any European country except Russia, although it is only from 100 to 300 miles wide. It is peculiar also that in spite of its scanty width, it is divided into three narrower strips, a low Coast Range, a longitudinal valley or plateau, and the high range of the Andes. With practically no rain in the north, it has a gradually increasing rainfall towards the south, till near the extremity there is rather too much. The northern part is the nitrate and mining section: the central and larger part is an agricultural zone of great possibilities, with good pasturage area; while farther south is an excellent forest region. There must obviously be a great variety of scenery as well as of climate, so that in one section or another all tastes may be gratified.

Chile was first invaded by Europeans soon after the founding of Lima in 1535. To Pizarro, Charles V, on hearing of the conquest, had given the country seventy leagues south of that previously bestowed; to Diego de Almagro the two hundred leagues beyond. In which section lay Cuzco was a matter of dispute. Pending its settlement Almagro decided to conquer the remainder of his province. That this region was richer in gold and silver than Peru was doubtless a tale of the Incas to distract the conquerors for their own advantage. However, with an army of Spaniards and some Indian captives, Almagro set out over the Bolivian plateau to investigate and take possession of the unknown country. On the barren heights they suffered hunger, cold, and mountain sickness, the difficulties of this terrible journey in many ways surpassing those of Hannibal and Napoleon in crossing the Alps. Failure and disappointment were the only results of the expedition, which was followed by the execution of the gallant leader after his return to Cuzco.

In spite of Almagro’s disastrous experience, a second expedition was inaugurated by Pedro de Valdivia, who proceeded along the desert shore, instead of over the plateau, and after arriving at Arica, there constructed vessels to pursue the journey. With no great loss, in December, 1540, he reached the valley of the Mapocho, and selecting a favorable site, on February 12, 1541, he proclaimed a new city: Santiago, for Spain’s patron saint, de la Nueva Estremadura, from his native province. On the Plaza de Armas was built a small chapel and a Cabildo or Municipal Council Chamber, as well.

Still unsatisfied Valdivia pursued his explorations southward, beyond the Bio-Bio River. In his absence the small garrison he had left behind barely escaped destruction, being saved only by the valor and boldness of the solitary woman in the party, DoÑa Ines de Suarez. The Araucanians, the most powerful tribe in this section, were of different caliber from the Quichuas, and long and fiercely they continued the struggle against the invaders, who treated them with barbarous severity. After the founding of ConcepciÓn, Imperial, Villa Rica, and Valdivia, and the settling of the conqueror himself at the town of ConcepciÓn, the Indians under the command of Lautaro, who as a servant of Valdivia had learned something of Spanish methods, attacked and defeated the Spaniards, capturing Valdivia and putting him to death with tortures. After long-continued warfare a truce was established, with the Bio-Bio River as the boundary line, but for two hundred and fifty years the contest went on for the subjugation of the natives. At last, when the Chilians rose against Spain, the Araucanians lent assistance, and friendliness was established. As in other lands, however, civilization of a sort proved too much for the Indians and few of pure blood remain.

On the 16th of June, 1810, the movement for independence began with the abdication of the Governor, Carrasco, on account of difficulty between himself and the Real Audiencia. September 18, 1810, the Cabildo or City Council in open session elected a Junta to govern until a National Congress should be convoked, ostensibly for the purpose of holding the dominion for King Ferdinand, deposed by Napoleon. The people regarding this as the birth of their independence were filled with joy. An army subsequently sent from Spain landed at ConcepciÓn, marched northward recruiting royalists, and after several engagements finally put to rout the patriots, who were commanded by Bernardo O’Higgins assisted by Colonel Juan Mackenna. October 16, 1814, General Osorio with the Spanish army entered Santiago and there maintained Spanish rule for three years longer. General O’Higgins meanwhile fled to Mendoza in Argentina to join the army which was being organized in that city by General San Martin for the expulsion of the Spanish power from the entire continent. Three years were required for this work. In January, 1817, the invasion of Chile from Argentina was begun by a well-drilled army of 5000 men, 1600 horses, and many pack mules. One division came by the Uspallata Pass, along the coach route across the Cordilleras, and the one followed by Almagro almost three centuries earlier. A second division under San Martin came by the lower Los Patos Pass. The two divisions, having united on February 12, gained a complete victory over the royalists in the famous battle of Chacabuco, and February 14 entered Santiago. The enthusiastic and grateful Chilians now offered to San Martin the governorship of the country. This unselfish patriot declining the honor, an assembly, February 17, appointed General O’Higgins Dictator, thus concluding the so-called Reconquista or Reconquest of Chile. However, troubles were not over. The Viceroy of Peru sent General Osorio again to Chile. Landing at Talcahuano in the south he was able to advance with his army, after defeating O’Higgins, until he approached Santiago; but on the plain of Maipo, April 5, 1818, San Martin again gained a decisive victory. Meanwhile on the anniversary of the battle of Chacabuco the Act of Independence was read in the Plaza of Santiago, and the oath was taken by the leaders. The United States was the first nation to recognize the Republic. A navy was soon formed and with the aid of Admiral Lord Cochrane, a squadron of eight warships and sixteen transports in 1820 carried north the army of San Martin for the conquest of Peru.

In 1823 General O’Higgins was obliged to resign his Dictatorship and a period of confusion followed. In 1833 a constitution was adopted. In the administration of Manuel Montt in the fifties railway construction was inaugurated. In that of President Pinto occurred the War of the Pacific with Peru and Bolivia, 1879-81, though the treaty of peace was not signed till 1883, when the province of TarapacÁ was ceded to Chile, and occupation for ten years was arranged for Tacna and Arica. About the same time a boundary treaty was concluded with Argentina, with which nation Chile had been on the verge of war. Balmaceda, elected President in 1886, instituted many reforms but by his arbitrary methods brought on civil war. A victory by the constitutional party was followed by Balmaceda’s suicide.

The unfortunate death of the able President Montt in 1910 was succeeded by the election of the present incumbent, Ramon BÁrros Luco. Among the prominent Chilian families (it has been said that one hundred of these govern the country), are many British names, the forbears of these having married into the best Spanish American families and become patriotic citizens of their adopted country.