Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1824-08-28
From the Providence american.
FROM THE PACIFIC.

Z
sal Of letters Of q recent datefrom Chi.
| Ii. from which we extract the following
items Of news. &c.
A minister has been named from Chi
| Ii TO the United States. His namefis
Cawpino.
Under the date Of May ]. it is stated:
I'VE hear that large French naval
| force 10 coming into the Pacific
Extract of letter from gentleman of
! this town. now 9 resident in Santa
go, dated Santiago de Chill. April
| -, 1924.
| ] have heard much. az doubtless you
have also, of the wonderful fertility iof
Chill: bot truly the road from Vaipa.
raiso here exhibits nothing but barren,
naked mountains, and sterile, sandy
| plains between them. We are told
that in other places, and particularly IN
the valleys of Quilota, Aconcagua and
the province Of conception, there are
immense tracts of the finest lands, yield.
| ing very large crops Of grain and fruits.
This have no doubt is partially true,
otherwise the iDha sitants would starve,
but such are the difficulties and expense
of transportation here, that the neigh.
boring provinces are enabled to derive
! little or no advantage from the sopera-
bundance and cheapnes of articles In
those favored regions. 1t 10 fact, that
/ the large population in this city, are
now eating bread made of American
-four! The granary of the Pacific, as
: Chilli has been usually called, 10 now
supplied with this staff of life from the
United States. Several thousand bar
I rels of Flour have within few weeks,
| been brought to this city from ValPa.
raiso, the produce Of the all supplying
fields of the United States Previous
! to this the bread was so bad as to be- al.
most UNBEATABLE, and moreover excessive
ly dear.
The wheat of this country, Of poor
quality, is now selling at price equal
to So SO per bushel, This country sp-
pears to me, must always labor ander
great Disadvantages as an agriculturai
country-nothing can be cultivated here
! without irrigation-thisn necessarily sub.
| jects the farmer to additional aud heavy
expense, occasions the crop to be much
| more uncertain, and besides renders al
most useless a considerable portion Of
the soil, for it is impossible that but
small portion of the country choUld be
so situated as to be susceptible Of irri-
CATION. The more see of these SO
much talked Of South American Edeps,
the more convinced am of their vast
inferiori,y to the United States. You
may rely upon it that we have got pos.
session of by far the best part of tho
Continent, am even inclined te believe
| that our climate is tho preferable one.
If the general health of the population.
and thejc strength, hardidood and lon.
gevity be any criterion. which are GER
| teirlv the most important and essential
characteristics of good climate, there
can Do no doubt that ours is by far the
best. That Of these countries 10 On.
doobtedIy the most pleasant.
This is singular and unique coun-
try-is is as different 10 every respect
from ours as one thing can be from a.
mother. Nature is here almost totally
changed. The face Of the country. the
climate, the productions, the manners
and customs, and the inhabitants, are
all different from those Of ours, or al
most any other country.
Ihavs now been in Chill but few
days, and have already experienced
three shocks Of earthquake, and so plain
as not TO leave one in doubt On the cub
iect but it is almost daily occurrence
This is e large and tolerably handsome
city, q great many Of The bouses are
spacions and we'll built-but The natives
understand nothing of domestic com.
fort-indeed, as relates to domestic ar
chitecture, we are far in the advance Of
thsm-their houses are large. and the
rooms spacious, but they are not calcu-
lated to insure comfort during the
cold season, when ! understand the ma
tives suffer not little.
have heard much of the cheapoess
and abundance of every thing in Chill,
but assure you, as far as my ex-
perience goes, every thing is much
dearer here than with Us, except hors.
es. These are handsome and cheap-a
good horse may be bought for twenty
dollars. All the world rides, of course.
Y on eaonot board here at a decent Ia
vern, not to be named even with our
second or third rate ones, at less than
ten dollars per week. Beef is worth 6
Or cents per pound. and is very good;