Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-05-10
VALPARAISO.
ADeseripIiOn OF the Bombardea Ciiy,
the Cleveland LEkpER.l


your readers.
Valparaiso takes its name from the con-
traction of the Spanish words valle de pa
raise vale of paradise)-applied to its To-
cality by the salt-encrusted mariners who,
wearied by the months passed o the
watery wastes, first gazed on its verdant
hillsides, ard exclaimed, in their Joy,
n FaIs de paTaisof" Its first settlement
was anterior to l544, as in that year mem
ton is made of ships arriving at the port,
in letters from Pedro Valdivia to the En-
peror Charles Y. Its peculiar location, at
the foot of the hills, washed by the ocean,
affording little room for habitations, as
wellas the exclusive policy of Spain, con-
fning all foreign trade TO Spanish bot
toms and locating the custom house ninety
miles in the interior, at Santiago, kept
back all improvements till the revolution
in the first quarter of the present century.
At that time the population numbered
5000. The result of the throwing of of
the Spanish yoke was to open the ports of
Chill to foreign commerce, and Yalpa-
raise rapidly improved.
The "Port," or foreign part of the
town, in which commercial houses are
alone located, has been built up to IFS ut
most capacity, encroaching on the sea by
made ground, and running up far into
the hills. The larger strip of land to the
northeast, known as the Almendral, go
named from the almond groves originally
there, plsntedby Augustine monks, is con-
nected with the HPort" by only one
| street, winding around the base of Con-
cepeion Hill-a rocky bluff, at the base of
which the waves formerly dashed, until the
necessities of the city made land sufficient
for the connecting street and two rows Of
houses, ed against the rock and
the other against the sea. The Almen-
dral is built mostly of one-story adobe
houses, tile roofs and whitewashed sides.
occupied by natives. The buildings in
the " Port" Notwithstanding earthquakes,
are built several stories in height. The
foreign merchants live back on the hills,
while the numerous Favinas debouching
on the lower part Of the town are covered
with houses wherever they can be placed,
running far back among the hills. The
streams, swollen by winter rains, have IN
doubtedly much assisted in extending the
ground Of the Port and Almendral into
the sea by the detritus washed from the
hillsides. The gradual u%pheaving Of the
/ coast by earthquakes has also aided.
The present population of the city is
about $4,000. The discovery of gold in
California Valparaiso being the most cor
%venient port for repairs to vessels worsted
by the storms of Cape HornD and large
/ shipments of -four and other staples dur
ing the early days OF California, have as
. sisted to increase its commerce and make
it the most considerable seaport on the
| Spanish-American coast. Its commercial
| connections are with the interior by rail-
road to Santiago, by well-made roads for
teams to other points, and by steamers to
agricultural ports at the south and mining
regions at the North, the same line Afford
ing semi-monthly communication for mails
and passengers with the northern repub-
lies, the United States and Europe. The
Pacific gives open way for traffic in wool,
hides, cereals and minerals to Europe,
Australasia and America. In this extern
sive commerce the English are most inter-
ested-then the French, Germans, Ameri-
cans and Chileans.
The city is built around a semicircle
perhaps four miles in extent, Struggling at
the base about the innumerable hills which
surround IL, rIsIng like the seats in an
ampitheatre till three miles back they at
tain an elevation of three hundred feet.
The bay Of Valparaiso is about three
miles broad, from Lighthouse Point,
on the northwest, to Point Baron,
on the northeast, the coast stretch
ing away to the northward indefinitely.
The bay being open to the North, there
is no security in the winter months against
the anortheTs." Savethe mole at the,centre
of the "Port," where passengers land,
there are no docks. Vessals lie at anchor,
and discharge andtake on cargoes bymeans
Of laun9hes. The bonded warehouses of
the Government, six in number, and a
Custom House, are erected N made land
at the northwest corner of the Port.
Above these, and intended fer their de-
fence, is Fort Antonio, a miserable earth
work; this and another at Point Baron,
command the bay from considerable ele-
vations. If properly built, manned, and
with effective guns, these would etfectual-
" defend the city-at present the ordnance
in them is good only for saluting purposes
The warehouses are substantial structures,
each seven hundred feet long, three sto-
ries high; the lower walls are five feet
thick, to resist as much as possible the
earthquakes.
The offices of the city and province are
at the Intendental Palace, facing an open
place at the mole. Near them are the
Exchange, Post Office, etc. There are
three other squares in the city. A hand
some Theatre with seats for tive thousand
people, faces the Plaza Victoria in the !
Almendral. The railroad depot is at the
eastern extremity of the city. The road
runs for some distance along by the sea.
Vinta de la Mar, vA5ere the Spanish squad
ron retird after the action, is five miles to
the northward. The macadamized road
to Santiago winds over the hills from near
the depot.
The city is lighted with gas, has water
works and street cars. 1t boasts of ex-
eellent schools, numerous Catholic church
es, n~unneries, hospitals and two Protes-
tant chapels.
Such is the city the Spaniards have
bombarded.
1 can scarcely imagine a more interes--
ing sight than must have been witnessed
that calm autumn morning. The entire
population bivouacking on thehills watch
ing anxiously the approach Of the hostile
feet over the CLASSY waters. From their
elevation they could look on the deserted,
smoking city at their feet-the bay-the
attacking s~quadron-the American and
English feet from which they expected so
much, and beyond the coast range and snow
capped peaks of the Cordillera rising
into the blue ether. Around them
reverberated the echoes Of the
battle below, in which they could
take no part. 1 imagine the thunders of
the artillery could scarcely equal the shouts
of rage and defiance which rang from Port
to Almendral. n. H. NJ.
Who Eats the Dirt?
The New Orleans correspondent of the
Mobile Register has the following pleas
ant story:
A short time since Ex-Governor -
of one of the Southern States, was ap.
preached by an agent of a New York
paper, noted for its able conservative