The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-02-27

such fury upon their enemies as to put them to route and destroy them. so that of the whole splendid Spanish army, but two men escaped" Though the conquered Valdivia begged hard. but m vain. for his life after that fatal fray with the youthful Lautaro, and prom ised if spared to leave the country at once and forever with all his followers. and though five Of the eight cities he found now lie in ruins, this part of Chili is full of him. The river bears his name. as well as the fertile province through which 1t runs. and so does its capital city. Properly speaking, it is the Rio Calle. flowing from the Andes to the sea. and only that portion of it between Corral and Naddivia city IS entitled to the name -Naddivia-' The capital of VValdivia province is the most important town in southern Chili, the center of a considerable trade in flour. timber. hides and wool. and is set tied almost exclusively by Germans. Because of it's many hourishing mills it has been dubbed the Minneapolis of South America. It was founded by the Spaniards who gave it the name of their leader about the year 1851. Forty years later it was taken and plundered by Araucanians; and in 1887 was again completely ruined by an earthquake.
 From Corral we went up to Valdevia city in steam tug. So narrow and winding is the channel, full Of snage and shoals, that it is navigable only for crafts drawing less than nine feet of water, and even those require the as sistance of a local pilot. All the adja- cent country is hilly and heavily tim bered, and the river looks as if barred a little way ahead by the green, untrod- den solitude that crowd close on every side. while the perspective is closed by the great, white volcano called Villa Rica," which stands one hundred and seventy-five miles inland, but whose snowy dome surmounted by thin spire of smoke, is distinctly visible from the ocean. The city of Villa Rica, at the base of the volcano, which Valdevia built some three hundred and sixty years ago. has been so many times de- stroyed by Indians and earthquakes that but little trace of it remains.
 J Valdevia city is only about one thou sand feet above sea-level. and is com lpletely surrounded by dense forests. Its river front is lined by the great flouring mills that supply the staff of life to all Chili-and for that matter to i nearly all the western side of South America, even as far north as Panama
 The chief object of interest in Valde- via is an old round tower, rtlic of the l IConquistadores, which shows up beau tifully from the river. On landing we made run for it, the captain giving us Ionly twenty minutes ashore, and it [would not be pleasant to have our friends sail away and leave us in this lonesome region. We found the ruins another case of "'Tis distance lends Ienchantment to the view" and were sorry we had disillusioned ourselves. A trough board fence is built close around the ancient tower at the top of the little hill upon which it stands. Ascending a flight of rickety steps, we pounded upon a rickety wooden door, with visions be fore our eyes of knights and trouba- dours, halberds and coats-of-mail, and l were answered by the angry paying oi la dog inside. Presently the door was opened by an elderly German, who lives within the temporary enclosure, in 8 little wooden hut leaned against the crmbling citadel, which appeared to be conjointly occupied by numerous col lony of pigs and chickens. A pile oi boards obstructed the entrance to the tower, in front of which the angry dog tugged frantically at his chain; so that there was nothing to be done but te scamper back to the landing with al possible speed.
 We steamed back to Corral and two days later Joined a party for a little trip into the edges of the 'Invincible State" the territory of the unconquera- bale Araucanians. But that is another story, too full of incidents to begin 1T this letter.
 FANNIE B. WARD. .I E--------------