walls;
furniture and mirrors of the most costly description are procured
from Europe; and on the tables are strewed magnificent albums,
adorned with the most artistic engravings. The elegant fire-places,
however, convinced me that the winters here are not as mild as the
inhabitants would fain have had me believe.

Of all the public buildings, the Theatre and the Exchange are the
finest. The interior of the former is very neat, and contains a
roomy pit and two galleries, portioned off as boxes. The
inhabitants of the town patronise the theatre a great deal, but not
so much on account of the Italian operas played there, as for the
sake of possessing a common place of meeting. The ladies always
come in full dress, and mutual visits are made in the boxes, all of
which are very spacious, and beautifully furnished with mirrors,
carpets, sofas, and chairs.

The second fine building, the Exchange, comprises a good-sized,
cheerful hall, with convenient rooms adjoining. From the hall there
is a pleasant view over the town and sea. The building belonging to
the "German Club" contains some fine apartments, with reading and
card rooms.

The only thing that pleased me about the churches were the towers,
which consist of two or three octagons, placed one above the other,
and each one supported by eight columns. They are composed of wood,
the altars and pillars of the nave being of the same material. The
nave itself presents rather a poor and naked appearance, occasioned
in a great degree by the absence of sittings. The men stand, and
the women bring with them little carpets, which they spread before
them, and on which they either kneel or sit. Ladies in easy
circumstances have their carpets brought by their maids. The
cathedral is called La Matriza.

The public promenades of Valparaiso are not very pleasant, as most
of the side-walks and roads are covered almost a foot deep with sand
and dust, which the slightest breath of wind is sufficient to raise
in thick clouds. After 10 o'clock in the morning, when the sea-
breeze begins blowing, the whole town is very often enveloped by it.
A great many persons are said to die here from diseases of the chest
and lungs. The most frequented places of resort are Polanka and the
lighthouse. Near the latter, especially, the prospect is very
beautiful, extending, as it does, on a clear day, as far as some of
the majestic snow-covered spurs of the Andes.

The streets, as I have a