Romans, and consists of a shirt, a vest, a pair of short close breeches, and a cloak in form of a scapulary, with an opening in the middle for the head, made full and long so as to cover the hands and descend to the knees. This cloak is called poncho, and is much more commodious than our mantles, as it leaves the arms at liberty, and may be thrown over the shoulder at pleasure; it is also a better protection from the wind and the rain, and more convenient for riding on horseback, for which reason it is commonly worn not only by the Spaniards in Chili, but by those of Peru and Paraguay.

The shirt, vest, and breeches, are always of a greenish blue or turquois, which is the favourite colour of the nation, as red is that of the Tartars. The poncho is also, among persons of inferior condition, of a greenish blue, but those of the higher classes wear it of different colours, either white, red, or blue, with stripes a span broad, on which are wrought, with much skill, figures of flowers and animals in various colours, and the border is ornamented with a handsome fringe. Some of these ponchos are of so fine and elegant a texture as to be sold for a hundred and even a hundred and fifty dollars.

The Araucanians make use of neither turbans nor hats, but wear upon their heads a bandage of embroidered wool, in the form of the ancient

diadem. This, whenever they salute, they raise a little, as a mark of courtesy, and on going to war ornament it with a number of beautiful

plumes. They also wear around the body a long woollen girdle, or sash, handsomely wrought. Persons of rank wear woollen boots of various colours, and leather sandals, called chelle, but the common people always go bare-footed.

The women are clad with much modesty and simplicity. Their dress is entirely of wool, and, agreeable to the national taste, of a greenish blue colour. It consists of a tunic, a girdle, and a short cloak, called ichella, which is fastened before with a silver buckle. The tunic, called chiamal, is long, and descends to the feet, it is without sleeves, and is fastened upon the shoulder by silver brooches or buckles. This dress, sactioned by custom, is never varied; but, to gratify their love of finery, they adorn themselves with all those trinkets which caprice or vanity suggests. They divide their hair into several tresses, which float in graceful negligence over their shoulders, and decorate their heads with a species of false emerald, called glianca, held by them in high estimation. Their necklaces and bracelets are of glass, and their ear-rings, which are square, of silver; they have rings upon each finger, the greater part of which are of silver. It is calculated that more than a hundred thou

sand marks of this metal are employed in these female ornaments, since they are worn even by the poorest class.

I have already given some account of the dwellings of the ancient Chilians; the Araucanians, tenacious, as are all nations not corrupted by luxury, of the customs of their country, have made no change in their mode of building. But, as they are almost all polygamists, the size of their houses is proportioned to the number of women they can maintain. The interior of these houses is very simple, the luxury of convenience, splendour, and show, is altogether unknown in them, and necessity alone is consulted in the selection of their furniture.

They never form towns, but live in scattered villages or hamlets, on the banks of rivers, or in plains that are easily irrigated. Their local attachments are strong, each family preferring to live upon the land inherited from its ancestors, which they cultivate sufficiently for their subsistence. The genius of this haughty people, in which the savage still predominates, will not permit them to live in walled cities, which they consider as a mark of servitude.

CHAP. II.

Division of the Araucanian State; Its political Form and civil Institutions.

ALTHOUGH in their settlements the Araucanians are wanting in regularity, that is by no means the case in the political division of their state, which is regulated with much intelligence. They have divided it from north to south into four uthal-mapus, or parallel tetrarchates, that are nearly equal, to which they give the names of lauquen-mapu, the maritime country; lelbunmapu, the plain country; inapire-mapu, the country at the foot of the Andes; and pireEach Uthalmapu

mapu, or that of the Andes. is divided into five aillaregues, or provinces; and each aillaregue into nine regues, or counties.

The maritime country comprehends the provinces of Arauco, Tucapel, Illicura, Boroa, and Nagtolten; the country of the plain includes those of Encol, Puren, Repocura, Maquegua, and Mariquina: that at the foot of the Andes contains Marven, Colhue, Chacaico, Quecheregua, and Guanagua; and in that of the Andes is included all the valleys of the Cordilleras, situated within the limits already mentioned,

which are inhabited by the Puelches. These mountaineers, who were formerly a distinct nation in alliance with the Araucanians, are now united under their government, and have the same magistrates.

This division, which discovers a certain degree of refinement in their political administration, is of a date anterior to the arrival of the Spaniards, and serves as a basis for the civil government of the Araucanians, which is aristocratic as that of all other barbarous nations has been. This species of republic consists of three orders of nobility, each subordinate to the other, the Toquis, the Apo-Ulmenes, and the Ulmenes, all of whom have their respective vassals. The Toquis, who may be styled tetrarchs, are four in number, and preside over the uthal-mapus. The appellation of Toqui is derived from the verb toquin, which signifies to judge or command; they are independent of each other, but confede

* In the second and third articles of the treaty of Lonquil mo, made in the year 1784, the limits of each Uthalmapu are expressly defined, and its districts marked out. It declares to be appertaining to that of the Cordilleras, the Huilliches of Changolo, those of Gayolto and Rucachoroy to the south, the Puelches and Indian Pampas to the north, from Malalque and the frontiers of Mendoza to the Mamilmapu in the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, the whole forming a corporate body with the Puelches and Pehuenches of Maúle, Chillan, and Antuco. So that at present, in case of an infraction of the treaty, it may easily be known what Uthalmapu is to make satisfaction.