Chilli.

Hastings Standard, Issue 178, 23 November 1896, Page 2

Chilli.

The following letter, which was received a few days ago by Mr S. G. Popplewell, of Hastings, from a former resident of Hawke's Bay and now in Chilli, will no doubt prove interesting to many of our readers. The writer, Mr Archibald Cameron, was well known as a drover in this district, and had for some time prior to his departure to South America been overseer for F. C. Fulton, Esq., of Napier, on Whakamaramaru station : " Cosmor Hotel, '• Calle de Coquimbo " Punt a Arenas, 21th August, 1896. " Deah Sir, Just a short note while I am waiting for the boat to take me over to Tierra del Fuego. " The Rimutaka arrived here oil the 21 it July after a good run of 11 days from Wellington. The passage up the Straits of Magellan took- from 8 o'clock in the morning till about 10 in the evening, and I must say it was a beautiful sight we had on either side. The granite hills (for they are mostly formed of a very hard granite) covered with snow, and huge glaciers everywhere to ho seen, was a sight worth ' remembering. " I had expected to get away on the Saturday after arrival but upon making enquiry I was told '•manan'a" (to-morrow). This term I may say gives a very good idea of the Chilliau character in everything. No one is in a hurry, but on the contrary everything is done in a listless, slow style. At dinner while you are waiting for the next course you take your cigarette or cigar and have a smoke till the waiter appears. No one, I fancy, would suffer from indigestion in this country. The various meals are as follows :--In the morning coffee at 7 or 8 o'clock, breakfast at 11, afternoon tea at 8 p.m., an:l dinner at 6 o'clock, and if you feel dif posed, supper when it may suit you. " The colony (as the town is called as opposed to the country which is called °camp) has five hotels and innumerable" publicliouses where drinks are sold, there being no licenses." This latter remark is not to be wondered at. A great deal of drinking goes on ; ill fact, as there is no library, no theatre, no church, and no Sunday, it is not to be wondered at that the dancing saloons and the publicliouses are the most frequented places. " Sunday is not observed at all, the shops being' open just as on every other day, and drinking is indulged in ! pretty heavily. The police here are numerous enough, and are well clad and armed. If an unfortunate is being " run in " to the cualtil, or gaol, there are five or six. to do the job, and as they are very badly paid they mala-, up their salary by thieving. " The bell at the cualtil is supposed to be rung every hour —1, 2, 8, Ac., as the hours pass. Well, 1 o'clock is duly rung at the right time, but when it conies to 2 o'clock the policeman is asleep, or more likely having a drink, so it is possibly rung at half-past 2 ; and so on in every V ranch of the Government service. There is consolation, however, we have no customs duties or taxes of any kind, so that what we loose one way we gain another. There is great talk at present of a small tax being made to put the streets in proper order, and they want it. The streets are not formed or metalled, and mud is everywhere. In fact, before I would venture into some of the hack streets 1 should want to say good-bye to my friends. " I suppose in another five years they may have made up ddieir minds to begin*. There are a great many things in contemplation and two are actually to be started soon which will send the town ahead. They are cable communication with Valparaiso, and thus with the world, and a big lighthouse. at the Western entrance to the Straits. The lighthouse is to be finished by December. If we only had the ocean ships calling often enough I have no doubt but that freezing works would be erected, and I don't see why Chilli should not turn a formidable rival to New Zealand in the frozen meat trade. We have an old hulk here that freezes some sheep onboard, but they can only do a few, and one ju. has to wait for a year or so before the return comes, so that it is not taken much advantage of, as most runs are not fully stocked and the sheep are ahvavs saleable in the place as long as they keep their condition and produce a certain amount of wool. Excuse this hasty note, I will write moro fully as to the prospects of the place when I get settled. You might let Mr Fulton know I arrived here all right, and if convenient show him this letter. —Yours, Ac., Alien Camkko.w"