Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 3.djvu/445

408 «70.v Mirch. years ago as a chapel of eafe, for the purpofe of accommodaiing the country inhabitants who came into the town on fundays to attend divine fervice, but who frequently could not find room in the churches; and it had likewife been appropriated for the penitential acknowledgments of the women.

Our time on board was bufily employed in making every tiling ready to proceed in the fervice we had to perform, the inftant we (hould re-Srturday 28. ceive the fan6l;ion of the Prefident for fo doing. On faturday evening, ajjreeabh' to our calculations, the courier returned, and I had the fatisfaction to receive from His Excellency Sen'- Don Ambrofio Higgins de Vallenar, prefident and captain general of the kingdom of Chili, the mod ample confirmation of all the liberal offers which had been made to us by governor Ala'a; together with a letter containing the moft poHte congratulations on our having thus far fafely accomplifhed the great obje61 of our evoedition, and having at length arrived in a country where nothing fJiouId be wanting within the reach of his power to fupply, that could in any way contribute to the relloration of our health, adminiller to our future comforts, or tend to re-equip the veflels, and repair the damages which the}' had fuUained. Thefe obliging and friendly offers were further nccompauicd by a communication to governor Alava, flating, that if myfelf and fome of the principal officers fhould be inclined to vifit the capital, we had His Excellency's permiffion to do fo; and in the event of our undertaking a journey to St. Jago, the governor was requelled by the Prefident to employ his good offices, in feeing that we were properly provided for the excurfion.

I embraced the earlieft opportunity to return my moft grateful acknowledgments to the Prefident, for his extreme politenefs and liberahty towards us, and I loll no time in fetting hard to work on the various fervices which now demanded our attention. My firft and principal objeft Monday 30. was to get out the main-mafi; for this purpofe, on moi day morning the fiiip was moved nearer in fliorc, and moored in 4 fathoms, to infure more eflc61ually fiuooth water for performing that operation. After this was accomplinicd, on the following morning, the maft was hauled up on to the beach between Valparaifo and the village of Almandrel, where a tent