Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

164- GOVERNMENT — CACIQUES. themselves, except at deaths, or on very particular occasions. This attempt at an outward demonstration of faith in customs of the Romish church, appears to have been caused by a Cap- tain Pelippa, who visited the Strait of Magalhaens some time before the Adventure and Beagle. Who or what he was, I could not discover. There is a particular kind of tree, which is esteemed sacred, and never burned. It is like a thorn ; a resinous gum issues from the knotty, close-grained stem, which has a pleasant aromatic smell, if put into the fire. Regular government, or any forms and rules approaching to what may be called a civil constitution, no one would expect to find among tribes of wandering savages ; but amongst the Araucanian tribes of Moluche, who do not wander, and have advanced towards civilization, there are regular laws, support- ing a settled form of government ; and their ideas have been communicated to the southern tribes, and ha,ve slightly influ- enced them. Thus, in many cases, oifenders are tried by an assembly of the older people, and their sentence pronounced, after mature deliberation, instead of being at once dealt with as the cacique may, at first thought, deem expedient. The caciques or chiefs are hereditary. Those who possess much property and have many followers are highly respected ; but their authority, though absolute in some instances, is little exerted in the common occiu*rences of life. When meetings are held for the purpose of deciding upon any question, the cacique presides — that is, he is considered the principal per- son present ; certainly he looks the most solemn, and is the least active. He gives orders to hunting parties, or to those who exercise for war : and if men quarrel, he sometimes causes them to be parted. In time of war he leads his tribe, and in pro- portion to his enterprise and success is his actual authority while the war lasts. Each person has a particular name, im- plying a quality or some peculiarity ; sometimes a particu- lar place. " All the sons of a cacique," says Falkner, " have a right to assume the dignity, if they can get any persons to follow them