30th April 1835

Quillota to Catapilco
We passed the Cerro of Chilicauquen at the same place as in my trip last year. At a pretty little village called Plazilla, we joined the Coquimbo road. — The surrounding country is barren & uninteresting. — I think the view from Chilicauquen of the valley of Quillota with the distant Cordilleras now thickly covered with new snow, is one of the most beautiful in Chili. With this may be ranked the view from the hills behind Valparaiso, the basin of S. Filipe or Aconcagua, & the plains of St Jago & Rancagua. Thus none of the finest scenery in Chili is very distant from the Capital city & its port.

Captain Fitzroy’s Journal:
I landed at Conchali after dark on the 30th, leaving the Beagle under sail in the offing. My reception was very hospitable; but the people made sure I was a smuggler; and some of the principal inhabitants rode with me several miles next morning to the place where my boat was hauled ashore, thinking all the time that I was only waiting for a favourable opportunity to tell them my secret, and make advantageous terms. All this coast, except a few corners, is bold and high, barren and uninteresting; though picturesque in outline.