We have a miser for a captain, who thinks more of a sixpence than he does of our lives or even of his own. He will not suffer the steward to cook potatoes, bread, pies, puddings or any other wholesome food, but keeps us on hard, mouldy bread, full of bugs and worms, and on salt beef and pork--the pork being rotten. He has flour, potatoes and good pork, but will not allow it to be used; thus you will readily perceive that we ate truly in unpleasant circumstances. Last evening we came near a shipwreck, having run near the land without knowing it, and it fell calm. The ship became unmanageable, and was drifting on to the shore, but we cast anchor and awaited the light of morning, when we got under weigh with much labor, and stood again to sea. FRENCH HOTEL, Valparaiso, Chili, S. A., November 9th. _Dear Friends_: After a most disagreeable and tedious passage of sixty-four days we have at length arrived in port, in tolerable health. We landed yesterday at noon, and took lodgings and board at a French Hotel, where we have a great variety of good eating, and a front parlor to ourselves--price four dollars per day for three of us. The proprietor speaks French, the clerk French, with a little English, the landlady German, the waiter Spanish, and ourselves English, with a little Spanish. So you see we have a little Babel of our own, independently of Nimrod or the great tower. We find the country in the midst of revolution and civil war. Two persons and their adherents fighting for power and rule. Business is dull, living high, and doubt and uncertainty characterizing every transaction in the various business departments. On Sunday we attended a meeting in a very large building. We saw thousands of both sexes, and of all classes and ages, throng the place, bow down on their knees and worship certain images and paintings with much apparent devotion. No instructions were given in any language, no music, no voice or sound, except a low, plaintive voice in the far end of the room, not addressed to the people, neither sufficiently loud or distinct to be understood by them. The worshippers were dressed in a variety of degrees of neatness or of its opposite. Some of them wore very costly apparel, and others were very neatly clad. All seemed full of zeal and devotion. All bowed down on their knees in silent, solemn attitudes. All their faces seemed disfigured with a painful and awe-stricken solemnity. All made certain signs and motions, while they said nothing audible, and the impression of a strange observer would be that the image, to which every eye was turned with long and supplicating gaze and imploring look, had no ears to hear, but was deeply versed in the science of physiognomy, and also acquainted with the deaf and dumb alphabet. On inquiry, we were informed that this kind of worship prevailed throughout Spanish America and various other countries, and that it is called by the dignified name of Christianity, and that it is very ancient.