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io8 A HISTORY OF CHILE lation of about 8,000 Spaniards, Indians, mestizos and negroes. The houses were poorly constructed, all of one height, and many of them covered with straw. There were a few temples, convents and monasteries which ministered to the spiritual wants of the sparse population. The first governors had been distinguished generals but inferior statesmen. Preoccupied with the Arau- canian wars, they passed their time in Concepcion and on the frontiers, neglecting the capita) and the best in- terests of the people. They sought military glory and private gain and made Chile a stepping-stone to wealth, titles and viceroyalties.
