Juan Fernandez--Robinson Crusoe--Passage to Callao--San
Lorenzo--Rise and fall of the coast--Mr. Darwin's opinions
on this subject--Callao--The Fortress--Siege by the
Spaniards--General Rodil--Siege by the Chilians--The
Colocolo--Pirates--Zoology--Road to Lima.
With a favorable east wind we reached, in thirty-six hours, the island
of Juan Fernandez, which lies in the latitude of Valparaiso. Ships from
Europe, bound to Peru, which do not go into Chile, usually touch at Juan
Fernandez to test their chronometers. It consists in fact of three
islands, forming a small compact group. Two of them, in accordance with
the Spanish names, may be called the Inward Island and the Outward
Island, for the most easterly is called _Mas a Tierra_ (more to the main
land), that to the west is called _Mas a Fuera_ (more towards the
offing). That to the south, which is almost a naked rock, is the _Isla
de Lobos_, which we may call Sea-dog Island. The two first are covered
with grass and trees. _Mas a Tierra_ is much longer, and better suited
for cultivation than _Mas a Fuera_. In form the two islands have a
striking resemblance to Flores and Cordua, islands of the group of the
Azores. Until within these twenty years, _Mas a Tierra_ was the place of
exportation for convicts from Chile; but as it was found that the
facility of escape is great, none are now sent there. In 1812 a number
of prisoners of war were confined there, but the rats, which had
increased in an extraordinary degree, consumed all the provisions sent
from Chile. Several fruitless attempts have been made to populate the
island, but that object is now given up, and it is only occasionally
visited by sea-dog hunters. Ulloa speaks of the great number of
sea-calves or dogs with which the island was frequented, and
distinguishes kinds which belong to the short-eared species. Their skins
are excellent, and they sell at a good price in England. Wild goats are
numerous, and their propagation would be excessive were it not for the
multitude of dogs, also wild, by which they are destroyed.
There is yet another kind of interest attached to Juan Fernandez. It was
on Mas a Tierra that, in 1704, the celebrated English navigator,
Dampier, landed his coxswain, Alexander Selkirk, with whom he had
quarrelled, and left him there with a small quantity of provisions, and
a few tools. Selkirk had lived four years and four months on this
uninhabited island, when he was found there by the bucaneers Woods and
Rogers, and brought back to Europe. From the notes which he made during
his solitary residence, the celebrated Daniel Defoe composed his
incomparable work, ROBINSON CRUSOE.
The weather continued favorable, and in about a week we doubled the west
point of San Lorenzo Island, where some Chilian cruizers were watching
the coast. We soon entered the fine bay of Callao, and cast anchor in
the harbor of the _Ciudad de los Reyes_. While rounding the island, an
American corvette spoke us. She had left Valparaiso on the same day with
us, and sailed also through the strait between San Lorenzo and the main
land; yet, during the whole passage, we never saw each other.
No signals were exchanged between us and the shore, and no port-captain
came on board. We were exceedingly anxious to know the issue of the
Chilian expedition. Hostile ships of war lay off the port, but the
Peruvian flag waved on the fort. At last a French naval cadet came on
board, and informed us that the Chilians had landed successfully, and
had taken Lima by storm two days previously. They were, at that moment,
besieging the fortress. We immediately went on shore.
The town presented a melancholy aspect. The houses and streets were
deserted. In all Callao we scarcely met a dozen persons, and the most
of those we saw were negroes. Some of the inhabitants came gradually
back, but in the course of a month scarcely a hundred had returned,
and for safety they slept during the night on board merchant ships in
the bay. At the village of Bella Vista, a quarter of a mile from
Callao, the Chilians had erected their batteries for bombarding the
fortress. As it was difficult to obtain provisions, the commanders of
the foreign ships of war sent every morning a small detachment of
sailors with a steward to Bella Vista, to purchase meat and
vegetables. The merchant-ships joined in the practice, so that early
every morning a long procession of boats with flags flying proceeded
to the Chilian camp. But a stop was soon put to this, as an English
butcher in Callao found means to go with the boats for the purpose of
purchasing large quantities of meat, which he afterwards sold at an
immense profit, to the fortress. Though the besieged did not suffer
from want, they were far from having superfluity.
Having sufficient time to make myself acquainted with the country in the
immediate vicinity of Callao, I took advantage of every opportunity for
excursions; going from place to place by water, which was more safe than
journeying by land.
The bay of Callao is one of the largest and calmest on the west coast of
South America. On the south-west, it is bounded by the sterile island of
San Lorenzo; on the north it flows into the creeks, which are terminated
by the Punta Gorda, the Punta Pernal, the Punta de dos Playas, and the
Punta de Dona Pancha. The beach is flat, for the most part shingly, and
about the mouth of the Rimac, somewhat marshy. Between the mouth of the
Rimac and that of the Rio de Chillon, which is a little southward of the
Punta Gorda, there is a tract of rich marshy soil. A small boot-shaped
tongue of land stretches from the fortress westward to San Lorenzo. On
this spot are the ruins of old Callao.
San Lorenzo is a small, long-shaped island, about 15 English miles in
circumference. It is intersected throughout its whole length by a ridge
of sharp crested hills, of which the highest point is about 1387 feet
above the level of the sea. On the north-eastern side, the declivity is
less steep than on the south-west, where it descends almost
perpendicularly into the sea. Seals and sea-otters inhabit the steep
rocks of the southern declivity, and swarms of sea-birds nestle on the
desolate shore. San Lorenzo is separated on the southern side by a
narrow strait, from a small rocky island called El Fronton, which is
also the abode of numerous seals.
The coasts of Callao and San Lorenzo have undergone very remarkable
changes within a few centuries. Mr. Darwin, the English geologist, is
of opinion that this part of Peru has risen eighty-five feet since it
has had human inhabitants. On the north-eastern declivity of San
Lorenzo, which is divided into three indistinctly marked terraces, there
are numbers of shells of those same species of conchyliae which are at
the present time found living on the coast. On an accurate examination
of these shells, Mr. Darwin found many of them deeply corroded. "They
have," he says, "a much older and more decayed appearance than those at
the height of 500 or 600 feet on the coast of Chile. These shells are
associated with much common salt, a little sulphate of lime (both
probably left by the evaporation of the spray, as the land slowly rose),
together with sulphate of soda, and muriate of lime. The rest are
fragments of the underlying sand-stone, and are covered by a few inches
thick of detritus. The shells higher up on this terrace could be traced
scaling off in flakes, and falling into an impalpable powder; and on an
upper terrace, at the height of 170 feet, and likewise at some
considerably higher points, I found a layer of saline powder, of exactly
similar appearance, and lying in the same relative position. I have no
doubt that the upper layer originally existed on a bed of shells, like
that on the eighty-five feet ledge, but it does not now contain even a
trace of organic structure."[2] Mr. Darwin adds, that on the terrace,
which is eighty-five feet above the sea, he found embedded amidst the
shells and much sea-drifted rubbish, some bits of cotton thread, plaited
rush, and the head of a stalk of Indian corn.
San Lorenzo does not appear to have been inhabited in very early ages.
The fragments of human industry which have been found mixed in the
shells have probably been brought thither by fishermen who visit the
island, and often pass the night on it.
Darwin further remarks:--"It has been stated that the land subsided
during this memorable shock (in 1746): I could not discover any proof
of this; yet it seems far from improbable, for the form of the coast
must certainly have undergone some change since the foundation of the
old town," &c.--"On the island of San Lorenzo there are very
satisfactory proofs of elevation within a recent period; this, of
course, is not opposed to the belief of a small sinking of the ground
having subsequently taken place."
But satisfactory evidence of the sinking of the coast is not to be
obtained in a visit of a few weeks' duration; nor must that evidence
rest solely on geological facts, though doubtless they furnish much
important data. History must aid the inquiry. Tradition and the
recollections of old persons must be attended to. According to these
authorities, a change more or less considerable has taken place in the
level of the coast, after every great earthquake. If we refer to the
account given by Ulloa, and compare the plan of the harbor of Callao,
drawn by him in 1742, with the most correct modern charts, we do not
find much difference in the representations of the distance between
the main-land and San Lorenzo. Four years afterwards the great
earthquake occurred, which destroyed the city of Callao, and plunged
it into the sea. Subsequently there was a rising of the coast, which
could not be inconsiderable, for according to the statements of old
inhabitants of Callao, the distance from the coast to San Lorenzo was
so inconsiderable that boys used to throw stones over to the island.
At present the distance is nearly two English miles. I have no doubt
of the general correctness of those statements, for a careful
investigation of facts leads to the same conclusion; so that within
the last sixty or seventy years the sinking must have been
considerable. It must be observed, however, that the ruins on the
small tongue of land are not, as Darwin supposes, the remains of the
city of Callao, swallowed up by the sea in 1746, but of the Callao
which was destroyed by the great earthquake of 1630.
Another proof of the sinking exists in the extensive shallow between
the coast of the main-land and San Lorenzo, called the Camotal. In
early times this shallow was dry land, producing vegetables, in
particular _Camotes_ (sweet potatoes), whence the name of this portion
of the strait is derived. The inundation took place in the time of the
Spaniards, but before 1746, either in the great earthquake of 1687, or
in that of 1630.
Northward of the Bay of Callao, near the plantation of Boca Negra, there
is a shallow, where, according to records, there existed a sugar
plantation about fifty years ago. Turning to the south of Callao, in the
direction of Lurin, we find, at the distance of about two English miles
from the coast, two islands or rocks, of which one is called Pachacamac,
and the other Santa Domingo. At the time of the Spanish invasion these
rocks were connected with the main-land, and formed a promontory. On one
of them stood a temple or castle. At what period they were detached from
the coast I have not been able to ascertain authentically; but there
appears reason to suppose that the separation took place during the
violent earthquake of 1586. Attentive investigations to the north of
Callao--at Chancay, Huacho, Baranca, &c., would probably bring to light
further evidence on this subject.
Between the facts stated by Mr. Darwin and those here adduced, there
is considerable discrepancy. On the one hand they denote a rising, and
on the other a sinking. But it may be asked, might not both these
phenomena have occurred at different times?[3] Mr. Darwin's opinion
respecting the still-continued rising of the coast does not appear to
me to rest on satisfactory evidence. The relics of human industry
which he found embedded among shells, at the height of eighty-five
feet above the sea, only prove that the elevation has taken place
after the land was inhabited by the human race, but do not mark the
period at which that elevation occurred. Pieces of cotton thread and
plaited rush are no proofs of a very refined degree of civilisation,
such as the Spaniards brought with them to Peru, and cannot therefore
be taken as evidence that the elevation took place at any period
subsequent to the conquest. Garcilaso de la Vega traces the dynasty of
the Incas down to the year 1021, a period when the inhabitants of the
coast of Peru were tolerably well advanced in civilisation. Fernando
Montesinos furnishes facts connected with the history of Peru, of
several thousand years' earlier date; and, judging from the number of
dynasties, the nature of the laws, &c., it may be inferred that
civilisation existed at a period of even more remote antiquity. It
cannot therefore be determined with any accuracy at what time the
deposit at San Lorenzo, now eighty-five feet high, was level with the
sea, or whether the rise suddenly followed one of those frightful
catastrophes which have so often visited the western coast of South
America. Then, again, the different degrees of decay presented by the
beds of shells seem to indicate that the rising has been gradual; and
it may have been going on for thousands of years. Had the coast risen
eighty-five feet since the Spanish conquest--that is to say, within
the space of three hundred and sixty-two years--the Camotal would long
since have again risen above the surface of the sea; for it is very
improbable that it sank to a depth exceeding ninety or ninety-five
feet. It is evident that risings and sinkings have occurred at various
times, and that causes contingent on earthquakes have produced the
variations in the rising and falling of the coast.
It is probable that the accurate sounding of the depth of water in the
Camotal, at stated intervals, would furnish the best means of
ascertaining the rising and sinking of the coast. A variety of
circumstances combine to favor the practicability of calculation by this
method. For example, no river flows into that part of the bay in which
the Camotal is situated. The Rimac, whose mouth lies further to the
north, is not sufficiently large to carry any considerable deposit into
the bed of the bay: moreover, there is but little tide, and the bay is
always calm, being sheltered on the south by the island of San Lorenzo,
and north breezes are rare and never violent.
I may here mention a singular phenomenon which has in latter times often
occurred at Callao, and which, in 1841, I had myself the opportunity of
observing. About two in the morning the sea flowed from the shore with
greater force than in the strongest ebb; the ships farthest out were
left dry, which is never the case in an ebb tide. The alarm of the
inhabitants was great when the sea rushed instantly back with increased
force. Nothing could withstand its fury. Meanwhile there was no
commotion of the earth, nor any marked change of temperature.
In the earthquake of 1746 Callao was completely overwhelmed by the
sea. Several travellers have related that on calm days with a clear
sky the old town may be seen beneath the waves. I have also heard the
same story from inhabitants of Callao. It is doubtless a mere fable.
Under the most favorable circumstances I have often examined the
spot--the Mar brava, as it is called--without being able to discover a
trace of the ruins of old Callao.
The existing town of Callao is small, and by no means pleasant. In
winter it is damp and dirty, and in summer so dusty that in passing
through the streets one is almost choked. Most of the houses are very
slightly built, and they are usually only one story high. The walls are
constructed of reeds, plastered over with loam or red clay. All the
roofs are flat, being made of straw mats laid on a frame-work of reeds,
which is also plastered with loam on the under side. The windows are in
the roof, and consist of wooden trap-doors, which look very much like
bird-cages. They have no glass panes, but gratings made of wooden spars.
On the inside there is a window-shutter, and a string hangs down into
the apartment, by means of which the shutter can be opened or closed.
The most interesting object seen in Callao is the splendid fortress.
Though built on a flat surface close to the sea, it has a magnificent
appearance. It consists of two castles, the largest of which the
Spaniards named Real Filippe, but since the Revolution it is called
Castillo de la Independencia. It has two round towers, wide, but not
very high. The court-yards are spacious. The walls are thick, rather
low, and surrounded by a ditch, which can be filled with water from the
sea. To the south of this castle there is a smaller one, called El
Castillo del Sol. Before the War of Independence they mounted both
together four hundred pieces of cannon, many of which were of very large
calibre. At present they have only sixty pieces of cannon and
seventy-one carronades.
On the fortress of Callao the Spanish flag waved long after independence
was declared in all the countries of Spanish South America. The Spanish
general, Rodil, threw himself into the castle, and with wonderful
resolution held out against a siege of a year and a half. During the
last three months the Spaniards suffered all the privations and
miseries which a besieged army must endure within the tropics.
Lord Cochrane blockaded the fortress by sea, and General Bartolome Salom
drew up his army on the land side. More than 4,000 Spaniards fled to the
castle with all their valuable property, and took refuge under Rodil's
protection. The greater part of the fugitives belonged to the principal
families of the country. When provisions began to fail, the commandant
found it necessary to expel 400 women, and one morning they issued forth
in a long line of procession. The besiegers supposed that the enemy was
making a sortie, and directed the fire of their artillery against the
helpless beings, who, uttering loud shrieks, attempted to save
themselves by flight. As soon as the mistake was discovered the firing
stopped, and the women were conveyed to Lima. Insurrections were several
times attempted by the garrison of Callao; but the presence of mind and
cool resolution of Rodil in every instance enabled him to suppress these
mutinies. The guilty were punished with so much severity that the
soldiers soon gave up all further attempts. Horses, asses, dogs and
cats, became at length the food of the besieged. Rodil at this time
carried on a traffic which does no honor to his character. He had a
quantity of provisions stored, which he now sold at immense prices. For
a fowl he got from three to four gold ounces. He demanded proportional
prices for bread, &c. A contagious fever broke out, and, of more than
4000 persons who had taken refuge in the fortress, only about 200
survived the siege. Hunger and disease at last obliged Rodil to yield.
On the 19th of February, 1826, he obtained an honorable capitulation,
and embarked with his acquired wealth for Spain, where he was invested
with the rank of commander-in-chief of the infantry guards.
Since the independence of Peru this fortress has often been the seat of
partial revolutions. Its death-doom has been pronounced by different
governments, and it will be a fortunate event for the country when it
ceases to exist as a place of warlike defence. It has lately been found
useful for other purposes, and a great portion of its vast space has
been converted into custom-house warehouses.
The siege of Callao by the Chilians, of which we were eye-witnesses, was
by no means such a serious affair as that undertaken by the patriots.
The squadron was weak, and the land army inconsiderable. Callao was only
cannonaded during the night by some Chilian gun-boats commanded by
Englishmen. The artillery of the castle was inefficient, but the Chilian
bombs did considerable damage. One Sunday afternoon the little Chilian
brig, "Colocolo," sailed in close under the walls of the fortress, and
threw in some shot. The fire was immediately returned by all the guns
that could be directed to the sea-side; but in vain did the Peruvians
expend their shot. Every ball went over the "Colocolo," and fell among
the neutral ships. The commander of the French squadron then sent a boat
to the fortress, with a declaration that he would attack it in good
earnest if the fire was not discontinued. The message had due effect.
A few days after the affair with the "Colocolo," the Peruvians had an
opportunity of avenging the provocations they had received. The Chilian
admiral sent an officer, with seven sailors, to our ship to purchase
shoes. The garrison having observed the Chilian boat, sent out a shallop
with twenty-five men, which came close alongside of us. In spite of our
opposition the Chilian officer leaped into his boat and stood off. He
was, however, too late; for, just as he was leaving the ship's side, the
hostile shallop passed under our bowsprit, and fired a volley into the
Chilian boat. Five sailors fell into the sea, either killed or wounded.
Of three men picked up, one was the officer, who had received two wounds
from musket balls. We saved one of the wounded sailors by throwing him a
rope, by which we pulled him up, covering him with the French flag.
The Peruvians had no longer a fleet strong enough to keep at sea; but
soon after their government purchased the "Edmond," and some other
merchantmen, and fitted them up as privateers. The command was given to
M. Blanchet, who had been first pilot of the "Edmond" during our voyage
from Europe. After he had taken the "Arequipena," an old Chilian ship of
war, and burnt several transports, he attacked three Chilian corvettes
in the harbor of Casma. They had already struck their flags, when
Blanchet was shot while boarding one of them. His loss damped the
courage of the Corsairs, and the contest was soon given up. The shock of
Blanchet's death had such an effect on the crew of the "Edmond," that
they all went down between decks in great grief, except the cook, who
fired a gun he had charged to the brim, and killed some men who were on
a bowsprit of one of the hostile vessels. He then sprang to the helm,
and steered the ship safely into one of the inlets of the bay.
The lover of natural history finds in the bay of Callao numerous
opportunities for gratifying his curiosity. The mammalia are not very
numerous. Sea otters and sea dogs are found there, as on all parts of
the South American coast. Two species (the _Otaria aurita_, Humb., and
the _O. Ulloae_, Tsch.) inhabit the southern declivity of the Fronton.
I went to hunt seals on the rock with the officers of a French ship of
war. When we landed, which was difficult on account of the breakers,
we fired at the animals and killed a number of them. A sailor waded
through the breakers and bound the dead seals with a rope, by which he
drew them on board. As we shot a great number of birds, the Chilian
admiral, on hearing the firing, thought that one of his ships must be
engaged with the Peruvian Corsairs; and, therefore, sent out the "San
Lorenzo" brig of war to see what was going on.
The bay abounds in fine water-fowl. Amongst the most remarkable is
Humboldt's penguin (_Spheniscus Humboldti_, Mey.). A few are smaller
than the common grey penguin, and one is somewhat different in color on
the back and breast. The Peruvians call it _Paxaro nino_ (the child
bird). It is easily tamed, becomes very social, and follows its master
like a dog. It is amusing to see it waddling along with its plump body
and short legs, and keeping itself in equilibrium by moving its floating
wings. I had one completely tame, which I bought from an Indian. It was
named _Pepe_, and it answered readily to the name. When I was at my
meals he regularly placed himself beside my chair, and at night he slept
under my bed. When he wished to bathe he went into the kitchen and beat
with his bill on an earthen pan until somebody threw water over him, or
brought him a vessel full of water for a bath.
I brought away a few of the marine birds which appeared the most
remarkable. Among them was the banded cormorant (_Carbo Gaimardi_,
Less.). On the back it is grey, marbled by white spots; the belly is
fine ash-grey, and on each side of the throat there runs a broad white
stripe or band. The bill is yellow and the feet are red. The iris is
peculiar; I never saw its like in any other bird. It changes throughout
the whole circle in regular square spots, white and sea-green. Thousands
of the spotted gannet (_Sula variegata_, Tsch.) inhabit the rocks of the
island of San Lorenzo. This bird is the greatest producer of guano. The
inca tern (_Sterna luca_, Less.) is without doubt the finest of the
whole tern family. The color of the head is brown-grey; getting darker
towards the tail, and brighter on the lower body. From the root of the
bill on either side there shoot out some white feathers slightly
curving, so that they give the appearance of white moustachios. Among
the land birds are some very fine colibri (_Trochilus Amazilia_, and
_Tr. Cora_, Less.). The horse-protector (_Crotophaga sulcata_, Swains.)
is a singular animal. It is about the size of a starling, with a short,
compressed and curved bill, having several deep furrows along its sides.
The tail is long and fan-shaped. The whole body is of a deep blue color,
with a slight metallic brightness. The bird is very social with cattle
of all kinds, and more particularly with horses. It is fond of perching
on the back of a horse or an ass, and searching for insects which it
finds there in abundance. These animals are very sensible of the service
thus rendered to them, and by the manner in which they move about when
the bird is perched on their heads or necks, show how much they are
gratified by its presence.
Foreigners, when they visit the coast of Peru for the first time, are
much surprised at the immense number of birds of the vulture species
which they meet with about the roads and on the roofs of the houses. In
Callao and in all other ports the Turkey vulture (_Cathartes aura_,
Illig.) is frequently seen. It is called by the Spaniards _Gallinazo a
cabeza colorada_ (red-headed vulture). Further in the interior of the
country it is frequently seen, though there it is less common than the
black gallinazo (_Cathartes foetens_, Illig.). The color of the former
is dark brownish-black; the unplumed head and throat are red; the
throat is full of wrinkles and warts. The latter is very like it in size
and color, only the head and neck are greyish black. These birds are the
size of a turkey-cock; but they are lanker and more angular in form. The
black-headed gallinazo is inactive, heavy, and seldom flies far. When
seeking food he hops about on the ground in short, regular springs. When
he wishes to move faster forwards he helps himself with his wings, but
without flying. Its cry is seldom heard and never long continued. At
noon, sometimes from sixty to eighty of these birds perch themselves on
the tops of the houses or on the adjoining walls, and with the heads
under the wing they all go to roost. They are extremely voracious, and
devour every sort of animal substance they can find, however filthy it
may be. They are not in the least degree shy, for they hop about among
men and cattle in the most populous places. The Turkey vulture is far
more lively, and its movements are more light. It flies faster, and
continues longer on the wing than the black-headed gallinazo. It is,
however, more timid. It nestles in sandy rocks and uninhabited islands.
The female lays three or four whitish eggs, which are hatched in
February and March. The common gallinazo usually builds its nest on the
tops of houses, churches, ruins, and high walls. The female lays three
or four eggs, which are whitish brown and speckled, and are hatched in
the same months as the eggs of the Turkey vulture.
Among the amphibia in Callao, the iguana and land agama are numerous.
Snakes abound in the low bushes at the mouth of the Rimac, and some
kinds, which are venomous, live on the arid sand-banks. All the sea
tortoises have been driven out of the bay, and now inhabit the detached
creeks of the uninhabited parts of the coast.
The kinds of fish are numerous.--Sharks, rays, ballancers, corvinas,
bonitos, &c., are caught in abundance. Most of the corvinas and bonitos
are carried to market. The flesh of the latter is firm, dry, and less
savory than the corvina. The _Pexe-rey_ (king-fish) is superior in
flavor to the _Pexe-sapo_ (toad-fish), which is a little larger, and has
a thick, fleshy head. These fish are taken on rocks and under water,
where they are struck by a kind of harpoon hooks and drawn out.
When, on board the "Edmond," I first saw the towers of Lima gilded by
the beams of the setting sun, and the chains of hills behind, rising by
gradations, until in the farthest background they blended with the
cloud-capped Cordilleras, I felt an inexpressible desire to advance
towards those regions, that I might breathe the air of the Andes, and
there behold nature under her wildest aspect. But these wishes were
vain, and I was compelled to turn again to the desolate ocean; for it
was understood that our further voyage must be towards the north, and
from there that we should proceed to the coast of Asia. I did not then
foresee that my longing might be fulfilled, and that so much of
enjoyment, together with so much toil and danger, awaited me in the
mountainous regions of Peru.
Notwithstanding the insecurity of the road to Lima I resolved to proceed
thither. Carriages and horses were not to be procured in Callao, for the
latter were all either seized for the service of the government or
concealed. I could therefore travel only on foot. Don Manuel de la
Guarda, the commander of the fortress, observed, whilst giving me a
passport, that he would advise me to use speed, and to get as soon as
possible out of the range of the guns, for he expected every moment to
be obliged to order the firing to commence. I did not neglect to follow
his advice. However I had not got more than a hundred paces from the
castle when the artillery began to play, and balls fell around on every
side. I quickened my pace, and soon got near some fences, where men were
firing with muskets. There I was seized by some Chilian cuirassiers, who
sent me forward from post to post, until at last in one of the posts I
met with an officer with whom I had been acquainted in Chile. When I was
dining one day on board the corvette Confederacion in the bay of
Valparaiso, the young officer whom I have just alluded to sat next me.
The conversation happening to turn on phrenology, he insisted on my
examining his head, and pronouncing a phrenological diagnosis on it.
Though I assured him that I attached no value on this alleged science,
he continued to urge me to make the examination. After feeling his head
I observed to him, with great gravity: "Here is the organ of
mathematics pretty well developed, and it is probable that you may
distinguish yourself in that branch of knowledge." The fact was, I had
observed from his uniform that he belonged to the artillery, and since I
was obliged to say something, I thought it would be best to make my
remarks refer to his profession. Don Antonio had not forgotten it, for
as soon as he saw me at the outpost, he ran up to me quite overjoyed,
and told me that I had judged rightly of his talent, for the guns which
he commanded always sent their balls direct into the fortress, and did
more execution than any other. By following my advice and cultivating
his mathematical organ, he assured me, he was enabled to direct a gun
better than any other officer, and his aim could always be relied on. He
immediately procured me a pass, by which I was conducted all the
remainder of my journey.
The distance from Callao to Lima is two Spanish leagues. The road is
covered with deep sand, and on either side are uncultivated fields and
low brushwood. After leaving Callao I came to Bella Vista, then to the
ruins of an old Indian village, and farther on inland reached some
plantations. Halfway between Callao and Lima is the convent of _la
Virgen del Carmen_, and also a chapel. The convent is now abandoned,
but in front of the chapel there constantly stands a monk, who begs
for alms. Close to the convent there is a Tambo,[4] in which brandy,
lemonade, and bananas are sold. This place, which is called La Legna,
is a Spanish league from both towns. The hired horses are so used
to put up at this place, that it is only with great trouble they
can be got to pass it.
Though much wearied by my journey on foot, I tried in vain to obtain
some refreshment here. Unluckily the Tambero, a Zambo, had decamped,
as his house had often been plundered.
In the most oppressive heat I wandered over the shadeless plain, and
at last reached the fine road called the _Alameda del Callao_, which
extends from the Callao Gate of Lima to nearly half a league beyond
the city. Don Ambrosio O'Higgins, an Irishman by birth, first a small
shopkeeper in Lima, then a soldier in Chile, and finally viceroy of
Peru, with the title of _Marques de Osorno_, built the fine Callao
Gate and laid out the Alameda. On the 6th of January, 1800, it was
solemnly opened. The whole undertaking cost 340,964 dollars.
Resting-places are made in the Alameda at regular distances; and there
are on each side charming gardens, with luxuriant fruit-trees. Happy
in having reached the end of my wearisome journey, I quickly passed
through the Callao Gate, and entered the City of the Kings.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 2: Natural History and Geology of the countries visited by the
Beagle.]
[Footnote 3: Mr. Darwin, in the work just quoted, says in reference to
this subject, "Since our voyage, Dr. Tschudi has come to the conclusion,
by the comparison of old and modern maps, that the earth both north and
south of Lima has certainly subsided."--T.]
[Footnote 4: _Tambo_ is an Indian word, signifying an _Inn_. _Tambero_
means _Inn-keeper_.]