Pichagas—The peak of Sahama—Chocos—Capture of a sheep for
fresh meat—Ostriches—Sepulturas—Mortality amongst animals—Mule
attacked with belly pains—El Cerro del Volcan—Las Siete
Vueltas—Bright-coloured hills—Peru entered—Tacora—Mules
attacked with soroche—El Rio de Azufre—Aqueduct to Tacna from
river Maury—The Pass of Chulancani—Apacheta of bones—Aspect
of the Pacific slope of the Andes—Projected railway between
Tacna and La Paz—The Portada—El Ingenio—Palca—New road in
construction—Arrival at Tacna—The hotel Bola de Oro—Tacna and
its trade—Attempt to sell the mules in Tacna—Railway from Tacna
to Arica—Effects of the great hurricane wave of 1869—Arica—By
steamer from Arica to Callao—Callao—Its magnificent
harbour—Lima—The cathedral—Plaza de Armas—Old bridge, built in
1608—Firemen—By steamer from Lima to Panamá—Payta—Panamá—Severe
fires—The prison—Rail to Aspinwall—Aspinwall—Home by mail
steamer.
The following day, January 14th, we called up the mozos about two o’clock
in the morning, and by about five we had had our coffee, mules were
saddled, packs all up, and a start made. The morning was fine and clear
as usual, for the storms come on generally in the afternoon. The road out
of the village is northward, and soon gets into a rather wide quebrada
with a river, which we crossed and recrossed several times. A small
plain, with good grass, plenty of water, a few ranchos, and the largest
herd of alpacas that we had yet seen, is called Pichagas. A little
distance from this, a short but sharp cuesta—in the ascent of which one
of our pack mules fell just on the edge of the precipice—takes up from
the ravine to a rocky plateau, which I guessed to be about 800 feet
higher than the plain of Curahuara. Arriving at the top of the cuesta,
zigzagged out of the side of the ravine, a rocky plateau extends as far
as the eye can reach. From thence the ravine looks like a great rent in
the earth, the sides being so straight and evenly matched that it is
evident some stupendous force of nature must have burst the solid rocks
asunder, for the enormous rift cannot have been caused by the action of
the small stream that runs in the bottom of the ravine, or “cañon,” as it
would be called in the northern continent.
On the plateau, the rock is over hard, flat, rocky ground, until it
approaches the foot of the noble peak of Sahama. This mountain is always
snow-covered at its summit, which Hugo Reck gives as 6546 metres, or
21,470 feet above sea-level. Sahama is but sluggishly active, as nothing
but a small amount of smoke has ever been observed to ascend from it.
Its outline is exceedingly regular and graceful in form, and as it rises
nearly 8000 feet above the plateau from which it springs, it affords a
sight that for impressive grandeur is scarcely to be equalled elsewhere
in nature. The almost equally beautiful peaks called Las Tetillas are
also visible more to the northward, from this plain, and, together with
Sahama, form a prospect which alone would repay a lover of mountain
scenery for his journey across the Andes.
Hereabouts were many vicuñas, so tame that they allowed one to approach
well within pistol-shot. These animals remind one of the deer in many
of the parks and forests of our own country, their fawn-coloured backs
and white bellies, long necks and slender legs completely carrying out
the illusion. In the afternoon we had the usual storm of hail, thunder,
and lightning, during which we arrived at Chocos, a solitary house
and pulperiâ, well-provided with every necessary except fresh meat.
Fortunately we had provided ourselves with this on the road, for, seeing
a good flock of sheep, Marco caught one with his lasso, gaucho fashion.
This seems to be the proper thing for travellers to do _en voyage_ over
the Andes, to help themselves when in want of fresh meat, for the owners
of sheep or poultry, for instance, will never sell them willingly except
in the market towns; but no sooner had we caught our mutton, than a
woman, before invisible, appeared mysteriously from goodness knows where,
probably from behind some large boulder, of which there were a vast
number scattered over the plain. She did not appear much put out at our
summary proceedings, and what little anger she did show was doubtless put
on just for appearance’ sake, being easily pacified by the present of a
couple of melgarejos, with short beards, which are the fashion in this
part of the country. The sheep raised at such high altitudes are very
small, smaller even than Welsh mutton; but the meat is sweet and makes a
capital chupe, and a whole sheep for about 3s. cannot be dear whatever
its size. Our prize was easily carried by Marco across the pommel of
his saddle, and, arriving at Chocos, was soon killed, skinned, cut up,
and cooked into a good supper for all hands, including our friends the
joyeros, who joined us again, and shared our meal, which consisted of
the inevitable chupe, a fry of chops, some bottled beer, and an excellent
cup of chocolate; the total expense, with the charge for the room and
the use of the corral for the animals, being just 10_s._ between us all.
Barley was, however, very dear, being seven pesos, or about 22_s._, the
quintal, and seems to be getting dearer and dearer every stage, until at
last we almost expect to have to feed our mules with the money itself.
During the night a hail-storm raged with great fury, but being under
a good strong roof we did not mind it. Our mules must, however, have
suffered greatly in their open corral, and it is astonishing how fresh
they always turn out in the morning whatever may have been the weather
during the night; indeed, it seems that, so long as they get plenty of
fodder, rain, hail, snow, or frost have very little effect upon them.
Our next stage should have been from Chocos to Cosepilla, a run of
twelve leagues; but on arriving at Sepulturas we heard that there was
no barley to be had at Cosepilla, so we decided to remain the night at
Sepulturas. The road travelled during the day had nothing particularly
worthy of mention, nearly the whole of the distance being over pampa
land, with only one cuesta of consequence which might easily have been
avoided. During the day we passed several recuas of mules and donkeys,
these having for some days past been very few in number. We also saw an
ostrich (“avestruz”), the only one that we saw during the journey to
Tacna. It was of dark grey colour and of fair size, and was within easy
rifle-shot, but lolloped rapidly away. Further south the ostriches are
more plentiful, but there appear to be very few on the Bolivian Andes,
whilst the “guanaco,” so numerous in Chili, Argentine, and Patagonia,
does not seem to come so far north. Vicuña were in great numbers: in
one herd, scarcely 200 yards away from the track, I counted twenty-six;
others of ten and twelve were very frequent.
We arrived at Sepulturas about one o’clock in the afternoon, and gave the
mules a good long rest, intending to make a long journey of about sixteen
leagues (nearly fifty miles) on the morrow. The posada here is pretty
fair, though not so good as the one at Chocos. A regular tariff of prices
for chupes, etc., is posted up, but bears the comforting announcement
that the good things offered to the traveller will be “proporcionado con
el mayor gusto cuando posible,” or “supplied with the greatest pleasure
when possible;” the two last saving words being doubtless intended to
cover a multitude of deficiencies, and to lead up to the old posada
answer of “No hay, señor.”
Next morning we rose soon after midnight, but my mozo was suffering from
a slight attack of ague, so we were delayed until nearly five o’clock
before we could get on the road. The air was fine and frosty, and
freshened us up famously. Before leaving this place we note why it bears
the unpleasant and very suggestive name of Sepulturas, or “the Tombs.”
For some reason, at present unexplained, it seems to be peculiarly fatal
to animals, and has become a perfect charnel-field. The number of dead
mules and donkeys, together with the whitened bones of former corpses,
scattered over the plain was something extraordinary, giving such a
melancholy look to the place that it seems strange indeed that travellers
should make it a halting-place; and how any one could be found to live
there, and keep up the posada, was one of those things that pass an
ordinary person’s comprehension. Probably this excessive mortality is
caused by the “soroche,” or “mountain sickness,” which is doubtless
strongest in its effects at this point of the journey over the Andes.
Some people blame the water of the locality more than the altitude, but I
did not hear that the human travellers passing through or the inhabitants
of the posada suffered equally with animals, as would have been the case
if the drinking water had been poisonous. However, be the cause what it
may, I should advise any wanderer over the route from Oruro to Tacna,
or _vice versâ_, to arrange if possible not to break his journey at
Sepulturas, the mere sight of the place being enough to give him very
melancholy recollections, and had it not been for the report we heard of
the lack of fodder for the animals at Cosepillas, we should have ridden
on there instead of passing the night in the “Tombs.”
Fortunately for us, none of our animals showed signs of sickness before
leaving, but we had not been long on the road when one of the baggage
mules was attacked with belly pains, and stood still, groaning and
shaking violently. I was in great fear for her, as she was the weakest of
the batch; but our gaucho Marco was equal to the occasion, and had the
packs off her in a moment, whilst he covered her loins with a rug, and
fomented her belly with urine—a treatment that recovered her quickly and
completely.
Four leagues from Sepulturas is Cosepilla, a large and well-built tambo,
to which we ought to have come last night, as, notwithstanding what was
told us at Sepulturas, there was barley to be had, but at ten pesos
per quintal. From this place a very high peak, which we were told was
named El Cerro del Volcan, was a very beautiful sight, being entirely
snow-covered, and of almost equal beauty with the volcano of Sajáma.
There were no signs of eruption, which is said to take place only in
the dry season. The road all day was good, though very stony, with only
a couple of cuestas, one of which, called “Las Siete Vueltas,” or “The
Seven Turns,” is a noticeable feature of the journey. The pampas are
traversed by numerous small streams that bring down beautiful clear iced
water from the snow-covered peaks, some of which display on their steep
sides, where the snow cannot lie, a variety of colours that give a most
peculiar appearance to the landscape.
The best description that I can give of this, is that the hills look as
though they had been draped with immense striped blankets; the bands of
colour, which are disposed vertically, consisting of bright red, yellow,
and slatey blue. The vertical position of these stripes does not answer
to the inclination of the strata, which is probably similar to the
peculiar rocky formation noticed near El Cruzero, the different coloured
earths lying one upon the other. Some convulsion of nature, or the
wearing away of time, has cut through the strata in an angular direction;
and at the point where each one of the strata comes to the surface, the
detritus or broken earth has fallen straight down the hill-side, thus
giving the appearance to which I have alluded.
We arrived at Tacora, our next halting-place, about five o’clock, having
travelled for twelve hours without any stoppages, and having crossed the
frontier and entered on Peruvian territory. Here there is a very fair
tambo with the usual supply of un-eatables. No barley to be had for the
animals, but dried “alfa” was obtainable at eight and a half pesos the
quintal, equal to about £29 per ton—a stiffish price for “dried lucerne.”
[Illustration: PASS OF TACORA.]
The following day, Sunday, January 17th, we left the post-house of
Tacora about 7.30 a.m., the morning being frosty and cold, as is usual
on these elevated table-lands. The first league travelled was over a
pampa, terminated by a cuesta particularly dreaded for the soroche; and
certainly the number of carcases and skeletons of mules and donkeys on
either side of the path was truly appalling. I felt something unusual
myself, and notwithstanding that it is said to be dangerous to take
liquor when suffering from this sickness, I took a little brandy and
bitters, and, attacking the contents of my saddle-bags, ate my breakfast
of hard-boiled eggs and biscuits, soon feeling considerably better. The
mules also showed, by lagging behind, some symptoms of this dreaded
soroche; but our mozos took some cloves of garlic from their “alforjas,”
and, bruising them, rubbed them into the animal’s nostrils. To the one
most affected they squirted “aguadiente” into his ears, with which
treatment the animals appeared to revive; but we got on slowly, the boys
telling us that it would not do to urge the mules beyond a walking pace.
Passing the cuesta and arriving again on flat lands, we crossed a river
called El Rio de Azufre, the water of which has a most unpleasant taste
and smell, the latter reminding one of the odour exhaled by rotting
seaweed. The banks of this stream were encrusted with a yellow deposit,
whilst the bed also was covered with a bright yellow slime. This stream
is the last that runs eastward, and soon after crossing it the track
comes to the highest point over which the road to Tacna passes. Before
descending, one notices to the northward, deeply indented on the side
of the peak of Tacora, the aqueduct which conveys the water of the
river Maury, an affluent of the Desaguadero, to the town of Tacna. This
pass, which is called Chulancani, is surmounted by a huge cairn, or
“apacheta,” composed principally of the bones of the mules and donkeys
that have fallen victims to the soroche. To this heap every passing
arriero adds either a stone or a whitened bone, picked up from the
way-side, and devoutedly crossing himself, prays to the Holy Virgin or
to his patron saint for a safe passage to his home. Close by the cairn,
which stands probably at an elevation of rather more than 15,000 feet
above sea-level, grows a rough and gnarled tree of the kind called
“kenña” in the district, and forming a remarkable feature of the route.
After crossing the summit of the pass the descent to the Pacific coast
is commenced, and the steep nature of the western slope of the Andes
becomes conspicuous at once. Indeed the whole aspect of the country
changes, for there are no more pampas or table-lands in sight, and no
grass or other signs of vegetation. Owing to the almost total absence of
rainfall, nothing green or growing is to be seen on the western slopes
of the Andes, except in the bottom of the ravines, where, by skill
and hard labour, some industrious “ranchero” has been able to effect
a little irrigation. Owing to the broken and ravined character of the
hill-side but a short view is to be obtained, from which one would almost
be inclined to fancy that the mountains had split asunder; the part
towards the Pacific having, as it sank down, broken up into inextricable
confusion, whilst the bulk, remaining unshaken towards the interior of
the continent, preserved its original formation of valley, plain, and
hill.
But notwithstanding the rough nature of the descent to the Pacific,
engineers bold enough to project a railway down it have been found,
and we observed several bench marks indicating the course of the
once-intended line from Tacna to La Paz. The obstacles to be overcome
between Tacna and the summit pass, will, in my opinion, render this
undertaking most difficult, if not impossible; but once the Cuesta
of Tacora is passed, and the pampas entered on, the line would be
comparatively easy, although, if the La Paz road is like the Oruro one,
there would be some difficult cuestas to descend before gaining the lower
plateau of the Desaguadero.
[Illustration: LA PORTADA.]
About five leagues from the Tacora post-house the track follows a
very steep and stony descent to the Portada, where there is a mining
establishment belonging to Messrs. Blondell of Oruro and Tacna. The mines
were not being worked, but one could not but notice the neat look of the
buildings, which were mostly roofed with corrugated zinc, as also were
the “pulperias” adjoining, of which there are four very good-looking
concerns with well-stored shops and good rooms for travellers; but I
wondered how so many of them could find a living for their proprietors.
Alfa at eight pesos the quintal was to be had, but no “cebada,” and on
this side of the Andes, alfa, or “lucerne,” dried or fresh, with an
occasional feed of American oats, seems to be the principal fodder for
the animals.
Entering another ravine, called Angostura, which forms the direct descent
to Tacna, and is a very stony and bad road, descending probably one foot
in every yard or thereabouts, we passed several pulperias or ranchos
where the numerous arrieros stop. One of these, sometimes recommended to
travellers, and called El Ingenio, must be avoided, as it is in ruins.
We had arranged to close the day’s journey at Palca, where we arrived
about 4 p.m., and found very fair lodgings, chupes and coffee, whilst
alfa, now descending in price, was to be had at six pesos the quintal. At
this posada we met a French Abbé who was going to Bolivia with intent to
earn a livelihood as a professor of French, either in La Paz or Sucre,
and as I could converse with him a little in his own language, we passed
a pleasant evening, and he continued his solitary journey about two in
the morning. He had only one mozo with him, and as he could barely make
himself understood in Spanish, he must have had rather a bad time on the
road. He seemed to have no idea of the hardships before him, but as I was
very near the conclusion of my journey, and he was just commencing his,
I was glad to be able to fit him up with sundry rugs, and a waterproof
sheet, of which he would stand in great need during the afternoon storms
off the higher Andes.
[Illustration: ANGOSTURA.]
Leaving Palca at half-past seven, we rode down the quebrada at a slow
pace, on account of the very rough and stony nature of the ground and the
tired state of some of the mules, which were evidently beginning to feel
the effects of the long journey. The bottom of the ravine, from Palca
down to the plains of Tacna, is generally well cultivated, producing alfa
and maize (“mais”) in good quantity, by dint of much irrigation from
the small stream which flows down the ravine, aided by the water brought
over the summit from the river Maury. About three leagues distant from
Palca, we got on to the finished part of the new road, which was then in
course of construction from Tacna towards Bolivia. Some hundreds of men
were at work, and their rough encampments on either side of the ravine
gave it quite a busy look. The road was being very well made, and was,
I understood, being worked as nearly as possible to the lines laid down
by the railway engineers; so that if at any time the railway scheme
becomes financially practicable, the road will be partly available for
the railway cuttings and embankments. But even if the more ambitious
enterprise should never be attempted, the new road will be a great
improvement on the old track, and proves that Peru is straining every
nerve to keep her monopoly of Bolivian trade.
About two in the afternoon we rode out of the hills, and entered on the
plains on which the town of Tacna and its environs stand. Passing through
Pachia, the principal suburb, the gardens of which are all wonderfully
cultivated considering the fearfully dry nature of the soil and the
distance from which water has to be brought, we arrived at the city about
4 p.m., very dusty and tired, and put up at the hotel “Bola de Oro,” or
“Golden Ball,” a very fair establishment, and decidedly the best that I
had met with in all my journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific, for even
the town of Pará, Brazil’s principal city on the Amazon, cannot boast so
good an hotel as the Bola de Oro of Tacna.
From the material of which the houses are composed, the town and
its environs have a strange and somewhat dull and heavy appearance,
notwithstanding that the houses are mostly built as lightly as possible,
in order the better to withstand the frequently occurring earthquakes.
The walls are generally lath, plastered over with mud, or adobes, one
brick in thickness; and the roofs are also of mud, tempered so well that
even the intense heat of the sun does not cause it to crack. These roofs
are made in a very peculiar shape, and generally the houses have quite
the appearance of toy houses; but at night, when the windows are opened
and the interiors well lit up, they look very cheerful and lively. The
streets are broad and kept very clean, with gaslights in the principal
ones. The plazas are neat, though small, and there is a prettily arranged
garden with an elegant cast-iron fountain in the principal square,
where the “society” of Tacna meet in the cool of the evening to enjoy a
promenade, enlivened by the strains of a military band.
The commerce of Tacna is undoubtedly of very important character; but
one sees at a glance that the only _raison d’être_ of the city is its
being situated on the one exit practicable at present for Bolivia to the
Pacific coast. There are no Peruvian towns in communication with Tacna.
The long lines of donkeys and mules seen continually entering or leaving
the town, are all either destined for, or coming from, the neighbouring
republic of Bolivia, and the few merchants with whom I conversed seemed
to have the idea that the realization of the Madeira and Mamoré Railway
would materially affect their trade.
After having rested a night in a bed that was a real luxury after our
long ride and rough quarters, and having had a look round the town,
we arranged that we would leave for Arica in time to catch the first
steamer for Callao, leaving on the 23rd of the month. We then presented
our letters of introduction, one that I had to a German merchant being
very serviceable, for, like all Germans with whom it has been my good
fortune to meet abroad, this gentleman was exceedingly kind and disposed
to serve one in any way possible. The streets of Tacna are well supplied
with shops and stores of every kind. Drapers, hatters, shoemakers, and
others all make a great display of their wares, which, like most of
their _confrères_ in our European towns, they are always selling at a
great sacrifice. The latest French fashions soon make their appearance
in Tacna, and “La Bella Boliviana,” the “Bon Marché,” and other
establishments, have always a good display of the most tempting materials
of dress, which they sell at reasonable prices, considering the long
route they have had to be brought over, either by Panamá or the Straits
of Magellan.
As there is nothing in the neighbourhood of Tacna worthy a visit, the
four days I had to wait would have hung very heavily on my hands had it
not been for the occupation I found in trying to sell my mules, which,
having landed me safely as far as they could take me, were now of no
further service. But buyers, thinking that I must sell at any price on
account of my leaving for Europe, thought it, as usual, one of their
many opportunities for making a good bargain out of travellers from the
interior, and would not offer anything like reasonable prices. Thus, for
five mules, costing nearly 1100 pesos, of which four were in excellent
condition considering the long journey and hard work they had gone
through, the best offer I could get was 600 pesos, or little more than
half the cost; and I was advised by my merchant friends of the place
that this offer was not a very low one, and probably only made because
of the very excellent character of two machos, these being so strong
and sound as to be valuable as “pianeras,” or pianoforte carriers. I
offered to sell the lot for 1000 pesos, and to give in with the bargain
my travelling cot, a revolver, a couple of excellent “tapa cargas,” and
all the “aparejos,” or pack saddles and gear. These sundries would all be
very useful to intending travellers, and were well worth at least another
100 pesos. However, I could not find a buyer at my price, and therefore
determined to sell the mule that was in worst condition, and send the
others back to Bolivia for sale there, as our two mozos had to return,
and would require at least three animals for their journey. Sometimes it
happens that travellers bringing servants down from Bolivia are lucky
enough to meet others returning, who will engage the mozos, and thus save
the first hirer further expense; but the revolution going on had stopped
all business between Tacna and the interior. The result of the course
adopted was, that instead of losing about 500 or 600 pesos (nearly £100),
I only lost about 100, or £15, which was the cost of fodder for the
animals and rations to the mozos on their return journey to Sucre. True,
I ran the risk of losing the animals altogether in the revolution that
was then going on; but fortune favoured me, and they got back to Sucre
safely, as I had calculated that they would; for I knew the boys would
naturally be very averse to being pressed into the service of either the
government or the revolutionists, and would give both parties a wide
berth should they come across either of them on their way back. There is
no doubt that the best and only way to avoid loss in realizing the cost
of the animals necessary for crossing the Andes, is to buy the best class
of mules, and, if the journey ends at Tacna, send them back to Bolivia,
where they are always worth their cost; and one can generally manage to
draw the value of the mules returning, from one of the mercantile houses
of Tacna, less a small commission for selling the mules in Bolivia.
We left Tacna, on the morning of the 23rd, by the ten o’clock train,
arriving at Arica about mid-day, the distance being about forty miles,
and the fare three pesos for first class, and four reales for each
package of luggage. The line runs over a sandy plain like that on which
Tacna is situated. At times a small cutting had been made; but there were
none more than some six to eight feet deep, and very few banks, and only
two or three bridges. The rail used is a flat-footed one, of perhaps
sixty-five pounds per yard, and the road is very well maintained, being
well ballasted and boxed up. Nearing Arica the road runs close along by
the sea, and we saw several remains of the effects of the great hurricane
wave of 1869. The hull of a steamer of perhaps 600 or 800 tons, was
quite a quarter of a mile inshore, where it had been deposited by the
retiring wave; and there was a great deal of damaged and now valueless
machinery scattered along the line of railway and sea-coast.
The Peruvian coast offers very little facility to shipping, and most of
its ports, except Callao, are scarcely more than open roadsteads. Arica
has been built at a small bay which has a few rocky islands to defend it
from the south winds. The town, never very large, is now much reduced
in size, the greater part of the inhabitants living in huts built up of
tarpaulins, boards, etc., placed well up the side of the hill, apparently
to be out of the way of another earthquake wave. The custom-house has
been rebuilt with brick walls and zinc roof; a small church also has zinc
roofing—an article which enters largely into the composition of all the
houses, and gives the place a very temporary and make-shift look. There
is a neat pier, erected on six-inch wrought-iron piles, which enables
passengers to embark clear of the surf. The steamship _Lima_ being in
port, we took tickets at the mail-agent’s office, paying 353 soles each
for passage to Southampton, and thirty soles each fare over the Panamá
Railway, and at once went on board, leaving Arica about five in the
afternoon. The _Lima_ is a very long and narrow screw boat, with state
cabins on deck, and she rolled considerably from having her main decks
crowded with bullocks, and her upper deck littered up with merchandize
of all sorts. Indeed, her upper deck was in the utmost confusion,
caused by a peculiar practice which exists on nearly all the Pacific
Steam Navigation Company’s boats. This is, that dealers in all kinds of
provisions are allowed to take passages principally between Valparaiso
and Callao, and exhibit their wares on the deck, so that the ship is
completely cumbered with their goods, and the crew have little chance of
managing the ship properly. The practice may remunerate the company, as
each dealer pays according to the space of the deck that he occupies, but
passengers are greatly inconvenienced and endangered thereby.
The next day, Sunday, we passed Islay, Mollendo, the shipping port for
the railway to Arequipa and Puno, and Quilpa, stopping only to land and
receive passengers. On Monday we spent the greater part of the day at
Lomas, shipping sugar, rum, and bullocks. This place consists of about
half a dozen huts only, and the coast is as arid and wretched-looking as
the whole line of the Pacific coast really is. It is said, however, that
there is good cultivable land, with haciendas for sugar and pôtreros, or
grazing grounds for cattle, a few leagues inland. The Tuesday was passed
principally at Pisco, a dull and miserable-looking place, worthy of note
only for its capital aguadiente, or white rum, said to be made from
grapes, but probably made from sugar-cane. It is, however, a very pure
spirit, and an opportunity of tasting it genuine should not be neglected.
A great many Chinese are settled at Pisco, and there is a railway to the
town of Yca, about fifty miles southward. During the run up from Arica,
every morning had been foggy, necessitating a very slow rate of speed,
and a continual sounding of the fog-horn, and on Wednesday morning, the
27th, we anchored in Callao Bay, about seven o’clock in the morning.
Callao Bay is a remarkably fine piece of water, of large extent, and so
well defended from all winds, that the water is always like a mill-pond.
It has, however, like all the other ports of the Pacific coast, suffered
from earthquake waves, though in a far less degree than many others. Much
shipping, two monitors, and other Peruvian men-of-war were in harbour,
also two other men-of-war, one English and one American, and the whole
scene betokened the near presence of a large city. We dressed hastily
to go on shore to the office of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company,
in order to secure a good berth on the steamer which we had to change
to for Panamá, the _Lima_, etc., being on the berth between Callao and
Valparaiso, while the _Oroya_ and others run the Callao and Panamá trip.
Finding the office did not open until ten o’clock, we remained on shore
to breakfast at a very good restaurant in the Hotel de Comercio, near
the “Plaza Principal.” This necessary duty duly performed to our high
satisfaction, both as regards quality and price, we chose our berths
at the office, and returned to the _Lima_ to shift our baggage to the
_Oroya_, a fine paddle steamer, whose captain, a worthy old American,
who had been at sea for more than fifty years, kept her in better order
than, perhaps, any other mail steamer that floats. Everything in the
shape of paint, brass, and plain wood, was most delightfully clean and
well scoured, whilst the cabins were a real treat to see. Certainly the
contrast from the confused decks of the _Lima_ to the order and neatness
of the _Oroya_ was very striking. Returning on shore again, we passed the
floating dock, in which was the steamship _Payta_, also of the Pacific
Steam Navigation Company’s fleet, and which had a short while previously
been run on a rock at the port of Santa, near Truxillo. The government
foundries, with several private establishments of a similar nature, also
attract attention; and, indeed, the whole aspect of the bay showed that
a large amount of work was going on. Callao itself is like most other
Peruvian towns, not at all striking, the houses having the same toylike
and temporary look that one notices on arriving at Tacna.
There being nothing to detain us in Callao, and the _Oroya_ not leaving
until the following day, we determined to pay Lima a visit, and taking
tickets at four reales each, a twenty minutes’ ride brought us to the
capital of Peru. It is situated at the foot of the hills which, all along
the Peruvian coast, run sometimes close to the sea, and at others recede
somewhat inland, leaving a sandy plain from their slopes seawards. On
one of these plains Lima is built. Entering the city, the European-like
look of the shops is the first thing that claims attention; and were it
not for the flat roofs, and the unfinished look of the houses, the tops
of which are not even graced with a cornice, one might easily imagine
one’s self to be in a large European town. We put up at the Hotel Maury,
the _table d’hôte_ dinner at which did not come up to that given at the
Golden Ball of Tacna.
Of churches there are many, the principal ones being, the famous
Cathedral in the Plaza, with its two towers, where the Brothers
Gutierrez were hung by the townspeople after their brutal murder of
President Balta; and the church of Panamá, with a wonderful façade of
images, curved pillars, etc. The Plaza de Armas, is pretty though small.
Here the military bands play every evening; and as chairs can be hired,
the time passes away pleasantly. Over a river that flows through Lima is
a very old bridge, solidly and well built, and bearing an inscription
with the date of 1608, “regnante Felipo III.” The alaméda close by
is very little cared for, and appeared to be falling into ruins, the
society of Lima apparently caring more for a stroll along the well-paved
Calle de Comercio, than for public gardens. In the evening an alarm of
fire brought out three companies of “bombarderos,” a sort of volunteer
fire brigade. They looked very gallant and gay in their well-appointed
uniforms, which did not appear to have seen much service. The hat they
wore was of curious shape, made of black shining material, and in form a
cross between a very large solah topee and a coalheaver’s bonnet; it did
not seem so suitable as the helmet our own firemen wear, but the corps
being a volunteer one, probably something must be sacrificed to effect. I
noticed some of them return to their rooms in the hotel after the alarm
had subsided. They were evidently men of good position in society, and
went to their work with kid gloves on; but possibly, as the alarm was a
false one, they did not require to take them off. I should think that a
bad fire in Lima would be a most serious matter, for the houses are of a
flimsy nature, and have a great deal of wood in their composition.
The next day, the 28th of January, we left Lima at 8 a.m., and had an
hour or so in Callao to get a few newspapers and books for use on the
voyage to Panamá. The _Oroya_ started about mid-day, but once outside the
harbour we got into a thick fog, which is said to hang about these coasts
at this time of the year. This fog accompanied us all the day, and the
early part of the next, when we passed H.M.S. _Repulse_, flying Admiral
Cochrane’s flag, and on the 30th we arrived at Payta at mid-day. This
is a small town in the usual Peruvian tumble-down style, and not worth
landing to see. We had to take in some sugar as cargo, and were detained
till evening. The next three days passed without anything worthy of note,
save, perhaps, that though the weather was fine, the ocean was anything
but “Pacific,” the breezes being strong from the north and west.
On the 3rd of February, the seventh day out from Callao, we arrived off
Panamá about mid-day. The approach is exceedingly pretty, as the steamer
passes several islands clothed with bush to the water’s edge, and forming
a pleasant contrast to the arid coasts of Peru. On one of these islands,
Taboga, the Pacific Steam Navigation Company have a station and pier, and
there is a good-sized village with fields of maize and plantains, looking
fresh and green. The ocean steamers stop at an island about a mile and a
half from the town, and from thence a smaller steamer conveys passengers,
mails, and specie up to Panamá. From this island the town looks pretty,
but on arriving one sees that it is old and somewhat dirty. The wharves
are large, but have been patched up and enlarged from time to time.
Two severe fires, that occurred in the city within eighteen months, had
destroyed many large houses; the central hotel and adjoining buildings
in the plaza being in ruins. The insurance companies, Imperial and Sun,
of London, lost large sums of money; the agent in Panamá, a Monsieur
de Roux, telling me he had sent in claims for more than a million
dollars, and now the companies wisely decline any further risks. The
cathedral is a plain old-fashioned edifice, the towers of which are
spotted with pearl-oyster shells, probably to put one in mind of the
pest of small-pox, which is at times very bad in the town, although on
the whole it seems to have a very fair climate, and not to deserve the
bad reputation that is universally attributed to it. The Grand Central
Hotel, at which we stayed, is well managed, and the prices charged are
reasonable. Before leaving Panamá we paid a visit to the prison, where
the criminals are kept in large rooms, having barred windows opening to
the ground, through which the prisoners are allowed to converse freely
with all comers. They may also divert themselves with the manufacture
of small curiosities, the best being engraved cocoa-nuts and gourds, on
which they carve very pretty designs, and for which they ask about a
dollar apiece.
The royal mail steamer _Tasmanian_ being announced to leave Aspinwall at
5 p.m. on the 5th, we decided to go there by the early morning train,
leaving Panamá at 7 a.m. in order to have a few hours to look round the
town of Aspinwall, or Colon, as it is called in the country. The transit
by railway across the Isthmus of Panamá is so well known by travellers
that very little description is now needed. The notorious incivility
of the employés and the discomfort of the carriages, coupled with the
exorbitant tariff of £6 for about fifty miles distance, render this part
of the journey so unpleasant in every way that no one would use this
railway were there any other means available of passing the Isthmus;
but as the Panamá Railway Company have at present a monopoly of the
inter-oceanic traffic, they probably think that civility and reasonable
treatment of passengers is quite an unnecessary item of management, their
trade not being likely to be driven away until they have had a lifetime
of their profits.
The country on the Pacific side of the hills that run through the
Isthmus, and on the upper parts of the Chagres River which flows into
the Atlantic, is pretty enough, there being several small villages
through which the line passes, at each of which the clearings made in
the bush show the usual luxuriant tropical growth of maize, plantains,
and other products; but the flat country nearer Aspinwall is one vast
swamp. The completion of the line through this is one of the most notable
feats of engineering, and the passage over it recalls vividly to the
mind the dismal story of the numerous deaths that occurred during the
construction, the number being so great that it is said, the laying of
each sleeper cost a life. Aspinwall is also built amongst the swamps, and
were it not that the miasma rising round the town is blown inland by the
fresh sea breezes, it would certainly be a most unhealthy place.
The city is small and uninteresting, and the less one stays in it the
better. We found the _Tasmanian_ in the agonies of coaling, and who shall
describe the grim state of dust and dirt that afflicts mail steamers when
this unfortunately necessary operation is being carried on. Although
all doors and windows between the saloons and the hold are carefully
closed, the dust permeates everywhere; whilst the noises, foul odours,
and still fouler language, that rise from the crowd of negroes following
one another in quick succession up and down the planks leading from
the vessel to the shore, are so unbearable, that to remain on deck is
absolutely impossible; a stroll even along the hot and uninteresting
streets of Aspinwall therefore becomes preferable to going on board
before the hour of departure. The longest day has, however, its ending,
and what with buying a few shells and other simple curiosities in the
market-place, inspecting the statue of Columbus, and breakfasting at one
of the very second-rate restaurants, we managed to pass away the time
until the coaling of the _Tasmanian_ was completed, and the bell rang to
warn passengers to go on board.
The voyage home from Aspinwall commenced on the evening of the 5th; on
the 10th we were at Jamaica, on the 14th at St. Thomas’, and on the 1st
of March I landed at Plymouth, well pleased to be home again in Old
England after so long and varied a journey by river, land, and sea.
APPENDIX.
TABLE OF APPROXIMATE HEIGHTS.
Name of place. Height above Productions.
sea-level.
Feet.
San Antonio, lowest rapid 250 }
Guajará Mirim, upper rapid 510 } Sugar, maize, yams, plantains,
Exaltacion 710 } mandioca, tobacco, cocoa.
Trinidad 800 }
Coni 950 }
Santa Cruz 1,615 } Ditto, and coffee and coca.
Cristal Maio 1,920 }
El Chaco 3,250 }
Cuesta del Lina Tambo 6,150 }
Inca Corral 7,715 }
Los Jocotales 8,000 } Barley and potatoes.
Cuesta de Malaga 12,550 }
Cochi-janchi 10,950 }
Cochabamba 8,450 } Ditto, and wheat and fruits.
Pass near Totora 11,500 } Barley and potatoes.
Totora 10,000 }
Misque 7,000 } Wheat, barley, etc.,
Aiquile 7,850 } also fruits.
Chinguri 6,850 }
Quiroga 7,000 } Sugar, maize, etc.
Rio Grande 5,925 }
Palca 6,800 }
Jaboncillo, top of cuesta 8,615 }
Masa Cruz, ditto 8,550 }
Canto Molino 7,200 } Barley and potatoes.
Huata, foot of cuesta 8,200 }
” top of cuesta 10,100 }
Sucre 9,200 }
Nutshucc 8,000 } Maize, fruits, etc.
Rio Pilcomayo 7,000 }
Pampa Tambo 9,850 }
Quebrada Honda, top 12,000 }
” ” bottom 11,200 }
Potosí 13,500 }
Cerro de Potosí, summit 15,500 }
Tarapaya 11,200 } Barley and potatoes,
Yocalla 11,450 } up to about 12,500 feet.
Cuesta de Leñas, top 14,400 }
Pampa de Aullagas 12,400 }
Poopo 12,430 }
Oruro 12,530 }
Curahuara de Carangas 12,890 }
Sajáma, summit 21,470 }
EXPORTS FROM THE PORT OF ARICA DURING THE YEARS 1872-4, THE BULK OF THE
ARTICLES BEING THE PRODUCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF BOLIVIA.
--------------------------------------------------+--------+------------
| Soft | Soft
_Minerals and precious metals._ |dollars.| dollars.
| |
Barilla, copper 178,748 cwts. of 100 lbs. @ | 18 | 3,217,464
” tin 29,923 ” ” | 16 | 478,768
Copper, in bars 1,078 ” ” | 38 | 40,964
Tin, in bars 29,255 ” ” | 30 | 877,650
Silver, pure 424,600 marks of 7·4 oz. ” | 12½ | 5,307,500
” old plate 2,083 ” ” | 10 | 20,830
” money 5,265 cases ” | 90 | 473,850
” hard dollars ” | | 1,414,880
” soft dollars ” | | 265,149
Gold, dust and grain 11,945 oz. ” | 20 | 238,900
Ditto, coin 6,010 ” ” | 20 | 120,200
_General Merchandise._ | |
Chocolate, manufactured 67 cwts. of 100 lbs. ” | 65 | 4,355
Cocoa, in nibs 50 ” ” | 36 | 1,800
Coca 531 ” ” | 60 | 31,860
Cochineal 750 lbs. ” | ¾ | 562
Coffee 943 cwts. of 100 lbs. ” | 38 | 35,834
Cotton 1,856 ” ” | 36 | 66,816
Elixir of coca 9 dozen ” | 15 | 135
Guaraná 40 cwts. of 100 lbs. ” | 15 | 600
Maté 153 ” ” | 50 | 7,650
Olives 77 ” ” | 18 | 1,386
Peruvian bark 28,835 ” ” | 80 | 2,306,800
Ratania root 20 ” ” | 60 | 1,200
Spirits Italia 139 dozen ” | 18 | 2,502
Tobacco 226 cwts. of 100 lbs. ” | 40 | 9,040
Hides, ox 15,136 ” | 5 | 75,680
Skins, Chinchilla 7,179 dozen ” | 25 | 179,475
” Biscacha 16 ” ” | 10 | 160
” Vicuña 4,586 ” | 1 | 4,586
” Goat 2,532 ” | ¾ | 1,899
” Sheep 150 dozen ” | 10 | 1,500
Wool, Alpaca 17,807 cwts. of 100 lbs. ” | 61 | 1,086,227
” Vicuña 21 ” ” | 80 | 1,680
” Guanaco 1½ ” ” | 70 | 105
” Sheep 1,153 ” ” | 29 | 33,437
+-----------
$16,311,444
-----------
At 6½ per £ = £2,509,453
-----------
Average value of twelve months’ export £836,484
TABLE SHOWING THE TEMPERATURE, RAINFALL, AND DEPTH OF FLOOD-WATER BELOW
THE FALLS OF SAN ANTONIO ON THE MADEIRA RIVER, FROM OBSERVATIONS TAKEN BY
THE AUTHOR IN 1873.
----------+----------------------+----------+------------
| Average Temperature. | Rainfall | Flood-water
Month. +---------+------------+in inches.| in feet.
| Lowest. | Highest. | |
----------+---------+------------+----------+------------
January | 75° | 83° | 15·85 | 34
February | 73° | 82° | 10·97 | 42
March | 74° | 82° | 14·59 | 46
April | 73° | 83° | 11·01 | 42
May | 73° | 83° | 5·96 | 35
June | 70° | 85° | 2·56 | 27
July | 71° | 87° | 0·32 | 21
August | 71° | 88° | 1·07 | 15
September | 72° | 88° | 5·70 | 7
October | 73° | 88° | 1·94 | 9
November | 73° | 84° | 11·32 | 9
December | 74° | 86° | 10·03 | 27
----------+---------+------------+----------+------------
ESTIMATE OF TIME AND EXPENSE OF A JOURNEY FROM LIVERPOOL TO PARÁ, THENCE
ACROSS THE CONTINENT, AND RETURN TO ENGLAND.
-------------------------+-----+------------------+---------------------
Stages. |Days.| Conveyance. | Approximate Expense.
-------------------------+-----+------------------+---------------------
Liverpool to Pará | 12 |Steamer, Red Cross| Passage £25
| | Line or Booth’s | Personals 5
| | |
Pará to San Antonio | 13 |Steamer, Amazon | Passage 15
| | Steam Ship | Personals 5
| | Company, Limited|
| | |
San Antonio to Exaltacion| 50 |Canoe | Pay of 14 hands
Exaltacion to Trinidad | 10 | ” | say 2 months 85
Trinidad to Coni | 18 | ” | Keep of same 85
| | | Personals 30
| | | Say ⅕ of above 40
| | | ” ⅖ ” 80
| | |
Coni to Cochabamba | 7 |Mule | Hire of 4 mules
Cochabamba to Sucre | 7 | ” | and 1 arriero 12
Sucre to Potosí | 2 | ” | Personals 3
Potosí to Oruro | 7 | ” | Loss on purchase
Oruro to Tacna | 9 | ” | and sale of
| | | 4 mules say 50
| | | Personals 50
| | |
Tacna to Arica | 1 |Railway | Say 1
| | |
| | | soles
Arica to Panamá | 10 |Steamer | Royal Mail 353
Panamá to Aspinwall | 1 |Railway | Railway 30
Aspinwall to Southampton | 23 |Steamer | say— 80
| | | Personals, say 50
+-----+ | ----
Total days | 170 | | Total £616
-------------------------+-----+------------------+---------------------
NOTE.—The foregoing is a very liberal estimate, particularly in the items
of pay and keep of crew from San Antonio to Coni, but it is well to be
liberal to the Indians both in pay and keep, as a traveller thereby
ensures the health and contentment of his men. Also the item of loss on
sale of mules is the outside amount that could be spent, but by good
management it should be saved altogether. The cost of my journey from San
Antonio to Southampton was as nearly as possible £400; adding £50, from
Liverpool to San Antonio, would make the round trip to cost £450, and I
believe it can be made for this amount.
LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET
AND CHARING CROSS.