the interior of the rock, and, according to my notions, they hold
communication with the _crater_, which emits sulphurous vapours, situated
a few paces from the water underneath the very house where the sick
repose. With respect to the water, having filled a small well situated
at the base of the rock where people drink from, the chief object is to
have it conducted to the bathing-pits, or basins. The superfluous water
not needed for the baths flows out from them by a small channel; and it
goes to join the rivulet, which passes within three yards of the bathing
apartment.
The sulphurous water flows out in good quantity, making a peculiar noise,
and emitting a smell of sulphuretted hydrogen gas, like that of rotten
eggs; which is perceptible at the distance of many paces from the place,
when the winds are from the east and west. The disengagement of carbonic
acid gas occasions the noise alluded to, through the innumerable bubbles
which rise on the surface; and at the same time it occasions a shower of
aqueous particles, mixed with sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid
gas; its colour is whitish, transparent; and on the walls and canals of
the baths, it leaves a whitish substance, somewhat dirty, very fine,
which when examined proves to be impure sulphur; its taste is at the same
time sweetish and acidulated, but it leaves on the palate the taste of
rotten eggs.
In the bathing apartment there are four large reservoirs, or basins,
constructed with stone and lime; they are equal in size, communicate the
one with the other, and are named Tigre, Sepultura, Desague, and Vejeto:
in these reservoirs, however, the temperature of the water is not equal:
the first indicates on the thermometer of Fahrenheit 90°, the second
89°, the third 88°, and the fourth 87°; the air of the habitation being
70°. In the place where this water was first discovered, it at present
indicates as many as 90°: Haenk, in the year in which he instituted
his analysis, observed that it was only 86°, which proves that the
temperature has since then increased.
The gas which arises from this water, when collected, extinguishes
flame; produces in lime-water a precipitate which dissolves in acetic
acid with effervescence; and it precipitates the acetate of lead, of a
dirty yellow colour. The water reddens blue paper; but, on drying, it
recovers its original colour, a circumstance which proves that there is
a free acid: turmeric paper it does not change the colour of, unless its
volume has been decreased by evaporation. A few drops of any acid produce
effervescence. The nitrate of silver gives a violet-colour precipitate,
the acetate of lead a dirty yellow, the muriate of barytes a white,
but it is necessary to add to it a few drops of acid; the prussiate
of potash produces a blue precipitate, using the precaution to reduce
the water, and of adding to it some drops of nitric or muriatic acid.
Liquid ammonia renders it turbid, which shows that it contains magnesia;
corrosive sublimate produces a half obscure precipitate, which afterwards
effervesces with an acid; it instantly coagulates milk, renders wine
and the water of peaches or pears turbid, giving rise to effervescence
with the three last. A piece of clean silver, if placed in it for some
minutes, becomes somewhat black; when agitated, it disengages carbonic
acid with precipitation, and all the water is filled with bubbles; when
boiled, it loses its smell, it disengages all the free acid, and it no
longer reddens blue paper.
Four bottles of this water, when evaporated, have given forty-three
grains of salts: during the evaporation the surface became coated with a
white film, and a light white substance was precipitated, which consisted
of the carbonate of magnesia and lime, abandoned by the carbonic acid
which had held them in a state of solution.
One hundred grains, obtained by evaporation, yielded
Insoluble matter composed of silica
and sulphate of lime 10 grains.
Carbonate of magnesia 28
Muriate of soda 14
Carbonate of lime 7
Sulphate of iron,—indications of
Bicarbonate of soda 39-98
The sulphuretted hydrogen gas, and the carbonic acid disengaged, could
not be ascertained, for want of proper apparatus.
The water of the four baths fitted up for the sick is of the same quality
with the one here analyzed; with the difference that in the three last
its temperature is less, and that it does not disengage in such quantity
the sulphuretted hydrogen nor the carbonic acid.
The _new water_ of Haenk, and that from another jet or source which has
been more recently discovered, possess the same qualities with those
of the baths; differing, however, in this respect, that they do not
disengage sulphuretted hydrogen gas. The water recently discovered,
of which the temperature is 91°, contains more iron, but not in such
quantity as the waters of the ferruginous bath. It is of a somewhat
sweetish acidulated taste, and it leaves a certain asperity on the
palate. Reagents act upon these in the same way as they do on the
sulphurous water.
PECULIARITIES OBSERVABLE IN THE SULPHUROUS WATER BATHS.
Shortly after having entered the bath, the whole body becomes covered
with numberless air-globules of a pearly appearance. Some degree of heat
and pungency is felt all over the skin; and, soon after immersion in the
water, the smell from it ceases to be perceived. It occasions a slight
degree of uneasiness in respiration, arising from the large quantity of
carbonic acid and sulphuretted hydrogen which arises from its surface.
MEDICINAL EFFECTS OF THE SULPHUROUS WATER.
According to Dr. Don Jose Maria Adriasola y Arve of Arequipa, it has been
found by experience, that, since times of remote antiquity, the baths
of the sulphurous waters of Yura have produced the most salutary and
specific effects in a great variety of cutaneous diseases. In various
instances of chronic disorder of the bowels, and dysentery attended with
intestinal ulceration and wasting of the general system, or what has been
improperly termed intestinal consumption, Dr. Vargas found that these
waters restored the healthy action of the digestive organs, kept up a
proper cuticular discharge, and radically cured such apparently hopeless
cases.
This same water is also allowed to be excellent for the cure of chronic
rheumatism, certain deep-seated pains, and contracted joints, &c.
Mr. Rivero gives the following method as that by which invalids are to
profit by the use of the sulphurous baths of Yura.
The first four or six baths must be taken in the bathing-places named
Desague or Sepultura, which emit less gas and are of lower temperature;
for by entering the bath called Tigre, which is the most active, the
body experiences a very disagreeable sensation, and at the same time the
breast is peculiarly affected.
To be in a fit condition for enjoying the advantages of the bath,
the individual must have the stomach empty, be free from fatigue,
perspiration, as well as mental emotion of every sort. The bath should
not be continued above three quarters of an hour, and in the Tigre one
should not remain above twenty or thirty minutes. Should the nature of
the disease so require, the invalids may bathe twice a day. A purgative
of cream of tartar or Epsom salts should be taken as a preparative
for bathing in these baths. Strict attention to diet, daily exercise
to favour perspiration, and great care to avoid exposure to damp or
chills during the time of taking exercise, or coming from the bath, are
requisite precautions.
The effects of these waters are slow of manifesting themselves, and, for
this reason, their continued use in many cases is necessary; to their
perseverance and constancy in this respect many individuals, now in the
enjoyment of perfect health, owe their recovery.
STEAM NAVIGATION.
We have in Vol. I. p. 173, alluded to the prospects of a Steam Navigation
along the shores of the Pacific Ocean; and we are now happily able to
subjoin a few statements on this subject, for the perusal of such of our
readers as may not have seen the report of the British merchants and
residents at Lima and Callao, upon the subject of opening through Panama
a direct communication between Great Britain and the western coast of
South America.[66]
The first meeting on this interesting subject was held in Lima on the
12th of August 1836; and on the 7th of September, at a public meeting,
the report of the British Merchant Committee was unanimously approved,
and ordered to be printed and circulated in English and Spanish. From a
pamphlet, accompanied with documents which detail the general plan of the
intended operations of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, printed by
J. M. Masias, in Lima, we extract the following authentic information
regarding the “Statistics of Trade, and the favourable influence of Steam
Navigation.”
“It is only since the dynasty of Spain ceased to exist in South America,
that the shores of the Pacific have been thrown open to foreign commerce;
and, when it is considered how much these countries have suffered from
continued revolutionary convulsions, the rapid advance of commerce and
trade is somewhat extraordinary. The following statement of imports is
from the best data which could be obtained.
British 12,000,000 dollars.
North American 2,500,000
French 1,500,000
Peninsular 1,000,000
Germany, and other places on the
continent 1,250,000
China, Bengal, and Manilla 750,000
Brazil and Buenos Ayres 300,000
----------
Total 19,300,000 dollars.
----------
“Of which there is consumed
In Chile 4,500,000 dollars.
Peru and Bolivia 7,500,000
Equador and New Granada 1,500,000
Central America 2,000,000
Mexico and California 3,800,000
----------
Total 19,300,000 dollars.
----------
“The whale fishery of the Pacific may be estimated as follows:
North American 12,500,000 dollars.
British 5,000,000
French 3,000,000
----------
Total 20,500,000 dollars.
----------
“The whole interest involved, including the Pacific whale fishery,
amounts to nearly forty millions of dollars.
“The beneficial influence of steam navigation along the shores of the
Pacific, and the opening a communication with Europe and North America,
_viâ_ Panama, are subjects of deep interest, not only to those engaged in
commerce with the Pacific, but also to the whole commercial world.
“The present state of communication is long and tedious between Peru and
Great Britain; it may be averaged at about four months; while, by the
proposed route, it will be reduced to little more than one-third that
period, viz.
Lima to Panama 6 days.
Pacific to Atlantic 1
Isthmus to Jamaica, by steam, 3
Jamaica to England 36
--
Total number of days 46
--
“By substituting steam navigation between Jamaica and England, the
voyage from Great Britain to Peru could be performed in little more than
a month.
“The security which will be given to commerce by this prompt
communication, the facilities afforded to merchants in realizing the
proceeds of their shipments, the consequent increase of trade, the
regularity of advices along the shores of the Pacific, so desirable for
British commerce,—are points of universal interest. To the squadrons
stationed in those seas an immense advantage will also be gained by
the facility of communication and the increased efficiency of their
operations. The moral influence to be effected will tend to strengthen
and sustain the governments of the respective states against the
usurpation of revolutionary demagogues.”
We further beg leave to add, on the same very good authority, the
following valuable remarks for the information of those who are
unacquainted with the localities of Panama, and the difficulties and
facilities to be met with in crossing the Isthmus.
“The seasons are distinguished by rainy season and dry season. From June
to November constitutes the former; from November to June the latter.
During the rainy season, the journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic
can be performed in two days; while, in the dry season, twenty-four
hours only are necessary: from the Atlantic to the Pacific, during the
rainy season, three days are required; and in the dry season it can
be accomplished in two days. This difference is owing to the swelling
of the river produced by rains. The journey from Panama to Cruces is
performed on mules, being a distance of twenty-one miles, over a bad but
not a dangerous road. In Cruces, there are canoes of all sizes always in
readiness, in which passengers embark, and descend the river to Chagres,
the sea-port of the Isthmus, where they re-embark on board the first
vessel which suits their convenience.
“The transit of the Isthmus during the dry season is neither inconvenient
nor unpleasant: the canoes are covered; provisions, fruits, &c. are
abundant along the banks of the river; the temperature, though warm,
is perfectly healthy, and there is always personal security. During
the rains you are subject to great exposure and consequent illness;
but were a good road once opened, and a steamer on the river, there
would be no danger at any season, and the journey from sea to sea
could be accomplished in _eight or nine hours_, without the slightest
inconvenience.”
ECCLESIASTICAL JUBILEE.
The following authentic document we have carefully translated from the
Spanish; and, having already referred to it, (vol. i. p. 132,) we now
offer no comment on its contents.
We, Dr. Don Jorje de Benavente, Archbishop Elect of Lima, &c. to our
clergy, religious communities, and all the faithful residing in and
inhabiting this our diocese.
Forasmuch as our most holy father Gregory XVI, Roman Pontiff, and
visible head of the Universal Church, moved by the pastoral vigilance
and paternal love becoming a successor of St. Peter, has condescended to
grant a general jubilee to the whole Catholic world, with a view that the
common penitence and prayer of the faithful may obtain from the Father
of Mercies and God of all consolation the cessation of the weighty ills
that affect the spouse of J. C.; the supreme government of this republic,
always zealous for the exact observance of the holy religion which we
profess, has given the corresponding pass to the Brief, which with this
object his Holiness has despatched, of which the tenor is as follows:
The Pontiff Gregory XVI. to all the faithful Christians
who shall see the present letters, health and apostolical
benediction.
After having taken solemn possession of the pontificate in
the Basilic of the Lateran, we have written many times to our
venerable brothers the patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops,
concerning the calamities of the Church; encouraging them to
oppose with all their might, like walls of Israel, those snares
with which, to our great sorrow, she is beset. For the same
purpose, also, we have admonished them that they should raise
their eyes and hands to the mountain from whence we expect
assistance; certain that, with the favour of Him who governs
the winds and the sea, tranquillity will be procured, and that
the divine mercy descends when the humble prayer ascends to God.
But seeing that the conspiracy of the wicked everywhere gains
ground, and that the tempest even increases, we have resolved
that in all the Church prayers be publicly offered; by this
means opening up the treasure of celestial gifts, to the
end that the consciences being regulated and purified in a
holy manner from the uncleanness of transgressions, prayers
themselves may be rendered more agreeable and acceptable to
God, ascending to his presence as a delicate perfume.
It has been an ancient custom of the Romish Church, observed by
our predecessors, not only in the commencement of their supreme
pontificate, but always when the Lord chastened his people, to
resort to the prayers of the community, and to rouse all to
penitence by freely opening for them the sacred treasury of the
indulgences; with a view that, detesting their iniquities, and
humbly making confession of them, they should with confidence
draw near to the Throne of Grace, that is to God, who is
magnanimous to pardon, and refuses not his mercies even when
he is provoked. With this example before us, we, after calling
on the Father of Mercies with constant and fervent prayer,
promulgate throughout the whole Catholic world an indulgence
in the form of a general jubilee; cheerfully hoping that the
Author of all comfort shall shorten the days of tribulation, so
that, the storm having entirely ceased, the peace of the Church
may be firmly established, and public happiness everywhere
restored.
Hence, confiding in the mercy of Almighty God, and in the
authority of the blessed Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul,—and
exercising the power to bind and unbind, which, though of
ourselves unworthy, the Lord conceded to us,—we have resolved
to concede, and we do grant by the tenor of these presents,
full indulgence (such as it has been customary to concede on
the year of jubilee) of all their sins to all and to each
of the Christians of both sexes residing in and entering
into this our capital (Rome), who in the term of three weeks
current from the fourth Sunday of Advent,—that is, from the
23rd day of this month, December, till the 13th inclusive of
the following January, on which falls the first Sunday after
the Epiphany,—and on the eighth day of the same, shall have
twice visited the Basilics of St. John of Lateran, of the
chief of the Apostles, and of St. Mary la Mayor, or one of
these at least, and there will have devoutly prayed for some
time, and fasted Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of one of
the said weeks; and within the same period, having confessed
their sins, will have received the most holy sacrament of the
Eucharist, and may have given the poor some charity, as to
each individual his devotion may dictate: moreover to all the
faithful Christians existing in all parts without our capital
we concede plenary indulgence, provided they shall have twice
visited all or some one of the churches, which may be assigned
to them by the local ordinaries, or their vicars or officers,
or others under their orders; and, in their default, by the
curates of souls, after these our letters may have reached
their notice;—it being further required that they should have
practised with devotion the other foresaid works in the space
of three weeks, to be fixed upon by the churches.
In like manner we concede that voyagers and travellers may
enjoy the same indulgence immediately that, on returning to
their homes, they put in practice the above-named works,
and visit twice the cathedral church, either the greater or
parochial, of the place of their residence. We also grant to
the regulars of both sexes who live in perpetual seclusion, and
all laical persons who, from being in gaols or prisons, or on
account of corporeal infirmity, or any other impediment, shall
not be able to practise all or any of the works mentioned, that
a confessor of those actually approved by the local ordinaries
may commute these works into others of a pious kind, or
prorogue them to some other early period, and impose on them
those which the penitents themselves can exercise; and that
he may also dispense the communion to children who shall have
never communicated.
We further concede licence and authority to all and to each
of the faithful Christians, seculars or regulars, of whatever
order or institute, though the particular denomination should
be specified, that they may choose, for the expressed object,
any confessor, secular or regular, of those actually approved
by the ordinaries, (as also to the nuns, who may choose any
confessor of those approved for them, whether the nun be a
novitiate or a profesa,) who can absolve them, and liberate
them at the tribunal of conscience, and for this time only,
from the censures of excommunication, suspension, and other
ecclesiastical penalties, for whatever reason enjoined or
imposed, either _jure vel ab homine_; and also from all their
sins, excesses, crimes, and delinquencies, however grave and
enormous they may be, even when they shall have been especially
reserved to the local ordinaries, or to us and the apostolical
chair, and whose absolution on the other hand should not be
considered as granted in the most ample concession; moreover,
they may commute into other pious and salutary works all manner
of vows, though these may have been made with an oath, and the
power of dispensation regarding them reserved to the apostolic
chair,—always excepting the vow of religion and chastity, and
the bonds (obligatorios) accepted by a third person, or from
the commutation of which an injury would follow to another,
as also those penal acts which are called preservatives from
sin,—unless the future commutation be presumed to be not less
sufficient to separate from sin than the first matter of the
vow, imposing salutary penance in the above-said cases, and
such other particulars as the confessor may be pleased to
enjoin.
But not on this account is it our pleasure to give dispensation
by these presents in any other public or private irregularity,
nor in any defect, stigma, incapacity, or ineptitude, in
whatever way contracted; or to confer authority of dispensation
therein, or to qualify and restore such delinquents to their
former state, even in the tribunal of conscience; nor to
derogate the constitution, _sacramentum penitentiæ_, published
with its corresponding explanation by our predecessor of happy
memory, Benedict XIV; nor that these letters can or ought to
avail in any way those who by us and the apostolic chair, or by
any prelate or ecclesiastical judge, may have been expressly
excommunicated, suspended, interdicted, or publicly denounced
as liable to spiritual animadversion,—unless within the term of
the three specified weeks they give satisfaction to, or come to
an understanding with, the parties concerned.
Thus then, by the tenor of these presents, and the ineluctable
obligation of holy obedience, we strictly enjoin all our
venerable brethren, the patriarchs, archbishops, bishops,
and all other prelates in the churches, and all ordinaries
wheresoever, their vicars and officers, and failing of these,
the curates of souls, to the end that when they receive
transcripts of these letters, or printed copies thereof, and
moved by circumstances of time and place, find it convenient
in the Lord to publish the same, they may so publish and cause
them to be published in their churches, dioceses, provinces,
cities, towns, territories, and places; and having, as far
as in them lies, prepared the minds of the people by the
preaching of the divine word, may designate the churches and
the time whereat and wherein this jubilee may be obtained;
all constitutions and apostolical briefs to the contrary
notwithstanding,—especially those in which the power of
absolution in the cases therein expressed is reserved to the
R. P. for the time being,—so that the concessions of such
like indulgences and powers, or of any other kind, may be of
use to no one, unless express mention or special derogation
be made thereof: notwithstanding, moreover, the rule of not
conceding indulgences after the manner of this letter, and the
statutes and customs of any order, congregation, or institute
whatsoever, although the same should be corroborated by oath
and apostolic confirmation, or any other form of stability
whatsoever; notwithstanding, moreover, the privileges and
pardons in whatever way conceded, approved, and renewed by
apostolic letters in favour of the said orders, congregations,
institutes, and individuals thereunto belonging. For as much
as touching all and each of the above, (and notwithstanding
that express and special mention should be made thereof and
the tenor thereof, and not by general expressions to the same
effect, or that some other particular form ought to be used
with regard to them,) holding their tenor to be sufficiently
expressed in these letters, and the prescriptions thereof
duly observed, we do for this particular time nominally and
expressly annul and derogate them, as well as everything that
may appear to the contrary, to the end that the foregoing
concession may have its due effect.
And with a view that these letters, which cannot be forwarded
to every situation, may yet easily reach the notice of all, we
desire that to their transcripts, or printed copies, provided
they be signed by some notary public, and sealed with the seal
of some person constituted in ecclesiastical dignity, may be
given in all parts, and by all, the same credit as to the
originals, if these shall be shown to them.
Given at St. Peter’s in Rome, sealed with the ring of the
Sovereign Pontiff, on the 2nd December 1832, the second year of
our pontificate.
For Cardinal ALBANO,
A. PICHONI, Substitute.
Lima, September 5th, 1834.—Examined with the exposition of the council of
state on the 3rd instant. If the Metropolitan doubts not the authenticity
of this brief, he shall cause it to be published in this diocese and
the other bishoprics, with this express qualification, namely—without
prejudice of the jurisdiction and innate powers of the episcopate.—To
this effect let it be returned, retaining a certified copy.—A rubric of
his excellency P. O. and of the secretary of state—Leon.
For the reasons expressed,—satisfied of the authenticity of the said
brief, and in fulfilment of what is therein ordained, we order it to be
published, and in effect we do publish it with due solemnity, as well
in this capital as in all the curacies or parishes of our diocese; and
we ordain and command that from the 2nd of October first, till the 7th
of December, spiritual exercises shall be successively performed in
the churches of Santo Domingo, San Pedro, San Agustin, La Merced, San
Francisco, San Lazaro, and Santuario de Cocharcas, the distribution of
which will be separately assigned, so that the faithful may be prepared
to gain the holy jubilee according to and in the manner expressed in the
proclaimed brief.
The jubilee will be opened and commence on the second Sunday of Advent;
on which occasion will be said in this holy cathedral church a solemn
mass, with a sermon, at which all the clergy and religious community will
assist; after the conclusion of which the hymn, Veni Creator, will be
sung: and from this day to the 27th of December inclusive, will expire
the three weeks designated by his Holiness for gaining the jubilee, which
shall be concluded with a solemn mass as an act of thanks, which will be
said in the same manner as the first; and the same will be practised in
the other churches as best may be.
To gain the jubilee in this capital, we fix upon the churches of the
Cathedral, Santo Domingo, San Francisco, San Pedro, San Agustin, La
Merced, and La Parroquia de San Lazaro, which the faithful shall visit
twice, or at least one of the said churches, during the three weeks
indicated; at the same time putting in practice whatever else the brief
requires.
In the suburbs the jubilee will be published, and it will be gained on
the same days as in this capital.
In the other parishes of this archbishopric, the three weeks of the
jubilee will run from Passion Sunday to Saturday _in Albis_ inclusive, of
1835; in consideration that this is the most proper time, for, during it,
all the faithful congregate in the parochial capitals to comply with the
annual precept of the Church.
To gain the jubilee in the suburbs and other parishes of the
archbishopric, we assign the parochial churches, which the faithful shall
visit twice, taking care to do whatever else his Holiness prescribes.
With respect to the religious communities of either sex, the sick,
imprisoned, voyagers and travellers, it will be according to the literal
tenor of the brief cited. And that it may come to the notice of all the
faithful of this archbishopric, this our edict shall be fixed on all the
doors of the churches; and the necessary copies shall be remitted to all
the prelates and parish priests of the archbishopric.
Given in Lima, sealed with the seal of our office, and countersigned by
our secretary, on the 26th September 1834.
Signed,
JORJE (George), Archbishop elect, of Lima.
DR. MANUEL GARATE, Secretary.
LANCE’S ADIEU TO LIMA.
The following lines, with the notes annexed, were written under
circumstances of great bodily and mental suffering in the year 1833, when
the learned and very accomplished gentleman who penned them proposed to
return to his native country. They were inscribed by him to his friends,
among whom it has long been the author’s happiness to have occupied a
favoured place. The notes are not only illustrative of the “Adieu to
Lima,” but also of several incidental remarks contained in the preceding
pages—especially of the interesting ruins of Pachacamac alluded to in
vol. i. page 144.
I.
Welcome, thou heaving dark blue Sea!
Thy luckless child am I;
Thine island-child was nurs’d by thee
Beneath the northern sky;
II.
In that proud land—baptiz’d of old
To freedom in thy waves—
Confirm’d in glory—steel-ribb’d hold
Of men who’ll ne’er be slaves.
III.
On southern shores I’ve linger’d long,
My life is waning fast;
And Sorrow, with her forked tongue,
Has struck me down at last.
IV.
I’ll fling me on my mother’s breast,
The sweeping dark blue Sea:
O bear me to my island-nest,
To die among the free!
V.
Land of the Incas, fare thee well!
Thy valé soon is told:
I would no longer in thee dwell
For Huascar’s chain of gold![67]
VI.
Thy sceptre erst was sway’d by kings,—
They could not hold it firm;—
But now thy children crouch to things
More worthless than the worm.
VII.
Away! I will not stop to mourn
Thy sorrows or thy shame;
Nor tell what anguish I have borne
Since to thy shores I came.
VIII.
Let Indian pipe, so meek and low,[68]
Bemoan thine Incas’ fall;
And Indian maid, with garb of woe,[69]
Her country’s wrongs recall:
IX.
And, sadder still, the cuculi[70]
Complain in ev’ry vale,
When ev’ning with her dewy eye
Brings round the hour of wail.
X.
I’ll fling me on my mother’s breast,
The sweeping dark blue Sea:
O bear me to my island-nest,
To die among the free!
XI.
Like silver bells, yon snowy peaks[71]
Are hung upon the clouds!
’Tis sweet to see when morning breaks,
And strips them of their shrouds.
XII.
’Tis sweet to see ’midst orange rows
The spires of Lima wind;
But sweeter far than these or those,
To leave them all behind!
XIII.
Then wherefore does my bosom heave?
Why starts th’ unbidden tear?
Some scenes there are ’tis hard to leave,
Some friends my soul holds dear!
XIV.
Thou good-man’s eyrie, on the rock![72]
From thee I’m loth to part!
With names belov’d in mem’ry’s book
Sure thou recorded art!
XV.
There, with my friend, full many an hour
Of cank’ring care I’d cheat;
Or range the ample corridor,
The balmy breeze to greet!
XVI.
Or gaze on Pachacamac’s height,[73]
As peal’d the evening gun;
And see its mystic form dilate
Against the setting sun!
XVII.
And thou, dear Garden, ’neath thy bowers[74]
How swift the moments flew!
They pass’d the sweetness of thy flowers,
Though steep’d in evening dew!
XVIII.
Like stars that seek each other’s light,[75]
To form, as poets sing,
A path for gods, and o’er the night
Their mingled radiance fling:
XIX.
E’en so we cluster’d there, with souls
That friendship made but one:—
But hark! my knell of parting tolls,—
Sweet friends, I must be gone.
XX.
I’ll fling me on my mother’s breast,
The sweeping dark blue sea:
O bear me to my island-nest,
To die among the free!
FOOTNOTES
[1] Wheat and flour are principally supplied from Jauja, and barley from
Tarma; fruit from Huanuco, and sugar from Huanuco and Huaylas.
[2] Plata-piña, or simply piña, is the name given to silver not
entirely purified from the mercury which adheres to it in the process
of amalgamation. Amalgamation is effected by mixing the ore, after it
has been ground, with salt and quicksilver; treading the whole together
by men or cattle; then allowing it to repose in _cerco_, or in the
enclosure in which it has been trodden, for a month or six weeks. At the
expiration of this time the quicksilver is supposed to have combined with
all the silver in the mass, and to have formed a perfect amalgam, called
_pella_, which is separated by washing away the mud and refuse of the
ore. The pella, thus procured, is white, and so liquid that, by putting
it into a strong bag a considerable quantity of the mercury is made, by
pressure, to escape, leaving the amalgam of a solid consistence. It is
decomposed by a red heat; and the mercury being distilled, it may again
be applied to the same purpose as before. In this process, however, there
is usually a great waste of quicksilver on account of the bad apparatus
employed; and the fixed metal or silver which remains is what is called
piña. This piña is usually sold by the miner in round masses larger than
cannon-balls; and these balls of silver are, by the trader who does not
venture on smuggling, carried to the government smelter stationed at the
mines, (an office for many years back honourably filled at Cerro Pasco
by a learned and good man, Don Toribio de Oyorzabal,) by whom they are
cast into the foundery, and, being there melted down and sufficiently
purified, are now cast into bars, which are stamped as being of a proper
_ley_ or standard purity: after which they may be conveyed to the mint
for coinage.
[3] At Huallianca, Hualliay, and several other parts of the rich
department of Junin, smelting is used for the extraction of silver:
but in Cerro Pasco smelting is little practised. In the district of
Yauricocha, and especially in the great or King’s mine, the ores are
found to contain a considerable portion of the sulphuret of lead; and,
also, of the sulphurets of copper, of iron, and of silver.
Such is the quantity of sulphuric acid distributed among the mines of
Cerro Pasco, which are placed among limestone hills, that the water which
they contain is observed to corrode the iron machinery exposed to its
continued action.
[4] “_Cobos._”—This was a duty of one and a half per cent. on the metals
extracted from the mines. Its origin, as we are informed, was a grant to
this amount, made by the Spanish government in favour of an individual of
the name of Cobo. This became a permanent tax which, like the tithes of
the metals, afterwards fell into the hands of the government, until both
were abolished a few years ago, as alluded to in the text.
[5] We have lately learned that during the years 1837 and early in 1838,
quicksilver became so scarce in Peru, that it cost 200 or 220 dollars
per quintal. The consequence has been that a private company, under the
auspices of the Protector, Santa Cruz, was formed by the enterprising
General Otero and others, to clear out the Socabon, or adit, and re-work
the long neglected and abandoned mines of Huancavelica—which are distant
from Cerro Pasco sixty-six leagues, by the route of Tarma, Jauja, and
Iscuchaca. This company has made some progress in the works; but the
quantity of quicksilver yet extracted by them cannot be said to have had
any sensible influence on the price of this valuable metal, which, in
consequence of the large shipments lately made of it, has fallen to about
one-half the above enormous price. During the period referred to,—though
the drainage and works at Cerro were considerably improved,—no mines
of second or third rate could cover the expense of amalgamation; and,
therefore, the metal extracted from them was allowed to accumulate in
heaps, (constantly guarded by Indian watchmen, called “tapacos,”) to the
estimated value of three millions of dollars.
[6] The product of a marc of silver of standard purity is eight dollars
four reals, or 1_l._ 14_s._ sterling.
[7] “Guarapo” is the name for the fermented cane-juice used as drink.
[8] “Coto,” or goitre, is common among the inhabitants of Huanuco; but it
is a disease very rarely seen on the western side of the Andes.
[9] From _pexe_, fish; _buey_, ox.
[10] Though Mr. Mathews omits to mention its botanical character, it is
probable from the name _huasca_ (which means rope) that this, like the
former plant, is a pliable bejuco. The bejucos are commonly used in Peru
as cordage, for the purpose of constructing bridges and fences.
[11] The Chamber of Deputies is composed of representatives elected
by the electoral colleges of provinces and parishes. The parochial
electoral colleges are composed of all the citizens resident in the
parish, congregated according to law. For every two hundred individuals
in a parish an elector is nominated; and in every village whose numbers
entitle them to name an elector, or have a parochial college, a
municipal body is established with a right to superintend its own local
interests, consistently with the laws and public good,—and subject to
the approbation of the departmental juntas. The electoral colleges of
provinces are composed of parochial electors constituted according to
law, and they elect deputies to Congress in the proportion of one for
every twenty thousand inhabitants, or for a fractional number which
exceeds ten thousand. But the province in which the whole population does
not come up to ten thousand inhabitants, will nevertheless name a deputy.
[12] See “La Constitucion Politica de la Republica Peruana,” published in
1828.
[13] Cajamarca lies to the eastward of the city of Truxillo, in northern
Peru, and, by the post-road, about forty-five leagues inland from the
shores of the Pacific. It is the principal town in the province of
Cajamarca, and is remarkable in the history of Peru as a seat of the
Incas; their baths and palace are yet to be seen, though in ruins. Here
the magnanimous Prince Atahualpa, who had purchased his freedom by an
immense ransom of gold and silver, fell a victim to the insatiable
cupidity and treachery of Pizarro.
[14] In dry weather sweeping the streets can hardly be considered as a
serious punishment; but in the rainy season, when it is customary for the
inhabitants to walk with wooden clogs, called _zuecos_, the scavenger’s
task could not fail to be of very difficult performance in the Cerro.
[15] The practice, common among Catholics, of visiting the tombs of their
family, and honouring the spot where the remains of their relatives or
friends rest, is not an ostentatious ceremony, but an humble act of
devotion, in which we must believe that the heart of the supplicant is
deeply engaged. In the niches of the Pantheon at Lima, the renewal of
flowers week after week, and even year after year, bears witness that
filial or conjugal affection is still cherished in the heart long after
the object of endearment has been removed from those who only survive
to deplore their own loss, and with tender sorrow pray for the spirit
of the departed. Whoever has visited the cemetery of _Père la Chaise_,
in Paris, must have been struck by the attention of the living to the
dead,—the daily decorations of the grave, and the prayer offered up by
pious friends; nor can we suppose any person capable of viewing with cold
indifference the flowery neatness which surrounds those monumental tombs,
which in _Père la Chaise_ seem to triumph over the silence of the grave.
[16] See Memoria, por Jose Villa, Ministro de Hacienda; Lima, 1834.
[17] Guia Politica, Ecles. y Militar, 1793.
[18] One of the greatest Jesuit missionaries was Father Samuel Fritz, a
German, who, in 1686, preached the Gospel, and converted many tribes in
Maynas. He drew a map of the Marañon and its tributary rivers, which was
published in Quito in the year 1707.
[19] “Amigo” or friend, is the first word of Spanish which the mission
Indian is taught to speak.
[20] The road which formerly existed between Pozuzo and Mayro is now so
overgrown with brushwood as to render it impassable without the aid of
the chopping-knife, with the use of which the Indians of Huanuco are well
acquainted. By this road the journey from Mayro to Pozuzo was usually
performed in two days, and the journey from Pozuzo to the city of Huanuco
in three: in all, five days from Mayro to Huanuco.
[21] It might be imagined that this custom of carrying away and eating
the dead was a good reason for the ancient practice, still in use among
the Indians of the Ucayali, of burying their dead in their houses, as
affording some protection against this rage of cannibalism; but among the
Inca race of Indians the practice also appears to have existed of old,
though without reference to so shocking a cause.
[22] As a comment on this part of Friar Plaza’s letter, we cannot do
better than introduce a passage illustrative of the allusion here made,
translated from a paper of his own in the Merc. Per. and cited by
Lieutenant Smyth and Mr. Lowe in the Introduction to their Narrative of a
Journey from Lima to Para.
“The three entrances to this district (Ucayali) are by Huanuco and the
port of Mayro, by Tarma and the river Chanchamayo, and by the Jauja and
Andamarca, taking the direction of Pangoa, which is passable, and has
been so since the year 1815, when I crossed from the plains of Sacramento
to Pangoa, where I formed a friendship with various nations on the way;
and by this route for seven years the mission has received all its
supplies. In this expedition I explored all that was remarkable from
Sarayacu, which is fifteen days’ distance up the river from the Marañon,
and ascended from thence as far as the river Pachitea, in twenty days
more.” It may be remarked, that the communication with Sarayacu by the
rivers Huallaga and Chipurana is so circuitous, that Fr. Plaza does not
even mention it as one of the routes to the mission; though this was the
route pursued by the late expedition in 1834-5, after the attempt to
enter by the Mayro had failed. The Sub-prefect’s letter, too, took near
three months to reach the mission through the country of Maynas.
[23] As trees of sufficient size for the purposes required are not always
at hand, we have seen near a hundred men exhaust their strength in
dragging a tree by the means of lazos from deep ravines and hollows. This
waste of power might be easily avoided by the help of the pulley, with
which they are unacquainted; but they show great skill in the application
and management of the lazo, and, when arranged for the tug, their efforts
are roused by a song of which the chorus is “Huasca runa!”—Men, to the
lazo!
[24] It was a punishment which in certain cases the law of Spain
inflicted upon female delinquents, to cut off their hair, and sometimes
shave their eyebrows. This, we understand, was done by the common
executioner,—hence the sense of disgrace.
[25] The coca leaf is to the Indian of the interior a necessary of life,
which he uses from time to time, to renovate his energy for renewed
muscular exertion; and in the intervals of labour he often sits down
to _chaccha_ or to refresh himself by masticating coca seasoned with
quick-lime, which he always carries about his person in a little gourd.
The lime is used in very small quantity at a time, but in a pulverulent
and escharotic state. According to the Indian it counteracts the natural
tendency of the coca to give rise to visceral obstructions. Used in
moderate quantity, the coca, when fresh and good, increases nervous
energy, removes drowsiness, enlivens the spirits, and enables the Indian
to bear cold, wet, great bodily exertion, and even want of food, to a
surprising degree, with apparent ease and impunity. Taken to excess, it
is said to occasion tremor in the limbs, and what is worse, a gloomy sort
of mania. But such dire effects must be of rare occurrence; since, living
for years on the borders of the Montaña, and in constant intercourse with
persons accustomed to frequent the coca plantations, and with Indian
yanacones or labourers, all of whom, whether old or young, masticated
this favourite leaf, we never had an opportunity of witnessing a single
instance in which the coca-chewer was affected with mania or tremor.
[26] The whites have already had a foretaste of this retribution in
La-paz, where, as we have been informed, every white man was massacred.
The Indians are said to indulge in the hope of yet seeing a prince of
their own race on the throne; and such has been their well-founded and
now habitual mistrust of the whites, that they have never revealed where
all their own treasures and those of the Incas, which were buried after
the death of Atahualpa, are to be found. This is a secret to every one
but a chosen few of the caciques. A few years before the commencement of
the war of independence in Peru, a rising took place among the Indians
of some of the inland provinces, under a cacique named Pomacagua: but
this insurrection was soon suppressed. The fact of Pomacagua’s being
acquainted with the hiding place of the regal treasure alluded to,
and his offer to reveal it to save his life, was not believed by the
unrelenting Ramires, and he was shot.
[27] Gamarra resigned the government into the hands of the National
Convention, which, it appears, was not duly authorized to nominate a
president. Under all the circumstances, had Gamarra acted boldly and
openly—had he said from the first that he would remain in the government
until a congress should assemble, before which he would account for
his proceedings, he would have acted not only legitimately, but, as
good judges and patriots believed, even wisely: since, by so seasonable
an exercise of moral courage, he might have saved his country from
anarchy. But, having voluntarily left the government, and publicly as
well as solemnly acknowledged the authority of the Convention and the
Presidentship of Orbegoso, his conduct afterwards, in taking up arms
with the insurgent followers of Bermudes, was unfortunate for himself,
discreditable to his party, and ruinous to his country.
[28] This lady united with a vigorous constitution a bold and energetic
mind. She was feared by her enemies, but sincerely beloved by her
friends. In consequence of the rebellion of her husband, and jealousy
of the government that succeeded that of Gamarra, who, but for her
talents and influence, could not have governed so long as he did, this
ex-presidentess, usually called Panchita, was banished to Chile, where
she died of a disease of the heart, which on her death-bed she ordered to
be sent to Gamarra after her death.
[29] The mercachifle is a licensed pedlar, and the pregonero a news-crier.
[30] Ever since Europeans became acquainted with the Indian race,
self-possession has been noticed as one of their most striking
characteristics. Atahualpa was unmoved in the midst of every danger: and
Santa-Cruz (of Cacique blood) has, in our own day, signally illustrated
the same high feature of character in the Inca family. Finding himself
for a moment isolated on the field of battle, and on the point of being
pierced through by a trooper, he called out in a commanding voice—“Alza
esa lanza y sigue me!”—raise that lance and follow me! Thus, his presence
of mind saved his life; for the mysterious power of a superior mind
triumphed over the hostile arm of the infuriated soldier—who, now, as we
are told, occupies a place in the body-guard of Santa-Cruz.
[31] Only three weeks before he made his revolution, he had suppressed
another in the castles of Callao, and shot every fifth man engaged in
it. His own treason, while successful, he called patriotism: but he was
doomed to suffer the punishment of a rebel.
[32] It has been remarked, by those who have happened to be in Payta
during rain, that the soil on these occasions emits a suffocating and
oppressive smell. This is probably owing to the quantity of animal
and vegetable matter which, during a long continuance of dry weather,
accumulates and is left to dry in the sun; and is partially dissolved
by the rain, and absorbed by the circumambient air. It would be worth
ascertaining by accurate observation whether the typhus of Piura ever
becomes aggravated in type in rainy seasons. We never heard of its being
contagious.
[33] The valley of Nasca, though situate in the midst of an extensive
desert, is rendered very productive in vines, &c. by means of
subterraneous aqueducts constructed by the aborigines. Thus, the ancient
Peruvians had fertilized the most arid plains, and left monuments of
agricultural industry on the coast not less remarkable than their
terraced gardens in the Sierra.
[34] This was once the port where the silver from the mines of Potosi
used to be embarked in Spanish treasure-ships.
[35] At what is considered the watering-place of Cobija, so sparingly
does the fresh water percolate from the rock, that we are informed by an
intelligent navigator, well acquainted with these coasts, that it takes a
whole night to fill a small cask placed under the precious drop, by the
favour of which grow two palm-trees, the only vegetable productions to be
seen on the coast of Bolivia.
[36] This fortress was lately dismantled by order of General Orbegoso’s
government.
[37] The Incas had a garden in the neighbourhood of Cuzco, where all the
trees were of gold and silver, and the fruits and leaves of precious
stones.
[38] Valparaiso is sometimes called the Vale of Paradise; yet there is
anything but a look of Paradise in Valparaiso and its immediate environs.
It has been said that the Elysian vale of Quillota, a few leagues
distant, is the Paradise alluded to in this appellation, which is a
corruption of Va-al-Paraiso, _i.e._ This is the road to Paradise—namely,
Quillota.
[39] See Letter from Alexander Cruckshanks, Esq. to Professor Hooker,
inserted in Part iv.-v. of the Botanical Miscellany for March 1831.
[40] Ensayo sobre las causas de las Enfermedades que se padecen en
Santiago de Chile. Por el Doctor Guillermo C. Blest.
[41] This being written in 1828, it is but fair to suppose that, as the
general police of Chile has been vastly improved since that time, the
evils here alluded to by Dr. Blest may have been removed.
[42] According to Humboldt, the farm of Enciero, near Vera Cruz, 3,043
feet above the level of the sea, is the superior limit of the vomito or
yellow fever; and strangers who come by sea, and therefore pass through
a gradual change of atmospherical temperature, are observed to be less
liable to contract the yellow fever than the whites and mestizoes who
inhabit the table-land of Mexico, (of which the mean temperature is about
60° or 62° of Fahrenheit,) when they descend during the wet season to
the port of Vera Cruz. The rains begin in May and end in October, when
the “_nortes_” or north winds set in; and during the prevalence of these
winds the yellow fever or vomito disappears.—Translator’s Note.
[43] The translator understands that chimneys and stoves have of late
years become common in the houses of the higher classes in Chile; such,
however, as still want these conveniencies make use of the old-fashioned
brasiers, or pans of live charcoal. Over these though people may toast
their legs if they please, still their backs and shoulders are suffering
from cold, as the heat of the _brasero_ or brasier is not sufficient
to support a proper degree of general temperature in the air of the
apartment in which it is placed. These pans are very properly denounced
by Dr. Blest as most unfit, and even dangerous, in the close and
ill-ventilated dwellings of the poor.
[44] Western Peru, from the peaks of the eastern Cordillera to the shores
of the Pacific, has hardly any venomous animal except the scorpion, which
exists in the warm intermediate valleys (in some of which a small black
and white snake is also found, which is said to be highly venomous):
but alligators, as we have seen, abound about Guayaquil; and the coast
of central America is famous for its venomous snakes, as well as for
the antidote to their poison, or the bejuco guaco, which in infusion
makes an agreeable bitter, something like quassia. The same antidote
Providence has planted in the neighbourhood of Tarapoto, on the eastern
frontiers of Peru, where venomous snakes also abound. The popular story
in Peru respecting the discovery of the properties of the guaco is,
that an Indian happening to be present when a condor, or some strong
hawk of the numerous species which inhabit the Cordillera, was engaged
in mortal combat with a tremendous snake, observed that as often as the
bird was wounded he retired to a thicket of guaco, broke off the bark
with his beak, dressed his wounds and pruned his feathers with the sap,
and returned to the fight with confidence and spirit, till at length he
killed the snake, and carried it away in triumph. From this the Indian
inferred, that in the juice of the guaco resided the property that
counteracted the poison of the snake; and it is vulgarly believed that
if you rub your hand and arm with the juice of this bejuco, you may
grasp the deadliest serpent with impunity. But, however that may be, the
fact is never disputed, that the guaco is a quick, powerful, and certain
antidote against the poison of the serpent.—Translator’s Note.
[45] Notes on State of Virginia, p. 62.
[46] _Paco_: so called (in the Indian language) because its wool is long
and of a bright reddish colour. Alppa-co, _sheep of the country_, has
the wool long and very smooth; and, though coming under the denomination
of Peruvian camel, is not very well fitted to carry a burden. Llama
llamscanni, or the _working sheep_ (of the Indian) has the wool short and
rough; and is the tallest, strongest, and best adapted for the cargo.
EXTERIOR PROPORTIONS OF THE LLAMA.
Feet. In. Lines.
From the crown of the head to the extremity of
the sacral bone 6 5 0
The coccyx or tail has of length 1 0 0
From the upper lip to the crown of the head
measures 1 1 0
Length of the ear 0 6 6
Length of the neck from its first to its last
vertebra 2 5 0
Anterior height, measured from the base of the
fore-foot to the edge of the shoulder-blade
parallel with the spine 5 5 0
Posterior height, measured from the base of
the hind-foot to the spine of the sacral bone 3 6 0
[47] _Quipe_: bundle of clothes which they carry on their shoulders.
[48] The antelope, by the account of the Indians, sometimes looks
over the tops of the eastern chain of the Cordillera, in the Vale
of Huanuco. In this vale the tiger-cat has been seen; the mucamuca,
probably a species of skunk, as it emits a most offensive stench, is
common; and here too armadilloes may be found among the thickets of the
pasture-grounds, and they are considered by the Indians to be good eating.
Rats are as common as guinea-pigs in all the agricultural valleys of the
interior: the fox ranges all over the high hills and table-lands of the
Sierra; and among the crevices of the rocks, in high situations, the
traveller meets the long-tailed bizcacha, which burrows like a rabbit,
and is valued chiefly for its fur.—Translator.
[49] Jarava foliis involutis, spica panicul.—_Flor. Per. et Chil._ t. i.
p. 5, icon vi. fig. b. As these pasture-grounds are found at twelve or
fourteen thousand feet above the level of the sea, they do not admit of
the cultivation and population of the lofty plains of Anahuac or Mexico,
which are only six or eight thousand feet above the ocean.
[50] The shrubs, as Dr. Unanue remarks in another part of his work, which
grow at the altitude of from twelve to fifteen thousand feet above the
Pacific, are of a woody fibre, resinous, and covered with firm bark, to
enable them to resist the effects of the piercing cold to which they are
naturally exposed.—Translator.
[51] Not only is the ass of Lima the useful quadruped here described,
but one of the most ungratefully dealt with by the natives, who seem to
have forgotten how honoured this animal had been in ancient times. The
saddle-ass is goaded on at a nimble pace by the sharp point of a rib
torn from some of the numerous skeletons of mules and horses, &c. which
are scattered on the mounds of rubbish, or in the lanes around orchards,
within and without the city-walls; and the donkey-driver grins his smile
of savage complacency as he swings about his heavy lash, and nicely hits
some raw and bleeding spot, the effect of former and frequent inflictions
of the same sort at the hands of cruel men.
Ayanque, in his picture of Lima, correctly says,
Veras borricos de alfalfa
Y borricos capacheros,
Borricos cargando harina,
Piedra, cal, ladrillo y yeso.
Veras borricos volar
Al son del latigo huyendo.—Translator.
[52] In travelling from the inland country to Lima we have had occasion
to observe, that when the horse reared on the cold table-lands, and not
accustomed to any warmer climate, was taken from the Sierra to the coast
in the hot months, he pined away almost as fast as a common fowl on the
high seas when confined in a coop, and exposed to the spray in rough
weather. But the pony, thus affected by the climate of the coast, will
with surprising readiness recover his spirits and health as he returns,
and ascends the tortuous and shelving paths that lead to his native
element near the glacial peaks of the Cordillera.—Translator.
[53] The slaughter thus commenced has passed into a custom of annually
destroying these confiding companions of man, when the howl or piteous
death-cry of the poor animals rings upon the ear, on fine summer
mornings, as the watermen are employed in knocking them down with their
iron-pointed sticks in all the streets, and even at the very doors or
gates where the persecuted creatures seek protection in vain.
To see them dragged along the streets, bound together by the waterman’s
lazo, leaving a bloody track behind them, and then heaped up in the
public squares, where they are often allowed to lie for days, is truly
one of the most painful and disgusting sights which Lima presents,
and to which the bloody scenes of the bull-ring are comparatively
nothing.—Translator.
[54] This earth or “huano,” as the translator has been informed, is
an article of commerce at the port of Ilo; whence it is conveyed to
the neighbourhood of Arica, the Vale of Tambo, and Arequipa, and sold
at so much per quintal. When rubbed between the fingers, it emits an
insufferable stench. Tithes are paid upon this valuable manure, which are
always put to one side in a heap, and, like the rest, carried away on
asses. At Huacho, to the north of Lima, birds’ ordure abounds, and is,
we believe, used as manure. But, in general, the soil in Peru receives
no top-dressing; though about Arequipa, in particular, the agricultural
industry of the ancient Indians has always been followed by their
successors, who, by means of the huano, compel the same piece of ground
to yield several crops annually.
[55] Cuntur de Ccuncuni—_to smell ill_—so called because the condor
emits an offensive smell. This name and that of “puma” were celebrated
among the ancient Peruvians: they were used as appellatives or surnames
in many illustrious families, whose descendants yet live, occupying the
rank of Indian nobility or caciques. According to the meaning of these
words, it appears that there were two orders of superior dignity in the
empire of the Incas,—that of the Condor and Lion; and hence the origin
of the surnames, Apucuntur, or Great Condor, as if we were to say, Great
Eagle; Cunturpusac, or chief of eight Condors; Cuntur-canqui, Condor, by
way of excellence, or Great Master of the Order; Colquipuma, or Lord of
the Silver Lion. Cuntur-apachecta is the distinguishing epithet applied
to the loftiest peaks of the Andes; denoting that these are sites among
which only the Condor, of all the tenants of the air, can take up his
abode.
[56] Here the translator would beg leave to remark, that the common
carrion vulture, or gallinaza, is a tame and useful scavenger, very fond
of taking up his station on spires, high walls, and house-tops: but,
as for the bold and soaring condor, he never saw him frequent crowded
cities, or sit on spires, as if this king of vultures had come in the
spirit of pride imagined by Dr. Unanue.
[57] That this belief in the moromoro’s strength and courage is founded
on fact, is not very improbable; and that the condor was believed
in ancient times, before sheep or lambs were known on the Andes, to
carry off young infants, appears from the small drinking-cups which
are sometimes dug from guacas, in which the stone is so cut out as to
represent the condor carrying off an infant in its talons. The pieces
of silver usually found in guacas are representations of natural
objects.—Translator.
[58] See Letter of Iturre to Mr. Muños: zancudos, flies, and mosquitos
are most troublesome in Andalusia.
N. B. The translator would not venture to decide the question, whether
the cimex be more abundant in the metropolis of France or of Peru; but he
considers it not unimportant to state, from his knowledge of the fact,
that the only effectual means of destroying these insects in Lima, where
they are certainly a great nuisance, is to brush over the bed with an
infusion of the bruised seeds of the anona (of Lambayeque) in lime or
lemon juice. For another set of tormentors, _fleas_, the natives on some
occasions use traps, consisting merely of a piece of _bayeta_ or baize,
which is placed on the part where the enemy is felt to bite; and, as soon
as the fleas get into it, they become so entangled in its meshes, that
they are caught and executed at once,—for even the fairest hand can show
them no mercy. It is curious to observe that, when one is affected with
a paroxysm of ague, no fleas come near him: either the aguish blood or
perspiration offends them.
The locust is one of the insects sometimes seen in multitudes on the
aroma trees of the warm valleys, which they strip of every leaf in a very
short time; just as the cauliflowers are devoured by caterpillars and
swarms of butterflies of great beauty. The glow-worm often shines among
the groves and avenues in a warm and dark night; and at Tarma, celebrated
for the fine texture and beautiful tints of its _ponchos_, the cochineal
insect is reared on beds of cacti, planted for the purpose, all round the
town.—Translator.
[59] The Indians of North America called God the Great Man. See
Jefferson’s note on Virginia, page 56.
[60] See Garcilaso, t. i. page 313.
[61] It is evident, from the concluding query and remark of Dr. Unanue,
that he suspected some speculators in the science of geology of no small
share of credulity; and it also appears that he had not himself examined
the bony fragments to which he alludes. Had these come to his hands,
it is probable that he might have been able to ascertain such specific
and distinct characters as should have served to satisfy him that the
teeth in his possession were not only by report, but in fact, parts of
those skeletons from among which they appear to have been picked up. We
may believe that they were conveyed to Lima chiefly on account of their
more portable size; while the other more unwieldy bones would have been
considered too heavy for being removed so far, by persons who may not
have known their scientific value to the geologist.—Translator.
[62] The periods of the great earthquakes of Peru are thus recorded by
Dr. Hipolito Unanue.
Arequipa. Lima. Quito.
In the year 1582 1586 1587
1604 1630 1645
1687 1687 1698
1715 1746 1757
1784 1806 1797
The same author also mentions the following epochs of volcanic explosions.
In Quito.
Cotopaxi, 1534, 1742, 1744.
Pichincha, 1539, 1566, 1577, 1660.
In Arequipa.
Quinistacas, 1600.
[63] Each “_topo_,” that is, an extent of 5,000 square yards of this
soil, is valued at 1,000 dollars; and every six weeks a harvest of
“_salitre_,” or the sub-carbonate of soda, is reaped by the owners.
[64] Vitor, here alluded to by Mr. Rivero, is one of the chief valleys
in the vicinity of Arequipa. It extends from inland, in a north-west
direction, to the large and well-watered valley of Quilca on the coast,
and to the north of Islay: on the other hand, to the south-west, is the
extensive, rich, and populous valley of Tambo.
Between the vales of Vitor and Tambo there is a sandy, hot desert,
(intensely cold at midnight,) with a gradual ascent, through which passes
the road from Islay to Arequipa; and on the scorched plain, great numbers
of wearied and exhausted cattle are let loose to perish for want of water
and pasture; so that along the way-side are to be seen the skeletons
and hides of animals sun-dried, and in different grotesque attitudes.
Travellers have remarked that along this arid plain, which extends about
twenty leagues inland, there are numerous moveable sandhills of regular
figure like a half-moon, with the convex side always looking to the
sea.—Translator.
[65] Arequipa is above the level of the sea, according to Mr. Rivero’s
observations, 2704 yards; but he considers that Mr. Pentland has been
more exact in estimating its altitude, with the barometer of Fortin, at
2697 yards.
[66] Some months ago, the attention of the public had been called to
this subject by the Hon. P. Campbell Scarlett, in a work entitled South
America and The Pacific; and, only a few weeks since, a prospectus
of a new steam-packet company, under the denomination of Pacific
Steam Navigation Company, has been circulated in London. Mr. William
Wheelwright has, we believe, the merit of being the zealous projector of
this very important undertaking, which now promises to be crowned with
success.
[67] “_Huascar’s chain of gold._”—See Garcilaso de la Vega. Huascar, in
Quichua, signifies ‘chain;’ and that Inca was so called from an immense
chain of gold which was made in his honour. If I remember well, Garcilaso
tells us that it required eight hundred men to support the weight of it.
It remains buried to this day in a lake not far from Cuzco.
[68] “_Let Indian pipe._”—The Indians of Alto Peru mourn the Incas in
“tristes,” which they play upon a kind of pipe. In the time of the
Spaniards, at one time they were forbidden to tune these mournful airs,
from political motives.
[69] “_And Indian maid._”—Many of the Indian women wear a dark drapery
suspended from the left shoulder, and falling down to the mid-leg, as
mourning for their Incas.
[70] Who is insensible to the sad wild note of the cuculi, the
nightingale of this country?
[71] Let any one see the snow-capt mountains at the back of Lima, and
that city of spires lying among the dark orange groves at their feet,
at daybreak from Callao, and he will say the sight is worth a stave at
least; and yet I wish I had never seen it.
[72] Buena Vista, the seat of John Thomas, Esq.
[73] The famous Temple of Pachacamac, whose mighty ruins form a beautiful
object from Buena Vista. Pachacamac, like the Temple of Cholula on the
plains of Mexico, is a sort of made mountain or vast terraced pyramid
of earth. It would be difficult to produce any evidence more conclusive
to the benignity of the climate than that which is exhibited on the
interior walls of this temple, whereof the mud plaster, though exposed
for centuries to the action of the atmosphere, remains to this day with
its rude paintings of red and yellow ochre as inviolate and fresh as if
it were the work of yesterday. By the bye, it may not be impertinent
to mention, that, among these paintings, we find what is called the
Grecian Scroll, which, if I am not mistaken, the Grecians borrowed
from the Egyptians. This may serve to throw some light upon the origin
of Pachacamac. Like that of Mexico,—nay, with still more emphatic
gesture,—the gigantic architecture of Peru points to the Cyclopian
family, the founders of the Temple of Babel and of the Egyptian Pyramids.
I believe (see Garcilaso) that the Temple of Pachacamac was standing when
that part of the coast was conquered by the Incas, so that there is no
knowing its age.
[74] Old Green’s Nonpareil, where the Hearts of Oak meet.
[75] “_Like stars_,” &c.—The milky way, which, by the bye, is far
grander in the southern than in the northern hemisphere, seems to have
been formed by the mutual gravitation of myriads of stars. The dark
spots which follow the course of that magnificent nebula, on each side
of it, are probably the spaces which the stars have left vacant and
lustreless.—See Herschel on Nebulæ.
THE END.
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