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T RAVELS 


[N 


VARIOUS  PARTS  OF  PERU, 


INCLUDING  A  YEAR'S  RESIDENCE  IN 


POTOSI, 


BY  EDMOND  TEMPLE, 

KNICH1     OF    THE    ROYAL    AND    DISTINGUISHED    ORDER    OF    CHARLES    II 


"  Five  advantages  thou  wilt  at  leas   procure  by  travelling.    Thou  wilt  have  pleasure,  and 
profit;  thou  wilt  enlarge  thy  prospect;  cultivate  thyself;  and  acquire  friends." 

\r.UKin    AND   AliUSIH. 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 
VOL.  I. 


LONDON : 

HENRY  COLBURN  AND    RICHARD  BENTLEY, 

NEW  BURLINGTON  STREET. 

1830. 


LONDON : 
I'KINTED  BY  SAMUBL    BF.NTLEY, 
Dorset  Street,  Fleet  Street. 


TO 

WILLIAM  STUART, 

OF   TEMPS  FORD   HALL,    ESQ. 

THESE  VOLUMES 
ARE    INSCRIBED,    IN   TESTIMONY  OF   SINCERE  REGARD, 
BY  HIS  AFFECTIONATE  FRIEND, 

EDMOND  TEMPLE. 


London, 

March,  1830. 


PREFAC  E. 


The  volumes  here  presented  to  the  public 
contain  notes  of  any  thing  and  every  thing 
that  I  either  saw,  heard,  or  thought,  which 
appeared  to  me  deserving  of  insertion  in  a 
journal,  kept  from  the  period  of  my  leaving 
England  for  South  America  until  my  return  ; 
so  that — A  Journal  of  various  events  and 

OCCURRENCES     DURING    TWO    YEARS     AND     A 

half — would  have  been  the  appropriate  title  ; 
but,  as  the  most  novel,  and,  I  hope  it  may 
be  found,  the  most  interesting  portion  of  the 
work,  relates  to  excursions  in  Peru,  I  have  on 
that  account  been  induced  to  adopt  the  one 
which  is  now  prefixed.  This,  however,  im- 
poses on  me  the  necessity,  not  only  of  be- 
speaking patience,  but  of  maintaining  good- 
humour  during  a  long  voyage  and  a  long  jour- 
ney, before  I  arrive  in  the  ancient  territories  of 
the  Incas,  into  which,  from   the  title-page,  my 


VI  PREFACE. 

readers  may  probably  expect  to  be  at  once  in- 
troduced. Indeed,  the  fate  of  any  work  pre- 
tending to  entertainment  more  than  to  in- 
formation  depends,  in  a  great  degree,  on  the 
good-humour  and  indulgence  of  the  reader, 
who,  on  his  part,  ought  not  to  expect  too  much, 
recollecting  that  a  uniformly  agreeable  book  is 
almost  as  rare  as  a  uniformly  agreeable  compa- 
nion. "  Yos  lectures  dans  ce  genre  auraient  dii 
vous  persuader  que  les  vrais  ouvrages  d'agre- 
ment  sont  aussi  rares  que  les  gens  vraiment 
aimables."  * 

Numerous  travellers  have  written  on  the 
present  state  of  South  America,  and,  although 
I  have  myself  not  overlooked  existing  circum- 
stances, yet,  I  confess,  that  I  have  taken  greater 
pleasure  in  contemplating  what  that  country 
may,  and  most  probably  will,  become,  than  in  ex- 
patiating on  subjects  of  which  we  have  heard  so 
much  from  others.  All  the  physical  elements 
of  greatness  there  exist,  the  moral  only  are  what 
require  to  be  called  forth  and  developed.  Un- 
der this  idea,  the  views  which  I  have  taken 
of  the  country  and  its  inhabitants,  are  for  the 
most  part  prospective. 

From  the  nature  of  my  visit  to  South  Ame- 
rica, and  the  situation  which   I  there  filled,  it 

*  D'Alewbert,  Apo/ogic  de  r Etude. 


PREFACE.  Vll 

can  scarcely  be  expected  that  I  should  have  al- 
together abstained  from  the  trite  and  somewhat 
wearisome  topic  of  mines  and  mining.  On 
that  subject  I  bestowed  much  attention,  and 
the  result  of  my  researches  is  a  firm  conviction, 
confirmed  by  frequent  communication  with 
persons  of  practical  knowledge,  that  those  spe- 
culations, if  conducted  with  ordinary  prudence, 
cannot  fail  of  being  extremely  beneficial;  while, 
under  the  management  of  agents  of  zeal  and 
integrity,  possessing  activity  and  decision  of 
character,  such  as  distinguished  the  chief  Com- 
missioner of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata  Company,  no 
loss,  certainly  none  of  any  importance,  can  pos- 
sibly occur  to  the  speculators  ;  because,  on  the 
one  hand,  misappropriation  of  the  funds  is  not 
to  be  apprehended,  and,  on  the  other,  due  vi- 
gilance may  at  all  times  guard  against  the  con- 
sequences of  local  interruption. 

To  state  that  my  remarks  are  generally  given 
as  they  were  noted  on  the  spot,  may  be  a  mat- 
ter of  no  moment ;  but  it  is  requisite  to  ob- 
serve, that,  in  preparing  them  for  publication, 
I  have  in  some  few  instances  arranged  them, 
not  in  the  order  in  which  they  were  successively 
made,  but  according  to  their  connection  with, 
or  reference  to,  the  subject  which  I  may  be 
discussing. 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

A  journal  of  the  occurrences  of  a  traveller's 
life  must  necessarily  exhibit  an  ever-varying 
succession  of  diverse  events  and  subjects  :  many 
of  those  described  in  the  following  pages,  1 
would  fain  believe,  are  new,  so  far  as  regards 
publications  on  South  America;  some  of  them, 
perhaps,  the  grave,  sober,  and  plodding  tra- 
veller, might  not  have  condescended  to  notice ; 
still,  I  cannot  but  think  that  what  one  party 
(all  its  members,  too,  of  different  countries 
and  pursuits,  as  were  my  brother-travellers 
and  myself,)  felt  deep  interest  in  witness- 
ing, another  party  may  feel  some  interest  in 
hearing  or  reading  of.  How  far  this  opinion  is 
correct  in  the  present  instance,  I  now  leave  the 
reader  to  judge. 


KRRATA. 

'age    81,  firth  line,  foi  "  Jib-down !— Haul  !"  read  Jib  down  haul  I 
95,  third  lino  from  bottom,  dele  "  Bquare." 
I'M,  iweltih  line,  I or  "although  the  instrument  was  graduated,"  nail  but  Hi 

instrument  was  only  graduated, 
195,  twenty  sixth  line,  fur  "  shortly,"  read  casually, 
liiti,  third  line,  I'm  "piuede,"  read  piertle. 
289,  fifteenth  lino,  foi  "  chiea,"  read  chicha. 
301,  third  line,  foi  "  13,000,"  nail  13,400. 
iiii.  eleventh  line,  for  "fail  being,"  read  fail  <.i  being. 
343,  second  line,  for  "  which  actually,"  read  which  were  actually. 
419,  eleventh  line,  for  "  with  respect  to,"  read  with  reference  i<> 


C  ()  N  T  E  N  T  S 
OF   THE    FIRST   VOLUME. 


CHAPTER  1. 

Formation  of  the  Potosi  Mining  Association. — Departure  of 
the  first  division  of  its  establishment  for  Buenos  Ay  res. — 
Shipwreck  of  the  Prince  Ernest  packet. —  Providential 
escape. — Turtle  versus  Dolphin.  .  .         Page   1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Pass  the  Canary  and  Cape  Verd  Islands. — Sudden  and  fre- 
quent changes  of  weather. — Excessive  rain. — Stories  of 
Sharks.         .  .  .  .  .  1G 

CHAPTER  III. 

Sketch  of  daily  proceedings  on  board  a  Ten-gun  Brig- 
Packet.  .  .  .  32 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Pass  the  Equator. — A  Comet. — Magellan  Clouds. — Making 
all  snug  in  a  Gaic. —  Enter  the  River  Plate.  — Disappoint- 
ment in  Landing. — Termination  of  the  Voyage.       .        43 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 


A  sudden  Storm. — Awkward  landing  of  the  Passengers. — 
Arrival  at  Buenos  Ayres. — Faunch's  Hotel. — Caution  to 
Servants. — Change  in  Ecclesiastical  affairs. — Advertise- 
ments in  the  Newspapers.  .  .  Page  55 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Preparations  to  cross  the  Pampas. — Leave  Buenos  Ayres 
with  a  formidable  cavalcade. — Region  of  thistles. — -Appe- 
tite of  the  Peones.  —  Gauchos.  —  Biscacho.  —  Excessive 
heat. — Pampa  Indians. — Trifling  consideration  set  on  a 
bullock. — Confusion  occasioned  by  a  Pampero. — Immense 
herds  of  cattle  on  the  Pampas. — Extent  of  the  Pampas. — 
Comparison  of  the  scenery  of  the  Pampas  with  the  Steppes 
of  Russia.  .....  69 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Arrival  at  Cordova. — Expenses  of  a  family  in  that  city. — 
Father  Lorenzo. — Attendants  at  table. — Departure  from 
Cordova. — Vinchucas. — Locusts. — Jesu  Maria. — Post  of 
Mocha.  —  Change  of  scenery.  —  Meeting  of  travellers.    91 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Performances  of  Post-horses. — Dispute  with  an  Alcalde. — 
River  Saladillo. — Delightful  serenity  of  the  nights. — The 
Balsa  described. — Excessive  heat. — Santiago  dei  Estero.  — 
First  glimpse  of  branches  of  the  Cordilleras.  .        112 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Tucuman. — Fertility  of  its  soil.— Petty  revolutions. — Visit 
to  an  Orange-grove. — Botas  dc  potro. — Purchase  of  horses. 


CONTENTS.  Xl 

—  Expense  of  shoeing. — Visit  to  the  Convent  of  Lules. — 
Carnival  revels.  — Character  of  the  Tncumanos.    Page  140 

CHAPTER  X. 

Disputed  account. — Departure  from  Tucuman Interesting 

scenery. — Arrival  at  Las  Trancas. — Its  ruins.— Descrip- 
tion of  the  recent  Earthquake.  .  .  166 

CHAPTER  XI. 

An  infant  friar. — Appearance  given  to  the  atmosphere  by 
Locusts.  —  Hot-springs  of  Rosario. — Reception  at  the 
house  of  a  private  gentleman. — Ceremonious  habit  of  com- 
pliment derived  from  the  Spaniards. — Countess  D'Aunoy. 
— Loss  of  property  by  the  Revolution.  .  .184 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Hospitality  to  strangers. — Tigers. — Rio  de  las  Piedras. — 
Difficulties  of  the  roads. — Armadillos. — Rapidity  of  the 
River  Passage.  —  Doubts  entertained  on  the  extraordi- 
nary relations  of  travellers.  —  Romantic  situation  of 
the  village  of  Cobos. — Adventure  on  horseback. — Arrival 
at  Salta.  .  .  .  201 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Want  of  Public  Accommodation. — Expenses  of  our  jour- 
ney from  Buenos  Ayres  to  Salta. — Decree  in  favour  of 
Emigration. —  Fever  and  Ague.  —  Expense  of  living  at 
Salta. — Price  of  a  considerable  Estate  in  the  Province 
of  Salta. — Agriculture  a  promising  Speculation  in  South 
America.  .  .  .  .217 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Departure  from  Salta. — Passage  of  streams  and  torrents. — 
Arrival  at  Jujui. — Wonderful  Scenery. — Poison  of  vipers 
occasionally  harmless. — Sagacity  of  mules  and  horses  in 
passing  dangerous  places. — Desolate  post-house. — Arrival 
at  Tupiza.  ....  Page  238 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Pedestrian  performances  of  Peruvian  Indians. — Their  cha- 
racter.— Early  age  at  which  the  females  marry,  and  their 
premature  decay. — Llamas. — No  hai,  SeHor! — No  hai  nada, 
SeTior-' — Trifling  disappointment.  — Stage  from  Caiza  to 
Potosi. — Mountain  of  Potosi. — Arrival  in  the  Imperial 
city.  ...  265 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Rapturous  effusion  of  a  Native  on  the  riches  produced  from 
the  mines  of  Potosi. — A  stroll  through  the  city. — Zorochi. 
— Climate  of  Potosi. — Visit  to  the  summit  of  the  Moun- 
tain.— Its  height.— City  of  Potosi  higher  than  Quito. — 
Method  of  extracting  the  Silver  from  the  ores.  —  Wanton 
destruction  of  mifiing  property.  —  Mistaken  notions  of  Eu- 
ropeans respecting  Mines  and  Mining  in  South  America. 
— Enormous  wealth  extracted  from  the  Mountain  of 
Potosi.  ....  288 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Opening  of  the  College  of  Pichincha.—  Improvement  in  the 
public  mind.  —  Purchase  of  pictures.- — < Barbarous  edict 
against  dogs. — House-rent. — Visit  to  the  lakes. — Mining 
district  of  Puno.  .  ...        883 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Anxiety  and  ennui  in  the  midst  of  merriment. — Sudden 
check  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Potosi  Mining  Associa- 
tion.— Letter  from  the  Secretary  to  the  Directors. — Mis- 
taken confidence. — Alarming  operation. — Military  'les- 
potism. — Diligencia  publica. — Dona  Juliana.      Page  361 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Departure  for  Chuquisaca.  —  Unexpected  rencontre  at  a 
post-house. — River  Pilcomayo. — Hospitable  reception  at 
Chuquisaca. — Interview  with  the  President.  —  Ladies. — 
Colleges. —  Clergy. — Juste  Dieu,  quel  tourment! — A  mys- 
terious dispatch.  ....  384 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Peruvian  Indians. — Still  subject  to  ill  treatment. — Patient 
and  tractable  under  kind  usage. — Summary  proceeding 
of  a  self-constituted  judge.       .  .  .     424 


L.mojma.-  w,.si  (bam  GzeWarich  ^ 

'  '  ■■-'     -  ■      -f."' 

VIO  lV>  &Q  B\0 


Engraved  ibr  TempUs.  Journal  by  SUK  Hull 
londmJPubHthed  In  Cotburn ..<■  Ben&mr  .!>•»•  BurHnton  Sir.  1630 


TRAVELS  IN  PERU. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Formation  of  the  Potosi  Mining  Association.— Departure  of 
the  first  division  of  its  establishment  for  Buenos  Ayres. — 
Shipwreck  of  the  Prince  Ernest  packet.  — Providential 
escape. — Turtle  versus  Dolphin. 

One  of  the  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine 
speculations  of  the  all-speculating  year  1825 
was  the  "  Potosi,  La  Paz,  and  Peruvian  Mining 
Association ;"  the  object  of  which  was  to  work 
the  far-famed  mines  of  Potosi  and  sundry  others 
in  Peru.  The  Company  commenced  its  ope- 
rations for  this  "  grande  ct  belle  eiitreprise"  (so 
Baron  Humboldt  was  pleased  to  term  it)  upon 
the  extensive  and  prodigal  scale  adopted  by 
its  sister  Associations  ;  and,  from  among  a  long 
list  of  persons  selected  to  fill  numerous  official 

vol.   I.  H 


2  THE    AUTHOlt  S    ANOINTMENT. 

situations,  at  home  and  abroad,  I  was  appointed 
to  that  of  secretary  to  the  establishment  at 
Potosi.  Never  did  secretary  of  the  richest  trea- 
sury in  Europe  receive  his  appointment  with 
greater  certainty  of  acquiring  fortune  than  I 
did,  when  named  chief  of  the  office  for  re- 
gistering the  treasures  to  be  drawn  from  the 
mines  of  America.  My  first  act  was  to  employ 
brokers  to  buy  up  all  the  shares  that  could 
possibly  be  procured  for  all  the  money  I  had  to 
dispose  of  in  so  eligible  an  investment;  but, 
from  the  high  premium  they  bore  in  the  market, 
a  few  hundred  pounds  went  a  very  short  way  in- 
deed in  the  purchase  of  such  valuable  property. 
I  had,  however,  in  my  run  of  luck,  the  good 
fortune  to  obtain  what  I  considered  sufficient 
to  insure  independence,  ease,  and  luxury,  which 
the  Latins  call  "  otium  cum  dignitatc"  to  my- 
self and  posterity  in  endless  perpetuity  ! 

On  the  22nd  of  September,  1825,  it  was 
signified  at  the  Post-office  that  a  packet  was 
appointed  to  convey  the  mail  and  despatches  to 
Buenos  Ayres.  This  usual  monthly  notice  was 
the  signal  for  the  instant  departure  of  the  first 
division  of  the  establishment  of  the  Potosi 
Mining  Association,  consisting  of  General  Pa- 
roissien,  the  chief  commissioner ;  Baron  de 
Czettritz,  the  chief  of  the  mining  department; 


DEPARTURE    FROM    LONDON.  3 

Mr.  Scriviner,  a  young  gentleman  of  the  mine- 
ralogical  department ;  and  your  most  obedient, 
&  c.  &c. ;  also  two  domestics,  and  Carlo,  a  fa- 
vourite spaniel. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  orders  being 
issued  by  the  Board  of  Directors  for  our  de- 
parture, portmanteaus,  chests,  bags,  and  boxes, 
were  packed  in  all  the  confusion  of  hurry,  and 
these  were  again  packed  in  and  on  a  highly 
fashionable  carriage,  provided  for  our  conve- 
nience by  the  Association,  together  with  a 
quantity  of  gingerbread-nuts  and  peppermint- 
drops,  to  comfort  us  on  our  journey  across  the 
continent  of  South  America.  In  the  outfit  of 
this  establishment  no  expense  was  spared  that 
could  contribute  to  the  luxury  and  the  dignity 
of  those  individuals,  who  were  expected  soon  to 
make  ample  returns  of  gold  and  silver  in  repay- 
ment of  the  expenses  that  were  now  so  pro- 
fusely lavished. 

We  left  London  at  seven  in  the  evening, 
thereby  gaining  one  hour's  start  of  the  mail ; 
and,  in  order  to  keep  this  advantage,  we  sent 
forward  to  every  stage  an  express  to  have  four 
horses  in  readiness,  which  added  considerably 
to  the  6clat  and  consequence  of  the  travellers, 
but  tended  little  to  expedite  the  journey  ;  for 
the    mail   overtook   us   at   Exeter,    and,  from 

B  2 


4  ARRIVAL    AT    FALMOUTH. 

Exeter  to  Falmouth,  it  left  us  full  five  hours 
behind ;  so  that,  had  it  not  been  for  an  order 
from  the  Foreign  Office  to  detain  the  packet, 
we  should  have  arrived  at  Falmouth — "just  in 
time  to  be  too  late  !" 

But,  on  stopping  at  Selly's  Hotel,  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  24th,  we  were  as  delighted  to  see  the 
captain  of  our  packet  standing  at  the  door,  as 
he  was  to  see  us  arrive  ;  for,  having  laid  in  an 
ample  sea-stock  in  expectation  of  us,  he  began 
to  apprehend  the  loss  of  £74  for  each  cabin 
passenger,  £36  for  each  steerage  passenger,  and 
£30  for  our  handsome  carriage. 

We  remained  at  Falmouth  Sunday,  Mon- 
day, and  Tuesday,  which  enabled  us  to  make 
an  excursion  to  the  copper-mines  of  Cornwall ; 
a  very  natural  visit  for  gentlemen  of  our  call- 
ing ;  but  every  thing,  of  course,  appeared  ex- 
ceedingly mean  and  inferior  to  those  who  were 
soon  to  dig  and  to  delve  for  gold  and  silver  in 
the  mines  of  the  New  World. 

For  myself,  I  blush  to  confess  it,  I  was  in 
a  state  of  the  most  profound  ignorance  respect- 
ing all  that  I  saw  or  heard.  Smelting,  amal- 
gamating, assaying,  separating,  washing,  roast- 
ing, crushing,  sifting,  and  huddling,  the  ores, 
was  all  Greek  to  me ;  and  when  I  got  home,  I 
recollected  nothing  except  a  steam-engine,  at 


THE    1TIOLIC    PACKET.  5 

the  Consolidated  Mine,  said  to  be,  if  I  mis- 
take not,  of  between  eight  hundred  and  one 
thousand-horse  power,  capable  of  pumping  up 
seven  hundred  and  sixty-eight  gallons  of  water 
in  one  minute  of  time,  or  one  million  one 
hundred  and  five  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
twenty  gallons  in  the  course  of  twenty-four 
hours,  from  a  depth  of  twelve  hundred  feet. 

On  the  28th,  at  eleven  o'clock,  his  Majesty's 
packet-brig  Frolic  fired  a  gun  as  a  signal  of 
having  received  the  mail  and  despatches.  No 
time  was  lost  in  getting  on  board,  and  by  one 
o'clock  we  were  under  all  sail,  running  down 
Channel  with  a  fine  fresh  breeze  from  E.S.E. 

We  found  the  Frolic  fitted  up,  like  all  the 
packets  of  the  same  class,  with  little  side-berths, 
several  inches  wide  and  a  few  feet  long,  large 
enough  for  persons  of  moderate  dimensions  to 
stretch  and  turn  in,  but  rather  a  tight  fit,  I 
guess,  for  those  who  pride  themselves  on  their 
height  or  magnitude.  The  height  of  our  state- 
cabin,  too,  was  such  as  to  require  great  pre- 
caution in  the  exercise  of  our  locomotive  pow- 
ers, and  doomed  some  of  my  companions  to  a 
never-ceasing  curvature  of  the  body,  very  dif- 
ferent from  that  pleasing  line  of  beauty  which, 
we  are  told,  is  to  be  found  in  "  the  graceful 
bend." 


0  SEA-SICKNESS. 

On  the  upper  deck,  large  coops,  and  larger 
boxes,  converted  into  supernumerary  coops, 
were  ranged  on  each  side,  crammed  with  fowls — 
though  the  unhappy  animals  never  exhibited 
the  appearance  of  crammed  fowls  when  served 
at  table.  From  under  the  forecastle  proceeded 
a  melody  which  apprised  us  still  farther  of  the 
provision  laid  in  for  our  voyage ;  pigs,  geese, 
ducks,  and  turkeys,  not  yet  accustomed  to  their 
imprisonment,  in  notes  peculiar  to  themselves, 
gave  viva  voce  evidence  of  their  uneasiness,  far 
exceeding  the  shouts  of  the  sailors  in  weigh- 
ing the  anchor  and  hoisting  the  sails. 

Soon  were  to  be  seen  "  masts,  spires,  and 
strand,  retiring  to  the  right,"  and  soon  were  to 
be  seen,  retiring  to  both  right  and  left,  my  com- 
panions and  myself,  with  every  particle  of  our 
animal  spirits  in  visible  dejection.  "  Oh,  dear !" 
said  I,  in  a  more  than  half  audible  ejaculation, 
"  here  we  are,  inmates  of  this  Noah's'  ark  con- 
fused, for  at  least  two  full  months  to  come !" — 
and  then  I  was  sick  again. 

So  Juan  stood,  bewilder'd,  on  the  deck  : 
The  wind  sung,  cordage  strain'd,  and  sailors  swore, 

And  the  ship  creak'd;  the  town  became  a  speck, 
From  which  away  so  fair  and  fast  they  bore. 

The  best  of  remedies  is  a  beef-steak 

Against  sea-sickness  ; — try  it,  friend,  before 

You  sneer. 


BAY    OF    BISCAY.  7 

And  so  I  did — but  I  never  found  a  beef-steak, 
or  any  tiling  else,  a  remedy  against  sea-sickness ; 
neither  indeed  did  Don  Juan  himself,  for  he 
afterwards  says, 

A  mind  diseased  no  remedy  can  physic — 
And  what  disease  is  worse  than  to  be  sea-sick  ? 

None  that  I  know  of-— the  chilling  heaviness 
of  heart  and  stomach  that  attends  it  admits  of 
no  balm. 

The  breeze  carried  us  about  two  hundred 
miles,  and  then  left  us  to  give  place  to  heavy 
gales  of  wind  from  the  S.  W.  which  tossed  us 
over  and  under  the  tremendous  waves  of  the 
Bay  of  Biscay  for  several  dreary  days. 

A  ship,  struggling  in  a  storm,  is  an  interest- 
ing sight,  whatever  it  may  be  to  those  on  board. 
A  late  modern  author  has  remarked,  that  in 
this  dilemma  men  are  generally  disposed  to  re- 
sort to  "  rum  and  religion"  for  consolation  ;  but 
another  modern  author,  of  less  levity,  and  with 
more  prudence  and  judgment,  observes,  that  it 
is  then  the  soul  is  drawn  to  Heaven  by  a  sort 
of  natural  impulse,  not  always,  perhaps,  pro- 
ceeding from  an  emotion  of  piety,  but  from  a 
feeling  conviction  that  every  other  refuge  is 
"  a  refuge  of  lies." 

The  following  little  narrative,  related  to  me 


8  SHIPWRECK    OF    THE 

by  the  principal  actor  in  it,  deserves,  I  think,  a 
place  here,  as  being  in  some  degree  connected 
with  the  last  observation. 

The  commander  of  the  ship  which  I  am  now 
on  board,  when  thrown  out  of  employment, 
with  hundreds  of  others,  at  the  period  of  peace 
—  that  sudden  downfal  to  martial  ambition 
— that  abhorred  state  of  national  tranquillity — 
purchased  the  Prince  Ernest,  a  Lisbon  packet, 
and  commanded  her  in  the  service  of  the  Post- 
office  for  several  years.  In  this  ship,  to  use  his 
own  words,  he  "  embarked  all  the  hard  earn- 
ings of  twenty  years'  service,  and  all  his  prize- 
money  to  boot ;"  of  which,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  hundred  pounds,  he  was  in  one  un- 
lucky hour  entirely  bereft. 

He  had  just  arrived,  with  the  mail  from  Eng- 
land, at  Gibraltar,  and  was  on  shore  at  that 
place,  when  a  heavy  gale  of  wind  arose,  and 
prevented  him  from  returning  to  his  ship  ;  but, 
in  the  scene  of  confusion  and  distress  which 
ensued  amongst  the  shipping  in  the  bay,  he  had 
the  satisfaction  of  observing  that  the  Prince 
Ernest  remained  steadily  at  her  anchors. 

The  gale  increased  ;  guns  were  fired  ;  various 
signals  of  distress  appeared  in  all  parts  of  the 
bay,  and  forty -nine  vessels  were  already  driven 
on  shore.     Still  the  Prince  Ernest  held  on,  and 


PRINCE    ERNEST    PACKET.  9 

a  lull  (as  the  sailors  term  a  pause  in  a  gale  of 
wind)  taking  place,  it  was  supposed  that  there 
was  an  end  to  the  scene  of  destruction.  It  fre- 
quently happens,  however,  that  lulls  are  fol- 
lowed by  the  heaviest  part  of  the  gale,  as  if 
the  wind  took  breath  to  come  on  with  the 
greater  fury.  It  proved  so  in  the  present  case. 
The  cables  parted  ;  the  mournful  signal-gun  was 
fired,  and  the  ensign,  hoisted  with  its  union 
downward,  indicated  distress  :  but  to  render  any 
assistance  was  impossible.  In  a  few  minutes 
the  captain,  amongst  thousands  of  spectators 
on  the  shore,  saw  his  ship  driven  upon  the  rocks 
and  totally  wrecked.  The  crew,  except  one 
man  who  perished,  were  with  difficulty  saved. 

Shortly  after  this  disaster,  my  friend  was  ap- 
pointed to  his  present  command  in  the  Frolic, 
and,  on  his  very  first  voyage,  which  was  to 
North  America,  the  ship,  one  boisterous  night, 
running  between  six  and  seven  knots  an  hour, 
struck  upon  a  sandbank,  off  the  coast  of  Hali- 
fax, which  proved  to  be  Sable  Island ;  a  bleak, 
uninhabited  spot,  surrounded  by  rocks,  just 
above  the  surface  of  the  sea,  which  has  proved 
fatal  to  hundreds  of  vessels  and  thousands  of 
lives — so  fatal,  I  have  been  told,  that  if  the 
crews  have  sometimes  succeeded  in  saving 
themselves,  there  is  scarcely  an  instance  of  the 


10      PERILOUS    SITUATION    OF    THE    FROLIC 

vessel  that  once  touched  upon  it  escaping  total 
shipwreck. 

It  is  the  nature  of  a  British  sailor  never  to 
despair ;  the  greater  the  difficulty  into  which 
he  is  thrown,  and  the  more  imminent  the 
danger,  the  more  deliberate  are  his  plans,  and 
the  more  energetic  is  he  in  the  execution  of 
them.  Above  all,  that  cool,  determined  cou- 
rage which  nothing  can  appal,  never  forsakes 
him,  but  tends  by  its  example  to  regulate  the 
conduct  of  the  whole :  it  checks  the  intempe- 
rate, animates  the  feeble,  inspires  confidence, 
keeps  hope  alive,  and  preserves  that  order  and 
discipline,  without  which  the  best  designs  are 
frustrated  and  the  most  active  efforts  rendered 
abortive.  In  the  present  instance,  all  the  ster- 
ling qualities  of  the  British  sailor  were  requisite, 
and  all  were  called  into  action.  Skill,  calm- 
ness, courage,  activity,  and  perseverance,  com- 
mand on  one  hand  and  obedience  on  the  other, 
were  jointly  and  severally  practised  on  board 
the  Frolic  during  a  long  and  dreary  night,  the 
wind  and  the  rain  unceasing  and  increasing, 
and  the  waves  making  a  clear  breach  over  the 
vessel,  whilst  she  beat  upon  the  rocks  with  a 
force  that  left  but  little  hope  to  the  wearied 
crew  of  seeing  another  day :  all  were  aware  of 
the  fatal  spot  on  which  they  were  cast. 


ON    SABLE    ISLAND.  11 

The  master,  an  old  experienced  seaman,  (if 
thirty  years'  constant  practice  in  the  dangers 
of  the  sea  entitles  to  that  appellation,)  when 
consulted  by  his  commander,  and  asked  "  What 
can  we  do  now,  old  boy  ?  What  do  you  think 
of  it  ?" — replied  in  terms  which  may  be  fairly 
said  to  illustrate  the  'ruling  passion' — "  Think 
of  it,  sir  ?  why,  I  think  there  will  not  be  one 
of  us  left  to  take  the  sun  to-morrow." 

The  landsman  who  glances  over  these  pages 
may  need  to  be  informed,  that  it  is  the  duty  of 
the  master  to  "  take  the  sun "  every  day  at 
twelve  o'clock  when  it  is  visible,  and  this  is 
called  the  "  observation,"  by  which  the  latitude 
of  the  ship  is  ascertained.  The  old  master's 
last  thoughts  (or  what  were  considered  very 
near  his  last  thoughts)  were  therefore  directed 
to  one  of  his  principal  duties :  he  was  not  in 
the  least  dismayed  by  the  scene  around  him, 
but  seemed  to  regret  exceedingly  that  the 
chances  were  against  his  "  taking  the  sun"  the 
next  day. 

Hard  and  harder  blew  the  wind,  incessantly 
poured  the  rain,  and  louder  roared  the  sea 
around  them  and  over  them,  the  darkness  of 
the  night  completing  the  scene  of  distress. 

To  lighten  the  ship,  the  water  was  started  in 
the  hold  ;  provisions,  and  shot,  and  chain-cables, 


12  PROVIDENTIAL    ESCAPE. 

and  stores  of  all  kinds,  were  thrown  overboard, 
but  to  no  purpose — wreck  was  deemed  certain. 

Before  the  day  began  to  dawn,  the  tempest 
was  at  its  height,  and  the  vessel  in  so  hopeless 
a  state,  that  seeing  their  exertions  useless,  and 
admitting  that  no  human  effort  could  avert 
their  destruction,  the  crew  gathered  round  their 
captain  on  the  quarter-deck,  and  there  calmly 
resigned  themselves  to  the  will  of  Him,  whose 
mercy,  nevertheless,  they  with  one  accord  hum- 
bly implored  ;  and,  lo  !  in  that  moment,  when  all 
hands  had  given  up  all  as  lost,  the  vessel  floated — 
it  was  not  known  how !  She  cleared  the  rocks  ! 
it  was  thought  impossible— she  was  at  sea,  safely 
scudding  before  the  wind !  Excessive  joy  did 
not  prevent  the  ready  and  grateful  acknowledg- 
ment that  Providence  was  the  guiding  star 
which  beamed  upon  their  darkened  way,  that 
the  Sovereign  Ruler  of  the  world  was  the  pilot 
who  steered  them  in  safety  through  the  storm. 

Wind,  weather,  knots,  latitude,  longitude, 
course,  and  distance,  are  the  daily,  and  often 
the  only  subjects  of  remark  on  board  ship.  The 
sailor  who  is  accustomed  to  pass  months,  years, 
and  perhaps  his  life,  in  the  "  floating  prison," 
contents  himself  with  these  professional  re- 
marks ;  or,  if  he  condescends  to  notice  other 


MONOTONY    OF    A    SEA- LIFE.  13 

occurrences,  it  is  generally  in  exceedingly  con- 
cise terms.  The  great  sameness  in  a  sea-life, 
and  the  difficulty  of  finding  wherewithal  to  eke 
out  a  journal,  is  proved  by  a  well-known  ex- 
tract from  one,  entitled,  "  Journal  of  a  Voyage 
from  Liverpool  to  the  West  Indies,  and  home 
again  ;"  in  which,  the  only  interesting  remark, 
from  first  to  last,  was,  on  "  Friday,  twentieth 
November,  A.M.  moderate  breezes  and  hazy : 
at  noon  caught  a  dolphin.  P.M.  ditto  weather 
— at  one  let  him  ero  again. " 

Whoever  writes,  be  it  much  or  little,  be  it 
well  or  ill,  is  sure  of  incurring  the  censure  of 
some  one,  and  therefore  I  cannot  expect  to  es- 
cape ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  like  every  author, 
I  hope  to  meet  with  the  approbation  of  some 
one :  for  who  ever  gave  his  productions  to  the 
world  without  believing  that  they  possessed 
at  least  a  little  trifling  something  or  other  to 
recommend  them  ?  For  my  own  part,  I  am 
determined  to  please,  and  that  ought  to  go  a 
great  way  to  insure  indulgence,  since  it  suc- 
ceeds through  life,  nine  times  out  of  ten,  with 
those  who  practise  the  determination.  I  shall, 
therefore,  as  opportunity  invites  and  as  incli- 
nation prompts,  proceed  with  this  Journal  after 
my  own   method ;    and  I  promise,  among  as 


14  CATCHING    A    TURTLE. 

many  trifling  incidents  no  doubt,  something  to 
the  full  as  interesting,  though  not  so  concise,  as 
the  story  of  the  dolphin.     For  instance : — 

October  9th.  A  dead  calm ;  the  vessel  lazily 
rolling  in  a  long  slow  mountainous  swell,  and 
all  on  board  as  listless  and  as  lifeless  as  the  ship. 
Suddenly,  a  voice  from  the  main-top  is  heard 
hailing  the  quarter-deck — "  'Pon  deck,  there!" 
— "  Halloo  !" — "  A  turtle  on  the  starboard-quar- 
ter !"  An  electric  shock  on  the  most  sensitive 
nerves  could  not  have  excited  more  lively  ani- 
mation. The  jolly-boat,  with  four  jolly  lads, 
was  out  like  "  seven  bells  half  struck ;"  every 
eye  was  directed  upon  the  starboard-quarter, 
and  every  neck  was  strained  to  get  a  peep  at 
the  subject  of  this  interesting  alarm. 

It  would  take  a  quire  of  foolscap  to  de- 
scribe as  it  deserves  the  delight  with  which  "  I 
see  it !"  was  every  moment  expressed  by  each 
fortunately  quick- sighted  observer,  and  also 
the  sensations  of  hope  and  fear  that  alternately 
reigned  in  every  breast  respecting  the  doubtful 
result- 
One  dive,  and  'twas  gone  for  ever  !  What 
a  thought  of  distraction  !  Happily,  the  sleep- 
exciting  swell  of  the  sea  and  the  rays  of  the 
meridian  sun  composed  a  charm  too  powerful 
to  be  easily  or  suddenly  dissolved.     Pillowed  on 


CATCHING    A    TURTLE.  15 

the  glassy  wave,  the  turtle  slept  profoundly, 
unconscious  of  its  fate ;  whilst  all  on  board 
watched  in  breathless  suspense  the  laudable 
anxiety  of  the  bowman,  stooping  over  the  bow 
with  eager  eyes  and  outstretched  hands,  long 
before  he  came  within  reach  of  his  victim, 
which  at  length  he  dexterously  seized,  and 
uplifted  triumphantly  in  the  air,  amidst  the 
congratulatory  cheers  of  the  spectators,  accom- 
panied with  peculiar  expressions  of  delight  from 
the  select  feiv,  who  knew  in  their  hearts  that 
this  delicious  prize  was  all  for  them !  The 
care  with  which  it  was  handed,  or  rather  escort- 
ed, into  the  ship,  proved  that  there  was  no  in- 
tention, as  in  the  case  of  the  dolphin,  to  "  let 
it  go  again." 

This  amiable  creature  was  treated  in  the  very 
best  manner  by  our  excellent  cook  ;  never  were 
four  state-passengers,  in  a  state-cabin,  in  the 
Bay  of  Biscay,  regaled  with  a  richer  soup. 
And  thus  ends  turtle  versus  dolphin. 


16  TEAK    OF    TENERIFFE. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Pass  the  Canary  and  Cape  Verd  Islands. — Sudden  and  fre- 
quent changes  of  weather. — Excessive  rain. — Stories  of 
Sharks. 

Variable  weather  and  variable  winds,  chief- 
ly adverse,  kept  us  struggling  for  seventeen 
days  before  we  made  the  Island  of  Madeira, 
which  this  ship,  in  her  last  voyage  from  Fal- 
mouth, made  in  five  days :  a  circumstance  pecu- 
liarly calculated  to  aggravate  that  impatience, 
which  seems  to  be  the  natural  characteristic  of 
all  travellers,  whether  by  sea  or  land. 

October  17th,  we  passed  the  Canary  Islands 
at  a  distance  of  110  miles  from  Teneriffe;  but 
the  weather  being  hazy,  we  could  not  discern 
the  celebrated  peak,  which  sailors  say  can  be 
seen,  on  a  clear  day,  at  the  distance  of  150 
miles.  Humboldt,  from  the  top  of  the  peak, 
saw  the  true  horizon  forty-three  nautical  leagues 
distant ;    and  he  observes,  that  "  the  peak    of 


FLYING-FISH.  17 

Tenerifte  has  frequently  been  seen  at  the  dis- 
tance of  thirty-six,  thirty-eight,  and  even  forty 
leagues." 

20th.  Moderate  breezes,  a  smooth  sea,  and 
pleasant  weather,  which  is  all  I  should  have 
had  to  remark  on  this  day,  if  a  flying-fish  had 
not  flown  on  board,  and  suffered  itself  to  be 
taken,  thereby  affording  me  an  opportunity  of 
recording  an  event. 

If  Buffon  has  not  already  given  a  perfectly 
satisfactory  history  of  the  flying-fish,  the  jour- 
nals of  the  passengers  on  board  the  Frolic  may 
be  consulted  to  advantage  ;  for  there  is  not  a 
passenger  who  does  not  keep  one,  and  there  is 
not  a  journal  in  which  this  little  animal  has 
not  a  place,  being  in  some  described  with 
geometrical  accuracy,  and  with  an  amplitude 
befitting  a  whale. 

22d.  The  keel-impelling  breeze  from  east- 
north-east  has  wafted  us  at  the  rate  of  seven 
and  eight  knots  an  hour,  for  the  last  twenty- 
four  hours.  It  is  beautiful  to  see  the  flying- 
fish,  in  countless  multitudes,  skimming  in  every 
direction  before  the  vessel,  as  she  plunges 
through  the  waves. 

23d.  In  the  morning-watch,  we  passed  close 
to  the  eastward  of  the  Cape  Verd  Islands, 
which  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  view  without  a 

vol.  i.  c 


18  CAPE    VERD    ISLANDS. 

thought  upon  the  scenes  of  human  wretched- 
ness which  have  there  been  exhibited.  The 
sun,  too,  shone  with  intense  heat,  as  if  to  excite 
by  sympathy  our  utmost  compassion  for  the 
sufferings  of  thousands  of  our  fellow-creatures, 
who  have  here  pined  in  indescribable  misery 
under  its  scorching  rays,  crowded  in  the  pes- 
tilential holds  of  slave-ships  that  at  one  time 
frequented  the  harbours  of  these  islands. 

When  the  slave-trade  flourished,  the  Cape 
Verd  Islands  had  the  sad  celebrity  of  being 
the  principal  rendezvous  of  slave-ships  to  and 
from  the  coast  of  Africa.  A  perpetual  mart  ex- 
isted there,  to  which  slave-merchants  from  all 
parts  resorted  to  make  their  purchases ;  and  to 
this  day,  something  of  the  same  kind  exists  in 
the  Island  of  St.  Jago,  which  has  been  declared 
a  "free  port.''''  There  a  slave-ship  may  take 
refuge,  and  remain  secure  from  the  cruisers  of 
those  nations  which  have  abolished  the  trade, 
and  which  make  prizes  of  slave-ships  when 
they  can  catch  them  elsewhere. 

A  slave-ship,  with  its  cargo  of  four  or  five 
hundred  wretched  victims  (stowed  in  bulk),  is 
a  valuable  prize  for  a  man-of-war  to  fall  in 
with ;  for,  besides  the  ship  itself  becoming  the 
property  of  the  captors,  the  British  Government 
pay  a  handsome  sum  for  every  slave  found  on 


SUDDEN    CHANGES    OF    WEATHER.  19 

board.  And  what  value  shall  we  set  upon  the 
heartfelt  gratification  which  a  British  officer  and 
his  crew  must  experience,  when  they  have  re- 
lieved from  the  dreadful  tortures  of  suffoca- 
tion, and  restored  to  the  light  of  day,  to  fresh 
air  and  to  liberty,  five  hundred  human  beings 
gasping  for  existence,  which,  even  if  prolonged, 
is  expected  at  best  to  terminate  in  the  drudgery 
of  brutes ! 

24th.  Sun-set  this  evening  was  truly  a  splen- 
did sight.  The  colours  of  the  sky  were  dif- 
ferent from  and  more  various  than  any  I  had 
ever  before  observed — 

• outvying  some  the  rose, 


And  some  the  violet,  yellow,  and  white,  and  blue, 
Scarlet,  and  purpling  red. 

The  clouds,  too,  assumed  a  form,  a  tinge,  and 
a  magnitude  in  their  masses,  that  excited  the 
admiration  of  all  on  board.  No  sooner  had 
the  sun,  in  a  dazzling  blaze,  sunk  beneath  the 
sea,  than  the  moon  shone  forth  with  a  brilliancy 
quite  unusual  to  us  of  northern  climes.  Our 
ship,  with  all  sail  set,  was  gliding  silently 
over  the  rippled  surface  of  the  ocean,  at  the 
rate  of  two  or  three  knots  an  hour,  when,  in  a 
few  minutes,  all  was  changed.  The  wide  ex- 
panse of  burnished   gold   which   replaced  the 

c  2 


20  SUDDEN    CHANGES    OF    WEATHER. 

setting  sun  faded  suddenly  away,   the    moon 
withdrew  her  trembling  beams,  and  the  clouds, 
forming  into  one  dense  black  mantle,  overspread 
the   firmament,  and,   to   our   view,  enveloped 
the  whole  universe  in  darkness.     "  How  sud- 
den !" —  "What   a  change!"    was  the  excla- 
mation of  every  voice,  when  a  flash  of  light- 
ning  attracted  all  eyes  towards  the  east,  just 
over  the  barren  coast  of  scorching  Africa.     The 
breeze  died  away  to  a  perfect  calm,  and  the  sails 
hung  loosely  against  the  masts :  thunder  fol- 
lowed at  a  distance.     Scarcely  had  its  awful  hol- 
low murmurings  ceased,  when  the  wind  came 
sweeping  along  the  deep,  sudden  as  the  light- 
ning which  accompanied  it.     Our  ship,  not  un- 
like a  sea-bird  frightened  from  repose,  rushed 
through  the  foaming  wave,  her  wings,  extended 
to    the    utmost,  bearing  her  onward  with   an 
unusually  tremulous  rapidity,  at  once  astonish- 
ing and  alarming. 

The  seaman's  skill  was  instantly  requisite  for 
the  prevention  of  threatened  danger. 

"  Mind  your  helm  !"  cried  the  captain,  loudly 
and  sternly.  "  Ay,  ay,  sir  !"  replied  the  helms- 
man. 

"Luff!  then,  luff!" 

"Luff  it  is,  sir,  luff!" 

"  Turn  the  hands  up  !" 

"  All  hands,  a-hoy  !" 


SUDDEN  CHANGES  OF  WEATHER.     21 

"  Up  and  furl  the  royals  and  sky-sails! — In 
stern-sails  ! — Down  flying-jib  and  stay-sails  ! 
— Brail  up  the  try- sails  ! — Man  the  top-gallant 
clue-lines  !  — Stand  by  the  top-gallant  halyards! 
— Let  go  ! —Clue  up! -Jib  down!— Haul! — 
Haul  down !" — were  the  orders  given  and 
accomplished  within  a  few  minutes ;  and  in  a 
few  minutes  more  the  squall,  accompanied  with 
very  heavy  rain,  passed  over  us ;  but,  without 
these  precautions,  it  would  have  proved  too 
much  for  the  Frolic,  or  perhaps  for  the  stoutest 
ship  that  ever  sailed  on  the  ocean. 

A  light  breeze  succeeded,  scarcely  sufficient 
to  raise  a  gentle  curl  upon  the  waves ;  all  sail 
was  again  set ;  the  moon,  surrounded  by  the  re- 
splendent host  of  heaven,  burst  with  augmented 
lustre  from  her  concealment,  and  the  over- 
charged clouds,  being  now  relieved,  dispersed 
into  various  forms  of  different  shades  and  hues, 
leaving  the  atmosphere  around  and  above  so 
serene  and  beautiful,  as  to  excite  our  greater 
astonishment  at  the  extraordinary  suddenness 
of  the  change,  which  is  by  no  means  unfrequent 
between  the  tropics,  sometimes  occurring  seve- 
ral times  in  the  course  of  one  night. 

26th.  Rain  and  hard  squalls ;  compelling  us 
occasionally  to  let  go  topsail  and  top-gallant 
halyards  by  the  run.  As  for  the  rain,  its  vio- 
lence can  be  imagined  by  those  only  who  have 


22  A    LARK. 

seen  and  felt  it.  "  Torrents"  signify  much,  no 
doubt,  but  the  term  is  too  common  to  convey 
any  notion  of  the  nature  and  force  of  the  rains 
near  the  equator. 

P.M.  ditto  weather;  at  two,  caught  a  por- 
poise: at  three  minutes  past  two  let  him  go 
again — because  the  barb  of  the  harpoon  with 
which  he  was  struck  broke  whilst  we  were 
hauling  him  up  into  the  fore-chains,  and— away 
he  went !  Shortly  afterwards  we  caught  a  lark, 
which  afforded  consolation  to  some  of  us  for  the 
loss  of  the  fat  hog  of  the  deep :  this  little  deli- 
cate creature  excited  considerable  interest,  from 
the  circumstance  of  its  having  survived  an  ex- 
ceedingly long  and  perilous  voyage  ;  we  being, 
at  the  time  it  took  refuge  on  our  deck,  not  less 
than  four  hundred  miles  from  the  nearest  land. 
It  becomes  me,  however,  to  state,  that  various 
conjectures  are  hazarded  by  my  companions  re- 
lative to  the  adventures  of  this  little  wanderer ; 
some  opine  that  it  has  escaped  from  a  ship 
which  may  have  passed  us  unseen,  and  give  as 
a  reason  the  liveliness  and  good  health  of  the 
visiter,  as  well  as  its  apparent  satisfaction  and 
contentment  in  the  cabin,  where  it  was  imme- 
diately introduced  in  full  liberty,  and  ran  about 
in  pursuit  of  flies,  without  exhibiting  the  least 
symptom  of  fear  or  dislike  to  the  passengers. 


DEATH    OF    THE    LARK.  23 

Others  maintain,  that  it  may  have  boarded  the 
Frolic  unseen,  when  near  the  Cape  Verd  Islands, 
and  may  have  secreted  itself  on  board  ever 
since.  My  own  opinion  is,  that  it  has  been 
wafted  through  the  air  every  yard  of  the  dis- 
tance above-mentioned,  which  is  by  no  means 
impossible  or  improbable  ;  but  my  principal  rea- 
son for  maintaining  this  opinion  is,  because  I 
consider  it  the  most  interesting  conclusion  to 
come  to  upon  the  subject. 

28th.  Wind  "  right  in  our  teeth  " — a  melan- 
choly circumstance,  no  doubt,  for  a  set  of  im- 
patient passengers,  who  would  willingly  change 
their  situation  in  the  state-cabin  of  the  Frolic 
for  the  worst  that  could  be  offered  them  in  the 
bottom  of  the  deepest  mine  in  Peru.  But, 
what  I  consider  to  the  full  as  melancholy  a 
subject  is,  the  suddenly  accidental  death  of — 
our  little  lark. 

"  Who  killed  the  lark  ?"  has  been  murmured 
in  tones  of  pitiful  regret  from  the  stem  to  the 
stern  of  the  Frolic.  Precisely  at  eight  bells, 
our  interesting  little  favourite  was  trod  to  death 
by  the  cabin-boy  ;  whilst  stepping  out  of  one  of 
the  side-berths  with  a  cup  of  tea  in  his  hand, 
the  ship  gave  a  lurch,  and  pitched  him  head 
foremost  against  the  bulk-head  to  leeward,  and 
whilst  struggling  to  save  the  cup,  he  trod  upon 


24  KAIN    IN    THE    ATLANTIC. 

the  luckless  little  lark.     To  this  sad  fact  I  could 
bear  testimony,  for  I  was  at  the  time  under  the 
light  of  the  cabin-hatchway,  occupied  in  what 
my  Lord  Chesterfield  calls  "  sacrificing  to  the 
Graces,"  but  what,  in  vulgar   phraseology,   is 
called— shaving  ;  and  such  was  the  shock  of  the 
accident,  that  I  not  only  cut  my  own  throat, 
but  felt  as  if  I  could  have  cut  the  fellow's  also. 
30th.  It  seemed  as  if  the  flood-gates  above  had 
been  opened,  and  all  the  waters  there  concen- 
trated, poured  down  upon  us.     To  call  these  in- 
undations by  the  European  term  "  rain,"  would 
be,  as  I  have  before  hinted,  far  from  conveying 
any  idea  of  what  they  actually  are.     Those  of 
my  friends  who  may  wish  to  know,  as  nearly  as 
possible,  our  last  night's  situation,  may  fancy 
themselves  in  a  ten-gun  brig,  rolling,  pitching, 
heaving,  and  setting  in  the  midst  of  the  At- 
lantic ocean,  upwards  of  two  thousand  six  hun- 
dred miles  from  home,  and  nearly  the  same  dis- 
tance  from   the  port  of  our  destination — the 
night  dark  as  Erebus — three  drops,  the  size  of 
"  tea-saucers,"  give  a  hint  that  it  is  going  to 
rain.     You  have  scarcely  time  to  reflect  upon 
this  hint,  before  you  may  fancy  that  the  ocean, 
having  changed  places  with  the  skies,  is  rush- 
ing impetuously  down  again  to  take  possession 
of  its  natural  position.     This  is  a  very  reason- 


A    SHARK.  25 

able  conjecture,  because,  in  the  utter  obscurity 
of  the  night,  you  cannot  suppose  that  the  deluge 
which  pours  and  roars  around  you,  can  proceed 
froin  any  thing  else  than  the  ocean  itself  turn- 
ed topsy-turvy.  Before  breakfast,  the  waters 
ceased,  the  black  heavy  clouds  began  to  dis- 
perse, and  shades  of  blue  and  white  re-appeared. 
It  was  a  pitiful  sight  to  behold  the  clothing  of 
the  ship's  company  hanging  dripping  fore  and 
aft  in  the  shrouds,  wooing  the  reluctant  beams 
of  the  sun,  which  could  not  yet,  with  all  his 
power,  force  his  way  through  the  density  of  the 
atmosphere. 

"  A  shark  !  a  shark  !  a  shark  !  "  What  bust- 
ling upon  deck !  it  seems  as  though  all  hands 
had  gone  crazy  !  "  See !  see !  don't  you  see 
him  ?"— "  What!"—"  Why,  look !"— "  Where  ?" 
—"Why,  there ! "— "  Where  ?"— "  There!  here ! 
there  he  goes  !  look  !  look  !" — "  My  eyes  !  what 
a  size !" 

A  fox-hunter,  when  he  first  discovers  the 
wily  object  of  his  sport,  cannot  express  his  feel- 
ings with  greater  glee  than  that  which  is  mani- 
fested fore  and  aft  a  ship  on  discovering  a  shark. 
The  large  hook,  with  its  strong  iron-chain, 
generally  in  readiness  where  sharks  are  expect- 
ed, is  instantly  baited  with  a  piece  of  pork  and 
thrown  over  the  stern,  where  it  seldom  remains 


26  ANECDOTES    OF    SHAKES. 

long  before  the  voracious  monster  is  caught, 
and  hauled  on  board. 

If  it  happens  to  be  a  small  young  one,  of 
three  or  four  feet  in  length,  it  is  cut  up  for 
cooking,  and  makes  an  excellent  dish — I  mean 
an  excellent  sea-dish.  If  it  happens  to  be  a 
large  one,  fourteen  feet,  or  perhaps  twenty-four 
feet  long,  it  is  also  cut  up,  not  for  the  pleasure 
of  making  a  meal  of  it,  but  for  the  pure  pleasure 
of  destroying  it,  and  of  examining  what  it  may 
have  swallowed  during  the  last  few  hours. 

There  is  not  a  creature,  perhaps,  of  which 
more  extraordinary  stories  are  told  than  of  the 
shark;  and  to  people  who  know  no  more  of 
these  animals,  than  what  they  may  have  seen  in 
a  dried-up  skin  in  a  museum,  such  stories  may 
appear  embellished;  but  those  who  have  any 
intercourse  with  seamen,  have  many  opportu- 
nities of  being  assured,  that  such  stories  are 
not  exaggerated,  but  are  bond  fide  true  stories. 
One  of  these  I  shall  here  relate,  because  I  heard 
it  from  very  good  authority,  and  afterwards 
had  it  corroborated  by  still  better.  The  prin- 
cipal facts  are  these: — Some  years  ago,  in  the 
West  Indies,  a  British  ship  of  war  fell  in  with 
an  American  merchant-vessel,  which,  from  cir- 
cumstances, was  generally  supposed  to  be  a 
good  and  lawful  prize;    but  no  papers  being 


ANECDOTES    OF    SHARKS,  27 

found  on  board  to  condemn  the  vessel,  and  her 
captain  swearing  that  all  was  correct,  the 
British  captain,  after  the  detention  of  a  day 
or  two,  was  induced  to  relinquish  his  capture. 
Shortly  after  this,  (I  forget  the  precise  space  of 
time,)  a  shark  was  caught  by  another  British 
ship  of  war  on  the  same  station,  and  in  cutting 
it  up  (a  delightful  operation  seldom  omitted) 
a  tin  case,  containing  sundry  papers,  was  found 
in  its  stomach.  They  proved  to  have  belonged 
to  the  merchant-vessel  before-mentioned,  and 
had  been  thrown  overboard  by  the  Captain, 
when  about  to  be  examined  by  the  British 
cruiser.  The  fact  was  soon  discovered ;  the 
papers  were  taken  to  Port-Royal,  where  the 
American  captain  had  actually  commenced  an 
action  for  damages  against  the  British  captain 
for  unlawful  detention.  The  tables  were  im- 
mediately turned  on  the  astonished  Jonathan, 
whose  ship  was  condemned  as  a  good  and  law- 
ful prize.  The  shark  was  one  of  the  largest 
size,  and  the  jaws  are  preserved  to  this  day  in 
the  Justice-hall  at  Spanish  Town,  to  the  an- 
noyance of  many  a  Yankee  captain,  who,  when 
"swearing'''  about  the  destination  of  his  ship 
and  the  correctness  of  his  papers,  is  reminded 
of  this  extraordinary  detection,  by  some  one  in 
court  significantly  pointing  to  the  jaws  of  the 


28  ANECDOTES    OF    SHARKS. 

shark,  and  saying,  "  Take  care  !  the  truth  will 
out,  though  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  ! " 

I  have  heard  this  story  corroborated  by  se- 
veral persons,  and  very  lately  by  an  officer  who 
was  acquainted  with  the  Commander  of  the 
ship,  on  board  which  the  shark  that  had 
swallowed  the  tin  box  was  taken. 

Of  the  voracious  nature  of  the  shark  we  have 
all  frequently  read  or  heard.  The  following 
stories  on  that  subject  were  related  to  me 
this  day  by  the  captain  and  the  gunner  of  the 
Frolic,  just  after  they  had  each  caught  a  young 
one,  which  gave  rise  to  the  conversation. 
When  the  Diana  frigate  was  lying  at  anchor 
off  Vera-cruz,  one  of  the  marines,  who  was 
sentry  in  the  stern  of  the  ship,  by  some  ac- 
cident fell  overboard  in  the  night ;  and  the 
captain,  who  was  in  bed  at  the  time,  hearing 
the  splash  in  the  water,  jumped  up,  and  look- 
ing out  of  the  stern -gallery,  asked,  "  Is  that  a 
man  overboard?" — "Yes,  Sir,  it  is  me!"  said 
the  marine. — "  Well,  have  you  got  hold  ?  are 
you  safe  ?"  said  the  captain. — "  Yes,  Sir  !  I 
have  hold  of  the  rudder-chains ;  but  my  mus- 
ket is  gone!"  said  the  marine.  "D— n  your 
musket!"  said  the  captain,  and  ran  upon  deck 
to  order  a  boat  to  be  lowered,  which  in  a  man- 
of-war  is  an  operation  of  but  a  very  few  mi- 


ANECDOTES  OF    SHARKS.  29 

nutes.  In  the  act  of  lowering  the  boat,  a  loud 
shriek  was  heard,  and  when  the  boat's  crew 
went  to  pick  up  the  man,  he  was  not  to  be 
seen.  Two  days  after  this  event,  a  shark  was 
caught  and  hauled  on  board  the  Diana,  in  the 
stomach  of  which  was  found  part  of  the  jacket 
and  a  shoe  of  the  unfortunate  marine. 

The  gunner  of  the  Frolic,  in  the  course  of 
the  last  war,  was  employed  in  the  enterprise 
of  cutting  out  a  French  frigate,  in  which 
one  of  his  comrades  lost  a  leg,  and  in  a  few 
days  died;  when,  as  is  customary  on  board  ship, 
he  was  sewn  up  in  his  hammock  with  a  heavy 
weight  in  it,  commonly  a  couple  of  twenty- 
four  pound  shot.  Scarcely  twenty  minutes  had 
elapsed  after  the  body  had  been  committed  to 
the  deep,  when  the  hammock  and  bedding  of 
the  deceased  were  seen  floating  round  the  ship, 
torn  to  pieces  :  it  is  unnecessary  to  add  who 
or  what  had  so  soon  robbed  them  of  their 
contents. 

There  is  no  fish  so  easily  caught  as  the  shark, 
and  none  perhaps  more  difficult  to  deprive  of 
life.  It  is  really  astonishing  to  see  their  exer- 
tions with  both  jaws  and  tail,  long  after  they 
have  been  opened,  their  intestines  and  other 
viscera  cut  out,  and  the  skin  stripped  from 
the  body. 


30  ANECDOTES    OF    SHARKS. 

A  few  years  ago  the  master  of  the  ship,  on 
board  which  I  now  am,  caught  a  shark  so 
large,  that  to  avoid  accidents  in  hauling  him 
on  board  to  kill  him,  they  cut  him  open  along- 
side ;  and  he  assured  me,  that  after  opening 
him  down  the  middle,  from  the  jaws  to  the 
tail,  and  thoroughly  cleaning  him,  they  hoisted 
him  up  to  the  fore-yard- arm,  where  he  hung 
upwards  of  an  hour  —  (Le  vrai  pent  quel- 
quefois  nitre  pas  vraisemblablc).  "  He  was 
then  taken  down  and  hauled  on  board,  where 
he  lay  stretched  along  the  deck,  to  all  appear- 
ance '  dead  as  a  herring!''  But  he  soon  ex- 
hibited symptoms  of  being  still  a  shark,  by  snap- 
ping at  any  person  that  approached  his  head  ; 
and  at  last,  a  boy  passing  heedlessly  by,  the 
animal  made  a  desperate  effort  towards  him 
with  extended  jaws,  and  would  inevitably  have 
seized  him,  had  not  one  of  the  sailors,  who  per- 
ceived the  boy's  danger,  pushed  him  away. 
After  this,  they  were  obliged  to  have  recourse 
to  a  common  practice  when  killing  these  mon- 
sters, that  of  putting  across  the  jaws  a  crow-bar. 
or  any  other  substantial  implement,  capable  of 
preventing  mischief."  The  only  observation  I 
have  to  make  on  my  story  is,  that  it  is  faith- 
fully repeated. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  atrocities  of  these 


ANECDOTES    OF    SHARKS.  31 

formidable  creatures,  and  the  inveterate  hatred 
that  is  shown  to  them,  their  flesh  is  not  always 
despised  ;  to  a  sea  appetite  it  is  sometimes  a 
luxury,  and  there  are  few  sailors  who  have 
caught  sharks  that  have  not  also  made  a  hearty 
meal  upon  them.  The  two  we  caught  this 
day,  one  about  four  feet,  the  other  about  three 
feet  long,  being  young  and  delicate,  were 
reserved  for  the  cabin ;  and  it  was  agreed,  with- 
out one  dissenting  voice,  that  the  dish  of  shark 
served  up  at  dinner  was  as  good  a  dish  of  fish 
as  ever  was  eaten  :  it  was  cut  into  slices  some- 
thing like  crimped  cod,  and  fried;  but  I  po- 
sitively considered  it  better,  in  every  respect, 
than  any  cod-fish  I  had  ever  tasted. 

This  evening  we  were  gratified  with  one  of 
those  magnificent  scenes  which  attend  the  set- 
ting sun  in  the  tropical  latitudes.  Such  bril- 
liancy and  such  variety  of  colours,  such  deli- 
cacy in  the  tints,  such  grandeur  in  the  clouds, 
such  majesty  in  the  long  heaving  swell  of  the 
sea,  such  serenity  in  the  sky,  such  softness 
in  the  gently  blowing  breeze,  formed  altoge- 
ther a  scene  so  truly  sublime,  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  behold  it  without  feelings  of  reve- 
rential admiration  and  delight;  for  such  a  scene 

— —  publishes  to  every  land 
The  work  of  an  Almighty  hand. 


32  DAILY    PROCEEDINGS. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Sketch    of  daily  Proceedings  on  board  a  Ten-gun  Brig 
Packet. 

November  1.  On  this  day  my  friends  at 
home  may  be  closing  round  a  blazing  fire,  or,  if 
going  to  take  the  air,  may  be  wrapped  in  great 
coats,  cloaks,  and  furs  ;  whilst  we,  on  board  the 
Frolic,  in  4°  34'  north  latitude,  find  our  shirts 
and  trowsers  quite  sufficient  clothing  for  the 
climate.  In  London,  on  this  day,  the  mean  of 
the  thermometer  may  be  50°  or  55° :  truth  may 
lie  between.  With  us,  it  stands  at  86°  in  the 
shade,  and  at  112°  in  the  sun!  We  have  all 
sail  set,  and  fanned  by  soft  and  gentle  breezes, 
a  delightful  ventilation  is  kept  up.  "  llien 
7i  egale  la  beaute  et  la  douceur  du  climat  dans  la 
region  equlnoTiale  de  focean,  ou  le  calme  de  la  na- 
ture it  est  jamais  trouble" 

*  Humb.  Voy.  Reg.  Equin. 


ON    BOARD    THE    PACKET.  3  3 

4th.  We  are  now  running  at  the  rate  of  eight 
and  nine  knots  upon  a  bow-line  ;  shoals  of  fly- 
ing-fish are  skimming  round  the  vessel  in  every 
direction,  exhibiting  in  great  brilliancy  all  the 
hues  of  the  rainbow. 

As  I  know  no  reason  why  the  little  incidents 
of  life  at  sea  should  not  be  recorded  by  travel- 
lers, and  given  to  the  world  as  liberally  as  those 
of  life  on  shore,  I  shall  here  give  a  sketch  of 
our  daily  proceedings  on  board  his  majesty's 
packet-brig  Frolic,  which  may  be  taken  as  a 
sample  of  life  in  every  similar  situation. 

At  six-bells,  in  the  morning  watch,  we  gene- 
rally emerge  from  our  wooden  cells  ;  whether 
refreshed  or  not  by  the  night's  repose  depends 
in  a  great  degree  upon  the  motion  of  the  vessel, 
the  creaking  of  the  guns,  masts,  and  bulk- 
heads, but  more  upon  the  state  of  the  ther- 
mometer, which  is  materially  influenced  by  the 
hatches  being  placed  on  or  off,  as  the  weather 
admits. 

After  performing  our  ablutions  in  about  a 
pint  of  fresh  water,  economically  served  out  by 
the  steward,  we  go  upon  deck,  cast  a  seaman - 
like  glance  round  the  horizon,  then  up  at  the 
clouds,  then  down  at  the  compass,  and  give  a 
melancholy  sigh,  or  pronounce  a  joyful  "Ha  !" 
according  to  the  appearance  of  the  one  or  the 

vol.  t.  n 


34  DAILY    PROCEEDINGS 

direction  of  the  other.  We  next  stroll  up  and 
down  the  deck,  in  conversation  upon  the  wea- 
ther, as  it  was,  and  is,  ,and  is  to  be;  we  then 
examine  the  log,  and  calculate  the  distance  run 
since  yesterday  at  noon,  and  often  the  distance 
still  to  be  run  before  we  eat  fresh  beef  at 
Buenos  Ayres. 

At  two-bells,  we  all  descend  rather  hastily, 
and  without  any  observance  of 

Precedence,  pride  of  rank  and  birth, 
The  sex's  privilege  on  earth ; 

but  at  sea,  particularly  in  a  packet,  of  very 
little  consideration. 

When  seated  at  breakfast,  each,  to  his  taste, 
butters  a  smoking  hot  roll,  which,  if  not  so 
light  as  a  French  roll,  is  certainly  not  so  heavy 
as  a  nine-pound  shot  The  table  is  covered 
with  luxuries :  here,  the  remains  of  a  cold 
roast  duck  ;  there,  the  bones  of  what  was  once 
a  fowl ;  at  the  head,  a  noble  dish  of  salt-fish, 
mashed  in  a  mortar  and  seasoned  with  onions  ; 
at  the  foot,  the  liver  and  lights  of  a  pig  or  sheep 
recently  killed ;  in  the  middle,  a  dish  of  fried 
salt-tripe  and  broiled  fat  pork  ;  with  other  little 
dainties  equally  exquisite,  which,  if  not  all 
served  up  on  the  same  day,  appear  in  rotation, 
according  to  the  studied   arrangement  of  our 


ON    BOARD    THE    PACKET.  35 

steward.  Tea,  or  coffee,  or  both,  may  be  had 
on  asking  for,  but  latterly  there  is  no  milk ; 
because,  in  the  first  place,  the  old  goat,  which 
for  a  time  yielded  us  a  scanty  supply  of  that 
luxury,  was  drained  to  death,  poor  devil !  and 
its  starved  carcase  thrown  overboard  in  the  Bay 
of  Biscay  :  in  the  second  place,  our  patent  milk 
soon  failed  us,  as  out  of  eighteen  cases,  with 
which  we  were  provided,  only  five,  upon  open- 
ing, proved  fit  for  use.  This  patent  milk  is 
common  milk  preserved  by  a  particular  process, 
and  tastes  like  boiled  milk  a  little  burnt,  but 
not  unpleasant  when  mixed  with  tea.  It  is 
put  up  in  tin  cases  hermetically  sealed  ;  and  it 
will  no  doubt  be  improved  upon,  for  if  one  case 
can  be  preserved  sweet  and  good  for  many 
months,  so  may  a  thousand  by  the  same  process. 

After  breakfast,  we  again  lounge  upon  deck, 
and  look  out  for  flying-fish,  or  skip-jacks,  or 
dolphins  ;  if  none  appear  to  detain  us,  we  go 
below,  and  take  our  accustomed  seats  round 
the  cabin-table,  where  each  commences  an  oc- 
cupation suited  to  his  disposition,  which  gene- 
rally terminates  in  an  easy  nap. 

A  journal  is  sure  to  be  seen,  with  the  jour- 
nalist poring  over  it,  anxiously  thinking,  re- 
thinking, and  drawing  canals  from  a  blot  of 
ink,  before  he  hits  upon  a  change  of  subject,  or 

d  2 


36  DAILY    PROCEEDINGS 

finds  wherewithal  to  fill  the  page  intended  for 
the  entertainment  of  his  family  and  a  few  most 
intimate  friends  only ;  for  what  private  journal 
in  this  world  was  ever  written  with  the  intent 
of  bestowing  its  treasures  upon  a  thankless 
public  through  the  medium  of  the  press  ! 

Another  amuses  himself  with  a  flute,  for 
which  instrument  one  of  our  companions  sud- 
denly acquired  a  most  ungovernable  passion. 
Unhappily  for  the  majority  of  the  company, 
one  of  the  ornamental  appendages  of  the  state- 
cabin  was  an  old  flute,  which,  to  speak  the 
truth,  owed  its  preservation  much  less  to  the 
value  set  upon  it,  than  to  the  harmless  vanity 
of  publicly  exhibiting  a  forgotten  accomplish- 
ment of  our  captain's.  This  instrument,  one 
day  in  a  tremendous  lurch,  fell  from  its  usual 
place  of  security  upon  the  head  of  our  young 
friend,  who,  first  starting  "  even  at  the  sound 
himself  had  made,"  took  it  up  and  almost  ex- 
tempore produced  the  sublime  anthem  of  "  God 
save  the  King,"  and  ever  after  —  cry  mercy 
on  the  concord  of  sweet  sounds  ! 

Thus,  as  the  accidental  fall  of  an  apple  from 
a  tree  occasioned  in  the  mind  of  England's 
"  incomparable  philosopher"  his  first  thought 
of  a  grand  system,  so  did  the  accidental  fall  of 
a  flute  from  its  hooks  lead  to  the  first  trial  of  a 


ON    BOARD    THE    PACKET.  37 

talent,  the  continued  practice  of  which  nearly 
distracted  us  all. 

This  gentleman  had  a  genius  for  poetry  as 
well  as  for  the  charming  art  of  music  ;  he  com- 
posed a  truly  melancholy  elegy  upon  the  death 
of  one  of  our  sheep,  which  was  smothered  by 
being  too  carefully  covered  up  in  the  launch 
during  a  gale  of  wind.  He  was  so  kind  as  to 
favour  me  with  copies  of  several  of  his  mor- 
ceaux  choisis.  I  give  them  this  foreign  epithet, 
because  they  come  immediately  under  that 
class  of  poetry  which  a  certain  French  critic 
terms — "  des  vers  fabriquh  avec  le  marteau  de  la 
cadence'"' 

At  five-bells,  that  is,  at  half-past  two,  the 
steward's  mate  enters  the  cabin,  and  very 
respectfully  says,  "  Five  bells,  if  you  please, 
gel'men ;"  which  means  "  Clear  away  your  traps, 
I  want  to  lay  the  cloth ;"  and  this  article  of 
decent  luxury,  if  it  happens  to  be  Sunday  or 
Thursday,  is  spread  clean  from  the  wash,  the 
steward  on  these  days,  just  before  the  time  of 
spreading  it,  seldom  failing  to  call  out  to  his 
mate,  "I  say,  Bob!  don't  you  forget  for  to 
mind  that  this  is  clean-cloth-day" — to  whom 
Bob,  "  I  knows  it." 

At  the  mate's  warning  we  go   upon  deck, 
and  usually  wait  with  attention  the  striking  of 


38  DAILY    PROCEEDINGS 

six-bells.  This,  on  board  ship,  we  may  truly 
call  "the  tocsin  of  the  soul ;"  for  this  announce- 
ment of  dinner  is  received  with  a  delightful 
emotion,  and  if  any  accident  occasions  a  breach 
of  the  punctuality  with  which  dinner  is  usually 
served  up,  impatience  and  disappointment  are 
then  so  loudly  and  clamorously  expressed,  that 
the  utmost  confusion  has  been  known  to  ensue 
between  cook,  cook's  mate,  steward,  steward's 
mate,  cabin-boy,  and  cabin  passengers ;  to  avoid 
which,  every  exertion  is  made  to  strew  the  din- 
ner upon  the  table  before  the  sound  is  out  of 
the  bell.  I  have  said  "  to  strew"  upon  the  table, 
because  I  consider  it  a  prettier  word  than  scat- 
ter; but  far  be  it  from  me  to  insinuate  thereby, 
irregularity  or  disorder  in  the  arrangement ; 
for  although  the  business  is  managed  in  that 
off-hand,  sailor-like  manner  which  despises  the 
rigid  rules  of  formality,  it  cannot  at  the  same 
time  be  termed  disorder.  I  only  mean  to  ob- 
serve, that  neither  square  nor  compass  is  used 
in  the  disposal  of  the  dishes,  nor  is  it  thought  a 
matter  of  importance  to  "  cross  corners  with 
puddings."  I  have  seen  three  puddings  placed 
at  one  side  of  the  table  on  board  the  Frolic, 
with  only  a  saucer  of  pickled  onions  or  of 
pickled  samphire  to  separate  them,  and  I  never 
remarked  that  they  excited  the  least  alarm,  or 


ON    BOAKD    THE    PACKET.  39 

uneasiness,  either  in  the  mind  or  in  the  counte- 
nance of  our  host,  or  any  of  his  guests. 

About  one  hour  of  time  is  consumed  in  con- 
suming that  abundance  which  has,  in  appear- 
ance, been  shaken  out  of  the  Horn  of  Plenty 
upon  the  table.  Bottled  porter  and  bottled 
stout',  a  few  degrees  above  temperate,  froth 
round  the  clattering  board.  Madeira,  very  good 
indeed ;  sherry,  very  bad  indeed ;  port,  which 
in  these  latitudes  may  compare  with  "  Day 
and  Martin  mulled ;"  very  fair  claret,  and  occa- 
sionally champagne,  are  all  at  the  discretion  of 
the  guests,  together  with  gin,  rum,  brandy  and 
tamarind-water.  Whatever  may  be  the  be- 
verage, it  is  imbibed  apparently  with  as  little 
advantage  as  the  labour  of  the  daughters  of 
Danaiis,  who  were  doomed  to  draw  water  out 
of  a  well  with  sieves ;  for  at  every  pore  of  the 
skin  it  is  returned  in  equal  abundance.  When 
the  cloth  is  removed,  a  plate  of  dried  figs,  an- 
other of  dried  raisins,  and  a  third  of  dried  al- 
monds, are  placed  upon  the  table.  Two  wine- 
glasses, of  different  sizes  and  shapes,  and  a  green 
dessert-plate,  with  knife  and  fork,  are  then 
placed  before  each  person ;  but  all  this  is  only 
style,  arising  out  of  the  mere  refinement  of 
fashion,  for  I  have  never  seen  either  the  one  or 
the  other  put  to  the  smallest  use,  except  per- 


40  DAILY    PROCEEDINGS 

haps  a  glass  to  sip  a  little  wine  and  water  out 
of,  whilst  conversation,  not  the  bottle,  goes  its 
round.  We  have  thus  often  passed  an  hour 
very  merrily ;  some  droll  stories,  or  a  song,  oc- 
casionally inducing  the  officer  of  the  watch  to 
peep  down  the  sky-light  in  envy  of  the  up- 
roarious mirth  below. 

Again  upon  deck  for  a  stroll,  and  examina- 
tion of  the  elements  upon  which  our  fate,  as 
well  as  our  humour,  so  much  depends.  One 
may,  perhaps,  seat  himself  comfortably  upon 
the  breech  of  a  carronade  to  study  his  Spanish 
grammar ;  another  disposes  himself  still  more 
comfortably  to  sleep ;  a  third  hauls  in  the  fish- 
ing-line, which  is  generally  towing  astern,  to 
catch  what  it  can. 

At  the  setting  of  the  sun,  particularly  in  the 
tropical  latitudes,  we  occasionally  found  half  an 
hour's  amusement  in  watching  the  ever-chang- 
ing scenery  of  the  clouds ;  each  person  disco- 
vering something  extraordinary  in  the  various 
shapes  they  assumed ;  perhaps  the  likeness  of 
the  lord  chancellor  in  his  wig,  or  of  some 
wronderful  animal;  this  was  communicated  to 
the  next  neighbour,  who  had  just  discovered 
something  else  equally  fantastic.  1  recollect, 
one  evening,  our  having  seen  distinctly  the 
scene  in  "  Midas,''  representing  the  descent  of 


ON    BOARD    THE    PACKET.  41 

all  the  gods  and  goddesses,  but  with  a  solem- 
nity of  beauty  and  brilliancy  of  colours  far  sur- 
passing the  boasted  art  of  man. 

Thus  we  used  to  gaze,  with  equal  pleasure 
and  admiration,  till  darkness  dropped  her  cur- 
tain, and  hid  these  truly  resplendent  beauties 
from  our  view.  Twilight  can  scarcely  be  said 
to  exist :  for  no  sooner  does  the  sun  set  in  these 
latitudes,  than  the  night  succeeds.  Humboldt 
remarks — "  Comme,  entre  les  tropiques,  le  cre- 
puscule  est  presque  nul,  on  passe  subitement  de 
la  plus  grande  clarte  dujour  dans  les  tenebresr 

At  seven-bells,  in  the  last  dog-watch,  tea  is 
announced,  when  those  who  wish  to  steam 
themselves  for  half  an  hour  descend  to  do  so. 
Shortly  after  this  last  alimentary  operation, 
sighs  and  yawns  proclaim  the  approaching 
hour  for  bed,  and  before  two-bells  are  struck 
in  the  first  watch,  some  are  already  "  turned 
in"  and  fast  secured  in  the  spells  of  sleep. 
Others  may  prefer  remaining  upon  deck,  listen- 
ing to  the  sailor's  song,  sometimes  droll  and 
merry,  sometimes  dismally  pathetic ;  or,  it 
may  be,  reclining  over  the  gangway,  idly 
gazing  on  the  sparkling  lustre  of  the  moon,  as 
it  dances  on  the  gently  rippled  waves,  or  in 
thoughtful  remembrance  of  those  far  away ; 
or  mayhap,  in  deeper  meditation  still — for  at 


42  DAILY    PltOCEEDINGS,    &C. 

midnight  hour,  when  all  is  serenity  and  calm 
at  sea,  a  holy  calm  will  also  reign  in  the  heart, 
and  the  thoughts  will  rise  to  heaven.  Be  this 
as  it  may,  the  night  passes  away  somehow  or 
other,  and  day  returns  and  is  killed  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  preceding. 

If,  from  the  foregoing  representation,  it  ap- 
pears that  our  life  on  board  the  Frolic  is  not 
very  frolicsome,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that 
we  are  miserably  dull,  though  it  may  be  rea- 
sonable to  conclude  that  we  sometimes  feel 
ourselves,  particularly  in  a  foul  wind  with  a 
head  sea,  rather  squeamish,  and  our  spirits  not 
so  high  as  our  thermometers. 


PASS    THE    EQUATOR.  43 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Pass  the  Equator. — A  Comet. — Magellan  Clouds. — Making 
all  snug  in  a  Gale. — Enter  the  River  Plate. — Disappoint- 
ment in  Landing. — Termination  of  the  Voyage. 

November  5.  This  day  is  an  epoch  in  all 
our  journals,  having  at  eight  o'clock  a.m., 
passed  the  equator,  and  entered  the  southern 
hemisphere;  a  circumstance  which  seemed  to 
create  a  sensation  of  pleasure  not  unlike  what 
travellers  experience  when  they  have  got  over 
all  the  bad  road  on  their  journey,  and  when 
that  which  is  still  before  them,  besides  being 
shorter,  is  smooth  and  down  hill.  Our  hopes 
of  a  favourable  termination  to  our  voyage  are 
raised  to  the  utmost.  But,  upon  what  do  these 
hopes  repose  ? — Alas  !  upon  the  winds  and  the 
waves,  the  very  superlatives  of  inconstancy  and 
disappointment. 

8th.  Close  hauled  upon  the  larboard  tack,  we 
have  made  good  upwards  of  two  degrees  and  a 


44  A    COMET. 

half  of  latitude  since  yesterday  at  noon.  I  had 
almost  forgotten  to  make  mention  of  a  comet, 
which  is  fairly  deserving  of  a  place  in  a  journal, 
as  it  is  not  an  every-day  sight ;  for  astronomers 
inform  us,  that,  from  the  period  of  500  years 
before  Christ,  up  to  the  year  1811,  only  ninety- 
eight  comets  have  been  known  to  appear  to 
the  inhabitants  of  our  earth.  The  celebrated 
one  of  that  year,  every  body  saw,  and  the  tail  of 
it,  according  to  Sir  William  Herschell,  expand- 
ed over  a  space  of  more  than  nine  millions  of 
miles ! 

From  the  comet  to  the  clouds  is  a  very  na- 
tural transition  ;  and  therefore  I  take  this  op- 
portunity of  mentioning  the  "Magellan  clouds," 
which  are  also  curious  in  their  way.  They  are 
called  after  Magellan,  the  celebrated  circum- 
navigator, who,  upwards  of  three  hundred  years 
ago,  gave  his  name  to  the  intricate  channel  at 
the  southern  extremity  of  America,  and  who, 
it  is  pretended,  first  noticed  the  clouds  in  ques- 
tion. 

Since  we  have  been  in  the  southern  hemi- 
sphere, we  have  found  great  pleasure,  every 
night,  in  admiring  the  splendid  beauties  above, 
so  different  from  those  in  the  northern  heavens  ; 
but  I  do  not  think  I  should  have  observed  the 
"  Magellan  clouds"  had  they  not  been  pointed 


THE    MAGELLAN    CLOUDS.  45 

out  to  me.  They  exist,  however,  and  are  always 
to  be  seen  at  night,  each  about  the  size  of  a 
table-cloth,  one  the  colour  of  a  clean  one,  and 
the  other  something  of  the  colour  of  our  own 
cloth  at  the  end  of  a  week's  wear.  When  once 
pointed  out,  it  is  very  easy  to  distinguish  them 
from  other  clouds.  There  they  have  been  for 
three  hundred  years  certain,  perhaps  they  are 
coeval  with  the  world ;  and  there  they  may 
remain  when,  peradventure,  no  human  eye  shall 
exist  to  look  upon  them. 

12th.  Remarkably  fine  weather;  and  although 
the  thermometer  in  the  sun  indicates  the  con- 
suming heat  of  1 24°,  our  light  dresses,  and  awn- 
ings, and  ventilations,  preserve  us  to  a  great 
degree  from  its  effects. 

13th.  Sunday;  a  heavenly  day  in  every  respect. 
The  sea  without  a  ripple  on  its  surface;  the 
atmosphere  serene  and  clear ;  the  sky  without 
a  cloud,  being  one  entire  canopy  of  light  azure, 
beautifully  brilliant ;  a  gentle  refreshing  breeze, 
a  little  abaft  the  beam,  has  just  force  sufficient, 
with  all  sail  set,  to  fan  us  along  at  the  rate 
of  five  miles  and  a  half  an  hour : — the  whole 
world  would  be  sailors,  were  the  ocean  and 
the  winds  as  smooth  and  placid  at  all  times  as 
we  find  them  now. 

17th.  Fresh  and  fair,  indeed,  is  the  breeze  that 


46  A    GALE    OF    WIND. 

now  makes  the  waves  "  so  gaily  curl  before  our 
dashing  prow  ;"  eight,  nine,  and  ten  knots  an 
hour  are  run  off  with  ease,  and  right  joyful  is 
every  countenance,  for  appearances  are  such  as 
to  encourage  the  hope  that  this  pace  will  last 
till  we  reach  our  destination. 

18th.  The  sea  runs  high,  and  the  wind  whistles 
through  the  cordage  in  that  mournful  tone 
which  adds  so  much  to  the  imposing  solemnity 
of  a  storm.  Fortunately  for  us,  we  have  it 
abaft  the  beam,  and  are  enabled  to  carry  on 
gallantly  before  it,  having  performed  224  miles 
since  yesterday. 

That  large  bird  of  the  southern  ocean,  the 
albatross,  has  been  winging  his  rapid  flight 
round  us,  with  as  much  ease  as  if  we  were 
motionless  as  the  far  distant  rock  which,  per- 
haps, he  had  but  just  left,  although  at  the  time 
we  were  running  at  the  rate  of  ten  knots. 

19th.  "Harder  yet,  it  still  blows  harder !"  We 
are  now  scudding  before  the  gale  with  top-gal- 
lant sails  over  double-reefed  topsails,  rolling 
gunnels  in,  and  every  timber  and  plank  of  the 
ship  creaking  in  horrible  discord,  in  proof  of 
their  laborious  exertions  in  the  heavy  sea, 
through  which  we  have  again  ploughed  224 
miles  in  twenty-four  hours. 

20th.  Louder  roars  the  tempest;  the  ocean 


IN    SIGHT    OF    LAND.  47 

foams  in  fury  round  us ;  and  a  dark  gloomy 
sky  frowns  upon  us  from  above.  We  are  now 
driven  on  at  the  rate  of  ten  and  eleven  knots 
an  hour;  the  sea  occasionally  making  a  clear 
sweep  over  the  vessel,  as  she  rolls  and  labours 
in  the  storm  ;  and  wonderful  it  is  how  these 
little  ships  outlive  a  gale,  for  in  a  heavy  sea 
they  are  as  often  under  the  waves  as  above 
them. 

21st.  Last  night  the  gale  considerably  in- 
creased, and  before  daylight  this  morning  the 
boatswain's  hoarse  voice  was  heard  summoning 
all  hands  to  send  down  top-gallant  yards,  to 
strike  top-gallant  masts,  and  reef  and  furl  the 
necessary  sails,  which  is  called  "  making  all 
snug ;"  but,  woe  is  me  !  what  a  sea !  and  what 
a  ship  !  and  what  a  berth  !  for  snugness  ! 

22d.  The  gale  has  abated,  the  sea  has  sub- 
sided, and  our  ship  seems  once  more  at  her  ease. 

After  a  voyage  of  fifty-five  days,  and  at  the 
conclusion  of  a  storm,  one  might  imagine  that 
the  cry  of  "  Land  ho !"  in  the  neighbourhood 
too  of  the  anxiously  desired  port,  would  be  a 
cheering  consolation  to  sea-worn  travellers. — . 
At  seven  o'clock  this  morning,  land  was  de- 
scried from  the  deck ;  but  its  low,  barren,  inhos- 
pitable aspect,  added  to  the  unpleasantness  of 
the  weather  and  the  continuance  of  the  wind 


48  ENTER    THE    RIVER    PLATE. 

directly  against  us,  destroyed  all  the  happy 
effects  of  this  usually  welcome  announcement. 

25th.  The  wind  changed  in  the  course  of  last 
night,  and  increased  to  a  gale,  which  drove  us 
out  to  sea,  after  being  within  a  few  miles  of 
our  port.  The  weather  is  now  so  excessively 
cold  and  blustering,  that,  had  I  not  passed  the 
Equator,  I  might  have  been  disposed  to  ima- 
gine that  our  captain  had  smuggled  us  to  the 
coast  of  Nova  Zembla.  After  beating  about  for 
sixteen  hours  against  a  head  sea,  a  strong  cur- 
rent, and  a  foul  wind,  we  were  at  last  compelled 
to  yield  to  such  powerful  adversaries,  by  furl- 
ing our  sails,  and  letting  go  an  anchor,  the 
ground  here  answering  almost  every  where  for 
that  purpose :  but  no  shelter  whatever  is  ob- 
tained from  either  the  winds  or  the  waves  ; 
every  thing  must  depend  upon  the  strength  of 
the  cable. 

26th.  We  rode  out  the  gale  perfectly  safe,  and 
at  three  o'clock  this  morning  the  wind  came 
round  to  a  favourable  point,  when  we  weighed 
anchor,  and  made  all  sail  up  the  stupendous,  but 
wholly  uninteresting  River  Plate,  which  is  120 
miles  wide  at  its  mouth,  and  not  less  than  from 
twenty  to  thirty  in  any  one  part  for  a  distance 
exceeding  150  miles  inland. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  the  rigging  of  the 


TtlVER    PLATE.  49 

ship,  from  top  to  bottom,  was  literally  covered 
with  long  fine  cobwebs  that  had  been  blown  off 
the  shore,  having  attached  to  them  their  insect 
manufacturers,  who  dispersed  themselves  in 
thousands  over  our  decks.  We  saw  upon  the 
distant  hills  along  the  coast  immense  herds  of 
cattle,  which  sufficiently  assured  us,  that  what 
we  had  so  often  heard  respecting  the  cheapness 
of  beef  in  this  country  might  well  be  the  case. 
Our  captain  said,  that  in  his  first  voyage  to 
Buenos  Ayres,  he  received  from  an  American 
gentleman  seven  good  bullocks  for  three  Eng- 
lish sheep. 

In  the  evening,  a  pilot  came  on  board,  which 
saved  the  necessity  of  putting  into  Monte  Vi- 
deo ;  and  a  fine  fresh  breeze  favouring  us,  we 
made  all  possible  sail  for  Buenos  Ayres  with 
confident  hopes  of  arriving  on  the  morrow.  In 
the  course  of  the  night,  however,  we  were  again 
baffled  by  variable  winds,  and  compelled  to 
come  to  an  anchor  in  the  middle  of  the  river, 
which,  notwithstanding  its  magnitude,  is  of 
extremely  intricate  navigation,  being  in  some 
places  so  shallow,  that  we  had  only  two  feet 
depth  of  water  beyond  what  the  ship  required. 

27th.  This  day  we  were  visited  by  vast  num- 
bers of  moths,  and  various  small  birds,  some 
of  the   latter   of  beautiful   plumage.     About 

VOL.    I.  E 


50  RIVF.lt    PLATE. 

dusk  in  the  evening,  swarms  of  dragon-flies 
infested  the  ship  ;  and  we  saw  a  flight  of  wild- 
ducks,  which  I  mention  as  the  first  intimation 
I  had  of  being  in  fresh  water,  although  in 
the  river ;  for  at  this  moment  no  land  is  to 
be  seen  on  either  side  of  us  from  the  deck, 
and  but  very  faintly  from  the  mast-head ;  all 
around  has  still  the  appearance  of  the  ocean. 

29th.  By  taking  every  precaution  and  making 
"  all  snug"  we  have  weathered  a  tempestuous 
night ;  and  at  daylight  this  morning,  the  gale 
having  moderated,  we  weighed,  and  once  more 
set  sail  for  Buenos  Ayres,  with  strong  hopes  of 
being  able  to  reach  the  roadstead  before  night. 
At  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  those  hopes 
vanished. 

The  wind  headed  us  so  strongly,  that  the 
captain  resolved  to  give  up  Buenos  Ayres  and 
to  try  for  the  harbour  of  Ensenada,  twenty-five 
miles  nearer  to  us  than  the  former ;  but  the 
pilot  not  being  sufficiently  acquainted  with 
that  harbour,  declined  taking  the  ship  in  ;  we 
therefore  came  to  an  anchor  about  nine  miles 
from  the  land,  and  sent  one  of  our  boats  on 
shore  to  procure  a  pilot  acquainted  with  the 
place.  Our  chief  commissioner  went  in  the 
boat,  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  good  cheer, 
hiring    horses,    and   getting,  by  the   time   we 


RIVER    PLATE.  51 

should  land,  every  thing  ready  for  conveying 
us  all,  bag  and  baggage,  to  Buenos  Ayres. 

We  knew  there  could  be  no  lack  of  horses, 
and  were  therefore  quite  delighted  at  the  idea 
of  a  gallop  along  the  flat  which  extends  the 
whole  length  of  the  coast,  and,  indeed,  for  at 
least  seven  hundred  miles  into  the  interior. 

It  being  nearly  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
when  the  boat  with  our  general  went  on  shore, 
before  a  fine  stiff"  breeze,  we  allowed  him  an 
hour  to  go,  and  a  full  hour  and  a  half  to  re- 
turn, which,  perhaps,  was  little  enough,  con- 
sidering the  distance  ;  but  we  on  board  were 
delightfully  impatient ;  and,  as  delight  takes 
no  heed  of  time,  we  suffered  no  other  idea  to 
enter  our  heads  than  that  of  being  in  full  gal- 
lop within  three  hours  and  a  half  from  the 
time  our  boat  shoved  off.  Every  thing  on  our 
parts  was  prepared  to  prevent  a  moment's  de- 
lay ;  there  was  not  a  single  article,  from  a  bale 
of  pack-saddles  to  a  night-cap,  that  was  not 
packed  in  readiness  to  disembark :  even  pistols 
were  primed  and  loaded  for  defence  against 
casualties  in  the  strange  country  in  which  we 
were  about  to  trust  ourselves. 

A  full  hour  more  than  the  time  we  had 
judged  the  boat  required  to  return  passed  hea- 
vily away,  and  still  no  sign  of  her  appeared, 

E   2 


.52  RIVER   PLATE. 

although  we  could  see  distinctly  five  miles 
from  the  ship,  before  the  sun  set  and  left  us  in 
darkness,  with  blue  devils. 

30th.  Precisely  at  one  hour  after  midnight, 
the  captain  came  to  my  berth,  and  awakened  me 
from  a  state  which  must  have  proved  to  him 
that  I  had  forgotten  all  the  cares  of  this  world. 
"  Here,"  said  he,  "  is  a  letter  from  the  general; 
and  so  exhausted  are  my  boat's  crew  in  pull- 
ing off  against  wind  and  tide,  for  the  last  six 
hours,  that  had  they  had  one  mile  farther  to 
pull,  they  could  not  possibly  have  reached  the 
ship."  They  were,  in  truth,  completely  "  knock- 
ed up."  The  general's  letter,  according  to  rule, 
commenced  by  stating  bis  "  safe  arrival,"  which 
we  (for  all  assembled  to  hear  the  news)  were 
very  happy  to  learn.  The  next  paragraph  seem- 
ed to  give  peculiar  satisfaction.  "  Horses  in 
abundance,  and  all  ready ;  do  not,  upon  any 
account,  forget  to  bring  our  own  saddles,  as  so 
long  a  ride  with  those  of  the  country  will  pro- 
bably be  found  very  uneasy  and  galling." 

He  also  recommended  us  not  to  neglect  the 
pack-saddles  for  conveying  our  baggage,  and 
said,  "  We  can  easily  reach  Buenos  Ayres  to 
night,  although  it  may  be  a  little  late ;  but,  if 
the  boat  should  happen  not  to  get  on  board 


ANCHOR    IN    THE    ROADS.  53 

soon  enough,  I  shall,  in  that  case,  not  expect 
you  till  the  morning,  when  you  can  come  to 
breakfast,  and  come  early."  The  letter  then 
mentioned  the  sorry  kind  of  lodging  he  had 
got  into,  which  we  should  have  been  hear- 
tily glad  to  have  shared  with  him  :  but  such 
was  not  our  destiny,  for  this  whole  business 
ended  in  one  general  disappointment. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  cap- 
tain, expecting  a  favourable  change  of  wind, 
weighed  and  made  sail,  not  for  Ensenada, 
not  to  join  the  general  "  early  in  the  morning," 
but — once  again  for  Buenos  Ayres,  now  only 
twenty-six  miles  distant.  The  disappointment 
of  the  passengers  was  great  indeed,  and  how 
long  the  general  waited  breakfast  for  us  I 
have  yet  to  learn. 

The  wind  did  not,  as  the  captain  expected, 
change  in  our  favour,  but  continued  obstinately 
unfavourable  for  fifteen  hours,  the  whole  of 
which  time  it  took  us  to  work  up  the  river. 

At  eleven  o'clock  at  night  we  anchored,  at 
last,  in  the  wild  open  roads  of  Buenos  Ayres, 
about  eight  miles  distant  from  the  town;  but 
were  it  not  that  we  could  discover,  at  day- 
light, the  domes  of  cathedrals,  the  steeples  of 
churches,  and  the  long  white  ranges  of  build- 


54       AT  ANCHOR  IN  THE  ROADS. 

ings,  we  might  still  imagine  ourselves  in  the 
midst  of  the  ocean,  for  so  low  and  flat  is  the 
land  that  none  could  be  seen  from  our  deck. 

Here  terminates  a  voyage  of  exactly  nine 
weeks,  which,  although  commonly  performed 
in  eight,  sometimes  in  seven,  is  not  considered 
among  the  worst.  No  vessel  could  have  been 
more  baffled  than  the  little  Frolic  with  unfa- 
vourable winds  and  bad  weather  ;  therefore, 
reader,  if  you  are  now  complaining  of  weari- 
ness, stupidity,  and  ennui,  I  fain  would  ask, 
what  could  you  have  expected  otherwise,  dur- 
ing a  tedious,  uninteresting  voyage  across  the 
dreary  Atlantic  ? 


SUDDEN    STORM. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A  sudden  Storm.— Awkward  landing  of  the  Passengers. — 
Arrival  at  Buenos  Ayres. — Faunch's  Hotel. — Caution  to 
Servants. — Change  in  Ecclesiastical  affairs. — Advertise- 
ments in  the  Newspapers. 

December  1st.  On  board  H.M.  brig  Fro- 
lic, at  single  anchor,  in  the  outer  roads  of  Bue- 
nos Ayres.  In  northern  climes,  this  month  is 
usually  accompanied  with  hail,  rain,  storm, 
and  all  the  severities  of  winter ;  but  not  even 
upon  the  bleak  coast  of  Lapland,  has  it 
ever  been  ushered  in  with  a  more  tremendous 
warring  of  the  elements  than  we  have  just 
experienced. 

Scarcely  had  we  secured  our  ship  at  anchor, 
when  the  whole  horizon  became  enveloped  in 
one  continued  blaze  of  lightning,  for  so  vivid 
were  the  wide-extending  flashes,  that  their 
intermission  was   scarcely  perceptible,  and   so 


56  SUDDEN    STORM. 

dazzling  as  to   be  quite  overpowering  to  the 
sight. 

Thunder,  at  the  same  time,  burst  over  our 
heads, 

Deepening  and  crashing',  as  'twould  rend  the  world  ; 

the  wind  blew  with  the  fury  of  a  hurricane : 
then  followed  a  shower  of  hail,  which  cannot  be 
better  described  than  in  the  words  of  one  of 
the  sailors,  who  exclaimed,  "  These  lumps  of 
ice  are  battering  upon  our  decks  like  grape- 
shot."  When  the  hail  ceased,  the  rain  poured 
in  torrents,  the  stars  lost  all  their  lustre,  and 
the  moon,  usually  so  brilliant  here,  assumed 
a  blood-red,  gloomy  appearance,  that  added 
considerably  to  the  awfulness  of  this  tremen- 
dous gust,  for  it  did  not  last  above  half  an 
hour.  Storms  of  this  kind  are  generated  in 
the  Andes,  and  rushing  with  unresisted  vio- 
lence over  the  pampas,  are  thence  called  pam- 
peros* 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  weather 
having  sufficiently  moderated,  the  captain,  with 
the  mails,  went  on  shore  in  the  launch,  accom- 
panied by  all  my  compagnons  de  voyage.  It 
being  requisite  that  somebody  should  remain 

*  l\iwpa,'u\  the  Peruvian  or  Quichna  language,  signifies  a 
plain — Hcttitn  pcui/pa — a  great  plain. — Hvmb. 


LANDING    OF    THE    PASSENGERS.  57 

on  board  with  the  baggage  and  sundry  other 
articles,  I  volunteered  to  do  so,  as  I  perceived 
my  friends  would  consider  it  a  severe  punish- 
ment to  be  deprived  of  the  first  possible  chance 
of  gaining  their  liberty,  and  I  did  not  wish,  for 
the  sake  of  avoiding  a  few  hours  longer  con- 
finement, to  inflict  that  punishment  on  any  of 
them.  Away  they  went  in  full  glee,  although 
in  a  rough  sea,  and  with  a  strong  breeze  nearly 
right  against  them,  leaving  me  in  solitary  con- 
finement to  await  a  similar  enjoyment  at  a 
future  opportunity. 

2nd.  A  fine,  calm,  sun-shining  morning  as 
ever  graced  the  month  of  May. 

I  confess,  I  felt  my  solitude  more  irksome 
than  I  expected,  and  began  to  wish  for  my  re- 
lease with  some  degree  of  impatience,  for  it  was 
late  before  the  boat  returned  ;  and  when  I  ques- 
tioned the  coxsAvain  upon  the  cause  of  his 
delay,  he  gave  me  so  lamentable  an  account  of 
the  adventures  of  his  passengers,  that  I  found 
I  had  occasion  to  rejoice,  rather  than  repine, 
at  my  detention  on  board.  Such  is  life !  and 
such  is  man ! — as  Matthews  observes,  "  like  a 
lobster  in  boiling  water,  restless  and  never 
satisfied  !" 

The  boat  had  been  so  crowded  with   mail- 


58  LANDING    OF    THE    PASSENGERS. 

bags,  portmanteaus,  passengers,  and  other  lum- 
ber, that  the  men  could  not  use  their  oars  with 
proper  effect ;  and  the  wind  having  increased 
after  putting  off  from  the  ship,  it  was  soon 
found  that  they  could  not  possibly  fetch  the 
landing-place  at  the  town,  while,  from  the 
strength  of  the  current  against  them,  to  regain 
the  ship  was  equally  impossible.  The  boat, 
moreover,  from  being  so  long  out  of  use,  and 
exposed  to  so  much  heat  as  we  had  experi- 
enced in  the  tropical  latitudes,  was,  as  the  cox- 
swain very  significantly  remarked,  "  like  an 
old  basket,"  and  leaked  as  fast  and  faster  than 
all  hands  could  bale  the  water  out. 

In  this  dilemma,  there  was  nothing  else  for 
it  than  to  "  up  helm"  and  run  for  the  nearest 
land  wherever  they  could  fetch  it.  This  they 
did  ;  but  from  their  total  ignorance  of  the  sound- 
ings, and  the  shallowness  of  the  wrater  along  the 
coast,  the  boat  grounded  full  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  shore.  The  alternative  of  sitting 
quietly  in  the  boat  up  to  the  knees  in  clear 
water,  or  of  jumping  overboard  up  to  the  middle 
in  muddy  water,  now  remained  ;  and  the  latter 
was  unanimously  preferred,  because  it  was 
supposed  that  they  were  only  the  distance 
"  of  a  pleasant  walk  through  the  fields"  from 


LANDING    OF    THE    PASSENGEltS.  59 

Buenos  Ayres.  Overboard  they  accordingly 
sprang,  and  waded  in  high  spirits  to  terra 
firma. 

At  a  distance,  a  cart  with  a  yoke  of  oxen 
hove  in  sight,  and  was  soon  "  brought-to," 
boarded,  and  the  owner  engaged,  but  in  what 
language  is  not  known,  to  convey  the  mails 
and  luggage  to  the  town ;  the  party  escorting 
it  on  foot,  with  our  gallant  captain  at  their 
head. 

They  had  not  proceeded  much  beyond  an 
hour  or  so,  when  it  was  generally  felt  that  the 
pleasure  of  the  walk  was  yet  to  come ;  for 
ankle-deep  pools,  deeper  sand,  and  still  deeper 
mud,  seemed  to  increase  as  they  advanced, 
without  the  gratification  of  beholding  the  sem- 
blance of  a  "  green  field,"  or  even  of  a  road,  to 
give  stability  to  their  footing  or  to  encourage 
their  already  lagging  steps.  All  round  them 
was  a  flat  wilderness,  without  any  thing  in 
view  except  the  dingy  dome  of  the  cathedral 
of  Buenos  Ayres,  which  acted  as  a  sort  of  bea- 
con to  their  land  of  promise,  still  far  distant ; 
for  they  ascertained  that  the  full  measure  of 
thirteen  miles,  from  the  place  where  the  boat 
grounded,  must  be  made  good  before  they 
could  reach  the  city.    By  turns,  one,  and  some- 


(JO  LANDING    OF    THE    PASSENGERS. 

times  two,  would  throw  themselves  for  a  spelt 
upon  the  creaking,  jolting,  bullock-cart,  and  in 
this  way  they  all  arrived,  alive,  at  the  English 
Hotel,  just  as  the  sun  was  about  to  leave  them 
in  the  lurch. 

I  congratulated  myself  in  having  remained 
quietly  on  board,  then,  stepping  into  the  boat, 
took  my  leave  of  the  Frolic. 

When  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  shore, 
we  were  met  by  one  of  those  carts  upon  amaz- 
ingly high  wheels,  drawn  by  two  horses,  which 
line  the  beach,  and  are  in  attendance  to  receive 
passengers  from  the  boats,  which  cannot  ap- 
proach nearer  to  the  landing-place  on  account 
of  the  shallowness  of  the  water.  In  this  cart  I 
was  conveyed  full  gallop  to  Faunch's  Hotel, 
where  I  took  up  my  quarters  in  Buenos  Ayres ; 
and  here  I  need  not  detain  myself  for  the 
purpose  of  writing  an  elaborate  history  of 
the  place  or  of  its  inhabitants,  for  the  subject 
has  been  forestalled  by  at  least  a  full  score 
of  authors  and  travellers  of  every  denomina- 
tion. 

Faunch's  is  considered  the  principal  hotel  in 
the  city,  out  of  compliment,  I  suppose,  to  the 
proprietors,  who  are  English ;  but  there  is  no- 
thing whatever  in  the  whole  straggling  build- 


faunch's  hotel.  61 

ing,  within  doors  or  without,  that  can  induce 
an  English  traveller  to  fancy  himself  in  an 
English  hotel.  My  bed-room,  selected  as  one 
of  the  very  best  in  the  house,  was  not  many 
degrees  more  capacious  than  my  berth  on  board 
the  Frolic.  My  bed  was  certainly  good  enough 
for  any  body,  being  composed  of  a  hard  straw- 
mattress  and  clean  sheets,  which  were  all  I 
desired.  Being  however,  somehow  or  other, 
exceedingly  addicted  to  having  my  little  com- 
forts about  me,  and  wishing  now  and  then  to 
have  a  retreat  whither  I  might  retire  with  only 
my  own  company,  I  felt  considerable  incon- 
venience in  finding  no  more  space  than  just 
sufficient  to  contain  my  portmanteaus,  over 
one  of  which  I  was  always  obliged  to  stand 
astride  when  in  the  room.  The  door  opened 
abruptly  into  the  yard  or  court,  as  is  usual  in 
this  country,  where  all  rooms  have  free  com- 
munication with  the  street ;  in  short,  the 
habitation  was  what  in  England  is  called  an 
"  out-house,"  which  might  be  considered  a 
very  convenient  place  for  keeping  coals,  or 
where  a  sportsman  might  probably  tie  up  his 
dogs. 

Alderman  Rowcroft  had  slept  in  the  same 
room,  and  being  asked  the  first  morning,  how 


62  faunch's  hotel. 

he  had  been  lodged  ?  his  answer  was,  "  As  well 
as  could  be  expected,  considering  Faunch  had 
given  me  a  bed  in  the  stable." 

The  walls  and  floor  of  this  apartment  were 
nearly  covered  with  what  at  first  gave  me 
considerable  alarm ;  but  being  assured  that  I 
should  not  be  molested,  I  took  courage,  and 
found  that  I  was  not  deceived.  This  was  a 
colony  of  ants,  which  had  their  settlement  in 
one  of  the  beams  of  the  roof,  and  having  se- 
veral roads  to  it,  they  were  spread  in  divisions 
of  millions  over  the  room,  but  always  preserved 
the  nicest  order  and  regularity  in  their  ranks. 
Day  and  night  their  industry  was  unceasing, 
and  I  suppose  of  too  much  interest  to  them- 
selves to  admit  of  their  interference  with  others, 
for  I  never  found  the  least  inconvenience  from 
them,  but  often  much  amusement  in  observing 
their  curious  labours.  Sweets  seemed  to  be 
their  great  allurement,  for  the  sugar-bowl  every 
morning  was  found  in  their  entire  possession, 
and  to  dislodge  them  was  no  easy  task.  Per- 
haps no  house  in  Buenos  Ayres  is  altogether 
free  from  them. 

The  living  at  Faunch's  Hotel  was  very  fair, 
and  considering  that  the  markets  here  are  not 
very  reasonable,  his  prices  were  not  extravagant. 


BUENOS    AYRES.  63 

The  cheapness  of  beef  is  counterbalanced  by 
the  dearness  of  vegetables ;  fuel  also  is  to  be 
included  amongst  articles  of  high  price  and 
scarcity.* 

The  city  of  Buenos  Ayres  covers  a  very 
great  extent  of  ground,  owing  to  the  plan  ge- 
nerally adopted  by  the  Spaniards  throughout 
South  America,  of  making  the  streets  cross 
each  other  at  right  angles  and  form  regular 
parallelograms.  Many  of  the  streets  are  two, 
and  some,  I  believe,  three  miles  in  length  ;  but 
from  the  barn-like  appearance  of  the  houses, 
the  narrowness  of  the  streets,  and  the  total 
absence  of  equipages,  it  is  difficult  to  ima- 
gine oneself  in  a  large,  populous,  and  thriving 
capital.  The  Spaniards  did  nothing  either  for 
its  convenience  or  its  embellishment ;  but 
since  the  revolution,  many  improvements 
have  taken  place,  and  many  more  are  con- 
templated. 

The  theatre  is  the  great  national  attraction  ; 
the  people,  indeed,  take  so  much  delight  in  thea- 
trical representations,  that  parties  are  made  to 

*  Since  this  period,  Faunch  has  taken  a  large  house  from 
Mr.Thwaites,  an  English  merchant,  who  spared  neither  pains 
nor  expense  in  fitting  it  up  with  all  the  comfort  and  con- 
venience of  a  first-rate  hotel,  and  it  now  only  requires  good 
attendance  to  make  it  so  in  every  respect. 


64 


THE    THEATRE. 


attend  even  the  rehearsals.  I  had  the  honour 
of  being  invited,  and  slept  for  two  hours  at 
one  of  those  dullest  of  all  amusements — the 
rehearsal  of  a  bad  comedy.  The  operas  here, 
however,  are  not  to  be  despised.  I  saw  II 
Bar  bier  e  cli  Siviglia  performed  in  a  very  cre- 
ditable manner,  one  or  two  of  the  performers 
in  which  would  have  received  applause  on  any 
stage. 

Notwithstanding  the  perilous  navigation  of 
the  lliver  Plate,  Buenos  Ayres  has  more  trade 
with  Europe  than  any  other  town  in  South 
America.  Ships  of  all  nations  carry  merchan- 
dize to  this  city,  whence  it  is  conveyed  on 
mules,  or  in  bullock-carts,  to  the  interior.  The 
carriage  of  goods  is,  however,  extremely  ex- 
pensive, which  may  appear  extraordinary  in  a 
country  where  a  yoke  of  fine  oxen,  well-trained, 
can  be  purchased  for  forty  or  fifty  dollars,  and 
a  good  horse  for  fifteen  dollars  ;  though  a  first- 
rate  animal,  for  luxury,  may  cost  fifty  or  a 
hundred  dollars. 

My  servant,  with  whom  I  had  fair  recom- 
mendations in  London,  deserted  me  a  few  days 
after  my  arrival,  in  consequence  of  muling  out 
that  the  wages  of  the  country  were  higher  than 
those  which  he  obtained  from  me.  I  gave  him, 
by  agreement,  thirty  guineas  a  year,  which,  for 


CAUTION    TO    SERVANTS.  65 

all  he  had  to  do,  was  ample ;  but  in  Buenos 
Ayres  he  learned  that  he  could  earn  double 
that  sum,  and  therefore  sought  an  opportunity 
to  "  give  me  warning,"  unreasonably  expecting 
to  have  his  passage  from  England  free.  He 
was  not  aware,  however,  that  in  consequence  of 
similar  tricks  played  by  many  of  his  profession 
on  their  arrival  from  Europe,  the  Government 
of  Buenos  Ayres  had  very  considerately  passed 
a  law  making  all  contracts  executed  in  Europe 
binding  in  South  America.  By  virtue  of  this 
law,  I  obtained  a  decree  against  him  for  the 
thirty-six  pounds  which  I  had  paid  for  his  pas- 
sage ;  and  when  he  was  tapped  on  the  shoulder, 
and  asked  "  to  pay  or  to  prison,"  he  said  he 
preferred  remaining  with  his  master;  but  his 
master,  in  rather  harsh  terms,  declined  having 
any  thing  more  to  do  with  him. 

Christmas-day;  certainly  the  very  hottest  I 
ever  passed;  the  thermometer  in  the  shade 
stood  for  some  hours  at  90°.  The  heat  was 
really  intolerable,  and  compelled  me  to  exclaim 
with  the  Bond-street  lounger — 

Oh,  December,  dear  month  !  be  thy  race 
From  thy  seat  at  the  Pole  swiftly  run, 

Tis  better  to  choke  in  thy  foggy  embrace  ; 
Than  to  die  of  ennui  in  the  sun. 

I  dined  with  H.  B.  Majesty's  consul-general 

VOL.    I.  F 


66     CHANGE    IN    ECCLESIASTICAL    AFFAIRS. 

to  this  Republic,  who  entertains  in  the  style 
and  with  the  hospitality  of  an  English  gentle- 
man. He  is  deservedly  esteemed  at  Buenos 
Ayres,  and  must  be  so  in  any  higher  diplo- 
matic situation,  to  which  his  talents  bid  fair  to 
promote  him. 

I  observed  no  religious  processions,  nor  an}'' 
of  those  ceremonies  usually  performed  at  this 
festive  season.  Religion  here  is  no  longer 
what  it  was  a  few  years  ago ;  but  although 
there  may  be  nothing  to  lament  in  the  abo- 
lition of  many  absurdities,  yet  care  will  be 
requisite  in  curbing  that  injudicious  spirit  of 
which  there  is  certainly  some  appearance,  and 
which,  aiming  at  religious  license,  may  miss 
the  mark  and  terminate  in  religious  anarchy — 
of  all  disasters  the  most  fatal  that  can  befall 
a  state. 

With  respect  to  the  Pope,  the  Americans 
literally  care  nothing  about  his  holiness.  Ame- 
rica is  as  independent  of  Rome,  as  Rome  is  of 
America ;  the  great  body  of  the  people  think 
that  they  may  redress  their  ecclesiastical  griev- 
ances, and  regulate  the  forms  and  duties  of  their 
religion,  without  the  necessity  of  traversing  the 
Atlantic  ocean  to  consult  the  Holy  See  on  every 
little  repair  that  may  be  requisite  for  the  move- 


SLAVE    ADVERTISEMENTS.  67 

ment  of  the  machinery  of  their  church.  As 
well,  it  has  been  said,  might  an  inhabitant  of 
Paris  keep  his  watchmaker  at  Pekin.  "  Rome 
est  bien  le  centre  de  la  catholicite,  cela  est  vrai ; 
mals  c'est  de  la  catholicite  possible,  et  non  pas 
effective:'  * 

Having  left  the  land  of  liberty  and  arrived 
in  a  country  where  slavery  exists,  an  English- 
man, taking  up  one  of  the  public  papers  for  the 
first  time,  cannot  but  experience  very  strange 
sensations  upon  seeing  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, advertised  for  sale  amongst  houses,  cattle, 
Burton  ale,  fresh  butter,  and  goods  of  all  sorts  ; 
and,  like  horses,  warranted  sound  and  free 
from  vice. 

In  one  of  these  papers  I  observed  that  good 
cheer  and  slavery,  Burton  ale  and  strong  negroes, 
were  advertised  all  to  be  had  in  the  street  of 
Piety  !  (colli  de  la  Piedad.) 

From  another  I  copied  the  following : 

"  Se    Vende,  una    criada  To  be  sold,  a  she  servant, 

sana  y  sin  vicios,  en  cantidad  sound  and    free  from  vice  ; 

de  300  pesos.  En  estaoficina  price  300  dollars.    Inquire  at 

daran  razon."  this  office. 

I    have  frequently  seen    in    the  "  Farmer's 

*  M.  de  Pradt.     Ext.  d'un  Concordat  Americain. 
F    2 


68 


SLAVE    ADVERTISEMENTS. 


Journal"  a  cow  with  her  first  calf  advertised 
for  sale,  but  I  never  saw  till  now  an  advertise- 


ment like  the  following : 


"  Se  Vende,  una  Mulatilla  To  be  sold,  a  young  Mu- 

sana    sin    vicios,    primeriza,  latta,  sound  and  without  vice, 

con  leche  de   cuatro  meses.  with  her  first  child,  and  four 

En  la  casa  de  Espositos  damn  months'  milk.   Inquire  at  the 


razon. 


house  of  foundlings. 


BAGGAGE-CARTS,    AND    GALERA.  69 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Preparations  to  cross  the  Pampas. — Leave  Buenos  Ayres 
with  a  formidable  cavalcade. — Region  of  thistles. — Appe- 
tite of  the  Peones. — Gauchos. — Biscacho. — Excessive  heat. 
— Pampa  Indians. — Trifling  consideration  set  on  a  bullock. 
— Confusion  occasioned  by  a  Pampero. — Immense  herds 
of  cattle  on  the  Pampas Extent  of  the  Pampas. — Com- 
parison of  the  scenery  of  the  Pampas  with  the  Steppes  of 
Russia. 

December  28th.  Heat  excessive,  which  makes 
one  of  the  preparations  for  our  journey  across 
the  Pampas  very  laborious,  that  of  stowing  our 
baggage-carts,  two  of  which  we  have  purchased. 
These  are  capacious,  rude,  uncouth-looking 
vehicles,  with  cane  sides,  and  roof  covered  with 
hides,  the  body  balanced  upon  two  prodigiously 
high  wheels,  for  the  convenience  of  passing 
through  rivers.  We  have  also  purchased  for 
our  own  conveyance  a  long  coach,  called  here  a 
galera,  the  seats  running  side-ways,  and  the 
door  at  the  end  :  being  perfectly  new,  it  cost 


70        PREPARATIONS    FOR    THE    JOURNEY. 

one  thousand  and  forty-five  dollars,  which  at 
the  present  rate  of  exchange  is  not  quite  two 
hundred  pounds  sterling.  The  carriage  we 
brought  from  England  was  found  totally  un- 
fit for  the  roads  of  this  country,  the  axletree 
being  much  too  narrow  and  the  wheels  much 
too  low  ;  besides,  on  the  score  of  capacity,  it  was 
altogether  inadequate  to  the  accumulation  of 
goods  which  all  and  each  of  us  had  provided,  as 
well  for  general  convenience  as  for  individual 
comfort.  Guns,  pistols,  hams,  and  sabres  ;  rum, 
brandy,  powder,  and  shot ;  chronometers,  sau- 
sages, thermometers,  barometers,  and  biscuits  ; 
telescopes,  books,  pens,  ink,  and  sugar  ;  a  change 
of  linen,  razors,  soap,  lemons,  and  oranges ;  after 
the  most  ingenious  packing,  and  to  say  nothing 
of  the  contents  of  our  own  pockets,  left  but 
very  scanty  room  for  ourselves,  and  when  each 
had  settled  into  his  place,  there  was  just  room, 
and  no  more,  to  give  Carlo  a  berth  on  a 
Cheshire  cheese. 

According  to  the  custom  here  of  posting,  each 
horse  is  ridden  bv  a  postilion ;  and  as  each 
of  our  vehicles  required  four  horses,  we  were 
under  the  necessity  of  hiring  nine  peones*  for 
the  journey :  one  horse  in  each  carriage  is 
always   ridden  by  a    postilion  from  the  post- 

*  All  classes  of  workmen  are  called  peones. 


LEAVE  BUENOS  AYRES.         71 

houses,  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  the  ani- 
mals home. 

We  also  hired  a  capataz,  who  superintends 
the  peones,  manages  the  concerns  of  the  journey, 
and  is  supposed  to  possess  ingenuity  sufficient 
to  repair  the  frequent  damages  that  occur ;  for 
which  purpose  the  requisite  tools  are  provided, 
and  amongst  them,  spades,  shovels,  and  pick- 
axes, must  not  be  forgotten,  as  there  are  many 
opportunities  of  converting  the  peones  into 
pioneers. 

In  the  cool  of  the  evening,  after  the  moon 
had  risen,  we  left  Buenos  Ayres,  a  formidable 
cavalcade ;  the  galera  taking  the  lead,  the  two 
baggage-carts  following,  and  the  capataz  bring- 
ing up  the  rear:  our  twelve  horses,  nearly  as 
wild  as  the  twelve  postilions  who  mounted 
them,  making  fruitless  efforts  to  free  them- 
selves from  their  dexterous  riders.  Some  of 
these  were  Negroes,  but  most  of  them,  not- 
withstanding their  originality  and  novel  ap- 
pearance, recalled  forcibly  to  my  memory  the 
"  Boys"  of  my  native  land. 

The  uncombed,  dishevelled  locks — the  once 
black  hat  of  many-dinted  shape,  pitched  some- 
how or  other  on  the  head — the  rent  garment  of 
a  species  of  frieze — the  bare  leg,  indifferent  to 
a  squeeze  between  the  horses — the  spur  (a  most 


72         PEONES—  ARUIVAL    AT    LA    FIGURA. 

unmerciful  instrument  of  punishment  in  this 
country)  attached  to  the  naked  heel — the  devil- 
may-care  kind  of  way  in  which  they  galloped 
us  through  ruts,  over  stones,  and  round  sharp 
corners — the  nourish  of  the  whip  above  the 
head — the  wild  shriek  to  encourage  the  horses 
to  go  faster  when  the  animals  were  going  as 
fast  as  they  had  power  to  go— the  arch  glance 
of  pride  and  satisfaction  occasionally  cast  back- 
wards at  the  passengers  within,  and  accom- 
panied with  a  touch  of  the  hat,  evidently  mean- 
ing, "  There 's  driving  for  you,  your  honour  !" 
■ — altogether  awakened  reflections  in  my  mind 
that  occupied  me  very  happily  until  we  stopped 
at  La  Figura. 

This  is  the  first  post  from  Buenos  Ayres,  and 
here  we  were  to  pass  the  night,  and  have  a  spe- 
cimen of  the  accommodation  we  were  to  expect 
upon  a  journey  of  seventeen  hundred  English 
miles.  AVhen  we  arrived,  the  inhabitants,  I  sup- 
pose, were  all  in  bed,  for  not  a  soul  appeared, 
and  all  doors  were  shut,  except  one  of  a  de- 
tached outhouse,  consisting  of  four  bare  walls, 
a  thatched  roof,  and  mud-floor,  which  was  the 
post-house,  that  is  to  say,  the  travellers'  hotel. 
Those  who  chose  to  enter  it  did  so,  and  spread 
their  mattress  upon  the  floor :  I  preferred  the 


CONSTRUCTION    OF    OUR   VEHICLES.         73 

open  air,  and  selected  a  berth  under  the  galera, 
the  inside  being  occupied  by  our  chief  commis- 
sioner, who,  of  course,  had  first  choice  in  these 
matters. 

29th.  Thermometer  at  noon  94°.  We  travel- 
led this  day  only  thirty-six  miles,  in  conse- 
quence of  being  obliged  to  wait  for  one  of  the 
baggage-carts,  which  we  had  lost  sight  of  in 
the  rear,  and  which  did  not  come  up  until  the 
evening,  when  we  ascertained  the  delay  to 
have  been  occasioned  by  the  axletree  taking 
fire. 

30th.  Thermometer  90°.  Detained  the  whole 
of  this  day  at  Canada  de  la  Cruz,  the  fifth  post, 
and  about  seventy  miles  from  Buenos  Ayres, 
for  the  purpose  of  repairing  the  wheels  of  our 
carts.  It  must  here  be  observed,  that  not  a 
particle  of  iron,  not  even  a  nail,  is  used  in  the 
construction  of  these  vehicles ;  they  are  every- 
where secured  with  wooden  pins,  and  bound 
with  strips  of  hide,  which  very  reasonably  pre- 
vents it  being  a  matter  of  surprise,  that  in  a 
galloping  journey  they  should  occasionally  re- 
quire repair. 

Baron  Czettritz  and  I,  to  kill  time,  killed 
several  couple  of  a  very  large  species  of  snipe, 
which,  with  doves  and  plover,  afforded  excel- 


74  APPEARANCE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

lent  sport ;  but  the  sun  soon  compelled  us  to 
desist. 

The  country  for  leagues  round  is  covered 
with  thistles,  which  at  this  season  are  to  be 
seen  growing  to  the  prodigious  height  of  eight, 
and,  in  some  places,  ten  feet :  cattle  which  go 
in  amongst  them  to  seek  a  shade  from  the  sun, 
and  to  feed  upon  the  grass  beneath,  are  com- 
pletely  concealed.  These  thistles  form  almost 
the  only  fuel  for  the  few  inhabitants  who  are 
scattered  over  this  vast  wilderness :  not  a  tree 
is  to  be  seen,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  peach- 
trees,  which  have  been  planted  in  the  imme- 
diate neighbourhood  of  the  huts. 

31.  Left  Canada  de  la  Cruz,  but  got  no  far- 
ther than  Areco,  one  post  of  six  leagues,  where 
the  repairs  of  our  baggage-carts  again  compel- 
led us  to  pass  a  day. 

The  great  number  of  dogs  that  are  to  be 
seen  at  all  the  posts  has  been  noticed  by  every 
traveller  in  this  country.  They  are  common- 
ly of  large  size,  and,  from  the  abundance  of 
meat  which  they  devour,  in  good  condition. 
They  give  immediate  warning  of  the  approach 
of  strangers,  whom  they  all  sally  out  to  bark 
at,  but  seldom  injure. 

In  the  evening  we  were  sadly  tormented  by 


INHABITANTS    OF    THE    PAMPAS.  75 

divers  kinds  of  insects :  they  did  not,  how- 
ever, prevent  our  peones  from  making  a  hearty 
supper,  for  these  ten  men  devoured  two  sheep 
and  a  half  at  that  meal.  The  sheep  were  full- 
grown,  of  common  size,  and  cost  three  shillings 
each.  Killing,  skinning,  roasting,  and  eating, 
did  not  exceed  thirty-five  minutes.  They  were 
devoured,  as  is  customary  here,  without  bread, 
or  vegetables  of  any  kind.  The  latter,  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  at  least,  seem  not 
to  be  considered  amongst  the  necessaries  of 
life. 

The  Ganchos,  or  inhabitants  of  the  endless 
plains  called  Pampas,  are,  in  appearance,  a  fine 
race,  but,  in  comparison  with  the  peasantry 
of  England  and  France,  little  better  than  a 
species  of  carnivorous  baboon.  Their  immense 
herds  of  cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep  afford  them 
sufficient  means  of  existence  without  trouble, 
and  on  these  they  live  contented ;  bread  and 
vegetables  are  but  little  thought  of;  not  that 
they  cannot  be  had  from  the  soil,  but  because 
it  requires  pains  and  labour  to  produce  them. 
As  to  the  comforts  of  social  or  domestic  life, 
even  of  the  humblest  kind,  they  are  altoge- 
ther unknown ;  and  yet  I  know  not  how  it 
is,  that  I  am  neither  disappointed,  dissatisfied, 


76  INHABITANTS    OF    THE    PAMPAS. 

nor  displeased,  with  any  thing  I  have  hi- 
therto seen  of  the  habits  or  the  character  of 
these  people. 

Doctor  Johnson  observes, — and  the  traveller 
in  South  America  must  admit  the  truth  of  the 
observation, — that  "  Every  mode  of  life  has  its 
conveniences.  The  idler,  who  habituates  him- 
self to  be  satisfied  with  what  he  can  most  easily 
obtain,  not  only  escapes  labours  which  are 
often  fruitless,  but  sometimes  succeeds  better 
than  those  who  despise  all  that  is  within  their 
reach,  and  think  every  thing  more  valuable  as 
it  is  harder  to  be  acquired."  It  appears  to  me 
that  the  Gauchos  are  indifferent  about  any 
thing  that  is  beyond  their  reach,  and  set  no 
value  on  that  which  is  hard  to  be  acquired ; 
ergo,  they  are  satisfied  with  their  life :  and 
certainly  I  have  never  seen  amongst  them 
that  abject,  that  degrading  misery,  which 
is  so  general  among  the  peasantry  of  Erin 
go  bragh ! 

January  1,  1826. — This  new  year  we  com- 
menced early,  for  at  three  o'clock  we  were 
already  upon  our  journey.  The  morning  was 
delightful,  and  before  the  sun  displayed  his 
powerful  influence,  birds,  animals,  and  insects, 
new  to  us,  were  to  be  seen  in  every  direction, 


THE    BISCACHO.  77 

enjoying  the  freshness  of  the  early  hours.  The 
biscacho,  which  some  travellers  have  called  the 
rabbit  of  the  Pampas,  may,  I  think,  with  greater 
propriety,  from  its  size  and  appearance,  be  com- 
pared to  the  badger,  which  it  also  equals  in  the 
severity  of  its  bite  and  the  tenacity  of  its 
hold  :  the  flesh  is  by  some  considered  excellent 
food. 

As  the  day  advanced  the  heat  became  dread- 
ful, and  two  of  our  horses  died  upon  the  road 
from  its  effects,  aided,  no  doubt,  by  the  mur- 
derous spurs  of  the  riders,  which  are  used 
with  an  indifference  towards  the  animal  truly 
shocking. 

With  respect  to  the  method  in  which  horses 
are  harnessed  in  this  country,  I  am  doubtful 
if  the  draught  be  not  more  easy  to  them  than 
by  the  mode  adopted  in  Europe.  Here,  a  very 
broad  strong  girth  is  used  to  the  saddle,  and 
under  the  flap,  behind  the  rider's  thigh,  is  at- 
tached an  iron  ring,  to  which  the  trace  is  se- 
cured by  a  toggle ;  so  that  the  whole  draught 
depends  upon  the  girth,  and  there  is  but  one 
trace  to  each  horse.  From  the  moment  of 
starting,  the  animals  are  made  to  canter,  and 
for  three,  four,  or  even  five  leagues,  are  sel- 
dom allowed    to   alter  that  pace,  unless  it  be 


78  INCURSIONS    OF    THE    INDIANS. 

to  quicken  it  into  a  gallop :  trotting  is  never 
permitted. 

Towards  evening  we  arrived  at  the  post  of 
Arecife,  and  bathed  in  the  river  of  that  name ; 
a  considerable  stream,  but  which  the  solar  heat 
had  rendered  a  complete  warm  bath.  The 
post-house  here  has  a  deep  ditch  round  it,  and 
a  strong  palisade  to  defend  it  from  the  attacks 
of  the  Indians,  who  make  incursions  into  this 
part  of  the  country  from  the  Patagonian  side, 
and  have  frequently  driven  off  all  the  cattle 
within  their  range,  murdering  the  men  who 
chanced  to  fall  into  their  hands,  and  making  cap- 
tives of  the  women  and  children.  Not  many 
days  before  our  arrival,  a  large  body  of  these  bar- 
barians appeared,  but  the  neighbourhood  being 
apprised  of  their  advance,  had  assembled  and  de- 
feated them.  Measures  are  now  being  taken  for 
the  better  security  of  the  frontiers  against  them. 

The  annexed  sketch,  for  which  I  am  indebted 
to  Mr.  Aekermann,  represents  two  of  these  In- 
dians of  the  Pampas,  lounging  at  the  entrance 
of  B,pulperiat  (a  public-house  and  shop.)  whither 
they  take  tiger-skins,  ostrich  plumes,  leathern 
thongs  for  reins,  &c.  all  which  they  barter  for 
woollens  and  other  goods,  and  a  quant,  suff.  of 
aguardiente. 

Baron  Czettritz  and  I  had  an  hour's  excellent 


INDIANS    OF    THE    PAMPAS. 


79 


sport  in  shooting  wild-ducks,  tea],  snipe,  and 
doves,  all  which  were  in  abundance.  In  the 
course  of  our  rambles,  I  discovered  a  bullock 
that  had  fallen  into  a  deep  pit  of  water,  out  of 
which  it  struggled  in  vain  to  extricate  itself. 
I  immediately  hastened,  partly  from  motives  of 
humanity,  partly  from  supposing  it  a  subject  of 
importance  to  the  owner,  to  acquaint  the  post- 
master, who  was  proprietor  of  the  soil  for  many 
miles  round.      He  was  sitting  under  a  shed, 


80  SUDDEN    GUST    OF    WIND. 

smoking  a  segar,  with  not  fewer  than  a  dozen 
of  his  peones  lying  on  the  ground  round  him, 
indulging  in  the  siesta,  all  of  whom  I  expected 
he  would  have  instantly  roused  to  rescue  the 
bullock  when  I  delivered  my  breathless  account 
of  its  fate  ;  but  to  my  surprise,  and  not  a  little 
to  my  annoyance,  he  received  the  intelligence 
with  as  much  indifference  as  if  I  had  informed 
him  of  the  fate  of  a  kitten.  "  I  suppose,"  said 
he,  with  infinite  composure,  "  it  wanted  to  cool 
itself." — "  But,"  cried  I,  with  infinite  warmth, 
"  will  it  not  be  drowned  ?" — "  Quien  sabe  /" 
(Who  knows  !)  rejoined  he,  puffing  away  at 
his  segar. 

We  left  Arecife  in  the  evening,  and  pro- 
ceeded eight  leagues  to  Fontezuelas,  where 
we  arrived  very  late,  having  wandered  from 
the  road  to  a  considerable  distance  in  the  dark. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night,  when  all  our 
senses  were  lulled  in  sleep,  a  sudden  gust  of 
wind  carried  off  counterpanes,  sheets,  night- 
caps, and  sundry  pieces  of  wearing  apparel, 
before  the  owners  had  time  to  secure  them,  or 
indeed  before  they  could  imagine  what  had 
happened.  It  was  really  curious  to  witness  the 
scene  of  boisterous  confusion  that  so  instanta- 
neously succeeded  the  calm  and  quiet  of  sleep  : 
the  dreadful  war-whoop  of  the  Indians,  rush- 


SUDDEN    GUST    OF    WIND.  81 

ino-  into  our  bivouac,  could  not  have  occasioned 
more  vehement  sensations  of  alarm.  I  must 
confess,  that  when  first  startled  from  repose,  T 
imagined  that  some  such  calamitous  event  had 
actually  occurred,  and  in  an  instant  I  was  in  a 
position  of  defence  with  my  double-barrelled 
gun.  The  baron,  I  suspect,  was  under  a  simi- 
lar apprehension,  for  I  observed  him  staring 
wildly  round  him  with  his  couteau  de  chasse 
naked  in  his  hand ;  an  instrument  he  always 
carried  about  him  by  day,  and  at  night  placed 
under  his  pillow,  pour  etre  sur  de  moi-mime,  as 
he  himself  observed. 

A  few  drops  of  rain  from  a  heavy  black 
cloud,  that  hung  like  a  mourning  pall  above  us, 
with  a  loud  clap  of  thunder,  restored  our  won- 
dering and  wandering  senses,  and  these  were 
warnings  of  which  we  all  knew  the  necessity 
of  immediately  availing  ourselves.  Here  was 
to  be  seen  a  person,  with  legerdemain  agility, 
bundling  up  his  bed  and  bed-clothes,  but  in  so 
violent  a  hurry  as  to  impede  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  object.  There,  were  two  others, 
each  with  his  mattress  and  bedding  in  his  arms, 
met  precisely  at  the  narrow  door  of  the  post- 
house,  which  each  hoped  to  enter  first,  but 
where  they  formed  so  determined  a  barrier,  that 
neither  their  own  efforts,  nor  the  clamorous  im- 

VOL.  I.  G 


82  APPEARANCE    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

patience  of  those  without,  could  force  a  passage 
for  many  minutes.  There  goes  Mr.  Scriviner 
in  pursuit  of  his  hat,  and  although  right  before 
the  wind,  with  all  sail  spread  full  to  the  gale, 
he  makes  but  little  way,  because  particles  of 
thistles,  an  sic  like,  form  a  very  unsteady  footing 
for  bare  feet,  and  because  a  broad-brimmed  straw 
hat  has  decidedly  the  advantage  in  such  a  chase. 

I  cannot  say  that  we  suffered  so  much  from 
the  pampero  as  from  apprehension,  but  we  cer- 
tainly had  only  time,  after  forcing  the  en- 
trance into  the  hut,  to  save  ourselves  from  most 
violent  rain,  which  lasted  for  two  hours,  and 
inundated  the  flat  around  us. 

2d.  A  beautifully  fine  morning ;  all  nature 
refreshed  by  the  last  night's  rain  ;  several  os- 
triches and  small  deer  were  occasionally  to 
be  seen,  without  evincing  much  alarm  at  the 
rattling  of  our  vehicles. 

The  tail-piece  to  this  chapter  represents  the 
mode  in  which  the  Gauchos  take  their  game 
on  the  Pampas. 

We  now  bade  adieu  to  the  region  of  thistles, 
through  which  we  had  travelled  for  upwards  of 
one  hundred  miles,  and  which,  on  each  side  of 
the  road,  extended  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 
At  this  season  of  the  year,  in  consequence  of 
these  gigantic  weeds  being  parched  by  the  sun, 


APPEARANCE    OF    THE    COUNTRY.  83 

the  country,  at  a  distance,  had  the  appearance  of 
being  covered  with  ripe  corn ;  but  the  scene 
was  too  monotonous  to  afford  any  agreeable 
impression.  "  Vetendue  fait  tout  disparoitre, 
evcepte  Vetendue  mime?  says  Madame  de  Stael, 
on  her  journey  into  Russia,  where,  she  remarks, 
there  is  so  much  space  that  every  thing  is  lost — 
"  mime  les  chateaux,  mane  la  population.  On 
diroit  (ju'on  traverse  un  pays  dont  la  nation  vient 
de  s'en  alter."  Here,  on  the  contrary,  the  tra- 
veller would  say  that  he  traverses  a  country 
where  the  nation  is  yet  to  come  ;  for  every  thing 
exists  as  Nature  first  formed  it,  unimproved, 
uncultivated,  untouched. 

On  her  lonely  journey,  Madame  de  Stael  oc- 
casionally saw  palaces,  chateaux,  and  villages, 
and  met  with  several  persons  who  compliment- 
ed her  upon  her  literary  productions.  She  also 
says,  "  Vous  voyez  de  grandes  plaines  de  ble 
qui  sembknt  cultivees  par  des  mains  invisibles, 
tant  les  habitations  et  les  habitans  sont  rares." 
All  these  circumstances  indicate  intelligence, 
art,  industry,  and  the  presence  of  human  be- 
ings, however  thinly  scattered  over  the  coun- 
try ;  but  in  South  America,  for  hundreds  of 
miles,  the  traveller  sees  nothing  to  remind  him 
either  of  the  one  or  the  other.  The  wretched 
huts,  called  posts,  cannot  possibly  be  mentioned 

g  2 


84  RAPIDITY    OF    TRAVELLING. 

as  an  exception,  for  they  serve  only  to  mark 
the  place  where  horses  may  be  changed,  but 
where  no  sort  of  accommodation  can  be  ob- 
tained ;  and  where  their  half  dozen  inhabitants 
exist,  if  not  in  primitive  barbarity,  certainly 
in  primitive  ignorance  of  every  thing  in  this 
world  beyond  their  own  limited  necessities. 

Madame  de  Stael  mentions  another  circum- 
stance that  must  have  tended  to  break  the  soli- 
tude of  her  journey,  at  the  same  time  that  it 
proved  she  was  in  a  country  of  rational  beings  ; 
I  mean  the  frequent  passing  of  couriers :  "  A 
chaque  instant,  on  voyoit  passer  dcs  courriers 
qui  alloient  avec  une  incroyable  vitesse"  As  to 
the  "  incredible  swiftness,"  I  dare  say  we  can 
equal  it  upon  the  Pampas  in  South  America, 
for  the  gallop  is  the  pace  used  from  post  to 
post ;  and  this  day,  with  our  heavy  baggage- 
carts  in  company,  we  have  travelled  twenty- 
four  leagues  of  the  country,  a  distance  not  less 
than  eighty  English  miles ;  but,  since  we  left 
Buenos  Ayres,  we  have  met  with  only  one  soli- 
tary courier  ;  and,  in  a  distance  little  short  of 
two  hundred  miles,  with  but  one  travelling 
party,  which  proved  to  be  General  Miller  and 
his  aid-de-camp,  on  their  way  to  Buenos  Ayres 
to  embark  for  England.  The  many  and  severe 
wounds  which  this  distinguished  officer  has  re- 


THE    PAMPAS.  85 

ceived  in  the  cause  of  liberty  in  the  patriot  ser- 
vice of  South  America,  have  compelled  him  to 
resign  the  Governorship  of  Potosi  to  seek  a 
restoration  of  health  in  his  native  land  * 

January  3d  and  4th.  The  weather  has  been 
extremely  hot,  but  from  the  current  of  air 
through  the  windows  of  our  galera,  which  our 
quick  rate  of  travelling  kept  up,  we  suffered 
less  inconvenience  than  might  have  been  ex- 
pected. In  our  passage  over  an  extensive  mo- 
rass, we  had  frequent  and  formidable  attacks 
from  the  "  wing'd  squadrons  of  beleag'ring 
flies,"  against  the  stings  of  which  stockings 
and  light  trowsers  were  no  protection.  We 
passed  the  river  Saladillo,  and  one  or  two  other 
streams,  most  of  them  insignificant ;  though  in 
the  rainy  season,  which  is  approaching,  they 
would  no  doubt  occasion  trouble  and  difficulty. 

After  leaving  the  region  of  thistles  before- 
mentioned,  we  travelled  for  about  120  miles 
through  a  country  of  more  agreeable  aspect, 
though  not  a  tree  as  yet  appeared  to  our  view, 
the  whole  being  one  vast  field  of  rich  pasture. 
This  is  the  true  Pampa  of  South  America,  of 

*  "  Memoirs  of  General  Miller"  have  since  been  pub- 
lished, and  those  who  have  not  read  the  interesting  work, 
will,  I  am  sure,  cordially  thank  me  for  this  little  note  strongly 
recommending  it. 


86  VAST    HERDS    OF    CATTLE. 

which   we  have  of  late  years  read  and  heard 
so  much  in  Europe. 

Innumerable  herds  of  cattle,  the  progeny, 
it  is  said,  of  six  cows  and  a  bull,  imported 
rather  more  than  two  centuries  ago  from  Spain, 
range  at  large  over  this  ever-verdant  surface  of 
inexhaustible  luxuriance.  I  have  been  credibly 
informed,  that  their  numbers  at  the  present 
day  bear  no  proportion  to  what  they  were  be- 
fore the  devastating  havoc  of  the  late  civil  war ; 
still  they  appear,  to  a  European  eye,  in  count- 
less multitudes,  and  leave  the  traveller  no 
longer  cause  to  wonder  that  such  fine  animals 
should,  at  one  time,  have  been  slaughtered  in 
thousands,  merely  for  their  hides. 

It  is  imagined  by  many  persons  in  Europe 
that  the  cattle  here  are,  for  the  most  part,  per- 
fectly wild,  without  any  particular  owner,  and 
that,  like  the  deer  or  the  ostriches  which  roam 
amongst  them,  they  may  be  hunted  and  killed 
by  whomsoever  pleases  to  do  so.  This  I  have 
been  given  to  understand  was  actually  the  case 
some  fifty  years  ago  ;  but  of  late,  the  value  of 
hides  and  tallow,  as  articles  of  exportation,  has 
induced  a  very  jealous  care,  on  the  part  of  the 
cattle-breeders  of  the  Pampas,  who  have  each  a 
private  mark  branded  upon  every  animal,  and 
which  is  registered   to   families,  with    all   the 


EXTENT    OF    THE    PAMPAS.  87 

form  and  legality  attending  arms  and  crests  in 
the  Heralds'  Office.  I  do  not,  however,  assert 
that  this  jealousy  extends  so  far  as  to  prosecute, 
imprison,  or  transport,  any  casual  offender,  who, 
in  want  of  a  hide,  might  kill  an  ox  or  a  horse 
for  his  purpose.  I  am  quite  satisfied,  that  if  a 
proprietor  of  a  herd  of  cattle,  in  riding  amongst 
theiu,  happened  to  see  a  bullock  or  two  recently 
killed  and  flayed,  it  would  occasion  nothing 
like  the  regret,  horror,  or  revenge,  that  the 
melancholy  spectacle  of  a  hare  or  a  pheasant 
treacherously  noosed  occasions  in  England.  1 
doubt  if  the  Gaucho  would  even  pull  up  his 
horse  to  indulge  for  a  moment  in  the  contem- 
plation of  his  loss ;  he  might,  indeed,  as  he 
passed  the  spot,  exclaim,  "  Mira !  que  demonic*  /" 
"  Ho  !  what  the  devil  is  this  !"  and  continue  his 
ride,  whistling  or  singing,  in  tones  ill  according 
with  feelings  of  sorrow. 

This  noble  plain,  entirely  covered  with  pas- 
ture, extends  many  hundred  miles  into  the  re- 
gions of  Patagonia,  where  it  is  yet  unexplored. 
M.  Humboldt  calculates  its  area  at  70,000 
square  leagues.  "  This  area,"  he  observes,  "  of 
the  Pampas  of  Tucuman,  Buenos  Ayres,  and 
Patagonia,  (they  are  all  united,)  is  consequently 
four  times  as  large  as  the  area  of  all  France." 

Ng  lawn  was  ever  laid  down  with   greater 


88  PROVINCE    OF    CORDOVA. 

precision  by  the  hand  of  man  than  this  vast 
interminable  plain  lias  been  by  Nature,  Not  a 
stone  is  to  be  seen  on  its  surface.  I  can  scarce- 
ly give  a  better  proof  of  the  flatness,  and  unva- 
rying smoothness  of  this  pampa,  than  by  stating, 
that  this  day,  (4th  of  January,)  we  travelled 
with  ease  and  facility  from  the  post  of  Des- 
mochados  to  that  of  Fraylemuerto,  a  distance 
called  thirty-seven  leagues,  but  which  cannot  be 
less  than  120  English  miles ;  and  this,  consider- 
ing our  laden  baggage-carts,  and  delays  at  post- 
houses  in  catching  horses,  is  assuredly  rapid 
travelling ;  nor  must  it  be  forgotten  that  the 
same  postilions  (our  pcones),  performed  the 
whole  task  without  any  symptom  of  fatigue. 

5th  and  6th.  Very  hot  weather.  We  left  the 
Pampas,  and  had  not  travelled  many  miles  in 
the  province  of  Cordova,  before  the  country 
assumed  a  park-like  appearance,  from  trees 
and  woods,  which,  since  leaving  Buenos  Ayres, 
for  the  first  time  presented  themselves  to  our 
view.  The  face  of  the  country,  however,  still 
continued  a  dead  flat,  the  soil  to  all  appearance 
like  rich  garden  mould. 

The  river  Tercero,  which  is  navigable  in  some 
places,  we  crossed  without  any  difficulty ;  but 
at  the  Rio  Segundo,  about  twenty-five  leagues 
farther,   towards    Cordova,    it    retpiired    eight 


MONOTONY    OF    THE    SCENERY.  89 

horses  to  drag  each  of  our  carriages  through. 
Upon  the  banks  of  this  river  we  had  excellent 
shooting — wild-ducks,  snipes,  doves,  and  wood- 
pigeons  in  abundance. 

We  were  particularly  struck  with  the  im- 
mense numbers  of  grasshoppers,  as  we  imagined 
them,  though  they  were,  in  fact,  a  small  species 
of  locust,  which,  for  the  last  two  days,  covered 
the  road  and  adjacent  parts  for  miles,  and  upon 
which  flights  of  hawks  and  kites  were  to  be 
seen  gorging  themselves. 

I  have  remarked  that  the  scenery  of  the 
country  has  changed  ;  yet,  from  the  long  con- 
tinuance of  the  wilderness,  and  the  want  of 
variety  in  the  landscape ;  (the  trees,  for  instance, 
algaroba,  chaTiar,  and  pequillin,  being  all  of 
the  same  species,  mimosa,)  there  is  a  monotony 
in  the  whole,  which  seems  to  have  been  already 
most  accurately  described  by  Madame  de  Stael 
in  her  "  Div  Annees  d'Eail"  when  travelling 
through  Russia ;  for  although  that  account 
refers  to  a  country  at  the  other  extremity  of 
the  globe,  it  intrudes  involuntarily  upon  the 
memory,  owing  to  the  extraordinary  resem- 
blance it  bears,  in  many  instances,  to  the  fea- 
tures which  present  themselves  here,  and  also 
to  the  feelings  they  excite  in  the  mind  of  the 
traveller.     "  Though  I   was  driven  with  great 


90 


MONOTONY    OF    THK    SCENERY. 


rapidity,  it  seemed  as  if  I  never  advanced,  so 
monotonous  is  the  country,  I  was  under  that 
sort  of  delusion  which  sometimes  comes  over 
us  at  night,  when  we  imagine  we  are  going  at 
a  great  rate,  though  never  stirring  from  the 
spot.  I  fancied  that  this  country  was  the  image 
of  infinite  space,  and  that  it  wouid  require  eter- 
nity to  travel  through  it.  There  is  scarcely 
any  variety  of  trees  in  it ;  we  are  even  disposed 
to  regret  the  absence  of  stones,  so  weary  are  we 
sometimes  of  meeting  with  neither  hills  nor 
valleys,  and  proceeding  on  and  on  without  see- 
ing any  new  objects." 


CHANGE    OF    SCENEKY.  91 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Arrival  at  Cordova. — Expenses  of  a  family  in  that  city. — 
Father  Lorenzo. — Attendants  at  table. — Departure  from 
Cordova. — Vinchucas. — Locusts.  — Jesu  Maria. — Post  of 
Mocha. — Change  of  scenery. —Meeting  of  travellers. 

January  7.  Early  in  the  morning  we  per- 
ceived, for  the  first  time,  a  termination  to  the 
vast  ocean-like  plain,  over  which  we  had  tra- 
velled for  more  than  five  hundred  miles.  Large 
blue  mountains  appeared  before  us  in  the 
horizon,  and  were  hailed  by  our  party  with 
feelings  similar  to  those  excited  by  the  disco- 
very of  land  after  a  voyage  at  sea.  As  we 
advanced,  the  scenery  became  truly  grand  ;  and 
was  suddenly  enlivened  by  the  appearance  of 
the  city  of  Cordova,  situated  in  a  deep  valley 
upon  the  edge  of  a  river,  and  extending  like  a 
vast  panorama  beneath  us. 

We  descended  a  long  steep  hill,  at  which  it 
was  necessary  to  alight,  and  soon    afterwards 


92  ARRIVAL    AT    CORDOVA. 

arrived  at  an  hotel  in  the  centre  of  the  town, 
where  we  found  good  accommodation,  and 
every  attention  that  we  expected.  The  road, 
or  at  least  the  track,  from  Buenos  Ay  res  to 
Cordova,  might,  with  little  pains  and  very 
little  judgment,  be  shortened  nearly  one  hun- 
dred miles  ;  but  as  neither  pains  nor  judgment 
were  ever  exerted  for  the  benefit  or  conve- 
nience of  this  country  by  its  late  unworthy 
rulers,  it  is  a  subject  of  no  great  surprise,  that 
road-making  should  have  been  neglected  as 
well  as  every  other  improvement.  As  this 
road  now  runs  in  its  primitive  tortuous  direc- 
tion, it  cannot  measure  less  than  550  miles  from 
Buenos  Ayres  to  Cordova.  This  we  traversed 
within  the  space  of  nine  days,  including  all  de- 
lays, and  sleeping  every  night  at  a  post-house, 
— not  in  one — for  I  never  had  a  wish  to  change 
the  canopy  of  heaven  for  that  of  the  cob- 
webbed  roof  and  troublesome  insect-inmates 
of  a  miserable  hut. 

Cordova  is  a  neat  and  respectable  town,  but 
nothing  in  comparison  with  its  importance  in 
the  time  of  the  Jesuits,  who  held  their  head- 
quarters here  for  many  years,  and  acquired 
immense  possessions  throughout  this  fine  pro- 
vince. These  fathers,  either  for  the  pompous 
exhibitions     of    their    imposing    religion,    or 


RELIGIOUS    HOUSES. 


93 


for  the  benefit  of  the  souls  of  the  inhabitants, 
thought  fit  to  erect  a  grand  cathedral,  ten  large 
churches,  and  several  spacious  convents  for 
themselves,  for  Dominican  friars,  Franciscan 
friars,  and  nuns,  as  well  as  a  very  exten- 
sive college  for  Jesuitical  instruction ;  all  of 
which  were  richly  endowed,  but  are  now  poor 
indeed.  The  annexed  view  of  the  front  of 
the  cathedral  was  taken  by  means  of  a  ca- 
mera lucida. 


The  college  is  conducted  on  liberal  princi- 
ples, but  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  re- 
ligious houses  are  fast  approaching  general  dis- 
solution ;  for,  although  the  priesthood  have  still 
a  strong  party  here,  and,  to  use  a  significant 


94  CHEAPNESS   OF    LIVING. 

term  of  Lady  Morgan's,  many  young  "  priest- 
lings" are  training  up,  and  may  be  seen  in  the 
streets  and  at  the  doors  of  convents,  yet,  when 
the  present  inhabitants  of  these  castles  of  in- 
dolence and  ease  have  gone  to  give  an  account 
of  all  the  good  they  have  done  on  earth,  there 
will  be,  in  all  probability,  an  end  of  the  monkish 
tribe  in  Cordova,  where,  and  for  hundreds  of 
leagues  round,  they  once  ruled  with  uncon- 
trolled sway. 

The  present  population  of  Cordova  may  be 
estimated  at  about  thirteen  thousand.  The 
inhabitants  are  kind  and  friendly  to  strangers  : 
the  climate  is  fine,  and  the  general  state  of 
the  atmosphere  dry,  though  the  temperature 
is  occasionally  subject  to  great  variations  :  the 
market  is  well  supplied  with  provisions,  and 
living  is  altogether  very  reasonable.  A  family 
consisting  of  ten  or  twelve  persons  may  rent 
a  house  in  the  city  of  Cordova,  and  live  in  the 
most  respectable  manner,  on  an  income  of  from 
three  to  four  hundred  pounds  a-year.  It  will 
enable  them  to  move  in  the  highest  circle  of 
fashion,  and  to  keep  the  luxurious  appendage 
of  a  lord- mayor-like  coach,  elaborately  gilt, 
and  drawn  by  four  fine  mules,  for  parading  the 
ladies  round  the  public  promenade,  to  which 
all  the  company  of  the  town  resort  in  full  dress 


JESUITS'   COLLEGE.  95 

to  pass  the  delightful  evenings  of  summer, 
and  where  the  most  fastidious  European  taste 
will  find  nothing  objectionable,  either  in  the 
manners,  dress,  or  attractions  of  the  assembly, 
in  which  strangers  at  all  times  are  sure  to  meet 
with  a  courteous  reception. 

During  our  week's  sojourn  in  Cordova,  I 
visited  all  the  convents,  in  the  hope  of  picking 
up  old  books,  old  manuscripts,  old  prints,  or  old 
paintings,  but  without  the  least  success.  The 
owners  themselves  did  not  know  what  they 
possessed,  and  the  remains  of  the  libraries  (for 
they  are  now  perfect  wrecks)  were  very  far 
from  what  might  be  expected,  considering  their 
former  importance.  In  the  Jesuits'  College,  I 
ransacked  one  room,  containing,  what  the  pre- 
sent owners  called  ancient  books,  from  top  to 
bottom — not  a  book,  out  of  nearly  two  thou- 
sand volumes,  did  I  leave  unexamined ;  but  I 
found  by  far  the  greater  number  to  be  upon 
the  mystical  subjects  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
faith,  the  History  of  Saints,  and  the  Life  of 
Ignatius  Loyola. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that,  at  the  breaking 
out  of  the  revolution  in  this  country,  for  an 
extent  of  more  than  three  thousand  square 
miles,  including  the  cities,  towns,  and  villages 
of  Peru,  Chili,  and  Rio  de  la  Plata,  there  was 


96  FATHER    LORENZO. 

but  one  old  printing-press,  and  this  formerly 
belonged  to  the  Jesuits  of  Cordova.  The  Spa- 
nish government  rigidly  prohibited  that  in- 
estimable invention  being  made  available,  lest 
it  should,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  pro- 
mote the  progress  of  civilization,  science,  and 
liberty. 

In  the  convent  of  Dominicans  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  Father  Lorenzo,  now  in  the 
eighty-second  year  of  his  age,  of  which  fifty- 
one  years  had  been  spent  in  the  gloomy  cell 
where  I  found  him  at  his  frugal  meal  of  fruits 
and  bread. 

His  drink,  however,  was  something  more 
potent  than  the  crystal .  fluid,  being  a  bottle 
of  excellent  old  Malaga,  which,  in  the  course 
of  an  hour's  extremely  interesting  conversation, 
we  finished  in  fair  and  equal  proportions.  The 
cheese,  a  donation  from  a  fair  penitent,  as  he 
informed  me,  was  excellent,  and  the  bread 
better  than  any  I  had  hitherto  eaten  in  this 
country.  The  water-melons  were  delicious, 
and  the  prickly  pears  of  superior  flavour.  A 
cup  of  coffee,  followed  by  a  glass  of  aniseed, 
the  richness  of  which  made  amends  for  the 
indifference  of  the  former,  concluded  a  repast 
which  I  really  enjoyed  for  its  intellectual  gra- 


FATHER    LORENZO. 


97 


tification,  quite  as  much  as  for  the  sensual  plea- 
sure which  the  refection  afforded. 


Father  Lorenzo  had  evidently  a  pleasing 
satisfaction  in  relating  the  past  events  of  half 
a  century  to  one  who  listened  to  him  with 
such  peculiar  interest :  the  conversation  ter- 
minated by  a  piece  of  wholesome  advice  upon 
abstinence,  and  a  well-applied  moral  discourse 
upon  the  eager  pursuit  of  riches,  and  the  dis- 
satisfied disposition  of  man  ;    "  who,"  said  he, 

VOL.    i.  h 


98  FATHER    LORENZO. 

"  leaves  his  home,  his  family,  and  his  friends, 
to  traverse  seas,  mountains,  and  foreign  coun- 
tries, even  at  the  hazard  of  his  life,  for  the  mere 
sake  of  procuring  a  little  more  dross  from  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  to  add  to  that  which  he 
may  already  possess  in  sufficiency  for  his  wants ; 
and,  in  the  whole  of  his  selfish  and  perilous 
career  he  perhaps  seldom — may  be  never"  (he 
added  with  strong  emphasis,  at  the  same  time 
looking  up  and  outstretching  his  arms  to- 
wards heaven) — "  never  thinks  upon  that  God» 
who  has  protected  him  throughout  in  health 
and  safety,  and  who,  in  an  instant,  can  snatch 
him  from  his  adored  treasure,  and  summon  him 
to  that  world  where  all  the  riches  of  the  mines 
you  are  now  going  to  explore  will  no  more 
avail  than  the  sole  of  this  sandal !  —  Vanitas, 
vanitas,  omnia  vanitas,  fill  mi!"  said  the  old 
man,  striking  with  his  crook-handled  stick  the 
bottom  of  his  sandal,  and  at  the  same  time 
drawing  his  hand  across  his  eyes,  as  if  to  re- 
move a  rising  tear  excited  in  pity  of  mankind. 
"  Farewell,  Father  Lorenzo! — thanks  for  your 
hospitality,  for  your  pious  admonition,  and  your 
well-meant,  well-directed  hint ;"  then,  extend- 
ing my  hand  for  the  farewell  shake,  he  rose  from 
his  large  heavy  leathern-backed  chair,  and  ac- 


NEGRO  SERVANTS.  99 

companied  me  round  the  extensive  cloister  to 
the  door  of  his  convent,  with  as  firm  a  step  and 
as  upright  a  carriage  as  one  who  was  not  half 
his  age.  "  Adios,  padre  mio  /"  said  I;  "  I  am 
now  on  my  way  to  the  college,  to  ransack  the 
remains  of  the  Jesuit's  library."  — "  Go  with 
God,  my  son !  may  the  blessing  of  the  Virgin 
accompany  thee  !"  said  Father  Lorenzo,  em- 
bracing me  cordially  in  his  arms :  he  then  re- 
tired to  the  choir  to  chime  in  with  a  voice 
which  still  filled  its  part  in  the  bass. 

During  my  stay  at  Cordova  I  made  every 
exertion  to  provide  myself  with  a  servant,  and 
had  two  or  three  slaves  upon  trial ;  but  I  found 
it  hopeless  to  induce  them  to  relinquish  their 
lazy  and  uncleanly  habits,  while  it  was  impos- 
sible on  my  part  to  submit  to  them.  A  ser- 
vant here  would  consider  you  a  monster  if  you 
disapproved  of  his  smoking  in  your  presence,  or 
of  his  indulging  in  many  little  familiarities 
which  in  England  would  be  considered  some- 
what more  than  extraordinary.  Our  chief  com- 
missioner purchased  a  mulatto  for  three  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  I  offered  two  hundred  and 
fifty  for  a  negro,  but  the  owner  would  not  bate 
a  rial  of  his  demand  of  two  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars ;  and  as  I  did  not  think  he  had  move- 

h  2 


100  ATTENDANTS    AT    TABLE. 

inent,  shape,  and  figure,  worth  the  money,  I 
declined  the  purchase,  although  he  was  war- 
ranted sound  and  free  from  vice. 

As  I  sat  this  day  at  the  head  of  the  dinner- 
table  in  a  large  vault  in  the  hotel,  it  was  amus- 
ing to  observe  the  countenances,  the  costumes, 
and  operations  of  six  or  seven  half-naked  attend- 
ants. One,  a  negro,  with  a  face  the  polish  of 
which  Day  and  Martin  might  envy,  was  clean- 
ing the  inside  of  a  spoon  with  his  thumb,  pre- 
viously to  handing  it  to  a  gentleman  who  had 
just  called  for  one,  to  take  soup  out  of  a  large 
deep  dish  which  was  in  the  middle  of  the  table, 
and  out  of  which  he  ate  in  preference  to  using 
a  separate  plate.  Here  stood  a  mulatto,  en 
chemise,  washing  the  plates  in  a  corner  of  the 
room  as  they  were  taken  from  the  table ;  there 
his  companion,  in  similar  costume,  with  a  long 
stick,  furnished  at  one  end  with  a  large  plume 
of  ostrich  feathers,  for  the  purpose  of  fanning 
the  company,  and  at  the  same  time  to  dis- 
perse the  flies  which  filled  the  room  in  tor- 
menting swarms ;  yonder  another  nigger,  with, 
eyes  and  mouth  extended,  in  dire  amazement 
at  us  white-faced  foreigners.  But  the  pencil 
of  a  caricaturist  could  alone  do  justice  to  the 
scene. 

13th.  Exceedingly  hot  weather;    re-packed 


REQUISITES    FOR    TRAVELLING.  101 

our  baggage-carts,  and  after  providing  all  the  re- 
quisites for  travelling,  left  Cordova  in  the  even- 
ing. The  requisites  for  travelling  mean,  in  this 
country,  every  thing  that  convenience  and  ne- 
cessity demand  ;  for,  except  in  the  towns,  which 
are  hundreds  of  miles  apart,  nothing  of  the  kind 
can  be  had.  Not  only  a  canteen  with  plates, 
knives,  forks,  &c.  but  also  tables,  chairs,  cooking 
utensils,  beds  and  bedsteads,  must  be  carried  by 
those  who  know  not  how  to  rough  it,  and  who 
cannot  dispense  with  the  comforts  of  civilized 
life.  Beef  or  mutton  may  be  always  obtained 
in  the  journey  across  the  Pampas,  but  nothing 
else  must  be  expected  :  the  want  of  even  pure 
water  is  occasionally  a  severe  privation,  for  in 
some  places,  where  there  is  no  river  in  the 
neighbourhood,  and  where  the  people  have  not 
taken  the  pains  to  sink  a  well,  they  have  only  a 
large  reservoir,  close  to  the  habitation,  in  which 
the  rain  is  caught — I  cannot  say  preserved,  for  no 
care  is  taken  of  it.  I  have  frequently  drunk 
from  those  holes,  which  have  become  receptacles 
of  frogs,  toads,  and  reptiles  of  divers  kinds, 
known  and  unknown ;  this,  however,  is  not  the 
case  at  houses  of  tolerable  respectability. 

In  Buenos  Ayres,  rain-water  is  considered  a 
great  luxury,  and  in  some  houses  tanks  are 
formed  for  preserving  it  in  the  under-ground 


102  VINCHUCAS. 

stories.  A  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance  in- 
formed me  that  the  tank  under  his  house  held 
upwards  of  six  hundred  pipes  of  water,  and  I 
never  heard  that  this  under-ground  ocean  occa- 
sioned dampness  in  the  apartments  above. 

On  leaving  Cordova  we  crossed  the  river, 
which  is  broad,  but  not  deep  at  this  season  of 
the  year ;  we  then  ascended  a  steep  hill,  and 
found  ourselves  in  a  country  thickly-covered 
with  shrubs  and  bushes,  amongst  which  we  saw 
partridges  in  great  numbers,  and  of  two  kinds  ; 
one  such  as  we  have  in  Europe,  the  other  full 
as  large  as  a  moderate-sized  barn-door  fowl. 

We  arrived  late  at  Chacarilla,  the  first  post, 
six  leagues  from  Cordova,  where  the  host  and 
hostess,  perceiving  we  were  "  decent  people," 
obligingly  warned  us  against  sleeping  within 
their  house,  in  consequence  of  the  danger  to  be 
apprehended  from  vinchucas,  a  species  of  Brob- 
dignag  bug,  which  infests  most  houses  in  this 
country  during  hot  weather :  their  bite  is  ex- 
tremely severe,  and  if  rubbed  or  scratched,  from 
which  it  is  difficult  to  forbear,  occasions  very  se- 
rious inflammation.  In  size  and  appearance, 
these  insects  resemble  the  common  beetle,  but 
are  much  more  active  and  evidently  more  saga- 
cious, for  they  seem  to  watch  and  reconnoitre 


CRUEL    TREATMENT    OF    HORSES.         103 

at  the  entrance  of  their  retreats  before  they 
venture  out.  They  are  dreaded  by  all  tra- 
vellers, and,  in  the  present  case  at  least,  by  the 
natives ;  for,  when  I  inquired  how  the  owners 
of  the  house  managed  to  protect  themselves 
from  these  reptiles,  it  was  replied,  that  they 
never  slept  in  their  house  when  the  weather 
admitted  of  sleeping  out  of  it ;  and  when  the 
rains  kept  them  within,  they  never  slept  at 
night,  which  is  the  time  the  vinchucas  leave 
their  holes  and  corners  in  search  of  blood.  The 
family  at  this  post  are  respectable  and  ex- 
tremely civil. 

14th.  This  has  been  a  day  of  excessive  heat, 
and  to  the  unfortunate  horses  of  excessive  suf- 
fering ;  the  immense  spurs  of  the  postilions 
have  been  making  dreadful  havoc,  which  nei- 
ther humane  entreaties  nor  angry  remonstrances 
could  put  a  stop  to.  Often  have  I  been  the 
cause  of  additional  suffering  to  the  poor  beasts 
when  my  interference  was  meant  for  their  re- 
lief; their  heartless  riders  would  then  only  scoff 
at  what  they  thought  a  squeamish  sensibility, 
and  could  never  understand  the  object  or  ne- 
cessity of  sparing  a  horse  from  being  whipped 
or  spurred  to  death  in  the  performance  of  his 
work.     Mares  escape  this  barbarous  treatment, 


104  LOCUSTS. 

being  never  worked,  unless  it  be  to  tread  out 
the  corn  in  time  of  harvest :  to  use  a  mare  for 
riding  in  South  America  is  a  subject  of  ridicule 
and  scorn. 

After  my  arrival  in  this  country,  I  had  many 
times  heard  of  the  extensive  ruin  occasioned  by 
locusts,  and  when  at  Buenos  Ay  res,  I  was  in- 
formed, that  a  year  or  two  before,  they  had  not 
only  devoured  fruits  and  vegetables,  but  even 
destroyed  large  trees,  by  eating  the  shoots  and 
younger  branches,  and  in  many  instances  the 
bark  from  off  the  trunk.  The  truth  of  this  in- 
formation has  been  confirmed  in  the  course  of 
to-day's  journey  by  the  evidence  of  my  own 
eyes,  when  passing  over  a  very  large  tract  of 
country  where  all  the  trees  were  in  a  withered 
state;  not  a  single  leaf  was  to  be  seen  upon 
them,  and  the  greater  part  of  their  branches  and 
stems  were  stripped  of  their  bark,  while  the 
shrubs  seemed  as  if  they  had  been  swept  away 
by  a  scythe  ;  the  whole  exhibiting  the  singular 
and  extraordinary  appearance  of  the  dreariness 
of  winter  in  the  midst  of  summer. 

It  was  impossible  to  view  with  indifference 
this  scene  of  desolation,  and  impossible  not  to 
reflect  upon  the  blessings  of  that  happy  land 
which  is  free  from  such  ruinous  plagues.  Here, 
the  locusts  suddenly  appear  like  a  mist  or  dense 


JESU    MARIA.  105 

cloud,  and  wherever  they  alight  they  entirely 
consume  all  the  fruits  of  the  earth.  I  have 
heard  it  said,  that  when  every  vegetable  has 
been  destroyed,  they  will  then  prey  upon  each 
other.  They  rose  in  swarms  before  us  as  we 
drove  along  the  road,  while  others  remained  so 
thickly  spread  upon  the  ground  that  the  horses 
destroyed  them  at  every  step. 

We  passed  through  Jesu  Maria,  an  ancient 
possession  of  the  Jesuits,  of  which  there  remain 
six  or  eight  huts,  and  the  ruins  of  two  large 
churches  and  a  convent ;  the  last  of  which  had  a 
magnificent  garden  attached  to  it,  and  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  high  stone-and-mortar  wall,  the 
first  we  had  seen  in  the  country.  The  situa- 
tion was  picturesque,  and  all  around  exhibited 
signs  of  former  care  and  industry  ;  but  it  seems 
as  if  the  instruction  of  the  fathers  had  not  been 
of  so  solid  or  permanent  a  nature  as  their  build- 
ings, for  the  present  generation  have  inherited 
from  them  little  more  than  the  mere  name  of 
Christians. 

The  family  at  the  post-house  of  Macha,  where 
we  stopped  this  night,  is  highly-respectable; 
the  females  are  above  the  usual  standard,  and 
the  master  a  man  of  intelligence  beyond  what 
we  had  hitherto  been  in  the  habit  of  meeting 
with.     I  confess  this  is  not  saying  much  in  his 


106  GENERAL    EDUCATION. 

praise,  where  the  knowledge  of  drawing  out  an 
agreement  for  the  sale  of  so  many  square 
leagues  of  land,  or  a  receipt  for  the  purchase- 
money  of  a  slave,  had,  up  to  the  period  of  the 
revolution,  been  deemed  quite  sufficient  for 
ordinary  education. 

Books  were  rigidly  prohibited  by  the  Holy 
Inquisition ;  reading,  therefore,  was  out  of  the 
question  ;  nor  have  I  yet  met  with  a  single 
book  in  the  house  of  any  private  person  since  I 
left  Buenos  Ayres :  even  in  that  city,  where 
education  has  made  such  rapid  strides  of  late 
years,  and  where  there  is  much  literary  talent, 
books  are  not  yet  generally  considered  as  form- 
ing a  necessary  and  agreeable  part  of  the  furni- 
ture of  every  house. 

The  rising  generation,  however,  throughout 
South  America,  have  advantages  which  their 
parents  had  not.  A  liberal  education  is  now 
not  merely  permitted,  but  imparted  to  all  classes 
where  there  are  the  means  of  doing  so.  Books 
are  sought  after,  and  collections  will  no  doubt 
take  place,  where,  hitherto,  even  a  Guthrie's 
Geography  has  been  prohibited. 

A  delightful  bath  of  clear  running  water  is 
to  be  found  in  the  orchard  of  the  post-house 
of  Macha,  and  good  duck  and  snipe  shooting 
in  the  neighbourhood. 


ROUGHNESS    OF    THE    ROADS.  107 

15th.  This  day  we  have  travelled  but  twelve 
leagues,  in  consequence  of  the  extreme  diffi- 
culty of  the  way,  for  I  cannot  call  it  the  road, 
there  being  only  tracks  of  horses,  or  of  wheels, 
to  guide  us  in  our  rugged  progress.     The  rum- 
bling-tumbling we  have  endured  in  our  galera, 
in  its  bounces  over  roots  and  broken  branches 
of  trees,  into  ruts  and  through  thickets,  is  ad- 
mitted by  us  all  to  have  been  the  most  violent 
exercise  we  ever   underwent,  and  excites  our 
surprise  how  it  has  continued  without  fracture 
or  dislocation.     Four  Christians,    such   as  we 
are,  one  dog,  two  paroquets,  (saved  from  being 
put  into  a  pie  at  one  of  the  post-houses,)  boxes, 
packages,  books,  guns,  pistols,  biscuits,  cheese, 
and  ham,  have  been  jostled,  pounded  and  com- 
pounded,   pitched,    and    tossed,    and   crossed, 
throughout   the    day's   journey,   with    all    the 
celerity   of  a  juggler's  balls.     Habit,  however, 
becomes  second  nature,  and  six  or  seven  hun- 
dred miles'  travelling  has  caused  us  to  endure 
this  uneasy  kind  of  perpetual  motion  with  much 
less  annoyance  than  we  probably  should  have 
felt  had  we  not  been  thus  trained  to  it. 

The  country  has  now  altogether  changed  in 
aspect ;  we  are  in  the  midst  of  hills  and  valleys, 
some  of  them  rocky,  some  sandy,  and  some 
with  rich  pasture,  where  large  troops  of  fine 


108  GAME. — SAN    PEDRO. 

mules  are  bred  chiefly  for  the  supply  of  Peru. 
Game  abounds  every  where ;  partridges  of 
three  kinds,  small,  large,  and  larger ;  snipes, 
ducks,  teal,  doves,  pigeons,  and  parrots.  We 
stopped  on  the  road  to  shoot  our  supper,  which 
we  have  been  in  the  habit  of  doing  latterly, 
with  great  success  and  amusement. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  we  passed  over  vast 
tracts  of  country  desolated  by  locusts.  About 
a  mile  from  the  post-house  of  San  Pedro,  where 
we  stopped  for  the  night,  there  is  a  delightful 
bath,  formed  by  Nature  in  a  deep  rocky  ravine, 
where  runs  a  small  river,  in  which  we  indulged 
for  an  hour. 

16th.  We  travelled  this  day  over  rugged  hills 
and  mountains,  and  through  stunted  woods 
many  leagues  in  extent  :  1  have  not  yet  seen  a 
tree  qfwfiny  magnitude,  or  fit  to  be  called  timber. 
Twenty  or  thirty  miles  of  our  journey  lay 
through  a  straggling  forest  of  palm-trees ;  their 
appearance  may  at  first  interest  a  stranger,  but, 
except  that  cattle  eat  the  fruit  or  seeds  which 
fall  from  them,  they  are  neither  useful  nor  or- 
namental. 

The  insufferable  heat  compelled  us  to  stop 
for  three  or  four  hours  in  the  afternoon  at 
Pozo  del  Tigre.  The  neighbouring  moun- 
tains are  thickly  wooded  and  the  dwelling  of 


TICxERS.  109 

tigers,  of  whose  depredations  among  flocks  and 
herds  I  heard  many  stories  from  the  post-mas- 
ter, with  some  few  instances  of  their  attacks 
upon  Cristianos.  M.  de  la  Condamine,  in  his 
Travels  in  South  America,  written  nearly  a 
century  ago,  observes,  that  the  tigers  he  saw  in 
that  country  "  differed  neither  in  size  nor  beau- 
ty from  those  of  Africa."  He  also  mentions, 
that  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Amazons  they 
are  the  most  dangerous  adversaries  of  the  cro- 
codile, and  perhaps  the  only  animal  that  dares 
to  encounter  it.  When  the  tiger  approaches 
the  brink  to  quench  his  thirst,  the  crocodile 
raises  its  head  to  seize  him,  as  on  similar  occa- 
sions it  attacks  oxen,  horses,  and  mules.  The 
tiger  then  strikes  his  claws  into  the  eyes,  the 
only  undefended  part  of  the  crocodile,  which, 
instantly  diving  into  the  water,  carrieS^own 
the  tiger,  who  suffers  himself  to  be  drowned 
rather  than  forego  his  prey. 

In  the  evening,  we  proceeded  six  leagues 
farther,  to  the  post  of  Portezuelo,  where  the 
jurisdiction  of  Cordova  terminates,  and  where 
that  of  Santiago  del  Estero  commences. 

We  had  just  finished  our  delicious  meal  of 
snipes,  doves,  dust,  and  the  liver  of  a  sheep, 
all  fried  together  with  onions,  when  a  vehicle, 
which  I  shall  not  call  a  carriage,  arrived  at  the 


110  PERUVIAN    OFFICERS. 

post-house  with  two  officers  from  Potosi ;  this 
being  the  second  time  that  we  had  met  with 
travellers  in  a  distance  of  seven  hundred  miles. 
These  officers,  Don  Mariano  Diaz,  an  officer  of 
cavalry,  and  Don  Angel  Sanches,  an  officer  of 
artillery,  were  from  the  army  of  Peru,  with 
leave  of  absence  from  Bolivar,  after  eight  years' 
hard  service,  of  which  they  gave  us  an  ex- 
tremely interesting  account.  In  speaking  of 
their  regiments  and  the  conduct  of  their  armies 
in  the  numerous  battles  in  which  they  had 
fought,  bled,  and  conquered,  the  climax  of 
their  praise  was  in  comparing  themselves  to  the 
troops  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  :  they  never  once 
alluded  to  the  conquerors  of  those  troops.  "  Na- 
poleon never  had  finer  troops,  a  better  disci- 
plined army,  or  braver  warriors !"  was  several 
times  affirmed  in  the  course  of  conversation ; 
but  I  am  disposed  to  think  that  Napoleon's 
glory  would  never  have  attained  the  pitch  it 
did,  if  his  warriors  had  not  been  "  better  disci- 
plined" than  the  motley  armies  of  South  Ame- 
rica ;  nor  would  his  marshals  have  received  the 
coronets  and  crowns  of  dukes,  kings,  and 
princes,  had  not  their  military  talent  surpassed 
the  capacities  of  Indians,  Negroes,  Samboes, 
and  Creoles,  although  the  courage  and  conduct 
of  these  latter  in  the  field  have,  in  many  in- 


HALT    AT    PORTF.ZUELO.  Ill 

stances,  been  eminently  displayed.  Notwith- 
standing the  fatigue  of  both  parties,  after  a 
jolting  journey  in  the  heat  of  an  overpowering 
sun,  we  sat  up  conversing  and  smoking  segars 
until  past  midnight,  when  I  laid  myself  down, 
and  soon  "  steeped  my  senses  in  forgetfulness." 


12         PERFORMANCES    OF    POST-HORSES. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Performances  of  Post-horses. — Dispute  with  an  Alcalde. — 
River  Saladillo. — Delightful  serenity  of  the  nights — The 
Balsa  described. — Excessive  heat. — Santiago  del  Estero. — 
First  glimpse  of  branches  of  the  Cordilleras. 

Jan.  17th  and  18th.  Our  journey  has  been 
through  a  loose  sandy  soil,  with  rocks,  bushes, 
and  a  few  trees  of  larger  size  than  what  we  have 
hitherto  seen,  resembling  in  some  degree  the  oak. 

Just  as  we  were  about  to  leave  the  first  post, 
a  cart  with  two  travellers  arrived,  on  their  way 
from  Potosi  to  Buenos  Ayres.  After  a  few 
questions  relative  to  the  state  of  the  rivers,  we 
continued  our  route,  and  had  not  proceeded  far 
before  the  postilions,  who  had  conducted  the 
travellers,  passed  us  with  their  return  horses  in 
full  gallop,  which,  as  I  have  elsewhere  observed, 
is  the  usual  pace.  The  stage  the  travellers  had 
just  concluded  was  seven  leagues  ;  thus  these 
horses,  before  they  reached  home,  would  have 


DIFFICULTIES    OF    THE    ROAD.  113 

toiled  nearly  fifty  English  miles,  without  ten 
minutes'  rest;  for,  as  to  feeding  or  baiting,  that 
is  never  even  thought  of.  The  great  abundance 
of  horses  admits  of  long  and  sufficient  intervals 
of  rest,  otherwise  no  animals  could  endure  such 
severe  work. 

The  destructive  ravages  of  locusts  again  ap- 
peared. Every  tree,  for  several  leagues  on  each 
side  of  the  road,  as  far  as  we  could  see,  was 
stripped  of  its  leaves,  and  many  of  their  bark, 
presenting  to  the  view  a  withered  wilderness, 
which  required  only  frost  and  snow  to  complete 
the  scene  of  desolation. 

Every  day,  as  we  now  advanced,  we  were  sa- 
tisfied that  no  English  carriage  could  go  through, 
or  over,  such  places  as  our  galera  had  passed, 
without  being  broken  or  upset.  Some  of  the 
places  would  appear  quite  impracticable  to  a 
person  who  had  never  travelled  out  of  England ; 
yet,  with  four  or  five  horses,  we  proceeded  at  a 
rate  of  between  eight  and  ten,  and  often  twelve 
miles  an  hour.  Sometimes,  where  high  grass 
and  weeds  had  covered  the  tracks,  we  rolled 
softly  along,  as  if  driving  through  a  meadow  ; 
sometimes  we  dashed  over  fallen  trunks,  decayed 
stumps,  and  roots  of  trees  ;  sometimes,  through 
briars,  and  bushes,  and  extending  branches  ;  the 
peones  encouraging  their  horses  with  loud  wild 

VOL.    I.  I 


114  APPEARANCE    OF    OUlt    PEONES. 

shrieks,  and  flourishing  their  hide  whips  over 
their  heads,  which  are  usually  covered  with  a 
handkerchief,  loosely  flowing  from  under  the 
hat,  to  catch  the  breeze  and  counteract  the 
rays  of  the  sun  ;  their  various-coloured  ponchos 
floating  in  the  air  behind  them,  their  trowsers 
tucked  up  above  the  knee,  leaving  the  leg  naked ; 
while  the  disordered  appearance  of  the  tackle, 
and  the  large  heavy  ship-like  vehicle,  with  the 
half-naked  passengers  within,  dissolving  under 
a  nearly  vertical  sun,  formed  altogether  a  most 
extraordinary  scene,  worthy  of  being  sketched 
by  the  pencil  of  a  Wilkie. 

We  saw  many  large  flocks  of  parrots,  scream- 
ing hideously  to  warn  their  young  brood,  which 
they  seem  aware  are  considered  a  delicious  in- 
gredient for  a  savoury  pie. 

In  spite  of  our  desire  to  proceed,  we  are  every 
day  compelled  to  stop  several  hours  at  a  post- 
house,  on  account  of  the*  oppressive  heat,  to 
which  neither  man  nor  beast  can  be  exposed 
without  the  most  severe  sufferings ;  98°  of 
Fahrenheit  is  the  lowest  mid-day  temperature 
to  which  we  have  been  accustomed  for  several 
days. 

At  the  post-house  of  San  Iones  we  passed  a 
couple  of  hours,  listening  to  accounts  of  the 
ravages  committed  by  tigers  and  lions,  which 


THE    CACTUS.  115 

are  very  numerous  in  the  neighbouring  forests. 
The  tigers,  although  inferior  in  size  and  beauty 
to  those  of  the  East  Indies,  are  still  very  for- 
midable, and  commit  extensive  depredations 
amongst  the  cattle,  particularly  young  horses, 
which  it  appears  are  their  favourite  prey.  The 
lions  here  do  not  deserve  the  name,  being  a 
very  inferior  species  of  that  noble  animal,  and 
so  cowardly  as  never  to  attack  any  thing  but 
sheep  or  goats. 

We  drove  for  several  miles  through  a  forest 
of  the  cactus,  which  afforded  us  a  proof  of  the 
manner  in  which  trees  or  plants  degenerate 
when  out  of  their  native  soil.  Here  were  to 
be  seen,  of  the  magnitude  of  trees,  plants,  which 
in  European  conservatories  are  generally  but 
a  few  inches  high,  vegetating  in  flower-pots. 
Humboldt  says,  "  Near  Maniquarez  (in  the  Ca- 
raccas)  we  measured  a  cactus,  the  trunk  of 
which  was  more  than  four  feet  nine  inches  in 
circumference." 

The  night  of  the  18th  January  we  passed 
at  the  village  of  Oratorio  Grande,  where  the 
traveller,  who  is  not  very  difficult  to  please, 
may  find  sufficient  for  his  wants,  and  among 
other  things,  water-melons,  which  we  considered 
delicious,  being  the  coolest  and  cleanest  eatable 
we  had  tasted  for  some  days.     The  water,  how- 

i  2 


116  AN    EARTHQUAKE. 

ever,  at  this  village,  is  procured  from  a  muddy, 
brackish  river,  which  was  so  warm,  even  Jong 
after  sun-set,  that  we  found  it  quite  uncom- 
fortable when  bathing,  and  experienced  but 
little  refreshment.  We  slept  as  usual  in  the 
open  air,  the  night  being  delightfully  serene, 
and  of  such  a  temperature  as  to  require  but  the 
covering  of  a  single  sheet. 

19th,  at  five  o'clock,  when  about  to  rise  with 
the  sun,  as  was  our  custom,  we  suddenly  felt 
ourselves  shaken  in  our  beds,  and  thought  it 
was  occasioned  by  a  dog  or  a  pig,  frequent 
visitors,  prowling  about  for  the  fragments  of 
the  last  meal ;  we  therefore  all,  at  the  same 
moment,  looked  under  our  beds,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  chasing  away  the  intruder.  General 
Paroissien,  who  slept  in  the  carriage,  looked  at 
the  same  moment  from  one  of  the  windows,  to 
see  who  or  what  had  shaken  him  out  of  his  last 
slumber ;  and  whilst  we  were  all  in  the  attitude 
of  surprise  at  not  seeing  any  thing  that  could 
have  disturbed  us,  still  less  have  occasioned  so 
sensible  a  rocking  as  we  experienced,  voices 
were  heard  in  every  direction,  calling  out  Tem- 
blor !  temblor !  temblor !  the  people  at  the  same 
time  flying  from  their  houses.  An  earthquake 
it  proved  to  be,  the  first  that  had  been  felt  in 
this  part  of  the  country  for  many  years. 


DISPUTE    WITH    AN    ALCALDE.  117 

We  remained  the  whole  of  this  day  at  Ora- 
torio Grande  to  repair  the  damages  our  carts 
had  sustained,  owing  to  the  extremely  rugged 
roads  we  had  lately  travelled.  These  roads, 
indeed,  are  in  such  a  state,  as  to  shake,  not 
only  the  carts,  but  every  thing  within  them 
into  atoms,  unless  packed  and  secured  with 
more  than  common  care;  an  office  which  must 
not  be  left  to  be  perform d  by  the  peones,  to 
whom  care,  trouble,  neatness,  and  ingenuity, 
are  unknown. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning,  we  purchased 
a  young  fat  bull,  and  tied  him  to  a  tree  to  be 
in  readiness  for  slaughter  when  the  heat  of  the 
day  should  be  past.  A  short  time  before  the 
hour  of  death  arrived,  the  alcalde  of  the  vil- 
lage, having  drunk  till  drunk  of  aguardiente, 
and  forgetting  the  payment  we  had  made, 
seized  the  bull,  and  led  him  off  as  his  property. 
I  was  immediately  dispatched  by  our  general  to 
reclaim  what  we  justly  considered  our  lawful 
right,  and  soon  the  alcalde  and  I  came  to  words 
so  loud,  and  to  actions  so  threatening,  as  to 
alarm  the  whole  village ;  out  ran  men,  women, 
children,  and  dogs,  a  formidable  pack,  all  evi- 
dently auxiliaries  of  the  alcalde.  Upon  seeing 
this  hostile  array,  I  made  signals  to  our  party 
for  assistance,  which,  it  is  but  justice  to  state, 


118  DISPUTE    WITH    AN    ALCALDE. 

were  obeyed  with  alacrity  by  our  peones,  who 
advanced  in  the  most  spirited  manner  to  cover 
the  retreat  which  I  had  already  prudently  com- 
menced. Upon  the  coming  up  of  the  rein- 
forcement, which  was  headed  by  one  of  our 
negroes,  I  returned  to  the  charge,  and  quickly 
came  to  louder  words  and  more  dreadful  threats 
with  the  alcalde,  who,  perceiving  our  determi- 
nation to  seize  either  him  or  the  bull,  waved 
his  hat  and  gave  a  loud  halloo  !  when  out  rush- 
ed six  or  seven  terrific-looking  fellows  from  a 
neighbouring  thicket  with  drawn  sabres,  and 
two  with  muskets,  one  of  which  had  a  lock 
and  in  appearance  was  ready  for  the  destructive 
purposes  of  war.  I  hesitated  with  becoming 
coolness,  and  viewing  my  troops,  as  every  good 
general  should  do,  with  feelings  of  paternal 
consideration,  I  again  ordered  a  retreat,  which 
was  promptly  obeyed,  and  what  it  lacked  in 
order  and  discipline,  was  amply  compensated 
by  all  the  swiftness  we  were  capable  of  exert- 
ing. The  alcalde,  imagining  that  we  had  re- 
tired for  farther  reinforcement,  and  not  know- 
ing what  might  be  the  consequence  if  we  ad- 
vanced with  the  same  rapidity  with  which  we 
retreated,  thought  fit  to  make  overtures  of 
peace,  and  with  that  intent  dispatched  to  our 


DISPUTE    WITH    AN    ALCALDE.  119 

head-quarters  a  flag  of  truce  with  a  letter,  of 
which  I  shall  give,  as  every  faithful  historian  is 
bound,  a  true  and  accurate  copy;  and  although 
the  reader  should  be  acquainted  with  the  Spa- 
nish language,  I  trust  he  will  not  feel  offended 
at  being  presented  with  the  original  in  one 
column,  done  into  English  in  the  other. 

It  may   be   requisite    to   mention,  that   an 
alcalde  is  obliged  to  supply  all  troops  passing 
through  his  district  with  the  provisions  they 
may  require,  and  that,  in  failure  of  his  duty  in 
this  respect,  he  is  liable  to  punishment  from  the 
governor  or  government  of  the  province.     Our 
alcalde,  concluding    that    a    general  ought   to 
have  troops  with  him,  in  order  to  avoid  this 
punishment,  and  at  the  same  time  to  ascertain 
our  real  strength,  very  pertinently  commences 
his  letter  by  inquiring  of  the  general  "  what 
force  he  brings  ?"     The  document  was  written 
in   such  strange  hieroglyphics,   and  was   deli- 
vered in  such  breathless  anxiety,  as  to  indicate 
a  state    of    mind   very    different    from    what 
Nelson  evinced  when  he  wrote  his  letter  to  the 
Prince   Royal  of  Denmark,   soliciting    an  ar- 
mistice, at  the  time  of  his  celebrated  attack  on 
the  naval  force  drawn   up  for  the  defence  of 
Copenhagen. 


120  THE    ALCALDES    LETTER. 

Seiior    General,    que    me  Signior   General,   as   they 

dicen  Espero  que  v  me  con-  tell  me,  I  hope  you  will   in- 

teste  la  fuerza  que  trae,  para  form   me  of  the    force    you 

yo  franquearle  conloque  ne-  bring,  in    order   that  I   may 

cisita,  por  que  el  Sehor  Go-  supply  it    with    what    it    re- 

vernador    me    tiene    en   este  quires;  for  the  Signior  Go- 

punto  para   ver  quanto  de-  vernor  has  appointed  me  in 

sorden   hayga,  y   asi  espero  this  place  to  observe  what- 

saver  para  govierno.  ever    disorder    occurs,    and 

Dios    guarde  a  v  muchos  therefore  I  hope  to  know  for 

ahos.  my  governance. 

Oratorio  Grande,  God  keep  you  many  years. 

19  Enero,  1826.  Oratorio  Grande, 

Jose  Victouiano*  Diaz.  19th  January,  1826. 

Joseph  Victor  Diaz. 

This  important  affair  terminated  by  our  re- 
ceiving two  sheep  and  a  goat  in  lieu  of  the 
bull  which  had  escaped ;  these  were  imme- 
diately immolated  and  prepared  for  our  banquet, 
after  which  we  all  sought  repose,  and  soon  for- 
got the  troubles  of  the  day. 

On  the  20th,  we  passed  the  brackish  river 
Saladillo,  on  the  edges  of  which,  from  the  effects 
of  the  heat,  quantities  of  fish  lay  dead,  alluring 
flights  of  hawks  and  kites  that  were  not  easily 
disturbed  from  their   surfeiting  repast.      The 

*  *  It  will  no  doubt  be  remarked  that  the  signature  of 
Victoriano  comes  in  here  quite  as  a-propos  as  the  city  of 
Victoria  in  the  case  of  Wellington's  victory. 


ltlVER    SALADILI.O.  121 

Saladillo  is  a  very   dangerous  river"  to  pass  in 
the  rainy   season  :  it  required  eight  horses  to 
drag  our  empty  galera  up  the  opposite  bank, 
which  was  accomplished  with    difficulty ;    we 
ourselves  waded  across,  being  happy  to  dabble 
in  any  stream.     If  the  people  here  were  capable 
of  exertion,  they  might  with  very  little  inge- 
nuity construct  a  bridge,  or  at  least  a  raft,  which 
would  soon  amply  repay  their  labour.     Some 
such  convenience  might  indeed  have  been  ex- 
pected from  the  late  governors  of  the  country, 
when  we  consider  that  this   dangerous  passage 
is  on  the  high  road  leading  from  the  capital  of 
one  province  to  the  capital  of  another ;  in  short, 
it  is  that  communication  between  Buenos  Ayres 
and  Peru,  by  which,  for  upwards  of  two  cen- 
turies,   millions  in  gold  and  silver  have  been 
conveyed  for  embarkation  to  Spain.     The  with- 
drawing  the   precious   metals   was  the  whole 
and  sole  object  of  Spain  ;  improvement  or  pub- 
lic benefit  was  never  attempted,  which  makes 
it  quite  impossible  to  view  this  neglected  coun- 
try without  feelings  of  the  utmost  abhorrence 
of  the  government  that  so  long  ruled  it. 

I  shot  this  day  a  bird  called  here  chaha,  the 
first  I' had  seen  of  the  kind  ;  it  is  about  the  size 
of,  but  heavier  than,  a  turkey;  is  of  a  dark  grey 


122        CONTRAST    OF    DAY    AND    NIGHT. 

colour,  with  two  curved  horns,  resembling  the 
spurs  of  a  game-cock,  at  the  end  of  each  pinion, 
with  which  it  can  inflict  desperate  wounds. 

We  have  now  got  into  that  part  of  the  coun- 
try where  the  primitive  language  of  Peru,  called 
Quichua  is  spoken,  and  where  the  peasantry 
scarcely  understand  Spanish. 

The  heat  of  this  day  has  been  dreadful,  and 
not  a  drop  of  water  was  to  be  obtained  between 
the  posts,  for  distances  of  ten,  fifteen,  and 
twenty  miles.  The  greater  part  of  our  journey 
was  over  a  flat,  burning,  sandy  soil,  a  perfect 
desert,  where  Nature's  self  seemed  lifeless;  not 
a  bird  nor  an  animal  of  any  kind  was  to  be  seen, 
but  here  and  there,  in  dismal  unison  with  the 
scene,  a  wooden  cross  was  fixed  to  denote  the 
spot  of  an  untimely  grave. 

We  ended  this  truly  fatiguing  day's  journey 
at  the  post  of  Mochimo,  where  we  arrived  late, 
by  the  light  of  a  brilliant  full  moon.  The 
night  was  altogether  beautifully  serene,  and 
when  we  laid  ourselves  down  to  rest  under  the 
solendid  canopy  that  sparkled  with  countless 
worlds  of  light  above  us,  we  could  not  refrain 
from  expressions  of  delight  at  the  luxury  we 
thus  enjoyed,  and  which  exemplified  the  ge- 
nerally admitted  fact,  that  Nature  has  seldom 
given  a  bane  without  accompanying  it  witli   an 


REFRESHING    NIGHT    AIR.  123 

antidote.  Here  our  sufferings  under  a  scorch- 
ing sun  in  the  day  were  amply  compensated 
by  the  sweet  salubrious  air  of  the  night ;  it  not 
only  invited  us  to  expose  ourselves  to  its  re- 
freshing influence,  but  actually  gave  and  pre- 
served that  health  and  strength,  which  enabled 
us  to  sustain  the  fatigue  and  exhaustion  we  un- 
derwent for  the  greater  part  of  the  twenty -four 
hours,  and  which,  without  this  revivifying  pe- 
riod of  repose,  it  would  have  been  utterly  im- 
possible to  withstand  for  any  length  of  time. 

21st.  Thermometer  in  the  shade  at  mid-day 
101°,  and  in  the  carriage  at  the  same  hour 
103°.  We  stopped  for  some  time  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  Santiago,  which,  from  rain  that  had 
fallen  farther  up  the  country,  had  now  become 
so  deep  and  rapid  as  to  prevent  our  passing 
without  unloading  our  carriage  and  carts,  and 
towing  over  every  article  in  a  balsa,  an  original 
kind  of  boat,  of  which  it  may  not  be  thought 
tedious  to  give  a  full  account,  as  well  as  the 
detail  of  our  passage  across. 

At  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  having 
travelled  about  twelve  leagues,  we  arrived  at 
the  village  of  Loreto,  where  we  stopped  at  the 
post-house,  "  to  take  counsel  and  to  take  tea," 
and  sent  forward  our  capataz,  with  one  of  our 
party,  to  explore  the  pass  of  the  river,  distant 


124      CltOSSlNG    THE    RIVER    SANTIAGO    IN, 

from  the  village  about  half  a  league.  Their  re- 
port was,  that  the  river  was  much  swollen,  and 
impossible  to  be  passed  without  the  assistance 
of  balsas,  unless  we  became  Robinson  Crusoes, 
and  took  time  and  patience  to  fell  timber  and 
construct  a  raft ;  and  here  again  we  thought, 
that  in  the  course  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years'  dominion  over  this  portion  of  the  New 
World,  the  Spanish  government  might  have 
been  at  the  pains  to  construct  a  bridge  of  some 
kind  for  their  own  convenience,  even  though 
that  of  the  community  at  large  was  indifferent 
to  them.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  excessive  heat 
was  of  itself  a  sufficient  impediment  to  our 
becoming  industrious  ;  Ave  therefore  availed 
ourselves  of  a  machine  of  primitive  simplicity, 
and  leaving  Loreto,  accompanied  by  half  a 
dozen  peones  of  the  country,  we  arrived  at  the 
edge  of  the  river,  where  we  dismounted  from 
our  carriage  and  unloaded  our  carts.  The 
peones  immediately  prepared,  out  of  two  bul- 
locks' hides  with  which  they  were  provided, 
two  boats  for  receiving  their  freight ;  a  prepara- 
tion which  I  inspected  with  more  than  ordi- 
nary interest,  for  I  could  not  comprehend  how 
our  heavy  baggage  and  ourselves  were  to  be 
conveyed  safe  and  dry  across  a  broad,  deep,  and 
very  rapid  river,  in  the  single  hide  of  a  bullock  ! 


AND    DESCRIPTION    OF,    THE    BALSA.       125 

In  circumstances  of  navigation,  a  jolly-boat 
had  hitherto  been  the  smallest  bark  I  had  ever 
been  in  on  perilous  occasions ;  but  all  my  nau- 
tical practice  could  not  prevent  me,  on  view- 
ing the  vessel  in  which  I  was  about  to  embark, 
(with  all  my  property,  and  two  paroquets  in  a 
cage,)  from  betraying  symptoms  that  no  in- 
different person  could  have  witnessed  without 
setting  me  down  as  a  man  of  a  somewhat  ner- 
vous constitution. 

The  boats  were  constructed  in  a  much  shorter 
time  than  I  require  to  describe  them,  although 
their  description  may  be  given  in  a  few  words, 
thus : — Take  a  dried  bullock's  hide,  pinch  up 
each  of  the  four  corners,  put  a  stitch  with  a  thorn 
to  keep  those  corners  together,  and  your  boat 
is  made.  For  use,  place  it  upon  the  water  bot- 
tom downwards  ;  then,  to  prevent  its  natural 
tendency  to  turn  bottom  upwards,  put  one  foot 
immediately  in  the  centre,  and  let  the  other 
follow  with  the  most  delicate  caution ;  thus, 
standing  breathless  in  the  middle,  you  are  now 
to  shrink  downwards,  contracting  your  body 
precisely  in  the  manner  in  which,  probably  in 
your  childhood,  you  have  pressed  a  friar  into 
a  snuff-box.  This  position,  however  inconve- 
nient, serves  to  conceal  a  considerable  share  of 
timidity  from    your  companions,    though    not 


126     CROSSING    THE    RIVER    SANTIAGO    IN, 

from  the  spectators,  who  line  the  banks  of  the 
river,  indulging  in  loud  wild  laughter.  When 
crouched  down  in  the  bottom,  sundry  articles 
are  handed  in,  and  ingeniously  deposited  round 
you,  until  the  balsa  sinks  to  about  an  inch,  or 
perhaps  an  inch  and  a  half  from  the  water's 
edge ;  it  is  then  considered  sufficiently  laden. 
A  naked  peone  now  plunges  into  the  stream. 
"  Mercy  on  us !"  is  the  natural  exclamation ; 
for  the  first  impression  from  the  shock  is,  that 
yourself  and  all  your  property  are  going  to  the 
bottom ;  but  you  are  instantly  relieved  from 
this  very  probable  conjecture,  by  the  peone's 
taking  hold  of  one  of  the  corners  of  the  balsa, 
(which  projects  like  that  of  a  cocked  hat,)  and 
asking  you — "  Esta  V.  bieti?"  "  Are  you  com- 
fortable ?"  To  this  question  you  reply  by  a 
nod  of  the  head,  for  the  use  of  the  tongue  is 
lost,  but  even  if  words  were  at  command,  you 
may  not  wish  to  commit  yourself  by  expres- 
sions diametrically  opposed  to  feelings  and 
symptoms ;  or  you  may  wish  it  to  be  imagined, 
as  is  sometimes  practised  in  perilous  situations, 
that  your  profound  silence  indicates  indiffe- 
rence of  danger,  or  may  pass  for  coolness  and 
presence  of  mind.  Silence  also  conveys  an  idea 
of  gravity,  and  of  resignation  to  your  fate, 
which,  indeed,  is  no  more  than  becoming,  when 


AND    DESCRIPTION    OF,    THE    BALSA.      127 

you  feel  persuaded  that  nothing  short  of  a  mi- 
racle can  prolong  your  existence  beyond  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour.  The  nod  being  given,  a  peone 
on  the  shore  imparts  a  gentle  impulse  to  your 
tottering  bark,  while  the  peone  in  the  water, 
keeping  hold  of  the  corner  with  one  hand, 
strikes  out  with  the  other,  and  swims  away 
with  you  to  the  opposite  bank.  The  moment 
you  touch  it,  so  great  is  your  joyful  surprise 
at  arriving  perfectly  safe  that  all  the  perils  of 
your  voyage  are  forgotten,  and  you  soon  find 
out  (as  is  often  the  case  in  life),  that  your  ima- 
gination had  represented  dangers  and  difficul- 
ties, where,  with  a  little  caution,  there  existed 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other. 

In  the  foregoing  manner,  we  and  the  whole 
of  our  luggage  crossed  this  rapid  river,  our 
two  boats  plying  backward  and  forward  with 
the  greatest  ease  and  expedition,  carrying 
each  voyage  three  or  four  heavy  portmanteaus 
and  other  articles.  Two  passengers  may  cross 
at  one  time  in  a  balsa,  squeezed  up  as  I  have 
before  described,  taking  especial  care  not  to 
make  the  slightest  movement,  which  would 
inevitably  capsize  this  crazy  and  truly  original 
bark. 

Our  carriage  and  carts  were  dragged  across, 
one  after   the  other,  with    the  aid  of  all  the 


128  AGAIN    CROSS    THE    RIVER. 

horses  and  all  the  men.  We  speedily  re-loaded 
them,  and  proceeded  through  a  deep  sandy 
country,  to  the  post  of  Silipica,  where  we 
stopped  for  the  night. 

22nd.  Before  the  sun  rose  we  were  on  our 
journey,  hoping  to  reach  in  the  evening  the 
town  of  Santiago,  only  thirteen  leagues  distant ; 
but,  when  we  arrived  at  the  river,  the  same 
that  we  passed  yesterday,  and  which  here 
again  crosses  the  road,  it  was  so  much  swollen 
that  the  usual  ford  was  absolutely  impracti- 
cable. While  we  were  considering  whether 
we  should  bivouac  for  the  night,  a  man  from 
the  opposite  bank  swam  across,  and  offered  to 
conduct  us  to  a  place  whence,  for  twenty-five 
dollars,  he  would  convey  us,  carriage,  carts, 
baggage,  and  all,  in  safety  to  the  other  side. 
We  instantly  agreed  with  him,  when  he  gave 
a  loud  Indian  yell  to  his  companions,  twenty  of 
whom  plunged  into  the  river  and  soon  joined  us. 

The  first  operation  was  to  cut,  break,  and 
tear  a  passage  through  the  thicket  that  covered 
the  banks,  in  ord^r  that  thf  carriages  mioht 
arrive  at  the  designed  place  ;  this  was  quickly 
accomplished,  when  they  were  severally  drag- 
ged and  floated  across  by  these  dexterous  swim- 
mers. We  ourselves,  with  our  baggage,  crossed 
in  balsas  in  the  same  manner  as  yesterday,  ex- 


EXCESSIVE    HEAT.  129 

cept  that  the  force  of  the  current  now  required 
the  assistance  of  three  men  instead  of  one  to 
eacli  balsa.  The  passage  was  accomplished  in 
about  three  hours,  during  which  time  it  was 
curious  to  see  the  rapidity  with  which  the  river 
increased  and  filled  its  banks ;  had  we  been 
one  day  later,  we  might  have  been  detained 
several  days ;  for,  at  this  season  of  the  year, 
such  detention  is  not  uncommon,  owing  to  the 
torrents  that  roll  from  the  Cordilleras  into  the 
rivers,  sometimes  compelling  travellers  to  wait 
fhree  weeks,  before  the  water  subsides  suffici- 
ently to  insure  a  safe  passage. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  what  we  suffered 
this  day  from  the  heat.  We  all  agreed,  that  it 
exceeded  any  thing  of  the  kind  we  had  ever  be- 
fore experienced  ;  and  well  it  might,  for  in  the 
afternoon  the  thermometer  in  the  carriage  stood 
at  104°,  and  out  of  it  in  the  shade  at  lO.'i0, 
and  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  it  was  at  92°.  I 
have  been  informed,  that  this  district  of  Santiago 
del  Estero  is  considered  the  very  hottest  spot 
in  South  America.  It  is  surprising  that  none 
of  us  suffered  from  the  great  quantity  of  water 
we  drank,  particularly  in  the  muddy  state  in 
which  alone  it  was  to  be  had.  During  the  heat 
of  the  day,  that  is,  from  nine  o'clock  in  the 
morning  until  nearly  five  in   the   afternoon.  I 

VOL.  I.  K 


.130  WATER-DRINKING. 

venture  to  assert,  that  the  water-bottle  had  not 
ten  minutes'  repose  at  any  one  time :   still  the 
water  had  not  the  power  of  quenching  our  insati- 
able thirst,  and,  being  too  warm  to  afford  refresh- 
ment to  the  palate,  a  greater  quantity  was  con- 
sequently swallowed,  yet  without  any  of  that 
reluctance  which  mud  and  sand  might  be  sup- 
posed to  create ;   indeed,  since  we  left  Buenos 
Ayres,  with  very  few  exceptions,  we  have  not 
enjoyed  the  luxury  of  a  draught  of  clear  or  cool 
water.     The  warmth  of  the  river  was,  perhaps, 
also  in  some  measure  the  cause  of  our  feeling 
no  injury  from  bathing  when  heated,  for  we 
plunged  in  two  or  three  times  in  the  course  of 
the   day,  when   the   perspiration  was   pouring 
down  our  bodies,  and  we  never  perceived  the 
slightest  ill  effects  from  so  doing. 

23rd.  Continuing  our  journey  through  a  flat 
country  of  sandy  soil,  with  much  wood  and 
shrubs  of  one  sort  or  other,  amongst  which  we 
saw  the  cochineal  plant,  we  arrived  early  at  the 
city  of  Santiago  del  Estero ;  and  although  its 
two  large  ancient  churches,  with  their  ruined 
turrets,  claimed  a  certain  degree  of  respect,  I 
could  not  call  to  mind  a  town  of  higher  note 
with  which  to  compare  it,  than  that  of  Bulrud- 
dery,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Erin's  capital,  and 


GRAPES    AND    OTHER    FRUIT.  131 

in  this  comparison  1  protest  I  do  honour  to  the 
city  of  Santiago. 

On  arriving  at  the  post-house,  the  first  object 
that  attracted  our  attention  was  a  basket  of  fine 
grapes.  Had  Tantalus  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  forbidden  luxuries  that  were  spread  before 
his  longing  eyes,  he  could  not  have  devoured 
them  with  greater  avidity  than  we  did  these 
bunches  of  delicious  muscatel,  which  might 
have  made  a  little  fortune  for  the  young  wo- 
man who  owned  them,  had  she  been  aware  of 
our  appetites  and  inclinations.  As  it  was,  she 
seemed  perfectly  satisfied  with  a  couple  of  shil- 
lings, which  purchased  abundance  for  us  all, 
even  to  repletion.  We  had  not  been  half  an 
hour  at  the  post-house  before  our  apartment 
was  crowded  with  fruit-women,  bearing  upon 
their  heads  large  wooden  bowls,  with  the  finest 
grapes  and  figs,  offered  upon  terms  that  no  one 
could  dispute ;  but  we  were  already  more  than 
satisfied,  and  looked  upon  the  luxuriant  heaps 
with  so  much  indifference,  that  we  would  not 
have  given  a  rial  for  all  the  fruit  in  the  new 
world. 

Santiago  del  Estero,  so  called  from  estero, 
Avhich  signifies  a  lake,  many  of  which  are  formed 
in  its  neighbourhood  by  the  overflowing  of  the 

K  2 


132  PONCHOS. 

river  in  the  rainy  season,  is  a  very  ancient  town, 
and  was  formerly  a  bishopric.  Its  trade,  at  one 
time  in  respectable  activity,  consisted  chiefly  of 
cochineal,  dyed  worsteds,  ponchos,  and  wooden 
stirrups  ;  the  two  latter  articles  having,  it  may 
be  supposed,  a  very  extensive  sale  in  a  country 
where  every  man  or  boy  wears  a  poncho  and 
rides  a  horse. 

The  manufacture  of  ponchos  exhibits  the  in- 
dustry of  the  females,  whose  handiwork  they 
are.  Like  clothes,  or  any  other  article,  they 
are  made  of  different  qualities,  to  suit  the  means 
and  condition  of  the  purchaser.  We  each  pur- 
chased one  of  a  medium  quality,  at  the  price 
of  from  five  to  seven  dollars,  but  which  a  few 
years  ago  sold  readily  at  nine  and  ten,  a  proof 
of  the  present  decline  of  trade,  or  rather  of  the 
great  diminution  of  specie,  which  is  sensibly 
felt  throughout  the  whole  of  this  country.  Per- 
haps the  prices  may  also  be  affected  by  the  re- 
cent import  of  similar  articles  of  cotton  manu- 
facture from  Manchester. 

Ladies  in  Chili  and  Peru  sometimes  make 
ponchos,  with  a  mixture  of  silk  and  vicuna  wool, 
so  fine  as  to  pass  through  the  ring  of  a  finger, 
and  of  colours  so  tastefully  disposed,  as  to  obtain 
the  fancy  price  of  two  hundred  dollars  ;  every 
thread  and  particle  of  the  piece  made  by  hand, 


ALGAROBA. — LOCUSTS.  133 

for  machinery  is  totally  unknown.  A  poncho, 
for  the  information  of  my  home  friends,  is  an 
oblong-square  garment,  having  a  hole  in  the 
centre,  through  which  the  head  passes.  It 
is  worn  constantly  by  men,  and  may  be  called 
the  cloak  of  the  country.  Ladies  use  it  only 
on  horseback. 

In  this  district  abounds  a  tree  called  algaroba ; 
from  its  seed  is  made  a  beverage,  of  which  the 
people  are  very  fond,  and  when  taken  in  mode- 
ration is  considered  very  salubrious.  This  dis- 
trict is  also  celebrated  for  wheat,  which  pro- 
duces eighty-fold,  although  very  little  labour 
is  employed  to  raise  it. 

The  most  incredible  story  I  ever  heard,  or 
the  most  extraordinary  account  I  ever  read,  of 
the  numbers  in  which  locusts  sometimes  appear, 
I  can  now  no  longer  doubt,  and,  I  must  confess, 
it  is  requisite  actually  to  behold  them  before 
any  idea  of  the  real  truth  respecting  them  can 
be  formed.  This  evening,  after  dinner,  as  we 
went  out  to  sit  half-naked  at  the  door  in  the 
street,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country, 
to  enjoy  the  cool  air,  or  rather,  I  should  say, 
the  lesser  heat  of  the  day,  we  were  astonished  at 
seeing  the  atmosphere  in  a  state  resembling  a 
thick  mist  moving  rapidly  over  us,  but  which 
we  soon  discovered  to  be  locusts.     They  were 


134  EARTHQUAKE    AT    SANTIAGO. 

all  going  in  the  same  direction,  like  rooks  re- 
turning to  their  home.  We  could  not  say 
how  long  they  had  been  passing  before  we  saw 
them,  but  for  upwards  of  an  hour  we  sat 
gazing  at  them  with  increased  astonishment, 
and  when  the  sun  set,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach  we  perceived  no  diminution  of  their 
numbers.  On  they  went  in  their  ominous 
flight,  seeking  some  devoted  region  where  to 
repose,  every  fruit,  flower,  and  vegetable  of 
which,  in  a  few  hours,  they  would  utterly 
consume. 

The  earthquake  of  the  morning  of  the  19th 
of  this  month,  had  been  felt  here  at  the  same 
time  as  with  us  at  Oratorio,  but  in  a  stronger 
degree.  It  was  preceded  by  a  violent  hurricane, 
the  effects  of  which  we  saw  on  our  approach  to 
this  town ;  large  trees  torn  up  by  the  roots, 
with  shattered  trunks  and  branches  lying  in 
every  direction,  for  the  space  of  at  least  three 
miles,  resembled  the  wreck  of  an  armada  upon 
a  sandy  beach. 

\XTf>  rprnpiped  durin^  the  94th  at  Santiago, 
and  in  the  evening  had  much  thunder,  light- 
ning, and  heavy  rain. 

25th.  This  was  the  first  cool  morning  we 
had  felt  for  a  length  of  time,  and  we  took 
advantage  of  it  to  continue  our  journey  at  a 


THE    LASO.  135 

very  early  hour.  The  route  still  lay  through 
a  sandy  though  fertile  soil;  the  country  too 
is  thickly  wooded,  and  the  trees  are  larger 
and  handsomer  than  those  we  have  hitherto 
observed.  We  saw  many  partridges,  gray 
pheasants,  doves,  and,  where  the  ground  was 
marshy,  large  snipes ;  also  parrots  and  paro- 
quets in  screaming  flocks :  lions  and  tigers 
frequent  the  interior  of  the  woods. 

At  Capilla  de  Ximenes,  the  first  post,  nine 
leagues  from  Santiago,  I  saw  a  man  making  a 
laso,  the  noose  for  catching  animals,  which  has 
been  noticed  by  all  travellers  in  South  Ame- 
rica, and  the  surprising  dexterity  with  which  it 
is  used,  both  on  foot  and  on  horseback,  has  often 
been  described.  It  is  made  of  thin  strips  of 
hide,  neatly  platted  together,  like  the  lash  of 
a  whip,  having  a  small  iron  ring  fixed  in  one 
end,  through  which  the  thong  runs  when 
thrown.  The  laso  used  on  horseback  should 
be  eight  yards  long,  and  that  on  foot  ten. 

In  the  afternoon  we  arrived  on  the  banks  of 
the  river  Santiago,  which  here,  for  the  third 
time,  crossed  our  route.  We  were  soon  ob- 
served from  the  opposite  side  by  the  Indians, 
called  here  nadadores,  (swimmers,)  who  make  a 
livelihood,  or  at  least  obtain  a  few  dollars,  by 
conveying  passengers  and  their  luggage  across 


136  NADADORES 

the  river  in  balsas.  Some  of  them  on  horse- 
back galloped  from  their  huts  to  the  banks, 
each  dragging  after  him  a  hide  tied  to  a  long 
string.  Of  these  hides  a  small  fleet  was  fitted 
out  in  a  few  minutes  and  launched  into  the 
stream,  each  vessel  being  accompanied  by  two 
or  three  nadadores,  male  and  female  indiscri- 
minately, who  seemed  as  much  at  their  ease  in 
the  water  as  so  many  mermaids  and  mermen. 

While,  however,  the  chief  of  the  party  was 
stipulating  with  us  for  the  freight  and  safe  con- 
duct of  ourselves  and  baggage,  which  he  was 
pushing  to  an  extravagant  price,  an  accidental 
circumstance   interrupted  the    treaty,  and  dis- 
appointed all  the  golden  hopes  of  the  owners  of 
the  fleet.     The  slave  we  purchased  at  Cordova, 
and  who  acted  as  one  of  our  postilions,  being 
heated  and  dusted  by  his  equestrian  exertions, 
(the  day  having  turned  out  broiling  hot  as  here- 
tofore,) could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  re- 
freshment which  the  river  presented,  and  un- 
toggling  his  horse  from  the  trace — for  the  trace 
is  a  fixture — rode  into  the  stream,  exnectino-  to 
find   depth   sufficient  to  swim  animal  and  all* 
but  reached  the  opposite  bank  upon  a  sound 
footing,  without  the  horse  being  much  deeper 
than  the  saddle-skirts.     Upon   seeing  this,  we 
ordered    four  postilions  to  ride  in  abreast,  to 


FORD    THE    RIVER    SANTIAGO.  137 

make  sure  of  the  passage,  and  these  passing 
over  in  the  same  maimer  as  the  first,  we  deter- 
mined on  saving  our  cash,  and  at  the  same 
time  all  the  trouble  and  bustle  of  embarkation. 
Eight  or  ten  horses  were  immediately  tied  to 
the  galera,  which  was  dragged  across  without 
any  accident,  except  the  loss  of  a  store  of  pepper- 
mint-drops, which  being  in  the  bottom  of  the 
carriage,  were  overflowed  and  dissolved  into 
a  puddle  resembling  milk.  The  carts,  being 
on  much  higher  wheels  than  the  galera,  passed 
sin  novedad,  (without  novelty)  as  we  say  in 
Spanish.  Ourselves  and  Carlo  followed  a  la 
nage,  being  very  happy  at  the  opportunity  of 
floundering  in  the  water,  although  too  warm 
for  any  refreshing  benefit. 

It  is  customary  to  give  to  the  same  river 
different  names  in  different  places.  Here,  for 
instance,  this  river  is  called  el  Rio  Hondo,  the 
deep  river.  It  was  the  southern  boundary  in 
ancient  times  of  the  territories  of  the  Incas  of 
Peru  ;  and  it  now  divides  the  province  of  Sant- 
iago del  Estero  from  that  of  Tucuman. 

The  road  from  the  river,  for  several  leagues, 
to  the  post  of  Vinara,  where  we  stopped  for  the 
night,  was  the  worst  we  had  yet  travelled,  and, 
after  nightfall,  it  required  unusual  ingenuity 
to  conduct  the  horses,  in  order  to  steer  clear  of 


138  POST-HOUSES. 

holes,  ridges,  stumps,  branches  of  trees,  and 
other  obstructions,  which  even  in  daylight  it 
was  not  easy,  nor  at  all  times  possible,  to  avoid. 
It  was  late  and  dark  before  we  arrived  at  the 
post,  to  which  we  were  guided  for  a  conside- 
rable distance  by  the  barking  of  dogs,  which 
frequently  cheers  the  traveller,  by  announcing 
to  him  his  approach  to  an  abode  of  temporary 
rest.  To  us,  however,  a  post-house  afforded 
no  convenience ;  we  seldom  even  crossed  their 
doorless  thresholds :  if  we  obtained  from  the 
scanty  store  of  the  inhabitants  a  few  eggs,  or 
some  cow's  or  goat's  milk,  it  was  the  utmost  we 
expected ;  and  in  placing  our  beds,  generally 
round  the  galera,  each  fixed  upon  a  spot  to  his 
fancy,  where  we  slept  as  soundly  as  in  any 
chamber  of  the  most  luxurious  mansion. 

26th.  Thermometer  at  noon  101°.  Our  jour- 
ney this  day,  for  upwards  of  fifty  miles,  was 
through  a  fine,  park-like  country,  with  rich  and 
abundant  pasture,  sometimes  reaching  to  the 
feet  of  the  postilions  as  they  drove  through  it. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  discovered  in  the  dis- 
tance the  first  chain  of  mountains  connected 
with  the  Cordillera  de  los  Andes.  As  evening 
drew  on,  their  scenery  became  truly  beautiful, 
and  was  viewed  by  us  with  peculiar  interest, 
from  our  not  having  seen,  with  the  solitary  ex- 


ARRIVAL    AT    TUCUMAN.  139 

ception  of  the  mountains  of  Cordova,  one  single 
hill  upon  which  to  repose  the  eye  in  a  distance 
of  a  thousand  miles.  But  it  must  not  be 
imagined  that  the  vast  plain  was  traversed  with 
indifference  ;  far  from  it :  there  was  always 
something  to  excite  curiosity  sufficiently  at  least 
to  keep  alive  our  enjoyment  of  the  measureless 
journey,  the  fatigues  and  privations  of  which 
were  all  forgotten  in  the  interest  that  the  no- 
velty created. 

As  we  approached  Tucuman,  we  drove  for 
about  two  leagues  through  a  thick  forest ;  and, 
although  we  had  five  horses  to  our  galera,  it 
was  with  very  great  difficulty  that  we  were 
dragged  through  the  thickets  and  the  spreading 
branches  which  overhung  the  road.  At  nine 
o'clock  at  night  we  arrived  in  the  town,  and 
took  up  our  quarters  at  the  post,  the  hostess  of 
which,  a  fine  handsome  creature  on  a  large 
scale,  gave  us  up  one  wing  of  her  empty  house, 
in  which  we  established  ourselves  with  great 
comfort  and  convenience. 


140  SAN    MIGUEL    DEL    TUCUMAN, 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Tucuman. — Fertility  of  its  soil. — Petty  revolutions.  — Visit 
to  an  Orange-grove. — Botas  de  potro. — Purchase  of  horses. 
— Expense  of  shoeing. — Visit  to  the  Convent  of  Lules.— 
Carnival  revels. — Character  of  the  Tucumanos. 

The  city  of  San  Miguel  del  Tucuman,  the 
capital  of  the  province  of  the  same  name, 
is  a  tolerably  respectable  town,  and  is  consi- 
dered to  be  the  best  situated  of  any  in  South 
America ;  for  a  subject  of  general  remark,  and 
one  of  the  many  complaints  against  the  Spa- 
niards, is  the  very  bad  situations  they  fixed 
upon  for  the  towns  and  cities  they  erected  in 
this  country.  Tucuman  is  seated  in  the  midst 
of  one  of  the  most  fertile  plains  in  the  world, 
producing  rice,  Indian  corn,  wheat,  barley,  the 
sugar-cane,  tobacco,  sundry  fruits  and  vegetables, 
and  whatever  else  the  husbandman  may  desire 
to  cultivate.  Black  cattle,  horses,  mules,  sheep, 
and  goats,  roam  in  large  flocks  and  herds,  in 


FERTILITY    OF    THE    SOU-  141 

superabundant  pasture.  The  mountains,  about 
six  leagues  from  the  town,  are  eovered  with 
wood  and  timber  of  the  finest  kind ;  orange 
and  lemon-trees  abound  upon  the  declivities, 
and  the  summits  are  clothed  with  rich  pasture, 
whither  the  cattle  are  driven  during  the  hot 
months  of  summer. 

There  is  not  a  spot,  perhaps,  in  the  New 
World,  I  doubt  if  I  may  not  say  in  the  world  at 
large,  that  holds  out  prospects  more  inviting  to 
emigrants  with  small  capital  than  the  province 
of  Tucuman  ;  and  I  do  not  think  it  requires  the 
gift  of  prophecy  to  assert,  that  many  years  can- 
not elapse  before  the  blessings  which  Nature 
has  lavished  upon  this  long-neglected  land,  shall 
be  estimated  as  they  deserve,  and  turned,  per- 
haps by  another  people,  to  a  better  account 
than  they  have  hitherto  been  by  the  present  in- 
dolent inhabitants,  who  raise  the  fruits  of  the 
soil  in  so  listless  and  slovenly  a  manner,  that 
not  half  the  return  is  yielded  which  might  be 
expected  from  common  industry ;  besides,  the 
greater  portion  of  the  land,  fertile  in  the  ex- 
treme, remains  as  it  was  at  the  formation  of 
the  world. 

From  the  woods  of  Tucuman  are  construct- 
ed all  the  best  carts  which  ply  to  Buenos  Ayres, 
Jujui,    and  other  parts  of  the  country  ;  they 


142  SITUATION    OF    TUCUMAN. 

have  also  furnished  immense  axletrees  for  the 
water-wheels  in  use  in  the  different  mining 
districts :  I  have  been  informed  that  some 
of  those  sent  to  Potosi  took  three  years  in 
transporting,  and  cost  from  one  thousand  to 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  each.  I  have  seen  se- 
veral samples  or  specimens  of  the  wood  of  these 
mountains,  of  which  there  are  no  fewer  than 
sixty  different  species,  some  of  them  adapted 
to  the  most  beautiful  workmanship  of  the 
cabinet-maker. 

Tucuman,  from  its  situation  and  the  advan- 
tages which  surround  it,  might  be  made,  and 
possibly  may  become,  the  centre  of  the  arts 
and  commerce  of  a  great  nation  in  the  future 
history  of  the  world.  Empires  of  glorious 
renown  have  disappeared,  and  others  greater 
still  have  gradually  risen,  where  previously 
all  was  barbarism  and  desolation.  This  suc- 
cession of  rise  and  fall  commenced  in  the 
East,  whence  it  has  progressively  arrived  at 
the  utmost  boundaries  of  Western  Europe ; 
and  what  physical  or  moral  reason  can  be 
assigned  that  it  is  thus  far  to  go  and  no 
farther  ? — that  the  fairest  portion  of  the  globe 
is  not  in  its  turn  to  partake  of  the  acknow- 
ledged mutation  in  the  revolving  events  of  the 
world  ?     This  may  perhaps  by  some  be  called 


FUTURE    PROSPECTS    OF    TUCUMAN.      143 

"  the  enervating  indulgence  of  the  imagina- 
tion," but  there  are  others  who,  I  think,  will 
admit,  that  such  a  subject  is  not  undeserving 
of  contemplation,  because  it  comes  within  the 
pale  of  those  laws  and  regulations  by  which 
the  universe  is  governed. 

It  seems  to  be  a  conceded  point,  that  nothing 
is  impossible  to  perseverance  and  skill.  What  a 
promising  field  for  both  presents  itself  here ! 
It  might  indeed  be  difficult  to  find  a  parallel 
to  the  happy  valley  of  Rasselas  where  so  few 
valleys  exist ;  but  beyond  all  doubt,  the  vast 
uncultured,  unpeopled,  and  hitherto  disregard- 
ed plains  which  are  here  to  be  met  with,  might 
be  made,  without  any  peculiar  exertion  or  skill, 
the  abodes  of  industry,  fruitfulness,  happiness, 
and  wealth.  In  making  this  assertion,  I  am 
supported  by  the  opinions  of  many,  and  it  may 
be  found  at  no  very  distant  period  that  I  have 
not,  in  the  language  of  Rasselas,  been  "  lis- 
tening with  credulity  to  the  whispers  of  fancy, 
or  pursuing  with  eagerness  the  phantoms  of 
hope." 

Tucuman  suffered  severely  in  the  late  war  of 
independence,  nor  is  it  yet  in  the  full  security 
of  peace ;  it  being  only  a  few  weeks  since  a 
Colonel  La  Madrid  collected  a  party  of  armed 
men,  (of  whose  appearance  and  equipment  the 


144 


CiAUClIO     SOLDI  KltS. 


annexed  cut  will  furnish  some  idea)  and  de- 
posing the  governor,  a  Colonel  Lopez,  elected 
himself  to  that  office ;  preferring  a  situation  in 
which  he  might  share  a  few  loaves  and  fishes,  to 
one  in  which  he  obtained  nothing  at  all. 


The  public  and  the  public  papers  made  some 
remark  upon  the  incivility  and  rudeness  of  the 
proceeding,  and  some  were  of  opinion   that  it 


PETTY   REVOLUTIONS.  145 

was  illegal  to  turn  a  gentleman  by  open  force 
out  of  an  employment  to  which  he  had  been 
officially  appointed  by  the  government  of  the 
country  ;  it  was  even  hinted  that  he  should 
appear  before  the  congress  of  the  nation  at 
Buenos  Ayres  to  give  an  account  of  his  con- 
duct ;  but  there  the  matter  rests,  and  Colonel 
La  Madrid  continues,  and  is  likely  to  con- 
tinue, in  possession  of  the  governorship  of  Tu- 
cuman,  until  somebody  else  aspires  to  it,  and 
takes  the  trouble  to  turn  him  out,  in  the  same 
manner  in  which  he  turned  out  his  prede- 
cessor.* 

These  little  revolutions  are  confined  merely 
to  a  few  friends  of  each  party  ;  the  commonalty 
view  the  struggle  with  as  much  indifference  as 
a  fight  between  schoolboys,  not  caring  which 
side  conquers.  "  On  pent  appelle7*  les  institutions 
de  ces  peuples  des  mceurs  plutot  que  des  loiv" — a 
remark  from  the  "Esprit  des  Loix"  which  applies 
pretty  generally  throughout  South  America. 

I  never  before  experienced,  and  probably 
never  shall  again,  on  the  27th  January,  such  a 
day  of  heat  as  we  have  just  passed.     At  five 

*  This  has  actually  taken  place;  Colonel  La  Madrid  has 
heen  deposed  with  as  little  ceremony  by  Colonel  Somebody 
else,  who  will  also  have  his  day,  and  so  on  until  order  is  per- 
manently established* 

VOL.    I.  L 


146  CHANGE    OF    WEATHER. 

o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  thermometer  stood 
at  108° !  It  is  everywhere  remarked,  that  this 
year  has  been  one  of  unusual  heat  and  drought, 
but  I  do  not  hear  of  any  illness  in  consequence : 
as  for  our  own  party,  although  we  have  been 
so  much  exposed  to  it,  we  have  hitherto  enjoy- 
ed perfect  health  ;  perspiration  never  ceases,  and 
yet  no  loss  of  flesh  is  perceptible  in  any  of  us. 

29th.  A  total  change  of  weather  has  taken 
place  to  the  relief  of  every  living  creature. 
The  sun  has  not  shown  himself  the  whole  day  ; 
the  rain  has  been  unceasing  and  the  thermometer 
has  fallen  to  79°.  We  may  soon  have  an  op- 
portunity of  judging  whether  excessive  heat  or 
heavy  rain  is  the  most  agreeable  for  travelling, 
and  as  it  is  the  nature  of  man  to  be  dissatis- 
fied with  what  he  has,  and  to  wish  for  what  he 
has  not,  before  we  arrive  at  Potosi  we  may  sigh 
for  a  return  of  the  weather  we  have  so  long 
considered  almost  insufferable. 

Did  you  feel  the  earthquake? — At  what 
hour? — Where  were  you  at  the  time? — What 
ddi  you  fancy? — What  did  you  do? — These 
are  questions  I  am  putting  to  every  body  I 
chance  to  converse  with,  and  I  do  not  think  I 
ever  felt  greater  interest  on  any  subject  than 
in  the  various  accounts  I  hear  respecting  this 
phenomenon.     Upon  feeling  the  shock,  some 


EFFECTS    OF    THE    EARTHQUAKE.        147 

thought  of  their  riches,  some  of  their  children, 
and  one  or  two  of  their  wives  ;  but  the  first 
impulse  of  all  seems  to  have  been  to  leap  out 
of  bed  and  run  into  the  street,  without  any- 
thought  but  that  of  personal  safety  through  the 
interference  of  the  Virgin.  Two  or  three  vil- 
lages farther  north  have  suffered  severely  from 
the  late  shock,  but  none  so  much  as  Las 
Trancas,  sixty  miles  distant,  which  has  been 
converted  into  a  heap  of  ruins.  It  is  said  to 
have  been  the  severest  earthquake  felt  in  this 
neighbourhood  within  the  memory  of  man  ; 
that  which,  about  forty  years  ago,  destroyed 
the  town  of  Esteco,  distant  about  one  hundred 
miles  from  Tucuman,  with  all  its  inhabitants, 
(for  all  were  swallowed  up)  was  not  so  sensibly- 
felt  here. 

I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  ascertain  the  ex- 
act limits  of  this  tremendous  effort  of  Nature, 
but  from  Oratorio  Grande,  where  we  felt  it —and 
we  know  not  how  much  beyond  it  may  have 
extended — to  the  last-mentioned  village  of  Las 
Trancas,  is  a  distance,  in  a  line  nearly  north 
and  south,  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  If  the  same  distance,  or  even  half  of  it, 
be  allowed  east  and  west,  what  a  wonderful 
mass  of  earth,  including  mountains,  forests,  and 
rivers,  has  been  rocked  like  the  cradle  of  a  child 


148  ORANGE    TREES, 

at  the  same  moment  of  time !  for  all  accounts 
agree  as  to  time — "  a  few  minutes  before  sun- 
rise." 

February  1st.  We  all  rose  with  the  sun,  and 
mounting  horses  which  we  had  in  readiness, 
proceeded,  on  this  delightful  summer's  morning, 
to  visit  an  extensive  grove  of  orange  trees  upon 
the  sides  of  the  beauteous  mountains  that  rise 
out  of  the  fertile  plains  of  Tncuman. 

These  mountains  run  in  a  north-westerly 
direction  for  a  distance  exceeding  two  hundred 
miles,  thickly  wooded  from  their  base  to  their 
summit  with  timber  of  various  kinds,  the  bark 
of  some  serving  for  tanning  and  dying.  The 
orange  trees  grow  to  a  size  unknown  in  Eu- 
rope :  in  our  ramble,  which  was  not  very  far 
up  the  mountain,  we  saw  many  full  thirty  feet 
high,  five  and  six  feet  in  circumference,  and 
laden  at  the  same  time  with  blossoms  and  with 
fruit,  but  the  latter  wanting  many  weeks  of 
being  ripe.  When  in  season,  cart-loads,  drawn 
by  bullocks,  are  conveyed  to  the  town  by  any 
one  who  chooses  to  take  the  pains  of  gathering 
them  ;  no  exclusive  right  being  claimed  either 
to  them  or  to  the  fine  timber  among  which 
they  grow.  Flocks  of  humming-birds,  attract- 
ed by  the  flowers,  were  to  be  seen  displaying 
their  exquisite  plumage  with  infinite  variety  in 


TROPICAL    PLANTS.  149 

the  sun,  whilst  fluttering  their  moth-like  wings 
over  the  fragrant  cups  from  which  they  sipped 
their  tiny  draught. 

Before  leaving  the  orange-grove,  we  indulged 
in  the  luxury  of  a  cold  bath  in  the  mountain- 
stream,  and  then  wound  our  way  through  a 
charming  wilderness,  overrun  with  magnificent 
acacias :  beautiful  creepers  in  full  flower :  cu- 
rious air  plants  suspended  from  branches  high 
above  us,  with  many  shrubs  and  flowers  highly 
valued  or  unknown  in  other  climes,  here  flou- 
rished disregarded  in  all  the  exuberance  of  Na- 
ture. With  truth  it  may  be  said  of  the  whole 
of  this  district — 

"  Thy  very  weeds  are  beautiful !  thy  waste 
More  rich  than  other  climes'  fertility." 

From  hence  we  went  to  a  distant  hut,  where 
we  procured  beef  of  course,  with  melons  and 
water-melons  in  abundance.  After  this  repast, 
each  stretched  himself  upon  the  ground  for 
the  siesta,  and,  with  his  saddle  under  his  head, 
passed  an  hour  as  free  from  care  as  any  mortal 
of  earth's  mould.  Then  mounting  our  horses, 
we  returned  home  in  the  cool  of  a  fine  even- 
ing, which  concluded  the  amusement  of  a  most 
agreeable  day. 

I  have  lately  supplied  myself  with  a  pair  of 


150      DELAY    OWING    TO    THE    CARNIVAL. 


light  summer  boots,  called  botas  de  potro ; 
that  is,  boots  of  the  skin  of  a  colt,  which  are,  I 
believe,  peculiar  to  this  country,  but  in  any 
country  where  a  horse  is  to  be  had,  they  also 
may  be  had  without  the  necessity  of  employing 
either  boot  or  shoe-maker,  for  there  is  not  a 
single  seam,  or  a  single  stitch  used  in  their 
construction  ;  leg,  foot,  sole,  being  all  of  one 
piece,  and  fitting  admirably.  This  may  appear 
difficult,  but  nothing  is  more  simple.  Here  is 
the  receipt. — Take  a  horse,  cut  off  his  hind  legs 
considerably  above  the  hocks;  pull  the  skin 
down  over  the  hoofs,  just  as  if  you  were  pull- 
ing off  a  stocking;  when  off,  scrape  the  hair 
from  the  skin  with  a  sharp  knife,  and  remove 
every  particle  of  flesh  that  may  have  adhered 
to  the  inside ;  hang  the  skins  to  dry,  and  in  the 
process  of  drying  draw  them  two  or  three  times 
on  your  legs,  that  they  may  take  their  shape, 
form,  and  figure.  The  upper 
part  A  becomes  the  mouth 
of  the  boot ;  the  round  pro- 
jecting part  of  the  hock  B 
the  heel ;  the  foot  terminates 
at  C,  where  it  is  cut  to  the 
required  length.  The  whole 
operation  may  be  performed, 
and  the  boots  ready  for  use, 


BOTAS    DE    POTllO.  151 

in  the  course  of  a  week.  The  people  here  do  not 
even  sew  up  the  end  of  the  foot,  but  allow  the 
great  toes  to  project  for  the  convenience  of  the 
stirrup,  which  is  made  so  small  as  only  just  to 
admit  them,  and  they  occasionally  support  the 
whole  weight  of  the  body.  The  boots  are  very 
light,  and  in  every  sense  "  easy  as  a  glove ;"  I 
have  seen  some  that  had  been  tanned,  and  had 
soles  added,  which  render  them  the  perfection 
of  comfort.* 

3rd.  This  day  our  carts  returned  from  the 
maestro,  the  appellation  given  to  every  master- 
workman  of  every  trade,  whether  cart-maker 
or  watch-maker,  blacksmith  or  silversmith.  We 
expected  our  carts  to  have  been  repaired  in 
a  day  or  two,  but  forgot  that  a  day's  work  in 
Europe  equals  that  of  three  in  America ;  how- 
ever, even  now  that  they  are  returned  in  fit 
repair,  we  cannot  proceed  upon  our  journey, 
having  just  received  a  communication  from 
the  person  with  whom  we  have  contracted  for 
horses,  that  we  must  banish  the  idea  of  leaving 
Tucuman  till  after  the  carnival,  for  that  no- 
thing can  induce  one  of  the  lower  classes  to 
absent  himself  from  the  three  or  four  days'  riot- 
ous foolery    of  this   ancient  festival,    in  which 

*  At  page  144,  the  military  Gaucho  has  on  a  pair  of  these 
boots. 


152  A    REVEREND    HORSE-DEALER. 

postilions,  as  well  as  other  people,  deem  it  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  join, 

The  posts  from  Tucuman  to  Salta  have  been 
so  much  destroyed  in  the  late  civil  wars,  that 
travellers  are  compelled  to  contract  for  horses 
from  the  residence  of  one  horse-breeder  to  that 
of  another.  For  this  accommodation  the  charge 
is  double  that  of  posting,  being  two  rials  (one 
shilling)  per  mile  for  each  horse,  instead  of  one 
rial,  which  is  the  postmaster's  established  charge; 
and  I  think  it  will  be  admitted,  that  no  very 
great  advantage  is  taken  in  such  a  case  of  ab- 
solute necessity :  the  chances  are  that,  in  a  si- 
milar situation  in  Europe,  twice  the  common 
rate  of  postage  would  not  ensure  horses  to  a 
traveller. 

We  have  been  purchasing  some  horses  for 

our  private  use,  from  the  Rev.  Doctor head 

clergyman  of  Tucuman,  who  is  also,  and  has 
been  for  upwards  of  forty  years,  the  principal 
horse-racer,  horse-jockey,  cock-fighter,  general 
gamester,  and  roue  determine  of  the  province. 
General  V.  paid  the  enormous  sum  of  five  ounces 
of  gold  (17/.  10s.)  for  his  horse,  a  handsome  dark 
bay ;  Baron  C.  paid  twelve  dollars  (21.  Ss.)  for 
his,  a  haughty,  long-backed,  long-legged,  long- 
tailed  grey  ;  I  paid  fifteen  dollars  (Si.)  for  mine, 
a  spiry,  spirited  little  bay  nag,  which  was,  in 


BARGAIN    FOR    A    HORSE.  153 

fact,  the  property  of  his  Reverence's  niece.  The 
price  of  the  three  horses  was  sufficient  to  sup- 
port comfortably  any  reasonable  person  in  the 
town  of  Tucuman  for  at  least  three  months, 
but  did  not  last  his  Reverence  as  many  hours, 
having  lost  the  whole  sum  at  lansquenet  im- 
mediately after  receiving  it. 

In  the  evening,  whilst  riding  out  upon  el  Cur  a 
de  Tucuman,  the  name  given  to  my  new  purchase, 
I  chanced  to  meet  a  gentleman  upon  a  stout, 
well-conditioned  strawberry-coloured  horse,  with 
an  English  saddle  and  bridle  conspicuously  new. 
The  whole  appearance  was  good,  and  such  as 
would  have  attracted  the  notice  of  an  amateur 
of  horse-flesh  even  in  Hyde  Park. 

After  a  little  observation  of  the  animal,  I 
rode  up  alongside  the  gentleman,  and,  saluting 
him,  informed  him  that  it  was  "  a  fine  evening." 
This  preliminary  to  conversation,  general  in 
every  country  in  the  world,  was  returned  in 
full  measure  by  the  gentleman,  for  the  Ameri- 
cans pride  themselves  upon  compliments.  "  I 
observe,  cavallero,"  said  I,  "  that  you  have  got 
a  very  handsome  English  saddle  and  bridle." — 
"  Si  seTior ;  I  purchased  them  a  few  weeks  ago 
at  Buenos  Ayres,"  replied  the  cavallero. — "And 
pray,  sir,  what  may  they  have  cost  at  Buenos 
Ayres  ?" — "  The  saddle  alone,  sir,  cost  me  three 


154  BA11GA1N    FOR    A    HOUSE. 

ounces  of  gold,"  replied  the  cavallero.  Ten 
pounds !  for  what  was  probably  shipped  in 
London  for  four,  is  no  bad  profit  for  the 
merchant,  thought  I. 

"You  have  also  got  as  handsome  a  horse, 
sir,  as  I  have  seen  in  this  country." — "  He  is 
one    of  my  own  breeding,"  replied  the  caval- 
lero, "  and  nearly  the  last  of  several  hundred 
which  I  possessed  before  the  Revolution." — Se- 
veral hundred !"    said  I  in  a  tone  of  surprise. 
■ —  "  Why,   sir,"   answered   the   cavallero,    "  I 
supplied  the  government  gratis  with  two  hun- 
dred superior  horses  at  one  time,  during   our 
late  struggle;  and  I  had  upwards  of  three  hun- 
dred stolen  from  me  in  one  night,  by  the  king's 
troops,  to  say  nothing  of  repeated  thefts  and 
losses  in  a  small  way,  both  by  friends  and  foes." 
• — "  Then,  sir,"  said  I,  "  I  suppose  you  are  one 
of  the  principal  horse-breeders  of  this  country  ?" 
■ — "  Not  as  to  numbers,"  replied  the  cavallero, 
"  but  in  the  goodness  of  the  breed,  no  man  in 
the  province  equalled  that  of  Jose"  de  Santillan." 
— Jose  de  Santillan  !  'tis  a  pity,  thought  I,  that 
I  have  not  got  Gil  Bias  de  Santillan  in  this  little 
adventure. 

"  As  you  have  no  doubt  sold  many  horses  in 
your  time,  Don  Jose  Santillan,"  said  I,  "per- 
haps you  may  have  no  objection  to  sell   one 


BARGAIN    FOR    A    HORSE.  155 

now  ?" — "  Not  in  the  least,  if  I  get  a  fair 
price,"  said  Don  Jose\  patting  his  horse  upon 
the  neck,  and  letting  him  feel  "  insidiously 
aside"  the  left  spur,  for  he  perceived  my  object 
in  a  moment. — "  And  pray,  sir,  what  may  be  a 
fair  price  for  the  animal  you  are  riding  ?"  said  I. 
— "  Oh  !"  said  he,  "  try  him  first,  and  if  you  like 
him,  we  shall  have  no  difficulty  upon  that  mat- 
ter :  the  price  is  a,  f rioter  a?  (a  mere  trifle.)  The 
tone  and  manner,  however,  in  which  Don  Jose" 
de  Santillan  pronounced  this  last  sentence,  did 
not  encourage  me  in  a  hope  of  obtaining  the 
strawberry  for  a  J rioter 'a. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  I,  "  let  us  change  horses, 
and  in  five  minutes  I  shall  satisfy  myself  upon 
the  qualities  of  yours."  We  accordingly  chan- 
ged, and  after  walking,  and  cantering,  and  gal- 
loping, and  twirling  and  twisting  my  friend's 
horse  in  every  pace,  except  that  of  the  trot, 
which  was  totally  unknown  to  the  animal,  I 
turned  to  its  owner,  saying  I  approved,  and 
begged  to  know  the  f rioter  a.  "  Will  you  give 
me  five  ounces?"  said  Don  Jose  de  Santillan. 
If  he  had  insisted  upon  ten  I  would  have 
given  them  with  pleasure;  but  the  suppliant 
tone  of  "  Will  you  give  me?"  assured  me  I 
might  have  him  for  less ;  besides,  it  is  an  un- 
heard-of circumstance  to  give  the  whole  sum 


156  BARGAIN    FOR    A    HORSE. 

asked  by  the  seller  of  any  article  in  this  coun- 
try :  you  must  always  bargain.  I  therefore  im- 
mediately replied,  "  Don't  you  think  five  too 
much  ?" — "  Well,  what  will  you  give,  caval- 
lero  ?"  said  Don  Jose. — "  I  will  give  you,"  said 
I,  "  four  as  pure  ounces  of  gold  as  ever  were 
struck  in  the  mint  of  Mexico ;  and  you  must 
admit,  Senor  Santillan,  that  it  is  a  sporting 
price  for  a  horse  in  the  province  of  Tucuman." 

"  Your  offer  is  a  very  fair  one,  cavallero  ; 
and,  although  my  horse  is  worth  double  the 
money,  you  shall  have  him."  We  rode  home 
to  the  post-house,  where  I  paid  Don  Jose 
Santillan  four  ounces  of  gold — say,  fourteen 
pounds — for  his  nag,  which  in  London  would 
meet  with  a  hundred  purchasers  happy  to  give 
a  hundred  guineas  for  him  ;  it  may  therefore 
be  supposed  I  wras  pleased  with  my  bargain. 
The  name  the  horse  went  by  was  Tortuga,  (tor- 
toise,) to  which  his  round  compact  shape  and 
great  strength  fully  entitled  him. 

Our  purchases  being  all  made  for  travelling, 
we  thought  it  expedient  to  get  them  shod,  a 
protection  with  which  horses  in  this  part  of  the 
world  are  seldom  favoured  ;  during  the  whole 
of  our  journey  from  Buenos  Ay  res  I  never 
saw  a  horse  with  a  shoe.  In  Tucuman  there 
happens  to  be  a  smith,  because  many  people 


EXPENSE    OF    SHOEING.  157 

going  thence  to  Peru  wish  to  have  their  horses 
shod,  the  mountain-roads  being  very  different 
from  the  pampas,  where  an  animal  may  gallop 
from  one  post  to  another  without  putting  his 
foot  upon  a  pebble.  As  the  horses  were  not  to 
be  worked,  but  to  be  driven  loose  after  the  car- 
riage to  Salta,  we  had  given  orders  to  shoe  the 
fore-feet  only,  and,  to  our  utter  consternation, 
the  charge  for  each  pair  of  shoes  was  four  dol- 
lars and  a  half  !  (eighteen  shillings,) — a  price  at 
which  a  tolerable  horse  might  be  purchased. 
Baron  Czettritz  was  the  loudest  complainant 
on  this  occasion  :  he  thought  it  extremely  hard 
that  he  should  be  charged  more  than  one-third 
of  the  whole  value  of  his  horse  for  only  half- 
shoeing,  and  told  the  smith  in  very  good  Ger- 
man-Spanish, what  he  afterwards  told  me  in 
very  good  German-English,  that  "  he  could 
shod  get  in  his  country  all  four  horse  foots  fur 
sechzehn  groschen."  The  smith,  smoking  his 
segar,  calmly  replied,  (and  I  thought  reasonably 
enough,)  "  that  we  were  all  at  full  liberty  to 
take  our  horses  to  the  Baron's  country  to  be 
shod,  but  if  we  required  that  operation  to  be 
performed  in  Tucuman,  we  must  pay  four  dol- 
lars and  a  half,  or  go  without — no  hai  remedio." 

6th.    Hired  four  post-horses,  but   postilions 
were  out  of  the  question,  all  of  that  class  being 


158  CONVENT    OF    LULES. 

deeply  engaged  in  the  business  of  the  carnival. 
We  therefore  bribed  four  of  our  own  oeones  to 
ride  them,  and,  putting  them  to  our  galera,  we 
filled  it  with  ladies  and  their  children,  whilst  we 
ourselves  and  others  escorted  them  on  horse- 
back, and  proceeded  to  visit  the  convent  of 
Lules,  at  the  invitation  of  Father  Antonio,  a 
jolly  Dominican  friar,  the  prior,  lord,  and  mas- 
ter, of  the  whole  extensive  establishment. 

We  passed,  for  about  three  leagues,  through 
as  fertile  a  plain  as  any  in  the  world,  here  and 
there  producing  different  crops,  previously 
alluded  to,  in  great  luxuriance ;  fig-trees, 
and  tunas,  (prickly  pears,  a  delicious  fruit,) 
abounding  among  various  others.  The  whole 
of  this  plain,  which  embraces  a  territory  of 
many  square  leagues,  formerly  belonged  to  the 
Jesuits,  who  founded  the  convent,  which,  with 
all  its  ample  appurtenances,  is  now  in  ruinous 
neglect.  The  situation  of  this  ancient  building 
is  beautifully  picturesque,  being  upon  a  slight 
eminence,  rising  out  of  the  plain  near  the  foot 
of  the  large  and  richly-wooded  mountains  be- 
fore-mentioned. Round  it,  or  nearly  so,  flows 
the  Lules,  a  considerable  river,  winding  through 
the  plain  for  about  fifty  miles,  before  it  dis- 
charges itself  into  the  river  Santiago;  it  abounds 
in  fish,  and  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  con- 


CONVENT    OF    LULES.  159 

vent  supplies  mills  for  grinding  corn,  for  husk- 
ing rice,  and  for  sawing  timber ;  which,  before 
the  Revolution,  brought  in  a  considerable  re- 
venue to  the  Dominicans,  who  here  succeeded 
the  Fathers  in  all  their  possessions. 

This  property,  a  short  time  ago,  attracted 
the  notice  of  a  passing  traveller,  an  English- 
man he  was  said  to  be,  who  entered  into  a  con- 
tract with  the  proprietors  for  the  purchase  of 
the  whole  concern ;  but  after  the  agreement 
was  made,  the  intended  or  pretending  con- 
tractor left  the  country,  and  has  not  since  been 
heard  of.  The  mills  alone  seem  to  present,  and 
no  doubt  will  yet  become,  a  valuable  source  of 
emolument. 

The  convent  of  Lules,  with  its  appurtenan- 
ces and  extensive  estate,  including  some  cattle, 
may  be  purchased  for  about  three  thousand 
pounds;  and  a  few  hundred  pounds  more  would 
be  sueffient  to  make  it  an  elysium ;  its  fine  cli- 
mate and  well  chosen  situation  have  already  per- 
formed half  the  task.  Plenty,  superabundant 
plenty,  might  be  obtained  at  little  cost;  for, 
with  common  industry  the  soil  is  capable  of 
producing  any  thing  that  grows  under  the  sun. 

Lules,  I  have  been  informed,  was  the  name 
of  an  ancient  tribe  of  Indians,  who  inhabited 
this  district  at  the  period  of  the  Spanish  con- 


160  CONVENT    OF    LULES. 

quest,  and  who  for  a  considerable  time  obsti- 
nately maintained  themselves  against  their  in- 
vaders. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  convent  are  now  re- 
duced to  a  scanty  few  ;  the  cells,  except  four  or 
five,  are  deserted,  and  grass  grows  in  the  cre- 
vices of  the  tiled  floor  of  the  cloisters,  where 
formerly  the  sandal-footed  monks  paced  away 
the  hours  in  prayer  and  praise,  or  where,  as 
often  perhaps,  in  merry  mood  and  in  pleasanter 
pastime,  they  took  their  constitutional  exercise, 
anxiously  waiting,  not  the  tolling  of  the  solemn- 
toned  bell  that  calls  to  vespers,  but  the  merry 
tinkling  that  invites  to  the  refectory.  And 
this  leads  me,  quite  cl-propos,  to  mention  a  roast- 
ed turkey,  of  enormous  size  and  of  delicious 
flavour,  fed  upon  Indian  corn,  which  Friar  An- 
tonio, with  a  dignity  of  manner  truly  becom- 
ing, placed  with  his  own  hands  as  the  middle 
dish  of  our  second  course  in  the  canonical  re- 
past he  had  most  munificently  provided.  The 
stuffing  of  this  delightful  bird  I  shall  never 
forget,  so  long  as  the  plump,  good-humoured 
countenance  and  tonsured  head  of  our  reverend 
host  exist  in  my  memory  :  in  the  evening  when 
I  mounted  my  horse  to  take  leave,  I  exclaimed 
from  my  very  heart,  "  God  keep  you  a  thou- 
sand years,  Father  Antonio  !" 


CARNIVAL    REVELS.  161 

8th.  Being  Ash-Wednesday,  the  carnival 
ceased.  The  scene  exhibited  in  the  city  of 
Tucnman  for  the  last  three  or  four  days  was 
probably  never  exceeded  in  uproarious  con- 
fusion. Labour  and  work  of  every  description 
were  suspended,  all  order  was  abolished,  mas- 
ter and  man,  officer  and  soldier,  lady  and  gen- 
tleman, all  joined  pell-mell  in  the  jubilee,  with 
an  animation  and  activity  quite  unexpected 
among  a  people  of  such  indolent  habits.  The 
principal  mirth  appeared  to  consist  in  throwing 
handfuls  of  flour,  or  powdered  starch,  into  the 
eyes  of  those  who  seemed  least  prepared  for  the 
assault ;  and  for  which  purpose  all  persons, 
high  and  Low,  old  and  young,  carried  in  their 
handkerchiefs,  their  pockets,  or  in  the  corners  of 
their  ponchos,  ample  store  of  this  ammunition, 
the  price  of  which  advances  considerably  in  con- 
sequence of  the  lavish  expenditure  that  on  this 
occasion  takes  place,  morning,  noon,  and  night, 
for  three  days  and  nights  successively,  and,  it 
must  be  admitted,  sometimes  with  very  ludi- 
crous effect. 

The  country  people,  from  many  leagues 
round,  with  their  wives,  or  sweethearts,  and 
children,  enter  the  town,  mounted  upon  horses 
or  mules,  some  with  guitars,  some  with  drums, 
some  singing,  others  crying,  screaming,  and 
vol.  i.  m 


162  CARNIVAL    REVELS. 

bellowing,  in  tones  increasing  in  shrillness  and 
horrible  discord  in  proportion  to  the  quan- 
tity of  bad  wine,  chicha,  or  aguardiente  which 
has  been  imbibed.  Troops  of  these  frantic 
beings,  with  two  and  sometimes  three  upon 
one  horse  (for  few  go  on  foot),  and  occasionally 
females  in  the  Amazonian  or  Turkish  seat,  but 
without  the  Oriental  grace  or  dignity,  might 
be  seen  at  all  hours  in  full  gallop  through  the 
streets,  racing  for  the  wager,  perhaps,  of  a  pot 
of  chicha,  their  favourite  beverage,  made  either 
from  the  seed  of  the  algaroba  or  Indian  corn. 

No  Hibernian  has  a  greater  esteem  for  his 
whiskey,  or  indulges  in  it  more  freely,  than 
these  people  in  their  chicha ;  nor  do  the  joyous 
sons  of  Erin,  when  influenced  by  their  blood- 
exciting  liquor,  flourish  their  shilldahs  with 
more  fatal  dexterity  over  the  brows  of  their 
fellows  in  a  fair,  than  do  the  Tucumanos  the 
immense  knives  which  they  constantly  carry 
about  them,  and  use,  like  the  sword  of  Hu- 
dibras,  "  as  well  for  spitting  as  for  fighting." 
One  of  our  peeves-,  in  a  convivial  party  re- 
ceived so  desperate  a  stoccado  from  a  friend, 
that  we  were  obliged  to  procure  another  in 
his  stead. 

If  a  Tucumano  possesses  a  horse,  a  laso,  a 
knife,  and  a  guitar,  which  they  all  seem  to  de- 


CHARACTER    OF    THE    TUCUMANOS.        163 


light  in,  he  considers  himself  amongst  the  inde- 
pendent sons  of  earth,  and  beyond  the  caprices 
of  fortune.  As  for  his  existence,  that  costs 
him  neither  pains  nor  trouble  to  support ;  a 
piece  of  bgelf  or  mutton  can  be  had  anywhere  : 
and  this,  so  far  as  my  observations  have  been 
hitherto  directed,  appears  to  me  to  apply  pretty 
generally  to  the  Gauchos.  Not  that  I  pretend 
to  include  the  whole  race  in  one  harsh  sen- 
tence, or  to  say,  as  some  have  said,  that  all  are 

M   2 


164    CHARACTER  OF  THE  GAUCHOS. 

no  better  than  the  uncivilized  Indian.  It  is 
equally  illiberal  and  unjust  to  assert  that  they 
are  devoid  of  feelings  of  humanity  and  bene- 
volence, and  that  no  intelligence  and  good  sense 
are  to  be  found  amongst  them.  Like  all  men, 
they  are  formed  to  be  rational  beings,  and  only 
require  education  and  good  example  to  induce 
them  to  exert  their  faculties,  as  well  for  the 
greater  benefit  of  them  selves,  as  for  that  of  the 
community  at  large.  At  present,  they  seem  not 
to  understand  that  public  good  is  also  that  of 
individuals,  and  therefore  are  utterly  indifferent 
to  the  former.  But  after  all,  where  the  ad- 
vantages arising  from  emulation  and  industry 
are  denied,  as  hitherto  has  been  the  case  in  this 
devoted  country,  idleness  and  indolence  must 
be  the  natural  consequences. 

From  the  barbarous  treatment  which  I  had 
seen  them  inflict  upon  horses,  I  was  at  first  dis- 
posed to  set  down  the  lower  classes  as  a  set 
of  cruel  heartless  savages,  but,  upon  closer  ac- 
quaintance with  them,  I  am  inclined  to  agree 
with  Schmidtmeyer,  who,  in  his  "  Travels  into 
Chile,"  remarks,  that  although  they  are  exces- 
sively cruel  to  animals,  it  is  from  the  absence 
of  feeling,  not  from  the  indulgence  of  passion. 
They  will  goad,  spur,  and  lash  a  beast  as  long 
as  it  can  go,  and  if  it  should  become  disabled, 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  GAUCHOS.     165 

stand  still,  or  fall  down,  as  I  have  frequently- 
seen,  they  will  quietly  take  off  the  saddle, 
whilst  singing  a  stanza  of  a  song,  place  it  upon 
another,  and  leave  the  unfortunate  sufferer  to 
die  upon  the  road  without  losing  their  temper ; 
neither  the  owner  of  the  animal,  nor  the  rider, 
nor  the  spectator,  (unless  it  be  some  foreigner 
like  myself,)  will  show  the  least  symptom  of 
being  moved  or  offended  at  the  scene. 

I  also  agree  with  Schmidtmeyer,  in  never  hav- 
ing witnessed  a  really  passionate  state  of  mind 
among  these  people.  Their  naked  children 
and  their  numerous  dogs  (as  he  observes,  and 
I  have  seen)  will  stand  round  the  place  where 
the  fire  is  burning,  in  the  way  of  whatever  may 
be  doing,  trying  to  steal  what  they  can,  and 
deaf  to  all  commands  to  move,  or  to  fetch  any- 
thing that  may  be  wanted  ;  but  no  feelings  of 
ill-temper  or  impatience  show  themselves.  I 
leave  it  to  philosophers  to  decide  if  this  pa- 
tience be  a  virtue,  or  if  it  be  merely  the  effect 
of  that  innate  indolence  which  forms  the  chief 
characteristic  of  the  South  Americans,  and  for 
which,  it  is  probable,  they  are  indebted  to 
Spanish  parentage  and  Spanish  government, 
quite  as  much  as  to  the  influence  of  climate. 


166  HOTEL    CHARGES. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Disputed  account. — Departure  from  Tucuman. — Interesting 
scenery. — Arrival  at  Las  Trancas. — Its  ruins. — Descrip- 
tion of  the  recent  Earthquake. 

February  9th.  Order  and  reason  being  in 
some  degree  restored,  we  procured  postilions 
and  were  ready  to  leave  Tucuman  early  in  the 
afternoon,  but  were  detained  full  three  hours  in 
disputing  the  charges  of  our  hostess.  In  most 
countries,  it  is  imprudent  to  take  up  quarters 
and  enter  into  expense  without  previously  as- 
certaining the  probable  limits.  Here,  as  in 
France,  not  to  do  so  is  to  expose  yourself  to 
certain  imposition,  or  dispute,  or  both.  Whe- 
ther this  omission  on  our  part  is  to  be  attri- 
buted in  the  present  case  to  the  lateness  of  the 
hour  and  our  great  fatigue  when  we  arrived, 
or  to  the  black  eyes  and  embonpoint  of  a  land- 


DAILY    DINNER.  167 

lady,  whose  appearance  far  excelled  what  we 
had  for  some  time  been  in  the  habit  of  seeing 
among  persons  in  her  capacity,  I  cannot  pos- 
sibly say  ;  but  we  certainly  took  her  integrity 
upon  trust,  which  was  more  than  she  was  dis- 
posed to  give  vis  the  benefit  of  when  about  to 
depart  from  her  house. 

We  had  been  fourteen  days  in  Tucuman,  on 
two  of  which  we  all  dined  from  home,  and  on 
one  of  them,  be  it  for  ever  remembered,  with 
Friar  Antonio  at  the  convent  of  Lules.  Bread, 
milk,  and  eggs,  were  supplied  in  abundance  for 
our  breakfast,  and  our  dinner  was  quite  as 
good,  I  believe,  as  any  cook  in  the  province 
was  capable  of  dressing,  but  such  as  "  pamper- 
ed menials"  in  England  would  scarcely  conde- 
scend to  sit  down  to.  A  large  silver  dish  full 
of  a  glutinous  composition  of  bread,  vegetables, 
hog's-lard,  and  the  cook  knows  what  besides, 
called  sopa,  invariably  occupied  the  centre  of 
the  table  ;  a  fowl  torn  to  pieces  and  fried  with 
grease,  several  lumps  of  beef  transfixed  upon 
a  long  stick,  which  served  as  the  spit  for  roast- 
ing, young  ears  of  Indian  corn  boiled  (a  de- 
licious vegetable),  were  the  daily  dishes  of  our 
dinner.  Our  liquor,  I  admit,  was  in  abundance, 
for  the  well,  supplied  by  a  copious  spring,  was 


168  DISPUTED    ACCOUNT. 

situated  within  five  yards  of  the  door  of  our 
apartment.  For  this  fare,  and  our  barn-like 
lodging,  the  bill,  delivered  upon  half  a  sheet  of 
long  paper,  was  (translated)  precisely  this  : — 
"Account  .  .  .  110  dollars." 
This  concise  method  of  handing  in  our  bill 
evidently  saved  the  trouble  of  addition,  sub- 
traction, and  detection  of  little  teazing  errors  ; 
but  as,  on  many  other  occasions  in  life,  in  steer- 
ing clear  of  Scylla  we  run  foul  of  Chary bdis, 
so  in  the  present  case,  on  being  freed  from  the 
pains  of  inspecting  a  detailed  account  of  dif- 
ferent items,  we  were  plunged  into  vehement 
dispute  upon  the  possibility  and  impossibility 
of  our  expenses  amounting  to  one  hundred 
and  ten  dollars.  General  Paroissien  exclaimed, 
"  Heavens !  what  a  charge !"  I  took  up  his 
dying  note  in  the  key  of  indignation,  "  Que  ver- 
guenza  /"  "  What  a  shame  !"  Baron  Czettritz 
allowed  me  no  time  to  expatiate  :  "  Mine  Got, 
vas  me  !  I  pay  no  !"  he  pronounced  with  remark- 
able firmness,  and  banged  his  hand  upon  the 
table.  Mr.  Scriviner  simply  asked  "  What 's  the 
matter  ?"  The  hostess  said,  "  No  tomare  mows  /" 
englished,  "  1  '11  not  bate  a  farthing !"  We 
then  all  spoke  together,  as  all  people  do  when 
all  wish  to  be  heard  and  nobody  listens,  which 


DEPARTURE  FROM  TUCUMAN.     169 

makes  it  impossible  for  me  to  recount  precisely 
what  passed  in  discussing  this  exorbitant  charge. 
I  shall  therefore  briefly  state,  that  the  landlady 
at  length  yielded  to  the  pressing  instances  of 
so  many  cavalleros,  and  accepted  sixty-eight 
dollars  in  full  of  all  demands,  being  at  the 
rate  of  a  dollar  per  day  each,  or  thereabouts, 
for  five  persons.  We  did  not  think  it  worth 
while  to  include  the  two  servants  we  retained 
among  us,  because  the  sixty-eight  dollars  was 
a  very  fair  remunerating  price  for  our  expenses 
to  any  hotel-keeper  in  the  province  of  Tucu- 
man ;  though  to  a  person  who  has  never  left 
England,  the  sum  of,  say,  thirteen  pounds  ten 
shillings,  cannot  appear  extravagant  for  four- 
teen days'  lodging,  and  twelve  days'  board,  for 
five  gentlemen  and  two  servants. 

At  five  o'clock,  our  account  being  settled  and 
friendship  restored,  we  embraced  our  landlady, 
who  was  all  this  time  in  a  summer  dishabille 
after  the  siesta,  and,  notwithstanding  what 
had  occurred,  our  parting  was  exceedingly 
tender,  eyein  to  pressure  of  hands  and  a  chaste 
kiss. 

The  evening  was  delightful,  and  the  scenery 
altogether  charming,  as  we  wound  through  the 
thickly- wooded  plain,  which  extended  to  the 


170  HORSES. 

first  habitation,  four  leagues  distant  from  the 
citv  of  Tucuman,  where  we  halted  for  the 
night,  spreading  our  beds  as  usual  in  the  dif- 
ferent spots  most  inviting  to  our  fancy. 

10th.  The  day  had  not  dawned  before  we 
were  up  in  our  ponchos  to  feed  our  horses, 
which  we  had  secured  to  stakes  all  round 
us.  For  their  accommodation,  we  had  provided 
ourselves  with  nose-bags,  and  two  or  three 
sacks  of  barley  were  packed  in  the  baggage- 
carts,  although  there  was  no  absolute  neces- 
sity for  so  doing,  the  pasture  being  abundant 
on  each  side  of  the  way,  and  affording  an  op- 
portunity for  the  animals  to  feed  as  they  were 
driven  gently  along. 

Our  journeys  were  now  limited  to  twelve  or 
fifteen  leagues  a-day  for  the  convenience  of  the 
horses,  which  I  have  before  mentioned  it  was 
necessary  to  hire  at  Tucuman,  to  convey  us 
to  some  intermediate  horse-proprietor  between 
that  town  and  Salta,  the  post-masters  not  being 
sufficiently  supplied.  On  this  occasion,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  thirteen  horses  which  we  required, 
twenty  or  thirty  others  were  driven  on  loose 
by  a  peone,  who  stops  at  distances  of  three, 
four,  or  five  leagues,  when  the  loose  horses  are 
caught  by   means  of  the  laso,  and  take  their 


WOODED    COUNTRY.  171 

turns  in  the  carnages ;  the  others  being  driven 
on  gently,  feeding  as  they  go,  until  their 
turn  arrives  to  be  again  yoked.  The  loose  ani- 
mals are  always  accompanied  by  a  steady  old 
horse  with  a  bell  tied  to  his  neck,  called  the 
cencerro,  out  of  hearing  of  the  tinkling  of  which 
the  other  animals  seldom  stray  :  therefore,  whe- 
ther in  the  day  or  the  night,  they  are  suffered 
to  range  at  large,  without  any  apprehension  of 
their  being  lost  even  in  the  thickest  forest, 
nor  is  there  any  danger  of  their  separating  from 
their  own  herd  to  join  another  if  they  chance 
to  meet  with  one. 

This  day's  journey  lay,  for  the  most  part, 
through  a  closely -wooded  country,  in  which 
were  some  glens  of  great  beauty,  and  along  the 
edges  of  which  our  route  was  traced,  the  moun- 
tains upon  our  left  adding  much  grandeur  to 
the  scenery,  which  was  diversified  at  every  turn 
and  more  than  usually  interesting.  We  employ- 
ed ourselves  in  building  chateaux  and  cottages, 
and  laying  out  parks,  in  various  situations  as 
we  drove  along,  and  some  of  us  may  live  to  see 
the  day  when  our  imaginary  designs  shall  be 
put  into  execution  by  succeeding  strangers  and 
worked  upon  in  reality.  We  stopped  for  the 
night  in    the  neighbourhood  of  two  or  three 


172  RUINS    OF    LAS    TRANCAS. 

huts  belonging  to  a  cattle-breeder,  but,  for  any 
convenience  or  accommodation  to  be  obtained, 
we  might  as  well  have  reposed  upon  the  summit 
of  Chimborazo. 

11th.  Fresh   breezes  and  pleasant  weather, 
with    a    coolness    indicating   the   approaching 
termination     of    summer.      The   country    still 
continues  wooded,  but  the  soil  is  not  so  fer- 
tile   as    we    have   hitherto   seen   in    this    most 
luxuriant   province.     At  noon,   we  arrived  at 
what,  about  three  weeks  ago,  was  the  respect- 
able village  of  Trancas,   now  a  heap  of  ruins, 
the  houses  being  for  the  most  part  destroyed 
by  the  late  earthquake,   of  which  this  neigh- 
bourhood may  be  called  the  centre  of  violence. 
It  was  not  without  feelings  of  peculiar  anxiety 
that  we   entered    the   village  of  Trancas,  for, 
having  been  informed  that  the  most  disastrous 
consequences  of  the  awful   event  were  to  be 
seen   here,  and  having   ourselves   experienced 
the  principal  shock,  although  upwards  of  three 
hundred  miles  distant,  we  felt  an  increased  in- 
terest in  viewing  its  effects. 

The  country  round  being  covered  with  trees, 
we  did  not  observe  the  village  until  within 
the  distance  of  two  or  three  hundred  yards, 
when  the  first  object  that  met  our  view  was  a 
number  of  the  inhabitants  clearing  away  the 


EUINS    OF    LAS    TBANCAS. 


173 


ruins  of  their  church,  the  whole  front  of  which 
had  fallen  to  the  ground,  except  one  of  the 
side  towers,  that  stood  drooping  over  in  a  very 


singular  manner. 


e^vK 


This  edifice  had  been  erected  by  its  present 
venerable  vicar  at  his  own  private  cost,  and 
we  may  presume  with  a  view  to  its  remaining 
a  permanent  memorial  of  his  zeal  and  muni- 
ficence, for  he  employed  thirteen  years  in  the 
work.  Notwithstanding  all  its  solidity,  how- 
ever, he  h;*s  outlived  it,  and  the  fabric  which 
at  one  time  he  thought  would  transmit  his 
name  to  future  generations,  he  has  himself  seen, 
in  the  space  of  a  few  minutes,  buried  in  the 
dust  of  its  own  ruins. 

From  the  church  Ave  walked  through,  I  might 


174  RUINS    OF    LAS    TltANCAS. 

with  truth  say,  walked  over,  the  desolated 
village ;  for,  excepting  two  or  three  tottering 
houses  and  as  many  tottering  walls,  the  whole 
was  a  confused  mass  of  rubbish.  It  was  a  pitia- 
ble sight  to  see  the  inhabitants  stalking  round 
their  prostrate  dwellings,  the  characters  of  terror 
and  dismay  strongly  depicted  in  every  counte- 
nance. And  well  they  might  be  ;  for,  from  the 
hour  in  which  their  woe  commenced  up  to  the 
present,  their  minds  have  had  no  respite  from  ap- 
prehension ;  every  day  has  been  attended  with 
several  repetitions  of  the  earthquake,  more  or 
less  severe  than  the  original  one,  but  all  suffi- 
cient to  keep  alive  feelings  of  consternation 
and  alarm,  which  have  been  considerably  in- 
creased by  the  knowledge  of  the  utter  destruc- 
tion of  two  other  villages  between  six  and 
seven  leagues  distant,  at  one  of  which  we  are 
informed  the  earth  has  opened  in  several  places, 
and  "  water  gushes  upwards  into  the  air  like 
a  fountain." 

Having  made  inquiries  of  various  individuals, 
and  not  having  heard  one  contradictory  account, 
I  shall  here  relate  the  particulars  exactly  as  they 
were  given  to  me  in  the  village  of  Trancas, 
and  although  they  agree  in  the  main  with  what 
I  have  already  mentioned,  I  cannot  think  that 
the  most  trifling  particulars  connected  with  so 


THE    EARTHQUAKE.  175 

momentous  and  wonderful  a  phenomenon  can 
be  altogether  devoid  of  interest. 

Three  or  four  days  prior  to  the  earthquake 
there  was  a  tremendous  storm,  the  destructive 
effects  of  which  have  been  already  noticed  on 
approaching  Santiago  del  Estero.  In  making 
this  observation  on  the  state  of  the  weather,  it 
is  only  because  I  wish  to  relate  the  account  as 
it  was  related  to  me,  not  that  I  pretend  to  in- 
terfere in  the  opinion  that  a  connexion  exists 
between  an  earthquake  and  the  elements  above, 
or  that  the  one  is  influenced  by  the  other.  I 
confess  myself  incapable  of  forming  any  opi- 
nion on  the  subject,  and  it  still,  I  believe,  re- 
mains for  scientific  research  to  decide  whether 
any  such  connexion  exists  or  not.  M.  Hum- 
boldt, in  describing  the  first  earthquake  that  he 
felt  in  South  America,  gives  a  long  and  very 
particular  account  of  the  state  of  the  weather 
and  the  atmosphere,  both  before  and  after  the 
shock.*  He  also  minutely  describes  it  pre- 
viously to  the  dreadful  earthquake  which  de- 
stroyed the  town  of  Caracas,  on  26th  March, 
1812,  when  between  nine  and  ten  thousand 
inhabitants  were  suddenly  buried  beneath  its 
ruins,  and  by  which,  throughout  the  province 

*  Voyage  au  Reg.  Equin.  vol.  iv.  chap.  x. 


176  THE    EARTHQUAKE. 

of  Venezuela,  there  perished,  almost  at  the  same 
instant  of  time,  upwards  of  twenty  thousand 
souls.* 

"  It  is  a  very  ancient  opinion,"  says  the  same 
traveller,  "that  there  is  a  perceptible  connexion 
between  earthquakes  and  the  state  of  the  at- 
mosphere previously  to  those  phenomena;"  but 
M.  Humboldt's  own  opinion  is,  that  the  oscilla- 
tions are  generally  independent  of  the  state 
of  the  atmosphere,  although  he  observes  that, 
"  Natural  philosophers  are  inclined  to  admit  a 
close  connexion  between  the  undulations  of 
the  earth,  and  any  meteor  which  happens  to 
appear  at  the  same  time."f 

It  seems  however  to  be  agreed,  that  there  is 
an  intimate  connexion  between  earthquakes  and 
volcanoes,  and  that,  in  all  probability,  they  are 
effects  of  the  same  cause,  namely,  subterraneous 
fiery  agents.  The  volcanoes  which  are  in  activity 
are  situated  in  islands,  or  on  coasts  not  far  from 
the  sea ;  those  which  we  find  in  the  interior 
countries  of  the  earth  are  all  extinct.  These  ob- 
servations lead  us  to  conclude,   that  the  vici- 

*  Voyage  au  Reg.  Equin.  vol.  v.  chap.  x. 

t  Doctor  Arnott,  in  his  "  Elements  of  Physics,"  &c. 
mentions  that,  "on  occasion  of  the  great  earthquake  at  Lis- 
bon, the  mercury  fell  so  far  in  the  barometers,  even  in 
Britain,  as  not  to  be  visible  in  that  portion  at  the  top  usually 
left  uncovered  for  observation." 


THE    EARTHQUAKE.  177 

nity  of  the  sea  is  a  condition  essential  to  the 
existence  of  volcanoes  ;  they  farther  lead  us  to 
think,  that  the  water  of  the  sea,  penetrating 
into  volcanic  cavities,  is  a  cause  of  eruptions. 
It  is  a  known  fact,  that  the  presence  of  water, 
and  in  great  quantity,  is  incontestable  in  vol- 
canic phenomena.  We  know  the  astonishing 
power  of  this  fluid  when  reduced  to  vapour, 
or  steam ;  but  our  steam-engines  can  hardly 
convey  to  us  an  idea  of  the  power  which  it 
is  capable  of  acquiring  in  caverns,  the  sides  of 
which  are  several  thousand  yards  in  thickness, 
such  as  sustain  the  mountains  of  Etna  and 
Chimboraco ;  heat  may  extend  its  elasticity  to 
a  point  of  which  it  is  impossible  to  form  any 
idea.* 

This,  then,  is  assigning,  in  tolerably  plain 
terms,  the  cause  of  earthquakes  to  steam;  a 
power,  certainly,  of  the  extent  of  which  we  can 
form  no  idea.  "  The  eruptions  of  Mount  Vesu- 
vius, throwing  up  incalculable  masses  of  matter 
into  the  clouds,  induced  another  scientific  gen- 
tleman, Mr.  Perkins,  to  imagine  that  the  im- 
mense power  was  generated  by  highly  elastic 
steam." 

But,  to   my    own   earthquake.     A  few  mi- 

*  D'Aubuisson. 
VOL.  I.  N 


178  THE    EARTHQUAKE. 

nutes  before  the  rising  of  the  sun  on  the  19th 
of  January,  the   first  shock  took  place,  com- 
mencing with  a  noise  and  a  tremulous  motion, 
which  lasted  a  few  seconds,  causing  doors  to  fly 
open  and  sundry  articles  of  furniture  to  tumble 
from  their  places  ;  this  was  the  signal  on  which 
the  inhabitants  rushed  from   their  houses  into 
the  open  air.     A  pause  of  two  or  three  seconds 
occurred ;  then  the  noise  re-commenced  with  a 
violent  rocking  motion,  which  continued  about 
a  minute,  and  in  this  time  the  church  and  se- 
veral houses  were  shaken  to  the  ground.    After 
the  lapse  of  half  an  hour,  another  shock   de- 
stroyed the  greater  part  of  the  remaining  houses; 
and  during  the  whole  of  that  day,  until  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  several  succeeding  shocks  com- 
pleted the  demolition  of  the  village.     That  the 
motion  was  of  a  rocking  nature  is  evident  from 
the  manner  in  which  houses  and  walls  were 
thrown,  some  having   fallen   to  one  side,  and 
some  to  the  other ;  that  is,  some  outwards  and 
some  inwards. 

During  the  day,  the  altars  and  images  that 
could  be  got  at  were  taken  from  the  ruins  of 
the  church  and  erected  in  the  street,  where 
processions  took  place,  where  vows  and  suppli- 
cations were  offered  up,  and  the  images  of  those 
saints  which  had  not  been  able  to  protect  them- 


THE    EARTHQUAKE.  179 

selves  were  now  invoked  for  the  protection  of 
the  inhabitants  in  this  awful  calamity. 

The  night  passed  away  quietly,  but  on  the 
following  morning  deep  murmuring  sounds, 
like  distant  thunder,  were  repeatedly  heard 
and  were  followed  by  several  shocks ;  these 
continued  at  intervals  for  fifteen  days  and 
nights  successively :  they  then  gradually  de- 
creased both  in  number  and  violence,  and  for 
the  last  day  or  two  they  have  been  scarcely 
perceptible. 

12th.  1  have  now  to  describe,  not  that  of 
which  I  have  been  informed  by  others,  but 
that  which  I  have  myself  actually  seen,  felt, 
and  heard. 

Upon  our  arrival  in  this  village,  it  was  to 
us  a  matter  of  no  great  concern  that  there 
was  not  a,  house  in  a  state  to  receive  us ;  we 
were  accustomed  to,  and  preferred,  the  open 
air  to  the  best  mansion  in  South  America.  In 
the  evening,  however,  the  sky  became  overcast 
and  heavy  rain  followed,  which  compelled  us 
to  take  refuge  in  a  house  in  so  shattered  a 
state  as  to  have  been  abandoned  by  its  owners. 
Here,  after  examining  the  fissures  in  the  lean- 
ing walls  and  the  state  of  the  loosened  beams, 
and  having  conversed  upon  the  imprudence  of 
risking   the  lives  of  the  first  embassy  of  the 

N   2 


180  THE    EARTHQUAKE. 

Potosi,  La  Paz,  and  Peruvian  Mining  Associa- 
tion, we  at  length  decided  upon  spreading  our 
beds,  as  no  better  asylum  could  be  obtained. 

The  death-like  silence  which  usually  follow- 
ed the  laying  our  heads  on  our  pillows  was 
this  night  suspended  for  a  considerable  time,  in 
consequence  of  various  observations  which  our 
recumbent  position  enabled  us  to  make  on  the 
beams  and  rafters  above,  each  of  which,  like 
the  sword  of  the  tyrant,  seemed  ready  at  a 
touch  to  fall  upon  the  wretch  beneath.  Some 
general  remarks,  too,  upon  the  earthquake,  of 
which  we  had  just  seen  the  disastrous  effects, 
occupied  the  greater  part  of  an  hour  before 
sleep  took  possession  of  our  senses. 

The  sombre,  silent  hour  of  midnight,  when  it 
may  be  said  '  Creation  sleeps,'  has  a  solemnity 
in  its  repose  which,  when  suddenly  disturbed 
by  any  alarming  occurrence,  operates  upon  the 
imagination  in  a  manner  very  different  from 
a  similar  occurrence  in  mid-day.  Danger,  al- 
though distant,  is  supposed  to  be  at  hand,  or  if 
really  near,  it  is  considerably  magnified  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night,  when  fear  and  confusion 
know  no  bounds. 

This  remark  is  not  foreign  to  my  subject. 
It  was  a  few  minutes  before  midnight,  when 
all  was  calm  without  and  silent  within,  that 


THE    EARTHQUAKE.  181 

a  most   extraordinary  hollow  rumbling  sound 
disturbed  us  all,  and  immediately  we  felt  our- 
selves shaken  by  a  strong  tremulous  motion, 
which,  with  the  noise,  may  be  likened  to  that 
of  a  wooden  bridge  when  a  heavy  vehicle  moves 
quickly  over   it.     This  lasted  between  fifteen 
and  twenty  seconds,  increasing  in  loudness  as 
it   approached,   then  rushed  beneath  us   with 
a  sound  truly  terrific,  resembling,  in  some  de- 
gree, a  sudden  gust  of  wind  through  a  forest ; 
and  was  accompanied   with  a  motion  of  the 
earth  so  violent  as  to  make  the  tiles  on  the  roof 
of  our  house  rattle  as  if  in  a  storm.     This  great 
concluding  shock  lasted  but  a  few  seconds:  time 
fully  sufficient  for  all  of  us  to  spring  from  our 
beds  and  fly  through  door  or  through  window, 
without  other  thought  than  that  of  saving  our- 
selves from  being  buried  beneath  the  tottering 
walls  that  seemed  to  threaten  instant  destruction. 
Our  alarm,  which  carried  us  far  beyond  the 
precincts  of  danger  in  our  flight  from  the  house, 
happened  to  be  unattended  with  any  important 
consequences ;  for,  although  the  shock  was  the 
most  violent  that  had  occurred  since  the  origi- 
nal grand  one,  yet  the  state  of  the  village  was 
such  as  scarcely  to  admit  of  any  farther  damage: 
but,  had  it  occasioned  mischief  in  the  extreme, 
fear  could  not  have  been  increased  or  have  oc- 


182  THE    EARTHQUAKE. 

casioned  more  tumult  than  occurred.  As  soon 
as  we  got  out  of  the  house,  we  heard  voices  in 
every  tone  and  in  every  direction  calling  out — 
"  Temblor!  Temblor!  Temblor!"  for  the  peo- 
ple, who  had  had  such  recent  experience  in 
earthquakes,  left  their  beds  on  the  first  warn- 
ing sound  and  fled  in  every  direction,  without 
knowing  to  what  purpose. 

When  the  general  consternation  had  in  some 
degree  subsided,  it  was  curious  to  see  and  to 
hear  what  was  passing.  Some  were  upon  their 
knees  in  the  attitude  of  ardent  supplication, 
praying  aloud  for  mercy  ;  others  were  to  be 
seen  running — fathers  and  mothers  with  their 
children  in  their  arms — until  loss  of  breath  com- 
pelled them  to  stop,  or  reason  whispered  that 
danger  had  passed.  One  of  my  companions 
made  as  dexterous  a  leap  through  a  window  as 
ever  was  performed  by  Harlequin,  and  had  the 
good  fortune  to  land  on  a  heap  of  mud,  into 
which  he  plunged  and  there  lay  softly  im- 
bedded until  relief  arrived.  The  nearly  com- 
plete state  of  nudity  of  most  persons,  and  the 
complete  state  of  others,  men,  women,  and 
children,  who  were  now  to  be  seen  stalking 
through  the  street,  or  in  the  adjoining  fields, 
formed  a  scene,  which,  on  any  other  occasion, 
would  have  been  truly  ridiculous  ;  but,  setting 


THE    EARTHQUAKE.  183 

apart  the  solemnity  of  the  event,  the  rain  which 
poured  was  of  itself  a  damper  to  all  pleasantry. 
After  my  share  of  drenching  and  alarm,  I 
wrapped  myself  in  my  cloak  and  poncho,  and 
took  shelter  under  the  projecting  eaves  of  a 
house,  against  the  wall  of  which  I  dosed  till 
daylight,  for  none  of  us  had  courage  to  return 
to  our  beds  in  the  crazy  habitation  which  we 
had  just  left. 

The  difficulty  of  procuring  the  number  of 
horses  we  required  compelled  us  to  remain  this 
day  in  Trancas,  which  I  did  not  regret ;  for  I 
felt  that  I  could  never  hear  enough  of  the 
earthquakes  and  their  effects.  Smoking  being 
the  grand  medium  for  gossip,  I  went  with  a 
pocket  full  of  segars  to  visit  different  families, 
each  segar  purchased  for  me  a  very  interest- 
ing account,  and  the  different  manner  in  which 
each  person  told  his  own  story  added  novelty 
to  the  recital. 

After  dinner,  we  passed  an  hour  or  two  en- 
deavouring to  catch  humming-birds,  of  which 
there  were  great  numbers,  fluttering  like  but- 
terflies round  the  shrubs  and  bushes  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  village ;  but,  as  our  wish 
was  to  take  one  alive,  none  of  us  having  the 
heart  to  kill  them,  our  attempts  were  fruitless. 


184  DEPARTURE    FROM    TRANCAS. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

An  infant  friar. — Appearance  given  to  the  atmosphere  by 
Locusts. — Hot  Springs  of  Rosario.  —  Reception  at  the 
house  of  a  private  gentleman. — Ceremonious  habit  of  com- 
pliment derived  from  the  Spaniards. — Countess  D'Aunoy. 
— Loss  of  property  by  the  Revolution. 

February  13th.  The  villagers,  who  had 
been  prevailed  on  to  direct  their  thoughts  from 
the  domestic  calamities  that  surrounded  them, 
clubbed  together  about  twenty-five  horses, 
which  enabled  us  to  leave  Trancas  at  an  early 
hour  on  this  day.  Five  or  six  miles  from  the 
village  we  forded  the  rapid  river  Tala,  where 
it  is  requisite  to  fill  the  water-bottles,  as  no 
water  can  conveniently  be  obtained  for  several 
leap-lies  onwards, 

This  day's  journey,  which  was  twelve  leagues, 
exhibited,  I  think,  finer  scenery  than  any 
other  since  we  left  Buenos  Ay  res.  Wooded 
hills,  fertile  plains,  high  mountains,  deep  glens, 
and   thick    forests,  showed    themselves    alter- 


WILD    CATTLE    AND    BIRDS.  185 

nately  in  their  gayest  and  grandest  features, 
enlivened  by  herds  of  cattle  and  troops  of  fine 
wild  mules :  the  latter  were  occasionally  to 
be  seen  in  full  speed  across  the  plain,  others 
drawn  up  in  close  column,  boldly  fronting  us, 
with  crests  erect,  ears  pointed,  and  snorting  as 
if  challenging  our  party,  until  the  shouts  of  our 
peones  would  put  them  to  the  rout.  Ostriches 
were  also,  sometimes,  to  be  seen  amongst  par- 
tridges, pheasants^  snipes,  wild-ducks,  parrots, 
and  many  strange  birds,  all  of  which  contri- 
buted to  the  enjoyment  of  our  journey,  as  we 
drove  over  hill  and  dale  at  a  gallop.  The  only 
embellishment  that  seemed  requisite  to  com- 
plete the  landscape,  was  the  industry  of  man, 
and  man  himself:  his  presence  is  materially 
wanted  in  this  country  to  give  full  effect  to 
the  charms  which  Nature  has  lavished  with  so 
bountiful  a  hand,  often  to  no  other  apparent 
end  than  to  formja  splendid  view  for  the  mo- 
mentary gratification  of  a  few  casual  travellers 
like  ourselves,  who  at  the  same  time  cannot 
but  regret  that  all  this  ground-work  of  intrinsic 
wealth  should  remain  unenjoyed  and  almost 
unknown. 

About  ten  leagues  from  Trancas,  where  we 
stopped  to  change  horses,  we  found  the  few 
houses  that   lately   composed   the    hamlet,  in 


186  AN    INFANT    FR1AH. 

ruins  from  the  effect  of  the  earthquake.  A 
woman  of  the  place  was  busily  employed  in 
making  a  Franciscan  friar's  dress  for  her  son, 
two  years  old ;  he  had  been  unwell,  and  dur- 
ing his  illness,  the  mother  vowed  to  Saint 
Francis,  that  if  he  would  have  the  goodness 
to  restore  her  son  to  health,  she  would  make 
him  a  friar  of  his  order.  Saint  Francis  oblig- 
ingly interfered,  and  the  child  of  course  re- 
covered. He  has  now  his  head  shaved  in  the 
shape  of  the  tonsure,  and  is  only  waiting  for 
his  frock,  cowl,  and  sandals,  to  fulfil  his  mother's 
vow.  In  Spain  and  Portugal,  I  have  seen 
children  of  all  ages  dressed  as  nuns,  monks,  or 
friars,  in  consequence  of  vows  of  this  kind. 
Their  appearance  to  strangers  is  truly  ridicu- 
lous, but  I  doubt  if  even  their  patron  saints 
could  view  a  number  of  nuns  and  friars,  from 
five  to  ten  years  of  age,  playing  at  leap-frog 
or  other  gambols,  without  being  very  much 
amused. 

In  the  afternoon  we  had  capital  sport,  duck- 
shooting  round  a  small  lake  near  the  road, 
where  we  stopped  for  that  purpose.  Towards 
evening  we  saw  clouds  of  locusts  on  their 
voyage  of  destruction.  It  is  almost  impossible 
to  convey  by  description  a  true  notion  of  the 
multitude    of  these   creatures.      Had   I    been 


LOCUSTS.  187 

blindfolded  and  led  to  some  particular  spot, 
and  there,  when  my  eyes  were  unhanded,  for 
the  first  time  beheld  them,  I  should  have  ima- 
gined a  shower  of  snow  was  falling  in  thick 
flakes ;  for  the  whole  atmosphere,  in  the  direc- 
tion in  which  they  were  to  be  seen,  had  that 
appearance;  even  the  powerful  beams  of  the 
sun  were  effectually  intercepted.  Happily  the 
visits  of  these  insects  are  only  periodical,  many 
years  sometimes  intervening  between  them. 

We  took  up  our  abode  for  the  night  at 
the  house  of  a  private  gentleman  with  whom 
General  Paroissien  was  acquainted.  It  was 
situated  at  the  skirt  of  a  forest  through  which 
we  had  passed,  and  although  a  very  respectable 
habitation  for  this  country,  it  conveyed  no  idea 
to  a  European  of  the  owner's  being  a  wealthy 
man  and  sole  proprietor  of  the  land  for  many 
leagues  round. 

14th.  A  delightful  morning  :  we  rose  with 
the  sun,  and  continued  our  journey  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Rosario.  Here  also  were  to  be  seen 
fallen  walls,  unroofed  houses,  and  many  sad 
countenances,  from  the  effects  of  the  earth- 
quake. 

Having  heard  of  the  salubrious  qualities  of  a 
hot  spring  in  this  neighbourhood,  we  mounted 
our    horses  and  proceeded  to   visit  it.     After 


188  HOT    SPRINGS    OF    ROSARIO. 

riding  about  two  leagues  through  a  thickly- 
wooded  country,  amused  at  every  step  by  the 
appearance  of  insects,  birds,  animals,  and  plants, 
all  new  to  us,  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a  moun- 
tain which  was  also  thickly  covered  with  trees 
from  its  base  to  its  summit :  this  we  ascended 
by  a  narrow  path  that  wound  up  its  steep  side, 
and  occasionally  along  the  edge  of  a  deep  glen, 
which  led  us  to  an  open  space,  surrounded  by 
large  rocks  and  high  trees,  forming  a  sort  of 
spacious  grotto,  through  which  descended,  in  a 
considerable  stream,  the  waters  that  we  came  to 
see.  As  we  approached  their  source,  the  steam 
arising  from  them  and  a  sulphureous  smell 
were  sensibly  perceived.  Several  males  and 
females  indiscriminately  were  to  be  seen  bath- 
ing in  holes  which  they  had  dug  for  the  pur- 
pose in  the  bed  of  the  stream.  On  arriving  at 
this  spot,  I  was  at  first  surprised  at  finding  nei- 
ther bath,  nor  house,  nor  hut,  nor  accommoda- 
tion of  any  sort  for  bathers,  who  sometimes  come 
from  distances  of  many  hundred  miles  for  the 
benefit  of  these  waters,  which  have  been  found 
extremely  efficacious  in  rheumatic  complaints, 
as  also  in  strains,  bruises,  and  cutaneous  dis- 
eases. A  moment's  reflection,  however,  banish- 
ed all  surprise  on  the  subject,  and  caused  me  to 
place  the  neglect  to  the  account  of  the  provok- 


SPANISH    POLICY    IN    AMERICA.  189 

ing  supineness  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  coun- 
try, and  to  the  utter  disregard  of  improvement 
that  has  so  long  prevailed  among  them.  But 
this  must  be  added  to  that  voluminous  cata- 
logue of  injuries  and  neglects  which  exists,  and 
must  long  exist  in  South  America,  to  record 
three  centuries  of  Spanish  misrule ;  for,  amongst 
other  grievances  under  the  government  of  that 
nation,  any  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  inhabi- 
tants to  better  their  condition  was  made  an  ex- 
cuse for  additional  taxation  and  persecution,  and 
often  led  to  final  destruction.  The  fact  is  no- 
torious, that  many  improvements  were  stopped 
by  the  Spanish  authorities,  and  their  promoters 
severely  punished :  the  machinery  of  incipient 
manufactories  has  been  seized  and  destroyed ; 
the  vines  of  newly-planted  vineyards  have 
been  rooted  up  and  burnt,  lest  their  produce 
should  tend  to  diminish  the  exports  from  the 
mother  country,  on  which  enormous  duties  were 
levied.  Improvement  was  not  only  viewed 
with  jealousy,  but  actually  opposed,  under  the 
bigoted  apprehension  that  it  might  lead  to 
an  enlargement  of  ideas,  and  become  an  open- 
ing of  knowledge,  through  which  the  people 
might  ultimately  discover  the  wrongs  which 
they  endured.  Barbarous  ignorance  and  blind 
superstition  were  trammels  out  of  which  this 


» 


190  HOT   SPRINGS    OF    ROSAltlO. 

unfortunate  people  were  not  permitted  to 
emerge,  up  to  the  very  last  hour  of  Spanish 
dominion. 

The  hot  spring  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a 
beautifully  romantic  country,  the  soil  so  fertile 
as  so  be  capable  of  producing  with  common 
industry,  any  thing  and  every  thing  requisite 
not  only  for  existence  but  for  the  luxurious 
enjoyment  of  it ;  the  climate  healthy  and  de- 
lightful, and  the  severities  of  winter  altogether 
unknown. 

The  chief  towns  of  Tucuman  and  Salta,  the 
one  south,  the  other  north,  are  each  about  forty 
leagues  distant  from  this  spring;  the  neigh- 
bourhood, generally  speaking,  is  tolerably  well 
inhabited,  and  its  proximity  to  the  high  road 
from  Buenos  Ayres,  Cordova,  &c.  to  Peru,  makes 
it  convenient  for  the  visits  of  travellers.  These 
advantages,  w^n  sloth  and  indolence  give  way 
to  industry  and  enterprise,  cannot  pass  un- 
noticed, for  it  is  not  likely  that  a  place,  where 
a  fountain  of  health  may  be  said  to  exist,  will 
continue  in  neglect.  Unfortunately  for  man, 
there  would  be  no  lack  of  visiters  on  the  score 
of  infirmity  to  contribute  towards  the  sup- 
port of  an  extensive  establishment ;  thousands 
would  gladly  go  any  distance  to  a  place  where 
ihey  might  hope  to  exchange  wealth  for  health, 


HOT   SPRINGS    OF    ROSAlHO.  191 

whilst  the  attractions  which  such  a  place,  under 
proper  management,  usually  presents  to  curio- 
sity and  amusement,  would  in  all  probability 
soon  render  the  baths  of  Rosario  as  renowned 
as  the  most  fashionable  in  Europe. 

After  scrambling  up  a  steep  rock  to  the 
source  of  a  waterfall  flowing  from  a  height 
of  about  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  we  dipped  a 
thermometer  into  the  stream,  which  was  so  hot 
that  it  caused  the  mercury  to  expand  suddenly 
and  with  so  much  force  as  to  burst  the  tube, 
although  the  instrument  was  graduated  to  112 
degrees ;  we  were  therefore  disappointed  in 
ascertaining  the  temperature,  but  this  cir- 
cumstance will  convey  a  tolerably  fair  idea 
of  the  heat  of  the  water.  At  this  spot  we 
found  it  too  hot  to  bathe  in,  and  for  that 
purpose  were  obliged  to  move  farther  down 
the  stream,  which  gradually  cools  as  it  flows 
from  the  head  of  the  springy  We  were  in- 
formed by  the  natives  that,  at  a  short  distance 
up  the  mountain  there  was  a  well,  in  which 
eggs  and  Indian  corn  were  frequently  boiled 
sufficiently  for  use.  Circumstances  prevented 
us  from  seeing  this  well,  but  from  what  we  did 
see  and  feel  we  readily  believed  its  existence. 
I  must  not  forget  to  mention  that,  within  five 
or  six  yards  of  the  hot  stream,  there  flowed 
another  nearly  parallel  to  it,  perfectly  cool  and 


192  PROCEED    ON    OUR    JOURNEY. 

transparent.  We  saw  here  a  very  curious  tree 
named  boracho,  the  drunkard,  from  the  circum- 
stance of  the  trunk's  swelling  out  abruptly  into 
that  form  which  is  sometimes  called  *  pot  bel- 
lied,' and  this  is  thickly  covered  with  thorns 
like  tigers'  claws.  We  also  saw  a  very  beau- 
tiful flower,  named  tripos  de  frayle,  friar's  tripes, 
which  somewhat  resembles  the  honeysuckle* 
We  returned  to  the  village  through  as  wild 
though  luxuriant  a  landscape  as  Nature  ever 
designed,  the  charms  of  which  were  heightened 
by  all  the  softness  and  repose  of  a  summer's 
evening. 

15th.  We  made  but  a  short  day's  journey, 
owing  to  heavy  rain,  which  fell  in  the  night 
and  continued  the  whole  of  this  day.  It  so 
much  swelled  the  river  Rosario,  that  we  were 
detained  a  considerable  time  upon  its  steep 
banks,  clearing  and  levelling  a  road  for  the 
carriages  to  pass.  We  then  drove  through 
an  immense  forest,  the  noble  mountains  which 
continue  from  Tucuman  to  Salta,  a  distance  of 
eighty -seven  leagues,  occasionally  appearing  in 
great  magnificence  upon  our  left. 

Just  as  night  commenced,  we  reached  the 
house  of  a  private  gentleman,  Don  Jose  Torres, 
who  was  sitting  with  his  wife  and  seven  chil- 
dren under  a  shed,  or  a  sort  of  verandah,  in 
front  of  his  house.     We  requested  permission 


DON    JOSE    TORRES.  193 

to  remain  for  the  night,  which  was  granted 
with  a  readiness  and  frankness  that  proved  we 
were  heartily  welcome,  and  such  as  travellers 
usually  meet  with  throughout  the  whole  of 
South  America. 

I  shall  ask  here,  en  passant,  without  mean- 
ing ungratefully  to  detract  from  the  merits 
of  the  case,  if  this  open-house-keeping  proceeds 
from  a  true  spirit  of  hospitality,  or  if  it  be  the 
consequence  of  mere  custom,  which,  from  the 
want  of  public  accommodation,  every  man 
who  owns  a  house  complies  with,  because, 
whenever  he  stirs  from  home  he  must  avail 
himself  in  turn  of  the  house  of  another  ? 

Proprietors  of  houses  in  England,  judging 
from  their  own  cases,  may  imagine,  that  keep- 
ing "  open  house"  for  travellers  is  attended  with 
very  great  trouble  and  expense.  According  to 
the  customs  of  England  it  certainly  would  be 
so,  but  in  South  America  it  is  neither  trou- 
blesome nor  expensive.  Here  is  no  calling  for 
chambermaids  to  prepare  a  room,  no  disturb- 
ing the  housekeeper  from  her  tea  to  air  a  pair 
of  sheets,  no  demand  upon  the  butler  for  a 
bottle  of  wine,  nor  upon  the  cook  for  any  ex- 
tra exercise  of  his  art,  nor  upon  coachman  or 
grooms  to  take  care  of  carriages  and  horses. 
The  traveller  alights  at  the  door  of  a  house, 

vol.  i.  o 


194  RECEPTION   OF    TRAVELLERS. 

which  he  enters,  and  accosts  those  he  may 
chance  to  see,  saying,  "  God  keep  ye,  gentle- 
men !"  to  which  a  similar  reply  is  given.  The 
traveller  then  says,  "With  your  permission, 
senores,  I  shall  stop  here  for  the  night."  — 
"With  the  greatest  pleasure,"  is  the  reply. 
Here  ends,  nine  times  out  of  ten,  the  whole 
of  the  trouble  or  interference  between  the 
parties.  The  traveller  points  to  a  spot,  either 
inside  or  outside  the  house,  according  to  the 
state  of  the  weather,  where  he  wishes  his  mu- 
chacho  (servant)  to  spread  his  saddle-cloths ; 
these  being  three  or  four  fold,  are  sufficiently 
large  to  lie  upon,  and,  with  his  saddle  under 
his  head  and  poncho  or  cloak  over  him,  com- 
plete the  bed. 

Some  few,   who  like  their  luxuries,  carry  a 
small  mattress  and  sometimes  even  a  portable 
bedstead,  but  nothing  of  the  kind  is  given  or 
expected  either  at  a  public  or  private  house,  for 
the  very  best  reason— because  they  have  nothing 
of  the  kind  to  give.     The  traveller  also  carries 
with    him  his  alj'orjas,  a  species  of  haversack 
with  provisions  ;  but  if  he  happens  to  arrive  at 
the  family  meal-time,  he  is  invited  to  partake, 
which  invitation  is  usually  declined,  because  it 
is  usually  complimentary  and  nothing  more. 
In  South  America,  as  in  Spain,  ceremonious 


CEREMONIOUS    COMPLIMENTS.  19<5 

compliments  are  too  frequently  indulged  in ; 
offers    and    promises    of    every  thing,    without 
meaning  or  intending   any  thing,  are  of  daily 
occurrence ;   but  this  general  rule  has  of  course 
its  exceptions,  for  it  would  be  strange  to  say, 
that  there  are  not  as  truly  generous  minds  in 
South  America  and  in  Spain  as  in  any  other 
part  of  the  world,  yet  even  the  very  best  are 
addicted  to  empty  compliments  altogether  un- 
known among  Englishmen.      Should  you,  for 
instance,  chance  to  admire  a  valuable  necklace, 
a  watch,  a  ring,  or  a  handsome  horse,  the  owner, 
although  unacquainted  with  you,  immediately 
makes  an  obeisance,  and  says,  "  Est  a  a  la  dis- 
posieion  de  V."  "  It  is  at  your  service,"  but  never 
expects  you   to  accept  the  proffered  gift.     It 
must,  no  doubt,  have   occurred   to   others   as 
well  as  to   myself,  in  both   Spain  and  South 
America,  when  speaking  in  praise  of  a  lady,  be 
she  wife  or  daughter,   in  the  presence  of  the 
husband  or  father,  to  have  received  from  the 
latter   the   same   generous    offer — "  Senor,    estd, 
a  la  disposieion  de  V." 

Promises  are  made  most  liberally  by  the 
South  Americans,  but  the  performance  of  them 
is  not  so  common.  Ask,  or  shortly  express  a 
wish,  for  any  thing  that  may  be  distant  or  diffi- 
cult to  be  obtained,  and  some  person  present 
o  2 


196  CEREMONIOUS    COMPLIMENTS. 

will  be  sure  to  say,  "Puede  haver,"  "  It  may  be 
had;"  or,  " Si, porque  nonV  "Yes, — why  not?" 
or,  "  Veremos"  "We  shall  see;"  or,  " Piuede  V. 
cuidado,"  "  You  may  rely  upon  it ;"  although,  at 
the  same  time,  there  is  neither  any  intention  nor 
perhaps  any  possibility  of  fulfilling  the  promise. 
A  candid  denial  or  refusal  is  considered  a  breach 
of  civility,  and  they  cannot  find  in  their  hearts 
to  deprive  you  of  the  momentary  hope  which 
their  compliment  may  perhaps  hold  out. 

Qualities  such  as  these,  which  the  French 
call  aimabilite  de  ma'urs,  may  turn  to  good  ac- 
count in  the  progress  of  education  and  im- 
provement of  society  ;  for  it  must  be  admitted, 
that  a  general  wish  to  please  is  a  sure  indication 
of  a  benevolent  mind,  and  what  more  genial 
soil  than  benevolence  for  the  cultivation  of 
every  good  principle  ? 

The  compliments  of  Spanish  society  have 
been  practised  in  ancient  and  modern  times, 
and  may  be  very  adroitly  rendered  subservient 
to  self-interest,  sometimes  to  the  confusion 
of  one  party  and  to  the  benefit  of  another, 
as  the  following  instances  will  show.  The 
learned  countess  d'Aunoy,  on  her  travels 
through  Spain  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago, 
wrote  to  a  friend  at  Paris  in  these  terms  :  "  I 
was  sitting  at  table,  when  one  of  my  women 


THE    COUNTESS    D'aUNOY.  197 

brought  me  my  watch  to  wind  it  up,  as  it  was 
my  custom  at  noon :   it  was  a  striking  watch 
of  Tompion's   make,    and    cost  me  fifty  louis 
d'ors.     My  banker,  who  was  by  me,  expressed 
a  desire  to  see  it.     I  gave  it  him  with  the  cus- 
tomary civility.     This  was  enough :  my  blade 
rises  and  makes  me  a  profound  reverence,  tell- 
ing me  that  he  did  not  deserve  so  considerable 
a  present,  but  that  such  a  lady  as  1  could  make 
no  other,  and  he  would  engage  his  faith  that 
he  would  never  part  with  my  watch  as  long  as 
he  lived.     He  kissed  it  at  the  end  of  this  plea- 
sant compliment  and  thrust  it  into  the  pocket 
of  his  small-clothes.     You  will  take  me  to  be 
a  very  great  sot  for  saying  nothing  to  all  this, 
and  I  do  not  wonder  at  it.     But  I  confess  I 
was    so  surprised   at  his  proceeding,    that  the 
watch  was  out  of  sight  before  I  could  resolve 
on  what  I  was  to  do;    in  fine,   I  let  him  go 
with  it,  and  endeavoured  to  do  myself  honour 
from  a  thing  which   gave  me  great  mortifica- 
tion— but  it  will  be  my  fault  if  I  am  trapped 
again."      Thus  far   the    countess    d'Aunoy  — 
the  following   adventure  is  my  own.     In  the 
Peninsular  war,  I  became  acquainted  with   a 
Spanish  colonel,  whose  regiment  was  in   the 
same  brigade  as  that  to  which  I  belonged,  and 
whenever  I   chanced  to   praise  his  horses,   or 


198  SPANISH    POLITENESS. 

admire  any  thing  belonging  to  him,  he  always 
said  with  a  "  profound  reverence"  that  it  was 
at    my  service.     Knowing    this    to    be  empty 
compliment  on  his  part,  I  thought  the  least  I 
could  do  for  civility's  sake  was  to  make  a  si- 
milar reply  on  similar  occasions.     One  day  he 
observed  in  a  corner  of  my  room  a  new  sabre, 
which  I  had  just  received  from  England,  and 
taking  it   up,  he  expressed  his    admiration  in 
terms  that  induced  me,  with  infinite  politeness, 
to   assure  him  it  was  at  his  service.     This  was 
enough,    my  blade  rises,  (as  the   countess   ob- 
serves,) makes  me  a  profound  reverence,  and  in 
an  instant  both  blades  disappeared  —  but  "  it 
will  be  my  fault  if  I  am  trapped  again." 

Within  very  little  more  than  half  an  hour 
after  our  arrival  at  the  house  of  Don  Jose 
Torres,  our  peones  had  killed,  roasted,  and  de- 
voured three  full-grown  goats.  Our  own  sup- 
per consisted  of  a  kid,  two  fowls,  good  bread 
and  bad  cheese,  served  up  in  large  silver  dishes, 
with  forks,  spoons,  drinking-cups,  and  candle- 
sticks of  the  same  metal,  all  of  the  rudest  work- 
manship, but  extremely  massive.  Indeed,  their 
weight  was  what  led  me  to  discover  their  va- 
lue, for  their  dingy  colour  at  first  caused  them 
to  pass  for  tarnished  pewter. 


DOMESTIC    SCENE.  199 

Don  Jose  is  a  gentleman  of  large  landed  pro- 
perty, and  of  the  first  respectability  in  the 
province,  but  has  nothing  in  his  dress  or  appear- 
ance indicative  of  it,  still  less  in  his  habitation 
and  family.  His  wife  had  neat  shoes  and 
white  stockings  on  pretty  feet,  and  was  fair  and 
cleanly  in  her  person ;  but  as  for  any  other  dis- 
tinguishing quality  about  her,  there  was  none. 
Dirty,  half-naked  children,  and  dirtier  slaves, 
male  and  female,  were  all  of  one  party ;  there 
was  nothing  by  which  a  stranger,  unaccustom- 
ed to  the  manners  of  the  country,  could  dis- 
tinguish rank,  or  birth,  or  education. 

General  Paroissien,  who  becomes  passionately 
fond  of  other  people's  children,  after  covering 
a  boy  of  four  years  old  with  kisses,  and  sharing 
with  it  alternately  a  mouthful  from  his  spoon  or 
his  fork,  called  for  some  water  to  wash,  which 
was  handed  to  him  by  a  negress  in  a  deep 
silver  basin,  and  with  this  he  washed  the  child's 
face,  and  certainly  improved  it  very  much, 
even  in  the  opinion  of  the  mother ;  who  said, 
that  "  for  some  days  past  the  weather  had 
been  too  cold  and  damp  for  using  water  with 
any  degree  of  comfort,  and  that,  for  her  part, 
she  never  had  courage  to  wash  herself  on  a  cold 
day."  This  is  neither  tale  nor  exaggeration, 
but  the  plain  translation  of  her  speech,  which 


£00  EFFECTS    OF    WAK. 

may  be  considered  as  conveying  the  sentiments 
of  a  very  great  part  of  the  population  of  South 
America,  so  far  as  I  have  observed,  A  morn- 
ing visit  to  a  family  is  generally  very  repug- 
nant to  the  feelings  of  an  Englishman,  for  he 
seldom  sees  that  neatness  and  delicacy  to  which 
he  has  been  accustomed  at  home,  and  a  want  of 
which  would  there  be  deemed  more  than  un- 
pardonable. There  are,  however,  many  excep- 
tions to  be  made  in  this  particular,  in  the 
society  of  Buenos  Ayres,  Cordova,  &c. ;  and 
in  the  full-dress  of  evening,  the  South  Ame- 
rican ladies  equal  those  of  any  other  country  in 
the  neat  and  tasteful  embellishment  of  their 
persons. 

Don  Jos6  Torres,  at  one  period  possessed 
upwards  of  three  thousand  head  of  horned 
cattle,  out  of  which  only  eight  cows  now  remain  ; 
of  all  the  rest  he  was  despoiled  in  the  course 
of  the  late  revolutionary  wars.  Those  who 
grumble  to  pay  war-taxes  and  consider  them 
a  hardship,  would  do  well  to  reflect  upon  the 
greater  hardship  that  are  averted  by  paying  to 
kf>ep  the  field  of  battle  out  of  one's  own  coun- 
try ;  for  wherever  the  seat  of  war  is,  the  armies 
of  friend  and  foe  occasion  nearly  equal  deso- 
lation. 


HOSPITALITY    OF    DON    JOSE.  '201 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Hospitality  to  strangers. — Tigers.  —  Rio  de  las  Piedras. — 
Difficulties  of  the  roads. — Armadillos. — Rapidity  of  the 
River  Passage. — Doubts  entertained  on  the  extraordinary 
relations  of  travellers. — Romantic  situation  of  the  village 
of  Cobos. — Adventure  on  horseback. — Arrival  at  Salta. 

February  16th.  On  taking  leave  of  Don 
Jose,  we  had  great  difficulty  to  prevail  upon 
him  to  accept  payment  for  the  three  goats 
which  regaled  our  peones,  and  he  would  not 
hear  of  any  thing  of  the  kind  for  ourselves  ;  a 
sufficient  proof  that  generosity  and  hospitality 
are  here  to  be  met  with  by  the  stranger  with- 
out expectation  of  reward. 

We  took  away  with  us  the  head  of  a  mon- 
strous tiger,  which  had  been  killed  upon  an 
excursion  into  the  woods  a  few  days  before  our 
arrival ;  its  size  was  the  astonishment  of  all  the 
neighbours.  Tigers  abound  in  the  forests  here- 
abouts, and  commit  great  depredations  among 


202  TIGERS. 

cattle.  M.  Humboldt  says  that  Buffon  entirely 
mistook  the  jaguar,  or  tiger  of  South  America, 
which  is  a  much  more  formidable  animal  than 
is  generally  supposed,  merely  from  the  cir- 
cumstance of  its  attacking  men  less  frequently 
than  in  India ;  which  may,  perhaps,  be  account- 
ed for  by  its  having  a  greater  abundance  of 
cattle  to  prey  upon  in  South  America.  In  his 
voyage  up  the  great  river  Apure,  M.  Hum- 
boldt mentions  having  met  with  one  larger 
than  any  East  Indian  tiger  he  had  ever  seen  in 
the  menageries  of  Europe. 

This  day  we  proceeded  only  two  or  three 
miles,  to  the  house  of  Don  Antonio  Seranas, 
brother-in-law  to  Don  Jos6,  with  whom  we 
contracted  for  fresh  horses  to  take  us  on  to 
Salta,  forty  leagues  distant.  We  agreed  for 
sixteen  horses,  five  for  our  galera,  five  for  each 
of  our  carts,  and  one  for  the  capataz,  at  the  rate 
of  two  rials  each  per  league.  Peones  were 
dispatched  to  a  distant  potrero,  a  spacious  in- 
closure  where  horses  are  kept,  but  principally 
used  for  brood-mares  and  young  horses  as  the 
word  implies.  In  the  evening  they  returned, 
driving  at  a  full  gallop  before  them  between 
sixty  and  seventy  horses,  almost  all  of  which 
were  white  or  grey.  The  required  number 
were  immediately  caught    with    the   laso  and 


KIO    DE    LAS    PIEDRAS.  203 

yoked,  the  others  driven  on  to  take  their  turn 
at  fit  stages. 

In  the  evening  we  left  Conchas,  which  is  the 
name  of  this  place,  and  travelled  five  leagues 
over  an  infamous  road,  but  amidst  most  mag- 
nificent scenery,  to  the  river  de  las  Piedras,  a 
very  appropriate  name,  as  it  flows  over  a  bot- 
tom covered  with  large  loose  stones,  that  are 
rolled  with  such  violence  in  the  season  of  the 
torrents  as  to  prevent  the  passage.  After  cross- 
ing this  river,  we  took  up  our  abode  for  the 
night  at  two  or  three  houses  on  its  banks.  In 
one  of  them,  which  was  not  in  any  respect  su- 
perior to  a  common  Irish  cabin,  and  which,  with 
all  its  furniture,  I  should  have  thought  a  dear 
purchase  for  twenty  dollars,  I  was  interestingly 
surprised  at  discovering  a  utensil  of  a  very 
humble  description,  but  of  noble  capacity,  made 
of  pure  silver.  I  had  frequently  heard  that  in 
the  principal  houses  of  South  America  these 
articles  of  common  use  were  all  made  of  the 
virgin  metal,  but  this  was  the  first  I  had  seen, 
and  I  must  confess  that  I  viewed  it  as  a  cu- 
riosity in  a  mansion  of  such  apparent  poverty, 
and  where  the  meanness  of  the  surrounding 
furniture  so  ill  accorded  with  the  intrinsic 
worth  and  dignity  of  this  useful  vase. 

17th.  Showers  of  rain  and  thick  mists  have 


204  AKMADILLOS. 

latterly  prevented  our  enjoyment  of  mountain 
scenery  of  the  grandest  kind.  Those  boundless 
plains,  over  which  the  eye  could  range  without 
a  single  tree,  or  bush,  or  mount,  to  arrest  the 
view,  we  have  long  since  left  far  behind,  and 
with  them  good  and  easy  roads.  We  are  now 
frequently  compelled  to  work,  all  hands,  with 
picks,  and  spades,  and  shovels,  to  render  par- 
ticular spots  passable  for  the  carriages.  At 
other  times,  eight  and  ten  horses  are  yoked  to 
drag  one  of  them  up  a  bank,  and  sometimes 
more  to  draw  them  through  a  river  or  moun- 
tain stream,  which  the  rains  are  now  every- 
where swelling. 

Armadillos  are  found  in  plenty  in  these 
parts  ;  when  roasted  in  their  coats  of  mail  they 
are  considered  a  delicacy :  two  which  we  took 
were  thus  served  up  under  a  fig-tree,  where  we 
stopped  for  an  hour  to  breakfast :  their  appear- 
ance was  by  no  means  amiable,  and  I  felt  no 
disposition  to  try  the  strength  of  my  stomach 
for  the  purpose  of  gratifying  the  curiosity  of 
my  palate. 

In  the  evening  we  halted  on  the  banks  of 
the  rapid  river  Passage,  intending  to  cross  it, 
but  our  baggage-carts,  having  been  overturned 
several  times,  had  not  come  up,  which  compel- 
led us  to  bivouac  for  the  night  under  a  high 


RIO    PASSAGE.  205 

mount  upon  the  edge  of  the  river.  Each  chose 
his  berth,  and  just  as  I  had  laid  myself  down 
in  my  poncho,  under  an  acacia,  I  was  startled 
from  my  position  by  a  large  snake  twisting  its 
way  into  the  leaves  and  grass  that  grew  round 
the  spot  which  I  had  selected.  The  instant  it 
discovered  me,  it  darted  away  as  fast  as  I  did 
myself,  and  glided  into  a  hole  at  the  foot  of 
a  neighbouring  tree.  I  afterwards  sought  an 
asylum  in  the  noke,  a  bullock's  hide  suspended 
under  the  galera,  forming  a  sort  of  boot  or  bag 
for  carrying  various  articles,  and  in  this  I  slept 
undisturbed  till  daylight. 

18th.  Our  baggage-carts  having  joined  us 
in  the  course  of  the  night,  we  proceeded  at  an 
early  hour  to  cross  the  Passage,  which  we  had 
the  good  fortune  to  find  in  a  favourable  state. 
This  is  the  most  rapid  and  most  dangerous 
river  in  the  road  from  Buenos  Ayres  to  Peru, 
and  has  swept  away  many  travellers,  with  their 
horses,  carriages,  and  mules,  who  have  not  had 
patience  to  remain  upon  its  barren  banks  until 
the  mountain  torrents,  which  rush  into  it  from 
all  parts,  had  subsided;  a  patience  which,  in 
the  rainy  season,  (the  present  period,)  it  is  fre- 
quently necessary  to  exercise  for  many  days, 
and  sometimes  for  many  weeks.  Although 
we  found  it  comparatively  tranquil,  we  were 


206  LOCUSTS. 

obliged  to  cross  the  current  in  an  oblique  direc- 
tion, for  its  force  was  sufficient  to  carry  away 
any  thing  that  opposed  it  broadside-on.  Carlo, 
for  instance,  was  hurried  away  at  the  rate  of 
at  least  five  miles  an  hour,  far  out  of  our  sight, 
before  he  reached  the  opposite  bank.  From 
this  river  it  is  necessary  to  take  a  supply  of 
water,  as  not  a  drop  is  to  be  had  for  the 
next  seven  leagues :  the  sandy  soil  absorbs 
the  rain,  and  neither  lake  nor  river  exists  upon 
the  way. 

We  breakfasted  at  a  hut,  where  we  obtained, 
with  plenty  of  all  that  we  desired,  some  very 
fine  fresh  figs  ;  we  then  continued  our  journey 
through  a  tolerably  woody  country,  but  over 
an  intolerably  bad  road,  which  kept  us  in  the 
constant  exercise  of  pioneers. 

Towards  evening  we  saw  at  a  distance  be- 
fore us  a  very  unusual  appearance  over  the 
face  of  the  country  ;  instead  of  the  green  co- 
lour of  the  grass  and  of  the  foliage  of  the  trees, 
to  which  we  had  been  accustomed  in  all  its 
shades  and  tints,  we  observed  one  unvaried 
mass  of  reddish  brown,  which  some  of  us  ima- 
gined to  be  heath  that  the  sun  was  shining 
upon  ;  but  all  surmises  were  far  from  the  truth. 
As  we  advanced,  we  found  the  country  in  pos- 


LOCUSTS.  207 

session  of  a  host,  which  the  united  armies  of 
the  world  would  have  no  power  to  overcome  — 
a  host,  such  as  in  Egypt's  evil  day 

" o'er  the  realm  of  impious  Pharaoh  hung 

Like  night,  and  darken'd  all  the  land  of  Nile." 

It  is  requisite  to  see  in  order  to  believe  the 
multitudes  in  which  locusts  swarm.  These  li- 
terally covered  the  earth,  the  shrubs,  and  the 
trees,  as  far  as  we  could  see  around  us ;  the 
branches  bent  under  their  numbers,  as  may  be 
seen  in  heavy  falls  of  snow,  or  when  trees  are 
overladen  with  fruit.  At  the  time  we  arrived 
within  their  out-posts,  for  like  ants  and  bees 
they  have  peculiar  laws  and  regulations,  and 
like  them,  seem  to 

'■  Expatiate  and  confer  on  state  affairs," 

we  were  looking  out  for  a  convenient  place  to 
bivouac  for  the  night,  there  being  no  village 
or  habitation  within  many  leagues ;  but  to 
stop  in  the  midst  of  this  moving  world,  with- 
out being  molested,  was  impossible  :  not  that 
any  actual  injury  was  to  be  apprehended,  for 
they  neither  sting  nor  bite.  If  it  were  their 
nature  to  attack,  as  flies  and  gnats  do,  our 
whole  party,  with  all  our  horses,   would  not 


208  LOCUSTS. 

have  afforded  even  a  taste  to  the  smallest  divi- 
sion of  their  army  ;  and  it  was  rather  a  pleas- 
ing consolation  to  reflect,  whilst  they  skipped 
in  millions  round  us,  and  darted  against  us,  as 
we  drove  through  them  and  over  them,  that 
their  habits  and  customs  did  not  induce  them 
to  make  personal  war  against  man,  although 
they  devour  every  fruit  and  vegetable,  with 
the  exception  of  the  melon,  which,  I  have  been 
informed,  they  seldom  touch. 

We  passed  through  the  centre  of  the  space 
they  occupied,  which,  at  a  regular  rate  of  tra- 
velling, took  us  a  full  hour  to  traverse;  we 
then  arrived  in  the  district  which  they  had 
first  visited,  where  every  shrub  was  destroyed, 
every  tree  leafless,  and  their  branches  com- 
pletely barked.  The  scene  was  one  of  wintry 
desolation,  forming  a  curious  contrast  with  the 
season  and  with  the  verdure  of  the  adjoining 
country,  and  impossible  even  for  a  passing  tra- 
veller to  look  upon  without  sensations  of  pain- 
ful amazement.  It  was  night  before  we  were 
perfectly  clear  of  these  destructive  creatures, 
which  we  supposed  to  be  the  same  that  we  had 
seen  in  their  flight  on  the  13th  instant,  as  they 
steered  in  this  direction.  Those  which  we 
caught  measured  from  two  and  a  half  to  three 
inches  in  length ;   some,  I  am  told,  are  to  be  met 


RELATIONS    OF    TRAVELLERS.  20{) 

with  four  inches  long.  In  their  hind  legs  they 
have  great  strength,  and  can  push  themselves 
out  of  your  grasp  if  not  held  with  some  degree 
of  force.  Their  colour  is  generally  of  a  reddish 
brown  ;  but  there  are  different  varieties,  and 
some  very  beautiful. 

When  the  relations  of  travellers  happen  to 
be  given  on  any  extraordinary  subject,  they  are 
usually  received  with   a    degree   of  doubt  that 
has  become    proverbial,    more    particularly  by 
those  persons  who  have  themselves  never  tra- 
velled.     They    cannot    patiently    admit    what 
happens  greatly  to  surpass  their  limited  expe- 
rience, and  although   we   have  daily  instances 
of  the  corroboration  and  establishment  of  facts, 
that,  when  first  mentioned,  have  been  deemed 
impossible,  still,  the  incredulity  is  revived  on 
the  next  extraordinary  relation  given  by  any 
future  traveller.     To  many  persons,  my  account 
of  locusts — their  numbers  obscuring    the   sun, 
their  covering  the  face  of  the  earth  for  miles  in 
extent,  and  their  ravages  over  a  whole  country, 
may  perhaps  appear  one  of  those  exaggerations 
moderately  termed  "  a  traveller's  license ;"  and 
yet,   how  far  short    does   my  account    fall    in 
every  respect  of  that  given  on  the  same  subject 
in  the  truly  interesting  work  of  a  distinguished 
modern    traveller   in   another    quarter   of   the 

VOL.    I.  p 


210  LOCUSTS    IN    SOUTHERN    AFRICA. 

globe. — "  Of  the  innumerable  multitudes  of  the 
incomplete  insect,  or  larvae,  of  the  locusts  that 
at  this  time  infested  this  part  of  Africa,  no  ade- 
quate idea  could  possibly  be  conceived  without 
having  witnessed  them.  For  the  space  of  ten 
miles  on  each  side  of  the  Sea-cow  river,  and 
eighty  or  ninety  miles  in  length,  an  area  of 
sixteen  or  eighteen  hundred  square  miles,  the 
whole  surface  might  literally  be  said  to  be 
covered  with  them.  The  water  of  the  river 
was  scarcely  visible  on  account  of  the  dead 
carcases  that  floated  on  the  surface,  drowned  in 
the  attempt  to  come  at  the  reeds  which  grew  in 
the  water.  They  had  devoured  every  green 
herb  and  every  blade  of  grass. 

"  Their  last  exit  from  the  colony  was  singular. 
All  the  full  grown  insects  were  driven  into  the 
sea  by  a  tempestuous  north-west  wind,  and 
were  afterwards  cast  upon  the  beach,  where  it 
is  said  they  formed  a  bank  of  three  or  four 
feet  high,  that  extended  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Bosjesmans'  river  to  that  of  the  Beeka,  a  dis- 
tance of  near  fifty  English  miles.  The  larvae, 
at  the  same  time,  were  emigrating  to  the  north- 
ward ;  the  column  passed  the  houses  of  two  of 
our  party,  who  asserted,  that  it  continued  with- 
out any  interruption  for  more  than  a  month."* 

*  Barrow's  Travels  in  Southern  Africa.  Vol.  i.  chap.  iv. 


ROMANTIC    SITUATION    OF    COBOS.         211 

When  it  became  quite  dark,  we  stopped  in 
the  middle  of  the  road,  and  spread  our  beds 
round  the  galera ;  but  we  were  roused  in  the 
course  of  the  night  from  this  lodging  a  la  belle 
etoile,  by  a  smart  shower  of  rain,  which  started 
us  all  up  en  chemise,  and  compelled  us  to  roll 
up  our  beds,  and  for  the  first  time  since  we 
left  Buenos  Ayres  to  pitch  our  tent,  under 
which  we  lay  till  daybreak,  when  we  pursued 
our  journey. 

19th.  We  this  day  met  general  Alvear  and 
his  suite  returning  from  Peru,  where  he  had 
been  on  a  mission  to  Bolivar  from  the  go- 
vernment of  Buenos  Ayres ;  this  being  only 
the  fourth  time  we  had  met  with  travellers 
in  a  distance  exceeding  twelve  hundred  miles ; 
a  strong  proof  of  the  scantiness  of  population 
and  of  the  solitude  which  reigns  throughout 
this  vast  continent. 

About  noon  we  arrived  at  the  village  of 
Cobos,  where  we  remained  for  the  day.  If 
art  and  industry  were  employed  to  improve 
all  that  Nature  has  performed  for  this  place, 
it  might  be  made  a  delightful  abode  for  the 
lover  of  rural  beauties.  Richly  wooded  hills, 
majestic  mountains,  fertile  plains,  and  lim- 
pid streams,  display  their  charms  throughout 
an  almost  eternal  summer,  to  the  indolent  in- 

P  2 


212  RESOURCES    OF    THE    COUNTRY. 

habitants  of  a  few  unseemly  huts,  within  thirty 
miles  of  the  capital  of  the  province. 

It  is  impossible  to  witness,  with  any  degree 
of  patience,  the  indifference  that  has  been 
shown  throughout  this  country  for  the  inesti- 
mable gifts  with  which  Nature  has  so  bounti- 
fully blessed  it.  The  mind  contemplates  this 
apathy  with  a  feeling  even  of  pious  indignation 
at  so  manifest  a  rejection  of  the  favours  of  a  be- 
neficent Providence.  But  here  again  we  must, 
I  suppose,  recur  to  the  old,  "oft-repeated  tale:" 
to  the  misrule  of  the  late  possessors  of  the  coun- 
try, whose  government  was  all  mystery,  intole- 
rance, and  severity,  impeding  the  develop- 
ment of  knowledge  and  with  it  the  exercise 
of  every  liberal  and  useful  art.  The  rising  ge- 
neration most  sensibly  feel  the  neglect  with 
which  their  country  has  been  hitherto  treated  ; 
they  know  that  Nature  has  endowed  their  soil 
with  resources  infinitely  more  conducive  to 
happiness  and  greatness  than  all  their  mines  of 
gold  and  silver.  Of  these  resources,  however, 
they  have  not  in  the  present  day  the  means  of 
availing  themselves,  but  they  willingly  offer 
them  to  the  skill,  capital,  and  industry  of  fo- 
reigners, who  would  be  sure  of  a  cordial  recep- 
tion among  them,  and  who  would  find  no  ob- 


A    DOMINICAN.  213 

stacle  to  their  settling  in  the  terms  that  would 
be  required  for  possession. 

20th.  At  daylight  we  were  already  on  the 
road  to  Salta,  nine  leagues  distant  from  Cobos. 
After  performing  seven  of  these  over  a  wretched 
road,  np  hill  and  down  hill,  through  a  luxuriant 
country,  we  arrived  at  Lagunillas,  a  respectable 
farm-house,  where  we  breakfasted,  and  had 
about  two  hours  excellent  duck  and  snipe- 
shooting.  With  my  last  shot  I  accidentally 
killed  a  small  bird  called  a  dominican,  which, 
with  the  exception  of  its  black  bill,  and  black 
edges  to  the  pinions,  is  of  snow-white  plu- 
mage. It  seems  to  be  as  decided  a  lover  of 
solitude  as  the  robin,  but  much  more  apprehen- 
sive of  man,  for  although  we  saw  this  bird  fre- 
quently in  the  course  of  our  journey  from 
Buenos  Ayres,  and  made  many  attempts  to 
kill  one,  we  could  never  before  approach  with- 
in shot;  it  is  always  alone;  we  never  saw  it  in 
company  with  any  other  bird,  not  even  with 
one  of  its  own  species. 

Before  I  leave  Lagunillas,  I  shall  mention 
a  circumstance  that  rather  surprised  us  all. 
When  we  were  setting  out  from  the  farm- 
house to  a  distant  lake  to  shoot,  the  son  of  the 
farmer  happened  to  be  at  the  door  on  a  good 


214  A    SPIRITED    HORSE. 

stout  horse,  whose  broad  back  induced  me  to 
ask  the  rider  for  a  seat  behind  him  to  the  lake ; 
which  was  readily  granted,  with  the  observa- 
tion   that   the   horse    was    muy   soberbio,   (very 
proud.)     However,  my  weight  not  being  ex- 
orbitant, and  having  no  intention  of  offending 
the  animal's  pride,  I  handed  up  my  gun,  and 
then  mounted  behind  the  saddle,  with  a  degree 
of  agility  too  that  rather  pleased  me,  because 
my   companions   were  looking   on,  and,    as    I 
thought,  with  some  share  of  envy,  for  the  sun 
was  very  powerful  and  the  lake  at  some  dis- 
tance.    We  moved  on   six  yards,  awkwardly 
enough,  the  horse,  by  the   motion   of  his  tail 
and  unsettled  gait,  exhibiting  strong  symptoms 
of  displeasure.     "  He  is  quiet,  I  hope  ?"  said  I, 
in  a  tone  not  very  expressive  of  confidence. — 
" Es  muy  soberbio"   said  my  friend.     Up  and 
down  went  the  horse.     "  Gently  !  gently  !"  said 
I. — "  No  puedo,"  "  I    cannot,"   said  my  friend. 
Higher   and   lower  went    the   horse.     "  Stop  ! 
stop  !"  said  I. — "  No  puedo,'"  said  my  friend. — 
"I   shall    be   off!"  said    I. — "  Senor  mio !  por 
Dlos !  for  Heaven's  sake  don't  squeeze  me  so 
tight  round  the  waist !"  said  my  friend. — "  I 
shall  be  off,  I  shall  certainly  be  off!"  said  I, 
in  a  tone  louder  than  was  requisite  for  hearing. 
— "  Don't  squeeze  me  so  tight,  senor  mio!"  said 


AGED    HORSE.  215 

my  friend. — "  Hold  on  !  hold  on  !"  cried  my 
companions.—"^-  muy  sober  bio!"  said  my  friend. 
— "  Yes,  very  proud,  indeed  !"  said  I,  and  at 
the  same  instant  a  violent  plunge  and  kick  aid- 
ing my  exertions,  I  sprang  out  of  my  seat  with 
twice  the  agility,  though  not  with  half  the 
pleasure,  with  which  I  sprang  into  it. 

Scenes  of  this  kind,  it  is  well  known,  afford 
much  more  entertainment  to  the  spectators  than 
to  the  performers ;  I  shall  therefore  say  nothing 
upon  that  part  of  the  subject,  but  come  to  the 
point  which  has  been  my  only  object  in  men- 
tioning this  circumstance,  namely,  the  age  of 
the  horse.  "  Pray,"  said  general  Paroissien, 
"  how  old  is  that  proud-spirited  beast  of  yours  ?" 
— '•  I  have  always  understood,"  replied  the 
young  man,  "  that  he  is  the  age  of  my  father." 
— "And  more  than  that,"  said  one  of  the  by- 
standers.— "  My  father  is  past  forty,"  said  the 
young  man,  who  had  himself  been  riding  the 
animal  for  seventeen  years.  We  were  all  as- 
tonished, for  the  horse  was  in  appearance,  to 
use  an  appropriate  phrase,  "  as  fresh  as  a  four- 
year-old."  Hot  stables,  heavy  clothing,  exces- 
sive feeding,  and  violent  physicking,  are  the 
causes,  no  doubt,  why  we  so  seldom  hear  of  this 
age  in  England,  where  a  horse  at  little  more 
than  nine  or  ten  years  old  is  considered  as  hav- 


216  A1UUVAL    AT    SALTA. 

ing  "  done  his  work,"  and  generally  speaking 
is  no  longer  in  esteem. 

We  set  out  from  Lagunillas  in  the  afternoon, 
and  at  six  o'clock  descended  into  an  extensive 
plain,  where,  after  being  obliged  to  make  a 
circuit  to  avoid  the  marshes  abounding  in  it, 
we  entered  the  city  of  Salta,  and  took  up  our 
residence  in  a  very  decent  house  which  had 
been  previously  engaged,  with  scanty  furniture 
it  is  true,  at  the  moderate  rent  of  four  dollars 
a  week. 


SALTA.  217 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Want  of  Public  Accommodation. — Expenses  of  our  journey 
from  Buenos  Ayres  to  Salta. — Decree  in  favour  of  Emigra- 
tion.—  Fever  and  Ague. — Expense  of  living  at  Salta. — 
Price  of  a  considerable  Estate  in  the  Province  of  Salta. — 
Agriculture  a  promising  Speculation  in  South  America. 

In  order  to  adhere  to  my  former  scale,  I  shall 
now  compare  the  city  of  Salta  with  the  town  of 
Dundalk ;  although  I  must  confess  that,  for 
the  Grecian  fronted  gaol  of  the  latter  I  can 
find  no  parallel  in  the  city  of  Salta ;  the  mud- 
built  cathedral,  with  three  bells  on  the  top  of  it, 
has  the  advantage  in  point  of  bulk,  but  that  is 
all.  The  houses  here,  however,  are  more  spa- 
cious, and  present  a  more  cheerful  appearance 
than  those  of  the  capital  town  of  Louth,  even 
including  the  mansion  of  the  noble  family  of 
Roden. 

Salta  is  the  great  resting-place  for  all  tra- 
vellers whether  going  to  or  from  Peru.     In  the 


218  WANT    OF    ACCOMMODATION. 

former  case,  they  must  stop  to  dispose  of  their 
carriage  (if  that  has  been  the  mode  of  convey- 
ance) and  to  provide  themselves  with  mules, 
for  the  road  northward  is  no  longer  a  carriage- 
way. If  they  cannot  obtain  an  immediate  sale, 
they  leave  it  in  charge  of  an  agent  to  dispose 
of,  and  there  is  seldom  much  loss  to  be  appre- 
hended, for  travellers  from  Peru  going  to  the 
southward,  who,  on  the  other  hand,  stop  to  dis- 
pose of  their  mules,  are  always  glad  to  find 
the  accommodation  of  a  carriage,  and  in  many 
instances  club  together  for  the  purchase.  But 
very  considerable  loss  must  occur  in  the  sale 
of  animals,  because  all  kinds  are  very  dear  in 
Peru,  and  very  cheap  throughout  Salta  and  the 
lower  provinces ;  although  their  present  prices 
here,  generally  from  fourteen  to  twenty  dollars, 
are,  I  am  informed,  nearly  doubled  since  the 
revolutionary  wars,  which  occasioned  unsparing 
havoc  amongst  every  species  of  cattle. 

A  European  might  reasonably  suppose  that 
this  passing  and  repassing  of  travellers,  though 
not  so  brisk  as  between  Dover  and  London, 
would  nevertheless  have  occasioned  the  esta- 
blishment of  an  inn,  or  caravansary,  or  some  such 
public  convenience.  There  is,  however,  nothing 
of  the  kind,  except  the  cheerless  hut-like  tarn- 
bos,  which  in  the  days  of  the  Incas  were  kept  in 


DISTANCE    ACCOMPLISHED.  219 

repair  and  well  provided,  but  now  merely  pro- 
tect from  the  rays  of  the  sun  during  excessive 
heat,  and  it  is  well  if  they  can  do  so  much 
against  the  rain  in  its  season. 

The  earthquake  of  the  19th  of  January  was 
strongly  felt  in  Salta.  Those  who  were  at 
early  mass  were  amazed  at  seeing  the  candle- 
sticks and  images  suddenly  fall  from  the 
altar,  and,  thinking  the  devil  was  coming, 
the  whole  congregation  fled  in  confusion  from 
their  devotions,  with  a  speed  that  would  have 
made  it  difficult  for  the  fiend  to  "catch  the 
hindmost." 

On  arriving  here,  we  completed,  according 
to  the  posts,  four  hundred  and  fourteen  leagues 
of  our  journey,  which,  I  am  convinced,  would 
measure  thirteen  hundred  English  miles ;  a 
long  distance  to  travel  without  comfort  or  con- 
venience. We  have,  however,  accomplished  it 
without  accident  of  any  kind,  either  personal  or 
otherwise,  and  as  I  have  elsewhere  remarked, 
the  interest  we  have  taken  in  all  we  saw  has 
precluded  even  a  thought  on  the  fatigues  and 
privations  which  we  have  undergone. 

In  order  to  gratify  the  curiosity  of  any  one 
who  may  wish  to  know  the  expenses  of  such  a 
journey,  I  insert  them  here.  Our  party  con- 
sisted of  five  persons,  with  two  servants,  whose 


220 


TRAVELLING    EXPENSES. 


living  is  included  in  the  account,  as  well  as  that 
of  our  nine  peones,  who,  besides  their  diet,  re- 
ceived the  following  wages,  which  varied  ac- 
cording to  the  horse  they  rode — the  man  on  the 
near-side,  next  the  wheels,  having  the  highest 
wages,  as  being  the  conductor,  whose  directions 
the  other  postilions  obey,  and  those  at  the  pole- 
end  receiving  the  lowest  wages,  are  supposed 
to  have  the  least  difficult  office  to  perform. 

Dollars 
Wages  of  capataz,  from  Buenos  Ayres  to  Salta  .  85 

Two  peones,  at  65  dollars  each  .  .  130 

One  peone,  at  60  dollars  ...  60 

Three  peones,  at  50  dollars  each  .  .  150 

Three  peones,  at  45  dollars  each  .  .  135 

Expenses  to  Cordova,  179  leagues  .  .  388 

Hotel  at  Cordova,  for  7  days  92 

From  Cordova  to  Santiago  del  Estero,  129  leagues  336 
Expenses  at  Santiago  del  Estero,  1 1  day              .  13 

Santiago  to  Tucuman,  38  leagues  .  .  114 

Expenses  at  Tucuman,  14  days  .  .  68 

From  Tucuman  to  Salta,  68  leagues       .  .  336 

Repairs  of  carts  and  galera  at  different  times,  and 

subsistence  of  peones,  &c.  &c.         .  .  191 

Total   expenses  from  Buenos  Ayres  to  Salta,  t  ,   _ 

414  leagues  ...  5 

which,  at  four  shillings  per  dollar,  makes  the 
sum  of  four  hundred  and  nineteen  pounds 
twelve    shillings.     At    Salta,   our   living    cost, 


LETTER    OF    THE    CHIEF    COMMISSIONER.    221 

on  an  average,  three  shillings  per  head  daily. 
Bread  and  milk  were  very  good ;  meat  in- 
different ;  wine,  which  came  from  a  distant 
part  of  the  country,  bad  ;  vegetables  and  fruit 
abundant,  but  nothing  to  boast  of. 

The  following  extracts  of  a  letter  from  our 
chief  commissioner  to  the  Board  of  Directors, 
allude,  amongst  other  circumstances,  to  prices, 
and  the  state  of  things  in  this  province. 

Salta,  22nd  February,  182(3. 

I  beg  to  inform  you  of  my  arrival  here  on  the  20th  in- 
stant, and  of  the  necessity  of  remaining  a  few  days  to  pre- 
pare for  the  journey  over  the  mountains  to  Potosi,  where  I 
expect  to  arrive  by  the  end  of  March,  paying  a  visit  to  the 
valuable  mines  of  Portugalette  on  my  way,  and  which  I  have 
great  hopes  of  purchasing. 

There  are  many  and  good  mines  to  be  disposed  of  in  the 
province  of  Salta ;  I  have  already  had  several  conversations 
about  them  with  the  Governor-general  Arenales,  who  is  very 
desirous  that  we  should  have  an  establishment  here  ;  and 
you  will  perceive  by  the  decree  of  the  Provincial  Government, 
which  accompanies  this  letter,  that  the  spirit  of  liberality 
which  prevails  is  very  encouraging. 

So  destitute  is  the  country  here,  that  I  have  been  obliged 
to  buv  live  oxen,  and  prepare  jerked  beef,  to  support  us  over 
the  mountains.  Even  the  shoeing  of  our  mules  is  a  most 
formidable  operation,  and  every  thing  is  enormously  high. 
The  mules  cost  eighteen  dollars  each  (31.  12s.),  and  shoeing, 
fourteen  shillings  each. 

Bread  is  dearer  than  in  England,   meat  cheaper,  sugar 


222    DECREE  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT. 

twenty  dollars  (4/.)  the  aroba  of  twenty-five  pounds,  wine 
difficult  to  obtain,  and  brandy  too  dear  to  be  purchased. 
I  find  house-hire  and  men's  wages  double  what  they 
were  when  I  left  this  country,  and  every  thing  dear  in  pro- 
portion. 

I  subjoin  the  decree  of  the  Provincial  Go- 
vernment of  Salta,  alluded  to  in  the  foregoing 
letter,  translated  from  the  original  Spanish. 

Art.  I.  Every  inhabitant  of  the  globe,  who  shall  em- 
ploy his  capital  and  industry  in  the  province,  shall  enjoy 
the  full  protection  of  the  government.  The  safety  of  his 
person,  the  inviolability  of  his  property,  and  liberty  of  opi- 
nion, are  ensured  by  the  laws,  on  the  same  footing  as  to  the 
natives. 

Art.  II.  In  order  to  encourage  mining  in  the  province,  as 
being  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of  industry,  mines 
are  declared  to  be  the  private  property  of  whomsoever  sliall 
discover  them  and  work  them. 

Art.  III.  No  exclusive  privileges  are  permitted  in  this 
branch,  and  such  can  only  be  granted  in  consequence  of  a 
law,  when  the  result  of  this  franchise  and  the  comparison  of 
the  industry  of  the  country  with  that  of  Europe  may  render 
them  necessary. 

Art.  IV.  The  elaboration  of  minerals  is  declared  free  from 
all  duty,  and  free,  in  the  same  acceptation,  is  the  extraction 
of  metals  from  the  province,  as  likewise  the  introduction  of 
mining  machinery,  and  quicksilver. 

Art.  V.  For  the  greater  security  of  the  discoverers  and 
workers  of  mines,  the  foregoing  article  is  declared  irreversible 
during  the  term  of  thirty  years,  in  consequence  of  which  it 
shall  have  the  force  and  value  of  a  private  contract. 


AGRICULTURE.  223 

Art.  VI.  The  same  shall  be  communicated  to  the  exe- 
cutive power,  for  its  publication,  circulation,  and  other  rela- 
tive objects. 

The  foregoing  law  may  be  considered  suffi- 
ciently liberal  for  the  government  of  a  repub- 
lic just  starting  into  life,  and  it  may  be  the 
means  of  inviting  foreigners  into  the  province 
of  Salta  ;  but  in  this  part  of  the  country  mines 
and  mining  are  decidedly  the  least  profitable 
speculation. 

Agriculture,  or  manufactures,  are  the  objects 
to  which  the  attention  of  emigrants  to  this 
country  should  be  chiefly  directed.  Mining 
requires  a  larger  capital,  is  much  more  pre- 
carious, more  laborious,  and  more  expensive, 
than  the  pursuit  of  agriculture,  which,  in  this 
favoured  soil,  holds  out  to  industry  the  moral 
certainty  of  reward.  At  the  outset,  perhaps  the 
farmer  would  not  readily  obtain  money  for  all 
the  produce  of  his  land,  though  he  might  in 
sums  sufficient  for  his  wants,  and  he  could 
barter  the  surplus.  The  breeding  of  cattle  can 
scarcely  fail  of  being  successful,  as  hides  pay 
well  for  their  transport  any  distance  to  Buenos 
Ayres,  where  they  find  a  ready  sale  for  the 
markets  of  Europe.  The  trade  with  Peru  in 
mules  and  horses,  (the  latter  chiefly  for  the 
cavalry  of  the   different  states,  the  former  in 


224  SPANISH    POLICY. 

general  demand)  must  always  be  advantageous 
to  land-owners  in  the  southern  provinces. 

With  respect  to  manufactures,  I    need  not 
particularize   any    as  being    likely  to    succeed 
where  none  have  ever  yet  been  tried  ;  but  in 
this,  as  in  every  other  department  of  business, 
the  field  for  speculation  is  boundless  and  invit- 
ing.    The  reason  why  no  advantage  has  hither- 
to  been   taken  of  it  is   obvious ;    it   proceeds 
from  the  same  cause  which  has  prevented  the 
progress    of  colonization  here  from  being   at- 
tended with  the  same  benefits  as  it  usually  has 
been    in    other   less  favoured   portions  of  the 
globe.     This  reason  has  already  been  explained 
in  language  as  forcible  as  it  is  true,  and  there 
needs  no  apology  for  its  repetition.     "  When 
Spain,  in  her  inconsiderate  rapacity,  had  seized 
on  countries  larger  than  all  Europe,  her  inabi- 
lity to  fill  such  vast  regions  with  a  number  of 
inhabitants  sufficient  for  the  cultivation  of  them 
was  so  obvious,  as  to  give  a  wrong  direction  to 
all  the  efforts  of  the  colonists.     They  did  not 
form  compact  settlements,  where  industry,  cir- 
cumscribed within  proper  limits,   both    in    its 
views  and  operations,  is  conducted  with   that 
sober,  persevering  spirit,  which  gradually  con- 
verts whatever  is  in  its  possession  to  a  proper 
use,  and  derives  thence  the  greatest  advantage. 


SPANISH    POLICY.  225 

Instead  of  this,  the  Spaniards,  seduced  by  the 
boundless  prospect  which  opened  to  them,  di- 
vided their  possessions  in  America  into  govern- 
ments of  great  extent.  As  their  number  was 
too  small  to  attempt  the  regular  culture  of  the 
immense  provinces  which  they  occupied  rather 
than  peopled,  they  bent  their  attention  to  a 
few  objects  that  allured  them  with  hopes  of 
sudden  and  exorbitant  gain,  and  turned  away 
with  contempt  from  the  humbler  paths  of  in- 
dustry, which  lead  more  slowly,  but  with 
greater  certainty,  to  wealth  and  increase  of 
national  strength."* 

I  have  heard  it  disputed  whether  this  pro- 
vince or  that  of  Tucuman  is  the  more  fertile 
or  the  more  favoured  by  Nature  :  to  say  that 
Salta  exceeds  Tucuman  in  fertility  would  be  as- 
serting too  much.  Doctor  Redhead,  an  Eng- 
lish gentleman,  who  has  been  many  years  in 
South  America,  and  has  latterly  resided  in 
Salta,  gives  the  preference  to  this  province  in 
point  of  climate ;  he  says  that  it  is  not  subject 
to  the  excessive  heats  which  are  so  oppressive 
in  Tucuman  during  the  summer. 

The  city  of  Salta,  however,  from  its  exceed- 
ingly ill-chosen  position,  being  in  the  midst  of 

*  Robertson's  Hist.  America. 
VOL.    I.  Q 


226  EXPENSES    AT    SALTA. 

fens  and  swamps,  is  at  this  season  of  the  year 
sometimes  liable  to  intermitting  fevers  and 
agues,  called  here  chucho,  under  which  my  com- 
panions are  now  suffering.  Servants  and  all, 
with  the  single  exception  of  myself,  are  con- 
fined to  their  beds,  some  of  them  extremely  ill 
and  with  high  fever. 

Our  chief  commissioner,  in  his  letter  of  the 
22nd  February,   from  which  I  have  given  ex- 
tracts, has  mentioned  that,  "  so  destitute  is  the 
country  here  that  I  have  been  obliged  to  buy 
live  oxen  and  prepare  the  jerked  beef  to  sup- 
port us  over   the   mountains."     I   have  never 
been  able  to  comprehend  this  sentence,  nor  that 
which  follows,  in  which  he  states  that  "  every 
thing  is  enormously  high."     Let  us  suppose, 
five  foreigners  arrived  in  Dundalk  upon  a  jaunt- 
ing-car, with  a  numerous  suite,  requiring  im- 
mediately a  large  quantity  of  hams  for  a  jour- 
ney over  the  Fewes  mountains,  and  not  able  to 
procure  them,  though  they  find  no  difficulty  in 
obtaining  pigs  ;  would  this  be  a  proof  of  "  des- 
titution ?"  or  would  they  be  justified  in  saying 
— "  so  destitute  is  the  country  here,  that  wc  have 
been  obliged  to  buy  live  hogs  and  prepare  the 
hams  to  support  us  over  the  mountains  ?"    With 
respect  to  "  every  thing  being  enormously  high," 
in  the  estimation  of  Englishmen,  at  least,  our 


EXPENSES    AT    SALT  A. 


227 


expenses  at  Salta  cannot  be  considered  as  a 
proof.  I  have  remarked,  that  house-hire  was 
sixteen  shillings  a-week,  which  our  chief  com- 
missioner has  said  is  double  what  he  formerly 
paid,  and  our  living  did  not  exceed  daily  the 
sum  of  fifteen  shillings,  which  was  amply  suf- 
ficient to  supply  our  meals  of  breakfast  and 
dinner,  not  indeed  with  luxuries,  but  with 
what  perfectly  satisfied  ourselves,  five  servants, 
and  frequently  a  friend  or  two  at  dinner. 

In  order  to  prove  that  I  have  rather  over- 
rated than  under-rated  our  daily  expenses,  I  in- 
sert in  detail  those  of  the  first  day,  which  form  a 
fair  average  of  all  others  during  our  stay.  Tea 
and  sugar  are  dear  articles  at  Salta,  but  those 
we  had  in  our  canteen. 


8. 

d. 

Bread  . 

2 

3 

Spices 

Meat 

.      1 

6 

Fire  wood 

Bacon  . 

0 

6 

Vinegar 

Potatoes  . 

.      1 

0 

Flour    . 

Hogs'  lard     . 

1 

6 

Tomates  . 

Rice 

.      1 

0 

Eggs     . 

Milk     . 

1 

6 

Onions 

Oil   . 

.     0 

6 

Pepper 

0 

3 

Total 


s. 

d. 

0 

9 

1 

0 

0 

3 

0 

6 

0 

3 

1 

0 

0 

6 

14     3 


By   the  above  account,  which   I   have   pre- 
ferred giving  in  English  currency,  we  find  that 

q  2 


228         INDUCEMENTS    TO    EMIGltAx    ^N. 

three  shillings  and  sixpence  purchased  >read 
and  meat  sufficient  for  the  daily  supply  if  a 
family  of  ten  or  twelve  persons  in  the  capital 
of  the  province ;  but,  as  we  were  strangers,  and 
took  no  particular  care  in  the  household  ma- 
nagement, having  left  that  concern  to  an  old 
negress  hired  as  cook,  it  may  be  fairly  pre- 
sumed that  a  resident  family  could  live  upon  a 
much  less  sum. 

It  is  notorious,  that  numbers  of  families  and 
of  individuals  have  left  England  and  Ireland  to 
establish  themselves  on  different  parts  of  the 
continent  of  Europe,  where  they  live  in  com- 
parative affluence  upon  means  which  in  their 
own  country  with  difficulty  afforded  them  a 
decent  subsistence.  I  have  taken  considerable 
pains  to  inquire  into  the  prices  of  every  thing 
concerning  the  establishment  of  a  familv  in 
either  of  the  fine  provinces  of  Cordova,  Tucu- 
man,  or  Salta,  and  having  in  view  the  object 
of  giving  information  at  some  future  day  to 
persons  at  home,  whose  circumstances  might 
induce  them  to  leave  their  native  land  and  to 
adopt  another,  in  the  hope  of  finding  an  easier 
enjoyment  of  life,  I  applied  only  to  the  most 
respectable  authorities,  who  I  felt  convinced 
would  not  mislead  me  on  the  subject. 

It  is  not  considered  genteel  to  talk  of  one's 


INDUCEMENTS    TO   EMIGRATION.         229 

own  riches,  and  therefore  I  shall  not  state  the 
amount  of  mine  in  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence  ; 
younger   brothers    of  the    wealthiest    families 
have  seldom  to  boast  of  their  credit  at  Coutts's, 
but  this  I  say,  that  the  means  which  in  Eng- 
land will  not  even  keep  a  man's  head  above 
water  are  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  live  in 
affluent  independence  in  either  of  the  provinces 
of  Cordova,  Tucuman,  or  Salta ;  where,  if  so 
disposed,    I   could   without   difficulty   become 
legal  possessor  of  a  large  and  valuable  estate : 
large,  because  its  extent  would  be  from  four  to 
five  or  six  leagues  ;  valuable,  because  the  land 
is  capable  of  producing  every  thing  that  may 
be  desired  from  it,  and  because,  with  the  estate 
would  be  obtained  at  least  fifty  head  of  horned 
cattle,  as  many  horses,  and  of  sheep  and  goats 
any    number    you    would   wish   to   have  ;    in 
some  cases,  too,  an  annual  rent  of  from  two  to 
three  hundred  dollars,  paid  by  a  tenantry,  who 
become,  in  fact,   the  vassals   of  the   landlord. 
Such  an  estate  may  be  purchased  here,  and  its 
price  would  not  exceed  two  thousand  pounds 
sterling ;    how   it   might   be   improved   under 
proper  management  it  is  easy  to  imagine.  With 
respect   to   amusement;    game  of  all  sorts  in 
abundance  on  the  land,  fishing  in  the  rivers, 
lion  and  tiger  hunting  in  the  mountains,  would 


230         INDUCEMENTS    TO    EMIGRATION'. 

afford  pastime  to  the  sportsman,  whilst  those 
more  industriously  inclined  would  find  ample 
gratification  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  no 
little  pleasure  in  cultivating  a  garden,  in  a  cli- 
mate where  the  rigour  of  winter  is  unknown, 
and  where  flowers  succeed  flowers  every  month 
in  the  year. 

A  library,  a  great  deficit  in  this  country, 
(although,  thanks  to  Mr.  A  ckermann's  judicious 
publications,  books  are  now  beginning  to  be 
circulated,)  would  no  doubt  be  amongst  other 
comforts  that  would  accompany  European  set- 
tlers, who  would  soon  find  here  as  wide  a  field 
for  speculation,  with  as.  cheering  a  prospect  of 
success,  and  certainly  without  any  such  risk 
of  health,  as  either  in  the  East  or  West  Indies, 
during  their  brightest  fortune-making  days. 
All  circumstances  fairly  considered,  the  pro- 
spects, in  chosen  spots  of  South  America,  are 
as  inviting  to  industry  with  small  means  as  in 
any  other  part  of  the  world. 

How  many  masters  of  families  are  there  in 
Great  Britain,  well-born  too,  existing  in  em- 
barrassment and  want,  with  capitals  of  five  and 
six  thousand  pounds?  I  mention  these  sums 
merely  because  either  of  them  is  sufficient  in 
the  province  of  Cordova,  Tucuman,  or  Salta,  to 


INDUCEMENTS    TO   EMIGRATION.         231 

purchase  ease,  comfort,  and  independence  ;  in  a 
word,  amply  sufficient  to  bestow  upon  its  pos- 
sessor every  luxury  that  a  fertile  soil  and  fine 
climate  can  afford.  All  these  advantages  I  am 
aware  do  not  insure  to  every  body  the  enjoy- 
ment of  life,  that  depends  upon  moral  princi- 
ples, into  which  I  pretend  not  to  enter.  I  have 
heard  something  about  "  quot  homines,  tot  sen- 
tent'ut"  which  is  Latin,  and  the  English  of  it  I 
take  to  be  this  : — "  There  are  many  persons 
who  would  find  every  happiness  in  South  Ame- 
rica, and  many  who  would  find  none  at  all !" 
I  am  addressing  myself  only  to  the  former,  and 
to  them  I  continue  my  observations. 

"  With  a  capital  of  twenty -five  thousand 
dollars,"  (which,  according  to  the  present  rate 
of  exchange,  is  not  five  thousand  pounds,)  "  you 
may  not  only  double  it  in  a  few  years,"  said  an 
intelligent  curate  to  me  in  conversation  upon 
this  subject,  "  but,  in  the  mean  time,  you  may 
rival  in  living  his  Eminence  the  Cardinal  Arch- 
bishop of  Toledo."  All  the  inquiries  I  made 
upon  this  subject  tended  to  confirm  the  cu- 
rate's observation,  and  mightily  roused  in  my 
mind  a  desire  to  rival  his  Eminence  the  Car- 
dinal Archbishop,  whose  splendidly  jewelled 
hand  J  had  the  honour  to  kiss,  and  whose  com* 


232  INDUCEMENTS    TO    EMIGRATION. 

fortable  benediction  I  bad  tbe  happiness  of  re- 
ceiving, at  his  court  in  Madrid  some  few  years 
ago. 

The  province  of  Tarija,  of  which  I  shall  have 
occasion  to  speak  hereafter,  and  the  province  of 
Cochabamba,  the  Eden  of  Upper  Peru,  possess 
all  the  advantages  above  alluded  to,  and  doubt- 
less many  others,  which  I  have  not  had  an  op- 
portunity of  ascertaining ;  but,  in  support  of 
what  I  have  stated,  I  give  the  following  ex- 
tract from  Mr.  Miers'  Travels  in  South  Ame- 
rica, wherein  he  mentions  that  he  knew  a  man 
who  became  rich  chiefly  by  vineyards.  "  He 
bought  his  estate  on  a  mortgage  tenure,  which 
he  has  since  paid  off  by  degrees,  amounting  to 
thirty-six  thousand  dollars ;  he  had  only  about 
ten  thousand  dollars  (£2,000.)  to  begin  with. 
He  cleared  last  year  about  five  thousand  dollars 
by  his  wheat,  pasturage,  and  garden-grounds  ; 
about  five  thousand  dollars  by  his  vineyards, 
and  two  thousand  dollars  by  his  cattle." 

This  was  in  Chili  in  1825,  and  the  same  plan 
might  be  pursued  with  equal  success  in  many 
other  places  of  equal  fertility  and  promise.  The 
culture  of  the  grape  and  the  olive  having  been 
to  a  certain  extent  prohibited  by  the  Spanish  go- 
vernment, offers  in  most  parts  of  South  America 
a  grand  field  for  speculation  to  settlers,  and  no 


INDUCEMENTS    TO    EMIGRATION.  233 

doubt  would  not  be  overlooked  by  them.  Wheat 
and  flour  have  of  late  years  been  imported  from 
North  America  into  Buenos  Ayres,  where,  from 
the  fast  increasing  population  of  that  city,  they 
must  always  find  a  ready  market,  and  which  is 
not  likely  to  be  supplied  to  the  extent  required 
by  the  province  itself,  notwithstanding  its  great 
fertility,  because  the  habitual  pursuit  of  the 
Gauchos  is  the  rearing  of  cattle,  which  is  natu- 
rally encouraged  by  their  boundless  plains  of 
pasture.  The  numerous  herds  which  wander 
over  them  are  serious  obstacles  to  cultivation, 
for  not  a  hedge  nor  twig  exists  to  form  boun- 
dary or  enclosure ;  and  although  ditching  has 
of  late  years  been  partially  practised  by  land- 
owners near  the  city,  yet  it  is  not  probable  that 
this  very  expensive  expedient  will  be  adopted 
on  a  scale  sufficiently  large  for  national  import- 
ance. Nor  would  it,  indeed,  be  attempted  by 
the  Gauchos,  who  would  willingly  leave  the 
cultivation  of  grain  to  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
try better  adapted  for  farming. 

Those  parts  may  easily  be  found  in  the  lux- 
uriant provinces  of  Cordova,  Tucuman,  and 
Salta.  The  inconvenience  of  their  distances 
from  Buenos  Ayres  would  be  overcome  by  the 
improvements  that  must  necessarily  follow  the 
steps  of  a  more  refined  civilization,  which   is 


234  INDUCEMENTS   TO   EMIGRATION. 

usually  accompanied  by  the  arts  and  every  en- 
couragement to  industry.  Improvements  in 
roads,  carts,  and  carriages,  would  be  amongst 
the  earliest  of  its  effects,  and  these  might  even 
now  be  introduced  to  great  advantage,  without 
any  extraordinary  exertion  of  talent  or  inge- 
nuity. I  say  nothing  of  the  navigation  of 
rivers,  particularly  of  the  Bermejo,  the  Parana, 
and  Paraguay,  nor  of  the  construction  of  canals ; 
for,  although  they  cannot  be  overlooked  in  the 
future  advances  of  this  country,  they  are  too 
remote  to  enter  into  the  plans  of  immediate 
speculation. 

I  have  heard  it  objected  that,  with  all  the 
advantages  I  have  described,  South  America — 
such  a  distance  from  home !  sweet  home  and 
friends! — would  be  nothing  better  than  a  place 
of  banishment  to  Englishmen,  who  would  there 
find  themselves  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  man- 
kind. To  persons  who  from  their  circumstances 
are  enabled  to  figure  in  society  in  England  it  is 
not  necessary  to  address  one  word  on  the  subject 
of  emigration  ;  neither  do  I  pretend  to  say  that 
those  who  can  afford  to  live  in  ease  and  inde- 
pendence in  England  can  better  their  situation 
in  South  America  or  in  any  other  part  of  the 
globe,  because  the  history  of  the  world  affords 
no  example  of  a  country  where  property  has  so 


INDUCEMENTS   TO    EMIGRATION.         235 

much  weight,  affords  so  much  enjoyment,  and 
is  so  well  secured  by  just  and  equal  laws  as  in 
Great  Britain. 

1  have  said  that  the  inducements  are  great 
to  "  industry  with  small  means,"  which  in  Eng- 
land is  not  every  where  attended  with  com- 
fort, nor  at  all  times  capable  of  protecting  even 
from  embarrassment  and  want.  It  has  here  to 
contend  with  many  obstacles  that  do  not  exist 
in  South  America,  where  ample  compensation 
may  be  found  for  the  want  of  "  the  enjoyments 
of  society,"  which  after  all  cannot  be  enjoyed 
when  the  mind  is  oppressed  with  cares  arising 
from  difficulties  and  distress.  In  the  most 
brilliant  society  even  in  England — 

" how  many  raise  the  head, 

Look  gay,  and  smile  against  their  consciences  !" — 

And  with  respect  to  "  banishment"  from  home 
and  friends,  are  not  the  thousands  who  have  left 
the  shores  of  Great  Britain  for  France,  Italy,  and 
Germany,  some  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting 
their  impaired  fortunes,  some  in  the  hope  of 
saving  for  their  rising  families,  and  some  for  the 
mere  purpose  of  existing  in  decency  upon  a  pit- 
tance too  slender  to  purchase  such  decency  at 
home — are  not  such  persons  virtually  in  a  state 
of  •'  banishment  ?"  Have  they  left  home  for  the 
"  enjoyment  of  society  ?"  or,  before  they  left  it, 


236         INDUCEMENTS    TO    EMIGRATION. 

was  home  sweet  home  to  them  ?     Are  the  resi- 
dents at  Boulogne,  at  Calais,  at  Dieppe,  and  other 
free  prisons,  less  in  a  state  of  banishment,  or  in 
a  happier  state,  than  those  would  be,  who,  from 
the  nature  of  their  circumstances,  might  decide 
upon  crossing  the  Atlantic  instead  of  the  Chan- 
nel, and  of  passing  their  days  in  some  province 
of  South  America  ?     With  a  very  great  portion 
of  the  thousands  above  alluded  to,  "  the  enjoy- 
ments of  society"  are  confined  from  necessity 
to  their  own  families  ;   and  assuredly  there  is 
nothing  to  prevent  their  having  the  same  en- 
joyments in  South  America,  where  they  may 
live  in  circumstances  equally  easy,  and  at  the 
same  time  be  laying  the  foundation  of  inde- 
pendence and  affluence  for  a  rising  generation, 
which,  it  is   to  be  presumed,  they  are   never 
likely  to  do  at  Boulogne,  Calais,  Dieppe,  or 
even  in  the  charming  city  of  Florence,  the  de- 
lightful climate  of  which  is  out-rivalled  in  the 
southern  hemisphere.     And  let  it  not  be  sup- 
posed that  there  is   no  society  there.      Who- 
ever has  travelled  in   Spain  will  find  nothing 
very  superior  in  that  country  to  what  may  be 
found  in  every  town  in  South  America ;   be- 
sides, I  am  not  supposing  the  emigration  of  a 
single  family  but  that  of  several,  and  I  am  sa- 
tisfied that,  if  one  or  two  families  were  once 


INDUCEMENTS    TO    EMIGRATION.  237 

established  there,  one  or  two  hundred  would 
quickly  follow ;  for,  in  such  cases,  as  in  com- 
merce, the  last  thousand  is  more  easily  acquired 
than  the  first  pound  sterling,  or  the  first  indivi- 
dual. Were  I  disposed  to  moralize,  I  should 
say  that  contentment  is  the  richest  gem  of  life ; 
where  that  can  be  obtained  it  matters  little 
what  distance  we  go  in  search  of  it.  But  there 
are  some  who  are,  and  ever  must  be,  miserable, 
even  though  surrounded  by  splendour,  plea- 
sures, and  plenty ;  it  is  not  meant  that  such 
persons  will  find  "  the  enjoyments  of  life"  in 
South  America,  nor  is  it  pretended  that  hap- 
piness is  there  to  be  found  established,  or  even 
immediately  to  be  acquired.  I  merely  assert, 
that  "  industry  with  small  means"  cannot  fail 
rapidly  to  prosper ;  and  to  Englishmen  who 
may  feel  induced  to  make  the  trial,  it  must  be 
gratifying  to  know,  that  "  Great  Britain  is  the 
only  nation  in  Europe  whose  principles,  on  the 
part  of  her  government,  and  whose  friendship, 
on  the  part  of  the  nation,"  have  produced  in 
South  America  an  uninterrupted  predilection 
in  her  favour. 


238  OUTFIT    OF    THE    ASSOCIATION. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Departure  from  Salta. — Passage  of  streams  and  torrents. — 
Arrival  at  Jujui. — Wonderful  scenery. — Poison  of  vipers 
occasionally  harmless. — Sagacity  of  mules  and  horses  in 
passing  dangerous  places. — Desolate  post-house. — Arrival 
at  Tupiza. 

February  28th.  This  day  we  received  let- 
ters from  our  secretary  in  London,  dated  Oc- 
tober and  November  ultimo,  by  which  we 
were  informed  that  stores  of  every  kind,  and 
thirty-eight  persons  belonging  to  our  establish- 
ment, had  been  embarked  on  board  a  ship  cal- 
led the  Potosi,  which  was  to  sail  without  de- 
lay for  the  port  of  Arica  in  Lower  Peru.  The 
secretary  mentioned  that  the  outfit  of  the 
Association  would  amount  to  forty  thousand 
pounds  sterling,  a  sum  of  money  sufficient,  if 
judiciously  managed,  for  all  the  purposes  of 
mining  in  South  America  upon  the  grandest 
scale ;    but  such  an   establishment  as   ours   is 


OUTFIT    OF    THE    ASSOCIATION.  239 

unnecessarily  large ;  indeed,  all  our  mining- 
associations  appear  to  have  commenced  by  a 
similar  imprudence,  in  assembling  a  company 
of  officers  and  servants,  artificers  and  workmen, 
at  an  enormous  expense,  before  either  the  na- 
ture or  the  extent  of  the  work  was  in  any  de- 
gree ascertained. 

The  port  of  Arica  not  belonging  to  the  Re- 
public under  which  we  were  about  to  establish 
ourselves,  it  became  important,  before  the  ar- 
rival of  our  ship,  to  ascertain  to  what  duties  our 
immense  cargo  might  be  subject  in  that  port, 
and  then  to  endeavour  to  obtain  its  free  ad- 
mission into  the  territory  of  the  Republic  of 
Bolivia,  the  name  which  Upper  Peru,  com- 
prising Potosi,  has  lately  assumed,  in  compli- 
ment to  its  liberator  Bolivar. 

Machinery  for  working  mines,  quicksilver, 
and  iron,  had  already  been  declared  free  of 
duty  ;  but  a  very  great  part  of  the  lading  of 
our  ship  being  composed  of  other  articles  of 
necessity  and  convenience,  supplied  under  the 
idea  of  at  least  three  years'  residence  in  the 
country,  it  became  an  object  to  save  the  ex- 
cessive duties  to  which  they  were  liable.  If 
our  speculation  should  prove  successful,  the 
Republic  of  Bolivia  might  expect  to  reap  very 
considerable  advantages,  for,   mining  being  its 


240  DEPARTURE    FROM    SALT A. 

chief  branch  of  revenue,  and  employing  a 
great  many  hands,  its  operations  are  of  na- 
tional importance,  and  claim  the  favour  and 
protection  of  the  State.  These  considerations 
induced  our  chief  commissioner  to  give  me 
instructions  to  leave  Salta  for  the  purpose  of 
negotiating  the  business  with  the  Bolivian  go- 
vernment, and  my  services  being  at  his  com- 
mand, I  obtained  a  passport,  and  prepared 
for  a  ride  of  about  five  hundred  English 
miles  by  post  to  Potosi. 

March  5th.  Heavy  rains  and  sundry  little 
circumstances  prevented  my  departure  until 
this  day,  when  I  left  Salta  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  accompanied  by  Jose,  a  peone 
whom  I  hired  for  the  journey,  and  a  postilion 
leading  a  mule  with  my  baggage  consisting  of 
a  portmanteau  on  one  side,  balanced  by  my  bed 
on  the  other,  and  between  these  my  alforjas, 
(wallet)  containing  bread  and  some  salt  beef. 
Jose'  carried  pendent  behind  his  saddle  a  pair 
of  chifles,  two  bullock's  horns  filled  with  the 
brandy  of  the  country. 

The  evening  was  delightful  and  the  scenery 
incomparably  fine ;  high  hills  (mountains  they 
would  be  called  at  home)  rose  on  each  side, 
covered  to  their  summits  with  trees  and  luxu- 
riant verdure,  through  which  herds  and  flocks 


BIVOUAC    AT    A    FARM-HOUSE.  241 

ranged  at  large.  Quintets  (country-houses)  were 
occasionally  to  be  seen  romantically  situated, 
requiring  only  a  little  industry  and  skill  to 
make  them  enviable  abodes  for  those  who  enjoy 
the  pleasures  of  a  country  life,  for  it  seemed  as 
if  Nature  had  waved  her  wand  of  spontaneous 
plenty  over  the  whole  delicious  scene. 

Our  road  lay  through  a  verdant  valley,  in- 
tersected by  a  river  of  importance  and  sundry 
mountain-streams,  some  of  which  were  deep 
and  very  rapid,  though  no  difficulty  occurred 
in  passing  them.  About  sunset  I  was  over, 
taken  by  a  farmer-like  looking  man,  who  was 
returning  to  his  home  from  Salta,  and  who, 
after  riding  some  part  of  the  way  with  me, 
said,  that  if  I  would  stop  at  his  house,  he  would 
provide  me  with  better  lodging  and  better 
horses  than  I  could  procure  at  the  post.  Being 
quite  satisfied  that  no  accommodation  could  be 
inferior  to  that  of  the  post,  I  accompanied  him 
to  his  house,  which  was  a  very  decent  one, 
though  naked  with  respect  to  furniture.  It 
was  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  large  natural 
meadow,  surrounded  by  peach-trees,  under 
which  his  swine  were  feeding  upon  the  fruit 
that  dropped  from  them.  After  spreading  my 
bed  under  a  shed  in  front  of  the  house,  and 
regaling  myself  upon  the  contents  of  my  al- 

VOL.  I.  R 


242  KILL    A    VIPER. 

forjas,  and  a  taste  from  my  chifies,  I  passed  the 
night  among  a  plague  of  fleas,  and  blessed  the 
dawning  day  that  gave  me  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity to  gallop  from  them. 

6th.  Fine  pleasant  weather :  the  road  still 
lay  through  a  valley,  but  narrower  than  that 
of  the  preceding  day ;  the  mountains  were  less 
wooded,  and  sometimes  not  more  than  a  mus- 
ket-shot distant  from  each  side  of  me.  We 
killed  a  very  large  viper  which  crossed  our 
path,  and  stood  boldly  on  its  defence,  hissing 
and  darting,  as  the  peon,  postilion,  and  myself, 
assailed  it  with  stones.  After  this  event,  three 
or  four  leagues  of  the  way  were  beguiled  by 
histories  of  accidents  and  deaths,  occasioned  by 
bites  of  those  venomous  animals,  several  in- 
stances of  which  had  occurred  amongst  the  ac- 
quaintance of  my  peon  Jose\ 

On  this  day's  journey  I  forded  not  fewer 
than  twenty  different  rivers  and  torrents,  some 
of  them  furiously  rapid,  and  carrying  along 
with  them  large  round  stones,  which  cause  the 
traveller  to  hesitate  before  he  exposes  himself 
and  his  horse  to  their  violence.  On  these  oc- 
casions I  always  gave  precedence  to  the  peon 
and  postilion,  whose  track  I  carefully  followed  : 
custom,  however,  has  rendered  this  species  of 
travelling  familiar  to  me ;  I  can  descend  a  steep 
bank  into  a  rapid  river,  and  scramble  out  with 


ARRIVAL    AT    JU.TUI.  243 

my  horse  to  the  opposite  side,  as  composedly 
as  if  crossing  Waterloo-bridge  ;  but  it  is  to  be 
observed  that,  in  such  cases,  much  of  one's  se- 
curity depends  upon  the  animal,  whom  custom 
also  has  taught  to  pick  his  steps  with  peculiar 
caution,  and  who  must  be  left  entirely  to  his 
own  judgment. 

It  was  nine  o'clock  at  night,  and  extremely 
dark,  before  we  arrived  at  the  town  of  Jujui, 
having  groped  our  way  for  the  last  league  amid 
thickets,  over  rocks,  and  through  streams,  often 
hesitating  whether  it  would  not  be  prudent 
to  stop  for  the  night  under  some  tree,  as  the 
horses  fell  several  times  in  places  where  they 
could  not  see  to  make  good  their  footing.  My 
own  inclinations  were  decidedly  for  a  halt,  as  I 
felt  considerable  uneasiness  in  my  saddle-seat, 
after  forty  miles  jog-trot  from  daylight  till 
dark.  My  peon,  however,  encouraged  me 
onwards,  by  assuring  me  every  mile  we  went 
that  the  town  was  "  ya  estci  circa"  (close  at 
hand) ;  so  I  followed,  and  at  last  did  actually 
arrive  at  the  house  of  Don  Marcos  Senavilla, 
a  respectable  merchant,  according  to  the  state 
of  commerce  in  this  country,  though  in  Eng- 
land he  would  rank  no  higher  than  a  petty 
shopkeeper. 

I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Don  Marcos, 

which,  at  the  late  hour  of  the  night,  and  in  my 

r  2 


244  MAKING    TEA. 

absolutely  worn-out  condition,  proved  of  in- 
estimable worth,  as  it  obtained  for  me  all  the 
hospitality  which  the  host  was  capable  of  be- 
stowing or  that  I  expected,  and  that  was  merely 
a  corner  in  a  dirty  house  to  lodge  in,  and  a 
mess  of  '  lobscouse,'  or  something  or  other,  be- 
fore I  went  to  bed,  for  which  I  felt  extremely 
grateful.  In  another  corner  of  my  apartment 
slept  the  patrona,  or  daena,  or  housekeeper, 
with  two  or  three  children  in  the  same  bed, 
who  did  not  seem  to  be  any  more  inconve- 
nienced by  my  presence  than  I  was  by  theirs. 

7th.  This  morning  I  had  a  trifling  misun- 
derstanding with  the  patrona  on  the  subject 
of  making  tea,  for  I  had  provided  myself  with 
that  refreshing  herb,  which  I  recommend  to 
every  one  travelling  through  a  country  des- 
titute of  what  in  Europe  are  considered  the 
common  necessaries  of  life.  From  the  por- 
tion I  delivered  to  the  patrona  to  be  boiled  in 
an  earthen  pot  (there  being  nothing  else  more 
convenient,)  she  carefully  drained  off  the  water* 
and  served  up  the  leaves  upon  a  plate  when 
she  considered  them  sufficiently  boiled,  a  cir- 
cumstance I  recollect  having  occurred  to  a  tra- 
veller at  an  auberge  in  the  South  of  France. 

The  earthquake,  of  which  I  have  said  so 
much,  I  have  traced  to  this  town,  where  it  was 
sensibly  felt  at  the  same  time  as  with  us,  and 


THE    EARTHQUAKE.  245 

I  have  ascertained  that  it  extended  to  a  point 
beyond  Jujui,  which  is  a  distance  exceeding 
five  hundred  and  sixty  miles  from  the  village 
of  Oratorio  Grande,  where  we  first  felt  it. 
What  a  wonderful  effort  of  Nature  to  shake 
so  great  a  portion  of  earth  at  the  same  moment 
of  time !  And  yet  this  is  but  a  molehill,  com- 
pared with  the  effects  of  the  great  earthquake 
of  Lisbon,  on  the  1st  of  November,  1755,  which 
was  felt,  nearly  at  the  same  instant,  upon  the 
coast  of  Sweden,  on  the  borders  of  Lake  On- 
tario, and  at  the  Island  of  Martinique,  a  dis- 
tance which  can  scarcely  be  calculated  at  less 
than  3,500  English  miles,  including  a  vast  ex- 
tent of  ocean  of  unfathomable  depth  ! 

I  ordered  post-horses  at  an  early  hour,  ex- 
pecting to  set  out  after  breakfast,  but  such  is 
the  calm  in  every  kind  of  business  in  this  coun- 
try, including  even  post-haste,  that  five  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  passed  away  before  the  pos- 
tilion appeared  with  his  animals  at  the  door 
of  my  kind  friend  Don  Marcos.  This  hard- 
ship I  considered  the  greater,  because,  from 
Jujui,  as  from  all  other  towns  of  any  conse- 
quence, travellers  are  compelled  to  pay  double 
postage,  under  the  pretext  that  post-masters  in 
towns  are  liable  to  extra  calls  for  horses,  and 
the  extra  charge  is  to  enable  them  to  be  in 
readiness  to  answer  them. 


246 


RESUMED    JOURNEY. 


ANCIENT    CONVENT    AT    JUJUI. 


The  evening  was  charming,  and  the  scenery 
round  Jnjui,  wildly  picturesque.  The  valley 
through  which  my  road  still  lay,  soon  became 
deeper  and  narrower,  and  the  mountains  on 
each  side  more  barren,  but  grander  than  here- 
tofore. 

Night  having  overtaken  me  when  four 
leagues  upon  my  journey,  I  stopped  at  a  lonely 
hut,  a  short  distance  from  the  road,  to  which  I 
had  been  attracted  by  "  the  trembling  taper's 
light,"  but  I  cannot  add  that  it  "  adorned  and 
cheered  my  way  :"  still,  the  mere  idea  that 
human  beings  were  at  hand  served  to  break 
the   solitude   of  a   night's    lodging   a   la  belle 


SCENERY.  247 

etoile,  although,  for  the  comfort  of  accommoda- 
tion, I  might  as  well  have  been  benighted  in  the 
midst  of  the  great  desert  of  Barbary.  Two  or 
three  segars  to  the  poor  owners  of  the  hut,  and 
a  few  bits  of  biscuit  to  the  naked  children, 
proved  that  I  was  amicably  disposed,  and  ob- 
tained for  me  all  that  I  required  in  return — a 
free  respiration  of  the  pure  air  of  heaven  with- 
out molestation  until  daylight. 

8th.  After  a  very  fatiguing  journey  of  about 
fifty  miles,  I  arrived  at  nightfall  at  the  post- 
hut  of  Hornillos,  where  I  was  so  fortunate  as 
to  find  half  a  mountain-sheep  ready  roasted, 
and  which  was  speedily  devoured  by  myself, 
Jose,  and  the  postilion,  with  that  exquisite 
sauce,  which  is  so  proverbially  excellent  as  to 
require  neither  puff  nor  comment  to  distin- 
guish it. 

The  valley,  this  day,  was  still  narrower,  and 
the  mountains  higher  and  more  barren,  than  be- 
fore. Perhaps  there  is  not  in  the  world,  for  the 
distance  of  thirty  or  forty  miles,  more  singular 
and  extraordinary  scenery  than  what  I  passed 
through  this  day.  One  of  the  places  where  I 
changed  horses  is  called  el  Volcan,  and  it  cer- 
tainly appeared  as  if  enclosed  in  an  immense 
volcano,  at  the  bottom  of  which  the  road  lay, 
and  in  its  serpentine  twists  and  turns   in  the 


248  SUBLIME    WORKS    OF    NATURE. 

valley  no  opening  appeared  before  or  behind : 
all  round  was  a  rampart  of  rocky  mountain  of 
most  fantastic  form,  sometimes  awfully  impend- 
ing over  our  heads,  sometimes  rising  in  craggy 
turrets  to  the  clouds,  grand,  terrible,  and  sub- 
lime; the  whole  presenting  indubitable  attes- 
tation of  some  dreadful  convulsion  of  Nature, 
either  of  violent  volcanic  c.ction,  or  of  a  resist- 
less flood  of  waters  that  had  swept  over  the  face 
of  the  earth  at  some  remote  period,  mayhap  at 
the  formation  of  the  world,  or  at  the  time  of 
the  universal  deluge.  Either  or  both  of  these 
events  must  have  contributed  to  produce  the 
chaos  which  here  exists.  "  Yet  is  it  with  asto- 
nishment we  reflect,  that  a  work  of  such  appa- 
rent disorder  and  desolation  should  produce 
objects  of  the  grandest  character  of  beauty,  and 
become  sources  of  the  sublimest  sentiment  to 
mankind."  So  says  the  author  of  the  "  Com- 
parative Estimate  of  the  Mineral  and  Mosaical 
Geologies;"  and,  in  truth,  it  is  impossible  to 
view  these  astounding  productions  of  Nature 
without  entering  into  the  feelings  of  that,  learned 
writer,  who,  in  treating  of  the  history  of  our 
globe,  with  respect  to  the  mode  of  hsjirst  for- 
mation, and  of  its  subsequent  changes,  "  adheres 
firmly  to  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Mo- 
saical   geology,    arising   altogether   and  exclu- 


A    CAT    AND    A    VIPER.  249 

sively  out  of  the  creative  wisdom,  the  crea- 
tive power,  and  the  creative  fiat,  of  Almighty 
God."  And  who  that,  upon  those  principles, 
contemplates  the  wonders  of  Nature  in  this 
portion  of  the  globe,  where  they  are  represent- 
ed in  a  majesty  of  character  so  peculiarly  im- 
posing, but  will  readily  subscribe  to  the  opi- 
nions of  that  writer,  "  that  we  are  irresistibly 
urged  to  look,  not  merely  back  to  the  past  but 
forward  also  to  the  future;  and  thus  it  will 
be  found  that  the  earth  derives  a  far  sublimer 
and  more  profoundly  stamped  moral  physiog- 
nomy from  its  features  of  inanimate  nature,  its 
naked  spires  of  primitive  granite,  and  its  awful 
tokens  of  convulsions  and  revolutions,  than  it 
can  possibly  derive  from  all  the  united  produc- 
tions and  memorials,  which  man's  power  has 
been  able  to  achieve." 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  I  was  roused  by 
a  noise  under  my  bed,  as  if  of  a  struggle  be- 
tween two  animals,  which  induced  me  to  exa- 
mine the  premises  ;  when,  to  my  astonishment, 
I  discovered  by  the  light  of  the  moon  a  cat 
eating  the  head  off  a  viper,  which  she  had  just 
subdued ;  a  common  occurrence,  I  was  informed, 
and  without  any  ill  consequences  to  the  cat 
however  venomous  the  snake.     From  this  cir- 


250  poisons. 

cumstance  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  poi- 
son contained  in  these  reptiles  is  deleterious 
only  when  introduced  by  a  cut  or  scratch  into 
the  blood  ;  in  the  same  manner  as  the  poison 
called  curare,  which  is  used  by  the  South  Ame- 
rican Indians  for  the  points  of  their  arrows, 
and  which,  although  certain  death  if  it  touch 
the  slightest  scratch,  may  be  tasted,  and  even 
swallowed,  without  danger.  M.  Humboldt,  in 
his  travels  on  the  Oronoco,  mentions  that  he 
and  M.  Bonpland  frequently  tasted  this  poison. 
"  Its  taste  is  a  very  agreeable  bitter,  and  M. 
Bonpland  and  myself  often  swallowed  small 
portions  of  it.  There  is  no  danger  whatever 
if  you  are  quite  sure  that  there  is  no  excoria- 
tion of  the  lips  or  gums."  The  Indians  con- 
sider the  curare,  taken  inwardly,  as  an  excel- 
lent stomachic. 

M.  Humboldt  has  observed  that,  "  in  the  re- 
cent experiments  made  by  M.  Mangili  on  the 
poison  of  the  viper,  one  of  the  persons  present 
swallowed  the  whole  of  the  poison  that  could 
be  extracted  from  four  large  Italian  vipers  with- 
out being  affected."* 

9th.  The  sun  w^as  intolerably  hot  for  several 
hours  of  the  day,  and  its  effect  was  increased 
in  the  deep  valley  through  which  I  was   still 

*  Humb.  Voy.  aux  Reg.  Equin.  vol.  viii.  chap.  24. 


HUMAGUACA.  251 

trotting,  surrounded  by  high  barren  mountains, 
intercepting  even  a  momentary  glimpse  of  the 
adjoining  country.  After  a  ride  of  forty  miles, 
1  stopped  at  the  village  of  Humaguaca,  which 
is  beginning"  to  recover  from  the  disasters  of 
war,  having  been  entirely  destroyed  by  the 
Spaniards  during  the  revolution. 

A  morsel  of  delicious  mountain  mutton, 
roasted  in  the  ashes,  and  a  fowl  cooked  in  the 
same  manner,  with  some  very  small  but  very 
good  potatoes,  were  served  up  by  the  mistress 
of  the  post-house  in  a  deep  silver  dish  ;  neither 
knife  nor  fork,  however,  appeared,  and  only 
one  wooden  spoon.  This  repast,  which  was 
sufficient  for  a  hungry  master  and  man,  cost 
three  rials,  (one  shilling  and  sixpence) ;  my 
alforjas  supplied  bread. 

The  post-master  of  Humaguaca  had  been  a 
leader  of  a  party  of  guerillas  in  the  revolution, 
and  as  such  had  all  his  property  destroyed  by 
the  Spaniards.  I  found  him  extremely  disposed 
to  accommodate ;  indeed,  it  appears  to  me 
that  the  want  of  accommodation  throughout 
the  country  proceeds  from  want  of  means  and 
ignorance  of  comfort,  not  from  want  of  will  on 
the  part  of  the  inhabitants  in  giving  it. 

10th.  Before  the  sun  rose  to  gild  the  tops  of 
the  mountains  I  was  already  two  leagues  upon 


252  A    RATIONAL    MULE. 

my  journey,  through  the  same  valley  as  before, 
which  was  at  times  so  narrow  as  not  to  be 
forty  yards  across  between  the  huge  adaman- 
tine walls  that  hemmed  me  in  on  each  side.  A 
distance  of  twenty-five  miles  brought  me  to 
the  post  of  La  Cueva,  where  I  received  the 
first  hint  of  the  perilous  roads  I  was  about  to 
pass  on  my  journey  to  Potosi. 

When  changing  animals,  I  was  presented 
with  a  mule,  which  I  objected  to,  on  account 
of  having  been  carried  thus  far  safe  and  well 
by  horses,  over  loose  stony  paths,  through 
rivers,  streams,  and  torrents,  all  of  them  rapid, 
and  some  deep  and  dangerous.  I  therefore 
requested  to  have  a  horse,  which,  the  post-mas- 
ter replied,  was  at  my  service ;  but  he  added, 
that  "  mules  were  always  preferred  in  going 
towards  Peru,  as  being  safer  and  more  sure- 
footed in  the  narrow  paths  on  the  edges  of  pre- 
cipices." — "  Be  it  as  thou  wilt,  maestro  de 
posta"  said  I ;  "  thou  understandest  these  mat- 
ters better  than  a  stranger ;  so  e'en  saddle  the 
mule." — "  I  insure  you  this  as  being  a  right 
good  rational  animal"  said  the  maestro  de  posta, 
as  I  mounted  and  departed. 

I  had  gone  about  six  miles  upon  a  narrow 
track,  over  rocks  and  stones,  through  a  desolate 
country,  when  I  came  to  thejedge  of  a  preci- 


COLLOQUY    WITH    THE    MULE.  253 

pice,  which  induced  me  to  pull  up,  and  say  to 
my  mule,  "  Surely  thou  art  not  going  to  take 
me  thither?" — "Yes,"  said  the  mule. — "Come," 
said  I,  "  let  us  try  that  path  to  the  right." — 
"  No,"  said  the  mule ;  "  positively  no."  And 
all  my  persuasion,  sometimes  angry,  sometimes 
soothing,  could  not  prevail  with  the  animal  to 
go  out  of  the  original  path.  It  was  willing  to 
stop,  or  to  go  forward,  but  out  of  the  path  it 
would  not  move  for  all  the  mines  of  the  New 
World.  When  I  attempted  to  turn  it  to  the 
right,  into  what  appeared  to  me  a  safer  road, 
round  whisked  the  tail,  back  went  the  ears, 
and  an  angry  shake  of  the  head,  with  what  is 
called  "  hoisting,"  proved  at  once  an  obstinacy 
of  opinion,  and  a  displeasure  at  being  thwarted 
in  what  it  felt  convinced  it  was  better  acquaint- 
ed with  than  its  rider.  In  a  few  minutes,  Jose 
and  the  postilion,  who  had  chanced  to  stop  in 
the  rear  to  arrange  the  cargo  on  the  baggage- 
mule,  came  up,  when  the  latter  informed  me 
that  my  mule  was  perfectly  right,  and  that 
I  might  go  to  sleep  on  its  back  if  I  felt  so 
disposed,  for  it  was  a  very  rational  animal,  un 
animal  muy  rational-  precisely  the  phrase  men- 
tioned by  other  travellers  in  a  similar  situation. 
Of  course,  I  instantly  yielded,  and  on  we  went. 
I,  however,  wished  myself  more  than  once  safe 


254  DANGEROUS    PASS. 

on  board  a  ship  in  a  gale  of  wind  before  I  got 
to  the  end  of  this  romantic  but  alarmingly  in- 
tricate path,  where,  if  two  animals  chanced  to 
meet,  one  must  "  go  to  the  wall,"  the  other 
down,  into  little  less  than  a  bottomless  pit. 
Even  the  apprehension  of  a  false  step  produces 
a  feverish  agony,  which  so  occupies  the  mind, 
that  it  is  only  occasionally  a  glance  is  cast  upon 
the  yawning  precipice,  over  which  the  left  leg 
hangs  dangling  as  the  animal  jogs  unconcern- 
edly along. 

I  have  travelled  through  some  intricate  passes 
in  Spain,  and  had  the  honour  to  cross  the  Py- 
renees,* but  the  worst  of  those  roads  are  left 

*  Crossing  the  Pyrenees  with  honour,  of  course,  means 
with  glory— Glory  for  ever  !    The  path  of  glory,  we  are  told, 

leads  to somewhere  or  other.     I    followed  those   paths 

from  the  Guadiana  to  the  Pyrenees  "  over  the  hills  and  far 
away,"  and  even  back  again,  but  never  found  that  they  led 
to  any  thing  very  substantial,  except  once  to  a  dinner,  and 
that  dinner  nearly  cost  me  my  life.  It  was  in  the  province  of 
Estremadura,  near  the  town  of  Cacarcs,  whither  I  was  sent 
under  a  gallant  Lieutenant-Colonel,  with  a  detachment  of 
cavalry,  to  reconnoitre  the  movements  of  a  division  of  the 
French  army,  under  General  Girard.  When  about  a  league 
from  the  town,  having  made  a  dexterous  detour  into  a  ra- 
vine, we  were  surprised  by  surprising  an  advanced  picket  of 
the  enemy,  one  half  of  whom  were  extended  upon  the  ground 
in  sleep,  rnd  the  other  half  sitting  round  a  fire  cooking  a 
sheep.      We  managed  our  surprise  very  well  indeed,  for  the 


SAGACITY    OF    MULES.  255 

far  behind  when  compared  with  those  of  this 
country.  If,  however,  the  animal  which  a  per- 
son rides  is  tolerable,  and  confidence  is  placed 
in  it,  the  danger  loses  all  its  terror,  and  is, 
in  fact,  but  little ;  for  as  M.  Humboldt  ob- 
serves, "  When  the  mules  perceive  themselves 
in  danger,  they  stand  still,  and  turn  their  heads 
first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other,  and  the 
motion  of  their  ears  seems  to  indicate  that  they 
are  considering  what  course  they  ought  to  pur- 
sue. Their  resolution  is  slow,  but  always  good, 
if  not  controlled  or  accelerated  by  the  impru- 
dence of  the  rider.     It  is  in  frightful  roads  that 

enemy  had  not  time  to  carry  off  any  thing  except  themselves, 
and  even  that,  I  thought  once  or  twice,  might  have  been 
prevented  without  any  rashness  on  our  part ;  but  that  is 
nothing  to  the  main  fact:  we  made  sure  of  the  sheep,  and 
down  we  sat  to  dinner,  with  that  peculiar  relish  which  every 
person  must  have  experienced  on  unexpectedly  finding  a 
dainty  placed  before  him,  when  no  hopes  of  such  a  pleasure 
were  entertained.  The  fugitive  enemy,  finding  their  retreat 
unmolested,  halted,  rallied,  and  returned,  perhaps,  for  their 
sheep  ;  but,  not  finding  that  as  they  left  it,  they  took  three 
of  our  men  instead,  and  when  I  looked  round,  and  found 
my  commanding  officer  gone!  followed  pell-mell  by  his 
troops,  it  was  sheer  presence  of  mind  that  saved  me  by 
recollecting  that  I  too  had  spurs  and  a  horse  in  good  con- 
dition, otherwise,  it  is  probable  that  I  should  not  now 
be  recording  the  honour  and  glory  of  having  crossed  the 
Pyrenees. 


256  CHANGE    OF    TEMPERATURE. 

the  intelligence  of  horses  and  mules  is  deve- 
loped in  a  surprising  manner.  The  rider  runs 
no  risk,  provided  he  slackens  the  reins,  and 
takes  care  not  to  check  in  the  least  the  motions 
of  the  animal." 

In  the  forenoon  the  sun,  as  on  the  preceding 
day,  was  so  scorchingly  hot,  that  I  was  obliged 
to  muffle  my  face  to  save  it  from  being  broiled 
and  blistered,  and  in  the  afternoon,  being- 
pelted  by  two  heavy  showers  of  hail,  I  was 
glad  to  wrap  myself  in  my  poncho.  This  is 
also  a  slight  preparation  for  my  residence  in 
Potosi,  where,  it  is  said,  that  in  the  course  of 
twenty -four  hours  the  climate  undergoes  all 
the  changes  of  the  four  seasons  of  the  year. 

At  sunset,  having  ridden  about  forty-five 
miles,  I  stopped  at  the  post  of  Colorados,  the 
most  wretched  of  those  wretched  abodes  which 
I  had  hitherto  seen  ;  but  as  night  was  draw- 
ing on  and  threatening  rain,  1  was  compelled 
to  take  shelter  under  its  tattered  roof,  having 
little  inducement  to  risk  life  and  limb  by  con- 
tinuing my  journey  through  the  night  over  a 
mountainous  desert.  Besides,  long  before  my 
day's  journey  was  finished,  I  felt  that  I  had 
performed  quite  as  much  as  I  was  capable  of,  in 
my  then  unseasoned  condition  ;  for  although 
thirty,  forty,  or  more  miles  are  a  very  tolerable 


CONSOLATION.  257 

ride,  yet  it  was  not  the  distance,  but  the  length 
of  time,  that  rendered  it  so  fatiguing,  having 
frequently  been  on  the  road  from  long  before 
sunrise  till  sunset.  It  was  a  consolation,  how- 
ever, and  a  very  great  one,  to  know  that  sleep 
might  be  indulged  in  without  the  apprehension 
of  being  molested  by  reptiles,  such  as  infest  the 
post-houses  to  the  southward,  rendering  them 
in  some  places  uninhabitable,  and  precluding 
even  the  hope  of  rest.  Except  in  the  sheltered 
valleys,  the  huts  in  this  part  of  the  country  are 
generally  free  from  biting  and  stinging  insects ; 
even  those  familiar  tormentors,  fleas,  are  not  al- 
ways to  be  met  with.  These  are  trifling  cir- 
cumstances no  doubt,  but  they  may  perhaps 
tend  to  show  that,  dans  toutes  les  situations  de  la 
vie,  on  peut  se  procurer  des  jouissances,  and  that, 
however  great  our  hardships,  consolation  may 
be  found  bv  seeking  it. 

I  have  heard  it  remarked,  "  that  it  is  in  our 
own  power  to  convert  the  blanks  in  the  lottery 
of  life  into  prizes  ;"  an  opinion  to  which  I  feel 
heartily  disposed  to  subscribe,  and  if  it  be  not 
in  all  cases  true  to  the  letter,  it  is  because  we 
ourselves,  coveting  the  capital  prizes,  reject  the 
moderate  ones  with  indifference,  and  pine  over 
the  misfortune  of  a  casual  blank. 

11th.  I  have  at  length  emerged  from  the  long 

vol.   i.  s 


258  THE    GUANACO. 

valley,  that  wearisome  labyrinth  through  which 
I  had  wound  my  way  for  upwards  of  a  hundred 
and  seventy  miles  ;  and  although  glad  to  escape 
from  it,  I  cannot  say  that  the  landscape  was 
much  enlivened,  all  around  being  a  confusion  of 
barren  hills  and  rugged  mountains,  without  a 
single  human  habitation  in  view,  or  a  living  soul 
to  be  met  with  along  the  dreary  road  from  post 
to  post.  The  wild  cries  of  the  gaanacos,  as  they 
scudded  in  small  herds  to  the  tops  of  the  moun- 
tains at  the  approach  of  man,  accorded  well  with 
the  solitude  of  the  scene.  These  animals  at  a 
distance  resemble  deer  without  horns,  and  in- 
dicate to  the  traveller  that  he  has  entered  the 
former  territories  of  the  Incas ;  for,  coming  from 
the  southward,  the  guanacos  are  first  met  with 
in  Peru. 

The  frequent  crossing  of  rivers  and  torrents 
has  now  ceased ;  I  have  ridden  two,  three,  and 
four  leagues  without  meeting  with  a  drop  of 
water.  The  sun  in  the  middle  of  the  day  is 
very  powerful,  and  has  sometimes  scorched  me 
on  one  side,  whilst  the  other  has  been  chilled 
by  the  keenness  of  the  blast  from  the  moun- 
tains. At  sunset,  for  the  last  two  or  three  even- 
ings, there  had  been  much  thunder  and  light- 
ning, which  did  not  at  all  enliven  the  solitary 
gloom,  for  it  was  not  the  "aerial  tumult"  of 


JADED    ANIMALS.  259 

loud,  spirit-stirring  claps,  but  hollow  murmur- 
ings,  melancholy  and  mournful,  succeeded  at 
intervals  by  the  livid  glare  of  distant  flashes. 

At  the  forlorn  hut  where  I  stopped  for  this 
night,  there  was  nothing — literally  nothing — to 
be  had  for  refreshment,  after  a  ride  from  the 
dawn  of  day  till  nightfall,  upon  poor  worn-out 
animals,  whose  creeping  pace  must  be  patiently 
submitted  to  in  pity  of  their  feebleness,  for 
their  means  of  existence  in  this  desert  part  of 
the  country  are  as  scanty  as  those  for  travel- 
lers ;  and  in  recommending  the  poor  creatures 
to  the  mercy  of  any  impatient  rider,  I  can  as- 
sure him,  without  meaning  any  pun  upon  the 
words  of  the  respected  author  of  the  "  Night 
Thoughts,"  that  he  will  find 

"  all  expedients  tire 
To  lash  the  lingering  moments  into  speed." 

In  an  unroofed  out-house  I  spread  my  port- 
able bed,  and  on  it  I  found  comfortable  repose 
for  my  aching  limbs  till  daylight,  at  the  first 
dawn  of  which  I  rose,  well  and  hearty,  to  conti- 
nue my  journey. 

12th.  Heat  excessive.  I  experienced  much 
delay  at  the  posts  from  want  of  animals,  the 
poverty  of  the  postmasters  not  admitting  of 
their  purchasing   a    sufficient  number  for  the 

s  2 


260  CORDILLERAS. 

calls  that  are  made  on  them,  nor  of  feeding  the 
sorry  few  they  possess. 

At  a  considerable  distance  upon  my  left 
front  I  saw  the  snow- covered  summits  of  the 
grand  Cordilleras  de  los  Andes,  the  mountains 
amongst  which  and  over  which  I  am  now  tra- 
veiling  being  branches  of  the  same  chain.  I 
stopped  for  the  night  at  the  ruined  village  of 
Mojo,  where  I  was  supplied  with  some  good 
mutton,  excellent  potatoes,  and  a  roasted  gui- 
nea-pig, for  supper. 

13th.  The  heat  continued,  but  it  could  do 
me  little  farther  injury,  having  already  com- 
pletely broiled  the  skin  off  my  face,  nose,  lips, 
and  ears. 

In  the  afternoon,  I  had  to  ascend  and  de- 
scend the  highest  mountain  I  had  ever  yet 
crossed.  After  winding  for  more  than  two 
hours  up  its  rugged  side,  and  precisely  in  the 
most  terrifying  spot,  the  baggage-mule,  which 
was  in  front,  suddenly  stopped;  and  well  it 
might — poor  little  wretch — after  scrambling 
with  its  burden  up  such  fatiguing  flights  of 
craggy  steps ;  the  narrowness  of  the  path  at 
this  spot  did  not  allow  room  to  approach  the 
animal  to  unload  and  give  it  rest.  On  one  side 
was  the  solid  rock,  which  drooped  over  our 
heads  in  a  half-arch ;  on  the  other,  a  frightful 


PERILOUS    ROAD.  26l 

abyss,  of  not  less  than  two  hundred  perpendi- 
cular feet.  Patience  was  indeed  requisite  here, 
but  the  apprehension  was,  that  some  traveller 
or  courier  might  come  in  the  contrary  direc- 
tion, and,  as  the  sun  was  setting,  the  conse- 
quences could  not  fail  of  proving  disastrous  to 
either  party.  At  one  time,  I  held  a  council  to 
deliberate  on  the  prudence  of  freeing  the  pas- 
sage by  shooting  the  mule,  and  letting  it  roll, 
baggage  and  all,  to  the  bottom.  In  this  I  was 
opposed  by  the  postilion,  though  Jose  and 
myself  were  of  opinion,  that  it  was  the  only 
method  of  rescuing  ourselves  from  our  critical 
situation  before  nightfall.  I  never  felt  so  per- 
plexed in  my  life :  we  were  all  useless,  help- 
less, and  knew  not  what  to  do.  After  upwards 
of  half  an  hour,  (perhaps  apprehension  may 
have  added  a  few  minutes  to  this  dubious  and 
truly  nervous  pause)  the  mule,  of  its  own  ac- 
cord, moved  on  slowly  for  about  twenty  yards, 
and  stopped  again  ;  then  proceeded,  then  stop- 
ped, and  thus,  after  two  hours'  farther  ascent, 
we  gradually  reached  the  summit.  Two  or 
three  times  I  wished,  for  safety's  sake,  to  alight, 
but  actually  I  had  not  room  to  do  so  upon  the 
narrow  edge  of  the  tremendous  precipice  on 
my  left. 

To  view  from  the  top  of  the  mountain  the 


262  REACH    TUPIZA. 

descent  which  we  had  now  to  make  was  suffi- 
cient to  try  the  nerves  of  any  person  unaccus- 
tomed to  such  a  scene,  and  whose  safety  de- 
pended solely  upon  the  sure  footing  of  a  wea- 
ried, hoof-worn  beast ;  for  it  was  in  appearance 
even  more  difficult  than  what  we  had  already 
performed.  Before  we  were  half-way  down, 
night  overtook  us,  but  in  a  short  time  the 
feeble  light  of  a  new  moon  enabled  us  to  distin- 
guish a  white  track  that  conducted  us  in  safety 
at  half-past  nine  o'clock,  into  the  town  of  Tu- 
piza,  after  having  employed  five  tedious  hours 
in  accomplishing  the  mountainous  ascent  and 
descent,  in  comparison  with  which  the  stairs 
of  St.  Paul's  would  have  been  easy  travelling. 

14th.  Having  made  this  a  day  of  rest,  I 
wrote  the  following  letter  to  our  chief  com- 
missioner : — 

Tvpha,  Uth  March,  1826. 

"  The  date  of  this  letter  may,  perhaps,  induce  you  to  in- 
quire why  I  have  not  made  farther  progress  in  my  journey: 
I  shall  therefore  explain  to  you  the  causes  which  have  hi- 
therto impeded  me. 

"  The  heavy  rains  which  fell  up  to  the  very  day  of  my 
departure  from  Salta  had  so  swollen  the  rivers,  and  formed 
so  many  new  ones,  that  during  the  first  three  days  of  my 
journey,  I  actually  travelled  as  much  in  water  as  upon  land. 
I  have  waded  through  not  fewer  than  between  fifty  and  sixty 
rivers,  or  torrents,  to  this  town.  In  consequence  of  travelling 
so  much  in  water,  and  over  loose  stones  and  rocks,  the  hoofs 


LETTER    TO    THE    COMMISSIONER.         263 

of  the  animals  have  become  so  tender  as  to  render  them 
scarcely  capable  of  hobbling  along  a  league  an  hour  at  the 
best  rate.  I  have  occasionally  been  even  nine  hours  in  per- 
forming five  leagues,  at  the  risk  of  fractured  limbs,  and 
sometimes  with  an  exertion  on  the  part  of  the  rider,  which 
we  must  call  cruel,  to  the  poor  beasts,  because  it  is  to  no 
purpose. 

"  It  is  true  that  ranchos  (huts)  exist  at  stated  distances, 
and  that  comisionddos  are  placed  in  them  to  supply  horses 
to  travellers,  but  the  Government  have  seemingly  forgotten 
that  these  paupers  require  means  for  establishing  themselves 
upon  a  scale  of  public  utility.  Not  having  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  animals,  the  few  they  possess  are  completely  '  knock- 
ed up,'  and  all  communication  by  post  must  soon  cease  if 
assistance  be  not  given  to  the  post-masters  at  their  different 
stations. 

"  I  need  not  state  any  farther  reason  for  the  slowness  of 
my  progress,  as  you  cannot  but  be  convinced  that,  except 
the  grand  and  imposing  scenery,  there  are  no  attractions  to 
induce  the  traveller  to  pause  even  for  a  moment :  he  can  have 
but  one  thought,  one  object,  that  of  hurrying  on  to  his  des- 
tination, as  fast  as  bad  horses,  bad  roads,  and  sore  bones, 
will  admit. 

"  I  hope  the  invalids  I  left  behind  amongst  my  compagnons 
de  voyage  have  recovered,  and  are  prepared  to  undertake  their 
long  ride.  For  myself,  saving  and  excepting  a  few  local  la- 
mentations, I  am  perfectly  well ;  but  regret  to  think,  that  al- 
though I  am  on  horseback  every  day  long  before  the  rising 
of  the  sun,  and  long  after  its  setting,  I  am  no  farther  than 
Tupiza." 

Tupiza  is  a  respectable  little  town,  where  a 
traveller  can  supply  himself  with  every  thing 


264  TOWN    OF    TUPIZA. 

he  requires ;  it  is  also  the  southern  frontier 
town  of  the  Bolivian  republic,  where  duties 
are  levied  upon  goods,  and  where  the  port- 
manteaus of  travellers  are  inspected,  the  latter 
without  rigour  or  incivility  on  the  part  of  the 
officers. 


MOliNING.  265 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Pedestrian  performances  of  Peruvian  Indians. — Their  cha- 
racter.— Early  age  at  which  the  females  marry,  and  their 
premature  decay. — Llamas. — No  hui,  SenorJ — No  hai  nada, 
Senor  ! — Trifling  disappointment. — Stage  from  Caiza  to 
Potosi. — Mountain  of  Potosi. — Arrival  in  the  Imperial 
city. 

March  15th.  Before  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  I  was  full  two  leagues  on  my  jour- 
ney, lighted  by  the  starry  host  of  heaven. 
There  was  a  delightful  freshness  in  the  air, 
which  the  birds  as  well  as  myself  seemed  to 
enjoy  with  peculiar  pleasure,  and  as  they  rais- 
ed their  wild  notes,  I  hurried  my  pace,  to  make 
the  best  of  my  way  before  the  sun  should 
again  render  all  Nature  inanimate  by  his  over- 
powering lieat. 

My  road,  for  about  twelve  miles,  lay  through 
what,  at  one  period  of  the  world,  must  have 
been  the  channel  of  a  mighty  stream,  on  the 
bottom    of  which,  covered  with  loose   round 


266  D1LUVIAN   REMAINS. 

stones,  I  now  travelled ;  the  solid  adamantine 
banks  on  each  side,  towering  in  some  places  a 
hundred  and  fifty  perpendicular  feet  above  my 
head,  and  rent  in  ten  thousand  different  shapes, 
gave  evident  signs  of  some  awful  convulsion 
which  Nature  had  here  undergone.* 

Except  when  some  huge  mountain  inter- 
posed, for  I  was  now  amongst  branches  of  the 
great   Cordilleras,  the  road   latterly  was  more 

*  "  We  have  few  opportunities  of  witnessing  by  direct 
experiment  or  observation  the  force  of  immense  masses  of 
water  in  excavating  hollows  on  the  earth's  surface,  and 
were  it  not  for  the  ravages  we  occasionally  see  produced  by 
such  comparatively  trifling  causes  as  the  bursting  of  a  dyke 
in  Holland,  or  the  barrier  of  an  Alpine  lake,  we  could 
scarcely  believe  that  there  are  valleys  of  many  miles  in 
breadth,  and  many  hundred  feet  in  depth,  which  owe  their 
origin  exclusively  to  the  excavating  power  of  a  flood  of 
waters. 

"  Though  traces  of  diluvial  action  are  most  unequivocally 
visible  over  the.  surface  of  the  whole  earth,  we  must  not 
attribute  the  origin  of  all  valleys  exclusively  to  that  action  ; 
in  mountain  districts  (where  the  greatest  disturbances  appear 
generally  to  have  taken  place)  the  original  form  in  which 
the  strata  were  deposited,  the  subsequent  convulsions  to 
which  they  have  been  exposed,  and  the  fractures,  elevations, 
and  subsidences  which  have  affected  them,  have  contributed 
to  produce  valleys  of  various  kinds  on  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  before  it  was  submitted  to  that  last  catastrophe  of 
a  universal  deluge,  which  has  finally  modified  them  all." 
Buck  land,  Reliquice  Deluviancc. 


SANTIAGO    DE    COTAGAITA.  26? 

convenient  for  the  animals ;  but  the  ascent  and 
descent  of  mountains,  without  meaning  to  as- 
cribe to  it  actual  danger,  was  at  times  terrific. 
Occasionally,  after  winding  along  the  edge  of 
a  precipice,  in  a  spiral  direction,  to  the  summit 
of  a  mountain,  which  I  felt  happy  when  at- 
tained by  my  breathless  beast,  it  was  still  a 
subject  of  wonder  how  the  valley  beneath  was 
to  be  reached  in  safety. 

This  day  I  rode  three  posts,  nearly  sixty  Eng- 
lish miles,  and,  but  for  the  heat,  should  have 
felt  little  or  no  inconvenience,  as  1  am  now  in 
what  is  called  condition,  and  find  my  saddle 
as  comfortable  a  seat  as  any  to  be  met  with  in 
the  twenty-four  hours. 

About  sunset  I  arrived  at  the  romantically 
situated  village  of  Santiago  de  Cotagaita.  The 
mountains  surrounding  it  are  covered  with  the 
cactus,  which  grows  to  a  size  sufficient  for 
the  construction  of  the  houses  of  the  country. 
The  valleys  are  all  fertile  and  tolerably  cul- 
tivated. About  twenty  leagues  from  this  place 
are  the  celebrated  silver  mines  of  Portugalette, 
which  have  been  offered  for  sale  to  our  com- 
missioner; but  in  consequence  of  the  extra- 
vagant mania  which  the  proprietors  had  heard 
existed  amongst  Englishmen  for  these  specu- 
lations, they  imagined   they  had  only  to  ask 


268  PEDESTRIAN    T0ST1LI0NS. 

and  have,  and  therefore  put  a  price  upon  them 
beyond  the  bounds  of  reason. 

With  three-pennyworth  of  very  good  pota- 
toes and  a  little  salt,  I  this  night  made  an  ex- 
cellent supper,  and,  notwithstanding  interrup- 
tion from  a  passing  thunder-storm,  I  slept 
soundly  in  the  open  air  till  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of 

Thursday,  16th.  Before  I  reached  the  post  of 
Escara,  rain  came  down  so  fast  that  neither 
cloak,  poncho,  nor  covering  of  any  sort  was 
capable  of  resisting  it.  In  five  minutes  I  was 
drenched  as  if  I  had  been  plunged  into  the 
mountain-torrents,  that  suddenly  multiplied 
around  me,  and  rushed  roaring  into  the  valley. 

The  Indians,  who  in  this  part  of  the  country 
accompany  travellers,  although  still  called  pos- 
tilions, are  no  longer  mounted.  Throughout 
Peru  they  bear  a  dispatch  or  perform  a  day's 
journey  on  foot  with  more  alacrity  than  a 
horseman.  I  have  heard  wonderful  stories  of 
their  performances.  This  very  day  my  pedestrian 
postilion  accompanied  me  with  the  greatest  ease 
seven  leagues,  which  I  travelled  at  the  rate  of 
something  more  than  four  miles  an  hour,  with- 
out a  single  stop ;  for  it  rained  heavily,  and  I 
hurried  as  fast  as  my  wretched  animal  was  ca- 
pable of  going.     This  young  man  told  me  that 


PERUVIAN    INDIANS.  269 

he  was  not  an  andador,  literally  a  goer,  but 
that  he  had  many  companions  who  had  gone> 
and  frequently  go,  within  the  day,  from  Es- 
cara  to  Caiza,  twenty-one  post  leagues,  which  is 
a  distance  little  less  than  seventy  English  miles. 

I  have  heard  that  it  is  not  uncommon  for 
one  of  these  andadores  to  perform  thirty  leagues 
from  sunrise  to  sunset. 

The  Peruvians  are  generally  middle-sized, 
muscular  men  ;  I  have  seldom  seen  one  who 
would  be  admitted  into  any  of  our  grenadier 
companies.  They  live  chiefly  on  vegetables,  of 
which  the  Indian  corn  and  potato  are  the  prin- 
cipal. They  are  not  so  abstemious  with  respect 
to  drink,  being  very  fond  of  their  native  chica 
and  of  fermented  liquors  of  every  sort.  They 
are  extremely  humble,  and  although  they  have 
given  proofs  of  desperate  courage  and  ferocity 
when  roused  to  vengeance,  they  are  never- 
theless of  a  timid  disposition,  and  as  peaceably 
inclined  as  they  are  represented  to  have  been, 
when  Pizarro,  their  murderous  conqueror,  in- 
vaded them  three  hundred  years  ago.  Their 
dress,  excepting  the  hat,  which  is  precisely  the 
shape  of  Don  Quixote's  helmet  without  the 
niche  in  it,  reminded  me  of  that  of  the  pea- 
santry of  Connaught.  They  wrear  coarse  brown 
frieze  cloth  breeches,  with  the   waistband  very 


270 


INDIANS. 


low,  and  always  open  at  the  knees,  the  buttons 
being  for  ornament,  not  for  use.  Shirts  are 
seldom  worn  ;  the  legs  are  bare,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  pieces  of  hide  under  the  soles  of  the 
feet,  tied  sandal-fashion  round  the  instep  and 
toes. 


An  Englishman,  and  indeed  every  impartial 
traveller,  of  whatever  country  lie  may  be,  must 
admit,  in  spite  of  poetry,  that  the  most  beauti- 


EARLY    MARRIAGES.  271 

ful  women  in  the  world  are  the  English  ;  com- 
pared with  them,  the  female  Indians  are  far 
from  handsome,  but  I  have  seen  some  very 
finely  formed.  They  become  mothers  at  an  age 
which  in  England  is  considered  little  more 
than  that  of  childhood,  but  here  it  is  rather 
unusual  to  see  an  Indian  girl  who  has  passed 
her  fifteenth  year,  without  her  ivaw-waw  (child) 
upon  her  back. 

At  one  time,  the  Spanish  Government  passed 
a  law,  "pour  augmenter  le  nombre  des  gens  qui 
patent  le  tribut"  enacting,  that  all  Indians  of  the 
age  of  fifteen  should  marry  ;  and  fixing  the  age 
of  fourteen  for  the  male  Indians,  and  thirteen 
for  the  fennales,  as  a  fit  and  proper  age  to  enter 
into  the  marriage  state. 

It  has  been  truly  observed  that,  under  the 
ripening  sun  of  these  climates,  the  charms  and 
beauties  of  the  female  sex  are  developed  long- 
before  thoy  put  forth  their  blossoms  in  northern 
regions.  Their  decay,  however,  is  equally  pre- 
mature ;  women  may  be  seen  old  at  twenty. 

The  dress  of  the  female  Indians  consists  of  a 
petticoat,  worn  much  shorter  by  the  unmarried 
than  by  those  that  are  married,  and  a  scarf  of 
sundry  colours  round  the  shoulders,  which  is 
pinned  on  one  side  of  the  chest  with  a  topa,  a 
large  silver  pin,  occasionally  of  handsome  work- 


272 


CHOLAS. 


manship ;  but  sometimes  they  use  a  spoon,  the 
handle  of  which  being  pointed  serves  as  a  pin, 
in  a  manner  similar  to  that  in  which  the  an- 
cient Britons  used  bodkins  of  bone  and  ivory 
to  fasten  their  garments. 

Cholas,  those  descended  from  Spanish  and 
Indian  parents,  and  whom  some  call  "  native 
peasants,"  are  very  fond  of  dress  and  orna- 
ment ;  I  have  seen  them  with  topas  of  gold,  set 
with  pearls  and  precious  stones,  of  considerable 
value. 


In  the  course  of  this  day  I  was  agreeably 
surprised  by  a  flock  of  llamas  crossing  the 
road  sedately  before  me  ;  being  the  first  I  had 


LLAMAS.  273 

seen,  I  was  particularly  struck  with  their  ap- 
pearance ;  they  were  of  different  colours, 
brown,  black,  white,  piebald,  &c.  Their  fine 
mild  prominent  eye  proves  them  to  be,  what 
in  reality  they  are,  extremely  docile  and  gentle. 
They  carry  their  long  graceful  necks  somewhat 
like  the  camel,  of  which  the  llama,  in  the  words 
of  Buffon,  "  semble  etre  un  beau  diminutif"  for  the 
latter  is  infinitely  more  handsome,  and  without 
any  of  the  deformity  of  the  camel.  The  Indians 
use  them  for  carrying  burthens,  but  being  very 
slow,  they  do  not  travel  beyond  four  leagues 
a  day,  with  a  load  weighing  seldom  more 
than  seventy  pounds.  Buffon  describes  a  llama 
which,  at  the  time  he  saw  it,  had  been  eighteen 
months  without  drinking,  "  owing  to  the  great 
abundance  of  saliva,  which  keeps  the  mouth 
continually  moist.'1  I  recollect,  when  in  Egypt, 
my  astonishment  at  having  been  told  that  a 
camel,  on  which  I  was  mounted,  had  been  four- 
teen days  without  drinking. 

I  have  this  day  been  jogging  upon  my  am- 
bulating skeletons  from  four  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing until  past  eight  at  night,  and  have,  with 
wearisome  difficulty,  performed  little  more  than 
thirty -five  miles.  After  being  several  times 
wet  to  the  skin  with  rain  and  as  quickly  dried 
by  the  piercing  beams  of  the  sun,  I   stopped 

VOL.  I.  T 


274  QUIRBE    AND    ZOROPALCA. 

for  the  night  at  the  post  of  Quirbe,  and  spread 
my  bed  under  a  fig-tree,  the  foliage  of  which 
protected  me  from  the  rain  that  continued  to 
fall  till  day-light,  when  I  rose  and  continued 
my  journey  on — 

Saint  Patrick's  Day.  The  road  lay  in  and 
through  the  Jlio  Grande ;  for,  from  its  serpen- 
tine course  in  the  valley  through  which  it  flows, 
I  forded  it  sixteen  times  in  the  distance  of  four 
leagues.  On  one  occasion,  my  poor  feeble  ani- 
mal was  carried  away  by  the  current  against 
the  baggage-mule,  which  happened  to  be  to 
leeward,  and,  by  standing  steady,  enabled  us 
to  recover,  so  as  to  stem  the  stream  and  gain 
the  opposite  bank,  up  which  we  scrambled  in 
breathless  haste  and  alarm.  I  had  nothing  to 
complain  of  with  respect  to  being  wet,  for  the 
rain  which  poured  had  already  completely 
drenched  me,  but  the  coldness  of  the  river  was 
excessive.  The  mid-day  sun,  however,  came 
forth  as  powerfully  as  usual,  and  soon  both 
warmed  and  dried  me,  though  not  sooner  than 
I  was  again  drenched  ;  for  a  dreadful  thunder- 
storm suddenly  burst  over  the  valley,  accom- 
panied with  hail  and  rain  in  roaring  torrents, 
under  which  we  arrived,  men  and  beasts  (with- 
out much  overstraining  the  metaphor),  like 
drowned  rats,  at  the  cheerless,  comfortless  post 
of  Zoropalca. 


NO    HAI,    SENOR  !  275 

When  I  inquired  for  horses,  the  postmaster 
pointed  to  a  tree  close  in  front  of  his  hut,  and 
said,  "There  they  are,  all  ready!"  I  looked 
and  beheld  three  wretched  animals  standing 
under  the  tree,  shivering  with  chill  poverty, 
heads  hanging  pensively  downwards,  ears  back, 
eyes  half-closed,  and  bodies  shrivelled  up  into 
the  form  of  an  arch  for  the  convenience  of 
throwing  off  the  rain.  "  What !"  said  I,  "  have 
you  no  better  than  those  ?" — "  Better  or  worse, 
there  are  no  others  in  this  neighbourhood,"  said 
the  postmaster.  Upon  looking  at  my  watch, 
T  perceived  that  it  must  be  dark  night  before  I 
could  reach  the  next  post  with  such  ill-condi- 
tioned hacks  ;  but,  bad  as  they  were,  I  thought 
it  better  to  hobble  on,  even  through  the  storm, 
than  to  stop  all  night  in  a  place  where  nothing 
was  to  be  had,  for  when  I  asked  for  meat,  I  re- 
ceived the  customary  answer — "  No  hai,  Schorl" 
"  There  is  none,  Sir !" — for  potatoes,  "  No  hai, 
Sehor  /" — for  milk,  "  No  hai,  Sehor  /" — for  eggs, 
"  No  hai,  Senor  /" — "  What  have  you,  then  ?*' 
"  No  hai  nada,  Senor  /"  "  Nothing  at  all,  Sir !"  To 
form  a  true  idea  of  the  effect  of  this  dismal  an- 
nouncement of  famine  to  a  starving  traveller,  it 
is  requisite  to  have  heard  the  peculiarly  mourn- 
ful tone  in  which  "  No  hai,  Sehor  /"  "  No  hai 
nada,   Sehor  /"    is   sighed    out    of  the    mouths 

T  2 


276  DISAPPOINTMENT. 

of  these  people.  Poverty,  want,  misery,  and 
affliction,  are  conveyed  at  once  in  the  me- 
lancholy sentence,  and  a  single  glance  round 
the  abode  where  the  stranger  stops  confirms  its 
lamentable  truth. 

Whilst  I  stood  at  the  door  of  the  hut,  watch- 
ing the  animals  with  intense  interest  as  they 
fed  upon  a  few  stalks  of  Indian  corn  that  had 
been  sparingly  thrown  to  them,  and  pondering 
upon  the  unpromising  conclusion  of  the  day's 
journey,  a  courier  arrived  on  his  way  to  Potosi, 
and  by  virtue  of  his  office  claimed  a  prior  right 
to  the  mules  of  the  postmaster.  I  do  not  think 
that  five  minutes  by  a  stop-watch  could  have 
elapsed  before  the  courier  had  dismounted,  unsad- 
dled his  own  mules,  saddled  mine,  mounted  them, 
and  having,  as  a  farewell  salute,  civilly  touched 
his  hat,  saying  "  Adios,  Senor  /"  disappeared 
round  the  corner  of  a  projecting  rock  on  his 
road  to  Potosi.  I  looked  at  Jose — Jose  looked 
at  me :  I  looked  at  the  postmaster — the  post- 
master looked  at  me  :  I  thrust  both  hands  into 
my  breeches-pockets  ;  my  head  sunk  between 
my  shoulders,  or  my  shoulders  rose  above  my 
head,  I  don't  know  which  ;  but  whatever  can 
best  represent  confusion  and  disappointment 
will  best  represent  me.  I  broke  the  silence  of 
my  woe  by   asking   the   postmaster  questions 


MORE    DISAPPOINTMENT.  277 

which  I  might  easily  have  answered  myself: — 
"  Have  you  no  more  animals?" — "  No  hai, 
Senor  /" — "  Surely  you  can  procure  me  three  or 
four  asses  ?" — "  No  hai  tiada,  Se?ior  /" 

To  proceed  was  impossible,  but  being  of 
opinion  that  there  is  no  use  in  creating  a  civil 
war  in  the  passions  of  the  mind  for  what  cannot 
be  remedied,  I  resolved  upon  making  misery 
itself  amiable  by  patience  and  content.  I 
therefore  drew  off  my  boots,  that  were  con- 
verted into  water-cans,  and  prepared  to  change 
my  clothing,  which  adhered  to  my  body  like 
Dejanira's  garment ;  but,  upon  opening  my 
portmanteau,  I  found  that  I  should  gain  no- 
thing by  the  operation,  for  the  Rio  Grande, 
which  I  had  crossed  in  so  many  deep  places, 
and  no  doubt  the  rain  also,  had  gained  admit- 
tance and  soaked  into  every  thing  I  possessed. 
What  was  to  be  done  ?  I  had  still  a  remedy 
left — to  undress  and  go  into  my  comfortable 
bed,  whilst  Jose  should  wring  my  clothes  and 
hang  them  in  different  parts  of  the  post-hut 
to  dry  as  they  could.  Opening  my  bed  with 
this  intent,  I  was  something  more  than  dis- 
appointed at  finding  it  in  a  similar  state  with 
the  things  in  my  portmanteau,  being  literally 
soaked  through,  mattress,  blankets,  and  all.  I 
repeat,  that  1  was  something  more  than  disap- 


278  GREATER    DISAPPOINTMENT. 

pointed  at  this  accident,  because  it  might  have 
been  avoided.  The  oil-cloth  case  in  which  I 
carried  my  bed  was  sufficient  to  turn  any  rain, 
if  properly  placed ;  but,  in  the  present  instance, 
my  careful  Jose,  notwithstanding  repeated  di- 
rections to  place  it  upon  the  mule  with  the 
mouth  downwards,  had  packed  it  in  the  reverse 
direction,  and  that  so  accurately,  as  to  catch 
every  drop  of  rain  which  fell  upon  the  back  of 
the  animal. 

Enjoy  the  present  hour,  reckless  of  the  mor- 
row, says  some  philosopher ;  but  he  never 
meant  that  enjoyment  was  to  be  found  amongst 
half  a  dozen  Indian  huts  at  the  desolate  post 
of  Zoropalca. 

After  viewing  in  sorrowful  mood  the  dis- 
astrous state  of  all  my  worldly  conveniences, 
which  I  had  no  means  of  remedying,  I  resolved 
to— 

"  Keep  my  spirits  up  by  pouring  spirits  down," 

and  called  for  my  chifles  to  take  a  drop  of  com- 
fort :  but  no  such  comfort  was  at  hand ;  poor 
Jos6,  considering  himself  as  much  in  need  of  it 
as  his  master,  had  anticipated  me  upon  the 
road,  and  in  the  course  of  the  thunder-storm 
had  drained  my  bullock's-horns  of  the  last  drop 
they  contained.     This  was  indeed  reducing  my 


RELAY    OF    MULES.  279 

spirits  to  the  lowest  ebb  ;   yet,  after  all,  there  is 
nothing  very  extraordinary  in  self-preservation. 

I  moved  in  a  quick  quarter-deck  pace  up  and 
down  my  cheerless  habitation,  which  admitted 
of  the  range  of  a  fisherman's  walk,  "  three  steps 
and  overboard  !"  for  about  half  an  hour,  then 
sat  down  upon  a  sheep-skin  in  a  corner  to  seek 
consolation,  which  I  found  sooner  than  some 
persons  may  imagine,  in  the  reflection  that  I 
had  performed  so  long  a  journey  without  any 
accident  hitherto,  and  that  I  had  so  nearly  ac- 
complished it,  in  the  midst  of  the  worst  season 
of  the  year,  without  any  particular  annoyance, 
except  what  I  have  just  related.  When  I  sum- 
med up  accounts  on  all  sides,  I  found  the  ba- 
lance so  much  in  my  favour,  that  I  felt  inclined 
to  exult  rather  than  to  repine.  Sentiments  such 
as  these  caused  the  night  to  pass  away  without 
any  unusual  gloom  or  unhappiness. 

18th.  I  was  prepared  to  mount  before  day- 
break, but  had  not  the  means  of  doing  so,  and 
perhaps  I  should  have  been  doomed  to  pass  an- 
other day  in  this  desolate  place,  had  not  a  young 
Indian  volunteered,  for  a  fair  remuneration,  to 
go  into  the  mountains  and  collect  two  or  three 
nudes  for  my  use.  I  told  him,  through  my 
peon,  who  understood  Quichua,  the  original 
language  of  Peru,  that  I  was  willing  to  give 


280  CAIZA. 

any  money  if  animals  were  provided.  The  de- 
mand was  three  rials  (eighteen  pence),  which 
was  immediately  complied  with,  to  the  great 
joy  of  both  the  Indian  and  myself;  to  his, 
on  so  easily  obtaining  so  much  wealth,  and 
to  mine,  on  gaining  a  prospect  of  release  from 
the  bleak  dell  in  which  I  was  surrounded  by 
still  bleaker  mountains,  raising  their  rusrsred 
heads  to  the  clouds,  and  frowning  in  sullen  ma- 
jesty upon  the  few  living  beings  who  vegetated 
beneath,  but  who,  to  me  at  least,  were  human 
only  from  their  shape. 

The  Indian  returned  in  as  reasonable  a  time 
as  impatience  could  expect,  driving  before  him 
three  sorry  hacks,  one  of  which  I  selected  for 
myself,  another  for  Jose',  and  the  third  for  my 
wet  baggage.  Thus,  with  the  postilion  upon 
his  own  stout  legs,  fitter  for  the  journey  than 
all  of  us  put  together,  we  left  the  wild  moun- 
tainous desert  of  Zoropalca,  as  miserable-looking 
a  travelling  group  as  ever  was  met  with. 

After  hobbling  along  seven  tedious  leagues, 
through  a  narrow  rocky  valley,  and  most  of 
the  distance  actually  in  the  river  that  ran 
through  the  middle  of  it,  we  arrived  at  Caiza, 
a  decent,  small  village,  with  a  large  church, 
filled  with  Indians  on  their  knees  celebrating 
mass,  which  they  seldom  fail  to  attend,  but  of 


CA1ZA.  281 

which  they  understand  not  one  word,  though 
they  may  be  aware  of  the  solemnity  of  the  ce- 
remony and  the  nature  of  the  duties  connected 
with  it. 

For  want  of  animals  at  the  post,  I  was  com- 
pelled to  remain  at  Caiza  for  the  night,  but,  on 
paying  double  postage,  I  secured  three  mules 
for  the  following  day. 

Sunday,  19th.  Before  one  hour  after  mid- 
night, I  was  on  the  last  stage  of  my  journey  ;  a 
fine,  frosty,  star-light  morning  enlivening  the 
spirits,  which  were  already  elated  by  the  near 
approach  to  the  place  where  I  was  about  to 
establish  a  home. 

The  distance   from    Caiza  to  Potosi  is  not 

less  thant  forty  miles,  and,  as  the  intermediate 

post   is  altogether  destroyed,  there   is  neither 

change  of  horses,  nor  any  place  where  to  obtain 

refreshment. 

The  country  was  more  barren  and  more  bleak 
than  any  through  which  I  had  yet  travelled, 
but  still  the  scene  was  new  and  interesting; 
the  track  led  sometimes  almost  perpendicu. 
larly  up  and  down  high  rocky  mountains,  some- 
times along  their  steep  shelving  sides,  some- 
times through  a  ravine  or  a  valley,  and  some- 
times over  a  plain  of  little  verdure,  though 
covered  with  flocks  of  llamas,  the  only  animal 


282  APPROACH    TO    POTOSI. 

that  can  find  subsistence  on  this  unfruitful  and 
inhospitable  soil. 

As  the  camel  is  suited  to  the  sandy  deserts  of 
Arabia,  so  is  the  llama  to  the  barren  mountains 
of  Peru  :  each  is  particularly  adapted  to  its  re- 
spective country,  and  rendered  subservient  to 
the  use  of  man,  where  other  animals  would  pe- 
rish for  want  of  subsistence,  which  they  alone 
have  the  means  of  acquiring.  Here  again  we 
may  observe  that,  under  whatever  aspect  we 
view  the  works  of  Nature,  they  claim  for  their 
Divine  Author  the  tribute  of  our  admiration, 
our  reverence,  and  our  praise. 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  day  the  sun's 
heat  was  excessive,  notwithstanding  a  chill  pe- 
netrating wind,  which  came,  not  as  in  other 
climes,  from  "  the  sweet  south,  that  breathes 
upon  a  bank  of  violets,"  but  from  the  bleak 
south,  rushing  from  the  tops  of  distant  moun- 
tains covered  with  eternal  snow. 

The  road,  as  I  advanced,  although  in  no  re- 
spect improved  in  itself,  indicated  the  approach 
to  a  town  of  consideration.  It  was  no  longer 
an  unfrequented  solitude,  as  I  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  find  it.  Peasantry,  with  droves  of 
asses  and  flocks  of  beautiful  llamas,  were  to  be 
seen  passing  to  and  fro ;  some  strolling  lazily 
to  the  city,  laden  with  fruits,  vegetables,  In- 


MOUNTAIN    OF    POTOSI.  283 

dian  corn,  flour,  charcoal,  fire- wood,  and  other 
necessaries  ;  some  returning  from  the  market 
at  a  brisk  pace,  after  disposing  of  their  burdens, 
and  hastening  many  leagues  into  the  fruitful 
valleys  of  the  country  to  renew  them.  In- 
dians, male  and  female,  with  poultry,  milk, 
eggs,  and  sundry  commodities  for  consumption, 
enlivened  the  way,  and  apprized  the  hungry 
traveller  that,  although  surrounded  by  bleak, 
uncultivated,  and  uncultivable,  mountains,  he 
was  still  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

Suddenly  appeared  before  me,  in  the  distance, 
a  high  mountain  of  a  reddish  brown  colour,  in 
the  shape  of  a  perfect  cone,  and  altogether  dis- 
tinct in  its  appearance  from  any  thing  of  the 
kind  I  had  ever  seen.  There  was  no  mistaking 
it :  it  was  that  mountain  which  was  made 
known  to  the  world  by  the  merest  accident, 
by  an  Indian  who,  in  pursuit  of  a  llama  up  the 
steep,  to  save  himself  from  falling  caught  hold 
of  a  shrub,  which  being  torn  from  the  soil  ex- 
posed a  mass  of  solid  silver  at  the  roots ; — it  was 
that  mountain,  incapable  of  producing  even  a 
blade  of  grass,  which  yet  had  attractions  suffi- 
cient to  cause  a  city  to  be  built  at  its  base, 
at  one  time  containing  a  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants  ;  —  it  was  that  mountain,  whose 
hidden  treasures  have  withstood  the  laborious 


284  THE    IMPERIAL    CITY. 

plunder  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  and 
still  remain  unexhausted.  Having  said  thus 
much  of  the  new  and  striking  object  before  me, 
I  need  scarcely  add  that  it  was  the  celebrated 
mountain  of  Potosi. 

Onward  I  rode,  cheered  by  seeing  the  beacon 
which  indicated  the  termination  of  my  long 
journey ;  not  so  my  jaded  mule  ;  it  received  no 
stimulus  from  that  which  to  me  acted  as  an 
exhilarating  draught.  Forty  miles  upon  a  bad 
road  (my  mule  assured  me  it  was  full  forty- 
five)  is  a  wearisome  distance  before  breakfast 
for  either  man  or  beast ;  and  mine,  every  mile 
I  now  advanced,  gave  indubitable  evidence  of 
exhausted  strength  :  yet  the  means  of  refresh- 
ment were  far  distant  from  us  both.  Patience 
and  perseverance  were  our  only  solace;  and 
with  these  two  efficacious  virtues,  I  believe  in 
my  heart  honestly  adhered  to  by  both  of  us, 
we  mutually  assisted  each  other ;  I  by  alight- 
ing to  walk  up  hills  and  steeps,  the  mule, 
when  I  remounted,  by  jogging  on,  if  the  path 
happened  to  be  free  from  rocks  and  stones ; 
for  the  approach  even  to  the  Imperial  City  is 
nothing  more  than  a  rugged  path  tracked  out 
by  the  footsteps  of  men  and  animals. 

From  the  top  of  every  eminence  that  I  as- 
cended for  the  last  two  hours  of  my  journey, 


MOUNTAIN    OF    POTOSI. 


285 


I  felt  a  longing  expectation  of  obtaining  a  view 
of  the  town  ;  because  to  behold  even  at  a  dis- 
tance the  abode  of  rest,  at  the  conclusion  of  a 
long  voyage  or  journey,  is  a  consolation,  which 
every  traveller  anxiously  seeks  and  enjoys  with 
sensations  of  real  pleasure ;  but  this  consolation 
is  denied  in  approaching  Potosi ;  neither  house, 
nor  dome,  nor  steeple,  is  to  be  seen  at  a  distance. 


W    '  ! 


I  i  •  ■ : 


The    last  curve    round  the  base   of  the  silver 
mountain,    whose    pointed   top    was    now   far 


286  POST-HOUSE. 

above  my  head  in  a  cloudless  deep  blue  sky, 
brought  me  at  once  upon  the  town,  which, 
with  its  ruined  suburbs,  covered  a  vast  extent 
beneath  me,  and  in  ten  minutes  more  I  was  at 
the  post-house  in  the  centre  of  it. 

But  it  is  not  in  the  post-house,  that  the  tra- 
veller is  to  expect  repose  or  comfort,  for  even 
here  that  abode  is  no  better  than  the  worst 
in  any  miserable  village  ;  there  is  no  decent 
apartment  to  retire  to,  no  refreshment  to  be 
obtained,  no  bed  to  rest  upon,  not  even  a  chair 
to  sit  on,  nor  accommodation  of  any  kind. 

After  throwing  some  barley  to  my  poor 
mule,  I  sallied  forth  with  my  letters  of  intro- 
duction in  search  of  a  dinner ;  for,  although  I 
had  not  breakfasted,  dinner  hour  had  arrived, 
and  there  being  no  tavern  in  Potosi  wherein  to 
obtain  one,  I  was  obliged  to  sponge,  and  suc- 
ceeded to  my  infinite  gratification  in  the  house 
of  Don  Raymundo  Hereha,  a  respectable  shop- 
keeper, who  probably  never  before  had  such  a 
famished  guest  at  his  table. 

In  the  evening  I  sought  Monsieur  Garda,  the 
first  agent  dispatched  by  the  Directors  to  this 
country  upon  forming  the  Potosi  Association. 
Without  having  ever  before  seen  each  other, 
we  met  as  intimate  friends,  because  each  knew 
the  situation  of  each,  and  being  embarked   in 


GRATITUDE.  287 

the  same  boat,  the  feelings  of  companionship 
were  reciprocal.     After  much  interesting  con- 
versation with   Monsieur  Garda,   it  cannot  be 
matter  of  surprise,  that  gradually  my  suppres- 
sed yawns  should  have  given  frequent  notice 
of  defrauded  sleep,  and  intimated  my  desire  to 
wish  "  good  night."     1  retired  to  a  very  toler- 
able house,  rented  for  the  Association,  in  one  of 
the  empty  unfurnished  rooms  of  which  I  made 
myself  a  bed  ;  and   I  believe  that,  before  the 
sun  had  withdrawn  his  last  ray  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain  of  Potosi,  I  might  have 
been  numbered  among  the  happy  upon  earth, 
if  happiness    consists    in    undisturbed    repose, 
free    from  all    the    cares  and  troubles  of  the 
world.     And  as  gratitude,  genuine,  undissem- 
bled  gratitude,  to  our  benefactors,  is  one  of  the 
best,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  pleasing  and 
soothing  sensations  of  the  human  mind,  I  may 
perhaps  have  experienced  some  small  share  of 
its   balmy   influence,  in  the   grateful    remem- 
brance of  what   I  felt  to  be  due  to  our  first 
and  greatest  Benefactor  —  "  even  the  God  who 
helpeth  us,  and  poureth  His  benefits  upon  us.'* 


288  THE    MOUNTAIN    OF    POTOSI. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Rapturous  effusion  of  a  Native,  on  the  riches  produced  from 
the  mines  of  Potosi.— A  stroll  through  the  city. — Zorochi. — 
Climate  of  Potosi. — Visit  to  the  summit  of  the  Mountain. 
— Its  height. — City  of  Potosi  higher  than  Quito. — Me- 
thod of  extracting  the  Silver  from  the  ores.  —  Wanton 
destruction  of  mining  property. — Mistaken  notions  of  Eu- 
ropeans respecting  Mines  and  Mining  in  South  America. 
— Enormous  wealth  extracted  from  the  Mountain  of  Potosi. 

Potosi,  March  20,  1826.  Early  to  bed  with 
those  who  are  not  naturally  of  a  lazy  habit  oc- 
casions early  rising.  Before  the  first  bell  tolled 
for  mass  in  the  neighbouring  church  of  Santo 
Domingo,  I  was  already  in  the  principal  square 
of  the  town,  looking  up  with  admiration  at  the 
wonderful  mountain,  which  rises  like  a  colossal 
sugar-loaf  above  it  to  the  height  of  nearly  three 
thousand  feet,  and  which,  although  half  an 
hour's  walk  distant,  yet  seems  so  close,  that  if  it 
were  to  fall  over  it  would,  to  all  appearance, 
overwhelm  the  whole  city. 


NATIVE    ELOQUENCE.  289 

A  South  American,  who  ascended  to  the  top 
of  this  mountain,  has  given  us  the  following  effu- 
sion upon  the  good  and  bad  effects  of  the  riches  it 
has  produced.  "  The  sublimity  of  the  surround- 
ing scenery  did  not  so  much  interest  my  feel- 
ings as  the  celebrated  mountain  which  has  pour- 
ed forth  i  ts  lavas  of  silver  upon  the  world — to 
animate  enterprize  and  reward  industry ;  to  pam- 
per the  luxurious  and  minister  to  the  comforts 
of  the  sober  and  virtuous  ;  to  disseminate  know- 
ledge and  religion ;  and  to  spread  the  desola- 
tions of  war ;  marshalling  armies  in  the  field  and 
pointing  the  thunder  of  navies  upon  the  ocean  ; 
filling  cities  with  monuments  of  taste  and  art, 
and  overwhelming  them  with  ruin  ;  founding 
mighty  empires  and  levelling  them  in  the  dust : 
inciting,  in  short,  to  virtue  and  to  crime,  and 
being  the  source  of  much  good,  and  the  root  of 
all  evil  in  the  world."* 

The  morning  air  was  sharp  and  dry,  and 
resembled  altogether  one  of  our  finest  March 
days,  but  at  noon  the  sun  was  hotter  than  in 
our  month  of  August.  The  brilliancy  of  the 
dark  blue  sky,  without  even  a  vestige  of  a 
cloud,  was  peculiarly  remarkable.  Humboldt 
observes  that,  "  on  the  Cordilleras  the  azure  is 

*  Pazo's  Letters  on  South  America. 
VOL.  I.  U 


290       GENERAL    APPEARANCE    OF    FOTOSI. 

less  blended  with  white,  because  there  the  air 
is  constantly  of  an  extreme  dryness." 

The  streets  were  cleaner  than  those  of  any 
town  I  had  hitherto  seen  in  South  America, 
and  the  practice  of  whitewashing  the  outside 
of  all  the  houses  added  considerably  to  the 
appearance  of  cleanliness.  This,  however,  does 
not  apply  to  the  inside,  where  every  thing  is 
filthy,  with  few  exceptions,  even  in  the  first 
houses,  some  of  which,  like  the  stable  of  Au- 
geas,  seem  not  to  have  been  cleaned  for  thirty 
years. 

The  Indians,  who  compose  one  half  of  the 
inhabitants,  are,  in  every  sense  of  the  expression, 
"  a  swinish  multitude,"  but  those  who  consi- 
der themselves  so  much  their  superiors  are  not, 
in  every  particular,  a  great  deal  better.  Twenty 
years  ago,  the  population  of  this  city  was  re- 
duced to  half  of  what  it  once  contained,  and 
now  it  does  not  exceed  twelve  thousand  souls. 

I  entered  two  or  three  of  the  plundered  and 
dismantled  churches,  the  walls  of  which  for- 
merly were,  in  some  instances,  literally  covered 
with  decorations  of  pure  silver.  1  strolled 
round  that  immense  uncouth  pile,  the  Casa 
Moneda,  or  Royal  Mint,  erected  at  the  cost  of 
two  millions  of  dollars.  The  common  average 
coined  within  its  walls  for  many  years  was  four 


THE    CATHEDRAL.  291 

millions  annually,  being  at  the  rate  of  upwards 
of  ten  thousand  dollars  a-day  the  whole  year 
round. 

On   one  side  of  the  principal  square  of  the 
city  stands  the  government-house,  a  long,  low 
range  of  building,  including  Salas  tie  Justicia, 
the  gaol,  and  a  guard-house.     Another  side  of 
the  square  is  occupied  by  a  prodigious  heap  of 
gray  granite,  a  work  which  the  Spaniards  com- 
menced twenty  years  ago,  and  which  the  pre- 
sent government  are  slowly  continuing :  when 
finished,  it  is  to  be  consecrated,  and  called  the 
Cathedral.     Such   an   unsightly  mass  of  stone 
I  never  before  beheld.     It  has  been  profanely 
imagined,  that  if  the  pains  and  expense  which 
it  has  cost  had  been  bestowed   in  making  fit 
approaches  to  the  town,  it  would  have  been  a 
work  to  the  full  as  profitable  for  the  soles  and 
bodies  of  the  public.     In  the  middle  of  the 
same  square,  a  sample  of  architecture  worthy 
of  the  architect  of  the  cathedral  has  lately  been 
erected.     I  supposed  it  to  be  a  shot-manufac- 
tory, and  my  servant,  whom  I  had  occasion  to 
send  in  that  direction,  inquired  "  If  his  way  was 
not  past  the  big  chimney  ?"     We  wrere  both 
mistaken  :  it  is  a  national  trophy  in  honour  of 
the  Liberator  Simon  Bolivar. 

The  annexed  plate  is  taken  from  a  coloured 
u  2 


292  COSTUME    OF    THE    PERUVIANS. 

drawing  by  a  Cholo  native  of  Potosi  in  very 
humble  life,  and  a  self-taught  genius :   it  re- 
presents an  assemblage  of  various  persons   in 
front  of  the  newly-erected  cathedral ;  the  officer 
on  the  right  is  colonel  of  the  Colombian  regi- 
ment of  Bogota,  in  garrison  at  Potosi :  the  lady 
he  is  addressing  is  a  Creole  of  the  upper  class 
of  society.     The  gentleman   enveloped  in  his 
capa  (cloak),  is  one  of  the  deputies  of  the  city 
to  the  Congress  of  the  Republic ;  he  is  speaking 
to  a  Chola  in  the  dress  usually  worn  by  that 
caste    in   Peru,  and  which   is    sometimes    ex- 
tremely costly.     On  the  left  of  the  Chola  is  a 
Franciscan  friar,  on  whose  right  is  a  maestro,  or 
artizan,  with  his  poncho,  according  to  custom, 
carelessly    hanging   over    his   shoulders.      The 
woman    in    front,    with    her    waw-waw,   is   an 
Indian  inhabitant  of  the  city  ;  her  dress  differs 
from  that  of  the   peasant   Indian,   as  may  be 
seen  by  the  female  on  the  left,  with  her  home- 
manufactured  shawl  and  scarf,  her  large  silver 
topas  in  the  breast,  and  on  her  feet  sandals  of 
hide — the    simplicity  of  the  latter  forming  a 
wide  contrast  with  the  gaudy  and  elaborately 
ornamented  shoe  of  her  sister,  the  city  dame> 
who    seldom   pays  less    than    three   or    four, 
and  sometimes  so  much  as   ten  dollars,  for  a 
single  pair.     In  the  annexed  drawing  of  these 


COSTUME    OF    THE    PERUVIANS.  293 

shoes,  it  may  be  seen  that  the  toes  project 
beyond  the  sole,  but,  from  the  great  thickness 
of  the  latter,  the  toes  never  touch  the  ground 
in  walking  ;  the  heel  part,  which  extends  some- 
tiling  like  a  small  fan  when  open,  is  highly 
adorned  with  shreds  of  cloth  of  sundry  colours, 
spangles,  gold  and  silver  tissue,  &c. ;  the  whole 
is  secured  to  the  foot  by  means  of  a  strip  of 
black  cloth,  which  is  tied  over  the  instep  in  a 
large  bow\  The  man  on  the  left  of  the  picture 
is  a  Peruvian  Indian  peasant,  in  his  usual  dress, 
with  his  coca-pouch  hanging  to  his  side.*  The 
foregoing  explanation  of  the  plate  will,  by  some 
persons,  it  is  hoped,  be  considered  convenient ; 
those  who  have  visited  Potosi  will  need  no 
explanation,  for  I  am  satisfied  they  will  admit 
that  the  costumes  in  every  particular  are  per- 
fectly correct. 

In  continuing  my  stroll  through  the  town 
I  visited  the  conchas,  (booths,)  in  the  public 
market-place,  where  I  had  no  expectation  of 
seeing  such  abundance  of  every  thing  in  the 
midst  of  a  barren  mountainous  desert.  Beef, 
mutton,  pork,  llama,  (which  resembles  in  taste 
lean  mutton,  and  being  very  cheap  is  used  by 

*  Coca  is  an  aromatic  and  bitter  leaf  which  the  Peruvian 
Indians  chew,  and  are  even  more  fond  of  than  the  most 
inveterate  tobacco-chewer  of  his  quid. 


294  POTATOES. 

the  poorer  classes,)  were  all  to  be  had,  but  not 
such  as  in  the  cities  of  Europe,  would  be  called 
prime  meat.  Fruits  and  vegetables  were  in 
plenty  ;  of  these,  some  would  have  been  es- 
teemed in  Co  vent-garden,  and  others,  being 
peculiar  to  the  climate,  were  such  as  Covent- 
garden  has  never  had  to  boast  of.  There  were 
many  different  varieties  of  potatoes,  some  of 
which  I  had  never  before  seen,  but  this  being 
their  native  country,  I  was  disappointed  in  not 
seeing  a  finer  display.  This  nursery-filling  vege- 
table, to  which  Cobbett  has  so  great  an  aver- 
sion, is  called,  in  the  language  of  the  country, 
papa  ;  throughout  Peru  it  is  in  general  use,  and 
held  in  as  high  estimation  as  in  Ireland.  Papas 
form  the  principal  food  of  the  Indians,  or  rather 
the  principal  ingredient  of  their  food  ;  for  they 
seem  to  understand  the  art  of  cookery  infinitely 
better  than  the  lower  class  of  Irish,  who  pretty 
generally  exist  upon  the  simple  "  potato  and 
salt,"  in  many  cases  without  a  "  sup  of  milk," 
and  sometimes,  such  is  their  poverty,  without 
even  a  "  grain  of  salt"  to  relish  their  mawkish 
meal. 

The  Indians  prepare  their  olla  (round  earthen 
pot)  in  a  very  savoury  and  substantial  manner ; 
their  native  llama  affords  them  meat,  salt  is 
obtained  in  sundry  districts  in  immense  blocks, 


MAIZE.  295 

aji  (Guinea  pepper)  they  have  in  abundance, 
and  are  extremely  fond  of.  To  these  ingre- 
dients the  papa  is  added  in  considerably  the 
greater  proportion,  also  maize,  (Indian  corn,) 
the  excellence  of  which  as  food,  and  the  va- 
rious ways  in  which  it  is  dressed  for  both  rich 
and  poor  in  this  country,  seem  altogether  un- 
known in  Europe.  Should  Cobbett  succeed  in 
his  meritorious  endeavour  to  encourage  the  cul- 
tivation of  maize  in  England,  his  name  will  be 
cherished  with  gratitude  by  future  generations, 
when,  as  the  notorious  author  of  the  "Register" 
he  may  probably  be  forgotten  and  unknown,  as 
though  he  had  never  lived.  I  must  not  omit 
mentioning  a  species  of  food  made  from  the 
potato,  and  called  here  chunu,  which  is  consi- 
dered a  great  delicacy,  and  was  held  in  estima- 
tion in  the  days  of  the  Incas.  I  am  not  certain 
of  the  exact  method  by  which  chunu  is  made, 
but  the  first  process  is  to  freeze  the  potatoes 
thoroughly,  then  to  pound  them  and  dry  them 
in  the  sun,  in  which  state  they  will  keep  even 
for  years,  and  form  a  wholesome  and  substan- 
tial food. 

In  my  saunter  through  the  town,  if  I  did  not 
see  any  thing  to  prepossess  me  in  favour  of  my 
new  residence,  I  saw  nothing  that  created  a 
contrary  effect.     Indeed,  every  thing  appeared 


296  SCANTY    FURNITURE. 

to  me  much  better  than  I  bad  been  led  to  ex- 
pect from  the  accounts  I  had  previously  re- 
ceived. 

When  I  returned  to  my  lodging,  I  found 
fresh  eggs,  tolerable  milk,  intolerable  butter,  in- 
different bread,  and  excellent  chocolate,  spread 
upon  the  floor  of  my  apartment ;  for  I  have  be- 
fore observed  that  the  house  was  taken  unfur- 
nished, and  although  the  family  still  occupied 
one  wing,  and  had  not  removed  their  goods 
and  chattels,  they  had  no  table  to  spare ;  which 
I  mention  as  a  slight  proof  of  the  lack  of  the 
comforts  and  conveniences  of  life  in  the  present 
state  of  society  in  South  America. 

I  had  not  been  many  days  at  Potosi,  when  I 
was  seized,  as  strangers  generally  are,  with  a 
severe  attack  of  dysentery,  which  in  eight-and- 
forty  hours  weakened  me  to  such  a  degree 
that  I  could  not,  without  difficulty,  totter  across 
my  room ;  and  there  being  no  medical  advice 
whatever  to  be  had,  I  was  obliged  to  follow 
that  of  my  peon,  who,  in  pure  pity  of  my  case, 
purchased  a  quantity  of  cream  of  tartar,  of 
which  he  gave  me  several  doses,  and  certainly 
I  found  relief,  but  whether  from  the  medicine 
or  from  Nature  I  pretend  not  to  say. 

In  walking,  I  soon  experienced  that  difficulty 
in   breathing  which  is  occasioned  by  the  ex- 


CLIMATE.  297 

treme  rarity  of  the  air,  and  which  even  the 
natives  and  animals  are  subject  to.  The  royal 
sport  of  horse-racing  cannot  be  attempted  here, 
for  horses  appear  to  suffer  from  the  zorochi 
more  than  men ;  I  have  heard  many  instances 
of  their  dropping  down  and  expiring  when 
pressed  up  a  hill. 

The  climate  of  Potosi  I  have  found,  as  had 
been  previously  mentioned  to  me,  to  present 
each  day  the  changes  of  the  four  seasons  of  the 
year.  The  early  part  of  the  morning  is  piercing 
cold ;  the  forenoon  is  like  our  finest  March 
day ;  from  noon  till  about  two  or  three  o'clock 
the  sun  is  broiling  hot,  whilst  in  the  shade  it  is 
not  only  cool,  but  very  cold.  It  was  out  of  my 
power  to  ascertain  the  exact  difference  of  tem- 
perature, for  there  is  not  in  the  imperial  city 
one  single  thermometer,  and  those  which  we 
brought  from  England  have  all  been  broken  on 
our  journey.  The  evenings  and  early  part  of 
the  nights  are  usually  serene,  and  sometimes  of 
a  summer's  mildness.  The  Creoles  seem  to  be 
extremely  sensible  of  cold,  for  they  consider 
this  climate  an  eternal  winter,  which  they 
divide  into  "  the  dry  winter  and  wet  win- 
ter ;"  but  the  Indians  (although  like  the  Irish 
peasantry,  half  naked)  are  not  so  delicate.  My 
own  opinion,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 


298  VISIT    TO    THE    MOUNTAIN. 

all  my  countrymen  who  visit  this  place  must 
be  of  the  same,  is,  that,  upon  a  fair  estimate, 
we  may  consider  it  fine,  wholesome,  bracing, 
and  by  no  means  unpleasant  weather. 

I  have  observed  that  we  are  all  liable  upon 
arriving  here  to  a  seA^ere  attack  of  illness,  but 
if  it  passes  away,  and  good  health  returns  as 
quickly  as  it  has  to  me,  there  can  be  no  cause 
for  complaint. 

16th.  Our  chief  commissioner  and  his  party 
have  arrived  at  Potosi,  where  he  has  been 
kindly  received  by  the  prefect  and  all  the  local 
authorities,  who  offer  their  services  in  every 
possible  way,  in  promoting  the  object  of  his 
mission.  Indeed,  we  receive  from  all  parties 
the  most  cordial  congratulations,  hailing  our 
establishment  as  the  advent  of  prosperity  to 
the  country,  and  supposing  it  to  be  the  open- 
ing of  an  intercourse  with  England  from  which 
the  happiest  results  are  anticipated. 

22nd.  This  fine  frosty  morning,  having  form- 
ed a  party  to  visit  the  mountain,  we  ascended 
to  the  summit,  which  it  generally  takes  about 
two  hours  to  accomplish. 

When  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  way,  we  dis- 
mounted from  our  mules,  and  leaving  them  in 
charge  of  an  Indian  at  the  entrance  of  a  mine, 
we  proceeded  on  foot  to  the  peak,  where,  in 
scrambling  up,  care  was  requisite  to  avoid  kick- 


RAREFACTION    OF    THE    AIR.  299 

ing  the  loose  stones,  with  which  the  surface  of 
the  mountain  is  covered,  upon  those  who  follow- 
ed. The  difficulty  of  respiration  in  ascending 
was  very  great,  owing  to  the  extreme  rarity  of 
the  air  at  so  unusual  a  height  above  the  level  of 
the  sea.  Some,  according  to  the  weakness  of 
their  constitution,  or  the  delicacy  of  their  lungs, 
felt  this  difficulty  more  than  others  of  a  stronger 
habit ;  I  myself  was  of  the  latter.  Those  who 
have  read  the  remarks  of  scientific  travellers 
upon  the  effect  produced  by  the  rarefaction  of 
the  air  in  high  situations,  will  have  learned  that 
it  arises  from  the  lightness  of  the  atmosphere 
no  longer  contributing  by  its  compression  on 
the  vessels  to  the  retention  of  the  blood,  which, 
on  its  side,  always  maintains  the  power  of  action. 
This  great  rarefaction  hastens  lassitude,  and 
contributes  to  exhaustion,  for  respiration  be- 
comes extremely  oppressive  at  every  exertion. 
Cold  also  increases  in  proportion  as  we  are 
lifted  into  the  atmosphere :  the  more  elevated 
the  situation  the  more  penetrating  it  becomes. 
There  is  another  singularity  which  is  pecidiar 
to  the  elevated  parts  of  the  Cordilleras,  (and 
which  I  have  experienced  at  Potosi,)  that  is, 
when  you  pass  out  of  the  shade  into  the  sun, 
or  vice  versa,  a  greater  difference  or  alteration  is 
felt  in  the  temperature  of  the  air  than  when  in 
the  plains.     There  are  times,  when  the  sun  is 


300  HEIGHT    OF    THE    CERItO. 

exceedingly  powerful,  that  one  step  only  into 
the  shade  is  necessary  to  make  you  sensible  of 
the  cold. 

The  distance  distinctly  seen  from  the  top  of 
the  mountain  is  such  as  the  atmosphere  of  Eu- 
rope no  where  admits ;  for  here,  five  days  out  of 
every  six  throughout  the  year  are  of  a  clearness 
and  brilliancy  unparalleled  in  the  Old  World.* 
The  height  of  the  Cerrof  del  Potosi  has  been 
ascertained  by  Dr.  Redhead  to  be  15,981  feet 
above  the  level   of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  which 
agrees  within  eleven  feet  with  a  more  recent 
measurement   by  Mr.  Pentland,  a    gentleman 
who  has  travelled  through  Peru  on  scientific 
pursuits,  and  with  whom  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
becoming  acquainted  at  Potosi.     According  to 
the  computations  of  those  gentlemen,  the  town 
of  Potosi  is  situated  at  an  elevation  of  13,265 
feet  above  the  same  level,  being  probably  the 
highest  inhabited  place  upon  the  globe,  which 
certainly  is  not  generally  known ;  for  the  farm 
of  Antisana,  in    the   province   of   Quito,   has 
hitherto  passed  for  considerably  the  highest  in- 
habited spot.     M.  Humboldt,  in  his  "  Tabic  of 

*  De  foibles  lunettes  transportees  d'  FAirope  mix  Indes  pa- 
roissent  y  avoir  augment  e  du  force,  tant  la  transparence  de  fair 
y  est  grande  ct  constante.  Humb.  Tabl.  Phys.  des  Reg. 
Equitoriales. 

f  Cerro,  means  a  rugged  mountain. 


NOT    OF    VOLCANIC    ORIGIN.  301 

heights,  measured  in  different  parts  of  the 
globe,"  gives  to  Antisana  the  elevation  of 
2,107  toises,  (say  13,000  feet,)  and  remarks,  that 
"  it  is  without  doubt  one  of  the  highest  in- 
habited spots  on  the  earth."  It  cannot  be 
supposed  lie  would  have  thus  particularized  a 
"  farm  house,"  had  he  been  aware  of  the  ele- 
vation of  so  considerable  a  city  as  Potosi,  which 
he  does  not  even  mention,  but  gives  the  city 
of  Quito  (9,621  feet)  as  the  next  highest  place, 
though  not  so  high,  by  3,600  feet,  as  the  city 
of  Potosi. 

It  has  been  asserted  by  some,  that  the  cerro 
of  Potosi  is  of  volcanic  origin  ;  but  this  I  have 
heard  contradicted  in  the  most  positive  man- 
ner. For  myself,  I  presume  not  to  offer  any 
opinion  on  the  subject ;  geology  is  a  science 
which,  till  very  lately,  has  been  strangely  neg- 
lected in  England,  even  by  those  who  have 
received  the  most  liberal  education.*  I  may 
however  observe  that,  having  visited  Vesuvius 
and  Etna,  I  saw  nothing  in  or  about  the  com- 
position of  the  mountain  of  Potosi  that  resem- 

*  In  the  dedication  of  the  "  Reliquiae  Diluvianee,"  Pro- 
fessor Buckland  alludes  to  his  "  endeavours  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  the  University  to  the  subject  of  geology,  in  order 
to  combine  with  those  branches  of  study  which  are  more 
strictly  academical  the  cultivation  of  this  new  and  interest- 
ing science." 


f302  POTOSI    THE    YOUNGER. 

bled  or  reminded  me  of  either  of  those  vol- 
canoes. Our  chief  miner  in  vain  endeavoured 
to  discover  on  or  near  the  mountain  any  thing- 
like  pumice-stone,  which  would  have  been  a 
convincing  proof  of  volcanic  origin  had  any 
such  been  found. 

On  the  side  next  to  the  town,  and  at  the 
foot  of  the  great  mountain,  rising  as  it  were 
against  it,  is  a  smaller,  called  by  the  Indians  in 
the  Quichna  language,  Huayna  Potoc-si,  (son 
of  Potosi,  or  Potosi  the  younger.)  It  facili- 
tates the  ascent  to,  but  does  not  partake  of  the 
riches  of,  the  former,  almost  every  stone  of 
which  is  in  some  degree  metalliferous.  There 
are,  however,  in  the  small  mountain  some 
mines  from  which  considerable  quantities  of 
silver  have  been  extracted.  In  the  large  one 
there  are  not  less  than  five  thousand  bocas  minas, 
(mouths  of  mines  ;)  but  it  does  not  follow  that 
there  are  five  thousand  distinct  mines,  for  seve- 
ral mines  have  two,  and  some  three,  different 
mouths  or  entrances.  This  may  convey  a  to- 
lerably fair  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
cerro  is  perforated,  but  no  idea  can  be  formed 
of  the  nature  and  state  of  the  mines  themselves, 
which  have  been  worked  from  their  discovery 
to  the  present  day,  without  the  slightest  re- 
gard to  method  or  even  to  common  convenience. 
I  entered  several,   in   which   I  was  obliged   to 


MINES    OF    FOTOSI.  303 

crawl  for  many  yards  on  my  hands  and  feet ; 
an  estimate  may  thence  be  formed  of  the  dis- 
advantage at  which  the  labourers  work,  and  of 
the  great  loss  of  time  that  must  ensue  in  con- 
veying the  ores  out  of  the  mines  in  sheep-skin 
aprons,  as  practised  by  the  Indians. 

It  has  been  remarked,  that  to  describe  the 
nature  of  the  various  ores,  and  the  mode  of  ex- 
tracting them  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and 
to  explain  the  several  processes  by  which  the 
metals  are  separated  from  the  substances  with 
which  they  are  mingled,  either  by  the  action  of 
fire  or  the  attractive  powers  of  mercury,  is  more 
peculiarly  the  province  of  the  natural  philoso- 
pher or  the  chymist.  Although,  however,  I  am 
neither  philosopher  nor  chymist,  I  shall  here 
relate,  and  I  trust  with  sufficient  exactness  for 
general  comprehension,  the  method  of  extract- 
ing the  metal  from  the  ores,  as  practised  by  the 
azogueros*  of  Potosi,  from  the  operation  in  the 
mine  to  the  production  of  the  mass  of  silver 
called  piiia,  and  the  sale  of  it  in  the  national 
bank. 

As  many  Indians  as  can  work  in  the  space 
within    the   mine   are    employed   with    imple- 

*  Azoguero,  a  name  given  to  the  proprietor  of  a  mining- 
establishment,  is  derived  from  azoguc,  quicksilver,  which 
is  the  chief  ingredient  used  in  the  process  of  extracting  the 
precious  metals  from  their  ores. 


304  METHOD    OF    MINING. 

ments  and  gunpowder  in  detaching  the  ore 
from  the  veins  in  which  it  is  found.  The 
pieces  so  detached  are  carried  out  to  the 
mouth  of  the  mine,  where  they  are  broken 
and  reduced  to  small  and  nearly  equal  sizes, 
resembling  the  stones  broken  for  repairing  roads 
upon  Macadam's  principle.  In  this  state  they 
are  put  into  sacks,  and  conveyed  to  the  ingenio 
(the  laboratory,  or  amalgamation  works)  upon 
asses  and  llamas,  the  former  carrying  125 
pounds  each,  and  the  latter  half  that  quantity  : 
forty  ass  loads  make  the  measure  called  a  caron, 
which  contains  5000  pounds  weight.  If  the 
ore  is  quite  dry,  it  is  discharged  into  a  store- 
house ;  if  wet  or  damp,  it  is  spread  in  a  place 
called  pampeo,  where  it  is  exposed  to  the  sun  till 
dry.  It  is  next  pounded  to  powder,  by  means  of 
a  heavy  and  awkward  stamping-mill,  moved  by 
a  water-wheel,  after  which  it  is  passed  through 
wire  sieves.  The  men  attending  this  last  ope- 
ration are  obliged  to  stuff  their  nostrils  and  ears 
with  cotton,  and  wear  a  sort  of  mask  to  protect 
them  from  the  noxious  dust;  which  is  so  inju- 
rious to  health,  that  the  place  where  the  sifting 
is  carried  on  is  jocularly  called  mata  gente,  i.  e. 
"  the  kill  people ;"  and  a  serious  joke  it  has 
proved  to  the  poor  Indians  for  the  last  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years. 

The  ore,  now  reduced  to  powder,  is  taken 


PROCESS    OF    AMALGAMATION.  305 

to  the  buitron,  a  large  horizontal  pavement  in 
the  middle  of  the  ingenio,  where  it  is  deposited 
in  heaps  of  twenty-five  hundred  weight  each. 
Twenty  of  these  heaps,  which  are  called  cuerpos, 
form  one  lava,  or  washing,  of  ten  ca.vones,  which 
is  the  usual  quantity  worked  by  one  machine 
weekly  ;  the  azogueros,  or  mine  proprietors  of 
the  present  day,  not  having  sufficient  capital 
to  work  upon  a  larger  scale. 

The  twenty  cuerpos  of  pulverized  ore  being 
placed  in  the  buitron,  a  small  quantity  of  water, 
with  from  100  to  150  pounds  of  salt,*  is  thrown 
into  each  heap,  to  which,  when  well  mixed, 
quicksilver  is  added,  according  to  the  judgment 
of  the  bcnejiciador,  "  amalgamator,"  who,  pre- 
vious to  these  operations,  assays  the  ore  and 
ascertains  its  richness,  which  enables  him  to 
judge  with  precision  the  quantity  required,  and 
which  is  augmented  in  proportion  to  the  rich- 
ness of  the  ore.  A  great  part  of  this  quicksilver 
is  subsequently  recovered  ;  but  the  ascertained 
certain  loss,  according  to  this  method  of  amal- 
gamation, is  half  a  pound  of  quicksilver  for 
every  half  pound  of  silver  that  is  produced.f 

*  There  are  inexhaustible  deposits  of  salt  within  two  or 
three  days'  journey  from  Potosi. 

t  In  Mexico,  the  azogueros  lose,  I  believe,  generally  from 
eleven  to  fourteen  ounces  of  mercury  for  every  eight  ounces 
of  silver  extracted  from  the  ores. 

VOL.    I.  X 


306  PROCESS    OF    AMALGAMATION. 

After  the  quicksilver  has  been  incorporated, 
water  is  again  added  to  the  heaps  until  they 
become  a  thick  mud,  which  is  worked  up  every 
day  by  peones  trampling  it  with  their  naked 
feet,  and  stirring  it  with  shovels.  The  amal- 
gamator observes  the  state  of  these  masses  each 
day,  and  orders  the  addition  of  lime,  or  lead, 
or  tin,  or  vitriol,  or  quicksilver,  as  the  case 
may  require,  to  facilitate  the  amalgamation  of 
the  mercury  and  silver. 

At  the  end  of  fifteen  days,  or  thereabouts, 
when  it  is  considered  that  the  quicksilver  has 
collected  all  the  particles  of  silver  which  the 
ore  contained,  the  process  of  amalgamation 
is  concluded,  and  that  of  the  lava  (washing) 
takes  place.  This  operation  is  performed  in  a 
kind  of  pit,  the  bottom  of  which  is  upon  an 
inclined  plane,  with  a  small  door  arranged  like 
a  sluice.  All  the  cuerpos,  or  heaps,  are  carried 
into  it,  and  water  is  let  in  upon  them  by  means 
of  conduits,  whilst  two  men  with  shovels  are 
constantly  stirring  and  assisting  in  liquidating 
the  mass.  This  gradually  runs  off  by  the  small 
opening  at  the  sluice,  and  falls  into  a  well 
about  three  feet  deep,  in  the  bottom  of  which 
the  quicksilver  and  silver  from  the  ore  are 
caught,  whilst  the  earth  and  other  lighter  im- 
purities are  carried  off  by  the  running  water 


PROCESS    OF    AMALGAMATION.  307 

Lest,  however,  any  of  the  silver  or  quicksilver 
should  escape,  there  is  a  second  well,  about  six 
or  eight  yards  from  the  first,  into  which  the 
water  is  conducted  ;  and  beyond  this  there  is  a 
third  well,  which  receives  whatever  may  not 
have  been  deposited  in  the  first  two.  A  lava  of 
ten  caxones  takes  eight  or  ten  hours  to  complete. 

When  the  washing  is  finished,  the  silver  and 
quicksilver  deposited  in  the  wells  are  taken  out, 
and  put  into  a  strong  cloth,  in  which  they  are 
squeezed  until  as  much  quicksilver  as  can  be 
thus  expressed  runs  off.  The  mass  which  re- 
mains in  the  cloth  is  called  pclla.  This  mass  is 
put  into  a  wooden  mould,  and  pounded  down 
with  great  force  by  a  wooden  pounder.  During 
this  operation,  a  farther  quantity  of  quicksilver 
is  squeezed  out,  and  escapes  by  a  small  aperture 
at  the  bottom  of  the  mould.  When  the  quick- 
silver ceases  to  run,  the  mass,  now  called  piiia, 
is  taken  out  of  the  mould,  which  has  given  it 
a  pyramidal  form,  resembling  a  sugar-loaf  in 
size  and  shape,  excepting  that  the  former  is 
octagonal. 

The  pina,  to  undergo  its  last  operation,  is 
placed  in  a  sort  of  earthen  oven,  which  we  may 
call  a  crucible,  round  which  a  strong  fire  is  made 
and  kept  up  for  the  space  of  ten  or  twelve 
hours,  when  every  particle  of  quicksilver  is  ex- 

x   2 


308  SALE    OF    THE    PINA. 

tracted  by  the  action  of  the  heat,  and  the  pina 
remains  a  solid  mass  of  pure  silver,  the  smallest 
seldom  weighing  less  than  forty  marcs,  and 
the  largest  rarely  exceeding  one  hundred  and 
twenty,  or  say,  60  lbs. 

The  pinas  are  taken  to  the  National  Bank 
and  there  purchased  on  account  of  government, 
at  the  rate  of  seven  dollars  and  a  half  per  marc 
(eight  ounces),  which  being  less  than  the  in- 
trinsic value,  leaves  a  considerable  profit  to 
the  government  in  their  coinage.  Besides  this 
profit,  there  is  also  another  arising  from  the 
alloy  which  is  added  in  the  mint.  I  repeatedly 
applied  to  the  chief  officer  of  the  Casa  de  mo- 
neda  for  particulars  upon  this  and  other  points 
connected  with  his  department,  but  in  vain ; 
although  promises,  "  Si  Senor,  porque  no,  fyc.  ^c." 
on  his  part  were  not  wanting. 

A  few  years  previously  to  the  Revolution, 
forty  ingenios  were  in  active  work  at  Potosi, 
and  produced  at  a  moderate  calculation,  eight 
thousand  marcs  (four  thousand  pounds  avoir- 
dupois) of  pure  silver,  weekly.  This  produce, 
although  infinitely  below  that  of  former  years, 
is  nevertheless,  as  M.  Humboldt  observes,  "  un- 
doubtedly still  too  considerable  to  allow  us  to 
assert,  that  the  mines  of  Potosi  are  no  longer 
worth  the  trouble  of  working." — "  These  mines, 


DESTRUCTION    OF    MINES.  309 

in  their  present  state,  (1803,)"  continues  M. 
Humboldt,  "  are  not  the  first  in  the  known 
world ;  but  we  rank  them  immediately  after 
those  of  Guanaxuato,"  the  richest  mining  dis- 
trict of  Mexico. 

Since  the  period  at  which  M.  Humboldt 
wrote,  the  South  American  revolution  has 
taken  place ;  fifteen  years  of  civil  war  have 
devastated  the  country,  and  the  fortunes  of  the 
wealthiest  inhabitants  have  been  reduced  to 
comparative  insignificance :  but  nowhere  has 
destruction  been  more  mischievously  active, 
more  complete,  and  more  manifest,  than  in  the 
property  of  the  azogueros  of  Peru.  Their  ex- 
pensive machinery  has  been  wantonly  destroyed 
by  the  enemy ;  their  extensive  ingenios  have 
been  plundered  and  dilapidated ;  their  mines, 
from  having  been  so  long  abandoned,  have 
crumbled  in,  filled  with  rubbish  or  with  water, 
and  their  capitals,  exposed  to  the  arbitrary  con- 
tributions of  military  chiefs,  have  been  reduced 
to  a  pittance  scarcely  adequate,  in  the  present 
day,  to  the  decent  maintenance  of  themselves 
and  families.  From  these  circumstances,  it 
cannot  be  a  subject  of  surprise,  that  there  are 
now  only  fifteen  ingenios  at  work  in  Potosi, 
and  those  on  a  very  limited  scale,  but  still 
producing,  collectively,  on  an  average,  fifteen 


310  MINING    SPECULATIONS. 

hundred  inarcs  of  silver  weekly,  (say  £125,000 
sterling  per  annum,  nearly.) 

It  has  been  supposed  that  a  greater  quantity 
of  silver  can  be  extracted  from  the  ores  by  amal- 
gamation than  what  is   obtained  by  the  rude 
method  of  the  natives.     This  is  doubtful,  but  it 
is  quite  certain  that  a  greater  profit  may  be  ob- 
tained by  a  general  improvement  in  the  whole 
system.     The  advantages  that   may  be  calcu- 
lated upon  by  the  introduction  of  improvement 
and  machinery,  to  mention  only  those  of  a  sav- 
ing in  time  and  consumption  of  quicksilver,  are 
alone  sufficient  to  hold  out  powerful  induce- 
ments to  the  miner  who  does  not  relinquish  all 
prudence  and  judgment  in  the  management  of 
his  establishment.     But,  although   I  have  not 
the  presumption  to  suppose  that  any  statement 
of  mine  can  alter  the  opinions,  which  in  the 
hour  of  disappointment  were  so  suddenly  adopt- 
ed, and  have  since  been  so  inveterately  main- 
tained by  European  speculators,  on  the  subject 
of  mining  in  South  America,  I  shall,  notwith- 
standing their  prejudices,  offer  a  few  observa- 
tions, which  for  the  most  part  are  supported  by 
paramount  authority. 

The  remarks  that  were  published  in  many  of 
the  newspapers  on  mining  speculations,  at  the 
time  of  the  great  mania,  were,  if  sometimes  true, 


MINING    SPECULATIONS.  311 

frequently  the  reverse,  but  very  seldom  free 
from  prejudice,  arising  either  from  party  spirit, 
the  disappointment  of  extravagant  hopes,  or  the 
design  of  accomplishing  some  private  end.  I 
recollect  to  have  seen  in  a  periodical,  which  has 
particularly  distinguished  itself  for  its  indefa- 
tigable zeal  in  detecting,  and  its  uncompromis- 
ing spirit  in  opposing  and  exposing  the  numerous 
schemes  that  have  been  concocted,  some  in  ig- 
norance and  folly,  others  in  absolute  fraud — the 
following  observations  on  mining  companies, 
being  "  Extracts  of  a  letter  from  Peru."  "  To 
us,  at  so  great  a  distance  from  England,  these 
things  appear  very  strange,  to  see  on  the  lists  of 
directors  names  of  men  pretending  to  character, 
and  many  of  them  rich'''  (this  climax  of  character, 
by  the  way,  to  us  who  have  no  such  ingredient 
to  boast  of,  savours  strongly  of  the  city),  "  thus 
exposing  themselves  to  be  covered  with  dis- 
grace, for  not  one  of  these  companies  can  do  any 
good."  We  are  not  told  why  they  cannot  do 
any  good ;  but  had  the  writer  stopped  here, 
with  reference  to  those  companies,  their  establish- 
ments, and  their  plans,  he  would,  notwithstand- 
ing the  vagueness  of  his  assertion,  have  been 
perfectly  correct.  But  when  he  continues  thus, 
— "  It  is  physically  impossible  they  can  succeed, 
and  this  must  be  known  to  every  man  who  has 


312  MINING    SPECULATIONS. 

been  here,  or  who  would  take  the  trouble  of 
inquiring." — This,  I  reply,  in  his  own  words, 
every  man  who  has  been  here  must  know  is  perfectly 
ridiculous.  What  has  occurred  in  the  realms 
of  Nature,  Science,  or  Art,  to  make  it  now 
"  physically  impossible"  to  work  to  advantage 
the  silver  mines  of  Peru  ?  Have  they  not  been 
worked  for  three  centuries  to  advantage  with- 
out any  other  interruption  than  that  which  lias 
taken  place  solely  in  consequence  of  the  poli- 
tical events  of  the  country  ?  I  think  I  hear 
the  writer  reply — that  it  is  precisely  because 
they  have  been  worked  for  such  a  length  of 
time,  that  they  are  now  unproductive,  nay,  ex- 
hausted. But  as  well  might  it  be  said  that  the 
coal-pits  of  Newcastle  are  exhausted,  because 
they  have  been  worked  for  a  long  series  of  years. 
"  Agents  from  London,"  continues  the  writer, 
are  seen  or  heard  of  in  every  province,  bargain- 
ing for  mines ;  they  have  turned  the  brains  of 
the  Spaniards,  who  had  long  given  up  mining 
in  despair." — In  despair  of  what? — I  may  be 
permitted  to  ask  this  question,  because,  here 
again,  the  why  and  the  wherefore  are  not  men- 
tioned. The  only  despair  that  could  have 
troubled  the  Spaniards,  with  respect  to  their 
mines,  was  despair  of  the  produce  with  which 
they  annually  loaded  their  ships  ever  reaching 


KICHES    OF    THE    MINES.  313 

a  port  of  Spain  when  that  country  was  at  war 
with  England.  The  chances  then  were,  that 
every  galleon  which  sailed  for  Spain  would 
be  either  captured  or  blown  up  by  British 
cruisers.  Our  history  informs  us  that,  even  at 
the  time  of  the  Commonwealth,  the  capture  of 
Spanish  ships  laden  with  the  produce  of  the 
mines  of  America  was  considered  so  certain, 
that  Cromwell  expected  to  pay  his  troops  from 
the  booty,  without  laying  new  burthens  on 
the  people. 

There  could  not  have  been  cause  for  despair, 
under  an  idea  that  their  mines  were  exhausted, 
or  that  there  was  any  improbability  of  finding 
new  ones.      But  I  need  not  intrude  any  opi- 
nion of  my  own,  when  I  can  adduce  the  evi- 
dence of  a  distinguished  authority,  whose  la- 
borious investigations  in  the  New  World  have 
been  particularly  directed  to  the  subject  of  its 
mines.—"  The  abundance  of  silver  in  the  chain 
of  the  Andes  is  in  general  such,  that  when  we 
reflect  on  the  number  of  mineral  depositories 
which  remain  untouched,  or  which  have  been 
very  superficially  wrought,  we  are  tempted  to 
believe  that  Europeans  have  yet  scarcely  begun 
to  enjoy  the  inexhaustible  fund  of  wealth  con- 
tained in  the  New  World." — "  I  am  not  ig- 
norant, that  in  thus  expressing  myself,  I  am 


314  PRODUCE    OF    THE    MINES. 

directly  opposed  to  the  authors  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  works  on  political  economy,  in  which 
it  is  affirmed,  that  the  mines  of  America  are 
partly  exhausted  and  partly  too  deep  ever  to  be 
worked  with  advantage,  &c." — "  It  appears  to 
me  superfluous  to  refute  opinions  at  variance 
with  innumerable  facts,  and  we  ought  not  to 
be  astonished  at  the  extreme  levity  with  which 
people  in  Europe  judge  of  the  state  of  the 
mines  of  the  New  World."* 

I  readily  admit,  that  many  blanks  occur  in 
the  lottery  of  mining,  and  that  enormous  sums 
have  been  lavished  in  the  speculation  ;  but  it  is 
not  less  true  that,  in  many  cases,  "  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  object  bears  a  fair  proportion  to 
the  magnitude  of  the  stake." 

A  celebrated  author,  who  wrote  fifty  years 
ago,  thus  expressed  himself  on  the  wealth  of 
the  mines  of  South  America.  "  The  exuberant 
profusion  with  which  the  mountains  of  the 
New  World  poured  forth  their  treasures  as- 
tonished mankind,  who  had  been  accustomed 
hitherto  to  receive  a  penurious  supply  of  the 
precious  metals  from  the  more  scanty  stores 
contained  in  the  mines  of  the  ancient   hemi- 

*  Humboldt,  Political  Essay  on  New  Spain,  vol.  iii.  chap, 
xi.,  where  all  the  facts  alluded  to  may  be  seen,  and  the  cor- 
roboration of  them  in  "  Ward's  Mexico." 


PRODUCE    OF    THE    MINES.  315 

sphere.    According  to  principles  of  computa- 
tion which  appear  to  be  extremely  moderate,  the 
quantity  of  gold  and  silver  that  has  been  re- 
gularly entered  in  the  ports  of  Spain  is  equal 
in    value    to    four   millions    sterling   annually, 
reckoning  from  the  year  1492,  in  which  Ame- 
rica was  discovered,  to  the  present  time.     This, 
in  two  hundred  and  eighty-three  years,  amounts 
to    eleven    hundred    and    thirty-two   millions. 
Immense  as   this   sum  is,  the  Spanish  writers 
contend,  that  as  much  more  ought  to  be  added, 
in  consideration  of  treasure  which  has  been  ex- 
tracted from  the  mines,  and  imported  fraudu- 
lently into   Spain,  without  paying  duty  to  the 
king.  By  this  account,  Spain  has  drawn  from  the 
New  World  a  supply  of  wealth,  amounting  at 
least  to  two  thousand  millions  of  pounds  sterling."* 
Another  celebrated  writer,  when  mentioning  the 
enormous  wealth  in  gold  and  silver  which  the 
Spaniards  found  in  the  New  World,  observes, 
that  it  was  not  equal  to  the  riches  of  the  mines. 
"Les  richesses  que  Von  trouva  dans  les  pays  conquis 
tfetoient  pourtant  pas  proportionnees  a  celles  de  leur 
mines"-\     And  who  can  assert  that  those  mines 
are  "  exhausted,"  in  a  country  where  the  aid  of 

*  Robertson,  Hist,  of  America, 
f  Montesq.  Esp.  des  Loix. 


316  11ES0U11CES    OF    THE    MINES. 

machinery  has  never  been  introduced,  and 
where  thousands  of  square  leagues  are  yet  un- 
explored ? 

It  may  not  be  considered  irrelevant  to  re- 
mark, that  the  statement  of  the  amount  of  gold 
and  silver  imported  into  Europe  from  America, 
as  given  by  liobertson,  differs  materially  from 
that  by  Humboldt.     Indeed,  all  the  writers  on 
this  subject  disagree  one  with  the  other;  but 
whoever  wishes  to  investigate  it  with  precision, 
cannot  fail  being  gratified  in  consulting  Hum- 
boldt's "  Political  Essay  on  the    Kingdom   of 
New  Spain,"  wherein  he  reduces  the  whole  to 
as  accurate  a  conclusion  as  can  well  be  expected, 
where  so  very  much  depends  upon  mere  con- 
jecture.    It   seems,   however,  to  be  admitted, 
that  Europe   received   much   more   gold  than 
silver  from  the  New  World,  until  the  discovery 
of  the  mountain  of  Potosi — a  circumstance  which 
encourages  me  to  give  the  following  particulars 
of  that  celebrated  place,  under  the  hope,  that 
they   will   be   found  both   curious  and   inter- 
esting. 

Doctor  Nicol,  a  medical  gentleman  who  has 
been  practising  his  profession  for  some  years 
past  with  the  greatest  success  in  Peru,  present- 
ed me  with  an  original  manuscript,  written  by 
one  of  the  last  Spanish  ministers  of  finance  in 


MOUNTAIN    OF    POTOSI.  317 

South  America,  and  dedicated  by  him  to  the 
celebrated  Godoy,  then  at  the  acme  of  his  power. 
The  title-page  translated  runs  thus  :  "  Manifest 
of  the  annual  production  of  the  copious  stream 
of  silver,  poured  forth  from  the  wonderful 
mountain  of  Potosi,  from  its  discovery  to  the 
31st  of  December,  1800.  Drawn  up  by  the 
Minister  who  signs  it,  and  remits  it  to  the 
greatness  of  the  most  excellent  Signor  the 
Prince  of  the  Peace. — Signed  on  the  1st  Ma}% 
1802,  by  Lamberto  de  Sierra,  Minister  of  Fi- 
nance, Accountant  and  Treasurer  of  the  Royal 
Coffers  in  the  Imperial  city  of  Potosi." 

In  the  preface,  the  writer  observes,  "  My 
work,  most  excellent  Sir,  is  very  short,  but  cost 
me  much  labour  to  arrange  in  a  clear  methodi- 
cal manner,  having  examined  with  infinite  pa- 
tience two  hundred  and  forty-six  royal  books  ; 
an  operation  which  none  of  my  predecessors  in 
office  had  ever  before  attempted ;  thereby  giv- 
ing me  the  satisfaction  to  think,  that  this  curi- 
ous document  will  serve  at  least  to  adorn  the 
distinguished  library  of  your  Excellency,  whose 
important  life  may  God  preserve  many  years." 

The  accidental  discovery  of  the  riches  of  the 
mountain  of  Potosi,  I  have  alluded  to  on  a 
former  occasion,  and  it  is  well  authenticated, 
that  an  Indian  named  Diego  Gualca,  when  pur- 


318  MOUNTAIN    OF    POTOS1. 

suing  a  llama,  made  that  discovery  in  the  year 
1545 ;  but  the  manuscript  in  question  gives  a 
different  account  of  the  particulars  ;  for,  instead 
of  the  Indian  "pulling  up  a  shrub,  at  the  roots  of 
which  he  found  a  mass  of  silver,"  and  which  is 
the  general  report;  it  is  herein  stated,  that  "  at 
night  he  made  a  fire  on  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  in  the  morning  he  perceived  a  quan- 
tity of  silver,  that  had  melted  and  spread  on 
the  surface  of  the  ground  ;  which  circumstance 
is  noted  in  the  archives  of  this  treasury."*  I 
think  there  are  reasons  for  inclining  to  the  for- 
mer account  as  the  most  probable,  and  although 
it  is  very  immaterial  which  of  them  happens  to 
be  the  true  one,  I  did  not  wish  to  pass  over  the 
statement  given  in  an  authentic  document. 

"  Having  examined,"  continues  the  Trea- 
surer, "  the  great  number  of  books  that  have 
accumulated  in  this  office  from  the  period  of 
its  foundation,  it  results,  that  in  the  year  1556, 
the  working  of  these  mines  formally  com- 
menced, then  reigning  the  Majesty  of  the  Lord 
Don  Philip  II.  (who  in  glory  is!)  But  for  the 
eleven  years  preceding,  that  is,  from  1545,  in 
which  this  mountain  was  discovered,  no  account 

*  "  y  haciendo  fuego,  hallo  por  la  maiiana,  derretida 

la  plata  en  la  superficie  de  la  tierra  ;  cuya  notieia  resulta  de 
los  papeles  del  archivo  de  estaTesoreria  de  micarga." — MS. 


THE    MITA    CONSCRIPTION.  319 

exists  of  what  it  produced,  or  of  the  duties 
which  ought  to  have  been  paid  to  His  Ma- 
jesty. Those  which  are  proved  to  have  been 
paid  and  received  into  this  treasury,  from  the 
aforesaid  year  1556  to  the  31st  December, 
1800,  are  represented  in  each  year  of  the  two 
hundred  and  forty-six  years  which  this  certified 
document  embraces." 

These  twro  hundred  and  forty-six  years  the 
Treasurer  divides  into  three  periods.  The  first 
includes  twenty-three  years,  when  the  duties  on 
the  produce  of  the  mines  were  twenty  per  cent, 
called  royal  fifths. 

The  second  period  includes  one  hundred  and 
fifty-eight  years,  when  the  same  royal  fifths 
were  levied,  together  with  an  additional  tax  of 
one  and  a  half  per  cent,  called  derechos  de  cobos, 
making  the  exorbitant  duty  of  twenty-one  and 
a  half  per  cent,  to  the  Crown,  and  which  that 
barbarous  edict  the  Mita,  i.  e.  the  conscription 
by  which  the  Indians  were  forced  to  gratuitous, 
or  nearly  gratuitous,  labour,  chiefly  enabled  the 
mine  proprietors  to  pay.  Twelve  thousand  In- 
dians, according  to  Miller,  were  annually  sub- 
ject to  the  Mita  conscription  in  Potosi ;  but 
it  is  now  acknowledged  that  the  forced  labour 
of  the  Indians  was  not  of  such  very  great  ad- 
vantage to  the  mine  proprietors  as  some  have 


320  THE    MITA    CONSCRIPTION. 

supposed.  Half  the  number  of  men  at  gra- 
tuitous labour  perform  tbat  which  occupied 
nearly  double  the  number  under  the  Mita 
system,  when  it  must  not  be  forgotten,  the 
proprietors  were  under  the  necessity  of  feed- 
ing and  supporting  their  slaves,  although  they 
paid  them  little  or  no  wages. 

"It  has  been  computed,"  observes  Miller,  "that 
eight  millions  two  hundred  and  eighty -live 
thousand  Indians  have  perished  in  the  mines  of 
Peru  !"  Assuredly  this  would  not  have  been 
the  case  under  a  wise  government,  which,  in 
discountenancing  the  barbarities  of  slavery,  held 
out  fit  encouragement  to  free  labour ;  for,  "  il 
me  semble"  says  Montesquieu,  "  que  quelque 
pinibies  que  soient  les  travaux  que  la  societe  exige, 
on  pent  tout  /aire  avec  des  homines  libres."  And 
he  alludes  to  the  mines  of  Germany  and  Hun- 
gary, where  the  workmen  employed  live  hap- 
pily, and  prefer  their  condition  to  any  other. 

Powerful,  however,  as  the  assistance  obtained 
by  this  work  of  cruel  slavery  may  have  been, 
it  was  not  sufficient  to  admit  of  the  continu- 
ance of  a  duty  so  oppressive,  when  the  ores 
ceased  to  yield  the  enormous  riches  which,  for 
a  great  portion  of  this  period,  (according  to  the 
document  in  the  treasury,)  averaged  at  different 
periods,  25, 50, 100,  and  even  500  marcs  of  silver 


king's  fifths.  321 

the  ca.von  ;  without  including  the  great  number 
of  years  when  solid  silver  teas  cut  with  chisels 
out  of  the  rich  or  principal  vein.  It  appears 
that,  for  the  first  seventy-three  years  of  this 
period,  the  duties  paid  to  the  crown  amounted 
to  nearly  eighty-eight  millions  of  dollars,  of 
which  the  year  1593  contributed  the  largest 
sum,  viz.  "  one  million  five  hundred  and  eighty- 
nine  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty-two  dol- 
lars." But,  when  the  Veta  Rica  and  other  very 
rich  mines  were  exhausted  or  inundated,  the 
labour  of  the  poor  Indians  was  not  sufficient 
to  enable  their  merciless  masters,  who  lived  in 
an  extravagantly  expensive  manner,  to  pay  the 
king's  fifths.  Accordingly,  in  the  year  1736, 
these  rapacious  exactions  were  reduced  to 
reales  diezmos,  (royal  tenths)  and  from  that 
date,  up  to  the  year  1801,  the  third  and  last 
period  is  included. 

The  annexed  return,  which  has  been  already 
published,  exhibits  at  one  view  the  sums  paid 
in  each  period  to  the  Crown,  and  also  the  prin- 
cipals from  which  such  sums  were  deducted  ; 
the  latter  amounting,  in  the  language  of  the 
manuscript,  to  "  the  very  commendable  sum" 
of  nearly  eight  hundred  and  twenty-four  millions 
of  dollars  !  thereby  proving  the  Abbe  Kaynal's 
assertion,  that  in  no  country  on  the  globe,  has 

VOL.  I.  y 


322  DUTY    ON    SILVER. 

Nature  ever  offered  to  the  avidity  of  man  such 
mines  of  riches  as  those  of  Potosi. 

Return  of  the  duties  of  Royal-Fifths,  Tenths,  and  one-and- 
a-half  per  cent,  of  Cobos,  paid  into  this  Treasury  of  Potosi, 
from  1st  January,  1556,  to  31st  December,  1800,  show- 
ing the  principals  to  which  they  correspond. 

Duties  Principals 

in  dollars.  in  dollars. 

Royal  fifths  for  the  23  years   of 

the  first   period,  from    1556  to 

1578,  inclusive 9,802,257       49,011,285 

Royal-fifths,  with  1 1  Cobos,  for 

the   158  years  of   the  second 

period,  from  1579  to  1735.. .  129,509,939  611,256,349 
Royal-tenths  and  Cobos  for  the 

65  years  of  the  third   period, 

from   July  1736  to  December 

1800,  inclusive 18,618,927      163,682,874 


Total 157,931,123     823,950,508 


Now,  although  the  foregoing  evidently  places 
Potosi — "  precious  jewel  of  Nature  !"  (preciosa 
margarita  de  la  Naturaleza !)  without  any  rival 
in  the  mineral  world  hitherto  known,  a  few 
short  extracts  from  the  Treasurer's  manuscript 
will  show,  that,  enormous  as  the  sum  is,  it  pro- 
bably is  not  more  than  a  fourth  part  of  the 
actual  amount  extracted  from  this  mountain. 
Humboldt  says,  that  more  than  a  third  of  the 
silver  was  never  registered. 


SILVER   RAISED.  323 

It  must  not  escape  attention,  that  the  mil- 
lions above  mentioned  are  those  only  which 
actually  paid  in  duties,  and  all  the  world  knows 
the  schemes  practised,  and  the  exertions  made, 
to  evade  duties,  which,  even  under  the  most 
vigilant  regulations,  are  frequently  attend- 
ed with  success.  It  is  therefore  impossible 
to  say  to  what  extent  smuggling  may  have 
been  carried  in  a  country,  where  abuses  of  all 
kinds  were  general ;  where  the  rapacity  and  pe- 
culation of  officers  and  all  public  functionaries 
were  notorious ;  where  the  unreasonable  excess 
of  the  duties  made  the  temptation  to  evade 
them  proportionably  great ;  and  where  the  fa- 
cility of  doing  so  was  aided  by  the  unguarded 
and  peculiar  nature  of  the  country. 

The  produce  of  the  first  eleven  years,  pre- 
vious to  the  formal  working  of  the  mines,  of 
which  no  account  was  given,  is  likewise  to  be 
considered.  So  also  is  the  prodigious  quantity 
manufactured  every  year  into  articles  of  furni- 
ture, ornaments,  and  utensils  of  every  kind, 
that  were  to  be  seen  in  extravagant  profusion 
in  the  churches  and  in  the  houses  of  the  rich, 
and  in  abundance  in  those  of  others  ;  none  of 
which  paid  the  duties,  nor  has  any  account  been 
kept  of  their  value. 

The  temptation  to  smuggle  silver  to  the 
Y  2 


324  SILVER    RAISED. 

ports  of  the  Pacific  and  elsewhere  was  irresisti- 
ble ;  "  the  French  and  Portugese,"  according  to 
Don  Lamberto,  "  paid  from  eleven  to  fourteen 
dollars  per  marc  of  eight  ounces,  for  which  the 
government  paid  but  seven  dollars  and  a  half : 
this,  with  the  duty  of  21 J  per  cent,  that  was 
evaded,  made  it  a  lucrative  trade  for  the  contra- 
bandist^ and  the  extent  to  which  it  was  carried 
on  is  altogether  unknown. 

When  these  circumstances  are  considered,  the 
most  extravagant  conjecture  would  probably 
fall  short  of  the  true  amount  of  the  riches  ex- 
tracted from  Potosi.  A  curate,  named  Alonzo 
Barba,  has  calculated,  that  the  number  of  dollars 
coined  from  the  silver  of  the  mountain,  would 
"  cover  an  extent  of  sixty  square  leagues  !" 

There  are  some  strange  errors  to  be  found 
in  the  Abbe  Raynal's  account  of  the  produce 
of  these  mines.*  He  commences  calculating 
the  king's  fifths  upon  the  silver,  from  the  year 
1545,  being  that  in  which  the  mountain  was 
discovered,  and  when  its  riches  were  known 
but  to  a  few  private  individuals,  (Juan  de  Vil- 
lareal  y  Diego  Centeno,  EspaTwles  que  trabajaban 
los  miner  ales  de  Porco.J  Now,  as  Don  Lamberto 
de  Sierra  had  taken  the  pains  to  examine  two 
hundred  and  forty-six  official  documents,  for  • 
*  "  Histoire  Philosophique  des  deux  Indes." 


ERRONEOUS    STATEMENTS.  325 

information  on  this  subject,  his  evidence  can 
scarcely  be  questioned,  when  he  asserts  that, 
"  no  account  exists  of  what  the  cerro  produced 
for  eleven  years  after  its  discovery ;"  and  that 
"  the  working  of  the  mines  did  not  formally 
commence  until  1556,"  in  which  year  is  to  be 
found  the  first  entry  of  duties  at  Potosi, 
amounting  to  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  thirty-four  dollars.  The 
Abbe  Raynal  then  says,  that,  from  1564,  "  the 
abundance  of  metals  soon  decreased"  and  he 
states  the  decrease  to  have  been  "  between  the 
years  1564  and  1585," — the  period  in  which 
their  increase  actually  commenced,  and  aug- 
mented the  duties  from  between  three  and  four 
hundred  thousand  dollars  a-year,  to  upwards  of 
a  million,  which  *  increase  continued  for  sixty 
consecutive  years. 

The  next  statement  in  the  Histoire  Pkilo- 
sophiqae  is,  that  "  in  the  period  between  1585 
and  1 624,  there  was  a  still  farther  decrease  in  the 
king's  fifths,  amounting  to  upwards  of  three 
millions  of  livres  annually."  Now  this  was  the 
precise  period  when  those  duties  were  at  their 
very  highest  rate;  and  Don  Lamberto's  ma- 
nuscript supports  Baron  Humboldt  in  his  asser- 
tion, that  "  the  mining  of  Potosi  never  attained 
so  high  a  degree  of  splendour  as  from  1585  to 


826  king's  fifths. 

1606,  when  the  fifth  was  a  million  and  a  half 
of  dollars  annually  ;  and,  indeed,  for  five-and- 
thirty  years  following,  that  is,  up  to  1641,  the 
average  was  considerably  above  a  million.  It 
was  about  this  period,  too,  that  fifteen  thousand 
Indians  were  working  in  the  mines  and  amal- 
gamation-works, and  upwards  of  fifteen  thou- 
sand llamas  and  an  equal  number  of  asses 
were  employed  in  carrying  the  ores,  of  which 
the  rich  produce,  within  this  same  period,  we 
may  remark  en  passant,  was  expended  in  those 
gigantic  preparations  that  so  long  held  Europe 
in  amazement  and  suspense,  but  finally  termin- 
ated to  the  glory  of  England  in  one  memora- 
ble event— the  destruction  of  the  "  Invincible 
Armada." 

A  glance  at  the  following  table,  from  the 
manuscript  in  my  possession,  will  tend  to  cor- 
roborate the  greater  part  of  the  foregoing 
statements. 

TABLE, 

SHOWING    THE    AMOUNT    OP    KING'S    FIFTHS    PAID    IN    EACH 
YEAR    AT    POTOSI,    FROM    1564    TO    1641. 

The  average  of  these  fifths,  prior  to  15G4,  did  nut  exceed 
443,000  dollars. 

Years.                     Dollars.         Years.  Dollars. 

1504 396,158  1567 417,107 


1565 519,944 

15G6 486,014 


1568 398,381 

1569 379,906 


KING  S    FIFTHS. 


327 


Years.  Dollars. 

1570 325,467 

1571 206,200 

1572 216,517 

1573 234,922 

1574 313,778 

1575 413,487 

1576 544,014 

1577 716,087 

1578 825,505 

1579 1,021,025 

1580 1,189,323 

1581 1,276,872 

1582 1,362,855 

1583 1,221,428 

1584 1,215,558 

1585 1,526,455 

1586 1,456,958 

1587 1,226,328 

1588 1,441,657 

15S9 1,578,823 

1590 1,422,576 

1591 1,562,522 

1592 1,578,449 

1593 1,589,662 

1594 1,403,555 

1595 1,557,221 

1596 1,468,182 

1597  1,355,954 

1598 1,310,911 

1599 1,332,581 

1600 1,299,028 

1601 1,477,489 


Years.  Dollars. 

1602 1,519,152 

1605 1,478,697 

1604 1,326,231 

1605 1,532,646 

1606 1,434,981 

1607  1,414,660 

1608 1,200,488 

1609 1,132,680 

1610 1,139,725 

1611 1,299,052 

1612 ....  1,329,701 

1613 1,200,947 

1614 1,269,692 

1615 1,354,412 

1616 1,257,599 

1617 1,071,932 

1618 1,061,264 

1619 1,108,744 

1620 1,062,599 

1621 1,099,244 

1622 1,093,201 

1623 1,083,641 

1624 1,086,999 

1625 1,024,724 

1626 1,033,868 

1627 1,068,612 

1628 1,172,352 

1629 972,807 

1630 962,250 

1631 1,067,001 

1632 964,370 

1633 1,003,756 


328  king's  fifths. 


Years.  Dollars.  Years.  Dollars. 


1634 984,414 

1635 946,781 

1636 1.424,758 

1637 1,197,572 


1638 1,174,393 

1639 1,128,738 

1640 978,483 

1641  940,367 


Another  error  into  which  the  Abbe  Itaynal 
has  fallen  remains  to  be  pointed  out.  "  In  the 
year  1763,"  he  states  that  "  the  fifth  part  belong- 
ing to  the  king  did  not  exceed  1,364,682  livres" 
Now,  in  1763,  the  jifth  was  not  levied,  nor  had 
it  been  levied  for  twenty-seven  years  preceding ; 
it  was  reduced  to  a  tenth  in  1736,  "  pon/ue  en 
este  alio  se  sirvid  el  Rey  bqjar  los  Quintos  a  los 
Diez?no.s"  and  has  remained  so  ever  since ; 
therefore,  the  sum  specified  is  only  the  tenth 
part  of  the  silver  registered,  and  not  the  jifth. 

My  principal  motive  for  having  brought 
under  observation  the  foregoing  errors  of  so 
celebrated  a  writer  is,  because  I  heard  them 
quoted  as  authentic,  and  even  find  that  they 
have  all  been  transferred  to  the  Encyclopae- 
dia Britannica,  together  with  a  mistake  in 
computing  livres  in  pounds  sterling :  for  in- 
stance, thirty-six  millions  of  livres  are  made 
to  equal  151,000/.;  and  immediately  afterwards, 
fifteen  millions  of  livres  are  made  to  equal 
632,000/.* 

*   Vide  article  Potosi,  Ency.  Brit.  Edinh.  third  edit.      It  is 


PRODUCE    OF    THE    MINES.  329 

Don  Lamberto  de  Sierra  remarks  that,  ac- 
cording to  the  produce  of  the  mines  of  Potosi 
in  his  time  and  the  duties  paid  thereon,  the 
crown  should  have  received,  in  proportion  to 
their  produce  at  former  periods,  an  annual  sum 
of  from  four  to  five  millions  of  dollars,  instead 
of  the  "  moderate  quantity  which  his  official 
document  has  shown."  Humboldt  concludes 
that  the  result  of  the  data  given  in  a  work,  en- 
titled Pretensiones  del  Potosi,  by  Sebastian  San- 
doval, would  be,  that  during  the  first  eleven 
years,  between  1545  and  1556,  the  cerro  must 
have  yielded  in  silver,  of  which  the  fifth  was 
paid,  six  hundred  and  thirteen  millions  of  pias- 
tres, equal  to  nearly  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
nine  millions  of  pounds  sterling ! 

This  is  a  very  extraordinary  result ;  yet,  con- 
tinues Humboldt,  it  contains  nothing  which 
may  be  considered  as  impossible.  "  We  may 
be  surprised  to  see  that  a  single  mountain  of 
Peru  has  yielded  from  two  to  three  times  more 
silver  than  all  the  collected  mines  of  Mexico, 
but  our  ideas  of  wealth  are  merely  relative." 
He  observes,  however,  that  we  ought  very 
much  to  suspect  the  account  of  Sandoval,  not 

scarcely  necessary  to  add,  by  way  of  correcting  these  merely 
typographical  errors,  that  the  former  amount  should  be 
1,500,000/.,  and  the  later  625,000/. 


330       PRODUCE  OF  THE  MINES. 

that  the  enormous  quantity  of  silver  stated  to 
have  been  extracted  induces  him  to  question 
his  testimony,  but  "  it  is  the  contradiction  which 
exists  between  his  testimony  and  other  well- 
authenticated  facts."  The  word  "  contradic- 
tion," induces  me  here,  in  respectful  and  hum- 
ble deference,  to  ask  if  something  of  that  na- 
ture does  not  appear  in  the  statements  of 
the  Prussian  philosopher  on  the  very  subject 
before  us  ?  M.  Humboldt  has  said,  that  "  a 
single  mountain  of  Peru  (the  cerro  of  Po- 
tosi),  has  yielded  from  two  to  three  times 
more  silver  than  all  the  collected  mines  of 
Mexico."*  A  few  pages  back,  on  the  subject 
of  the  mines  of  Mexico,  are  these  passages. 
"  The  name  of  Guanaxuato  is  scarcely  known 
in  Europe,  and  yet  the  riches  of  the  mines  of 
this  district  are  much  superior  to  those  of  the 
metalliferous  depository  of  Potosi."  —  "  The 
produce  of  the  vein  of  Guanaxuato  is  almost 
double  that  of  the  cerro  del  Potosi." — "  This 
famous  vein  has  alone,  since  the  end  of  the 
sixteenth  century  (a  space  of  two-hundred  and 
thirty  years),  produced  a  mass  of  silver  equal  to 
nearly  fifty-eight  millions  of  pounds  sterling." 

*  Polit.  Essay  on  New  Spain,  vol.  iii.  chap.  ii.  See  also 
Selections  from  the  Works  of  Baron  de  Humboldt,  by  John 
Taylor,  Esq. 


PRODUCE    OF    THE    MINES.  333 

With    this  produce    is    confronted    that   of 
Potosi  from  the  year  1556  to  1789,  (a  period  of 
two  hundred  and  thirty-three  years,)  amounting 
to  nearly  one  hundred  and    seventy-one  mil- 
lions !    which   is    consequently  far   more   than 
double  that  of  the  vein  of  Guanaxuato  ;  and  if 
we  add  to  the  produce  of  Potosi  the  one  hun- 
dred   and  twenty-nine    millions  said    to  have 
been  extracted  in  the  first  eleven  years  after  its 
discovery,  the  produce  will  then  be  five  times 
greater  than  that  of  the  "  famous  vein  of  Gua- 
naxuato."    Again,  in  the  same  Essay  on  New 
Spain,  and  in  the  same  chapter,  we  find  a  doubt 
respecting  the  superiority  even  of  Guanaxuato, 
said  to  be  "  the  richest  of  the  mines  of  Mexico ;" 
for,  in  speaking  of  the  district  of  Ileal  del  Monte, 
it  is  mentioned,  that  the  "  veta  de  la  Biscaina  is 
not  so  extensive,  but  perhaps  still  richer,  than 
the  vein  of  Guanaxuato."     It  may  be,  that  some 
discrimination  between  these  mining  districts  is 
meant,  which  is  not  expressed  with  the  usual 
clearness  of  this  distinguished  writer;  and  though 
I  cannot  but  apprehend  that  these  remarks  on 
works  so  laborious  and  so  highly  valued  may 
expose  me  to  the  observation,  that  "  it  is  always 
the  best  fruit  which  the  birds  peck  at,"  still  I 
trust  it  has  been  clearly   shown  by  authentic 
documents,  supported  by  the  high  authority  of 


332  SUPERIOR    WEALTH    OF    POTOSI. 

this  eminent  writer  himself,  that  no  given  spot 
has  hitherto  produced  a  mass  of  silver  equal  to 
that  which  has  been  extracted  from  the  mines 
of  Potosi,  and  that,  in  the  actual  value  pro- 
duced, the  palm  of  superiority,  above  any  min- 
ing district  in  the  world,  is  fairly  due  to  the 
Ccrro  del  Potosi 


COLLEGE    OF    PICHINCHA.  333 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Opening  of  the  College  of  Pichincha. — Improvement  in  the 
public  mind.  —  Purchase  of  pictures.  —  Barbarous  edict 
against  dogs.  — House-rent. — Visit  to  the  lakes. — Mining- 
district  of  Puno. 

May  2nd.  Our  chief  commissioner  having 
transferred  the  charge  of  our  concerns  into  my 
hands,  left  Potosi  for  Arica,  there  to  wait  the 
arrival  of  our  ship,  the  cargo  of  which  has  been 
calculated  to  exceed  three  thousand  mule-loads. 
Baron  Czettritz  has  also  set  out  for  Puno,  to 
survey  the  mines  in  that  province,  where  there 
is  every  prospect  of  forming  a  beneficial  es- 
tablishment. 

6th.  All  the  public  authorities,  with  a  large 
concourse  of  people,  went  in  procession  to  open 
the  College  of  Pichincha,  an  establishment  for 
public  instruction  upon  a  liberal  system,  one  of 
the  first  of  the  kind  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
The  building,  which  has  been  chosen  for  a 
college,  where  the  rising  generation  are  to  im- 
bibe  the  spirit   of  tolerance,  and  acquire  the 


334  COLLEGE    OF    PICIIINCHA. 

principles  of  a  liberal  education,  had  been  for 
upwards  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  the 
gloomy  abode  of  intolerance,  indolence,  and 
superstition.  It  was  a  convent  of  bearded 
Bethlemite  friars,  Religiosos  Betlemitas,  who 
have  been  ejected,  and  their  ample  possessions, 
which  supported  in  luxury  and  sloth  a  useless 
herd  of  private  individuals,  have  now  been  ap- 
propriated to  the  maintenance  of  a  public  insti- 
tution of  the  first  importance  to  the  state. 

An  assembly  was  held  in  the  chapel  of  the 
college,  formerly  the  rich  and  gaudy  church  of 
the  convent.  Here  the  ceremony  was  opened 
by  a  Latin  speech,  delivered  by  one  of  the  in- 
tended students,  chiefly  in  praise  of  Bolivar 
and  Sucre,  whom  all  the  speakers  that  follow- 
ed, also  made  the  theme  of  their  discourse  in 
Spanish.  The  prefect  charged  the  governors 
and  masters  who  were  to  be  entrusted  with  the 
education  of  the  scholars,  to  bring  them  up  in 
a  very  different  manner  from  that  in  which 
he  himself  and  all  his  contemporaries  had 
been  brought  up  under  their  late  despots.  He 
recommended  them  to  take  example  from  the 
English  nation,  whose  principles  of  liberality 
and  tolerance  had  obtained  them  the  respect 
and  admiration  of  the  universe.  The  clergy- 
man who  had  been  selected  as  head- master  of 
the  establishment,  followed  in  an  equally  liberal 


COLLEGE    OF    PICHINCHA.  335 

strain,  and  exulted  in  the  honour  of  his  ap- 
pointment to  preside  over  the  first  institution 
for  the  instruction  of  the  youth  of  his  coun- 
try in  which  their  education  was  free,  and  not, 
as  hitherto,  subject  to  the  blighting  influence 
of  a  despotic  will.  Other  speakers  made  ho- 
nourable mention  of  Locke,  Socrates,  Newton, 
Canning,  Plato,  Boyle,  Washington,  Alexan- 
der the  Great,  Homer,  and  Nebuchadnezzar. 
When  all  were  tired  of  speaking,  which  was 
not  before  all  were  tired  of  listening,  the 
company  withdrew  from  the  church  to  the  re- 
fectory, where,  if  the  tables  were  not  laden  as 
luxuriously  as  in  the  days  of  the  fathers,  there 
was  at  least  a  repast  sufficient  to  afford  a  couple 
of  hours  of  genuine  hilarity.  The  event  which 
the  party  had  met  to  celebrate  was  one  of  pre- 
sent joy  and  future  hope  to  every  body  ;  it 
was,  in  truth,  a  grand  epoch  in  the  annals  of  a 
nation,  which  by  its  own  persevering  struggles 
had  just  emancipated  itself  from  a  state  of  the 
most  abject  slavery  ;  and  as  the  surest  preven- 
tive against  its  recurrence,  this  first  establish- 
ment for  the  free  education  of  youth  was 
founded  in  general  joy  and  jubilee,  under  the 
conviction  of  the  truth  of  their  motto,  which 
was  selected  from  the  works  of  1' Abb6  de  Ma- 
bly  : — L instruction  publique  est  sans  doute  la  meil- 
leure  base  des  mceurs. 


336  DAWN    OF    IMPROVEMENT. 

Instruction,  public  or  private,  on  liberal  prin- 
ciples, was  contrary  to  the  system  of  the  late 
rulers  of  America.*  The  darker  the  ignorance 
in  which  the  minds  of  the  people  were  held, 
the  easier  the  task  of  keeping  them  in  humili- 
ating bondage;  for  incarceration  of  the  mind,  it 
is  admitted,  like  that  of  the  body,  subdues  its 
energies,  and  lulls  into  apathy  and  indifference. 
But,  prejudiced  must  that  eye  be  which  can- 
not discern  the  dawn  that  is  now  succeeding 
the  late  long  and  gloomy  night  of  odious  op- 
pression. There  are  some,  however,  who  ima- 
gine that  these  people  have  scarcely  advanced  a 
single  step  beyond  that  benighted  period,  when 
the  timid  Indian,  with  reverential  awe  beheld 
a  white  man  with  a  beard  as  a  divinity  from 
Heaven  ;  when  the  discharge  of  fire-arms  was 
believed  to  be  the  thunder  and  lightning  of 
avenging  Gods  ;  and  when  the  horse  champing 
his  bit  was  looked  on  with  dread  amazement. 
There  are  some  who  scarcely  admit  that  these 

*  Permission  was  solicited  of  Chailes  IV.  to  found  a 
University  in  Venezuela :  his  Majesty,  having  consulted  the 
Council  of  the  Indies,  answered  in  a  royal  decree,  that  he 
did  not  conceive  it  proper  for  learning  to  become  general  in 
America. — See,  Summary  of  the  Spanish  Colonial  System, 
drawn  from  sources  of  unquestionable  authenticity  in  Miller's 
Memoirs,  Vol.  I. 


ADVANCING    CIVILIZATION.  337 

people  now  know  themselves  to  be  men,  and  all 
mankind  to  be  but   their  fellow-creatures— a 
knowledge  in  the  present  case  not  altogether  so 
simple  and  superficial  as  the  expression  of  it 
may  appear— it  is  the  consequence  of  that  in- 
tellectual improvement,  which  has  commenced 
and,  with  the  spirit  of  liberty,  must  in  due  time 
extend    with    powerful  effect   throughout  the 
boundless  range  of  this  imperfectly  known  por- 
tion  of  the  globe.     Already   has  the  State  of 
Buenos  Ayres,  notwithstanding  its  political  dis- 
sensions, advanced  in  all  the  improvements  of 
civilization  beyond  any  precedent ;   in   an  in- 
stant she  has  made  a  stride  of  half  a  century. 
In  the  Republic  of  Chili  the  evils  of  disorder 
and  misrule  seem  to  have  subsided,  and  the 
advantages  of  peace  and  industry,  from  which 
the  true  greatness  of  a  nation  springs,  have  be- 
come the  peculiar  care  of  the  legislature. 

These  examples  cannot  be  thrown  away  upon 
the  neighbouring  States,  who,  though  tardy  in 
following  them,  are  by  no  means  insensible  to 
their  paramount  importance.  Let  us  not  be 
deceived  by  our  prejudices,  or  by  any  contemp- 
tuous feeling  towards  this  "  semi-barbarous" 
people ;  for  although  much  remains  to  be  per- 
formed, and  civil  contentions  still  continue  to 
distract  them,  yet  the  stream  of  living  waters, 
vol.  i.  z 


338      LETTER  TO  THE  DIRECTORS. 

having  gashed  forth,  will  assuredly  flow  on  ; 
and  even  the  next  generation  may  see  it  di- 
verge in  a  thousand  channels,  diffusing  its  fer- 
tilizing effects  through  every  class  of  society, 
and  converting  many  a  dreary  desert  into  a 
scene  of  happiness  and  joy. 

6th.  The  following  extracts  from  the  first 
letter  I  wrote  to  the  Directors  after  the  depar- 
ture of  our  chief  commissioner  from  Potosi, 
exhibit  the  hopes  we  entertained  of  the  success 
of  our  speculation. 

"  Gentlemen, 

u  Although  I  have  nothing  particular  to  add  to  what  Ge- 
neral Paroissien  mentioned  in  his  last  despatch,  yet  as  it 
must  be  gratifying  to  your  Board  to  hear  that  your  concerns 
in  this  quarter  of  the  world  continue  to  promise  well,  I  think 
it  my  duty  not  to  let  the  post  depart  without  a  few  lines.  I 
can  assure  you  we  have  hitherto  had  every  cause  to  congra- 
tulate ourselves  on  our  prospects,  as  well  as  on  our  favour- 
able reception  by  the  Government,  the  Authorities,  and  in- 
deed by  all  classes  of  the  people  ;  and  should  the  good  ship 
Potosi  arrive  at  the  port  of  her  destination  in  safety,  and 
your  Board  continue  for  a  short  time  to  support  us,  no 
doubt  can  exist  of  our  ultimate  success. 

"  My  constant  intercourse  with  persons  capable  of  giving 
information  on  the  subject  of  our  enterprise,  and  my  friendly 
intimacy  with  every  person  of  reputation  here,  enable  me 
confidently  and  conscientiously  to  make  this  assertion. 

"  Every  preparation  has  been  made  at  Arica  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  ship,  the  arrival  of  which  we  wait  with  feelings  of 


MEMORIAL    TO    THE    PRESIDENT.         339 

the  deepest  anxiety;  and  such  is  the  state  of  progress  in 
which  our  ingenio  and  mines  now  are,  that  after  the  arrival 
of  our  artificers  and  implements,  every  hour  may  he  turned 
to  account.  In  Oruro,  a  thousand  quintals  of  barley  have 
been  bought  to  feed  our  mules  on  their  transit,  and  every 
precaution  has  been  taken  to  provide  the  needful  for  our 
people. 

"  The  absence  of  our  chief  Commissioner  from  head-quar- 
ters for  so  long  a  time  as  he  is  likely  to  be  detained,  is  much 
to  be  regretted  ;  but  I  hope  by  unremitting  attention  in 
some  decree  to  make  up  for  the  abilities  of  General  Parois- 
sien.  I  shall  only  add,  that  so  long  as  the  management  and 
control  of  your  concerns  remain  in  my  hands,  I  shall  per- 
form my  duty  to  the  utmost  of  my  power. 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  &c." 

In  the  foregoing  letter  I  enclosed  a  copy  of  a 
memorial,  presented  by  our  chief  commissioner 
to  the  President  of  the  Republic,  soliciting  cer- 
tain rights  and  privileges,  and  claiming  a  secu- 
rity for  the  Association  in  all  its  future  under- 
takings. The  substance  of  the  memorial  was 
as  follows :  — 

I.  That  the  Potosi,  La  Paz  and  Peruvian  Mining  Com- 
pany may  enjoy  the  protection  of  the  Government,  and  of 
the  laws. 

IT.  That  the  Company,  through  its  representative,  may 
purchase  either  from  Government,  or  from  private  indi- 
viduals, mines,  amalgamation-works,  estates,  or  other  pro- 
perty, and  that  it  may  fully  enjoy  all  privileges  and  exemp- 
tions, such  as  are  specially  guaranteed  to  the  corporation  of 
azogucros,  or  mine  proprietors. 

z  2 


340  GOVERNMENT    DECREE. 

III.  That  in  the  event  of  a  war  between  this  Republic 
and  any  other  State,  all  the  property  belonging  to  the  Com- 
pany shall  be  respected  according  to  the  law  of  nations,  and 
that  the  individuals  dependent  on  the  Company  shall  enjoy 
the  same  privileges  as  in  time  of  peace,  &c. 

The  Government  replied  to  the  foregoing 
by  a  decree  to  the  following  effect : — 

.It  is  conceded  to  the  chief  Commissioner  or  representa- 
tive of  the  English  Mining  Company  of  Potosi,  to  undertake 
his  operations  within  this  State,  under  the  guarantees  and 
securities  which  are  solicited  in  the  several  articles  of  his 
memorial,  subject  to  the  laws  of  the  State.  The  Govern- 
ment farther  offer  every  protection  due  to  an  enterprise  of  so 
much  advantage  to  the  country,  &c. 

24th.  In  the  mornings  and  evenings  we 
have  now  very  sharp  cold,  and  at  night  frost. 
The  day  resembles  our  very  finest,  sharpest 
March  weather  in  England ;  but  the  sun,  as 
may  be  expected  between  the  nineteenth  and 
twentieth  degree  of  latitude,  is  of  course  much 
hotter.  The  sky  here  is  such  as  is  seldom 
seen  in  Europe,  being  one  spotless  canopy 
of  the  purest  azure,  and  the  atmosphere  so 
dry,  that  in  pulling  off  a  flannel-waistcoat  or 
worsted  stocking  in  the  dark,  sparks  are  dis- 
tinctly seen,  and  the  same  in  patting,  or  rather 
rubbing,  a  horse's  neck,  which  sometimes  emits 
sparks  and  sounds  like  an  electrifying  ma- 
chine. 


PICTURE    OF    A    HOLY    FAMILY.  341 

2Gth.  Accidentally  strolling  into  the  church, 
La  Matriz,  an  ancient  building  erected  by  the 
Jesuits,  and  gazing    round  me    at  something 
or  at  nothing,  several  pictures  between  two  and 
three   feet  square,  in  a  most  neglected   state, 
attracted  my  attention,  and  seemed,  through  the 
accumulated  dust   of  ages,   even  at  the  great 
height   at  which   they  hung,   to   merit  closer 
examination.     I  requested  the  sacristan  to  take 
one   down ;    and,  by   means   of  a   scaffolding, 
which  we  ingeniously  composed  of  tables,  con- 
fession-chairs, and  throe  thick    mass-books,  he 
succeeded  in  wresting  from  the  spiders  a  Holy 
Family,  which  safely  descended  upon  earth  in 
a  cloud  of  dust.     Upon  examining  the  picture, 
I  was  not  disappointed ;    it  exhibits  traces  of 
an  easy,  if  not  an  able   hand,  of  the   Italian 
school,  and    is  painted  upon  copper ;    but  no 
name,  initials,  or  monogram  appear,  by  which  to 
ascertain  the  master.      The  subject  is  that  of 
the  Holy  Family  in  their  flight  to  Egypt.    They 
are  seated  on  the  left,  under  a  shade  of  fruit 
and  forest-trees  ;  the  Virgin  Mother,  with  a  ray 
of  glory  round  her  head,  is  dressed  in  a  blue 
tunic,  which  hangs  loosely  upon  her  shoidders, 
and,  falling  in  ample  folds,  covers  the  whole 
of  the  lower  part  of  her  person  ;  an  under-gar- 
ment,  of  which  the  body  and  right  sleeve  are 


342  PICTURE    OF    A    HOLY    FAMILY. 

only  seen,  is  of  light  purple.     The  countenance 
is  perfectly  feminine  and  pleasing ;  the  head  is 
gracefully  turned  in  an  attitude  of  attention  to 
Joseph,  who  seems  to  be  explaining  the  sub- 
ject of  a  book  which  lies  open  upon  his  knees. 
The  infant  Saviour  is  seated  on  the  lap  of  his 
mother,  and  in  the   act  of  stretching  out  his 
hands  with  infantine  anxiety  to  catch  a  bunch 
of  flowers,  which  one  of  a  group  of  four  chil- 
dren  is  playfully   presenting.      The  ease,  the 
attitude,  and  the  colouring  of  the  infant,  are  in 
every  respect  to  be  admired.     The  same  may 
be    said  of  Joseph,  whose  countenance  is  full 
of  mild  though  manly  expression ;  he  is  not, 
as  we   so    frequently  see   him  represented,  in 
the  last  stage  of  decrepitude,  but  a  hale  man  of 
forty-five  or  fifty.     Four  children,  gracefully 
grouped,    are    dancing    before    the    principal 
figures,  but  notwithstanding  their  rosy  health 
and  juvenile  animation,  I  wished  them   all  at 
school,  for  this  conceit  of  the  master  is  not  in 
accordance  with  all  that  we  know  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  flight  into  Egypt.     On  the  right  is 
a  distant  view  of  a  city  ;  the  landscape,  though 
pleasing,  has  been   evidently  but  a  secondary 
consideration    with   the   painter.     The   whole, 
however,  forms  an  extremely  interesting  pic- 
ture, and  would  be  considered  an  ornament  to 
any  collection. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    PAINTINGS.  343 

The  Jesuits  brought  many  valuable  paint- 
ings to  this  country,  but  almost  all  have  been 
lost,  or  have  perished  by  neglect.  Among  those 
which  hung  round  the  walls  of  the  church,  were 
others,  apparently  by  the  same  hand  as  the 
former.  The  subject  of  one  of  them  is  Christ 
exorcising  the  evil  spirit  from  the  man  possessed 
of  devils  ;  a  very  spirited  production.  Another, 
is  the  Samaritan  woman  at  the  well.  A  third, 
the  woman  kissing  the  hem  of  Christ's  garment ; 
all  good  compositions,  and  pleasing  pictures. 

The  sacristan  was  so  surprised  and  so  wearied 
by  my  long  examination  of  such  rubbish,  that 
he  went  and  acquainted  the  curate  with  the 
circumstance.  The  curate  acquainted  the  rec- 
tor, that  el  SeTior  Secretario  (the  appellation  by 
which  I  am  usually  known  at  Potosi)  had  been 
all  the  forenoon  examining  las  pinturas  antiguas 
de  los  Jcsuitas,  and  seemed  to  take  a  great  fancy 
to  them. — "  Do  you  think  he'd  buy  them?" 
said  the  curate. — "  Ask  him,"  said  the  rector. — 
"  Corriente"  (with  all  my  heart,)  said  the  curate, 
who  came  and  inquired  if  such  was  my  wish. — 
I  replied  in  the  affirmative,  so  far  as  regarded 
four  of  them. — "  You  must  take  all  or  none," 
said  the  curate. — "  That 's  hard,"  said  I,  and  so 
I  thought  it,  to  be  compelled  to  take  a  house- 
full  of  rubbish,  in  order  to  become  possessed  of 
one  or  two  articles  of  gusto. — "  What  do  you 


344  BARGAIN   FOE    PICTURES. 

ask  for  the  whole?"   said  I. — "  Two  hundred 
and  twenty  dollars,"  said  the  curate. 

Now,  from  the  first  merchant  or  the  most 
respectable  person  of  any  condition  in  America 
down  to  the  woman  at  her  fruit-stall,  "  What 
do  you  ask  V  is  always  the  first  question  of  a 
purchaser  ;  the  second,  "  What  will  you  take  ?" 
and  the  answers  to  these  preliminary  interroga- 
tories are  frequently  as  wide  of  each  other  as 
Cape  Horn  and  Cape  Clear.  I  have  known 
the  price  taken  reduced  to  a  third  of  that  which 
was  asked.  This  Jew-like  custom  is  so  general, 
that  although  the  price  asked  for  any  article 
be  less  than  what  the  purchaser  at  first  ex- 
pected, still  he  would  rather  go  without  it  than 
take  it  at  the  original  demand  ;  there  must  be 
an  abatement,  or  no  sale  can  be  effected.  The 
consequence  is,  that  merchants,  and  all  those 
who  may  have  any  thing  to  sell,  from  an  estate 
to  a  pair  of  shoes,  ask  a  price  far  beyond  what 
they  have  any  expectation  of  getting. 

My  second  question  to  the  curate  was  there- 
fore— "  What  will  you  take  ?"— "  I  will  take 
two  hundred  dollars,"  said  he. — <c  If  you  will 
take  one  hundred  and  fifty,"  said  I,  "  the  bar- 
gain is  made." — "  Venga  la  plata"  (down  with 
your  dust,)  said  the  curate,  "  for  I  am  in  a 
hurry,  and  must  go  to  the  convent  to  confess 


DESTRUCTION    OF    DOGS.  345 

Dona  Jesusa,  a  sick  nun." — I  counted  out  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  with  which  the  cu- 
rate walked  off,  leaving  me  his  blessing  into 
the  bargain. 

The  pictures  were  delivered,  and  I  believe  to 
this  hour  we  are  both  satisfied. 

30th.  An  order  has  been  issued  for  all  sil- 
versmiths, blacksmiths,  and  shoemakers  to  pro- 
duce to  the  chief  of  police,  within  the  space  of 
seven  days,  ten  dead  dogs  each,  under  the  pe- 
nalty of  twelve  dollars  for  every  dog  that  may 
be  wanting  of  the  number.  This,  I  understand, 
is  an  annual  decree,  in  con  sequence  of  the  increase 
of  those  animals  in  and  about  Potosi.  Their 
number  is  certainly  very  great,  for  an  Indian 
is  seldom  seen  unaccompanied  by  two,  three, 
or  four  ;  but  they  might  easily  be  destroyed  in 
a  less  barbarous  manner  than  that  which  is 
practised  here,  which  is  absolutely  a  reproach 
upon  the  government  that  permits  it,  and  a 
disgrace  to  the  people  who  can  calmly  witness 
the  scene.  The  master-workmen  who  are  called 
upon  for  tliieir  quota  of  dogs,  employ  boys,  to 
whom  they  pay  a  media,  three-pence,  for  every 
dog  they  bring,  dead  or  alive,  to  their  door. 
These  urchins  go  through  the  streets  in  pairs, 
one  furnished  with  a  laso,  the  other  with  a  club. 
When  sufficiently  near  to  their  game,  the  laso 


346  DESTllUCTION    OF    DOGS. 

is  dexterously  thrown,  and,  the  dog  being 
noosed,  the  club  is  then  employed,  until  death 
puts  an  end  to  the  dreadful  bowlings  which 
proclaim  through  the  neighbourhood  the  suffer- 
in  £s  of  the  unfortunate  animal.  The  mangled 
carcase  is  then  dragged  to  the  door  of  him  who 
contracted  for  it,  and  there  it  remains,  with 
others,  in  a  disgusting  heap,  until  the  number 
is  complete.  The  boys  on  these  occasions 
have  carte  blanche ;  no  one  can  reprehend  them, 
and  no  dog  is  exempt,  during  seven  days, 
from  this  murderous  decree :  those  who  have 
a  favourite  must  therefore  keep  him  closely 
imprisoned  during  that  period. 

The  first  intimation  I  received  of  this  guerra 
de  muerte  (war  of  death)  was,  when  riding  in 
the  morning  to  our  ingenio,  accompanied  as 
usual  by  Carlo,  I  heard  him  suddenly  cry  out 
in  a  tone  of  distress ;  and  turning  round  to 
discover  the  cause,  I  saw  that  he  had  been 
struck  in  the  attempt  to  be  lasoed.  Imme- 
diately afterwards,  I  saw  a  heap  of  dead  dogs  at 
the  door  of  a  smith,  and  upon  inquiry,  I  was 
informed  of  the  government  decree,  and  warned 
to  take  care  of  my  friend.  "  Dios guarde  listed" 
said  I  to  the  smith  for  his  information,  and 
galloped  home,  followed  close  at  my  horse's 
heels  by  Carlo,  with  his  tail  down,  ears  back, 


HOUSE    AND    HOUSE-BENT.  347 

and  so  perfectly  on  the  qui  vive,  that  it  was  easy 
to  perceive  he  had  heard  the  deadly  news,  and 
was  aware  of  the  danger  he  had  escaped. 

June  1st.  This  day  I  took  possession  of  a 
house,  which  I  hired  for  receiving  the  people 
and  cargo  of  our  ship ;  it  is  the  largest  in 
Potosi,  and  certainly  ranks  among  the  very 
good  houses  of  America.  It  contains  many 
spacious  rooms,  with  innumerable  closets,  dark 
holes  and  corners,  adapted  for  store-rooms ; 
also  altos,  (meaning  a  second  story,)  which  from 
the  dearness  and  extreme  scarcity  of  timber, 
all  houses  in  Potosi  do  not  possess.  In  those 
districts,  where  earthquakes  are  prevalent, 
altos  are  not  usual,  on  account  of  the  danger 
attending  their  fall.  The  house  in  question 
has  the  advantage  of  having  the  windows  of 
all  the  principal  apartments  glazed ;  a  very  ex- 
pensive luxury  in  this  quarter  of  the  world, 
where  cotton  or  linen  blinds  have  hitherto  sup- 
plied the  place  of  glass  ;  but,  since  the  inter- 
course with  Europe,  the  latter  is  coming  into 
general  use.  I  have  hired  the  house  from  the 
1st  of  June,  for  one  year,  at  the  rate  of  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  which,  although 
under  one  hundred  and  seventy  pounds  sterling, 
is  nevertheless  considered  a  high  rent.  The 
house  we  at  present  occupy  at  a  rent  of  seventy 


348       DECREE    IN    FAVOUR    OF    FOREIGNERS. 

pounds  is  a  very  good  one,  but  little  more  than 
a  third  of  the  size  of  the  casa  Linares,  which  is 
the  name  of  our  new  house,  called  after  its 
owner,  Dona  Josefa  de  Linares,  a  lady  of  a 
family  of  wealth  and  distinction. 

This  day  corresponds  with  our  first  of  De- 
cember in  Europe  ;  the  weather,  however,  is 
very  different,  being  extremely  dry,  and  not  a 
cloud  to  be  seen  in  the  firmament.  Very  hot 
in  the  sun,  and  very  cold  in  the  shade,  is  the 
usual  temperature  of  Potosi ;  but,  as  I  have  be- 
fore observed,  there  being  neither  thermometer 
nor  barometer  in  the  imperial  city,  and  ours 
being  all  broken  on  our  journey,  I  cannot  as- 
certain the  exact  degree  of  temperature,  though 
at  this  season  the  mean  of  the  thermometer 
may  probably  be  about  60°.  For  my  own 
part,  I  consider  the  weather  good,  and  I  am 
certain  the  climate  is  healthy. 

June  14th.  This  government  has  just  issued 
a  decree,  offering  special  protection  to  foreign- 
ers who  may  come  and  reside  in  the  Republic, 
and  setting  forth  that  all  religions  are  tolerated, 
an  indulgence  unheard  of  and  unknown  during 
the  dominion  of  Spain.  This  is  as  it  should  be ; 
a  grand  step  in  the  career  of  liberty,  and  proves 
that  the  people  wish  to  become  the  associates  of 
freemen. 

• 


VISIT    TO    THE    LAKES.  349 

In  a  private  letter  from  Columbia,  it  is  stated 
that  "  the  widow  of  Washington,"  (whom  I 
supposed  to  have  been  long  gone  hence)  has 
lately  sent  a  valuable  locket  to  Bolivar,  in- 
closing a  lock  of  her  late  husband's  hair,  with 
many  compliments,  amongst  which  she  styles 
him  "  The  Washington  of  the  Southern  He- 
misphere." 

20th.  A  delightfully  fine,  sharp,  fresh  morn- 
ing. At  an  early  hour  I  mounted  my  horse, 
and  proceeded  in  company  with  a  large  party, 
to  visit  Las  Lagunas,  the  lakes,  constructed  by 
the  Spaniards  for  the  supply  of  the  town  with 
water,  or  rather  for  the  supply  of  the  machinery 
of  the  ingenios,  without  which  they  could  not 
have  procured  in  such  abundance  that  which 
engrossed  their  whole  attention,  and  gave  them 
much  greater  concern  than  the  public  accommo- 
dation— the  acquirement  of  the  precious  metals. 

After  riding  about  two  leagues  through  the 
barren,  stony,  rocky,  mountainous  country, 
which  environs  Potosi,  we  came  to  the  first 
lake,  in  describing  which,  I  describe  them  all, 
amounting  to  thirty-seven.  The  place  chosen 
for  the  lake  is  a  narrow  valley,  so  situated  that 
nothing  was  required  in  the  construction,  except 
a  strong  dam  or  breast-work,  run  across  from 
the  mountains  on  each  side,  and  of  sufficient 


350  VISIT    TO    THE    LAKES. 

height  and  strength  to  keep  in  the  water,  which 
in  the  rainy  season  pours  in  floods  into  the 
valleys.  A  sluice  in  the  middle  of  the  breast- 
work regulates  the  quantity  of  water  sent  by 
means  of  conduits  to  the  town,  to  supply  thp 
public  fountains  and  those  of  private  houses ; 
that  for  the  ingenios  is  sent  in  a  stream  of  suffi- 
cient force  to  turn  their  ungainly  machinery. 
One  of  these  lakes,  about  ten  miles  from  the 
town,  can  alone  supply  the  whole  city  for  six 
months,  but,  in  consequence  of  it  and  others 
being  out  of  repair,  and  two  very  dry  sea- 
sons following,  the  inhabitants  were  last  year 
in  the  greatest  necessity  and  alarm  for  want  of 
water. 

These  lakes  were  formed  upwards  of  two- 
hundred  years  ago,  at  enormous  and  much  need- 
less expense,  for  it  was  pointed  out  to  me,  and 
indeed  I  thought  it  sufficiently  obvious,  that 
within  two  miles  of  the  town,  instead  of  six, 
seven,  eight,  nine,  and  ten  miles  distant,  there 
were  situations  equally  eligible  for  forming 
lakes,  or  if  it  so  pleased,  one  lake,  capable  of 
containing  a  quantity  of  water  equal  to  that  of 
the  whole  thirty-seven. 

21.  The  mining  district  of  Puno,  where 
Baron  Czettritz  is  now  surveying  mines  with 
the  intention  of  purchasing  them  for  our  Asso- 
ciation, seems  to  have  escaped  the  notice  of  the 


MINING    DISTRICT    OF    PUNO.  351 

indefatigable  Humboldt,  which  is  rather  sur- 
prising, as  its  mines  were  formerly  astonish- 
ingly productive,  and  at  the  present  day  their 
importance  as  a  speculation  is  not  inferior  to 
any  of  the  new  world.  General  Miller,  who 
was  prefect  of  the  department,  has  made  very 
particular  mention  of  the  mining  district  in 
his  late  interesting  Memoirs,  and  quotes  from 
Ulloa  some  passages  relative  to  the  unfortu- 
nate Salcedo,  whose  wealth  acquired  from  these 
mines  was  the  chief  cause  of  his  having  been 
led  to  the  scaffold  under  the  vice-regal  govern- 
ment of  Lima.  The  following  particulars  re- 
specting the  mines  of  Puno  have,  for  the  most 
part,  been  extracted  from  a  document  sent  to 
me  by  our  chief  commissioner,  who  mentions 
it  to  be  "  the  report  of  an  intelligent  gentle- 
man, drawn  up  by  the  desire  of  a  Lima  mer- 
chant," who  has  lately  acquired  property  in  the 
neighbourhood  with  the  intention  of  working 
the  mines. 

Puno,  like  all  other  mineral  districts  in  this 
country,  is  situated  in  a  high  range  of  hills, 
forming  the  western  boundary  of  the  extensive 
lake  of  Titicaca,  which  is  eighty  leagues  in 
circumference,  and  placed  at  an  elevation  of 
12,761  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
It  was  in  this  lake  that  the  Indians  at  the  time 
of  the   conquest  threw  immense  treasures  of 


352  MINING    DISTRICT    OF    PUNO. 

gold  and  silver  to  save  them  from  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  Spaniards  ;  among  these  was  a 
famous  gold  chain,  of  extraordinary  size,  said 
to  have  been  made  by  order  of  the  Inca  Hnyna 
Capac,  to  commemorate  a  festival  given  on 
the  birth  of  his  eldest  son. 

The  hills  of  Puno  are  composed  chiefly  of  a 
porphyritic  rock,  which  reposes  on  a  sandstone 
formation,  similar  to  the  red  marl  and  sand- 
stone formation  of  the  British  Islands  and  to 
the  great  red  sandstone  formation  of  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe.  In  its  general  disposition,  as 
in  its  mineralogical  characters,  the  porphyry  of 
Puno  corresponds  exactly  with  those  metallife- 
rous porphyries  which  have  produced  the  im- 
mense riches  of  the  Real  del  Monte,  of  the  Bo- 
lanos,  and  partly  of  the  Guanaxuato  mines  in 
Mexico,  and  with  those  of  Hungary  and  Tran- 
sylvania ;  and,  like  them,  it  abounds  in  veins 
containing  the  precious  metals. 

The  hills  of  Cancharani,  Laycaycota,  and 
San  Jose,  are  one  continuous  range,  formed  of 
this  porphyry  nearly  to  their  bases,  and  in  it 
are  situated  the  rich  veins  of  silver  ore  which 
have  rendered  these  several  mines  so  celebrated. 
They  contain  all  the  ores  of  silver  hitherto  met 
with  in  similar  districts,  the  muriate  and  car- 
bonate excepted. 

The   great   resemblance   which    the   mineral 


LIBERALITY    OF    SALCEDO.  353 

district  of  Puno  presents  in  its  geological  dis- 
position and  metallic  minerals  to  the  rich  mines 
of  Mexico,  warrants  a  belief,  nay  a  confidence, 
in  the  almost  fabulous  account  of  the  produce 
of  some  of  its  mines,  as  handed  down  by  history 
and  by  tradition  to  the  present  day.  All  the 
mines  situated  in  the  hill  of  Laycaycota,  once 
the  property  of  Salcedo,  have  acquired  not  only 
in  Peru,  but  throughout  America,  a  celebrity 
little  inferior  to  those  of  Potosi. 

One  of  the  mines  on  the  summit  of  the 
cerro  de  Laycaycota  produced  in  a  few  years 
such  immense  wealth  to  Salcedo,  as  to  collect 
round  him  a  great  number  of  adventurers  from 
the  mother-country ;  so  great  was  his  gene- 
rosity, that  he  would  allow  his  needy  country- 
men, who  applied  to  him  for  relief,  to  enter 
his  mines  and  work  for  a  certain  time,  leav- 
ing the  chance  of  their  profits  to  their  own 
labour:  this  was  at  all  times,  even  under  the 
worst  luck,  an  extremely  valuable  license.  The 
influence  which  his  liberality  procured  for  him, 
excited  the  jealousy  of  the  vice-regal  govern- 
ment, and  in  the  year  1669,  disturbances  of  a 
serious  nature,  in  which  Salcedo  took  a  conspi- 
cuous part,  having  broken  out  at  Puno,  the 
viceroy  proceeded  thither  in  person,  made  him 
prisoner,  and  carried  him  to  Lima,  where  he 
vol.  i.  2  a 


354    PRODUCE  OF  SALCKDO'S  MINES. 

was  executed  as  a  public  traitor.  His  mines 
were  then  taken  possession  of  by  the  Spanish 
Government,  and  worked  until  water  gained 
access  and  compelled  their  abandonment,  at  a 
moment  when,  according  to  authentic  records, 
confirmed  by  local  tradition,  "  pure  silver  was 
cut  in  solid  masses  from  the  body  of  the  veins." 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  archives  con- 
taining an  account  of  the  produce  of  the  mines 
during  Salcedo's  life  have  been  destroyed;  a 
document,  however,  has  been  furnished  by  the 
provincial  government  of  Puno,  exhibiting  a 
produce  for  a  short  period,  which,  if  it  were  not 
founded  on  official  record,  we  could  scarcely 
credit.  By  this  document  it  appears,  that  in 
the  space  of  twelve  months,  163,569  marcs  of 
silver,  amounting  to  £229,000  sterling,  were 
"  registered"  at  the  provincial  treasury ;  and 
this  is  to  be  considered  as  a  very  ordinary  year, 
since,  in  another  twelve  months,  the  amount  of 
"  duties  paid"  into  the  same  treasury  exceeded 
one  million  of  dollars,  which,  at  the  rate  of  11  \ 
per  cent,  supposes  the  produce  of  the  mines  to 
have  amounted  to  the  enormous  quantity  of 
1,240,000  marcs  of  silver,  or  £1,740,000  sterling 
within  the  space  of  one  year,  exclusively  of 
what  was  manufactured  or  carried  away  with- 
out paying  any  duty.     This  produce  far   ex- 


MUNIFICENCE  OF  THE  CONDF.  DF.  REGLA.    35.5 

ceeds  any  thing  of  the  kind  in  modern  times, 
and  only  finds  a  parallel  in  the  returns  fur- 
nished by  the  mine  of  Vet  a  negra  de  Sombrerete, 
in  Mexico,  a  single  seam  of  which  produced  in 
five  or  six  months,  all  charges  deducted,  a  net 
profit  of  twenty  millions  of  francs,  or  £833,400 
sterling.  The  proprietary  of  this  mine  is  in  the 
family  of  Fagoaga,  Marquis  of  Apartado,  who, 
M.  Humboldt  observes,  exhibits  the  example 
of  the  greatest  wealth  ever  derived  from  a  mine. 
That  of  Biscaina,  in  the  district  of  Real  del 
Monte,  may  perhaps  also  be  mentioned  as  a 
parallel,  it  having  made  its  proprietor,  the  Conde 
de  Regla,  one  of  the  richest  men  of  the  age. 
In  the  year  1774  he  had  already  drawn  a  net 
profit  of  nearly  a  million  and  a  half  British 
sterling  from  his  mine.  And,  as  a  proof  of 
the  princely  munificence  of  the  Conde,  he  con- 
structed at  his  own  expense,  at  the  Havannah, 
two  ships  of  war,  one  of  them  of  120  guns, 
which  he  presented  as  a  free  gift  to  his  so- 
vereign, King  Charles  the  Third. 

About  thirty  years  ago,  the  mines  of  San 
Jose"  and  Laycaycota  were  very  productive, 
until  water  flowed  in,  for  draining  which  adits 
were  commenced ;  but  bad  management,  want 
of  capital,  and  interruption  from  civil  war,  have 
likewise  occasioned  their  abandonment.  These 
2  a  2 


356  PROMISINCx    SPECULATION. 

mines,  however,  are  considered  among  the  most 
valuable  in  Peru,  and,  possessing  a  combination 
of  advantages  rarely  to  be  met  with  in  such 
speculations,  they  are  well  adapted  for  a  com- 
pany of  a  few  individuals  who  would  under- 
take to  work  them.  The  sum  necessary  for  the 
undertaking,  upon  a  liberal  scale,  may  be  es- 
timated at  about  £20,000  sterling.  An  abun- 
dant supply  of  miners  can  at  all  times  be  ob- 
tained from  among  the  large  Indian  population 
collected  round  the  chief  town  of  the  depart- 
ment, where  the  price  of  labour  does  not  ex- 
ceed two  shillings  a  day.  No  expensive  Eu- 
ropean machinery  is  requisite :  the  compact 
nature  of  the  rock  dispenses  with  the  cost 
of  arching  the  adits  and  galleries :  the  well- 
known  richness  of  the  ore  ensures  a  profitable 
return,  and  the  repayment  of  all  disbursements 
might  reasonably  be  expected  within  eighteen 
months  from  the  period  of  commencing  the 
operations.  Tt  is  confidently  asserted,  that  the 
mines  of  San  Jose  and  Laycaycota  might  in  a 
short  period  be  made  to  produce  a  quantity 
of  silver  as  much  superior  to  that  which  they 
gave  Salcedo,  as  the  present  system  of  working 
is  superior  to  the  one  practised  at  the  time 
when  that  unfortunate  individual  obtained  such 
great  riches  from  them. 


ORES    OF    PUNO    MINES.  357 

The  Puno  mining  district,  being  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  arid  mountains,  is  almost  desti- 
tute of  wood,  the  only  fuel  used  being  the 
dried  dung  of  domestic  animals,  chiefly  of  the 
llama;  consequently,  here  as  elsewhere,  the 
process  of  amalgamation  has  been  followed  on 
nearly  as  rough  and  unscientific  a  plan  as  when 
first  introduced  in  the  year  1571.  The  rich- 
ness of  the  ores  of  Puno,  and  their  frequent 
associations  with  those  of  lead  and  copper,  ren- 
der them  well  adapted  for  fusion  ;  but  it  will 
scarcely  be  believed  in  Europe  at  the  present 
day,  that  the  only  method  employed  for  ex- 
tracting the  silver  from  the  argentiferous  sul- 
phurets  of  lead  and  copper  is  by  amalgamation ; 
a  process  which,  however  well  executed,  con- 
sidering the  nature  of  the  ores,  is  insufficient 
for  the  obtaining  the  entire  silver  contained  in 
the  minerals ;  whilst  the  lead  and  copper,  with 
which  the  silver  is  associated,  and  which  bring 
a  very  high  price  in  this  country,  are  entirely 
lost  to  the  miner. 

Two  thirds  of  the  ores  of  the  Puno  mineral 
district  being  combinations  of  the  kind  above 
mentioned,  they  are  peculiarly  well  adapted  for 
smelting  furnaces ;  the  advantages  to  be  de- 
rived from  the  introduction  of  them,  must, 
therefore,  be  evident,  for  by  their  operation  a 


358  PLAN    FOR    WOllKING 

large  proportion  of  the  copper  and  lead  will  be 
saved,  and  a  greater  quantity  of  silver  produced 
than  can  be  extracted  by  the  process  of  amal- 
gamation. At  the  present  day,  the  loss  of  mer- 
cury in  the  extraction  of  silver  from  its  ores  in 
the  few  amalgamation-works  about  Puno  and 
Lampa,  amounts  to  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five 
per  cent,  on  the  value  of  the  silver  extracted  ; 
whilst,  in  the  process  of  smelting,  the  whole  of, 
the  silver  may  be  obtained  at  an  eighth  of  the 
same  expense,  in  one- tenth  less  time,  conse- 
quently with  infinitely  less  labour ;  and,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  silver,  a  large  quantity  of  copper 
and  lead  may  be  reckoned  upon,  which,  in  Peru, 
will  always  meet  with  a  ready  market,  and  pro- 
duce no  inconsiderable  return. 

It  beeomes  then  a  matter  of  the  first  im- 
portance to  a  company  intending  to  work  the 
mines  of  Puno,  to  erect  a  metallurgical  esta- 
blishment on  the  European  plan ;  but  as  a  fall 
of  water  and  a  sufficient  supply  of  fuel  are  not 
to  be  obtained  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
mines,  the  best  point  for  such  an  establishment 
appears  to  be  on  the  eastern  shores  of  the  Lake 
of  Titicaca,  near  to  which,  in  the  district  of 
Larecaja,  timber  of  all  dimensions  for  construc- 
tion and  fuel  can  be  had  in  abundance.  This 
distance  from  the  mines  is  a  matter  of  very 


THE    MINES    OF    PUNO.  359 

little  moment,  as  the  ores  might  be  picked  and 
separated  from  the  matrix  at  the  mining  ha- 
cienda, thence  carried  to  the  lake,  only  a  short 
distance,  and  conveyed,  in  the  course  of  twelve 
hours,  to  the  opposite  shore,  in  boats  which 
might  be  easily  constructed  for  the  purpose. 

The  probable  outlay  requisite  to  form  a  com- 
plete establishment  here,  has  been  estimated 
under  thirty  thousand  dollars,  (£6,000).  To 
conduct  the  establishment,  it  would  be  advisable 
to  place  over  it  an  intelligent  master-smelter 
from  the  Durham  or  Scotch  lead  mines,  who, 
with  a  millwright,  a  smith,  and  a  mason  to 
keep  the  mills  and  furnaces  in  repair,  a  carpen- 
ter and  boat-builder,  and  a  German  amalgama- 
tor, would  be  the  only  European  artisans  re- 
quired. 

Besides  the  advantages  which  a  company 
would  derive  from  working  the  ores  of  its  own 
mines,  it  would  possess  another,  nearly  equal, 
in  smelting  the  ores  of  other  miners  of  the 
same  district.  In  Peru,  where  the  native  miner 
is  possessed  in  general  of  a  very  limited  capital, 
and  this  is  particularly  the  case  about  Puno,  he 
is  always  anxious  to  realize  money  on  the  pro- 
duce of  his  labour ;  the  tedious  and  expensive 
process  of  amalgamation  is  little  suited  to  give 
quick  returns,  and  want  of  capital  often  inca- 


360  MINES    OF    PUNO. 

pacitates  him  from  procuring  the  quicksilver 
necessary  for  extracting  the  silver  from  the 
heaps  of  valuable  ore  which  he  possesses ;  he 
will,  therefore,  be  always  glad  to  find  a  pur- 
chaser for  his  ores,  and  in  this  way  a  capital  of 
twenty  thousand  dollars  might  be  employed  to 
great  advantage. 

The  report  concludes  by  stating,  that  "  it  is 
founded  on  a  careful  examination  of  the  sub- 
ject in  all  its  bearings,"  and  repeats,  that  in  the 
hands  of  a  few  persons  with  a  moderate  capital, 
the  mines  of  San  Jose"  and  Laycaycota  would, 
in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years,  repay  the 
total  of  the  amount  subscribed,  and  continue  to 
give  returns,  such  as  in  the  present  state  of 
mining  speculation  would  be  looked  upon  as 
chimerical. 


SAINT-DAYS.  361 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Anxiety  and   ennui   in    the   midst   of  merriment Sudden 

check  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Potosi  Mining  Associa- 
tion.— Letter  from  the  Secretary  to  the  Directors. — Mis- 
taken confidence. — Alarming'  operation. — Military  des- 
potism.— Diligencia  publica. — Doiia  Juliana. 

June  28th.  This  day  has  been  productive  to 
me  of  strange  vicissitudes, — feasting,  fasting, 
amusement,  uneasiness,  and  anxiety.  Its  amuse- 
ment commenced  in  the  Government-house, 
where  I  was  invited  by  the  prefect  to  celebrate 
his  "  saint-day,"  which  is  what  at  home  we 
call  our  birth -day,  and  where,  with  nine  persons 
out  of  ten,  it  passes  away  without  being  no- 
ticed, and  perhaps,  as  in  my  own  case,  without 
being  known.  Not  so  in  these  countries  of 
true  Catholics,  where  all  persons  of  high  or  of 
mean  degree  commemorate  their  saint's  day 
with  appropriate  festivity  ;  and,  as  every  person 
takes  the  name  of  the  saint  who  patronises  the 


362  CALENDAR    SAINTS. 

day  of  his  birth,  the  Roman  calendar  is  con- 
veniently supplied  with  a  saint  or  saintess  for 
every  day  in  the  year.  Among  the  company 
are  some  very  pretty  names,  such  as  Saint  Te- 
lesforo,  Saint  Higinio,  Saint  Gumesindo,  Saint 
Romualdo,  Saint  Baldomero,  Saint  Rudesindo, 
Olegario,  Branlio,  Gervasio,  Protasio,  Remigio, 
Wenceslao,  Sandalio,  and  so  forth.  The  ladies 
have  Saint  Escolastica,  Saint  Olalla,  Saint  Bald- 
bina,  Petronila,  Rufina,  Leocadia,  and  such 
like,  but — revenons  a  ?ws  moutons. 

This  was  the  day  of  Saint  Leon,  and  the 
birth-day  of  our  Prefect,  Leon  Galindo,  who 
gave  a  very  handsome  dinner,  to  which  every 
person  of  respectability  in  Potosi  was  invited, 
and,  out  of  compliment  to  the  English  nation 
more  than  from  the  private  friendship  which 
has  subsisted  between  him  and  myself,  I  was 
placed  first  upon  his  right.  Wines  of  all  sorts 
were  consumed  in  loyal  and  patriotic  toasts, 
and  many  complimentary  ones  in  honour  of  the 
oaliant  host,  who  is  also  colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment  of  Bogota.  All  this  would  have  passed 
away  as  merrily  with  me  as  it  did  with  others, 
if,  during  dinner-time,  a  friend  had  not  put 
into  my  hand  a  letter  which  he  had  just  re- 
ceived from  Oruro,  stating  that  a  report  had 
arrived   there   of   General    Paroissien's  having 


DISPIllITIXG    LETTERS.  363 

been  attacked  by  robbers  on  his  way  to  Ariea, 
plundered  of  all  he  possessed,  and  his  servant 
murdered  in  the  fray.  In  the  course  of  the 
evening  two  other  letters,  that  had  arrived  by 
the  Buenos  Ayres  mail,  were  delivered  to  me. 
One  of  these  was  from  Don  Felix  Castro,  our 
agent  in  that  city,  (who  had  been  empower- 
ed by  our  chief  commissioner  to  draw  upon 
the  Association  to  the  amount  of  £12,000.) 
stating  that,  in  consequence  of  the  great  num- 
ber of  bills  returned  protested  from  England, 
owing  to  failures  of  merchants  and  banking- 
houses,  he  declined  accepting  any  more  drafts 
until  he  should  receive  advice  of  the  payment 
of  the  bill  drawn  in  December  last  upon  the 
Directors  for  the  above-mentioned  sum. 

The  other  letter,  of  a  still  more  dispiriting  na- 
ture, was  from  the  Company's  solicitor  in  Lon- 
don, giving  a  deplorable  account  of  the  state  of 
things  in  England,  and  mentioning,  not  only 
that  a  call  for  a  second  instalment  would  be 
hopeless,  but  that  some  of  the  Directors,  holding 
a  large  number  of  shares,  were  unable  to  pay  their 
first  quota.  This  information  instantly  chilled 
the  sanguine  hopes  I  had  hitherto  entertained 
of  the  ultimate  prosperity  of  our  enterprise,  be- 
cause the  salaries  alone  of  our  monstrous  esta- 
blishment, exceeding  ten  thousand  pounds  ster- 


'364  GOOD    AND    BAD    NEWS. 

ling  per  annum,  rendered  it  impossible  to  carry 
on  the  operations  to  any  advantage  without  an 
advance  of  money.  These  circumstances  ill- 
disposed  me  to  partake  of  the  pleasures  of  the 
banquet,  and  subsequently  of  the  ball  and  sup- 
per, with  which  Leon  Galindo  concluded  the 
day  of  Saint  Leon. 

July  5.  Our  anxiety  respecting  General  Pa- 
roissien  had  every  day,  up  to  the  present,  been 
increased  to  a  painful  degree  by  various  reports 
tending  to  confirm  the  original  one,  which, 
however,  is  now  contradicted  by  a  letter  from 
himself,  dated  Tacna,  22nd  June,  in  which  he 
does  not  mention  a  syllable  on  the  subject  of 
his  being  attacked  by  robbers;  but  sadly  de- 
plores a  loss  he  sustained  by  means  of  one, 
namely,  his  slave  Nicolas,  who  absconded  on 
the  journey,  making  choice  of  two  of  his  best 
mules,  several  loose  articles  from  his  wardrobe, 
and  a  silk  purse,  the  value  of  which  happened 
to  be  considerably  enhanced  by  its  contents — 
thirteen  ounces  of  gold. 

The  Buenos  Ayres  courier  has  this  day  con- 
veyed to  my  hands  dispatches  from  England, 
containing  gloomy  accounts  of  the  depressed 
state  of  the  money-market,  and  the  dullness  in 
all  the  commercial  interests  of  the  country.  But 
that  which  I  had  never  even  suspected  the  pro- 


LETTER    TO    THE    DIRECTORS.  365 

bability  of  receiving,  was  an  angry  letter  from 
our  Buenos  Ayres  agent.  It  is  impossible  for 
me  to  describe  the  feelings  it  excited  :  had  I 
been  convicted  of  any  great  crime  I  could 
scarcely  have  felt  more  dejected  or  abashed. 
I  little  thought,  that  on  the  very  day  twelve- 
month of  my  appointment  by  the  Society,  I 
should  have  received  intelligence  of  a  nature 
to  compel  me  to  make  such  a  communication 
as  here  follows  to  the  Chairman  and  Directors 
of  the  Potosi  Association. 

"  Gentlemen, 

"  The  inclosed  copy  of  a  letter  from  Don  Felix  Castro 
will  convey  some  idea  of  the  disappointment  and  indignation 
occasioned  by  the  protest  of  your  chief  Commissioner's  draft 
upon  your  Board,  a  proceeding  which  has  thrown  all  of  us 
here  into  a  state  of  astonishment,  confusion,  and  distress, 
quite  impossible  to  be  described,  and  mortifying  in  a  degree 
proportionate  to  the  success  that  has  hitherto  attended  our 
exertions,  and  assured  us  till  now  of  deriving  the  happiest 
results  from  all  our  undertakings. 

"  That  the  first  check  in  the  prosperous  career  of  this  As- 
sociation should  proceed  from  your  Board,  is  to  us  utterly 
unaccountable,  and  appears  as  unprovoked  an  act  of  suicide 
as  ever  was  committed  in  the  world  of  business. 

"  What  must  be  the  feelings  of  my  friend  General  Parois- 
sien,  when  he  receives  my  dispatch  conveying  this  death- 
blow to  all  his  zealous  exertions  in  your  cause,  and,  per- 
haps, to  his  own  credit  and  reputation  for  ever  !    All  the  bills 


366         FIRST    CHECK    OF    THE    COMPANY. 

which  have  been  drawn  upon  our  Agent  in  Buenos  Ayres, 
for  carrying  on  your  business  here  will  shortly  be  returned 
to  complete  our  dishonour,  and  thus  seal  the  doom  of  this 
once  promising  speculation. 

"  I  am,  &c." 

I  forthwith  stopped  the  working  of  the 
mines,  the  preparations  in  Linares'  house,  the 
purchases  of  corn,  timber,  lime,  charcoal,  and 
retrenched  expenses  wherever  it  was  in  my 
power  so  to  do.  With  respect  to  money  mat- 
ters, I  had  availed  myself  of  my  authority  to 
draw  on  Buenos  Ayres  to  the  amount  of  about 
a  thousand  dollars,  for  which  sum  I  had  given 
bills  to  a  private  individual,  under  circum- 
stances so  peculiar,  that  I  could  not  now  refrain 
from  considering  the  transaction  as  binding  on 
myself.  My  young  friend  Don  Cristobal  came 
one  day  to  my  office,  and  said  that  he  had  five 
hundred  dollars  which  he  wished  to  send  by 
bill  to  his  mother  in  Buenos  Ayres,  and  that 
two  or  three  merchants  had  offered  him  12  per 
cent,  premium  for  the  cash,  (which  was,  in  fact, 
the  rate  of  exchange ;)  but,  continued  he,  "  my 
anxiety  is  so  great  that  my  mother  should  re- 
ceive the  money  without  chance  of  disappoint- 
ment from  the  bill  I  send  her,  that  I  will  gladly 
give  the  cash  to  you,  Don  Edmondo,  for  half 
the  premium,  and  I  will  consider  your  accept- 


CASHING    BILLS.  367 

ing  it  an  act  of  friendship  ;  for  I  am  con- 
vinced that  no  disappointment  can  happen  to 
any  bill  of  the  Company's." — '  That  is  quite 
certain,"  said  I,  and  immediately  drew  the  bill 
for  value  received,  feeling  at  the  same  time  a 
double  gratification  in  having  obliged  a  friend 
and  served  my  employers. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  Don  Cristobal  again 
called  on  me  with  a  bag  of  dollars,  requesting 
me  to  take  them  on  similar  terms,  which  I  did, 
giving  him  my  bill  with  all  the  confidence  of  a 
prime  minister  drawing  on  the  treasury  of  the 
state.  And  here  I  must  observe,  that  strong 
as  my  own  confidence  was  in  the  solvency  and 
stability  of  our  Association,  it  was  not  stronger 
than  that  which  pervaded  all  classes  of  society 
in  this  country  respecting  us. 

When  my  dispatches  disclosed  the  fate  of 
our  chief  commissioner's  draft  upon  the  Board 
of  Directors,  I  immediately  thought  of  those 
which  I  had  drawn,  and  felt  that  but  little 
mercy  would  be  shown  in  recovering  their 
amount,  nor  indeed  could  any  be  expected. 
It  would  however  have  been  an  easy  matter  for 
me  to  let  the  bills  take  their  course  at  the  cost 
and  dishonour  of  the  Society  at  large ;  I  should 
in  that  case  have  gained  in  time  between  two 
and  three  months  before  their  return,  and  as 


368  FLUXION. 

much  more  in  suffering  a  recovery  of  their 
amount  at  law.  Such  was  the  advice  I  received, 
but  it  was  not  so  easy  to  forget  the  unsuspect- 
ing confidence  of  my  friend ;  I  was  therefore 
induced  to  listen  to  the  counsel  of  another  and 
a  better  monitor, — that  *  still  small  voice'  which 
never  errs,  and  which  I  now  obeyed. 

I  sent  for  my  friend,  and  communicated  to 
him  the  occurrence  which  had  so  suddenly 
changed  the  aspect  of  our  affairs,  and  destroyed 
the  validity  of  my  drafts ;  but  as  the  trans- 
action between  him  and  myself  originated  in 
friendship,  it  was  my  desire  to  conclude  it  on 
the  same  terms.  I  then  reimbursed  him  the 
amount  from  my  private  funds,  and  enabled 
him  to  procure  better  bills  than  those  of  the 
Society,  which  henceforth  lost  all  credit.  My 
friend  was  grateful,  and  I,  notwithstanding 
personal  inconvenience,  felt  that  I  had  done 
what  I  ought  to  have  done,  and  nothing  more. 

13th.  In  consequence  of  a  complaint  called 
here  'fluxion?  being  a  swelling  of  the  face  at- 
tended with  severe  pain,  which  is  prevalent  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  and  which  invariably 
brings  on  tooth-ache,  I  sent  for  the  dentist,  that 
is,  the  barber ;  for  I  have  already  had  occasion 
to  remark,  that  no  individual  in  a  medical, 
surgical,  or  physical,  capacity  exists  in  Potosi. 


THE    DENTIST.  369 

When  the  barber  appeared  with  his  implements 
I  must  confess  that  the  pain,  which  had  long 
been  torturing  me,  instantly  gave  way  to  ter- 
ror.    Heavens !  what  a  leathern  bagful  of  iron 
tools  he  placed  upon  my  table  ! — In  the  swollen 
condition  of  my  face,  I  felt  assured  that  I  could 
not  open  my  mouth  wide  enough  to  receive  the 
smallest  of  them.     Country  blacksmiths  some- 
times use  similar  instruments  in  their  calling  of 
horse-shoeing;   but,  for  a  human  operation,  I 
never  before  saw  any  thing  of  the  kind.    When 
the  man  had  been  gone  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  when  the  cold  shivering  occasioned 
by  the  sight  of  his  machinery  had  subsided,  the 
pain  returned,  and  I  felt  ashamed  of  my  pusil- 
lanimity.    Better,  said  I  to  myself,  endure  the 
torture  of  that  man  for  five  minutes,  than  the 
torture  of  this  tooth  for  hours  and  days  :  then 
feeling  if  it   was   loose,  I  thought   it   seemed 
tighter  than   ever  in   its  socket.     Still,   I  had 
courage  to  send  a  second  time  for  the  execu- 
tioner, who  appeared  quite  as  soon  as  I  desired, 
and  with  a  smile  upon  his  countenance,  which 
bespoke  any  thing  but  sympathy,  for  it  ill  ac- 
corded with    the   solemnity   of  mine,   he   ex- 
claimed— "  Ahora,  Cabalkro,  si  Dios  quiere,  a  la 
obra."     i.  e.  —  "  Now,  Sir,  with   God's  will,  to 
business."     Then,  taking  me  by  the  shoulders, 
vol.  i.  2  b 


370  THE    DENTIST. 

he    made   me   sit   down    upon   the  floor,    and 
standing  colossus-like  above  me,  jammed  my 
head  between  his  knees.    I  was  resignation  per- 
sonified, meekly  surrendering  myself  without  a 
struggle  to  his  efforts,  which,  truth  compels  me 
to  acknowledge,  I  was  in  a  great  degree  prevent- 
ed from  making  by  the  durance  in  which  I  was 
held  between  his  nervous  limbs.     He  grinned, 
I  screamed  ;  and  the  more  he  grinned  the  louder 
I  bellowed  ;  but  I  must  also  confess  that  I  had 
no  hope  of  being  relieved  so  soon  and  so  suc- 
cessfully as  I  was ;  for,  in  about  three  minutes, 
and  with  three  tugs,  the  last  accompanied  with 
a-haugh !    similar  to  what  paviors  utter  when 
using  their  pounder  with  all  their  might,  the 
tooth  was  wrenched  from  my  head,  and  flew, 
bang,  through  a  pane  of  glass  in  the  window.     I 
thought  that  my  jaw  had  accompanied  it,  and, 
putting  up  my  hand  to  feel,  was  so  surprised 
at  finding  all  safe,  that  I  paid,  at  my  own  dis- 
cretion, the  liberal  fee  of  two  dollars,  and  blessed 
my  stars  when  he  who  caused  my  pleasure  and 
my  pain  vanished  from  my  presence. 

21st.  The  following  letter  from  me  to  our 
Secretary  in  London  depicts,  in  some  degree, 
our  situation  at  Potosi. 

"  By  letters  from  Baron  Czettritz,  I  am  informed  that  our 
chief  commissioner  has  left  Arica  and  gone  to  Lima,  to  en- 


LETTER  TO  THE  SECRETARY.     371 

deavour  to  obtain  permission  for  our  cargo  to  enter  free  of 
duty,  which  Baron  Czettritz  mentions  will  be  a  saving,  if 
granted,  of  nearly  thirty-five  thousand  dollars.  In  conse- 
quence of  leaving  Arica,  the  chief  commissioner  has  not  re- 
ceived my  late  communication,  and  therefore  is  still  ignorant 
of  the  dishonour  that  has  befallen  his  drafts.  Already  bills 
have  beenreturned,  and  are  returning  upon  us  from  all 
parts,  rejected  by  Don  Felix  Castro.  You  may  form  some 
idea  of  the  expenses  attending  the  protests,  from  the 
charge  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  being  already  made 
upon  the  bill  for  12,000/.  owing  to  the  ruinous  rate  of  ex- 
change. 

"  If  some  decisive  step  is  not  immediately  taken  to  coun- 
teract the  consequences,  I  know  not  what  will  become  of  us 
here.  You  have  placed  us  in  a  shameful  and  cruel  predica- 
ment, which  we  feel  the  more,  in  consequence  of  the  success 
we  had  every  reason  to  believe  we  were  on  the  fair  road  for 
ensuring.  We  had  just  surmounted  many  difficulties,  and 
fancied  that,  for  the  accomplishment  of  our  enterprise,  it  only 
remained  for  us  to  fulfil  our  engagements  here  with  zeal  and 
activity,  which  hitherto,  I  conscientiously  believe,  have  not 
been  wanting." 

27th.  In  shaking  off  the  Spanish  yoke,  the  na- 
tives, and  particularly  the  Indians  of  this  coun- 
try, have  been  relieved,  beyond  all  doubt,  from 
much  tyranny  and  oppression,  and  generally 
great  public  benefits  have  accrued  from  the  re- 
volution ;  but  true  liberty,  and  many  of  her  in- 
estimable attributes,  are  yet  wanting,  and  some 
time  must  pass  before  they  are  thoroughly  un- 
derstood or  firmly  established.  Military  des- 
2b2 


372  ABUSE    OF    THE    LAWS. 

potism  still  prevails  to  a  very  great  degree, 
and  the  civil  laws  of  the  country,  although 
good  and  well  designed,  are,  in  some  instances, 
administered  with  flagrant  partiality,  and  in 
others  with  a  tardiness  and  negligence  that  de- 
prive them  of  all  good  effects,  and  tend,  per- 
haps, as  much  to  the  encouragement  of  crime  as 
to  the  protection  of  order  and  morality.  The 
wisest  laws,  we  all  know,  must  prove  ineffec- 
tive, if  they  have  not  for  basis  a  government 
capable  of  supporting  and  resolved  to  enforce 
them.  The  disposition  of  the  new  govern- 
ment of  Bolivia  is  certainly  good ;  but,  firm- 
ness, decision,  and  even  the  means  of  compell- 
ing obedience,  are  yet  wanting,  which  is  the 
true  cause  of  that  feverish  restlessness,  appre- 
hension, and  distrust,  so  manifest  in  the  public 
mind  throughout  South  America.  "  //  faut 
que  le  gouvernement  soit  tel,  qu'un  citoyen  ne 
puisse  pas  craindre  un  autre  citoyen''  This  is 
what  is  justly  termed  "  La  liberie  politique  — 
cette  tranquillite  d'esprit  qui  provient  de  Vopinion 
que  chacun  a  de  sa  surete  ;"*  but  which  does  not 
exist  here. 

I  have  known  a  man,  who  had  murdered  a 
woman,  of  whose  fidelity  he  entertained  sus- 
picion, to  be  released  after  a  few  weeks'  im- 

*  Esprit  des  Loix. 


EXCESSES    OF    THE    MILITARY.  373 

prisonment;    he  was  a  member  of  the  higher 
order,  and  had  friends  to  intercede  in  his  behalf. 
I  have  seen  two  other  persons  shot  for  murder, 
but  after  so  long  an  imprisonment  that,  upon 
inquiring  amongst  the  crowd  "  What  was  their 
crime?"  no  one  could  inform  me,  and  I  was 
ultimately  obliged  to  satisfy  my  curiosity  by 
applying  to  one  of  the  officers  of  justice.     The 
public  were  ignorant  of  the  cause,  and  therefore 
the  example  was  lost.     These,  unhappily,  are 
far  from  being  solitary  instances  of  the  mal- 
administration of  the  laws.    On  the  other  hand, 
the  military  frequently  commit  the  most  vex- 
atious outrages  with  impunity.     When  travel- 
ling upon  public  or  private  business,  they  take 
mules  and  whatever  necessaries  they  may  re- 
quire, at  the  post-houses,  or,  indeed  from  any 
other  houses,  without  paying  a  farthing,  under 
the  pretence  that  they  are  on  "  diligencia  pub- 
lica"  (public  service.)     This  abominable  prac- 
tice, one  of  the  miseries  of  war,  is  sometimes 
carried  here,  as  elsewhere,  to  an  unwarrantable 
extent.      During  the  Peninsular  war,  I   have 
often  witnessed  the  carrying  off  the  corn  and 
provender   in  the  house   of  a   farmer,  or  the 
oxen  from  his  plough,  under  the  plea  of  di- 
ligencia publica.      Often,   in    my    capacity   of 
"  Capitan  de  la  Cabalkria  ligera"  have  I  em- 


374  DILIGENCIA    PUBLICA. 

bargoed  a  string  of  mules,  conducted  by  their 
unsuspecting  muleteer,  singing — 

"  Yo  que  soi  Contrabandista 

Y  campo  por  mi  respeto, 
A  todos  los  desafio 

Y  a  ninguno  tengo  miedo — " 

the  meaning  of  which  — "  /  am  a  smuggler 
brave  and  bold,  I  defy  the  whole  world,  and  fear  no 
one  upon  earth  /"  must  be  considered  peculiarly 
unhappy,  when  in  the  midst  of  the  glee  he  has 
been  compelled  to  wheel  round  to  a  very  dif- 
ferent tune,  and  load  his  mules  with  the  bag- 
gage of  my  regiment,  I  of  course  selecting 
the  best  for  myself  on  diligencia  public  a.  In 
vain  would  the  unhappy  muleteer  implore  for 
his  release ;  custom  had  rendered  my  heart  as 
hard  and  cold  as  the  steel  in  the  drawn  sword 
I  flourished  in  my  hand.  I  have  seen  a  baker's 
shop  visited  on  diligencia  publica,  and  have 
known  detachments  of  what  the  French  sig- 
nificantty  term  "  tarwee  de  la  lune"  make  sad 
uproar  among  the  tenantry  of  farm-yards  on 
diligencia  publica,  The  official  documents  issued 
for  these  purposes  to  the  sufferers,  will,  it  is 
pretended,  be  recognised  by  the  government 
in  payment  of  taxes,  duties,  contributions,  &c. 
These  abuses,  it  is  true,  are  discountenanced 
by  the  legislature  of  this  country,  and  orders 


MILITARY    DESPOTISM.  375 

have  been  issued  against  them ;  but  still  they 
are  practised,  and  the  complaints  of  the  ag- 
grieved are  frequently  unattended  to.  A  young 
officer,  whom  I  chanced  to  meet  at  a  post- 
house,  told  me  exultingly  that,  having  been 
refused  mules  by  a  post-master,  he  immediately 
ordered  the  men  composing  a  small  detachment 
under  his  orders  to  take  one  of  the  peones  to 
show  where  the  mules  were  at  grass,  and  after 
driving  them  home,  and  selecting  those  which 
he  required,  he  put  a  horse's  bit  into  the  mouth 
of  the  post-master,  and  securing  the  bridle 
round  his  head,  drove  him  in  company  with 
his  own  mules  for  five  leagues,  then,  striking 
him  with  the  flat  of  his  sword  across  the 
shoulders,  bade  him  good  by,  with  the  usual 
friendly  compliment,  "  Llcve  V,  feliz  viage, 
amigo  mio!" 

In  the  streets  of  Potosi,  soldiers  may  be  seen 
every  day  seizing  Indians  to  clean  their  bar- 
racks, to  carry  their  provisions,  or  for  any  work 
they  require  to  be  done,  driving  them  before 
them  like  beasts  of  burden.  Artisans  or  work- 
men, whose  services  may  be  required  for  any 
business  connected  with  the  army,  are  imme- 
diately put  in  requisition,  and  compelled  to 
perform  the  work  for  a  given  price  at  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  chief.     If  an  officer  wants  forage 


376  GARRISON    OF    POTOSI. 

for  his  horse,  he  dispatches  a  couple  of  soldiers 
to  seize  the  llamas  or  asses  that  may  arrive 
with  alfa,  or  barley,  for  the  market.  These 
are  driven  to  the  quarters  of  the  officer,  who 
pays  the  owner  something,  or  perhaps  nothing, 
just  as  he  feels  disposed,  although  he  is  at  the 
same  time  aware  he  is  acting  contrary  to  the 
laws.  There  is  no  nation,  however  corrupt,  ob- 
serves the  Abb6  de  Mably,  which  has  not  in 
its  archives  the  finest  laws  in  the  world,  (ks 
plus  belles  loiv  du  monde) — they  require  only  to 
be  executed. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  the  nature  of  the 
country,  and  the  difficulty  of  communication 
with  the  seat  of  government,  are  great  impedi- 
ments to  the  prompt  execution  of  justice.  The 
Spaniards,  as  is  proved  in  Spain  even  to  this 
day,  have  never  considered  roads,  as  the  ancient 
Romans  did,  to  be  "  the  great  arteries  of  the 
state."  These  improvements  are  yet  to  come, 
and  though  some  time  must  elapse  before  they 
take  place,  yet  they  have  not  escaped  the  notice 
of  the  patriotic  legislature. 

Having  mentioned  the  military,  I  must  in 
justice  observe,  that  the  Colombian  troops  which 
garrison  Potosi,  particularly  the  regiments  of 
Bogota  and  Voltigeros,  are  in  every  particular 
equal  to  any  regiment  I  ever  saw  in  Spain. 
The  men  are  as  well  clothed  and  as  well  disci- 


ARRIVAL    OF    OUR    VESSEL.  377 

plined,  and  the  officers  are  altogether  what  is 
called  a  right  good  set.  I  have  been  on  inti- 
mate terms  with  these  officers,  some  of  them 
negroes ;  but  one  and  all  I  must  ever  think  of 
as  friendly,  jovial,  good  fellows.  I  can  also 
speak  to  the  excellence  of  their  regimental 
mess. 

August  4th.  Received  official  intelligence  of 
the  safe  arrival  of  our  valuable  ship  in  the  port  of 
Arica,  after  a  favourable  voyage.  It  is  impos- 
sible for  me  to  describe  the  sensation  which  my 
announcement  of  this  event  produced  in  Potosi : 
from  the  prefect  to  the  meanest  person  in  the 
town,  I  received  not  only  the  usual  expressions 
of  congratulation,  but  also  embraces  so  enthusi- 
astically cordial,  that  a  stranger  passing  through 
the  streets  might  have  imagined  I  was  the  har- 
binger of  some  great  public  intelligence,  in  which 
the  happiness  of  the  nation  was  concerned  ;  and 
this  very  circumstance  excited  in  us  a  deeper 
concern  at  the  disappointments  which  had  oc- 
curred in  our  affairs  at  home,  at  the  very  time 
too  when  we  fancied  ourselves  on  the  high 
road  to  prosperity ;  for  although  there  was  much 
to  correct  in  the  original  plan  of  our  establish- 
ment, there  was  nothing  that  induced  us  to 
doubt,  under  proper  management,  of  ultimate 
success.  Already  we  looked  forward  to  the 
completion  of  our  contracts,  when  we  should 


378  EECOxUMENCE    OPERATIONS. 

return  to  our  native  land  with  pride  and  satis- 
faction in  having  been  the  successful  founders 
of  a  " grande  tt  belle  enterprise"  as  this  specula- 
tion had  been  designated  by  a  distinguished  in- 
dividual who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  na- 
ture of  it  in  all  its  ramifications  ;  but  our  re- 
sources have  been  suddenly  cut  off,  and  success 
no  longer  depends  upon  us. 

On  the  news  of  the  arrival  of  our  ship,  I  re- 
commenced mining  operations  on  a  scale  which, 
though  very  limited,  I  considered  to  be  more 
advantageous  than  actual  idleness  ;  therefore, 
for  this  purpose,  and  to  have  every  thing  in 
readiness  by  the  time  our  men  and  stores  should 
cross  the  Cordilleras  to  join  us,  as  well  as  for 
the  support  of  the  establishment  here,  I  drew  a 
bill  upon  the  chief  commissioner  at  Arica  for 
the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars,  to  be  paid 
out  of  the  sale  of  a  part  of  our  quicksilver, 
which  in  this  country  always  finds  a  ready  mar- 
ket and  a  good  price. 

6th.  I  availed  myself  this  day  of  a  general 
invitation  to  dinner,  given  with  unfeigned  cor- 
diality by  Dona  Juliana  Indalesias,  the  rich 
widow  of  a  man  who,  before  the  Revolution, 
was  one  of  the  first  among  the  many  wealthy 
merchants  then  residing  in  Potosi. 

Doiia  Juliana  never  omits  daily  attendance  at 


DONA    JULIANA.  379 

mass,  nor  absents  herself  from  any  procession 
or  particular  ceremony  of  her  church,  and  would 
consider  it  a  crime  to  conceal  her  veneration  for 
the  images  and  paintings  of  saints  which  hallow 
and  adorn  her  apartments.  She  also  highly 
respects,  and  distinguishes  from  all  her  other 
friends,  those  whose  peculiar  calling  it  is  to  in- 
struct mankind  in  the  sacred  doctrines  of  reli- 
gion, seldom  sitting  down  to  dinner  unaccom- 
panied by  a  priest  or  friar,  who  have  free  ad- 
mission to  her  plentiful  table.  That,  however, 
which  may  excite  surprise,  because  so  seldom  in 
accordance  with  ostentatious  acts  of  devotion, 
is  the  fact  that  she  possesses  the  kindest  heart 
in  the  world,  and  dispenses  charity  with  true 
benevolence.  She  is  known  by  the  appellation 
of  "  La  buena  Cristiana"  and  never  was  distinc- 
tion more  deservedly  bestowed. 

Dona  Juliana,  Cura  Costas,  (the  respectable 
head  of  the  church  at  Potosi,)  Padre  Francisco, 
(a  Dominican  friar,  whose  portly  corporation 
excited  in  my  mind  a  malicious  suspicion  of  his 
being  more  accustomed  to  feasting  than  fast- 
ing,) were  the  party  with  whom,  at  two  o'clock, 
I  sat  down  to  dinner.  Three  Indian  girls,  the 
children  of  old  domestics,  clean  and  tidy  ;  an 
Indian  boy,  as  may  be  sometimes  seen  in  an- 
other "  land  of  potatoes,"  shirtless,  shoeless,  and 


380  FIDELITY    OF    THE    INDIANS. 

stockingless ;  a  very  fine  negress  slave,  and  an 
elderly  woman,  evidently  the  confidential  ser- 
vant, were  the  attendants. 

In  all  families  in  Pern,  the  domestic  service 
is  oerformed  bv  Indians,  whose  fidelitv  to  their 
masters  has  been  the  theme  of  many  writers ; 
and,  from  the  great  number  of  years  which 
some  of  them  have  lived  in  families  with 
whom  I  am  acquainted,  I  believe  the  accounts 
to  be  generally  correct.  The  honesty  of  these 
domestics  is  seldom  tempted  to  a  breach  by  the 
many  articles  of  plate  which  are  frequently  to  be 
seen  scattered  about  a  house,  and  even  in  the 
court-yard,  where  they  are  carelessly  thrown  to 
be  washed,  or  sometimes  to  be  scrubbed  with 
sand  or  ashes.  Before  the  Revolution,  articles 
of  gold,  such  as  coffee-spoons,  mate-cwps,  bom- 
billos,  (tubes  through  which  the  mate,  an  infusion 
of  a  Paraguay  herb  resembling  tea  is  drawn  into 
the  mouth,)  were  to  be  seen  strewed  in  a  simi- 
lar state  of  indifference.  It  must,  however,  be 
confessed,  that  little  pilferings  are  not  very  un- 
usual amongst  this  poor,  patient,  and  laborious 
class  of  people. 

For  nearly  an  hour,  immense  silver  dishes 
were  carried  in  and  carried  out,  with  the  va- 
rious compositions  of  our  repast.  The  first 
course  consisted,  as  is  usual  in  the  country,  of 


DINNER    WITH    DONA    JULIANA.  381 

cheese  and  fruit,  such  as  melons,  apples,  figs, 
chyrimoyas,  tunas,  membrillos,  &c.  Then  came 
two  or  three  kinds  of  soup  or  porridge,  with 
rice  prepared  in  different  ways.  After  these 
were  removed,  there  was  no  regularity  observ- 
ed in  the  courses  ;  for,  whilst  some  of  the  at- 
tendants carried  off  the  dishes  that  had  been 
helped  from,  or  if  not  touched  by  us,  that  had 
remained  long  enough  upon  the  table  to  gra- 
tify our  view,  others  were  at  hand  instantly  to 
replace  them :  there  was  no  opportunity  given 
to  remark,  that — 

"  There  was  the  place  where  the  pasty  was  not." 

Each  dish  contained  sufficient  for  a  party  of 
twice  our  number ;  and  from  every  one  I  ob- 
served Dona  Juliana  take  a  large  plateful, 
sometimes  two  platefuls,  and,  saying  something 
in  Quichua,  hand  them  to  one  of  her  Indians, 
who  placed  them  in  a  distant  corner  of  the 
room. 

When  the  more  substantial  subjects  of  the 
feast  were  discussed,  then  followed  custards, 
and  compotes,  and  sweetmeats,  from  which 
small  portions  were  also  taken,  to  be  husband- 
ed, as  I  imagined,  for  to-morrow's  fare.  A 
dish  of  very  good  potatoes,  accompanied  with 
very  bad  butter,  concluded  the  dinner.     When 


382  THE    Gil  ACE. 

the  cloth  was  removed,  all  the  attendants,  with- 
out any  word  of  command,  ranged  themselves 
in  a  rank  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  sud- 
denly dropping  on  their  knees,  sung  or  said 
aloud  a  grace  that  lasted  full  four  minutes,  in 
which  the  deep-toned  voices  of  Padre  Costas 
and  Friar  Francisco,  nothing  mellowed  by  their 
hearty  meal  and  ample  goblet  of  Cinty  wine 
from  the  estate  of  our  hostess,  chimed  in  like 
bass-viols,  whilst  Doha  Juliana,  pressing  her 
cross  and  beads  to  her  bosom,  her  eyes  devoutly 
fixed  upon  a  beautiful  painting  of  the  Virgin 
and  Child,  which  hung  opposite  to  her  in  a 
large  massive  silver  frame,  accompanied  the 
others  in  all  the  fervency  of  thanksgiving.  A 
deep  "  Amen  !"  with  the  sign  of  the  cross,  as  a 
benediction  upon  the  company,  by  Padre  Cos- 
tas, ended  this  appropriate  ceremony,  in  the 
solemnity  of  which  the  most  obdurate  heretic 
could  not  have  refrained  from  joining. 

The  servants  now  took  away  the  plates  whieh 
had  been  placed  upon  the  sideboard,  whilst 
Doha  Juliana,  in  Quichua,  seemed  to  give  par- 
ticular directions  about  each  of  them.  I  was 
curious  to  learn  their  destination,  and,  being 
on  a  footing  of  the  most  friendly  intimacy  with 
Doha  Juliana  and  her  father-confessor,  my  in- 
quiry was  answered — "  to  be  given  to  the  poor." 


INTERESTING    SCENE.  383 

Every  day  in  the  year,  at  two  o'clock,  several 
poor  persons  attended  at  the  house  of  La  bitena 
Cristiana,  and  took  their  seats  upon  the  stair- 
case ;  some  of  them,  aware  no  doubt  of  the 
lenient  disposition  of  their  benefactress,  en- 
croached even  to  the  door  of  the  dining-room, 
where  a  scene  rather  unusual  to  a  European, 
certainly  to  an  Englishman,  and  one  of  interest- 
ing curiosity  too,  was  daily  to  be  seen, — that  of 
a  tribe  of  beggars,  assembled  en  socicte,  in  a  re- 
spectable mansion,  eating  with  silver  spoons, 
out  of  silver  plates  and  dishes,  without  any 
watch  over  the  property,  or  even  a  suspicion  of 
its  being  likely  to  be  missing.  In  mentioning 
this  daily  charitable  distribution— happy  con- 
trast to  "  the  crumbs  from  the  rich  man's  table  !" 
— I  must  not  forget  to  remark,  that  the  reserved 
portions  of  sweetmeats  were  for  the  children 
who  accompanied  their  parents ;  a  trifling  ob- 
servation, perhaps,  but  it  has  its  weight  in  de- 
scribing the  character  of  the  venerable  Lady 
Bountiful  of  Potosi. 


384     DEPARTURE  FOR  CHUQUISACA. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Departure  for  Chuquisaca. — Unexpected  rencontre  at  a  post- 
house. — River  Pilcomayo. —  Hospitable  reception  at  Chu- 
quisaca.— Interview  with  the  President. — Ladies. — Col- 
leges.— Clergy. — Juste  Dieu,  quel  tourment ! — A  myste- 
rious dispatch. 

August  8th.  Prepared  my  travelling  equi- 
page, and  departed  for  Chuquisaca  in  company 
with  Don  Pedro,  a  worthy  young  man,  late 
alcalde-major  (lord  mayor)  of  this  city.  The 
object  of  my  journey  was  to  obtain  an  inter- 
view with  Sucre,  the  supreme  chief  of  the  Go- 
vernment, for  the  purpose  of  insuring  his  pro- 
tection for  the  property  of  the  Company,  in 
the  event  of  its  being  seized  by  Don  Felix 
Castro,  of  whose  intentions  to  that  effect  I  had 
received  information  from  Buenos  Ayres. 

About  five  leagues  from  Potosi,  to  the  north- 
ward and  eastward,  is  a  small  hamlet  of  Indians, 
called  Bahos,  signifying  baths,  of  which  there 


PLOUGHING.  385 

are  two  or  three,  possessing  admirable  medicinal 
qualities,  derived  from  a  copious  hot  spring, 
at  nearly  90  degrees  of  Fahrenheit.  Numbers  of 
persons  resort  to  this  place  for  the  benefit  of 
health,  and  sometimes  for  recreation,  but  they 
must  convey  their  own  furniture  and  comforts, 
there  being  no  other  accommodation  than  the 
roof  of  a  large  building  and  a  pulperia  (public- 
house),  which  supplies  visiters  with  provisions 
and  liquors. 

In  this  neighbourhood  patches  of  cultivation 
are  to  be  seen  ;  the  ploughing  is  performed 
with  a  crooked  branch  of  a  tree,  so  contrived 
that,  as  it  is  dragged  along  by  a  yoke  of  oxen, 
the  point  scratches  two  or  three  inches  deep  into 
the  ground.  This,  it  appears,  is  quite  sufficient 
to  produce  a  good  crop  of  barley,  which,  with  a 
few  potatoes  and  a  little  maize,  is  all  that  is 
attempted  to  be  grown  here,  though  in  Europe 
there  are  spots  with  more  ungrateful  soil,  pro- 
ducing abundance  by  means  of  industry.  No 
doubt,  many  of  the  vast  desert-looking  tracts 
in  this  country,  which  serve  only  for  thousands 
of  llamas  to  range  over,  interspersed  with  some 
few  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  might,  by  cul- 
tivation, be  rendered  equally  productive,  if  the 
population  were  such  as  to  require  it. 

Our  first  day's  journey  was  ten  leagues,  to  the 

vol.  i.  2  c 


386  THE    WHITE    PONCHO. 

post  of  Bartolo,  where  we  stopped  for  the  night, 
and  where,  even  at  this  short  distance  from 
Potosi,  the  climate  was  so  very  much  milder* 
that  I  had  no  occasion  for  half  the  quantity 
of  bed-clothes  to  which  I  had  been  latterly  ac- 
customed. 

9th.  A  delightfully  fine  frosty  morning, 
which  gradually  became  an  extremely  hot  day. 
No  one  can  duly  appreciate,  without  experience, 
the  great  comfort  of  the  white  poncho  under  the 
powerful  heat  of  a  tropical  sun.  It  complete- 
ly intercepts  the  rays,  and  from  its  lightness 
catches  the  current  of  air  as  one  rides  along, 
and  thereby  occasions  an  agreeable  coolness. 
Ponchos  of  cloth  are  much  better  adapted  than 
any  great-coat  for  keeping  out  the  rain :  if 
they  were  first  worn  by  a  leader  of  fashion  in 
England,  their  use  would  soon  become  general, 
and  would  certainly  be  approved. 

Some  shrubs  and  a  few  small  trees,  which, 
since  my  residence  at  Potosi  I  had  not  seen  a 
semblance  of,  decorated  the  scenery  of  this  day's 
journey,  which  lay  over  rugged  mountains  and 
through  valleys,  where  a  solitary  Indian  hut 
might  here  and  there  be  discovered  on  the 
edge  of  a  patch  of  cultivation.  Some  tracts 
of  pasture,  with  cattle  in  good  condition,  also 


UNEXPECTED    RENCONTRE.  387 

proved,  that  we  were  no  longer  in  the  region 

of  sterility. 
After  a  ride  of  ten  leagues,  we  stopped  at 

the  post  of  Terrao,  the  landlord  of  which  is  a 
wealthy  man ;  but,  as  is  usual  throughout  this 
country,  the  comfort  or  convenience  of  the 
traveller  is  no  more  considered  at  a  post-house, 
than  that  of  the  dogs  who  sally  forth  to  chal- 
lenge him  as  he  approaches.  Whilst  I  was 
sitting  with  several  Indians  in  a  ring  round  a 
fire,  occupied  in  roasting  some  excellent  po- 
tatoes, which  I  had  selected  from  a  large  heap 
that  had  been  just  brought  home,  four  travellers 
upon  post-mules  trotted  into  the  court,  where 
a  conversation,  in  a  tone  and  emphasis  not  un- 
known to  my  ear,  but  at  the  time  and  place 
quite  unexpected,  commenced  between  three 
of  them,  in  these  identical  words,  so  loudly 
uttered  that,  had  my  organs  of  hearing  been 
naturally  dull,  I  must  have  distinctly  compre- 
hended them. — "Death  an'owns,  Pat !  here 's  lots 
o'  praties  !" — "  Ah  !  den  are  ye  in  arenest?" — 
"  Divil  a  word  o'  lie  in  it !" — "  Saze  some  o'  them 
for  supper,  for  1  see  very  well  that  this  can- 
tancrous  baste  of  a  mule  is  going  to  give  me  as 
long  a  job  to  get  the  saddle  off  as  she  gave  me 
to  put  it  on : — look  at  that  now !  (here  the 
2  c  2 


388  IRISH    TRAVELLERS. 

mule  kicked  and  squealed.)  Oh  !  the  divil  may 
squeal  you  !" — "  I  '11  take  a  hatful  o'  them  any 
way,  Pat." — "Do,  Christy  dear,  and  put  them  on 
the  fire." — "  Mind !  have  a  care  of  your  shins,  or 
that  long-eared  varmint  will  be  mighty  apt  to 
blacken  them  for  you."  —  "  Oh,  then,  sweet  bad 
luck  to  her  for  a  mule !  for  a  mule  she  is,  and 
nauthirig  else  but  a  mule ! — See  there  agin  !" 
said  Pat,  as  he  jumped  aside  to  evade  the  heels 
of  his  ticklish  animal.  It  may  be  unnecessary 
to  say  that  I  availed  myself  of  the  first  oppor- 
tunity to  gratify  my  impatience  respecting  the 
little  history  of  these  travellers,  which  was  re- 
lated to  me  by  Christopher  Donoughoe  in  the 
following  manner. 

"  Owen  Flaherty  and  Paddy  Curry  there, 
left  Ireland  mere  boys  in  the  year  ninety-eight 
and  went  off  to  North  Ameriky,  and  I  followed 
after  them  shortly,  so  I  did." — "  But  why  did 
you  happen  to  leave  your  country  in  the  year 
ninety-eight?"  said  I. — "  Whv,  then  indeed,  to 
tell  you  the  truth  as  to  that,  we  didn't  like  the 
times,  and  didn't  think  the  Government  was 
using  us  by  any  manes  well,  you  see ;  and,  wish- 
ing to  have  our  liberty  any  way,  we  thought  it 
best  to  get  shut  o'  them  altogether,  and  so  with 
that  we  sailed  away  from  Cork  to  New  York, 
where  we  soon  got  work ;  for,  being  the  whole  of 


IRISH    TRAVELLERS.  389 

us  bred  to  the  carpenter's  business  you  see,  we 
made  money  aisy  enough,  and  so  there  we  stop- 
ped, till  four  years  ago,  when  we  thought  to  bet- 
ter ourselves,  and  sailed  in  a  ship  to  Bonusairis, 
where  we  got  as  much  work  as  we  plased,  and 
more  money  than  ever  we  expected,  till  at  last 
thinking  we  could  do  better  up  the  country,  we 
left  Bonusairis  about  two  months  back  and  stop- 
ped at  Salta,  where  we  had  a  great  notion  to  fix 
ourselves  to  plaze  one  Doctor  Redhead,  who  im- 
madiately  indeed  got  us  more  work  than  we  could 
do,  but  laming  that  the  Governor  of  Chooky- 
sacky  was  carrying-on  great  building  in  that  city, 
and  that  he  would  give  any  money  for  artisans 
such  as  the  likes  of  us,  we  thought  it  a  fine  time 
to  see  the  country,  and  so  we  took  to  the  post 
and  come  on,  and  here  we  are,  wid  the  blessin', 
o'  God  ;  and  isn't  it  a  rayel  pleasure  now  to  meet 
any  body  to  spake  with  in  these  parts,  where 
there  's  no  understanding  one  word  people  say  ? 
I  larnt,  indeed,  something  of  the  Spanish  in 
Bonusairis,  but  the  devil  o'  one  bit  it 's  of  use 
to  me  here,  good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  for  this 
bates  all  the  languages  ever  I  come  across,  so  it 
does." 

"  Pray,"  said  I,  "  what 's  your  opinion  of 
the  country,  and  the  people  ?"— "  Why,  in- 
deed, then,  as  in  regard  to  that,  you  see  your- 


390  IRISH    TRAVELLERS. 

self  that  it's  wild  enough  any  way;  and  as 
for  the  roads  in  these  parts,  with  their  ups 
and  their  downs  and  their  twists  and  their 
turns,  they  're  every  hair  as  crooked  as  the 
river  of  Kilcock  ;  but  then,  after  all,  there 's  no 
want  of  any  thing  a-body  might  need  to  keep 
himself  from  starving,  and  if  a  man  minds  his 
business,  and  stays  at  home  and  looks  to  him- 
self, do  you  see,  there 's  no  fear  but  he  may  do 
well ;  and,  indeed,  I  dar'n't  complain  of  the 
people,  for  though  they  're  lazy  enough,  they  're 
quiet,  kindly  cratures,  and  I  never  saw  any 
harm  in  none  of  them,  barring  their  language, 
which,  as  I  said  before,  nobody  can  make  head 
nor  tail  of  but  their  ownselves,  I  suppose :  hows- 
ever,  take  it  all  in  all,  a-body  might  go  a  dale 
farther  and  fare  worse,  so  he  might,  and  that 's 
the  truth,  so  it  is,  is'n't  it  now,  Paddy?" — 
"  Well  then,  indeed  it  is,"  replied  Paddy  Curry. 
"  As  you  passed  through  Potosi,"  said  I,  "you 
must  have  heard  that  an  English  Mining  Com- 
pany  was  establishing  there ;  Avhy  didn't  you 
inquire  if  there  was  work  for  you  ?" — "  Oh  !  I 
hard  all  about  it,  and  indeed  we  intinded  to 
stop  there,  but  just  as  we  arrived  at  the  post, 
this  gentleman  here,"  (pointing  to  a  Frenchman 
who  spoke  a  little  English  and  a  little  Spanish, 
travelling  in  a  mercantile  capacity,)  "  was  going 


IRISH    TRAVELLERS.  391 

to  mount  his  mule   at   the  doore,  and   seeing 
we  were  foreigners  like  himself,  I  suppose,  he 
saluted  us  like,  and  so  I  took  off  my  hat,  and 
says  I,  «  A  fine  day  Sir,'  says  I ;  '  Good-morrow 
to  you,  Sir,'  says  he  ;    *  Good-morrow  kindly 
Sir'  says  I.    '  Who  have  ye  got   there  ?'  says 
Paddy  Curry  to  me  says  he ;  '  Faith  !    I  don't 
know,'  says  I ;  '  but  he's  a  Christian  any  way,' 
says   I ;  and  wi'  that  we  got  all  into  conver- 
sation-like, and  I  axed  him  to  step  in  and  take 
a  sup.     *  Wid  all  my  heart,'  says  he ;  '  Come 
along'  says  I,  and  then  it  was  he  tould  us  he  was 
going  on  to   Chookysacky,  and  that  he  knew 
the  road  well,  and  that  it  was  a  mighty  fine 
place,  and  so  we  thought  it  a  good  job  to  take 
on  with  his  opportunity  so  we  did,  for  we  said 
to  ourselves,  we  might  come  back  again  to  Po- 
tosi  aisy  enough,  if  Chookysacky  didn't  plase 
us,  and  that  would  be  time  enough  to  deliver 
the  letters." 

"  What  letters  ?"  said  I.—"  Oh  !  nauthing  at 
all,  indeed,  only  a  couple  of  letters  of  ricommen- 
dation  concarning  myself  in  private ;"  and  tak- 
ing two  letters  out  of  his  hat,  my  surprise  may 
be  imagined,  when  I  add,  that  they  proved  to 
be  directed  to  myself.  "  I  am  the  very  person," 
said  I,  "  that  these  letters  are  for !" — "  Ah  ! 
then  are  you  ?  well,  think  o'  that  now !    what 


392  IRISH    TRAVELLERS. 

crosses  there  are  in  this  life !  who  'd  a  thought 
of  meeting  you  so  promiscuously  in  such  a 
place  as  this,  above  all  places  in  the  world  ?" 
The  letters  were,  one  from  a  merchant  at. 
Buenos  Ayres,  the  other  from  Doctor  Redhead, 
at  Salta,  recommending  the  travellers  as  good 
carpenters,  and  sober,  industrious  men :  the 
latter  gentleman  mentioned,  that  Christopher 
Donoughoe  had  left  with  him  for  safe-keeping 
nearly  a  thousand  dollars  of  his  earnings. 

Whilst  I  was  in  the  act  of  reading  my  letters 
by  the  light  of  a  candle  stuck  against  the  wall 
of  my  apartment,  I  was  interrupted  by  being 
suddenly  caressed  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of 
delight.  On  leaving  Potosi,  by  some  accident 
my  dog  Carlo  missed  following  me,  but,  for 
seeing  him  here,  and  having  my  apprehensions 
concerning  him  relieved,  I  was  indebted  to 
my  honest  countrymen.  "  We  saw  the  crature 
standing  his  lone  by  himself  at  the  corner  of 
the  big  square,  as  we  passed  through  Potosi, 
and  we  all  said  to  each  other,  well  then  isn't 
that  for  all  the  world  like  an  English  spaniel  ? 
and  with  that  we  whistled  till  him,  and  he 
folleed  us  to  the  post-house  as  kindly  as  if  he 
knew  us  all  our  lives,  and  there  didn't  we  give 
him  as  good  as  we  had  ourselves  ?  for  the  divil 
a  one  bit  of  a  whole  showlder  o'  mutton  that 


IKISH    TRAVELLERS.  89-3 

lie  didn't  ate  all  his  own  self,  and  much  good 
may  do  him ;  and  then  he  folleed  us  a  piece 
out  of  the  town,  and  we  thought  it  a  pity  to 
lave  him,  and  so  we  flattered  him  on,  and 
happy  I  am  I  brought  him  safe  to  your  honour  ; 
didn't  I  carry  him  in  my  arms  before  me  for 
as  good  as  five  lagues,  till  the  mule  fell  — 
bad  luck  to  her !  coming  down  the  big  hill 
and  nearly  did  for  us  both  as  I  thought :  but 
that 's  nather  here  nor  there  now  that  yon  have 
him  safe  and  sound,  and  glad  I  am  of  it,  in- 
deed so  I  am." — "  I  am  very  much  obliged  to 
you,  Mr.  Donoughoe,  and  now  I  shall  detain 
yon  no  longer  from  your  good  cheer  of  po- 
tatoes, which  I  dare  say  you  feel  eager  to 
attack  :  good  night." — "  Good  night  to  your 
honour." 

August  10th.  As  I  travelled  with  my  own 
horses  and  peones,  I  was  not  at  the  mercy  of 
those  at  the  post-house,  by  which  means  I  was 
upon  my  journey  long  before  the  travelling 
Hibernians  were  provided  with  mules.  As  I 
advanced,  the  country  became  more  and  more 
wooded,  but  I  saw  nothing  that  deserved  the 
denomination  of  timber.  We  descended  a  very 
steep  mountain  for  a  distance  of  four  miles  into 
a  narrow  valley,  through  which  runs  the  river 
Pileomayo,  the  first    tributary    stream    of  the 


394  RIVERS    OF    THE    NEW    WORLD. 

Rio  de  la  Plata,  which  I  here  crossed,  at  not 
very  much  less,  I  should  suppose,  than  two  thou- 
sand miles  from  the  mouth  of  that  gigantic  river. 

M.  Humboldt  gives  the  following  comparison 
of  some  of  the  great  rivers  of  the  new  world. 
"  The  Amazons,  2910  miles  in  length  ;  the 
Mississipi,  ascending  to  the  source  of  Missouri, 
2445  miles.  The  Rio  de  la  Plata,  1590  miles." 
With  all  due  submission  to  that  great  autho- 
rity, is  not  this  latter  river  considerably  under- 
rated ?  (presuming  it  is  here  meant  to  trace  it 
to  the  source  of  the  Pilcomayo.)  Its  sinuosities 
are  certainly  greater  than  those  of  the  post- 
road  from  Buenos  Ay  res  to  Potosi,  which  can 
scarcely  be  estimated  at  less  than  1650  miles ; 
to  this  add  200  miles,  the  distance  from  Buenos 
Ayres  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  thereby  mak- 
ing the  Rio  de  la  Plata,  supposing  it  to  run  as 
direct  as  the  post-road,  more  than  250  miles 
longer  than  Baron  Humboldt  considers  it.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  we  trace  it  to  the  source  of 
the  Paraguay,  it  measures,  "  according  to  the 
best  authorities,  2210  miles/'*  thus,  exceeding 
by  620  miles  the  aforesaid  measurement  of  Ba- 
ron Humboldt. 

The  scenery  that  surrounds  the  place  where 

*  See  Map  of  comparative  lengths  of  the  principal  Rivers 
of  the  World. 


MAGNIFICENT    SCENERY.  395 

the  Pilcomayo  is  usually  crossed  on  the  Potosi 
road  is  magnificently  grand.  The  valley  through 
which  the  river  runs,  is  first  seen  from  the  top 
of  a  stupendous  mountain,  over  which  the  road 
is  traced,  and  winds  along  its  steep  and  wooded 
sides  to  the  base.  A  cluster  of  Indian  huts  may 
occasionally  be  seen — 

"  Imbosom'd  high  upon  the  mountain's  brow, 
Or  nodding  o'er  the  stream  that  glides  below ;" 

their  peaceful  and  industrious  inhabitants  con- 
tributing from  their  gardens  to  the  plentiful 
supply  of  the  market  of  Chuquisaca  with  bar- 
ley, maize,  fruit,  vegetables,  and  sundry  other 
necessaries.  The  river  spreads  from  side  to 
side  of  the  valley  in  the  rainy  season,  when  it 
pours  along  with  a  prodigious  violence,  com- 
pletely obstructing  the  passage,  but  at  the 
present  period  it  is  forded  without  any  incon- 
venience. On  arriving  at  the  opposite  bank, 
the  road  winds  up  as  steep  a  mountain  as  that 
we  had  just  descended,  and  passes  close  by  a 
quintet,  which  requires  only  the  exercise  of  a 
little  taste  and  ingenuity  upon  the  grounds 
immediately  about  it,  to  make  it  all  that  we 
can  imagine  of  the  romantic  and  the  beautiful 
as  connected  with  a  villa  residence. 

A  ride  of  about  two  hours  through  a  very 


396  CHUQUISACA. 

thinly  inhabited  country,  with  a  fruitful  though 
for  the  most  part  an  utterly  neglected  soil, 
brought  us  again  in  view  of  the  valley,  which 
here  takes  a  serpentine  form,  and  displays  at 
every  bend  of  the  stream  all  the  various  and 
most  striking  effects  of  Nature  in  her  wildest 
mood. 

On  approaching  Chuquisaca,  the  first  objects 
that  meet  the  view  are  the  towers  that  rise  from 
each  angle  of  the  cathedral,  then  the  domes 
and  steeples  of  numerous  churches  and  con- 
vents, founded  in  the  by-gone  days  of  ecclesi- 
astical domination.  These  convey  to  the  mind 
of  the  stranger  ideas  of  space  and  grandeur 
that  vanish  upon  his  entrance  into  the  town, 
which,  however,  presents  an  appearance  of  neat- 
ness, cheerfulness,  and  respectability,  surpass- 
ing any  other  upon  the  whole  line  of  road  from 
Buenos  Ayres  to  Lima,  a  distance  exceeding  a 
thousand  leagues. 

Chuquisaca,  also  called  Plata,  has  till  of  late 
years  been  the  residence  of  an  archbishop, 
who  lived  here  in  splendour,  and  fared  sump- 
tuously every  day ;  it  was  founded  by  one  of 
Pizarro's  officers,  after  his  desolating  conquest 
of  Peru,  on  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  Indian 
town  called  in  the  Quichua  language,  Clwque- 
Chaka,  or  Bridge  of  Gold,  from  the  treasures  of 


MINISTER    OF    FINANCE.  397 

the  Incas  that  are  said  to  have  constantly  passed 
through  it  on  their  way  to  Cusco.  It  is  now 
the  capital  of  the  republic  of  Bolivia,  and  the 
archiepiscopal  palace  has  become  that  of  the 
president. 

I  did  not  arrive  unprovided  with  letters  of 
introduction  to  residents  in  Chuquisaca,  amongst 
whom  the  following  persons  were  of  most  con- 
sequence. 

Don  Juan  Bernabe  y  Madero,  minister  of 
finance,  a  liberal-minded  worthy  man,  a  strong 
advocate  for  the  encouragement  of  emigrants 
from  Europe,  particularly  from  Ireland.  He 
was  lodged  in  a  very  humble  maimer,  according 
to  European  ideas  of  the  dignity  of  a  minister 
of  state.  The  house  in  which  he  resided  was 
indeed  sufficiently  spacious  for  any  rank  and 
pomp,  but  Don  Juan  occupied  only  two  small 
rooms,  out  of  the  best  of  which  he  removed  for 
the  purpose  of  accommodating  me,  which  he  did 
in  the  kindest  manner,  lending  me  a  table  and 
chair,  and  making  me  in  every  respect  as  com- 
fortable as  his  scanty  supply  of  furniture  would 
admit  of:  a  negro  slave  slept  upon  a  rug  at  his 
door  in  the  corridor,  and  lit  his  candle  when  he 
came  home  at  night  from  the  government- 
house,  where  he  lived  with  the  president,  and 
where  he  held  his  office.     Seiior  Madero,  who 


398  MINISTER    OF    THE    INTERIOR. 

is  an  old  Spaniard,  had  considerable  property  in 
those  richly  laden  Spanish  frigates,  that  were 
attacked  by  English  cruisers  on  their  passage 
to  Cadiz  in  1803,  and  blown  up  with  several 
millions  of  dollars ;  and  as  the  British  Govern- 
ment, which  I  am  inclined  to  think  is  not  ge- 
nerally known,  compensated  all  persons  who 
had  private  property  in  those  frigates,  Seiior 
Madero  received  his  share,  from  which  act  of 
justice  he  has  formed  the  highest  opinion  of 
the  honour  and  integrity  of  the  British  nation. 

Don  Jacundo  Infante,  a  Spaniard  by  birth, 
and  originally  in  the  military  service  of  Spain, 
now  a  colonel  in  the  Columbian  army,  and 
minister  of  the  interior  in  this  republic,  a  young 
man  of  undeniable  talents  and  considerable 
ability  as  a  speaker  in  the  congress,  where  he 
leads  the  ministerial  party.  He  received  me 
with  much  civility,  expressed  strong  hopes  that 
our  speculation  would  prove  successful,  and 
offered  his  services  in  whatever  wav  thev  miffht 
be  thought  useful. 

Don  Francisco  Medeiros,  minister  of  the  su- 
preme court  of  justice,  a  generous  and  liberal- 
minded  man. 

The  Reverend  Don  Julian  Jose  de  Urreta, 
penitentiario,  and  canon  of  the  cathedral,  ano- 
ther liberal-minded,   friendly,  good   fellow ;  in 


DON    JOSE    FRIAS.  399 

personal  appearance  precisely  Don  Quixote,  and 
possessing  all  his  good  qualities. 

Don  Nicolas  Leon,  deacon  of  the  cathedral, 
who  obligingly  showed  me  the  curiosities,  and 
all  that  remained  of  the  immense  riches  in  plate 
and  jewels,  which,  before  the  revolution,  were 
possessed  by  the  cathedral  of  Chuquisaca. 

Sehora  Dona  Petrona  Cahete,  a  lady  of  good 
family  and  once  of  wealth,  who  sent  her  ser- 
vant to  receive  my  linen  for  washing,  and,  if 
requisite,  -para  componerla  (to  repair  it) :  a  little 
act,  independently  of  its  convenience,  suffi- 
cient to  prove  her  wish  to  oblige  a  stranger. 

Don  Marcelino  Antonio  Peharanda,  advocate 
of  the  supreme  court  of  justice,  whose  charac- 
ter gave  me  cause  to  regret  that  I  had  not  an 
opportunity  of  making  his  acquaintance. 

Don  Jose  Frias,  a  merchant,  of  one  of  the 
most  extensive  and  respectable  firms  in  South 
America,  who,  upon  my  presenting  my  letter 
of  introduction,  received  me  like  a  brother.  A 
place  was  assigned  to  me  at  the  head  of  his 
table  with  unceremonious  hospitality  ;  my 
peones,  horses,  and  mules,  were  equally  well 
disposed  of  in  his  large  establishment.  I  can 
never  think  of  the  kindness  I  experienced  from 
Don  Pepe,  (the  familiar  term  for  Joseph,)  with- 
out the  warmest  sentiments  of  friendship  to- 


400      INTERVIEW    WITH    THE    PRESIDENT. 

wards  him.     This  kindness  was  doubly  impor- 
tant in  a  town  where  no  hotel,  no  house  of 
public  accommodation    of  any  kind,  is   to  be 
found— a   proof  of  the   slight   intercourse   of 
strangers,  who,  when  any  happen  to  arrive,  are 
generally  furnished  with  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion, which  obtains  for  them  a  corner  where 
to  spread  their  saddle-cloths,  as  I  before  had 
occasion  to  mention,  and  an  invitation  to  the 
family-table  to  partake  of  the  sopa  and  pochera. 
When  I  called  at  the  palace  to  wait  upon 
the  president,  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  at  see- 
ing  in  the  apartments  many  luxurious  articles 
of  furniture,  the   manufacture  of  London  and 
Paris ;    the  walls  also  were  hung  with  a  profu- 
sion of  French  prints  from  Marmontel's  story  of 
the  Incas  of  Peru,  and  from  Chateaubriand's  fa- 
vourite little  tale  of  Atala,  with  sundry  portraits 
of  Bonaparte's  distinguished   generals.     Sucre 
received  me  in  a  very  friendly  manner.     I  in- 
formed him  of  the  protest  of  our  chief  com- 
missioner's draft,  and  with  deep  mortification 
admitted  the  discredit  into  which  it  had  thrown 
us,    but   expresssed    my   belief    that    all  just 
claims  would  be  speedily  satisfied.     Sucre  re- 
marked, that  it  appeared  a  strange  proceeding, 
for  a  compania  cle  comer ciantcs  de  la  Gran  Bri- 
ta/iia  to  send  so  large  an  establishment  into  a 


INTERVIEW    WITH    THE    PRESIDENT.     401 

foreign  country,  so  far  from  home,  upon  so  ex- 
pensive a  speculation  as   that  of  mining,  not 
only  without  funds  and  without  any  arrange- 
ment to  obtain  them,  but  apparently  without 
even   any  intention    of  supplying   them.     "  I 
know  not,"  continued   he,    good-humouredly, 
"  on  which  side  folly  is  most  glaring,  or  which 
party  is  most  to  blame, — whether   those   who 
raised  and  dispatched  this  expedition  without 
money,  or  those  who  embarked  in  it  and  left 
their    homes    without   considering    how   they 
were   to   be    supported,    much   less  how  they 
were  to  carry  their  gigantic  plans  into  effect ! 
Los   se/iores  Ingleses  must  have  been   reading 
the  history  of  El  Dorado  with  a  little  more 
credulity   than    it  deserves,   if  they  imagined 
that  the  precious  metals  were  to  be  obtained 
without  labour  and  expense  ;  for,  although  it  is 
true  that  they  abound  in   this  country,    they 
cannot  be    had  for  nothing,  any  more  than  the 
materials  of  which  we  build  our  houses." 

Thinks  I  to  myself  (and  it  was  the  first  time 
the  thought  struck  me)  the  president  is  right ; 
for  even  the  stones  with  which  streets  are 
paved,  I  take  it,  are  not  obtained  without  la- 
bour, and  labour  requires  money.  What  a 
happy  circumstance  would  it  have  been  for 
many  persons,  had   some   really  clever  fellow 

vol.  i.  2d 


402      INTERVIEW    WITH    THE    PRESIDENT. 

explained  this  little  matter  to  the  Directors  of 
the  Potosi,  La  Paz,  and  Peruvian  Mining  As- 
sociation ! 

My  conversation  with  the  president  ended  by 
his  giving  me  every  encouragement  to  follow 
up  the  speculation,  which  he  had  been  led  to 
understand  must,  under  proper  management, 
prove  successful ;  but,  on  assuring  me  of 
every  protection  in  his  power,  he  candidly  ob- 
served, that  with  respect  to  protested  bills,  or 
claims  such  as  Don  Felix  Castro  was  about  to 
make,  the  laws  were  already  established  and 
the  Executive  could  not  interfere,  but  that 
there  was  no  reason  to  doubt  the  impartial  dis- 
tribution of  justice,  which  the  president  pre- 
sumed was  all  I  required.  I  thought  the  pre- 
sumption reasonable  enough,  but  somehow  or 
other,  in  my  zeal,  I  expected  more  than  justice 
on  my  side,  for  I  considered  it  very  hard  in- 
deed that  Don  Felix  Castro  should  make  a 
piece  of  work  about  a  few  thousand  dollars, 
which  he  had  advanced  on  the  credit  of  a  com- 
pany of  gentlemen,  who  had  set  forth  to  the 
world  in  the  prospectus  of  their  Association,  that 
they  had  a  capital  of  "  One  Million  'pounds  ster- 
ling" with  a  clause,  that  "  it  might  be  iner eased 
if  deemed  advisable."  This,  I  imagined,  ought 
to  satisfy  any  reasonable  person ;  but  there  are 


THE    PRESIDENT    SUCRE.  403 

some  persons  never  satisfied,  and  Don  Felix 
Castro  may  be  one  of  these ;  he  seems  not  to 
care  one  farthing  about  our  printed  million, 
although  it  is  mentioned  in  three  different  places 
in  our  prospectus  :  what  he  wants  and  insists 
upon,  is  his  own  hard  cash  back  again — que  vcr- 
guenza !  (what  a  shame !) 

The  President  Sucre  is  in  appearance  about 
thirty-eight  years  of  age,  tall  and  thin,  with  mild 
prepossessing  manner  and  diffident  address  ;  he 
is  a  man  of  talent,  liked  by  all  who  desire  the 
good  of  the  country,  and,  in  the  existing  state 
of  things,  he  is  certainly  the  best  choice  that 
could  have  been  made  to  fill  the  arduous, 
troublesome,  and  thankless  office  of  Supreme 
Chief  of  the  new  Republic  of  Bolivia.  Sucre 
keeps  up  no  state  beyond  a  good  table ;  I  have 
seen  him  walk  in,  uninvited,  to  the  evening  ter- 
talias  without  the  least  ceremony,  and  join  in 
all  the  little  trifling  of  familiar  conversation, 
without  restraint  upon  himself  or  imposing  it 
upon  others.  He  is  very  desirous  of  acquiring 
the  English  language,  and  Colonel  O'Conor, 
who  has  been  his  friendly  instructor,  told  me 
that  his  progress  was  exceedingly  quick,  and 
that  it  was  his  maxim  never  to  give  up  a  point 
or  pass  over  a  sentence  until  he  thoroughly  un- 
derstood it. 

2  D  2 


404  COLONEL    O'CONOR. 

Having  just  mentioned  the  name  of  a  very 
distinguished  officer  in  the  patriot  service  of 
South  America — one  who,  in  her  great  cause, 
has  fought  through  the  "  war  of  death,"  *  from 
its  sanguinary  commencement  to  its  triumphant 
close  ;  wrho,  by  his  valour  and  abilities  as  a 
soldier,  has  reaped  unfading  honours,  and  by 
his  conduct  and  acquirements  as  a  gentleman 
has  gained  universal  esteem  :  it  is  with  a  degree 
of  pride  and  satisfaction  that  I  here  mention 
that  person  as  my  most  intimate  friend.  We 
are  told  from  high  authority — sacred  authority, 
I  believe — that  "  all  men  are  naturally  deceit- 
ful." Coming  from  such  a  source  I  dare  not 
contradict  the  humiliating  censure,  but  I  do 
not  apprehend  that  the  "Accusing  Spirit"  will 
record  as  a  crime  my  asserting,  that  all  those 
virtues  which  usually  distinguish  sincerity  and 
uprightness  of  mind  are  conspicuously  marked 
in  the  life  and  conduct  of  Colonel  Francis  Bur- 
dett  OConor. 

In  visiting  the  churches  and  convents  of  this 
city,  I  saw,  amongst  several  neglected  ]  aintings, 
some  few  fine  ones  that  had  been  introduced 
from  Spain  and  Italy  by  the  Jesuits.     I  pro- 

*  Gutrra  de  mverte  was  the  term  by  which  one  san- 
guinary period  of  the  Revolutionary  war  was  designated. 


INDIAN    PAINTINGS.  405 

cured  a  Magdalene,  painted  upon  panel,  of  the 
school  of  Pietro  Perugino,  or  Andrea  del  Sarto. 
Be  it  of  which  it  may,  or  be  it  neither,  a  more 
sweet  and  placid  countenance  never  was  de- 
signed with  greater  truth  in  giving  expression 
to  the  saintly  mind.  The  beholder  feels  as- 
sured— 

"  That  God  and  goodness  is  her  meditation." 

Neither  did  a  prettier  foot  ever  grace  a  lovely 
female  form,  than  that  which  the  painter  has 
represented  here,  in  the  full  perfection  of  his 
enchanting  art. 

I  also  procured  a  set  of  paintings  on  religious 
subjects  by  the  Indians  of  Cusco,  who  are  cele- 
brated for  their  ingenuity  in  painting.  They 
imitate  the  finest  colouring,  particularly  of 
the  flesh,  with  wonderful  exactness ;  but,  consi- 
dering they  have  had  no  school  nor  competent 
instruction,  it  cannot  surprise  that  their  faces, 
though  generally  very  pretty,  are  always  with- 
out character  or  expression.  In  their  drapery, 
they  exercise  their  own  fancy,  which  they  ima- 
gine (and  no  doubt  it  suits  the  taste  of  their 
customers)  is  the  more  to  be  admired  the  more 
costly  the  performance ;  and  under  this  im- 
pression, we  find  the  robes  of  the  Virgin,  of 
Joseph,  and  of  all  favourite  saints,  profusely 
covered  with  shining  gold  and  silver,  so  elabo- 


406  INDIAN    FIGURES. 

rately  executed,  as  to  be  capable  of  exciting  the 
envy  of  the  most  ingenious  Chinese  that  ever 
painted  the  full-dress  robe  of  a  mandarin. 

The  Indians  of  Cusco  are  likewise  famed  for 
making  (of  alabaster,  I  believe,)  little  figures 
and  dolls  of  great  beauty,  very  superior  to  any 
articles  of  the  kind  made  in  Europe.  These 
meet,  or  rather  used  to  meet,  with  a  ready 
sale  for  churches,  chapels,  convents,  and  for  or- 
naments of  apartments  in  the  houses  of  rich  and 
poor  ;  but  the  trade,  including  that  of  bulls,  ro- 
saries, and  crucifixes,  is  now  evidently  on  the 
decline.  I  offered,  however,  eighty  dollars  to  a 
person,  to  whom  eighty  dollars  were  an  object 
of  consideration,  for  one  of  those  dolls  of  Cusco, 
but  I  doubt  if  I  could  have  prevailed  upon  the 
owner  to  part  with  it  for  thrice  the  sum,  not 
on  account  of  its  intrinsic  value,  though  that 
was  something,  but  on  account  of  its  sacred 
consequence  as  the  "  household  God."  It  re- 
presented the  infant  Saviour  naked,  sitting  in 
the  lap  of  another  doll,  representing  the  Virgin 
Mother ;  the  hair  of  the  head  and  eyebrows 
were  formed  of  native  capillary  silver,  and  the 
nails  of  the  fingers  and  toes  were  represented 
in  gold,  as  was  also  that  which  artists  sometimes 
display  in  their  works,  but  which  authors  never 
describe  in  their  books. 


HALL    OF    CONGRESS.  407 

I  visited  the  very  handsome  hall  of  the  Con- 
gress during  the  sitting  of  the  Deputies,  and 
heard  in  the  noble  Castilian  tongue  several 
flights  of  eloquence  on  the  new  and  important 
subject  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  which  was 
discussed  with  great  liberality,  even  by  many 
of  the  clergy.  The  custom  of  remaining  seat- 
ed during  the  whole  of  the  debate,  even  while 
speaking,  has  a  peculiarly  awkward  appear- 
ance, and  the  constant  practice  of  spitting  is  a 
breach  of  decorum  which  no  Englishman  can 
patiently  witness. 

The  ladies  of  Chuquisaca  are  celebrated  for 
their  affability  to  strangers ;  that  they  are 
deservedly  so  I  had  sundry  opportunities  of 
knowing,  during  my  agreeable  residence  among 
them.  Their  dispositions,  like  those  of  the 
South  American  ladies  in  general,  have  been 
justly  defined  as  being  a  happy  medium  be- 
tween French  vivacity  and  English  reserve. 
Their  faces  are  handsome  and  their  figures 
good  :  their  carriage,  like  '  Spain's  dark-glancing 
daughters'  from  whom  they  descend,  is  easy, 
genteel,  and  graceful,  without  any  of  that  air 
maniere,  so  much  studied  by  the  French  ladies, 
or  any  of  that  want  of  air  and  grace  so  conspi- 
cuous in  our  own. 

In  the  evening,  many  '  Black-eyed  maids  of 


408  LADIES    OF    CHUQUISACA. 

Heaven,'  may  be  seen  displaying  their  neatly- 
turned  ankles  on  the  promenade,  where,  in  bril- 
liancy of  costume,  they  resemble  the  fashion- 
ables of  the  Tuileries,  whose  dress  is  nowbegin- 
ning  to  be  generally  worn,  and  its  periodical 
changes  regularly  received  from  Buenos  Ayres, 
where  many  French  march  ancles  de  modes  have 
flourishing  establishments.  At  church,  or  in 
religious  processions,  that  becoming  Spanish 
dress,  the  basquiha,  is  still  continued,  and  the 
fan,  a  plaything  very  adroitly  used  and  kept  in 
perpetual  motion,  is  a  never-failing  accompani- 
ment. 

After  the  promenade,  tertulias  take  place,  to 
which  strangers  may  go  uninvited,  assured  of 
a  cordial  reception.  The  conversation  will  be 
found  quite  as  spirituel,  and  to  the  full  as  pro- 
found, as  conversations  generally  are  at  any 
other  routs  or  assemblies,  not  excepting  even 
those  of  the  highest  circles  in  the  most  enlight- 
ened capitals  of  Europe.  I  entertain  no  appre- 
hension of  this  being  considered  excessive  praise ; 
for  what  is  there  to  praise  in  the  general  conver- 
sation of  any  of  our  fashionable  parties  ? 

But,  although  I  consider  the  conversation  in 
South  American  tertulias  as  lively  and  interest- 
ing as  general  conversation  in  European  as- 
semblies, I  by  no  means  overlo  >k  the  sterling 


PERUVIAN    LADIES.  409 

merits  of  my  fair  countrywomen,  whose  su- 
perior mental  accomplishments,  and,  take  them 
all  in  all,  their  superior  personal  charms,  place 
them,  beyond  all  comparison  in  the  universe, 
pre-eminent. 

The  free  and  courteous  manners  of  the  South 
American  ladies  have  induced  some  travellers 
hastily  to  conclude  that  these  are  open  invi- 
tations to  flirtation  and  unceremonious  fami- 
liarity ;  but  it  is  well  known  how  prone  men 
are  to  interpret  as  advances  to  themselves  the 
slightest  unguarded  expression  or  incautious 
action  of  a  female,  although,  at  the  time,  her 
every  inward  thought  may  be  pure  as  the 
snowy  fleece  from  heaven.  I  am  bound  in 
candour  to  say  thus  much,  because  I  myself 
have  sometimes  presumed  to  think  a  lady's  con- 
descension love,  and  have  kissed  with  impas- 
sioned delight  the  friendly  proffered  hand  of 
her  who  would  never  suffer  me  to  touch  her 
lips.  I  do  not,  however,  mean  to  hold  the 
shield  of  purity  over  the  whole  of  South  Ame- 
rica, or  to  maintain  that  her  daughters  differ 
from  those  of  other  climes,  and  are  never 
known — 

"  Prester  Voreille  aux  jieurettes  du  Diable." 

This  certainly  does  occur,  though  at  the  same 
time  I  may  apply  here,  in  all  truth,  that  which 


410  PERUVIAN    LADIES. 

has  been  said  of  the  Turkish  women,  "  who 
have  as  great  a  scope  for  the  indulgence  of  any 
evil  inclination  as  the  beauties  of  Christendom, 
but  I  should  doubt  whether  there  is  in  the  cha- 
racter of  these  women,  ignorant  as  thev  are, 
more  voluptuousness  than  in  the  spiritual  fe- 
males of  our  own  luxurious  metropolis."* 

The  character  and  disposition  of  the  Peru- 
vian ladies,  as  described  by  the  Abbe  Raynal, 
is  nothing  more  than  one  of  those  exuberant 
effusions  in  which  that  entertaining  writer  was 
wont  to  indulge  his  poetical  imagination.  So 
addicted,  he  observes,  are  the  Peruvian  ladies 
to  pleasure,  that  they  consider  the  legitimate 
bonds  of  love  as  restrictions  upon  its  happiness, 
and  that  the  prevailing  taste  of  the  Creoles,  is 
to  live  unfettered  by  the  yoke  of  matrimony  ; 
that  this  taste  leads  them  "  a  se  marier  derrwre 
rigiise"  an  expression  which,  in  the  country,  he 
says,  signifies  "  vivre  dans  les  liens  illicites"  I 
have  certainly  heard  the  expression  in  the  coun- 
try, and  I  know  some  examples  of  the  kind, 
but  they  are  extremely  rare,  seldom  publicly 
known,  and  in  no  instance  conducted  with  that 
unblushing  abandonment  of  decency  and  deco- 
rum so  frequent  and  obvious  in  our  highly- 
polished  state  of  society  in  Europe ;  nor  did  I  ever 
*  Hobhouse's  Travels  through  Albania. 


PERUVIAN    LADIES.  411 

hear  or  understand,  that  in  Peru,  the  Church 
had  deemed  it  requisite  every  year  to  anathe- 
matize the  persons  leading  such  a  life.  "  In 
vain  do  the  bishops  every  year  at  Easter,  ana- 
thematize the  persons  living  in  these  illicit  con- 
nexions ; — of  what  avail,"  says  the  Abbe,  with 
infinite  pathos — "  of  what  avail  are  these  vain 
thunderbolts  against  love,  against  custom,  and, 
above  all,  against  the  climate,  which  is  inces- 
santly warring  with,  and  finally  conquers,  all  the 
laws,  civil  and  religious,  which  oppose  its  influ- 
ence. The  women  of  Peru  have  more  charms 
than  the  spiritual  weapons  of  the  Church  of 
Rome  have  power  to  strike  terror."*  The  Re- 
verend Abbe  is  equally  fanciful  in  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  manner  in  which  the  Peruvian 
ladies  dress  and  pass  their  time.  These  di- 
vinities, he  says,  attired  in  a  costume  more 
elegant  than  modest,  repose  in  the  most  cap- 
tivating attitudes  on  superb  carpets  in  superb 
saloons,  where  their  days  glide  tranquilly  away 
to  the  sounds  of  music,  or  in  a  delicious  repose. 
It  may  be  seen  in  the  note  how  impossible  it  is 
to  depict  pleasure,  luxury,  rapture,  and  delight, 
in  more  glowing  colours  ;  but  never  was  disap- 
pointment more  bitter  and  provoking  than  mine, 
when  I  found  that  this  highly -painted,  tantaliz- 
*  Hist.  Philosoph.  des  deux  Indes. 


412  THE    ABBE    ItAYNAL. 

ing  scene  existed  only  in  the  historian's  ima- 
gination* 

The  morning  costume  of  the  South  American 
ladies,  when  at  home,  generally  speaking,  is  pre- 
cisely that  worn  in  Spain  (perhaps  I  might  add 
in  France  and  the  whole  Continent),  a  slovenly 
dishabille  on  a  slattern  person,  which  to  an 
Englishman  is  altogether  revolting ;  he  cannot 
reconcile  himself,  when  on  a  morning  visit,  to 
meeting  in  the  saloon  a  party  of  ladies,  no  mat- 

*  "  C;est  partieulierement  dans  les  delicieux  saltans  ou 
elles  recoivent  compagnie,  vetues  d'une  maniere  plus  ele- 
gante que  modeste,  qu'on  trouve  les  dames  de  Perou  se- 
duisantes.  La,  nonchalamment  couchees  sur  une  strade 
qui  a  un  demi-pied  d'elevation  et  cinq  ou  six  de  large,  et  sur 
des  tapis  et  des  carreaux  superbes,  elles  coulent  des  jours 
tranquilles  dans  un  delicieux  repos.  Les  hommes  qui  sont 
ad  mis  a.  leur  conversation  s'asseyent  a  quelque  distance,  a 
nioins  qu'une  grande  familiarite  n'appelle  ces  adorateurs 
jusqu'u  la  strade,  qui  est  comme  le  sanctuaire  du  culte  et  de 
l'idole.  Cependant,  les  Divinites  aiment  mieux  y  etre  libres 
que  ficres,  et  bannissant  le  ceremoniel,  elles  jouent  de  la 
liarpe  ou  de  la  guitarre,  chantent  meme,  et  dansent  quand 
on  les  en  prie."  This  is  what  we  may  term  "  tickling  the 
wanton  fancy,"  and  seems  to  require  only  the  addition  of  a 
little  chanson — 

"  Tout  les  gens  sont  bans, 
Vive  le  vin  J  Vive  I' amour  •'" 

to  complete  the  philosopher's  voluptuous,  though  visionary, 
representation  of  the  Peruvian  divinities. 


DISHABILLE    OF    THE    LADIES.  41,3 

ter  how  handsome,  with  hair  tossed  and  tumbled, 
or  stuck  round  with  a  chevaux-de-frise  of  papil- 
lottes.  If  his  eyes  bashfully  sink  from  the  view, 
they  are  met  at  the  other  extremity  by  old  shoes 
worn  into  shabby  slippers,  down  at  heel,  and  ex- 
posing manifold  wrinkles  in  the  neglected  stock- 
ings. If  the  shawl,  long  discarded  from  orna- 
mental dress,  and  now  serving  only  as  a  morning 
wrapper,  happens  to  escape  the  grasp  with  which 
it  is  held  in  front  by  fingers  sometimes  tipped 
with  ebony,  or  should  slip  accidentally  from  the 
shoulders,  the  absence  of  stays  betrays  the  loose 
and  defenceless  state  of  the  person,  and  per- 
chance exposes  the  necessity  of  a  change  of 
linen.  Huddled  in  a  corner  of  an  unfurnished 
apartment,  and  sitting  somewhat  in  the  east- 
ern style  on  small  square  rugs  spread  on  the 
ground,  or  upon  a  kind  of  stage  raised  a  few 
inches  above  it,  they  pass  the  live-long  day  ge- 
nerally without  any  occupation,  though  needle- 
work in  some  places  is  carried  to  perfection, 
but  "  that  sweetest  of  all  human  enjoyments," 
books,  is  never  seen.  This  state  of  slovenli- 
ness, indolence,  and  ennui,  lasts  till  evening, 
when  a  stranger  is  astonished  at  the  metamor- 
phosis which  takes  place ;  not  more  surprising 
is  the  transformation  of  the  chrysalis  from  its 
torpid,  unsightly  state,  to  that  of  the  gay  but- 


414 


EVENING    COSTUME, 


terfly  sporting  in  the  air,  "  rivalling  the  flight 
of  birds  and  the  brilliancy  of  the  peacock." 
Both  young  and  old  then  sally  forth  in  costume 
elegant  and  becoming,  sometimes  too  plus  ele- 
gante que  modeste — then  indeed  is  every  stocking- 
braced  up  with  scrupulous  tightness  for  the  pub- 
lic promenade,  where  many  an  admiring  eye  is 
attracted  to  the  taper  limb,  that  displays  itself 
with  so  much  grace  in  that  "  stately  elegance 
of  walk"  for  which  the  whole  race  of  Spanish 
ladies  are  unrivalled. 


How  delighting  and  delightful  it  is  to  ob- 


THE    PROMENADE.  415 

serve  one  of  these  lovely  creatures,  pacing  in 
triumphant  majesty  on  the  promenade,  particu- 
larly when  attired  in  the  silken  basquina  y  man- 
tilla, which  at  every  gesture  exhibits  the  line 
of  beauty  in  pleasing  and  palpable  symmetry. 
Then,  again,  those  charming  little  pedestals,  the 
feet !  We  need  not,  if  we  could,  describe  the 
interest  and  intelligence  that  reside  in  a  pretty 
foot.  It  is  full  of  sense  and  meaning,  and 
speaks  unutterable  things.* 

Before  I  left  Chuquisaca,  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  learning  from  my  friend  Colonel  O'Conor, 
that  he  had  obtained  employment  at  high 
wages  for  Christopher  Donoughoe,  Owen  Fla- 
herty, and  Paddy  Curry,  whom  he  engaged  to 
assist  in  the  busy  work  of  converting  a  spacious 
convent  into  a  college  of  arts  and  sciences, 
which,  when  complete,  will  perhaps  be  consi- 
dered the  fairest  monument  that  could  have 
been  erected  to  record  the  liberality  and  good 
judgment  of  the  first  free  government  that  has 
ruled  this  country. 

There  is  already  a  college  at  Chuquisaca,  of 
which  the  principal  is  a  dignitary  of  the  cathe- 

*  See  an  article  of  deepest  interest  on  ladies'  arms,  under 
the  head  of  "  Bishops'  Sleeves,"  New  Monthly  Mag. 


416  DON    MANUEL    SANTA    CRUZ. 

dral,  Don  Manuel  Martin  de  la  Santa  Cruz,  a 
man  of  acknowledged  abilities  as  a  scholar  ;  and 
perhaps  it  is  of  greater  importance  to  the  rising 
generation  under  his  tuition  that  he  is  also  a 
man  of  tolerant  principles,  and  an  encourager  of 
liberal  ideas,  which  seems  to  promise  that  the 
genius  and  talent  of  youth  will  be  turned  to  a 
better  account  than  when  confined,  as  hereto- 
fore, within  the  narrow  limits  of  a  monastic 
education,  useless  to  the  world,  and  uninstruc- 
tive  to  themselves — an  education  not  unfre- 
quently  attended  with  the  extraordinary  con- 
sequence, that  the  more  intense  the  application 
of  the  student,  the  more  profound  his  igno- 
rance ;  for  it  is  not  difficult  to  suppose  that, 
when  a  gloomy  superstition  with  all  its  incom- 
prehensible subtleties  enveloped  the  understand- 
ing, the  deeper  a  youth  dived  into  the  myste- 
rious subject  of  his  task,  the  more  he  became 
bewildered  in  the  obscurity  of  a  labyrinth  which 
tended  at  every  step  to  mislead  the  imagination 
and  destroy  the  judgment.  The  day  has  been 
when  casuists  have  gravely  discussed,  "  whether 
Adam  and  Eve  had  navels,"  because,  forsooth  ! 
being  created,  not  born,  it  was  maintained  they 
had  no  need  of  them.  All  the  abilities  of  the 
mind  have  been   strenuously  exerted  to  prove, 


PUBLIC    INSTRUCTION.  417 

how  many  angels   might   dance   at   one  time 
upon  the  point  of  a  needle,  or — 

"  Whether  the  serpent  at  the  fall 
Had  cloven  feet,  or  none  at  all." 

These,  and  other  topics  of  like  importance,  en- 
gaged the  schools  under  the  dignified  appel- 
lation of  "  casuistical  divinity."     Let  us  not, 
however,  forget  that  these  conceits  and  subtle- 
ties, "  the  jargon  of  contentious  monks,"  pre- 
vailed for  centuries  in  other  now  enlightened 
portions  of  the  globe,  as  well  as  in  South  Ame- 
rica.    But  here,  also,  the  minds  of  men  have 
assumed  characters  of  a  widely  different  com- 
plexion from  those  of  their  forefathers ;   pre- 
judices have  given  way,  rational  investigation 
is  encouraged,  reason  is  attended  to,  and  the 
charms  of  truth  are  no  longer  disregarded  and 
despised. 

The  ministers  of  religion,  who  have  hitherto 
ruled  with  an  uncontrollable  authority,  have 
in  part  voluntarily  renounced  and  in  part  beer 
very  unceremoniously  stripped  of  the  power 
which,  as  a  body,  they  so  unbecomingly  usurp- 
ed, and  in  many  instances  so  disadvantageously 
exercised  in  all  the  excess  of  austerity  and 
rigour.  Their  capricious  tyranny  has  ended 
vol.  i.  2  E 


418  THE    CLERGY. 

with  that  of  the  government  which  supported 
it;  they  must  now  "take  heed  unto  them- 
selves," and  remember  this  warning  :  — "  Woe 
be  to  the  priests  that  have  violated  my  law, 
and  have  profaned  my  holy  things ;  that  are 
departed  out  of  the  way,  and  have  caused  many 
to  stumble  at  the  law,  and  have  corrupted  my 
covenant.  I  also  will  make  them  contemptible 
and  base  before  all  the  people,  according  as 
they  have  not  kept  my  ways,  but  have  been 
partial  in  the  law." 

To  deny  that  abuses  still  exist  would  be  to 
deny  the  darkness  of  night ;  but  the  fanaticism 
of  religion,  "  cette  cause  perturbatrice  du  monde" 
has  assuredly  ceased  to  have  either  dominion  or 
support.  The  clergy  are  no  where  considered, 
as  certain  declaimers  in  their  zeal  have  im- 
agined them  to  be,  haughty,  inexorable  despots. 
They  are  received  in  society,  as  they  are  justly 
entitled  to  be,  "  with  all  gladness"  as  com- 
panions, and  are  every  where  respected  as 
friends  "  worthy  of  double  honours."  Friendly, 
indeed,  I  have  ever  found  them  in  this  and 
every  other  country  in  which  I  have  travelled 
where  their  influence  extends,  and  Englishmen 
of  every  denomination  must  in  gratitude  ac- 
knowledge as  much :  they  must  own  also, 
after  a  little  travelling  and  mixing  with  foreign 


THE    CLERGY.  419 

society,  that  our  own  prejudices,  whether  as  a 
nation  or  a  sect,  soon  appear  to  us  as  unworthy, 
inveterate,  and  unjust,  as  those  of  any  other 
under  the  sun  ;  they  will  admit  that  no  set  of 
men  in  their  private  character  have  been  so 
injuriously  aspersed  by  the  cankered  tongue 
of  slander  as  the  Roman  Catholic  priesthood, 
among  whom  are  to  be  found  as  many  and  as 
bright  examples  of  piety,  benevolence,  and  all 
goodness,  as  in  any  other  class  of  the  com- 
munity. And  with  respect  to  past  ages,  we 
may  name  characters  to  equal,  no  doubt,  but 
certainly  not  to  surpass,  those  of  Las  Casas, 
Francis  de  Sales,  Fenelon,  Massillon,  Bossuet, 
and  a  host  of  others  equally  eminent  and  re- 
vered, who  adorned  their  own  times,  and  live 
in  the  admiration  of  the  present.  But,  in  spite 
of  all  the  abuses  that  exist  in  the  moral,  re- 
ligious, and  political  state  of  this  hemisphere — 
and  in  what  country  do  abuses  not  exist?— in 
spite  of  all  the  clouds  of  darkness  that  remain 
and  may  continue  to  linger  on  this  horizon, 
yet  through  them  may  be  seen  in  the  distance, 
what  never  appeared  before,  a  perspective  of 
improvement,  of  liberal  feeling,  of  happiness, 
and  (according  to  the  destinies  of  nations)  of 
awaiting  glory ;  these,  the  legitimate  offspring 
of  freedom,  though  yet  but  young,  cannot  fail 

2  e  2 


420  RETURN    TO    POTOSI. 

to  grow  with  the  growth  of  the  parent.  Li- 
berty, deplorably  violated  as  her  sacred  charac- 
ter has  been,  has  nevertheless  infused  a  spirit 
into  all  the  institutions  of  the  country,  the 
benefits  of  which  are  already  felt ;  but  the 
greatest  of  all  benefits  immediately  arising  from 
Spanish  emancipation,  and  that  from  which 
every  other  improvement  must  follow,  is  the 
diffusion  of  knowledge  by  means  of  public  in- 
struction. 

19th.   Left    Chuquisaca,    well    pleased  with 
my   visit,    and   with    every   person    in   public 
or  private  life  with  whom  I   had  had  commu- 
nication.     On    the   21st  I  arrived   at   Potosi, 
where  I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  luxury 
of  enjoying  in  quiet  the  individual  possession 
of  my  bed  — a  circumstance  really  too  important 
to  be  passed  over  without  apprising  future  tra- 
vellers of  the  comfort  that  awaits  them  here, 
after  a  visit  to  the  gay  little  city  of  Chuquisaca  ; 
and,  if  they  happen  to  be  in  that  state  of  life 
called  "  bachelorship,"    they   cannot  fail,    from 
the   moment   the   candle    is   extinguished,  on 
stepping   into  bed  at    Potosi,    to  congratulate 
themselves  on  the  enviable  lot  of  "single  blessed- 
ness."    Know,  then,  that  the  delightful  climate 
of  Chuquisaca  attracts,  not  only  all  the  fashion- 
ables of  the  Republic   of  Bolivia  to  reside  in 


PLAGUE    OF    FLEAS.  421 

the  capital,  but  it  also  encourages  to  a  degree 
of  intolerable  excess  the  breed  of — fleas.  These 
tormentors  infest  every  house  in  Chuquisaca, 
and  persons  unaccustomed  to  them  need  not 
think  of  going  to  bed  if  repose  be  the  object. 
In  Potosi,  the  temperature  is  unfavourable  to 
insects  and  reptiles  of  every  sort,  save  and  ex- 
cept one  particular  kind,  against  which  common 
cleanliness  is  a  sufficient  guard,  but  for  which 
the  Indians  have  a  most  extraordinary  taste,  as 
they  actually  dispose  of  them  as  monkeys  do 
when  they  catch  them  on  examining  each  other. 
I  have  frequently  heard  the  Potosinos  remark, 
that  when  they  went  for  any  short  time  to 
Chuquisaca,  they  never  enjoyed  sleep  until 
their  return  home,  a  remark  which  I  have  re- 
cently had  an  opportunity  of  knowing  to  be 
strictly  true,  and  I  decidedly  agree  with  Me- 
phistopheles  in  pronouncing—  une  puce  un  hote 
fort  incommode, 

"  Juste  Dieu  !    quel  tourment ! 

Etre  morel u  sans  cesse, 

*  *  *  * 

Nous,  quand  une  puce  nous  blesse, 
Nous  l'ecrasons  sans  forme  de  proces  :* 

But  at  Chuquisaca  they  are  too  numerous  to 
be  overcome  by  any  such  process. 

*  Faust's  Tragedy. 


422     LETTER  OF  THE  DIRECTORS. 

September  3rd.  I  have  this  day  received  a 
dispatch  from  our  Directors  in  London ;  the 
contents  of  which  forcibly  remind  me  of  the 
saying  of  the  sage,  "  L 'union  fait  prosperer  les 
moindres  establissemens,  et  la  discorde  detruit  les 
plus  grands  empires .'"  which  is  figuratively  and 
forcibly  described  elsewhere  in  fewer  words — 
"  A  house  divided  against  itself  must  fall  I" 

The  subject  was  as  follows  : — 

"  A  difference  has  arisen  between  the  three  Directors  who 
signed  the  charter  of  the  ship  Potosi  and  the  other  Direc- 
tors. The  former  call  upon  the  latter  to  indemnify  them 
against  any  consequences  under  their  liability  as  charterers  ; 
which  the  other  Directors  decline  doing,  until  the  former 
have  paid  up  the  call  upon  all  their  reserved  shares,  pursuant 
to  a  resolution  of  a  Board  :  this  the  charterers  have  thought 
proper  not  to  accede  to,  and  have  intimated  their  intention 
to  send  out  powers  to  seize  the  cargo  of  the  ship,  as  the 
surest  mode  of  protecting  their  own  interests." 

This  communication  appeared  to  me  to  be 
enveloped  in  a  prodigious  deal  of  mystery. 
The  Directors  desire,  that  "  the  disclosure  be 
considered  as  made  in  strict  confidence"  and 
confess  that  they  "  felt  a  hesitation"  in  making 
it,  until  they  recollected  that  our  chief  com- 
missioner was  also  president  of  the  Association. 

I  have  puzzled  myself  to  discover  why  it  was 
wished  to  keep  secret  from  the  shareholders  a 


LETTER  OF  THE  DIRECTORS.     423 

subject  of  so  much  importance,  and  have  at 
length  concluded,  that  the  concealment  must 
be  grounded  upon  that  innate  modesty  which 
blushes  with  painful  sensibility  at  the  exposure 
of  its  meritorious  deeds.  The  Directors  like- 
wise state,  that  they  "feel  well  assured  that 
every  effort  will  be  exerted  by  us  to  relieve 
them  from  their  anxious  situation  of  difficulty 
and  embarrassment."  This  assurance  was  no 
more  than  a  feeling  of  justice  due  to  them- 
selves and  to  us,  and  emanated,  no  doubt,  from 
a  well-known  precept,  which  interdicts  every 
sentiment  of  selfishness,  and  inculcates  none 
other  than  the  pure  principles  of  Truth,  Ho- 
nour, and  Integrity  :  it  is  simply  this — "  Do 
unto  others  as  thou  wouldst,  &c."  Under  this 
impression,  *•  every  effort"  on  our  part  shall  be 
exerted,  and  we  also  have  a  right  to  expect,  al- 
though we  may  not  feel  well  assured,  that  every 
effort  will  be  exerted  on  the  part  of  the  Directors 
to  relieve  us,  and  all  their  other  servants,  from  an 
anxious  situation  of  difficulty  and  embarrassment. 

I  forwarded  the  dispatch  to  our  chief  com- 
missioner, brooded  for  an  hour  and  a  half  over 
our  misfortune,  and  then—"  Away  with  melan- 
choly !" 


424  PERUVIAN    INDIANS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Peruvian  Indians.— Still  subject  to  ill   treatment Patient 

and  tractable   under  kind   usage. — Summary  proceeding 
of  a  self-constituted  judge. 

The  primitive  inhabitants  of  South  America, 
1  improperly  called  Indians,'  are  of  a  tawny 
colour,  inclining  to  red  of  different  shades  of 
brightness  ;  the  difference  in  the  shades,  arising 
probably,  in  a  great  degree,  from  the  varying 
temperature  of  the  climate  of  the  country  which 
they  inhabit,  from  the  intense  heat  of  the  torrid 
zone  to  the  cold  of  the  vicinage  of  snow.  But  in 
order  to  present  an  exact  idea  of  the  primitive 
Americans,  almost  as  many  descriptions  arc  re- 
quisite as  there  are  nations  or  tribes  ;  yet,  as 
in  Europe,  all  nations,  notwithstanding  distinct 
languages,  manners,  and  customs,  have  some- 
what in  common,  so  do  all  the  Americans  pre- 
sent features  of  resemblance  and  a  similar  base 
of  character.* 

*  Condamine  Trav.  S.  America. 


PERUVIAN    INDIANS.  425 

The  Peruvian  Indians  are  a  strong,  healthy 
race,  and  generally  laborious,  for  every  kind  of 
labour  is  performed  by  them.  In  Potosi,  how- 
ever, the  miners,  all  Indians,  have  acquired  a 
character  for  habits  of  idleness  and  a  propensity 
to  defraud  their  employers,  which  it  must  be 
admitted  is  not  altogether  without  foundation, 
though  I  think  the  causes  of  the  evils  com- 
plained of  may  be  traced  to  harsh  treatment,  or 
to  unwarrantable  exactions  of  some  sort,  ag- 
gression being  as  frequent  on  one  side  as  de- 
linquency on  the  other. 

Those  who  have  been  so  long  accustomed  to 
treat  this  oppressed  people  as  slaves,  and  have 
been  taught  to  consider  them  below  the  scale 
of  humanity,  do  not  on  all  occasions  recollect, 
that  the  severe  struggle  they  have  so  success- 
fully sustained,  in  shaking  off  a  galling  yoke 
from  their  own  necks,  has  also  relieved  the 
Indians  from  theirs,  and  that,  in  the  eye  of  the 
newly-established  laws,  for  which  both  classes 
have  equally  shed  their  blood,  they  are  now, 
for  the  first  time,  on  an  equality.  The  know- 
ledge of  these  facts  has  not  yet  thoroughly  sub- 
dued old  prejudices,  and  therefore  the  poor  In- 
dians are  occasionally  exposed  to  the  haughtiness, 
tyranny,  and  injustice  of  ungracious  masters. 

I  know  from  experience,  that  by  proper  ma- 


426  PERUVIAN    INDIANS. 

nagement,  tlieir  faults  and  the  disadvantages 
arising  from  them  may  be  guarded  against, 
and  in  a  great  degree  corrected.  A  worm,  or 
if  it  be  thought  more  applicable,  the  adder, 
will  turn  when  trod  upon,  and  will  then  resent 
the  injury  :  so  has  it  been  with  these  Indians 
before  now ;  but,  with  kind  usage,  fair  remu- 
neration for  their  services,  and  an  impartial 
conduct  towards  them,  they  are  perfectly  tract- 
able, and  become  good,  faithful,  and  willing  ser- 
vants. During  my  residence  at  Potosi,  I  have 
had  occasion  to  employ  many  Indians,  as  well 
miners  as  those  of  other  trades  and  occupa- 
tions ;  there  is  no  want  of  hands  as  it  has  been 
generally  supposed,  and  I  cannot  say  that  I 
have  any  cause  of  complaint  against  them  ; 
they  performed  the  work  for  which  they  were 
ena'ajred  to  the  best  of  their  abilities,  and  at 
the  completion  of  it  I  paid  them  their  hire. 
Sunday,  after  the  hour  of  early  mass,  is  the 
customary  time  of  paying  the  miners  and  all 
persons  employed  in  the  ingenios;  this  practice 
I  did  not  adhere  to,  having  preferred  settling 
all  such  matters,  so  far  as  I  had  control,  on 
Saturday  evening. 

At  the  appointed  hour  they  assembled  in  the 
court  before  my  office,  accompanied  sometimes 
by  their  wives  and  children,  and  if  I  happened 
to  be  engaged  in  any  business,  (dispatching  the 


SELF-CONSTITUTED    JUDGE.  427 

couriers,  for  instance,  when  in  the  absence  or 
illness  of  my  companions  I  have  been  employed 
many  hours  of  the  day  '  writing  against  time,') 
these  people  would  remain,  without  evincing 
the  slightest  impatience,  and  never  approach  to 
ask  to  be  settled  with,  till  called  by  name  as 
they  stood  upon  the  list  of  the  major-domo. 
They  always  expressed  their  thanks  when  they 
received  their  wages,  upon  which  subject  we 
never  had  the  most  trifling  misunderstanding, 
and  only  once  upon  another,  namely,  upon  the 
subject  of  a  pick-axe  that  had  been  stolen  out 
of  our  ingenio.  It  was  worth  fifteen  shillings 
at  Potosi,  and  might  have  been  worth  five  in 
England ;  but  the  example,  not  the  value,  de- 
termined me  upon  giving  a  colour  of  infinite 
importance  to  the  case.  After  the  depreda- 
tion had  been  made  known  to  me,  and  when 
the  workmen  had  assembled  to  receive  their 
week's  wages,  two  shillings  per  diem  each 
man,  I  called  them  all  into  my  office,  merely 
for  the  sake  of  exhibiting  myself  in  the  high- 
est possible  degree  of  dignity  (a  clerk  never 
looks  so  dignified  as  behind  his  own  counter) 
and  whilst  they  stood  like  culprits  in  humility 
before  me  with  their  hats  off,  I  sat  proudly  ele- 
vated upon  my  judgment-seat  with  my  hat  on, 
and  in  my  hand  a  pen,  just  emblem  of  my  office, 
it  is  true,  but  at  the  same  time  calculated  to 


428  SELF-CONSTITUTED    JUDGE. 

convey  terror  to  the  mind  of  the  thief,  who 
knew  that,  if  detected,  I  should  instantly  em- 
ploy it  in  an  application  to  the  alcalde  for  the 
infliction  of  fine  and  imprisonment.  When  I 
had  fixed  the  attention  of  the  party,  I  com- 
menced the  dread  inquisition. — Alas  !  many  of 
their  forefathers,  for  crimes  of  as  little  note,  or 
even  the  bare  suspicion  of  them,  had  been  con- 
demned by  a  more  horrible  inquisition,  and  be- 
fore judges  less  disposed  to  render  justice  and 
mercy  than  their  present  one,  although  it  will 
appear  that  even  he  was  obdurately  relentless. — 
I  put  the  question. —  "  Who  stole  my  pick- 
axe ?" — dead  silence ;  each  looked  at  each,  and 
all  looked  at  me. — "  Who  stole  my  pick-axe,  I 
say  ?"  "  Quien  sabe  ?"  said  a  low  voice  in  the 
crowd.  "  Who  kjwws  ?"  said  I,  "  why  some 
of  you  know,  and  1,  too,  must  know,  before  I 
pay  you  one  rial  of  your  wages."  I  then  pro- 
ceeded to  question  each  individual  by  name. 

"  Gregorio  Medrano,  did  you  steal  the  pick- 
axe?"—" No,  Senor." 

"  Marcelino  Guaylla,  did  you?" — "  Yo!  ?w, 
Senor." 

"  Bernardino  Murquete,  did  you  steal  the 
pick-axe  ?" — "  No,  Senor" 

"  Nepomuceno  Mamani,  did  you  ?" — "  No, 
Senor? 

"  Casimiro  Chambi,  did  you  ?" — "  No,  Senor" 


SUMMARY    JUDGMENT.  429 

And  so  on  through  the  whole   list,  with  the 
same  profitless  result. 

The  Indians,  like  the  lower  class  of  Irish, 
preserve  inviolable  secrecy  respecting  their  own 
concerns ;    an   informer   is   looked  upon    as   a 
wretch  unworthy  to  live  among  honest  men,  or 
if  permitted   to  live  is   loathed  as   a   demon. 
Assured,  therefore,  that  I  should  never  succeed 
in  detecting  the  actual  thief,  although  we  all 
well  knew  he  was  one  of  the  party  present,  I 
proceeded    to    judgment    upon    all    of    them. 
"  Know  then,  hermanos  mios,  (dear  brothers)  that 
my  sentence  is  this,  that  the   major-domo  do 
now,  immediately,  and  on  the  spot,  put  into  his 
hat  as  many  grains  of  mais  as  there  are  of  you 
here   present ;    that   those   grains   shall   be  all 
white,  save  one,  which  shall  be  black ;  and  he 
who  draws  that  black  grain  shall — pay  for  a  new 
pick-axe."     Here  consternation  became  general 
and  evident,  but,  from  the  natural  darkness  of 
the  Indian  complexion,  it  was  impossible  to  dis- 
cover the  delinquent  from  any  change  produced 
on  his   countenance   by  the  inward  workings 
of  his  mind.     "  Now,  Sehor  major-domo,  shake 
your  hat  well— shake  it !   I   say,  that  no  sus- 
picion of  partiality  may  be  entertained.     Let 
each  man  in   succession  now  put  his  hand  in 
and  take  one  grain  of  mais,  then  withdraw  it, 
taking  care  to  keep  his  hand  shut,  and  not  to 


430  SUMMARY    JUDGMENT. 

open  it  until  ordered  so  to  do."  This  being 
done,  they  all  stood  before  me  with  their  right 
arms  stretched  out  at  full  length,  and  the  band 
firmly  closed.  "  Now  for  the  detection  of  the 
thief !  —  Open  !  —  Que  es  eso  ?  (What  is  all 
this  ?)  Major-domo!  what  is  the  reason  of  tbis  ?" 
said  I,  for  to  my  astonishment  every  hand 
was  empty  !'  "  I  really  don't  know,  Sir,  they 
must  have  drawn  the  grains  and  swallowed 
them,  for  not  a  single  one  remains  in  my  bat !" 
said  the  major-domo,  turning  bis  bat  mouth 
downwards  to  prove  that  nothing  was  there. 
Amazement  was  at  its  height ;  it  was  evi- 
dently a  case  of  bruxeria  (witchcraft) ;  mira 
que  demonio!  (the  devil  is  in  the  dice.)  Jua- 
quinito  Sambrano  observed  that  it  was  the 
miraculous  interference  of  Saint  Dimas,*  to 
prove  that  there  was  no  thief  amongst  them. 
But,  notwithstanding  my  surprise  and  confu- 
sion, I  determined  that  the  saint  should  not 
keep  my  pick-axe  without  paying  for  it.  1 
desired  the  major-domo  to  give  me  bis  hat, 
upon  examining  which,  the  bruxeria  was  ex- 
plained. In  obeying  my  order  to  "  shake  the 
hat  well,"  every  grain  of  maize  absconded  through 
a  rent  in  the  crown,  and  the  floor  being  covered 
with  thick  straw  matting,  they  fell  upon  it  un- 

*  According  to  some,  the  patron  of  robbers. 


SUMMARY    JUDGMENT. 


431 


heard.  We  therefore  proceeded  with  more 
caution  to  a  second  drawing,  when  the  black 
bean  appeared,  on  the  show  of  hands,  in  that  of 
Basilio  Calamayo,  from  whose  wages  I  directed 
the  major-domo  to  purchase  the  best  pick-axe 
that  could  be  had  in  Potosi.  From  that  hour 
I  never  heard  of  any  pilfering  in  either  mines 
or  ingenio. 

Conceiving  that  I  have  given  a  sufficient 
number  of  pages  to  form  a  reasonable-sized 
book,  I  here  conclude  my  first  volume. 

"  The  work  mayhap  has  whiled  an  hour  away  ; 
Nor  does  the  volume  ask  for  more  renown, 
Than  Ennui's  yawning  smile,  what  time  she  drops  it  down." 


POSTING    IN    THE    GALERA    ACROSS    THE    PAMPAS. 


END    OF    THE    FIRST    VOLUME. 


LONDON  : 

PRINTED    BY    SAMUEL   BENTLEY, 

Dorset  Stieet,  Fleet  Str.et. 


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