three colleges, twenty-eight monasteries, thirteen nunneries, nine hospitals, and sixty-four thousand inhabitants; and it now contains a cathedral, a palace for the viceroy, several churches, and other public edifices, and about fifty-eight thousand inhabitants, of which somewhat more than one-third are Spaniards. All, from the highest to the lowest, are fond of fine clothes, and indulge their passion for these to a great excess. The women's dress consists of a chemise, a petticoat of dimity, an open petticoat, and a jacket, which in summer is of linen, and in winter of stuff; to which some add a short garment, called a mantelette. Women of the lowest condition, whose whole stock of apparel consists, perhaps, of a couple of chemises and a petticoat, wear about their necks and arms bracelets, rosaries, and small gold images. The females of Lima are in general of middling stature; and have handsome faces, fair complexions, and brilliant eyes. They are sprightly, jocose, though without levity, and remarkably fond of music. The men on the contrary are inclined to indolence. Luxury here prevails to a great degree. The public places are crowded with handsome carriages of various kinds, yet the amusements are few. One of the most favourite amusements is cock-fighting, on Sundays and festivals. Literature is entirely neglected.

Much of the magnificence and splendour of Lima is owing to its being the residence of the Viceroy, and the seat of the chief ecclesiastical and civil tribunals. The adjacent country supplies it with provisions at a tolerably reasonable rate, and with a great variety of delicious fruits; and the river and coast with fish, and shell-fish of various kinds. The wines at Lima are of different sorts, white, red, and dark red, and of each sort some are peculiarly excellent. Many of them are imported from other parts of the American coast. Much of the gold and silver, obtained from mines in the adjacent districts, is brought to Lima. In the year 1790, a sum, equal in value to £.91120 sterling, in gold and silver, was coined here; but the trade in the precious

metals has of late very much declined. There are no manufactories in this place, and its chief commerce is with the coast towns to the north and south of it.

Lima is about six miles from the Pacific Ocean. Its port is called Callao, near which there is an excellent harbour; and a wide and fine road, almost like a terrace walk, connects the two places. Callao is a town or village containing several public buildings and four or five hundred inhabitants. Every Monday in the year it has a fair, at which goods from most parts of the world are sold to the traders of Lima and other places.

Though Lima is situated in twelve degrees two minutes of south latitude, its climate is healthy and pleasant. It is, however, remarkable that no rain falls during the whole year, the ground being watered only by heavy dews. There are four seasons. Spring begins toward the end of November: at this season the vapours which filled the atmosphere in the winter subside the sun again appears, and the country which, during the absence of his rays, had continued in a state of languor, begins to revive. This is succeeded by summer, which, though hot, is far from being insupportable: the heat would be excessive were it not moderated by the south winds that always blow at this season. Towards the end of June the autumn begins; and this is followed by the rainy season, called winter. The sun is now overcast, and the days are melancholy and disagreeable. It is in this season only that the vapours dissolve into a very small mist or dew, which everywhere moistens equally the earth, and renders even the most arid and barren lands fertile.

The beauty of the situation, the fertility of the soil, the general mildness of the climate and the riches of the inhabitants of Lima are not, however, sufficient to compensate for the continual dangers with which they are menaced from earthquakes. The place has been injured by these no fewer than sixteen times. The last earthquake was in the month of October, 1746. By this three fourths of the city were destroyed, and the port of

K

Callao was entirely demolished. The sea, as is common on similar occasions, receded to a great distance from the shore, but almost immediately returned, and engulphed the whole place. Of the inhabitants of Callao, four thousand in number, only about two hundred escaped. It is said that the concussions were repeated two hundred times in twenty-four hours, and four hundred and twenty-one times in the course of four months. A gentleman who was at Lima, in the ensuing year, says that a new village had then been commenced at Callao, and that several storehouses, for the convenience of commerce had been completed: that a new fort had been begun instead of the ruined one destroyed by the sea. In Lima this gentleman asserts, that nothing escaped the earthquake except a Franciscan convent and seven or eight houses. The streets had been exactly straight, but when he first arrived they were so choked up with the ruins of houses, that carriages could not pass along them. Before his departure, however, a passage was cleared, and several of the houses were rebuilt. The ruins of the churches, and especially of the cathedral, showed them to have been no mean buildings. The bridge, and the fountain in the grand square, had escaped the general ruin. The inhabitants were so fond of painting, that both the outside and inside of their houses were, in many instances, covered with landscapes and historical pieces.

This writer states, that delightful as the climate of Lima in general is, a residence here is unpleasant to strangers, as it is impossible to move out of doors without being almost blinded by dust. And what renders it still more unpleasant, these clouds of dust contain multitudes of insects, particularly what are called chigoes. These are much smaller than fleas, and usually insinuate themselves into the feet, where, if they be not soon extracted by the point of a needle, or by scissars, they create very painful sores. The houses swarm so excessively with fleas and musquitoes, that nothing can render them tolerable.

There are not now left in the vicinity of Lima many monuments of antiquity. The only remains of the labours of the ancient Peruvians are some sepulchres, and some walls built on the sides of the highways*.

Guamanga,

is another province of Peru. It lies eastward of Lima, and is of considerable extent. The climate of Guamanga is temperate, and the soil tolerably fertile; but it is chiefly noted for the mines of gold, silver, quicksilver, and copper, with which it abounds. In the year 1791, there wrought in this province, sixty mines of gold, one hundred and two of silver, and one of quicksilver; but several of these have since been abandoned.

The quicksilver mine is near Guancaveliea, a town, about one hundred and forty miles south-east from Lima. This town stands in an opening of the Andes, and is one of the largest and richest in Peru. The climate is very cold, and the weather changeable; and sometimes it rains and freezes on the same day, with tempests of thunder, lightening, and hail. This may be accounted for by its situation among the mountains, at an elevation of more than a mile and a half in perpendicular height above the level of the sea. quicksilver mine was first discovered in 1563. In 1760 many of the works were destroyed by a fire, and the mine has since been much neglected. Its circumference is stated to have been three hundred and fifty yards, and its depth nine hundred and sixty.

The

Guamanga, the capital of the district, is a city about twenty miles south of Guancaveliea, containing a cathedral, an university, several convents, and other public buildings. Its buildings are of stone, and considered to be superior to any in Peru; and the gardens, squares, and entrances, are beautifully decorated with trees and verdure. There are three parish churches,

* See a further Account of Lima in Helms' Travels.

one for Spaniards, and two for Indians. Guamanga is a place of some trade, and the chief articles of traffic are leather, grain, and fruit. On the bank of a river not far distant, are the ruins of an ancient Indian palace.

Cusco, or Cuzco,

lies between eleven and sixteen degrees of south latitude, and is a country varied by mountains, valleys, and plains. Some of these are barren, and others fertile and abundant in grain and fruit. They contain several mines of the precious metals.

The capital is situated in the interior, on the banks of a river, and about two hundred miles from the sea. This was the residence of the ancient Peruvian monarchs, and was the only place that had the appearance of a city, when the Spaniards invaded the dominions of the Incas. On their arrival in these parts of America, they were astonished at the magnificence and splendour of this city, and particularly of the Temple of the Sun, and other public edifices. The houses, almost all built of stone, were constructed in regular order, and divided into the upper and lower towns. On a hill, north of the city, stood a fortress, which had a subterraneous communication with three forts in the town; and the design was to inclose the whole mountain with a stone wall of such vast dimensions as to render the ascent of it impracticable to The internal works of the fortress are in ruins, but the outer walls are yet standing.

an enemy.

The present city of Cusco is nearly equal in extent to that of Lima. It may be called the inland metropolis of Peru, whilst Lima may be considered its maritime capital. Proudly situated in the midst of the Andes, Cusco still retains a majestic appearance. It is well built, on the declivity of several mountains, and in a pleasant and healthy situation. It contains a grand cathedral, and many colleges and other public buildings.