I > ' ' I
the other hand, I have heard of one remarkable case where
a fever broke out among the crew of a man-of-war some
hundred miles off the coast of Africa, at the very same time
that one of those fearful periods of death commenced at
Sierra Leone. It maybe remarked, that of the most destructive
diseases, which bear an evident relation to climate, and which
(as if by the addition of some direct poison) affect both
natives and strangers, nearly all originate in the hotter
regions of the earth. As geological induction shows that the
climate, during the periods antecedent to the present, had
an extra-tropical character, so, in all probability, there would
be an extra tendency to disease, and we can therefore see
that the introduction of man being, as generally supposed,
recent, is an adaptation to the existing condition of the
world.
No state in South America, since the declaration of independence,
has suffered more from anarchy than Peru. At
the time of our visit there were four chiefs in arms contending
for supremacy in the government : if one succeeded
in becoming for a time very powerful, the others coalesced
against him ; but no sooner were they victorious, than
they were again disunited, and hostile to each other.
The other day, at the Anniversary of the Independence,
high mass was performed, the President partaking of the
sacrament ; during the Te Beum laudamus, instead of each
regiment displaying the Peruvian flag, a black one with
death’s head was unfurled. Imagine a government under
which such a scene could be ordered, on such an
occasion, to be typical of their determination of fighting to
the death ! This state of affairs happened at a time very
unfortunately for me, as I was precluded from taking any
excursions much beyond the limits of the towns. The
barren island of S. Lorenzo, which forms the harbour, was
nearly the only place where one could walk securel)'. The
upper part, which is about 1200 feet in height, during this
season of the year, (winter) comes witliin the lower limit of
the clouds ; and in consequence of this, an abundant cryptogamie
vegetation, and a few flowers, covered tlie summit.
On the hills near Lima, at an elevation but little greater,
the ground was carpeted with moss, and beds of beautiful
yellow lilies, called Amancaes. This indicates a very
much greater degree of humidity than at a corresponding
altitude at Iquique. Travelling northward, the climate becomes
damper, till on the banks of the Guyaquil, nearly
under the equator, we find the most luxuriant forests. The
change, however, from the sterile coast of Peru to that fertile
land, is described as taking place rather abruptly, in tlie
latitude of Cape Blanco, two degrees south of Guyaquil.
Callao is a filthy, ill-built, small seaport. The inhabitants,
both there and at Lima, present every imaginable shade of
mixture, between European, Negro, and Indian blood. They
appear a depraved, drunken set of people. The atmosphere
was loaded with foul smells, and that peculiar one, which
may be perceived in almost every town within the tropics, was
here very strong. The fortress, which withstood Lord Cochrane’s
long siege, has an imposing appearance. But the President,
during our stay, sold the brass guns, and proceeded
to dismantle parts of it. The reason assigned was, that he
had not an officer to whom he could trust so important a
charge. He himself had good reasons for knowing this, as
he had obtained the presidentship by rebelling while iu
charge of this same fortress. After we left South America,
he paid the penalty in the usual way, by being conquered,
taken prisoner, and shot.
Lima stands on a plain in a valley, formed during the
gradual retreat of the sea. It is distant seven miles from
Callao, and is elevated 500 feet above it ; but from the slope
being very gradual, the road appears absolutely level; so
that when at Lima it is difficult to believe one has ascended
some hundred feet. Humboldt has remarked on this singularly
deceptive case. Steep, barren hills rise like islands
from the plain, which is divided, by straight mud-walls, into
large green fields. In these scarcely a tree grows excepting a
VOL. I I I . 2 G
f i
I
di