254 Dr de Tsclmdi on the Ancient Peruvians. [ 



to one of the three typical races of the former inhabitants 

 of Peru, and is not to be confounded with those figured by 

 D'Orbigny under the denomination of Aymara. 



In the hope of throwing some new Hght on the question in 

 dispute between Dr de Tschudi and Mr Bellamy, Dr King en- 

 tered into correspondence with the latter gentleman, which 

 drew forth this reply. " In the very rough communication 

 which I had the honour of making to the British Association, 

 I confined myself as much as possible to facts, just venturing 

 enough, in the way of opinion, to draw on discussion. I am 

 delighted that the time is at length arrived, for something 

 favourable to science must be the result. My knowledge, 

 however, is far too limited to permit of my joining in any ar- 

 gument that may be advanced ; all I can do, is to take care 

 that no misstatement is made of what I have made public. 



" It has been, and I fear always will be, my misfortune to 

 write from my own fireside, for my avocations have, and pro- 

 bably ever will, keep me at home. I have little or no geogra- 

 phical knowledge of Peru, and of its minute physical charac- 

 ters I know less. Dr de Tschudi, I presume, from the bold- 

 ness of his assertions, is a traveller, and that he has visited 

 the part of the world in question. Hence, doubtless, he is 

 correct, when he says that the mummy was not brought from 

 the high plains of Peru, for the reasons he gives appear to be 

 too forcible to admit of any doubt. We have, in fact, from 

 him what looks very much like personal observation, for he 

 says, * in those districts there occurs no drift-sand,' &c. 



" Captain Blanckley, from whom the mummies were pro- 

 cured, some little time after they fell under my notice, went 

 abroad, and I have in vain several times since endeavoured to 

 communicate with him. In my paper I have said, after re- 

 gretting my inability to furnish information of a more correct 

 character, that he ' stated to me in conversation, that he ex- 

 humed them himself from an elevated part of land in the 

 mountainous district of Peru, but at a considerable distance 

 from the lake Titicaca.' Now, all one can remark upon the 

 different statements of the Doctor and Captain Blanckley is 

 simply this, that the * elevated tract of land ■" of the latter is 

 not included geographically in ' the high plains' of the former ; 



