1839.] MODE OF TRAVELLING. 133 



pie generally in the interior of the country, are not so abstem- 

 ious as those who reside in the cities and along the coast. 

 The mestizo loves his aguardiente, and the cholo his chica. 

 Smoking is an almost universal practice among all classes 

 and sexes. Among the other stimulants made use of, is 

 coca. This is a shrub extensively cultivated in the moun- 

 tainous districts of Peru, the leaves of which, when dried, 

 are mixed with burnt lime. It forms a powerful stimulating 

 narcotic, which is used as a masticatory. Like opium, it 

 brings on an apathy to surrounding objects, but its effects are 

 more pernicious, and a confirmed coca-chewer, or coquero, is 

 with difficulty reclaimed.* 



The private habitations of the Peruvians, in the interior, 

 resemble those in Chili. Those of the better class are built 

 of adobes, one story high, with thatched roofs ; but the In- 

 dians, and the poorer inhabitants, live in miserable hovels 

 constructed of cane and mud, which are dirty and filthy in 

 the extreme. In the northern part of the country, among 

 the sandy lomas, or hills, which are so common in that sec- 

 tion, houses may often be seen that are erected on posts, from 

 eight to ten feet high, in order to render them cool and airy, 

 and to protect the occupants from the sand-flies. The ma- 

 terial used in their construction is a species of reed, and the 

 roofs are thatched with leaves. 



Mules and llamas are the principal carriers of burdens in 

 Peru, and travelling is performed, either on horseback, or, 

 where the roads will admit, in antique coaches of Spanish 

 patterns, or in the calesa, a small chaise. Since the intro- 

 duction of steam navigation, there have been steamers to 

 accommodate those persons wishing to go from one port on 

 the coast to another. In Lima, omnibuses have become quite 

 common, and they have almost superseded the other modes 

 of riding in the city, and between it and Callao. 



(6.) Two great mountain chains, running parallel with 

 each other and the coast, intersect Peru, and divide it into 



* The annual value of the coca prepared in Peru and Bolivia, is estimated at 

 two and a half millions of dollars. 



