454 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



the sea water is so cold here that they chill beverages in it. For 

 this reason ships last long in that sea; in fact, they exceed 30 or 40 

 years of use, both for the reason given and because the sea is calm ; 

 that is why they can serve and navigate such a long time. The ships 

 stand close to shore, for the harbor is deep ; furthermore, this harbor 

 has to its W. an island more than 2 leagues long, all of it a range of 

 hills, which shelters it from S. and SW. winds. Small boats come 

 in between the point on the mainland and the island ; large ships, 

 from W. and NW. of the island ; it is an open and very capacious 

 harbor, and free of shoals, of which there are none, as well as of 

 shipworms, as has been stated. 



[Chap. 34. Continuing the Description of the Port of Callao.] 



1294. The port of Callao is abundantly supplied with delicious 

 fish, caught both there and all along the coast ; every afternoon many 

 fishing boats come in, manned both by Spaniards and by Indians 

 and Negroes, loaded down with delicious varieties of fish, such as 

 pejerreyes, anchovetas, which are sardines, besugos (sea bream), 

 dentones (a kind of sparus), mojarras, and other species of very 

 delicate fish. For this reason fish sells very cheap ; in fact, for i real 

 they give you a string of them weighing over 4 pounds. Accordingly 

 both in this specialty and in everything else, this place has an abundant 

 supply of cheap and delicious foodstuffs. 



In the neighborhood are many farms and fruit orchards, raising 

 both Spanish and native varieties; fields of alfalfa, which is like 

 green barley, for mule and draught-horse fodder ; fields of corn, 

 wheat, and other cereals ; they have excellent melon fields. Between 

 the port of Callao and Lima there are likewise some vineyards and 

 olive groves, oranges, lemons, and good banana plantations, all irri- 

 gated by canals from the Rio de Lima, for in that country it never 

 rains ; and with the uniform climate of that region and the irrigation, 

 it is one of the most fertile and attractive spots in the world. 



1295. In the district between Callao and the city of Lima there 

 are rich farms and cultivated fields with elaborate homes ; i league 

 out there is an establishment and convent of the Carmelites, with 

 its insignia, built by Domingo Gomez de Silva, a virtuous man of 

 exemplary life, and dedicated and consecrated to Nuestra Senora 

 del Carmen ; here he placed several girls clothed in the saintly habit 

 of Our Lady, who observed the rule with great strictness and isolation, 

 and repeated the Divine Office with great fervor, thus praising and 

 serving Our Lord, and edifying the faithful with their grand example. 



