WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 455 



On the other road from Callao to Lima, a league out and opposite 

 the Carmehte establishment to the S., there is an Indian village called 

 La Magdalena, with many gardens or orchards of fruit trees, of 

 both Spanish and native varieties ; this is a bit of Paradise in its 

 good location, verdure, and the bright skies it enjoys. Another league 

 from the village of La Magdalena to the S. there is another Indian 

 village called de Sulco ; round about it are many farms and fields of 

 wheat, corn, and other cereals and vegetables, large plantations of 

 sugarcane with sugar mills, and some olive groves with other planta- 

 tions and cattle ranches. 



Chapter XXX 



Of the Forts and Castles at the Port of Callao for Its Defense. 



1296. In the year 1615 the Prince of Esquilache came out to govern 

 the Kingdoms of Peru. The hostile Dutch had entered that ocean 

 that year by the Straits and had struck apprehension into that King- 

 dom and its ports and the ships on that sea. That was the last year 

 of the administration of the Maj-ques de Montesclaros ; they hacl been 

 living in great negligence, and the Kingdom was thrown into great 

 confusion because it had neither artillery nor munitions for its de- 

 fense. So the Prince of Esquilache set out to remedy some of the 

 crying needs and ordered two forts or bastions erected. One of them 

 is by the Hospital of San Juan de Dios and near the mouth of the 

 rivulet where the fleets take water, and is for the defense of the 

 harbor against enemies on that side. This bastion has seven bronze 

 pieces: two culverins, each of no quintals; the other five are half 

 culverins and heavy cannon ; for the casting of them he had a quantity 

 of copper brought up from the Kingdom of Chile, from the mines 

 of Coquimbo or La Serena ; this is the best that is known in the world, 

 both because of its high native quality and of the large amount of 

 gold it contains. 



1297. The other fort or bastion he ordered built in front of the 

 Royal Apartments. This bastion contains a fortress with the major 

 part of its foundations provided with their platforms and orillons. 

 There are nine pieces in this fort: two culverins of 116 quintals, two 

 other half culverins of 80 quintals, and the cannon which was in the 

 galley ; this is also 80 quintals ; the other pieces are heavy cannon. 

 This fort and that of Covadonga, the one near the rivulet, have vaults 

 beside them with powder, balls, ladles, and all else appertaining to 

 artillery, so that they can clear the whole harbor and keep the enemy 

 from approaching or entering it. 



