EarlJiqwtJccs — Old Town of CaUao alleged to he visible. T)^-^ 



marvel with his own eyes ! Earthquakes, indeed, arc by no 

 means so frequent as at the beginning of the present century, 

 wlien it was rare for a fortnight to elapse without at least 

 one temhlore or horizontal oscillation. The vertical shocks 

 (lerra-motos), the most dangerous kind of earthquake, have 

 not occurred here since 1828. The season at which earth- 

 quakes most frequently occur are tlie months of March, April, 

 and September, whence the latter month has received from 

 the people the jocular name of '' Se tiemhla ! " (it trembles !) 

 One Peruvian who has long occupied himself with scientific 

 observations has repeatedly witnessed that a magnet, freely 

 suspended, regularly lost its attractive powers a few minutes 

 before each shock, and that a piece of steel held by the mag- 

 netic force fell to the ground. If this be confirmed by a 

 series of observations the magnet might ultimately become a 

 sort of earthquake-monitor. 



The Callao of the present day is a dirty, ugly hole, with 

 narrow streets, and low houses built principally of mud and 

 cane, with flat roofs. Only a few of the houses of foreigners, 

 erected out of hearing of the hubbub of the port, form a 

 grateful exception. The entire population will be about 

 20,000 souls. 



The most interesting building of the port is undoubtedly 

 the new Custom House with 31 colossal magazines, each 

 capable of containing six to eight entire ships' freights. I 

 repeatedly heard complaints made of the slovenliness of the 

 attendants, in consequence of which it frequently happened 



