396 
and difficult height, which, thanks to 
our mules, we effected. My black, 
twenty-three years of age, strong, and 
six feet high, walked this, and did not ex- 
pect me to get through safely with the 
mules. Idonot regret the pain, privations, 
and fatigue, though I cannot make out 
clearly to you that they are repaid to 
me; and the expense also, though for 
nine days I had no use for money, a 
razor, or anapkin. The solitude of the 
Andes, for so long a course, is frightful. 
We saw some guanoroes in small 
herds, and caught one heavier than a 
deer of common size; the flesh like full- 
grown Essex veal. I did not taste it, 
and can eat no flesh yet on this conti- 
nent. Two hard eggs served me for 
nearly sixty hours ; and when I came to 
the third, I cculd not eat a half of it. 
But I learned to smoke and to relish a 
segar, which would do you good touse. 
I did not feel the thirst or cold F was 
told to expect at all. The blindness of 
the excessive light of the sun on snow, 
below and above, fell on me from three 
to five minutes only. Many have suffered 
much more. 
The wonder, surprise, grandeur, cu- 
fiosity, difficulty, and danger were alt 
less than description had made them ; 
but something there was of all, which 
by many would have been much mag- 
nified. 
The accounts of the large French 
squadron, in the South Atlantic, just re- 
ceived here excite much speculation, as 
they had, in the expectation of them, 
a aoe on the other side. The 
‘English here (tiot many) form little 
association or connexion together, be- 
yond private acquaintance, and are said 
to compete too eagerly, and to detract 
much from their general weight by the 
reciprocal degradation of each other. 
There is no “ factory feeling” among 
them; every one for himself. I am not 
sure that this is important, nor know 
how it can be avoided or remedied, but 
fancy I should like to find or forma 
different feeling, or at least seeming, at 
Lima. 
Will the extraordinary end unexpected 
évents of /ast year in Spain lessen the 
attachment, which still continues much 
here to the connexion, rule,~supersti- 
tions, and priesthood of Old Spain? A 
few months more should shew this a 
little—The cotton trade, perhaps of 
Glasgow and Paisley chiefly, appear to 
me to have their warehouses and agents, 
or shops and shopmen, in these coun- 
tries, much the same as in Watling-street, 
Rémarks on Metropolitan Auctions. 
(Gee. 1, 
Aldermanbury, and Oxford-street ; and 
to sell much on the plan and price of 
the ticket-shops; but my observation is: 
not close enough to be quite sure that 
this is general. 
# * % * * # 
I have nothing of mine since I left 
England; and, after almost a starvation 
of nearly five weeks, am stronger than 
ever; as a ride of sixty miles yesterday 
on a cart-horse and a foundered hack 
proves. These miles were gallopped 
(with an interval of twenty minutes to 
dine on stale bread and rotten tongue, 
in the road-rut), in four hours. Then I 
stopped in the dark, to sup on one egg, 
and lie down on the mud floor Of a hut 
of dry boughs and brambles, with aw 
ox-hide door, and an open space neat tt, 
which let m the mountain breeze to far 
a pan of wood ashes, and to drive away 
the smoke of the segar which I took on 
my mattress. Three eggs were the whole 
stock of the village, (Colina, twenty miles 
from the capital). No milk, bread, or 
cheese to be had, nor even grapes. In- 
dian corn only. The price of the coun- 
try is eight, ten, or twelve eggs for the 
eighth part of a dollar—53d. or 6d. Per- 
haps this is the price to strangers; T 
suspect they are never sold to any one 
else. Ten or twenty pounds of good 
grapes for 23d. or 3d., ‘but very few 
buyers, if any. The dogs eat grapes 
freely, picking them carefully from the 
stalk ! Your’s, &e. 
3d May 1824. T. Rowcrort. 
—< 
For the Monthty Magazine. 
On Mrtrororitan Auctions. 
N auction is no new subject to de- 
scant upon. Buyers of bargains 
were well ridiculed in the Speetator ; 
and the eagerness of ladies (and gen- 
tlemen, too, for that matter), at a sale, 
when anxious to possess themselves of 
any article on which they had set their 
hearts, even bidding upon themselves, 
has before now furnished writers for 
the public eye with the means of amuse- 
ment for their readers. 
Unquestionably there is considerable 
pleasure to be derived from attending 
an auetion, by a close observer, who 
goes there without the intention of 
purchasing, and who moreover is reso- 
lute enough not to be caught with @ 
great bargain. The quick, ready eye of 
the auctioneer ; his wit, if he has any, 
and for which there is great scope, 
though some of the present race are 
dull enough ;—the contrast in the be- 
haviour of his audience ;—the cool and 
apparently 
