1823.] 
mand of this vessel, of 200 tons bur- 
then, with a crew of thirty-four men in 
all, to M. Roquefeuil, an officer of 
the Royal Navy, to whom he likewise 
confided the direction of the commer- 
cial operations. The Bordelais sailed 
from the mouth of the Gironde on the 
9th of October, 1816, and returned on 
the 2list of November, 1819. The 
Bordelais arrived at Valparaiso, in 
Chili, in three months and seventeen 
days after leaving Bordeaux. The 
second day after his arrival, news was 
brought to the governor, of the passage 
of the Andes by the troops of Buenos 
Ayres under San Martin. The peo- 
ple, that is, the Creoles, were already 
ripe for revolution; and, the defeat of 
the royal troops of Chacabuco entirely 
discouraging the European Spaniards, 
they thoughtonly of escaping on-board 
the Vessels in the harbour; they had 
not even the precaution to retain pos- 
session of the batieries to cover the 
embarkation, and keep the inhabitants 
in awe, who rose, and made. prisoners 
of the straggling parties of the de- 
feated troops, who returned without 
order, and generally abandoned by 
their officers, who had been the first to 
fly. M. de Roquefeuil took several 
persons of distinction, among whom 
were two Oydors, on-board his small 
vessel, which contributed to procure 
him a good reception in Peru. 
From the port of Callao, where there 
are about four hundred houses, M.de R. 
went to Lima, the road to which can- 
not be passed in the night on account 
of the robbers. He was very well re- 
ceived by the viceroy, without, how- 
ever, being able to obtain permission 
to go and purchase wheat and rice, as 
he had intended, in that part of Peru 
where the port of St. Pedro and 
Truxillo, are situated, and which is 
yery rich inproduce. He was obliged 
to employ the proceeds of the sales 
which he had been able to effect, in the 
purchase of copper, which of all the 
articles of Peru and Chili, best suits 
the China market. He also took some 
articles of exchange for the North 
West Coast of America, and the teeth 
of the whale, (cachalot,) which were to 
serve him to procure sandal-wood at 
the Marquesas islands. 
The women of Lima wear a narrow 
and plaited petticoat, which the na- 
tives call saya, and which sits rather 
too close to suit European notions of 
decorum; on the other band, the upper 
part of the figure, and the face, is 
A new Voyage round the World, by M. de Roguefeuil. 
101 
eompletely concealed, when they walk 
abroad, by the manta, which is a black 
veil, closed at the waist. In point of 
fact, they fear the vertical rays of the 
sun, and not the looks of strangers. 
They add to a pleasing countenance 
great elegance of dress, and particu- 
larly a decided taste for pearls, whieh 
make an agreeable contrast with their 
dark complexion and shining black 
hair. The houses, in their internal 
arrangement, show neither taste ner 
splendour; the outside alone is neat. 
On the eve of Palm Sunday M. de 
Roquefeuil saw the procession ealled . 
del Borriquito, (of the Ass,) a grotesque 
ceremony, which attracts an immense 
concourse of people. On occasion of 
the amusements of Easter, he speaks 
of the intemperance of the people of 
this country, nay, even of the inhabi- 
tants of Spanish origin, not excepting 
the women; a vice, which is so great 
a contrast to the sobriety which dis- 
tinguishes the mother-country.. But 
many customs, which surprised our 
traveller, are, however, only a repeti- 
tion of what is seen at Madrid, Cadiz, 
and Barcelona. For example, at the 
theatre, as soon as the curtain is drop- 
ped between the acts, a general strik- 
ing of flintsis heard, and every mouth, 
even the prettiest, is armed with a 
segar, which fills the theatre with a 
cloud of smoke. Bull-feasts and 
cock-fighting are favourite amuse- 
ments with the inhabitants of Lima. 
The population of Lima is about 
80,000 souls, of which the European. 
Spaniards do not form a twentieth 
part. Here are also a great number of 
white creoles: the rest of the inhabi- 
tants are composed of African slaves, 
whose number may be equal to that: of 
the whites ; and people of colour of. alk 
shades, a mixture of Spanish and Afri- 
can blood, and of the ancient Indian 
races, crossed ad infinitum. 
This town has a, hydrographical 
depét, which contains the best charts 
of the South Sea, and several interest- 
ing manuscripts. The commerce of 
Peru, now that it, has become free, 
will be of great importance. to, France, 
which may supply that country with 
wines, linens, cloth; and, above. all, 
silks, for which there.is.a, considerable 
demand.. We might also. send oil, as 
Spain, did, though the olive. grows.in 
the environs of Lima, and yields 
tolerable oil. Thearticles of exporta- 
tion are cocoa, copper, Peruviam bark, 
Vigonia, and ether wool, chinchilla 
skins; 
