1004 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



the Peruvian ferritory. Through- 

 out, the breaks, and the vallics, 

 which enjoy the benefit of irriga- 

 tion, present to the view an exten- 

 sive range of delightful plains, re- 

 plete with cities and towns, and the 

 climate of which is highly salu- 

 brious. That of the elevated spots 

 of La Sierra is extremely cold. In 

 the pampas, or plains, of Bonibon,* 

 Fahrenheit's thermomeier is con- 

 stantly at from thirty- four to forty 

 degrees above zero. 



" The population of Peru, so faras 

 relates to the original casts, is com- 

 posed of Spaniards, Indians, and 

 negroes. The secondary specieses 

 best known, and proceeding from a 

 mixture of these three, are the 

 mulatto, the oifspring of the Spa- 

 niard and negro woman ; the Quar- 

 teron, of the mulatto woman and 

 Spaniard ; and the Mestizo, of the 

 Spaniard and Indian woman. The 

 final subdivisions which are formed 

 by the successive mixtures, are as 

 many as the difierent possible com- 

 binations of these primitive races. 



" 'Ihe rural operations of sowing 

 and planting, as well as domestic 

 employments, have constantly fallen 

 to the lot of the negroes. It is 

 true, indeed, that within these four 

 years past several white people have 

 engaged in these difterent tasks. 

 Prior to this, any one, neither a 

 iwgro nor a'TJiulatto, who should 

 have hired himself as a valet or a 

 labourer, would have been in a man- 

 ner reputed infamous : to such a 

 length was prejudice, or it may per- 

 haps be said, pride, carried on this 

 head. There are many enlightened 



politicans, who think it would h© 

 very unfortunate for the kingdom, 

 and more especially for the capital, 

 Lima, if this prejudice were to be 

 entirely done away. 



'• The commerce of Peru has been 

 considerably augmented, since it 

 has, by the arrival of the merchant 

 vessels of Spain by Cape Horn, and 

 by the grant of an unrestrained com- 

 merce, freed itself from the oppres- 

 sion under which it groaned in the 

 time of the Galeons, and of the fairs 

 of Porto-Bello and Panama. Prior 

 to that epoch, the bulky and over- 

 grown capitals circulated through, 

 and were in a manner lost in, a few 

 hands ; and while the little trader 

 tyrannized over the people, by re- 

 gulating, at his own will, the prices 

 of the various productions and com- 

 modities, he himself received the 

 law from the monopolizing whole- 

 sale dealer. The negociations of 

 the capital with the interior were 

 then, ill a great measure, dependent 

 on the intelligence and the decisions 

 of the magistrates ; and the com- 

 merce with Spain owed its best se- 

 curity to the circulation of the silver 

 entered in the bills of lading. Com- 

 merce, on the other hand, being at 

 this time subdivided into so many 

 smaller branches, maintains a greater 

 number of merchants; at the same 

 time that the fortunes which accrue 

 from it arc not no numerous. It is 

 necessary that a commercial man 

 should combine his plans skilfully, 

 and extend his speculations, to be 

 enabled to acqui|e a handsome pro- 

 perty. 



" 1 he manufactures,of this country 



* These are plains of fifteen Ip.nuaes in length, and five or six in breadth, which 

 form a part of the suJ)-deiegaticn of Tarina, and of tlie intendency of the same name : 

 they are distant from Lima, in an eastern direction, forty leagues. The lake of 

 Chinclia-y-cocha intersects tliem in their length; and they constitute the most lofty 

 and most level part of La Sierra. 



eoniiist 



