RAILWAY TO BOLIVIA. 119 



■ , — 



ashore at two or three places which at the time 

 appeared to me uninteresting, but which I afterwards 

 regretted not to have visited. 



By dayh'ght on the morning of April 30 we were 

 off Tambo de Mora, a small place near the mouth 

 of the river Canete, which, at some seasons, is said to 

 bring down a large volume of water from the Cor- 

 dillera. After a very short stay we went on to Pisco, 

 a more considerable place, but unattractive as seen 

 from the sea, surrounded by sandy barren flats. It is, 

 however, of some commercial importance, being con- 

 nected by railway with Yea, the chief town of this 

 part of Peru ; and we remained in the roads about 

 three hours, pursuing our voyage in the evening. 



Our course on May i lay rather far from land, 

 this being the only day during the voyage on which 

 we did not touch at one or more ports. Under 

 ordinary circumstances all the coast steamers call at 

 Mollendo, the terminus of the railway leading to 

 Arequipa, and thence to the highlands of southern 

 Peru and the frontier of Bolivia. Arequipa being at 

 this time occupied by a Peruvian force, and com- 

 munication with the interior being therefore irregular 

 and difficult, Mollendo was touched only on alternate 

 voyages of the Pacific steamers. 



I was impressed by the case of a Bolivian family 

 on board which seemed to involve great hardship. 

 An elderly father, with the manners and bearing of 

 an educated gentleman, had taken a numerous family, 

 chiefly young girls, with several servants, to Europe, 

 to visit Spanish relations, and was now on his way 

 to return to La Paz. The choice lay for him between 



