FROM LIMA TO VALPARAISO. 443 



of volcanic islets tossed up fr-.- A bold, precipitous, and beachless shore, and a 



nit swell rolling in from tin- 1'in-ilii-. render Ian lin-j; dillicult at all times. Here it randy 

 blows 1m in,-, and ships rid.- in o.mparat i ' j but t he volume of the rollers in the bay U 



augmented with . i"ti t<> tin- strength of the wind ;if >--a. How <>f a 



littU pier, "man ropes," a rope ladd -r, and watching lor ////- Kinnnlh fime, landing in ty be 

 elfected without danger. The gentler sex are of necessity hoisted out in an arm-chair suspended 

 from a revolving mine; and cargoes are shipped into and from launches by the same imple- 



llliMlt. 



population is estimated at 1,000 souls, most of whom are employed by the merchants of 

 Are.|iiipa, a town of 30, 000 inhabitants, thirty leagues distant to the northward. Their houses 

 arc principally <>f poles, driven closely together in the earth, and lined with mats. Some few 

 are ,,f planks, as is the custom-house, the residence of the British consul, <fcc. ; but the location 

 of the multitude, and the construction of the individual tenements, excite the wonder of every 

 foreigner who comes here. Water is obtained from rocks to the north of the town, which rise 

 to a height of nearly 3,000 feet. It is the deposit of winter mists and drizzles that filter 

 through crevices and collect in natural basins. Recently the governor directed the laying 

 down of pipes, through which the stream is to be brought into the plaza. On the same hill- 

 tops a short, sweet grass is obtained, partially supplying the troops of mules used in transport- 

 ing goods to and from the capital Arequipa. Fruits, vegetables, and provisions of < 

 kind for man, are brought from a distance. 



Quite large quantities of alpaca and other wools, cinchona bark, rice, and bullion, are 

 annually shipped from the port; English and French vessels obtaining nearly all of them in 

 return for manufactures of their own countries. The amount received by the New Grenada for 

 freight from Callao exceeded $400 ; and the freight-bills for Chile peppers and salt, received to 

 be delivered at other ports to the southward, nearly half that sum. Usually the freight-bill 

 from Callao amounts to $1,000. 



There was a driving mist from the southeast all the morning, and we did not leave port until 

 afternoon. Towards sunset the mist and wind ceased, and the western sky soon mottled with 

 clouds tinged with brilliant colors, whilst to the eastward the mountain summits were bathed 

 in crimson light, with a line of fleecy cumuli floating at a short distance beneath. At night 

 the sky was clouded again, and moderate breezes came from the land, in whose direction also 

 there were occasional flashes of lightning. 



October 19. As the clouds were in more broken masses than had been seen during many 

 mornings, and the thermometer rose with the subsidence of the southeasterly wind, our day 

 commenced auspiciously for the west coast of Peru. At 8 o'clock there was still sufficient 

 breeze to ruffle the water, and mark the contrast between its color and the sky, over which the 

 vision passed to their apparent junction in the west. Close on the left the great Andes rose, a 

 serrated chain above the line of perpetual snow, and, barely perceptible, on the verdant back- 

 ground ahead peeped out the turrets and white walls of Arica. By 10 o'clock we were at 

 anchor, quite near the shore. 



The town of Arica, in latitude 18 28' S., is built close to the beach, in a small bay formed 

 by a precipitous bluff and a low rocky islet on the right as you enter. The height of the bluff, 

 or morro, as it is called, is more than 600 feet above the sea, and from the anchorage appears 

 to continue at the same level as far as can be seen. The town lies at its northern base. It has 

 experienced many vicissitudes, having been sacked by Sir Francis Drake, in 1579 ; almost 

 entirely buried by the earthquake of 1608; attacked twice by the buccaneers; again nearly 

 shaken down by an earthquake ; and finally has almost been desolated by revolutionary strug- 

 gles. Portions of the entombed city have recently been disinterred, the lines of its streets 

 traced out, and human bodies, golden idols, crosses, and arrow-heads of translucent flint have 

 been brought to light. 



The town built since the earthquake is regularly laid out, has its plaza, custom-house, two 



