CiiAP. Xr. LAMPA. 185 



the background were capped by masses of black threatening 

 clouds. At that moment a tremendous thunder-storm, with 

 flashes of forked lightning and torrents of rain, burst over 

 the town. 



Lampa is the capital of a province in the department of 

 Puno, and I was hospitably received by the Sub-prefect, Don 

 Manuel Barrio-nuevo, who occupied a good house in the plaza. 

 A portion of the army of the South was quartered in the 

 town ; and the General came every evening to have tea with 

 the Sub-prefect and his lady, a handsome Arequipena. On 

 these occasions the party consisted of General Frisancho and 

 several officers, and ladies who came attended by their little 

 Indian maids, carrying shawls, and squatting on the floor in 

 comers durmg the visit. After tea and conversation the com- 

 pany generally sang some of the despedidas and love-songs of 

 their national poet jMelgar, in parts ; and one young lady 

 sang the plaintive yaravu of the Indians in Quichua. 



The church of Lampa is a large building of stone, dating 

 from 1685, -with a dome of yellow, green, and blue glazed 

 tiles, of which I was informed there was formerly a manufac- 

 toiy in Lampa. The tower is isolated, and about twenty 

 yards from the church, apparently of a different date. Rows 

 of Lidian girls, in their gay-coloured dresses, were sitting in 

 the plaza before their little heaps of chuiius, ocas, potatoes, and 

 other provisions, amongst which, at the season of Easter, 

 there are always great quantities of herbs gathered on the 

 mountains, possessing supposed medicinal virtues. Among 

 these a fern, called racd-racci, is used as an emetic ; clairccu- 

 churccu, a small wild oxalis, is taken as a cm-e for colds ; 

 chicliira, the root of a small crucifer, for rheumatism ; llacua- 

 llacua, a composita, for cui'ing wounds ; qiiissu, a nettle, used 

 as a pm'gative ; cata-cata, a valerian, as an antispasmodic ; 

 tami-tami, the root of a gentian, as a febrifuge ; quachanca, a 

 euphorbia, the powdered root of which is taken as a pm-ga- 



