292 CAUSES OP THE CIVIL WAES. Chap. XVIII. 



fellow-countrymen of pure Spanish origin ; and many Indians 

 are wealthy enterprising men, while others have held the 

 highest offices in the state. The Peruvians are intelligent 

 and quick of apprehension, exceedingly hospitable and Mnd- 

 hearted, and remarkably humane and forgiving, as a rule, 

 in the conduct of their civil wars ; but they are apt to be 

 fickle and volatile, incapable of any long-sustained effort, and 

 inclined to indolence. Corruption, bribery, treason, and pu- 

 sillanimity are but too common ; but may not these be the 

 vices engendered by civil strife and periods of anarchy, rather 

 than the normal characteristics of the people? With the 

 exception of the negro races on the coast, there are few 

 people among whom crime is more uncommon. 



The causes of the civil and foreign wars which have retarded 

 the progress of Peru since her independence may be ex- 

 plained in a very few sentences. 



The fii'st of these has arisen from disputes with her neigh- 

 bours respecting boundaries. On her southern frontier the 

 ambitious policy of Bolivar created a small republic, from no 

 reason or motive that was apparent, beyond the childish vanity 

 of having a country called after his name. This country was 

 to all intents and purposes a part of Peru. Her people, her 

 languages, her traditions and feelings were the same, and, 

 until the latter part of the last century, she had formed a part 

 of the Peruvian viceroyalty. No good end was attained by this 

 division ; while disputes respecting a doubtful unsurveyed 

 boundary, jealousies and misunderstandings arising from all 

 imported goods from Europe liavmg to be landed at the 

 Peruvian port of Arica, and conveyed to Bolivia across Peru- 

 vian territory, has created a hostile feehng, embittered year 

 by year, between people who should have lived as brothers 

 under a single government. On her northern frontier Peru 

 has the little republic of Ecuador, until 1830 a portion of 

 Colombia ; which possesses the only good port, with the ex- 

 ception of Callao, on the western coast of South America, 



