Porpoise sails. Cool indifference of a 

 master of a Hamburgh barque. 



PERU. 



Bouqueron Passage passed. 

 Determination to send the Relief home. 



45 



CHAPTER VIII. 

 PERU. 



PORPOISE SAILS DIFFICULTIES OP LEAVING THE BAY REGULATIONS OF PORT BADLY OBSERVED CONDUCT OP THE 

 CAPTAIN OF HAMBURGH VESSEL PART COMPANY WITH PEACOCK AND TENDER ZODIACAL LIGHTS MAKE THE 

 COAST OF PERU ENTER BOUftUERON PASSAGE ISLAND OP SAN LORENZO BURYING-GROUND ARRIVAL OP PAL- 

 MOUTH DESERTERS CONDUCT OF CREW OF RELIEF PUNISHMENT EFFECTUAL SUPPRESSION OP SUCH CONDUCT 

 COURT-MARTIAL CHANGE OF ANCHORAGE TO CALLAO VESSELS IN PORT CASTLE DESCRIPTION OF HOUSES 

 RELIGIOUS PRACTICES MARKET OLD CALLAO EFFECTS OF EARTHQUAKE VAULTS FOR DEPOSITING THE DEAD 

 POPULATION OP CALLAO ROAD TO LIMA BELLA VISTA APPROACH TO LIMA ENTRANCE AND APPEARANCE 

 ITS PLAN AMUSEMENTS SAYA AND MANTA ITS PRIVILEGES HOUSES PORTALES OR ARCADES PALACE 

 FOUNTAIN CATHEDRAL CRYPT MARKET CONVENT OF SAN FRANCISCO LIBRARY SIGNATURE OF PIZARRO 

 CLASSES OF NATIVES NEWSPAPERS EARTHQUAKES CLIMATE RAIN THE RIMAC. 



ON the 29th of May 1830, the Porpoise sailed 

 for Callao, in order that some repairs might be 

 made on her, which our time here did not admit 

 of. At Valparaiso the weather was extremely un- 

 favourable for astronomical observations. I had 

 been in great hopes of being able to obtain a 

 series of moon culminating stars and occultations, 

 but no opportunity occurred, so that I had to con- 

 tent myself with those for rating the chronometers, 

 and to connect this port with Callao. The longi- 

 tude adopted for Fort San Antonio, was 71 39' 

 20" W., which is the last determination of it by 

 King and Fitzroy. 



On the 4th of June we made an attempt to get 

 out of the bay, but were obliged again to cast 

 anchor. At this season of the year, light northerly 

 winds usually prevail, and a heavy swell frequently 

 sets in the bay, making the roadstead very uncom- 

 fortable, and at times dangerous. The vessels are 

 too much crowded, and the regulations of the port 

 are not sufficiently attended to. 



I was not a little amused with the master of a 

 Hamburgh barque, who dropped his anchor so as 

 to foul the berth of my ship, and when he brought 

 up, swung close alongside. He seemed perfectly 

 satisfied with his situation, and apparently knew 

 little about his business, showing all the dogged- 

 ness of his countrymen. The weather looking 

 threatening, I sent him word to move, stating thiit 

 in case of a change of wind, he would be greatly in- 

 jured. He quietly replied that his vessel was made 

 of teak, and that his underwriters or my govern- 

 ment would pay his damages, and that he could 

 stand a good deal of grinding ! Without more ado, 

 I sent an officer and men, and put him at once out 

 of my way. 



On the 6th, we had a breeze from the south- 

 ward and eastward, and immediately got under way 

 with the squadron, and succeeded in making an 

 offing. As we opened the land to the southward, 

 my view and thoughts wandered in that direction, 

 hoping that still, and at the last moment, the miss- 

 ing tender might heave in sight. But no white 

 speck was seen, nor any thing that could cause a 

 ray of hope that she might yet be in existence ; 

 and my fears foreboded what lias since proved too 

 true, she and her crew had perished. 



On the second day after leaving Valparaiso, we 

 had a fresh gale from the northward, accompanied 

 with much sea. During the night, in thick weather, 



we lost sight of the Peacock and Flying-Fish. On 

 the 9th we got beyond the wind, which blows along 

 the coast from the northward, and our weather im- 

 proved, exchanging fog, rain, mist, and contrary 

 winds, for clear weather, and winds from the south- 

 west. 



On the 20th, in the evening, we passed through 

 the Bouqueron Passage, having got several casts 

 of the lead in three and a quarter fathoms water ; 

 and by the assistance of the lights of the other ves- 

 sels, anchored near the rest of the squadron at 

 San Lorenzo, after a passage of thirteen days. We 

 found them all well, and proceeding rapidly with 

 their repairs. The Peacock and Flying- Fish arrived 

 two days before us. 



On receiving the reports of the commanders of 

 the different vessels, active operations were at once 

 begun to refit, replenish our stores, and complete 

 our duties. The necessary changes in officers and 

 men were made, in consequence of my determina- 

 tion to send the Relief home. This I resolved to 

 do on several accounts. I have stated that from 

 the first I found her ill-adapted to the service; her 

 sailing I saw would retard all my operations, and 

 be a constant source of anxiety to me ; and I felt 

 that I already had objects enough without her to 

 occupy and engross my attention. The expense was 

 another consideration, which I conceived myself 

 unauthorized to subject the government to, parti- 

 cularly as I found on calculation, that for one-tenth 

 of the sum it would cost to keep her, I could send 

 our stores and provisions to any part of the Pacific. 

 We found it necessary to have the Relief smoked, 

 in order to destroy the rats with which she was 

 infested, to save our stores from further damage. 

 During this time the repairs of the Porpoise had 

 been completed, and the usual observations for 

 rating our chronometers, and with the magnetic 

 instruments, were made on shore; and such officers 

 as could be spared allowed to visit Lima. The 

 naturalists were also busy in their several depart- 

 ments. We remained at San Lorenzo ten days, 

 during which time its three highest points were 

 measured with barometers at the same time. The 

 result gave eight hundred and ninety -six feet for 

 the southern, nine hundred and twenty for the mid- 

 dle, and twelve hundred and eighty-four for the 

 northern summit. Upon the latter the clouds gene- 

 rally rest, and it is the only place on the island 

 where vegetation is enabled to exist. The others 



