54 



Effects of climate on the 

 constitution. 



PERU. 



Alpamarca. Peruvian repast. Process of 

 extracting silver from the ore. 



knife, she began to tear it into small pieces with 

 her fingers. Our gentlemen remonstrated, but 

 nothing would stop her until nearly every morsel 

 of it had passed through her dirty hands. This, 

 added to her state of intoxication, caused some of 

 them to lose their supper from sheer disgust, 

 though all agreed that she carved or tore it into 

 pieces in a most dexterous manner. 



After supper they were informed by their guides, 

 in much consternation, that a band of Chilian 

 marauders were approaching; the whole establish- 

 ment was in great uproar. The party, however, 

 proved to be a convoy. The officer in charge was 

 civil, and engaged freely in conversation on the 

 pending contest between Chili and Peru. 



During the night the party were very much 

 troubled with headache and difficulty in breathing; 

 they passed an uncomfortable night on the clay 

 floor. The thermometer in the doorway stood in 

 the morning at 33. 



Casa Cauclia is in a valley surrounded by lofty 

 mountains. Its height, upon the authority of a 

 gentleman at Lima, is fourteen thousand five hun- 

 dred feet above the level of the sea. Pasturage in 

 its vicinity is good; sheep and cattle are abundant: 

 bread and potatoes are brought over the mountains 

 from Obrajillo; of these they have oftentimes but 

 a scanty supply, which was the case at this period. 

 The evening previous to their arrival a theft had 

 taken place there, a gentleman had had his fire- 

 arms stolen; a great loss, when one takes into con- 

 consideration the nature of the country, and the 

 dangers to be encountered in travelling. 



On the morning of the 20th, with one exception, 

 they were all affected with vomiting, headache, 

 and fever, and still suffering much from difficulty 

 in breathing ; this is usually felt on first visiting 

 these elevated regions, and is said to be particularly 

 so at night. 



The morning proved so boisterous with frequent 

 hail-showers, that they determined to remain the 

 day, to rest their mules and recruit themselves. 

 Their breakfast was more acceptable than the last 

 night's supper ; it consisted of olla-podrida and 

 milk. 



As the weather allowed them to botanize, they 

 set out in two parties, but had not been occupied 

 over two hours, before they were overtaken by a 

 severe snow-storm, which entirely covered up all 

 small plants, and made it difficult for them to scale 

 the rocks. 



On the 21st, they had determined to proceed to 

 Banos, which from the description of their guides, 

 who were ignorant however of the route beyond 

 Casa Cancha, they had been led to believe was on 

 the eastern slope of the mountain. 



They started at an early hour, with the wild 

 geese flying and feeding around them, determining 

 to visit Alpamarca, which is distant from Casa 

 Cancha about two leagues ; but owing to their 

 guides being unacquainted with the paths, they 

 were led about among the mountains, and over 

 extensive plains, covered with coarse herbage. 

 A variety of beautiful flowers were found, and 

 many domesticated llamas were seen feeding. At 

 eleven o'clock they stumbled, as if by accident, on 

 the place, consisting of a number of huts; one of 

 these showed the welcome sign of bread for sale, 

 viz., a basket stuck upon a long pole ; and they 

 were fortunate in procuring some small rolls. 



Alpamarca proved to be in the vicinity of a 

 silver-mine, and here they found a goodly company 

 of Peruvian gentlemen, collected from various 

 quarters, and among them the general to whom 

 they had brought letters to Obrajillo. They were 

 received with great kindness and attention ; the 

 company insisted upon their dismounting, and 

 gave them the cheer they had prepared for them- 

 selves, which was readily partaken of. It was 

 served in a large gourd-shell, and consisted of a 

 Spanish hotch-potch, or olla, with carrots, pot- 

 garlic, pepper, and small bits of mutton. It was 

 observed, as the eatables were disappearing, that 

 the Spanish dons now and then would partake of 

 the tidbits by reaching over their shoulders from 

 behind. This repast was well timed, for our party 

 had been fasting sufficiently long to enable them 

 to do ample justice to it. 



The Peruvians sent for the superintendent of 

 the mine, and in the mean time showed the process 

 of extracting the silver, which was as follows : the 

 ore is broken up until it resembles earth ; it is 

 then thrown into a large round vat, and mixed 

 with mercury and water ; six or eight mules are 

 then turned in and driven round and round, until 

 the amalgam is formed ; it is then put into a 

 vessel, and stirred with water until the earth 

 mixes with it, and the water being poured off, 

 leaves the amalgam, whence the mercury is finally 

 evaporated. 



The ore appears to be taken almost entirely 

 from the surface. It is poor, and the mines do 

 not yield much profit. There are many old veins 

 that have been extensively worked, but owing to 

 their depth have been abandoned. 



The superintendent arrived after a while ; he 

 proved to be an English miner (Mr. R. Bevan), 

 who had been twenty years in the country. He 

 was delighted to see our party, saying that an 

 American and Englishman were all the same in 

 Peru, and that he had not heard his own language 

 spoken for two years. He informed them that the 

 old Spaniards had worked the mines cheaper than 

 any one has been able to do since. They were 

 large landholders, and contrived to keep them- 

 selves in debt to their tenants; this they always 

 paid in manufactured goods, very much in demand 

 with the Indians who worked the mines, thus 

 making a double profit on the wages. At the pre- 

 sent time the mines are worked by Indians of a 

 mixed blood, who have a language of their own. 

 They are much addicted to the use of coca, (the 

 leaf of the erythroxylon coco, which is mixed and 

 masticated with quinoa,) and without a supply of 

 this leaf they will not work. 



Mr. Bevan took the party to the mine, which is 

 some distance up the mountains. Much difficulty 

 was experienced in breathing the rarefied atmos- 

 phere, and great fatigue in walking; so much so, 

 that it was necessary to stop every few steps to 

 rest; and what was surprising, Mr. Bevan and the 

 Indians who accompanied him appeared to be 

 more affected than any of the party. He assured 

 them it was the same even with the Indians born 

 on the spot, showing that neither time nor other cir- 

 cumstances can adapt a constitution to this elevated 

 region. On reaching the mouth of the mine, they 

 saw several emaciated and ghastly-looking Indians 

 seated near the entrance ; they descended a few 

 yards into it, but found that time would not admit 



