186 EEPORT— 1871. 



Yncas, the Cliibchas, and the Aztecs were based upon the progress made in the 

 arts of civilization by the tribes which composed them, and on the united efforts of 

 those tribes, after they had been welded into great nations. The difficulties of 

 classifv'ing or distinguishing the special characteristics of the component tribes 

 having been shown, a description was given of the region which formed the empire 

 of the Yncas. This vast tract is a long strip of mountain- and coast-line, bounded 

 on the east by the forest-covered plains of the Amazonian basin, on the west by 

 the Pacific Ocean, and extending north and south from 2° N. to about 20° S., or 

 upwards of loOO miles, with an a^'erage width of 400 miles. It comprises every 

 variety of climate, and contains within its limits the most prolific tropical forests, 

 valleys -with the climate of Italy, a coast-region resembling Sind or Egypt, tem- 

 perate hill-sides and plateaux, bleak and chilling pasture-lands, and lofty peaks and 

 ridges within the limits of eternal snow. On one mountain-side the eye may 

 embrace, at a single glance, sugar-cane and bananas under cultivation in the lowest 

 zone, waving fields of maize a little higher up, shaded by tall trees, orchards of 

 tropical fruits, stretches of wheat and barley, steep slopes clothed with potatoes 

 and quiuoa, bleak pastures where llamas and alpacas are browsing, and rocky pin- 

 nacles streaked with snow. In such a country, with such a variety of climates 

 and products, and where communication is so difficult, the various nations appear 

 to have gradually developed their capabilities in almost complete isolation. The 

 tribal divisions of the empire of the Yncas agree well with its leading physical 

 aspects. They consist of hve clearly defined regions, four following the lines of 

 the Cordilleras, and the fifth on the sea-coast. The first and most northern extends 

 from the river Ancas-mayu to the knot of Loxa, a distance of 350 miles, and is 

 included in the kingdom of Quitu. The second reaches from the mountain-mass 

 of Loxa to the saddle which separates the drainage of the Huallaga and Ucayali. 

 It is 450 miles long, and comprises the Y'nca division of Chinchasuj^u. The third 

 and most important region is that which is drained by affluents of the Ucayali. It 

 includes the home of the imperial tribe, and may appropriately be called the Y^nca 

 division. The fourth comprises the basin of Lake liticaca, and is known as the 

 Collao. The fifth is the coast-region, and extends along the shores of tiie I'acific, 

 from the Bay of Guayaquil to the desert of Atacama, a distance of 1200 miles. 

 There is no sufficient evidence for the belief that the Yncas originally came from a 

 distance, and there is a native tradition to the effect that their civilization was 

 altogether of indigenous origin and growth. The author referred successively, and 

 in considerable detail, to the religion, the language, and the architecture of the 

 Y^ncas, which afforded evidence of, and an index to, the progi-ess of civilization 

 among the tribes. He also briefly described the different regions which comprised 

 the empire, and gave some account of their history and peculiar characteristics. 

 The conclusion arrived at, after careful study, was that the tribes of Peru resolve 

 themselves into two primary divisions, distinguished by a complete difference of 

 language, both as regards vocabulary and grammatical construction, sufficient to 

 establish an entirely separate origin. These are the people of the four Andean 

 regions, and the Indians of the coast. They form two races and two civilizations. 

 The tribes of the four Andean regions, on the other hand, spoke languages which, 

 though difl'eriug as regards vocabidary, are identical in grammatical construction, 

 aud^oint to a common origin. The languages are our most reliable guides. Phy- 

 sical differences are caused by local circumstances connected with climate and 

 habits of life. But the languages, when carefully studied, give us an insight into 

 the original condition of the different tribes, and, with the aid of evidence collected 

 from the earliest writers, enable us to resolve the great Y'nca Empire into its 

 elements, and to classify its component parts. In a geographical point of view it 

 ii important that we should be able to indicate the exact positions occupied by the 

 diilerent tribes, as well as their relative importance, and the degree of relationship 

 they bore to each other. 



On llie Sovdli Co'ist. Bij Capt. Miles, 

 This paper containel information regarding the country and its inhabitants, as 

 well as the trade in gum and aromatic spices, in which the natives have engaged 



