THE NEW FLAG OF PERU. 



53 



The new Peruvian flag represented the rising 

 sun appearing over the Andes, seen behind the 

 city, with the river Rimac bathing their base. 

 This device on a shield, surrounded with laurel, 

 occupied the centre of the flag, which was divided 

 diagonally into four triangular pieces, two red and 

 two white. 



From the stage on which San Martin stood, and 

 from the balconies of the palace, silver medals were 

 scattered amongst the crowd, bearing appropriate 

 i mottos. On one side of these medals was, " Lima 

 libre jurd su Independencia, en 28 de Julio del 

 1821;" and on the reverse, " Baxo la proteccion 

 del exercito Libertador del Peru mandado por San 

 Martin." Which may be translated thus : " Lima 

 being liberated, swore its independence on the 

 28th of July, 1821 ; under the protection of the 

 Liberating army of Peru, commanded by San 

 Martin." 



The same ceremonies were observed at the 

 principal stations of the city, or, as they were 

 termed in an official proclamation, " in all those 

 public places where, in former times, it was an- 

 nounced to the people that they were still to wear 

 their miserable and heavy chains." 



The ceremony was rather imposing. San Martin's 

 manner was graceful and easy throughout, unac- 

 companied by anything theatrical or affected ; but 

 it was a business of show and effect, and therefore 

 quite repugnant to his taste, and I sometimes 

 thought, there might be detected in his face a 

 momentary expression of impatience or contempt 

 of himself for engaging in such mummery ; but, if 

 it really were so, he speedily resumed his wonted 

 look of attention, and of good-will to all around 

 him. 



After making the circuit of Lima, the General 

 and the persons who accompanied him returned to 

 the palace to receive Lord Cochrane, who had just 

 arrived from Callao. 



Next day, Sunday, 29th of July, Te Deum was 

 sung, and High Mass performed in the Cathedral 

 by the Archbishop, followed by an appropriate 

 sermon preached by a Franciscan friar. 



As soon as the church service was over, the 

 heads of the various departments assembled at the 

 palace, and swore " to God and the country, to 

 maintain, and defend, with their opinion, person, 

 and property, the independence of Peru from the 

 government of Spain, and from any other foreign 

 domination." This oath was taken and signed by 

 every respectable inhabitant of Lima, so that, in 

 a few days, the signatures to the declaration of 

 Peruvian independence amounted to nearly four 

 thousand. This was published in an extraordinary 

 Gazette, and diligently circulated over the country, 

 which not only gave useful publicity to the state 

 of the capital, but deeply committed many men, 

 who would have been well pleased to have con- 

 cealed their acquiescence in the measure. 



In the evening, San Martin gave a ball at the 

 palace, in the gaiety of which he joined heartily 

 himself ; took part in the dances, and conversed 

 with every individual in the room with so much 

 ease and cheerfulness, that, of all the company, he 

 seemed to be the person least burdened with cares 

 or duties. 



A strange custom prevails everywhere in this 

 country at balls, public as well as private. Ladies 

 of all ranks, who happen not to be invited, come 



in disguise, and stand at the windows, or in the 

 passages, and often actually enter the ball-room. 

 They are called Tapadas, from their faces being 

 covered, and their object is, to observe the pro- 

 ceedings of their unconscious friends, whom they 

 torment by malicious speeches, whenever they are 

 within hearing. At the palace on Sunday evening, 

 the Tapadas were somewhat less forward than 

 usual ; but at the Cabildo, or magistrates' ball, 

 given previously, the lower part of the room was 

 filled with them, and they kept up a constant fire 

 of jests at the gentlemen near the bottom of the 

 dance. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Huacho. — Huaura.— Grecian and Gothic Forms of Archi- 

 tecture observed in the Peruvian Houses. — Architectural 

 Theories. — Irrigation.— Chorillos. 



31s/ of July. — I was under the necessity of 

 leaving Lima at this interesting moment, for the 

 purpose of going to Huacho, a small port to the 

 northward, to complete the stock of water in the 

 Conway, preparatory to proceeding to Valparaiso ; 

 for during the siege the watering-place at Callao 

 was inaccessible, and not a drop was to be found, 

 without going nearly sixty miles along-shore for it. 

 • As the wind on this coast blows always from the 

 south, it is easy to make a passage to the north- 

 ward, and we reached Huacho in a few hours. 

 While the ship was taking in water and fresh pro- 

 visions, I rode, with one of my officers, to Huaura, 

 a town on the banks of the river of the same name. 

 This spot was interesting, from having been the 

 head-quarters of San Martin's army for nearly six 

 months. Our road lay through a highly-cultivated 

 country ; a new and grateful sight to us, heartily 

 tired as we were of comfortless deserts and barren 

 cliffs. The pleasing distinction enjoyed by this 

 district is attributable to irrigation from the river 

 Huaura, the waters of which are distributed over 

 a considerable extent of country. The unvarying 

 heat of the climate, and the abundant supply of 

 water, produce a surprising luxuriance of vegeta- 

 tion. We were shaded, during our ride, by arches 

 of foliage formed of the branches of trees meeting 

 over the road ; while the underwood was so thickly 

 matted together, that sometimes we could not 

 distinguish the houses, till within a few yards of 

 them. 



Many of these dwellings bore a rude resem- 

 blance in design to a Grecian temple ; they were 

 oblong, nearly flat-roofed, and ornamented with a 

 row of columns along the front. The walls, which 

 were about twelve feet high, were composed of 

 strong canes placed upright, and wattled across 

 with reeds. The columns were generally made 

 of posts, encased by small rods placed close together 

 so as to resemble the Gothic clustered column : 

 others were left hollow, being formed of rods alone. 

 Most of the pillars swelled out at the bottom like 

 a tree : nature in this instance, as in many others 

 of architectural design, having probably suggested 

 the original idea. Each wall was surmounted by 

 a sort of entablature, consisting of a rude wooden 

 frieze, and a cornice carved with the knife. Orna- 

 mental tracery in wicker-work, and of a Gothic 

 form, ran along the tops of the houses, and over 

 most of the gates. 



