SPANISH AMERICA. 531 



found the new substance called platina, which may be considered as 

 an eighth metal, and, from its superior qualities, may almost vie 

 with gold itself. 



Climate, soil, produce. ...Though Peru lies within the torrid 

 zone, yet haviug on one side the South Sea, and on the other the 

 great ridge of the Andes, it is not so hot as other tropical countries. 

 The sky too, which is generally cloudy, defends it from the direct 

 rays of ihe sun ; yet it seldom rains in Lower Peru ; but this defect 

 is sufficiently supplied by a soft kindly dew which falls gradually 

 every night on the ground, and so refreshes the plants and grass, as 

 to produce in many places the greatest fertility. In Quito, however, 

 they have prodigious rains, attended with violent storms of thunder 

 and lightning. Along the sea coast of Peru is generally a dry barren 

 sand, except by the banks of rivers, where it is extremely fertile, as 

 are all the low lands in the inland country. This country produces 

 fruits peculiar to the climate, and most of those of Europe. The 

 culture ol maize, of pimento, and cotton, which was found establish- 

 ed there, has not been neglected, and that of wheat, barley, cassava, 

 potatoes, sugar, as also of the olive and vine, is attended to. A prin- 

 cipal article in the produce and commerce of this country is the Pe- 

 ruvian bark, known better by the name of Jesuits' bark. The tree 

 which produces this invaluable drug grows principally in the moun- 

 tainous parts of Peru, and particularly in the province of Quito. 

 The best bark is always produced in the high and rocky grounds; 

 the tree which bears it is about the size of a cherry tree, and produ- 

 ces a kind of fruit resembling the almond : but it is only the bark 

 which has those excellent qualities that render it so useful in inter- 

 mitting fevers, and other disorders to which daily experience extends 

 the application of it. Guinea pepper, or Cayenne pepper, as we call 

 it, is produced in the greatest abundance in the vale of Africa, a dis- 

 trict in the southern parts of Peru, from whence it is annually ex- 

 ported to the value of 600,000 crowns. 



Animals. ...The principal animals peculiar to Peru are the lama, 

 the vicunna, and the guanaco. The lama has a small head, resem- 

 bling that of a horse and a sheep at the same time. It is about the 

 size of a stag, its upper lip is cleft like that of a hare, through which, 

 when enraged, it spits a kind of venomous juice, which inflames the 

 part it falls on. The flesh of the lama is agreeable and salutary, and 

 the animal is not only useful in affording a fine kind of wool and food, 

 but also as a beast of burden. It can endure amazing fatigue, and 

 will travel over the steepest mountains with a burden of sixty or se- 

 venty pounds. It feeds very sparingly, and never drinks. The vicunna 

 is smaller and swifter than the lama, and produces wool still finer in 

 quality. In the vicunna is found the bezoar stone, regarded as a spe- 

 cific against poison. The guanaco is much larger than the lama, its 

 wool is long and harsh ; but in shape they are nearly alike. 



Natural curiosities. ...Among these may be classed the volca- 

 noes of the Andes, which, from the midst of immense heaps of snow, 

 pour forth torrents of fiery matter and clouds of smoke. Here are 

 streams which, in their course, cover whatever they pass over with 

 a stony incrustation ; and fountains of liquid matter, called coppe, 

 resembling pitch and tar, and used by seamen for the same purpose. 



Population, character of inhabitants... .The population of 

 Peru has never been ascertained with any degree of precision. The 

 number of inhabitants in the principal cities has been estimated at 



