PERU. 251 
with tinsel and gold, mounted on large pedestals, and borne on the 
shoulders of men. After this came the host, and on its passing every 
one uncovered and kneeled down. Then came the military, who were 
all out, and offered us a fine opportunity of viewing the recruits, the 
greater proportion of whom were Indians. The government had 
been ferreting out the Indians in a manner hitherto unpractised. 
There was much mixed blood among the Peruvian soldiers, cholos, 
zambos, and some few negroes, while the Chilian troops had very 
little. Among the Chilians, the regiment of Portales was pointed 
out, which had left Chili six hundred strong, and was now reduced to 
four hundred. 
During my stay at Lima, I had the pleasure of an introduction to 
Mr. Mathews,* whose researches in natural history are so well 
known. Combined with his being a good naturalist, he has great 
talent as an artist. His portfolio contained many beautiful drawings 
of plants, flowers, and birds, from beyond the Cordilleras. He owns 
an estate of thirty miles square, at the foot of the eastern slope of the 
Cordilleras, for which I think he had paid one thousand dollars. He 
is married to a woman of the country, is extremely enthusiastic in 
his researches, and has lately recovered some of the unpublished 
manuscripts of Ruiz and Pavon. 
There are several small manufactories of gold lace, &c, but nearly 
all the goods sold and consumed in the country are foreign. Lima is 
the great retail place. There has been lately set up a manufactory 
of glass, but too recently to judge of its success. The mechanical 
employments are numerous, but all are in a rude state. When it is 
considered that Lima was founded nearly a century before the settle- 
ment of our own country, it shows a marked difference in favour of 
the enterprise, &c, of the Anglo-Saxon race. 
On St. John's day, (24th of June,) the patron saint of Lima, a 
great festival among the lower classes — the cholos, natives, zambos, 
and blacks — takes place. It is held in the valley of Amancaes, about 
three miles north of the city. Previous to the day, a number of tents 
and booths are erected in the valley, which is about half a mile long, 
and one-third of a mile wide. These are decked out with flags and 
banners. There are tents for refreshments, strong drinks, dancing, 
gambling, &c, in every direction. 
* In the death of this gentleman science has lost one of her most zealous and enthusi- 
astic labourers. 
