184 



PORT OF CALLAO— QUILCA. 



[1825. 



provisions with which the city is supplied are equally abundant and 

 excellent. 



The road from Lima to Callao is straight, wide, and level ; but at 

 this time untravelled, being occupied by the besieging army of patriots, 

 who had possession of Bella Vista, a dilapidated town about two miles 

 from the port. General RodiPs artillery was daily playing upon the 

 ruins of this place, and no doubt assisted m completing the half-accom- 

 plished devastation of time and earthquakes. 



Dec. 26th. — Early on the morning of my arrival in the port of Callao 

 the star-spangled banner was displayed at the mast-head of the Tartar, 

 to the no small surprise of the officers of the United States' squadron, 

 who had not seen us enter ; and Commodore Hull soon sent an officer 

 on board to inquire our character and business. The latter, however, 

 I did not think proper to communicate, as the success of some com- 

 mercial speculations depends entirely on prudence and reserve ; and 

 though a ship-master may do what he pleases with his own secrets, he 

 has no right to dispose of the secrets of others. In a subsequent inter- 

 view with the commodore himself, he expressed some curiosity on the 

 subject, and wondered why I should have ventured into a port so 

 closely invested; when, if I escaped the blockading squadron, he 

 thought I was still liable to become the victim of Rodil's cupidity, who 

 was already straitened for provisions. My answer was evasive ; but 

 as there is no necessity for the same reserve with the reader, I shall 

 now be more explicit. I knew, from information that I had received at 

 St. Carlos, that there were individuals in Callao who belonged to Are- 

 quipa, an Episcopal town on the River Quilca, about two hundred and 

 seventeen leagues south-east of Lima. I knew likewise that they were 

 anxious to return home, and not remain shut up in a besieged citadel, 

 the commandant of which had resolved never to surrender, but to hold 

 out till death. I further knew that their escape could only be effected 

 in a swift-sailing vessel like the Tartar, which could bid defiance to the 

 vigilance of the blockading squadron. It was therefore to afford these 

 people an opportunity of escaping the horrors of a siege, and perhaps 

 death by famine, that I entered the port of Callao on Sunday morning, 

 the 16th of December, 1824. 



Jan. 1st, 1825. — After frequent interviews with General Rodil on 

 the subject, I obtained permission to take away nineteen passengers, 

 male and female, belonging to the city of Arequipa, with whom I sailed 

 on New-year's day, 1825, for the port of Quilca. It was five, P. M., 

 when we got under way, with a fine breeze from south-east-by-south, 

 and fair weather. We continued beating to windward, standing in- 

 shore, until about ten, P. M., when we took the wind from east-south- 

 east, within a mile of the shore ; tacked ship, and stood off-shore until 

 nine or ten, A. M. The wind then gradually hauled from east-south- 

 east to south-east, and often to south-south-east, when we would tack 

 again, and stand in-shore. In this manner we continued to take ad- 

 vantage of the wind until we arrived at our destined port. 



Jan. 8th. — On Saturday, the 8th of January, we arrived in safety at 

 the port of Quilca, and anchored on the bank nearly abreast of the 



