100 



PERU. 



time was left for observing either the town or the 

 society. We became every day more and more 

 sensible of our precarious footing, and the neces- 

 sity of observing the greatest circumspection in 

 our intercourse with these jealous people. Living 

 entirely on board ship, would at once have con- 

 firmed all their suspicions of our favouring the 

 enemy, whose squadron was anchored in the out- 

 er Roads; while residing altogether at Lima might 

 have been attributed to our wish to spy into the 

 nakedness of the land. The course we did follow, 

 of being at Lima, or at Callao, or on board, as 

 circumstances required, though it did not exempt 

 us from suspicion, was the best we could adopt ; 

 and we hoped, by caution and forbearance, to 

 avoid giving cause of offence ; but in this, as will 

 be seen, we found ourselves much mistaken. 



Being desirous of ascertaining, on all occasions, 

 the real state of popular feeling, which generally 

 developes itself at public meetings, I went to one 

 of the bull-fights, given in honour of the new 

 Viceroy*'s installation. It took place in an im- 

 mense wooden amphitheatre, capable of holding, 

 it was said, twenty thousand people. As we had 



