YLO. 



201 



shore ; no land, however, could be distinguished. 

 Presently the sun began to show himself above 

 the horizon, and I have no language to tell the 

 degree of interest which was excited, when we 

 discovered on his disk, as he rose, the outline of 

 a distant summit of the Cordillera clearly and 

 sharply traced ; but which was so far removed as 

 to be totally invisible, except at this moment, 

 when, being interposed between us and the sun, 

 it intercepted a portion of his light, disclosed its 

 situation for a few seconds, and then vanished 

 again into thin air. 



Our thoughts, however, were at this stage of 

 the voyage called off from matters of taste and 

 curiosity, by a series of anxious official duties 

 connected with the British trade on this part of 

 the coast. As I do not feel myself at liberty to 

 enter into any of the details of these proceedings, 

 I shall omit all mention of them, and pass on to 

 matters perhaps of less interest, but more im- 

 mediately characteristic of the country and the 

 times. 



On the 12th of June we anchored at Ylo, a town 

 which, as well as Arica, is often celebrated in the 



