Ch.VIII. south AMERICA; 97 



tance from Lima being not above twenty-five or 

 thirty leagues, they are brought thither, and by this 

 means the city is conftantly fuppHed witih fruits, ex- 

 cept a few, as grapes, melons and water-melons, 

 which requiring a hot climate, do not come to 

 perfection in the mountains. 



The grapes are of various kinds ; and among them, 

 one called the Italian, very large and delicious. The 

 vines extend themfelves on the furface of the ground, 

 which is very well adapted to fupport them, being 

 either ftony or full of fand. Thcfe vines are pruned 

 and watered at proper times, and thrive remarkably 

 without any other care. 



No other culture is beflov/ed on thofe defigned 

 for wine, for both at Ica, Pifco, Nafca, and all 

 other parts where they grow, they are formed into 

 efpaliers. None of the grapes near Lima are ufed 

 in making wine, the demand for them in other re- 

 fpedls being too large. 



The foil is ftony and fandy, that is, confiding of 

 fmooth flints or pebbles, which are fo numerous that 

 as other foils are entirely fand, rock, or earth, this 

 is wholly of the above ftones ; and in fome parts 

 prove very inconvenient to travellers, whether in a 

 carriage or on horfeback. The arable lands have 

 a ftratum of about a foot or two of earth, but be- 

 low that the whole confiils entirely of ftones. From 

 this circumftance, the fimilarity of all the neigh- 

 bouring coafts, and the bottom of the fea, thig 

 whole fpace may be concluded to have been for- 

 merly covered by the ocean, to the diftance of 3 or 4 

 leagnes, or even farther, beyond its prefent limits. 

 This is particularly obfervable in a bay about five 

 leagues north of Callao, called Marques, where in all 

 appearance, not many years fince, the fea covered 

 above half a league of what is now Terra Firma, and 

 the extent of a league and a half along the coaft. 



Vol. II. li The 



