^52 A VOYAGE TO Book VIII, 



winds there is no poffibility of landing on account of 

 the great fea •, but in fair weather, every place is con- 

 venient for going on Piiore. 



The country round the bay, particularly that 

 between Talcaguana and Conception, within four or 

 £ve leagues from the Ihore, is noted for a very fin- 

 gular curiofity, namely, that at the depth of half or 

 shree quarters of a yard beneath the furface of the 

 ground, is a ftratum of fhells of different kinds, 

 two or three toifes in thicknefs, and in fome places 

 even more, without any intermixture of earth, one 

 large fhdl being joined together by fmaller, and 

 wjiich alfo fill the cavities of the larger. From thefe 

 Ihells ail the lime ufcd in building is made ; and 

 large pits are dug in the earth for taking out thofe 

 fhells, and calcining them. Were thefe ftrata of 

 Hiells found only in low and level places, this 

 phsnomenon would be more eafily accounted for 

 by a fuppofition no v^ays improbable, namely, that 

 thefe parrs were formerly covered by the fea, agree- 

 able to an obfervation we made in our defcription of 

 Lima. But what renders it furprizing is, that the 

 iike quarries of the fame kind of fhells, are found 

 on the tops of mountains in this country, fifty toifes 

 sbove*the level of the fea. I did not indeed perfonaliy 

 examine the quarries on the higheft of thole moun- 

 tains ; but v/as affured of their exiftence by perfons 

 who had lime kilns there ; but I faw them myfelf on 

 the fummits of others at the height of twenty toifes 

 above the furface of the lea j and was the more 

 pleafed with the fight, as it appeared to me a con- 

 Tiocing proof of the univerfality of the deluge. I am 

 not ignorant that fome have attributed this to other 

 caofesi but an unanfwerable confutation of their fubter- 

 fsjge is, that the various forts of fliells which compofe 

 thefe firata both in the plains and mountains, are 

 the very fame with thofe found in the bay and neigh- 

 bouring places. Among thefe Ihelis are three fpe- 



