NOTICES OF PERU. 



205 



is abundantly prolific. The atmosphere is cloudy and humid, 

 yet it may be said with propriety, that it never rains ! The 

 vapors raised from the Ocean, by the power of the sun, form 

 an awning over the city for the greater part of the day. Day- 

 break is accompanied with a dense fog, which conceals objects 

 that are but a short distance from the eye. As the sun climbs 

 the heavens, the fog rises, discovering the surrounding coun- 

 try, and at midday, the clear blue sky breaks for a short time 

 upon the sight. As the sun declines, the azure becomes gra- 

 dually obscured by clouds. At night the gentle breezes of the 

 south urge on more vapors to supply those of the preceding 

 day. Such is the successive change, except for a few days in 

 midsummer, when it is cloudless, and a few in the depth of 

 winter, when there is a constant mist. The thermometer (F.) 

 ranges from 51° the coolest, to 81° the warmest day in the 

 year, and rarely travels beyond those limits. The barometer 

 usually stands at twenty-seven inches four lines, varying only 

 from two to four lines, through the year.* This atmosphere 

 is seldom changed or renovated, because thunder, lightning, 

 and tempests are almost unknown on the sea board, yet their 

 place is awfully filled by frequent and sometimes terrible earth- 

 quakes ! In the mountains, however, amidst the lofty peaks 

 of the Cordilleras, terrific storms, accompanied by thunder and 

 lightning, are not unfrequent ; the glow of lightning is occa- 

 sionally perceived from the coast. From six to twelve, or even 

 more, slight earthquakes are felt annually, but the great con- 

 cussions seem to observe a periodical return at the end of about 

 a half century. The following table of earthquakes, which have 

 occurred since the conquest, at Quito, Arequipa, and Lima, 

 seems to confirm this statement. It is taken from Dr. Unanue's 

 excellent work on the climate already referred to. 



Arequipa. 



Lima. 



Quito. 



1582. 



1586. 



1587. 



1604. 



1630. 



1645. 



1687. 



1687. 



1698. 



1715. 



1746. 



1757. 



1784. 



1806. 



1797. 





* Unanue. 





