L I M 
712 
The wealth of this city is chiefly derived from the mines 
in the provinces to the north and fouth; but agriculture 
profpers very much ; though it would be natural to think, 
that a country, where rain is feldom or never known, mud 
of neceflity be totally barren; whereas the country of 
Lima enjoys a fertility to be envied, producing all kinds 
of grain, and a prodigious variety of fruits; for induftry 
and art fupply that moifture which the clouds feem to 
withhold ; and the foil is, by this means, rendered remark¬ 
ably fruitful, amidft a continual drought. One of the 
principahcares of the yncas was the cutting and difpofing, 
in the moft advantageous manner, trenches, or fmall ca¬ 
nals, in order to conduct the waters of the rivers to nou- 
rifli every part, and render large fields capable of produc- 
inggrain. The Spaniards,finding thefe ufeful works ready 
executed to their hands, took care to keep them in the 
fame order ; and by thefe are watered the fpacious fields 
of wheat and barley, large meadows, plantations of fugar- 
canes and olive-trees, vineyards, and gardens of all kinds; 
all yield uncommon plenty. Before the earthquake in 
1687, when this city fullered in fo deplorable a manner, 
the harvelts of wheat and barley were fuflicient to fupply 
the country, without any importation, efpecially of wheat; 
but by this convulfion of nature the foil was fo vitiated, 
that the wheat rotted foon after it was fovvn, occalioned 
probably by the vafi clouds of fulphureous particles then 
exhaled, and the prodigious .quantities of nitrous effluvia 
diffufed through it. This obliged the owners of the lands 
fo apply them to other ufes. After the land had continued 
forty years in the Hate of flerility, it again fo far recovered 
itfelf as in a confiderable degree to become fit for grain as 
before. However, repeated earthquakes have been unfa¬ 
vourable : the fields in the neighbourhood of Lima are 
chiefly fown with clover, of which there is a very great 
confumption, as it is the common fodder for all beads, 
particularly mules and horfes, of which there is an incon¬ 
ceivable number. The bread at Lima is the bed in all 
this part of America, both with regard to Colourand tafte. 
The mutton and beef are alfo very good ; and here is alfo 
plenty of poultry, pork, and fill) ; which latter article is 
fupplied by the Indians of the coaft, from the bay of Cal¬ 
lao, and the villages of Cherillo and Luria. The river of 
Lima, and the coads, furnidi anchovies and various forts 
of (hell-fid). The wines at Lima are of different forts, 
white, red, and dark-red, and of each fort fome are pecu¬ 
liarly excellent: they are imported from the coafts of Nafca, 
Pifco, Lucumba, and Chili; but the latter produces the 
bed. Many of the dried fruits are brought from Chili; 
and, by the trade carried on between the two kingdoms, 
Lima is fupplied with all forts of fruits known in Spain. 
At Lima there are no fabrics nor manufactures of any 
kind .- the city therefore owes its magnificence and fplen- 
dour to its being the capital of Peru, and the general da- 
ple of the kingdom. As it is the refidence of the govern¬ 
ment and chief tribunals, it is alfo the common factory 
for commerce of every kind, and the centre of the pro¬ 
ducts and manufactures of the other provinces, together 
with thofe of Europe, brought over in the. galleons or re- 
gider-lhips; and didributed from hence through the wide 
extent of thefe kingdoms. At the head of the commerce 
js the tribunal del confulado, which appoints commiffaries 
to refide in the other cities of its dependencies, extending 
through all Peru. The chief commerce of Lima is with 
Valparaifo, Concepcion, Coquimbo, in the kingdom of 
Chili; the Ille of Chiloe, and Arica, Ilo, and Pifco, in the 
fouth; towards the north with Truxilio, Pacafmayo, and 
Payta, in the viceroyalty of Peru; with Guayaquil and 
Panama in the viceroyalty of New Granada; and with 
Realejo in Guatamala, and Acapulco, in Mexico. This 
trade is conduced by ten (hips, eleven merchant-frigates, 
nineteen packet-boats, and a balandra, or fmall tran.fport- 
boat; amounting in all to 351,500 quintals of tonnage, na¬ 
vigated by 460 feamen. After the dedruCtion of the fea- 
port town of Callao by an earthquake in 1746, (fee CAt- 
£A0,) a new town or village was founded, at the didance 
3 
L I M 
of a quarter of a league, called Ballavijla. There is a for- 
trefs called San Fernando, with a fufficient garrifon to de¬ 
fend the bay, which in the fouth-wed is fenced by a bar¬ 
ren ifland called San Lorenzo. Here all the (hips anchor, 
about two leagues from Lima. The coads of Nafca and 
Pifco fend to Lima wine, brandy, raifins, olives, and oil; 
and the kingdom of Chili, wheat, flour, lard, leather, 
cordage, wines, dried fruits, and fome gold. Every Mon¬ 
day, during the whole year, there is a fair at Callao, or 
Ballavifla, whither the traders or proprietors of commodi¬ 
ties refort from all parts ; and the goods are carried, ac¬ 
cording to the directions of the buyers, on droves of mules 
kept for this purpofe by the matters of the warehoufes. 
Copper and tin in bars are brought from Coquimbo; from 
the mountains de Caxamarea and Chacapoyas, canvas 
made of cotton for fails, and other duffs of that kind; and 
Cordovan leather and foap are made all over Valles, the 
valley in which Lima is fituated. From the fouthern pro¬ 
vinces, as Plata, Oruro, Potofi, and Cuzco, is fent Vicuna 
wool, for making hats and fome duds of a peculiar firm- 
nefs. From Paraguay, the herb called by that name is 
fent, of which there is a great confumption. The produce 
of the (ales in the inland parts of the kingdom is fent to 
Lima in bars of filver, and pignas, which are porous and 
light mad'es of filver, being an amalgam of mercury and 
dud taken out of the mines. The filver is coined at the 
mint in this city. Lima has alfo its particular trade with, 
the kingdoms both of North and South America. The 
mod confiderable commodity received from the former is 
(huff, which is brought from the Havannah to Mexico, 
and after having been there improved is forwarded to Lima, 
and conveyed from thence to the other provinces. There 
is no province in Peru, that does not tranfmit to Lima its 
products and manufactures; and fupply itfelf from thence 
with the neceffary commodities. Lima alfo receives from 
the ports of New Spain, naptha, tar, iron, and fome in¬ 
digo for dying. The kingdom of Terra Firma lends to 
Lima, leaf-tobacco and pearls, which find here a good 
market, as no mulatto woman is without fome ornament 
made of them. The ladies and women of all ranks have 
an ancient cudom of carrying in their mouths a limpion, 
or cleanfer, of tobacco. The limpions are fmall rolls of 
tobacco, four inches long and nine lines in diameter, tied 
with a thread which they untwid as the limpion wades. 
One end of this they put into the mouth, and, after chew¬ 
ing it for fome time, rub the teeth with it, thus keeping 
them always clean and white. All the timber uled in 
building houfes, refitting (hips, or conftruCting fmall barks 
at Callao, is brought from Guayaquil, together with the 
cacao. Thus Lima is the emporium to which people re¬ 
fort from all parts; and, trade being always in a condant 
circulation, befides the continual refort of ((rangers, the 
families of rank are enabled to l'upport the expenfes of that 
fplendour already mentioned ; for, without fuch continual 
aflidance, they mud either contract their expences, or fall 
victims to their oftentation. Lima, according to the ob- 
fervations of Don Ulloa, from whom this account is taken, 
is fituated in lat. 12. 2. 31. S. Ion. 299. 27. E. the Peak of 
Teneriife, or 282. 27. E. Greenwich. 
LI'MA, a river of Spain, which rifes in the province 
of Galicia, erodes the Portuguefe province of Entre Duero 
e Minho, and runs into the Atlantic two miles below Viana, 
in lat. 41.40. N. Ion. 8. 30. W. 
LI'MA, a town of Arabia, in the province of Oman, 
near the coad : thirty-two miles fouth-ead of Julfa. 
LI'MA, J. in botany. See Cynosurus. 
LIMA'CEOUS, »dj. [from Umax.] Belonging to a 
fhail; (limy. 
LIMACHU', a river of Chili, which runs into the Pa¬ 
cific Ocean in lat. 30. 25. S. 
LIMA'CIA,/! [fo named by Loureiro, from Umax, a 
(hail, in allnfion to the fpiral furrows on its nut.] In bo¬ 
tany, a genus of the clafs dioecia, order hexandria, natu¬ 
ral order farmentacese, Linn, (afparagi, JujJ.) The gene¬ 
ric characters are—Male-flowers nearly terminal, crowded 
together. 
