





= 
4s faid to confift, 
854 
of mountains covered with fnow, over 
which the road to the Still Lake paffes, 
was the higheft Helms had yet met with, 
and confifted of fimple fand-ftone, through 
which metallic veins, in fome places with 
quartz or feld- -fpath, in others with ftea- 
tite and fhoerl, cc. openly appear.—On 
the contrary, the chain of mountains to 
the nosth of Guamanga and Guancaveliea 
to the extent of 100 
miles, of fimple lime-ftone, and equally 
‘abounds with metallic ores, efpecially in 
the province of Tarma. _ 
The royal mine-town Guancavelica 
was formerly celebrated on account of its 
rich quick-filver-mine. But, as this mine 
was not worked in a proper and regular 
manner, the pit fell in; and they now dig 
only im places lefs abounding with ore 5 
which annually yield about 1500 cwt. of 
quick-filver: but, owing to the wretched 
manner in which the mines and fmelting- 
furnaces are conducted, each hundred 
weight of quick-filver cofts 166 piaftres. 
The king fells it to the proprietors of the 
gofd and filver mines.at the rate of 73 
piatires ; ; and annually lofes by this traftic 
on the whole 200,000 piaftres: The vein 
of cinnabar was 80 Spanith ells in extent; 
and the cinnabar was found partly folid 
and cryftallifed with galena, calcareous 
fpath, pondercus fpath, quartz, manga- 
nele, arfenic, &c.3 partly interfprinkled 
in a fand-flone of a very fine grain, or in 
limg-ftone.. So long back as 200 years 
‘ago, the mine was worked with great pro- 
fit by mining-companies; and is faid to 
be funk 600 fathoms (!) deep. A thick 
firatum of red arfenic and yellow orpi- 
ment, which lay contiguous to the mals of 
quick-filver-ore, was, by the ignorant 
‘fuperintendant, taken for. cinnabar: and 
fome hundreds of the workmen had perifhed 
in the operation of {melting it. For ex- 
tracting the quick-filver from the cinnabar 
they employ the ill-contrived Old-Spanifh 
Almadena-furnace, which is heated from 
below with sountain-flraw (?). There 
are 75 fuch furnaces here: inftead of 
which Helms propofed to conftrué 16 on 
the plan of thofe of Idria: but was pre- 
vented by the Viceroy from executing his 
purpofe. 
On an official journey, Helms found at 
the town of Tarma, the capital of a go- 
vernment of the fame name, two quick- 
filver-mines, one of which was dug i into 
an iron-fpath vein of five ells, with folid 
and volatilifed cinnabar; both, however, 
were yet only a few fathoms deep. Here 
likewife two veins with antimony and 
white filver-ore are worked; and in feveral 
Travels in South America. 
[ December, 
pits they dug native fait. -petre of an excel- 
lent quality. 
Lima, the capital of Peru, and the re eft. 
dence of the Viceroy, lies in a fandy plain, 
only two miles in breadth, between the 
Cordilleras and the fea; which, it is pro- 
bable, formerly eebaed above a mile 
farther inland towards the mountains. 
This, at leaft, would feem evident from. 
the fea-fand and fhells with which the 
flat ground is covered to the extent of two 
miles, and from the numerous fmail hil- 
locks wholly compofed of fuch fhells. 
Lima is a large city; 
the frequent earthquakes, the houfes are 
only one ftory high, and very flightly con- 
ftructed with planks, laths and reeds, 
plaftered over with mortar; the roofs being 
covered with {mall fhingles, as in Lima it 
never rains.: On the out-fide they have, 
indeed, a mean appearance; but within 
they aré magnificent and convenient. The 
fireets are very regular, firaight, broad, 
clean, and well paved; and in almoft all 
of them are palaces of the rich nobles; _ 
fome of which are built in the modern ftyle® 
of architecture. Alleys fhaded with rows 
of high lime trees, country- houfes; and 
gardens, embellifh the environs of. the 
city ; which would certainly be’a moft 
charming place of abode were it lefs fub- 
ject to di ieee and earthquakes, and if the 
Enlace fuffered lefs from the exceffive 
heat and fwarms of every kind of vermin. 
The whole coait on the South Sea is here 
fubjet to frequent earthquakes: which 
40 years ago deftroyed Lima, and the no 
lefs extenfive fea-port Callao, the latter of - 
which was overwhelmed by the waves of 
the raging ocean. ‘The ruins of Callao 
are ftill vifible, and the citadel, which 
was on an eminence confiderably higher 
than the city, remained ftanding. The 
formerly rich commercial city Ariquipa 
was likewife converted by earthquakes 
into a heap of ruins; on which, however, 
frefh inhabitants are {till temsoted to build, 
on account of its advantageous fituation. 
With regard to earthquakes, the month 
of Oétober is the moft dangerous feafon of 
the year. 
_. The population of Lima was formerly 
eftimated to amount to 70,000. At pre- 
fent, owing to the total decay of trade in 
Pea, it is faid to have decreafed one- 
third, and to have funken fo low as 50,000 
Spaniards, people of colour, and Negroes. 
So late as 30 years ago, Lima was one of 
the richeft and moft flourifhing cities in 
Spanifh America. Bat fince that time 
the markets have been {fo over-ftocked with 
European goods, that the capitals of we 
re) 
but, on account of 
j 
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