the coasts, the commodore and many of the officers took the occasion to visit Lima, distant two leagues. Of this city and Peru, our note-book is full; and in another place we shall again draw upon its contents. On entering the city of Lima, the stranger will for a while forget that he is in the "city of kings"-that here Pizarro founded an empire-that here has been the seat of wealthof the inquisition of luxury-of revolution and of war-in the single but novel contemplation of the Saya y Manto, or walking-dress of the Limaian ladies! The lower part of this dress, or the saya, is, in fact, an elastic silk petticoat, laid in vertical folds or plaits, sitting close to the figure, the contour of which it gracefully exhibits at every step and movement. The Manto is a kind of hood of black silk, reaching low enough to conceal the top of the saya, and is drawn up from behind over the head and shoulders, concealing the elbows and arms, and all the face except one eye, which just peeps out as a sample. The fold in front is held in its place by one hand, while the other is extended across the bust, holding a rosary or a pocket handkerchief. In this dress the ladies go to mass at early dawn, and a shopping in the forenoon; indeed, it is the common walking-dress through the day, but not worn by ladies at night, CHAPTER XXV. City of Lima-Climate and Temperature-View of the City from the Summit of San Christoval-The river Rimac-Cisterns and fountains-Absence of rain, thunder, and lightning. For the facts which we have now to offer in regard to the climate of this country, and other incidental topics, we are principally indebted to the work of Dr. Unanue on the "Climate of Lima." Our remarks, indeed, will mostly have reference to that city. Dr. Unanue divides the Cordilleras, or Andes, into four zones,the torrid, temperate, frigid, and frozen. The first, which is at their base, commences at an elevation of about four thousand feet above the level of the ocean, and where the thermometer of Reaumur ranges from 16° to 24°. Here there are woods and flowers, and aromatic gums: nature is always in action, and these are regions of extreme fertility. The second zone extends from four to twelve thousand feet above the same level, the medium degree of heat being 13° R., and the range from 9° to 16°. The two extremes of this zone are spring and autumn: the climate is most benignant, and the productions are grain and European fruits. This is the terrestrial paradise of Peru, and nature is liberal in her productions, even to profusion. The third zone extends from twelve to fifteen thousand feet above the same level. Here the aspect of the country becomes entirely different; every thing is stinted and miserable; it has been said with truth, that Siberia and Kamtschatka have as amiable a climate as the inhabitants of these summits. They are of small stature, with a complexion brown and parched, and literally" toasted by the cold;" foreheads low, and covered with hair, eyes small and sunk in the head, and thus defended from the piercing reflection of the solar rays upon the snow. The thermometer ranges here at about 4° R. in the months of May, June, and July, which is at the freezing point; during the rainy months it is generally at 8° R. There is here to be found a little. stinted shrubbery and moss. The fourth zone extends from fifteen to twenty-one thousand feet in elevation; this is what Dr. Unanue calls the frozen zone Its summit is under the line, and it gradually slopes off towards either pole. It crosses the tropics at an elevation of about thirteen thousand feet, and at about 45° of south latitude it falls to eight or nine thousand feet, and to a level with the superficies of the globe and throughout its whole progress in Peru, it marks the boundary of vegetation and life. In this region reign tempestuous winds, as at the poles: so that in giving a general description of Peru, it may be said that its summits are crowned with everlasting winter, and rocked with whirlwinds and storms; its sides adorned with everlasting spring: that autumn reposes in its bosom, while summer, with its torrid heat, slumbers at its feet. There is a perpetual canopy of clouds resting upon the summits of the Andes, and burying themselves in the ocean. These, for a considerable part of the year, shield the valleys from the heat of the sun. South winds always blow, loaded with freshHere are situated the beautiful valleys of Lima, her own poets has sung: ness and vapour. of which one of "En su horizonte el Sol todo es Aurora, Eterna el tiempo todo es Primavera ; Cada aroyo una Musa lisonjera; Nubes fragrantes con que al Cielo lluéve." Lima, which has been decidedly the richest and most celebrated city of Southern America, is situated in 12° 2′ 51" of south latitude, and 70° 50′ 51′′ of west longitude from Cadiz. Its aspect is sloping to the southward and westward, and from these quarters only is it exposed to the wind, while to the north it is protected by high hills. All the hills around Lima are branches of the great Cordilleras of the Andes, the principal chain of which passes about twenty leagues inland from the city. The spurs which pass to the east descend from north to south, in regular gradation, forming delightful valleys, and approaching near to the walls on the upper side of the city; while those on the north project along either side of the river Rimac, till at last they diverge and form the valley of Lurigancho, a spacious semicircle in front of the upper part of the city. The most elevated of the hills in the vicinity of Lima, are San Christoval and Amancaes; the first being four hundred and seventy, and the second nine hundred and sixty yards above the level of the sea. The view from the summit of San Christoval is extensive, and more than compensates for the labour of ascending it. There is the city quite at your feet, with its numerous towers; the magnificent Pantheon, or public burial-ground, some distance in the rear; with Indian ruins here and there, and in front the beautiful Bay of Callao, with its castle and shipping; the lofty and desert Island of San Lorenzo in the distance; and beyond, the broad Pacific Ocean. Placed on the summit of San Christoval, the imagination leaps its ordinary bounds when the eye has mastered the many enchanting objects that are clustered around, and but a few of which we have enumerated; for we have omitted the avenues planted with trees, the public promenade, the orange-groves, the fountains, and the fields of the husbandmen, extending up the valley. Directly south, along the coast, lies Chorrillas, about eight and a quarter miles from the plaza of Lima. Towards the east numerous sandhills appear, which gradually increase in height as they recede, until they finally unite with the spurs of the Cordilleras. Such are the boundaries which limit the prospect, as the eye is cast over the beautiful and spacious valley of Lima. The plaza, in the centre of Lima, is one hundred and seventy yards above the level of the ocean, towards which the plain inclines so gradually, that the ascent to the city is scarcely perceptible. On examining the qualities of the soil of this inclined plane, it will be found that at a certain depth there is a stratum of more compact and solid earth, over which are layers of sand and gravel, or smooth pebbles, precisely the same as found all along the coast at the bed of the ocean. This would lead to the belief, that at some former period the waters of the ocean were admitted into this basin, and extended two or three leagues farther inland than they do at present. One thing is certain, that there is now a gradual, though imperceptible diminution of the waters along the coast. Over these layers of sand and pebbles lies a stratum of |