2. This disorder affected every sort of quadruped without distinction: and such was the degree of phrensy excited by it, that some animals in their fury bit and tore themselves to pieces; and, in situations where the heat was extreme, several men fell ill with all the symptoms of hydrophobia without having been bit.

3. The malady attached itself more especially to dogs, and some of them suffered so mild an attack that their bite was not mortal; but the greater number were severely affected, and propagated the infection to their kind, to other quadrupeds, and to man.

The mean and niggardly overseer of a sugar-estate had distributed among his negroes, though advised not to do so, some head of cattle that died rabid; which he did under the impression that they were only tocado, or touched with that disease which in hot weather usually affects cattle from the mountains: and the result was, that of the poor negroes who had partaken of this meat, many died with symptoms of hydrophobia.

4. In the towns of Ica and Arequipa the number of individuals who died, after having been bit by mad dogs, was greater, and their cases less equivocal than the preceding.

In Ica a single rabid bitch bit fourteen persons in one night, of whom eight were in one house; some sleeping al fresco, or in the open air; others were variously occupied; and the remaining six were among those who, on hearing the alarm, ran to assist in killing the bitch. The surgeon of the place, Don Mariano Estrada, wished to persuade them to submit to be cured; but they rejected his proposal, saying the will of God should be done; and all died with the exception of two men, the one twenty-eight and the other fifty years of age, who agreed to be placed under medical treatment. The physician cured them, happily, on the safest plan; which consists in applying a blister on the part bitten, with a view to promote suppuration from it, and in exciting salivation by means of mercurial inunction.

In the city of Arequipa it was much disputed whether or not the malady was a legitimate hydrophobia, and very learned papers pro and con were written by the Doctors Rosas and Salvani. In this paper-war much time was lost that should have been taken advantage of for resisting the progress of the malady. True it is, that in many cases those disorders, which by frightened imaginations were represented to be real examples of hydrophobia, were, in point of fact, no such thing; and the alarming misconceptions thus induced were soothed down and removed by persuasive means. Hence, this circumstance, which was the natural consequence of the general panic existing at the time, led Professor Salvani to think that it was precisely the same in all instances, until at length a succession of melancholy results declared the real nature of the disease. Immediately upon being made acquainted that the epidemic hydrophobia approached the capital, the Viceroy of Peru, Abascal, ordered all the dogs in the place to be killed,[53] by means of which he liberated Lima from the impending scourge; for though a very few hydrophobic patients entered, during this period, into the hospitals, they were not inhabitants of the city, but some individuals who had come in from the neighbouring farms and valleys.

5. When this calamitous epidemic commenced in the valleys of Costa Abajo, Don Jose Figueroa, Bachelor of Arts, wrote me to say, that “the dogs went about with their tails between their feet; they slavered much; hid themselves from human sight; howled lustily; and presently they fell down and moved no more:—as remedies in these cases, cutting off the ears and giving oil were tried in vain. The cats, with their hair on end, ran about the house-tops. Horses and asses got enraged the one against the other; they threw themselves on the ground, rolled about, and instantly on being dead they swelled and putrefied. Black cattle—roaring and lowing—bounded about, fought with each other, in the contest even broke their horns, and they died quickly.”

6. Professor Estrada confidently stated, that of forty-two individuals who died in the city of Ica, after having been bit by mad dogs, the greater number were cut off from twelve to ninety days after the accident. The symptoms which followed the ingraftment of the poison disclosed themselves in the form of convulsions, oppression at the breast, sighs, sadness, laborious breathing, horror at liquids and shining objects, fury, vomiting of dark bilious matter, and an incessant urgent call on the part of the patients that the assistants should depart from them, because they felt themselves impelled to attack, bite, and tear them to pieces: none in this state survived beyond the term of five days.

Since the year 1808 this terrible epidemic has been disappearing. From time to time, however, a dog may be seen running violently hither and thither, and biting all whom he may happen to meet, in the same way as is done by the really mad dog.—But, in the examples wherein no bad results arise from the bite, they may be considered of the same character with the disorder observed by Mr. Colombier, which attacks dogs, renders them furious, and excites them to bite, but has, nevertheless, nothing at all of hydrophobia in it;—still, however, the safest way is to kill the dogs thus affected, and to implore the Father of mercies that these regions may never again experience so severe a visitation.

BIRDS.

The shores of the South Sea are covered with myriads of birds, among which are distinguished, for their incalculable number, the Huanaes; from whose ordure, as some believe, is produced that red-coloured earth or manure (huano[54]), of a penetrating and alkaline smell, which enriches the land so much as to make it yield triple or quadruple the produce it could do without this dressing: a discovery made by the ancient Indians, who were most skilful agriculturists.

Gulls, herons, ducks, and some other families of the feathered class, descend during autumn from the mountain lakes to the coast, where they remain until the commencement of summer, when they again return to the Sierra.

In undertaking this journey, they take their flight in the morning in large flocks; and, as they soon come in contact with lofty barriers of mountains which oblige them to change their course, they ascend the higher regions in a winding and spiral manner, till, after numberless evolutions and gyrations, they have risen above the loftiest peaks of the Cordillera, and find themselves again at liberty to pursue their journey in a direct line.

The condor[55] often stations himself in the middle of the spires,[56] either as acting the part of a guide, or to boast in proud display the strength of wing by which the most vigorous and powerful of birds can soar above all the rest of the feathered race.

In his outward aspect the male bird bears upon him many marks of dignity which distinguish him from the female: such is the crest which serves him as the emblem of monarchy,—a crown; the blackish and loose skin which in folds covers the head, and gathering up behind, after the manner of curls or frizzled hair, resembles a wig; and the white of the wings, when the bird stands erect, gives his shoulders the appearance of being covered with a mantle or cloak.—See the excellent Memoir of Messrs. Humboldt and Bonpland on the Natural History of the Condor, printed in Paris in the year 1807.

Santiago Cardenas, better known by the name of Santiago el Volador, or Flier, for many years watched the flight of the condor, with the intention of imitating him; and he left a quarto volume written on this subject, which I have deposited in the library of the College of San Fernando. In this work he describes three different kinds of condor.

1. Moromoro with ruff (golilla) and mantle of the colour of ashes.—It has of “embregadura,” or length, from the point of one wing to that of the other, from thirteen to fifteen feet.

This, of all the condors, is the strongest; and he takes ostentatious delight in combating against the wind, and balancing himself on extended but flutterless wing in the most imposing and majestic manner. It has been said of the moromoro, that, seizing the newly-born lamb, he throws it over his shoulder, where he keeps it steadily fixed; and, having thus secured his prey, rises on the wing, and betakes himself to flight.[57]

2. Condor of ruff and mantle of the colour of clear coffee.—He has of embregadura from eleven to thirteen feet, and he is swift and daring.

3. Condor with white mantle and ruff.—He has expanse of wing, or embregadura, from nine to eleven feet; and this is the most abundant and beautiful species. The condor inhabits the steep rocks of the Andes; and, according to the observations of Santiago, he makes every day two journeys to the coast in search of food, which shows his prodigious velocity.

In our dissection of this bird, we met with no air-vessel which could maintain a communication between the lungs and the spongy substance of the clavicles, nor any communication between the crop and windpipe. The internal cavity of the chest is lined by a fine and transparent membrane or pleura, which forms various little cells; the lungs descend as low as the abdomen, and adhere, at their posterior extremity, to the spine and ribs, which have perforations at the points of adhesion, communicating with the interior of their spongy body. The texture of the lungs is porous, so that, as soon as they are blown into and inflated through the windpipe, they freely supply with air all the recesses or concealed crevices, great and small, that are about them; and they also fill with air the cavities of the ribs and sternum.

Condor-grease is considered excellent for resolving and dissipating hard glandular tumours of the breast and other parts of the body; and the Peruvians attribute to it as many other virtues as the Europeans do to the kid, of which it is said by one of their physicians that totus est medicamentosus—all is medicinal.

INSECTS.

It is well known that warm and humid countries are infested with swarms of small insects, as flies, mosquitos, zancudos, fleas, &c.; and a certain traveller has asserted that, on this account, Lima was insupportable as a place of residence: but the statement is erroneous, for such insects do not flourish in the midst of population and cleanliness.

Notwithstanding the mildness of winter in Lima, it is sufficient to annihilate the flies and zancudos: mosquitos are not within doors at any season of the year. The flies and zancudos multiply in summer; and the latter are very annoying, especially at night, for they prevent sleep by the buzzing of their wings. But by taking care that no water be left in the house till it become nearly putrid, this little insect will not be allowed to grow troublesome; for the zancudos are the offspring of the animalcules which are produced in water tending to a state of decomposition: neither do the flies prove troublesome by their numbers in the houses where cleanliness is not neglected.

The pediculus may be said to be sterile on the coast, but most highly prolific in the Sierra: insects of this and the cimex kind persecute man wherever he sojourns, and Lima does not appear to be more infested or overstocked with such vermin than certain European cities. In Paris alone there are seventy-seven species of the cimex.[58]

The most intrusive, the most vexatious insect of the torrid zone, is the pique or chigre, which in other parts is known by the name of nigua. Uncleanly in the extreme, it searches the corrales, or pens, where pigs are enclosed, and multiplies infinitely in dirty situations. The heaps of rubbish, or sweepings and refuse from streets and houses, &c. are, as it were, in a state of effervescence with piques, which also follow the footsteps of man, pursuing relentlessly those with overgrown nails, and others who neglect cleanliness. Less than the flea, but of the same colour, it contrives to introduce itself inside shoes and stockings, and to lodge in the tenderest part of the foot,—in the sole, or under the nails: there it fixes itself, causing as much pain as would be occasioned by the point of a needle, and it secures its position so well as to render it very difficult of being detached. In attempting to remove it, the soft parts are often ill-treated by the instrument, which is either a needle or pin, commonly used for its extraction; and when, during the operation, the part acted upon becomes tinged with blood, the end of the matter is, that the pique, instead of being removed entire, is lacerated, and, the one-half only being taken away, the other is still left inserted under the skin, and there occasions more pain than at first. For this reason, those persons who are accustomed to piques keep very quiet when they observe that one of them has fixed itself under the epidermis or outer skin, and leave it undisturbed for a day or two: here it forms its nest; and is gradually metamorphosed into a white globe, of the appearance of a moderately-sized pearl. It holds on fast to the skin, by its mouth, at the point where it first adhered. Having attained maturity, it is in fact nothing else than a group of innumerable little eggs united by a white glutinous matter, and covered by a common envelope which encloses the whole. While growing, the pique scarcely causes inconvenience; but instantly it has acquired its due size, if not extracted, it gives rise to very stinging pain. Two or three days after its introduction it will have attained a sufficient growth for being removed. In the performance of this operation the negroes are most expert, on account of the constant practice they have in operating on themselves. With the point of a pin they carefully separate the epidermis under which the nigua is fixed, leaving it still attached by its reddish mouth; and then they thread or transfix it, and extract it in its globular form. Great care should be taken not to burst the bag or envelope of the insect at the time of extracting it, for otherwise several ova, equivalent to so many parasitic insects, are left to infest the foot; and besides, should part of the bag be left behind, pain and inflammation will supervene, followed by suppuration to cast off the foreign body. The hollow left after the pique is abstracted, is to be filled with snuff or the ashes of a cigar; as it stops any oozing of blood from the little wound, and assists in promoting the separation, or absorption, of any fragments of the envelope of the insect that may have remained behind; and by this means the pain is avoided which otherwise might arise if these parts were left to themselves, and allowed to slough off.

Without having recourse to the process of extraction, the piques may be destroyed by rubbing the spot where they nestle with mercurial ointment, or with a mixture of soap and oil: in either way they are killed, and consequently fall off in form of crust. Tepid oil applied to the parts injured during the extraction of the pique or nigua affords relief; and it is requisite that the person who has been operated upon take great care not to put his feet in cold water until the incision made in the skin be entirely healed; for otherwise there would be risk of inducing that fearful disease—locked jaw.

EXTINCT ANIMALS.

Notwithstanding the vast distance from one another at which different nations of the earth have been planted, it may yet be traced in their traditions that one great and glorious object had been seen in common by their forefathers, the image of which had been so impressed on their minds, that, when placed in analogous circumstances, it often recurred to their thoughts, and was always referred to, though under different appellations. Thus, in midst of the solemn and sublime apparatus of thunder and lightning, Jehovah descends to the summit of Sinai to give law to the Hebrews. This august and majestic image of the greatness of Divine power is soon after applied to Jupiter darting thunderbolts from the peak of Ida against the armies of Greece; and the Great Man[59] appears in like manner on the mountains of Ohio to exterminate with his darts a fierce animal, which desolated the fertile plains. So also, in former times, the Heavenly Angel came down to the summit of Santa Helena in Southern America, to crush and overwhelm a fierce and polluted race of giants, who, having entered these harbours from some unknown clime, devastated the land.[60]

The Indians of the one and the other hemisphere corroborate the truth of their traditions by being able to present the great molar teeth, or grinders, which are found under the surface of the earth in the places alluded to. In Peru, these teeth, with other bones of enormous magnitude, are found in the province of Chichas, near the tropic of Capricorn; and in Chile there are not wanting vestiges of the same sort of organic remains.

I have had in my possession four of these molar teeth, of which I yet preserve one in the library of the Medical College of San Fernando. When compared among themselves, I have judged, from their configuration, that they did not belong to the same fossil elephant; but, rather, that three pertained to the mammoth, and that one had belonged to the mastodonton of Cuvier: from which it is to be inferred that those very bulky animals, which in remote ages lived in Siberia and North America, had penetrated into Southern America, where they have left the natives, in the relics of their destruction, or fossil remains, a memorial of the existence and punishment of antediluvian giants.

The bony fragments which are considered to be parts of this gigantic race, may they not rather consist of earthy petrifactions in water impregnated with lime? Between the villages of Chorrillos and Miraflores, in the locality named Calera, water impregnated with lime is observed to percolate at the foot of the barranco, or broken bluff-land; and it deposits on the stones, over which it drips or passes, certain crusts or laminæ, which have the same appearance with the bony laminæ of the human skull.[61]

GEOGNOSTIC DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY IN THE ENVIRONS OF AREQUIPA, WITH AN ANALYSIS OF THE MINERAL WATERS IN THE VICINITY OF THE SAME CITY.

According to the “Guia Politica, Eclesiastica, y Militar del Peru,” edited by Dr. Unanue of Lima, the city of Arequipa is situated at 16° 13´ 20´´ south latitude; and it stands at the distance of about thirty leagues from its present sea-port, Islay. In making from seaward to the port of Chule, the burning mountain of Arequipa, (which now emits no smoke,) described as resembling a sugar-loaf with the top broken off, used to be taken as a landmark by the Spanish pilots on the South-Sea coasts. The population is estimated at about twenty thousand, among whom there are exceedingly few negroes or pardos. Towards the end of the twelfth century, Maita Capac, fourth sovereign of Peru, colonized the valley of Arequipa with three thousand families chosen from the neighbouring provinces; and some refer the origin of the name Arequipa to this early period, as in the Indian language the word Arequipa means, “Remain as you are, if you like it,”—in allusion to the permission given by the Inca to such of his captains as were inclined to settle in this garden in the midst of the desert.

By order of Don Francisco Pizarro, the city was founded in the year 1540. It suffered severely from the great earthquakes of the years 1582, 1600, 1604, 1687, 1715, and 1784.[62] All about Arequipa is a volcanic country, of which the natural history is very interesting, as may be learned from the following account, taken from an essay originally written and published in Spanish by Don Mariano Rivero, director-general of the mining department in Peru. This essay is deficient in minute chemical analysis; but it has the recommendation of being the only one, so far as we know, that has been written by a native Peruvian on the subjects which it embraces.

TRANSLATION.

GEOGNOSTIC DESCRIPTION.

All the environs of the city of Arequipa are composed of volcanic products; so much is this the case that its edifices are constructed of a white and very light rock, rough to the touch, which contains pieces of pumice-stone and lava. It is called in the country piedra sillar, and, in fact, is a real trachyte (traquito). It is met with in different places, at the distance of several leagues from the city,—as, for example, in the glen through which passes the road of Islay. In the route which leads to the glen of Yura, over and above the loose pieces and sand, we meet the trachyte porphyry, not only in large detached masses, but also forming portions of the soil. The principal mass is compact, of a greyish black colour, with crystals of white vitreous felspar, and spangles of bronzed mica; it passes by decomposition into an ash-coloured trachyte, less hard than the first, and very rough to the touch: the crystals of felspar and mica suffer no decomposition.

The adjacent hills are formed of rocks such as these, without presenting a decided stratification. At various points there appears a rock which, from its grain, its little hardness, the pieces of trachyte it contains, and its reddish colour, would seem to be a conglomerate of aqueous formation.

The waters which run through rocky passes give rise to deep excavations, and with much good reason these parts (along which there is a road) are denominated narrows,—for they are only a yard and a half broad. The way is intersected at various points by ravines, (quebradas,) through which several small streams descend from the snowy mountain called Chachani. About a league before we reach Yura, and on the opposite side of the glen, there is an horizontal stratification which extends towards the west, presenting an interesting contrast with the Cordillera on the east, and the hills on the side of the valley along which we pass to Yura.

It is not less worthy the admiration of a geologist to behold, amid so much arid nakedness, the bottom of the deep glen of Yura clothed with pure green and cheering verdure, which comforts the pilgrim, and serves as a soothing restorative to the sick who, sacrificing their domestic comforts and the pleasures of society, go in search of health to the baths situated in this solitary spot.

The glen of Yura, which stretches in the direction of from east to west, is in many parts extremely narrow, as at the site of the baths: but towards the Calera it opens up; and its inhabitants take advantage of this space to cultivate lucern, and collect the sub-carbonate of soda, improperly called saltpetre, which they use in manufacturing the soap consumed in Arequipa.[63]

Having passed the distance of one thousand yards, the glen again becomes narrow, until it joins with the ravine of the river of Yura, which flows from the north-east to south-west. From this place it becomes deeper and narrower, and immediately follows a westerly direction. A rivulet formed by the junction of the smaller streamlets which arise in the hill called Horqueta irrigates some land in the strath beneath; and, pursuing its course to the baths, passes them at a yard’s distance, (now ceasing to be pure water,) to unite itself with the many jets that spring up a little above the baths, as I have seen in a ditch recently opened. This rivulet follows the course of the glen; and its waters, being impregnated with saline ingredients, irrigate the lucern fields, and contribute to increase the supply of the carbonate of soda. It at length joins the river of Yura, which during the periodical rains is in the highest degree dangerous to ford, on account of its strong current, and the many stones it carries along its impetuous stream. In the glen of Yura, as well as in the ravine alluded to, the different sorts of earth are of volcanic and transition formation: the first extend to a hundred paces beyond the ferruginous baths; the prevailing rock is trachyte, of a light ash-colour, with pieces of white felspar half decomposed, pumice-stone, and scales of black mica.

In some detached masses are seen in globules the substance called perlita, (little pearl,) and black pieces, which, from their general appearance and concavities, look like lava. Ascending a little higher than the sulphurous baths, porphyry is met with; the principal mass of which is compact and black, its fracture conchoidal, and it contains crystals of white felspar. By decomposition it has partly become an ash-coloured rock, less hard and more asperate, in which is found the conduit which emits sulphurous vapours; and in my opinion it is an ancient crater. On the walls of this crater, sulphur is deposited in well-defined, acute, octahedral crystals; and, in some pieces in my possession, the pure sulphur exists in its massive state. These rocks cover a sandy ground, which from its coarse grain, composition, reddish colour, and the fragments of volcanic rocks which it contains, appears to be a sandy conglomerate; it is sufficiently consistent to admit of being cut, and to serve for architectural purposes: there are certain places, as in the Calera, and near the baths, where it is many yards thick: this earth reposes on the transition series.

The earths, or mineral substances last mentioned, occupy all the parts to the north and west: they are composed of gres, (a stone abounding in sand,) semi-compact in some layers, and in others it has a fine grain; its colour is a dirty white, inclining to green, and it passes to a lightish black when it is near to the layers of the black “esquito hojoso,” (foliated schist,) with which it alternates: it contains small spangles of mica. The natives extract laminæ of this gres of more than a yard in length, and of a quarter in breadth, which serve to line the upper part of the boilers wherein soap is made. The black “esquito” also divides itself into laminæ of good size; but, for the most part, it breaks very easily, forming small pieces which fall down to the bottom of the glen. A heavy substance of dark colour, which separates in large pieces, and effervesces when brought into contact with the acids, is found in the “esquito,” and near to the layers of gres: it appears to be a carbonate of iron, (carbonato de hierro litoideo,) like that which is met with in the coal-mines of England and France. In the “esquito” I have observed impressions of plants, vestiges of coal, crystals, and small plates of gypsum.

The transition formation extends to the north and to the west, at great distances. I am also assured that coal is met with near to the village of Yura. Over the horizontal bed of gres, the direction of which is from east to west, with an inclination northward, may be observed the white, compact, fibrous gypsum of Synchita, distant six leagues from the glen, which, as I conceive, belongs to the gypsum of the vale of Vitor.[64]

On the south side of the river Yura, in the locality called Calera, is found in layers or coats of considerable thickness, but of little extent, a limestone of a cellular and porous structure, composed in a great degree of very small and delicate tubes: their colour is a dirty white, and by all their signs and characters they appear to owe their origin to infiltration. From this stone is made the lime which is consumed in Arequipa and its neighbourhood.

ANALYSIS OF THE MINERAL WATERS OF YURA.

Mineral waters are distinguishable from common water by their taste, particular smell, colour, temperature more or less raised, and by their not being applicable to domestic purposes. They are found in different parts of the world in springs and wells: sometimes they are of the same temperature with the soil through which they pass, and at other times their temperature rises to the boiling point of water,—and then they are called thermal waters. In the countries where these waters appear, they had attracted the attention of the inhabitants since very remote times, and were medicinally employed internally as well as externally; but, since their component parts were but imperfectly known, they were often applied injudiciously, and they did not always obtain the reputation they merited, for their effects were sometimes contrary to those which the physicians desired to produce.

At the close of the seventeenth century chemists began to discover the substances to which mineral waters owed their peculiar properties; and, since this happy era, they have made such rapid progress in science, that in the present day we are acquainted with many of these substances. This knowledge we owe to simple and more exact methods of analysis. Nature appears to have favoured in an especial manner the environs of Arequipa with thermal springs to cure those maladies to which its inhabitants are subject. This is, however, no more than might be expected, considering the variety of medicinal ingredients with which the waters become impregnated as they slowly percolate through beds of lava, or issue from the deep recesses of burning mountains.

The baths of Yura are situated in a small and narrow glen, several leagues to the N.N.W. of the city, and only one league from the village of the same name,—which, according to my measurement, is one hundred and seventy Spanish yards (varas) above the square of Arequipa.[65]

The road to the baths is very bad, and, above all, the declivities are so; for the number of stones and narrow windings render it in the highest degree disagreeable, to which the dull uniformity of the landscape also contributes. To the right, all that presents itself to the traveller’s view is the lofty volcano, the contiguous hills being denuded of every blade of vegetation except the cactus Peruvianus, of melancholy aspect, seen here and there along the surrounding slopes; and, if he turn his eye to the left, he looks upon sterile plains cut up by mountain torrents, or a group of hills perfectly arid, of greater or less elevation, and in parts covered with white sand.

The analysis of the waters of Yura was attempted by the celebrated naturalist Haenk in the year ’96; but, this philosopher not having ascertained their constituent parts, I have now the honour of presenting to the public the result of my investigations regarding these waters, and several others which are used by the inhabitants of the city. In the narrow glen of Yura there are two situations in which springs of thermal water present themselves, and the one is distant from the other about one hundred and fifty yards. The first, called agua de hierro, or ferruginous water, is on the left-hand side of the road as we come from the Calera; and those springs which are higher up are denominated agua de azufre, or sulphurous water. I will begin by giving an account of the agua de hierro.

THE FERRUGINOUS WATER.

From a little plane covered with grass, distant from the rivulet three yards, and four from the ash-coloured trachytic rock, water bubbles up at various points, forming large globules, as if boiling. Its temperature is 94° of Fahrenheit, that of the air being 68°. In the corner where these jets are found, there are at short distances small wells of equal temperature, except one at 67°, which is found at the distance of a yard from the principal jet; and it is the more worthy of notice, as it happens to be very near to the water which indicates higher temperature. All these little wells render tribute to the principal one, and to the rivulet; their banks, and the bottom of one of the baths, contain a very fine yellow substance, which is the true oxide of iron. These waters are very transparent, without smell, and with taste half acidulated and astringent; they disengage a gas which, passed through lime-water, or a solution of the acetate of lead, throws down precipitates soluble with effervescence in acetic acid. They redden the tincture of violets and blue paper, which loses its colour on drying, and this proves the existence of a free acid; being agitated, an air is disengaged with noise: all the acids, weak and strong, produce effervescence with these waters. The prussiate of potash, when a little of any acid is added to it, causes in the ferruginous water a blue precipitate, which is the prussiate of iron. Iron-water being boiled, it loses the property of effervescing with the acids, of forming a precipitate with the prussiate of potash, and also its astringency. A bottle of water being evaporated affords, during the operation, a light, white precipitate, and its surface becomes covered with a most delicate film. The operation, if continued to dryness, yields sixteen grains of salts, which I have analyzed. It appeared from the analysis that the iron-water is composed of the following ingredients and proportions.

One bottle, or a pound and a half, of water afforded

A hundred grains of the salts were composed of

This water greatly resembles, in its contents, that of Selz, Spa, and Carlsbad. The exact quantity of carbonic acid which it disengages could not be ascertained, for want of proper instruments for the purpose. The carbonic acid of the saline parts is sufficient to saturate the lime, magnesia, and soda.

MEDICINAL VIRTUES OF THE FERRUGINOUS WATER OF YURA.

The ferruginous waters are stated by Mr. Rivero, on the authority of Haenk, and of Dr. Vargas of Arequipa, to be tonic, deobstruent, laxative, diuretic, &c.; and, therefore, well calculated to remove general debility, certain forms of hypochondriasis, dyspepsia, and weakness consequent on debauchery.

THE SULPHUROUS WATER.

The jets (los ojos) of this water, as we formerly noticed, are placed above the ferruginous baths, situated in a narrow part formed by the trachyte rock on one hand, and on the opposite side by the gres, or sandy soil, which furnishes the carbonate of soda. An oblique fissure, extending to the base of the trachyte rock, serves as a conduit to this thermal water, which unites itself with that which flows from the bottom of the bath named Tigre. A short way from this jet there are others which flow from other clefts, at almost the same degree of temperature.

It is observed that the source of these waters is at some distance in the interior of the rock, and, according to my notions, they hold communication with the crater, which emits sulphurous vapours, situated a few paces from the water underneath the very house where the sick repose. With respect to the water, having filled a small well situated at the base of the rock where people drink from, the chief object is to have it conducted to the bathing-pits, or basins. The superfluous water not needed for the baths flows out from them by a small channel; and it goes to join the rivulet, which passes within three yards of the bathing apartment.

The sulphurous water flows out in good quantity, making a peculiar noise, and emitting a smell of sulphuretted hydrogen gas, like that of rotten eggs; which is perceptible at the distance of many paces from the place, when the winds are from the east and west. The disengagement of carbonic acid gas occasions the noise alluded to, through the innumerable bubbles which rise on the surface; and at the same time it occasions a shower of aqueous particles, mixed with sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid gas; its colour is whitish, transparent; and on the walls and canals of the baths, it leaves a whitish substance, somewhat dirty, very fine, which when examined proves to be impure sulphur; its taste is at the same time sweetish and acidulated, but it leaves on the palate the taste of rotten eggs.

In the bathing apartment there are four large reservoirs, or basins, constructed with stone and lime; they are equal in size, communicate the one with the other, and are named Tigre, Sepultura, Desague, and Vejeto: in these reservoirs, however, the temperature of the water is not equal: the first indicates on the thermometer of Fahrenheit 90°, the second 89°, the third 88°, and the fourth 87°; the air of the habitation being 70°. In the place where this water was first discovered, it at present indicates as many as 90°: Haenk, in the year in which he instituted his analysis, observed that it was only 86°, which proves that the temperature has since then increased.

The gas which arises from this water, when collected, extinguishes flame; produces in lime-water a precipitate which dissolves in acetic acid with effervescence; and it precipitates the acetate of lead, of a dirty yellow colour. The water reddens blue paper; but, on drying, it recovers its original colour, a circumstance which proves that there is a free acid: turmeric paper it does not change the colour of, unless its volume has been decreased by evaporation. A few drops of any acid produce effervescence. The nitrate of silver gives a violet-colour precipitate, the acetate of lead a dirty yellow, the muriate of barytes a white, but it is necessary to add to it a few drops of acid; the prussiate of potash produces a blue precipitate, using the precaution to reduce the water, and of adding to it some drops of nitric or muriatic acid. Liquid ammonia renders it turbid, which shows that it contains magnesia; corrosive sublimate produces a half obscure precipitate, which afterwards effervesces with an acid; it instantly coagulates milk, renders wine and the water of peaches or pears turbid, giving rise to effervescence with the three last. A piece of clean silver, if placed in it for some minutes, becomes somewhat black; when agitated, it disengages carbonic acid with precipitation, and all the water is filled with bubbles; when boiled, it loses its smell, it disengages all the free acid, and it no longer reddens blue paper.

Four bottles of this water, when evaporated, have given forty-three grains of salts: during the evaporation the surface became coated with a white film, and a light white substance was precipitated, which consisted of the carbonate of magnesia and lime, abandoned by the carbonic acid which had held them in a state of solution.

One hundred grains, obtained by evaporation, yielded

The sulphuretted hydrogen gas, and the carbonic acid disengaged, could not be ascertained, for want of proper apparatus.

The water of the four baths fitted up for the sick is of the same quality with the one here analyzed; with the difference that in the three last its temperature is less, and that it does not disengage in such quantity the sulphuretted hydrogen nor the carbonic acid.

The new water of Haenk, and that from another jet or source which has been more recently discovered, possess the same qualities with those of the baths; differing, however, in this respect, that they do not disengage sulphuretted hydrogen gas. The water recently discovered, of which the temperature is 91°, contains more iron, but not in such quantity as the waters of the ferruginous bath. It is of a somewhat sweetish acidulated taste, and it leaves a certain asperity on the palate. Reagents act upon these in the same way as they do on the sulphurous water.

PECULIARITIES OBSERVABLE IN THE SULPHUROUS WATER BATHS.

Shortly after having entered the bath, the whole body becomes covered with numberless air-globules of a pearly appearance. Some degree of heat and pungency is felt all over the skin; and, soon after immersion in the water, the smell from it ceases to be perceived. It occasions a slight degree of uneasiness in respiration, arising from the large quantity of carbonic acid and sulphuretted hydrogen which arises from its surface.

MEDICINAL EFFECTS OF THE SULPHUROUS WATER.

According to Dr. Don Jose Maria Adriasola y Arve of Arequipa, it has been found by experience, that, since times of remote antiquity, the baths of the sulphurous waters of Yura have produced the most salutary and specific effects in a great variety of cutaneous diseases. In various instances of chronic disorder of the bowels, and dysentery attended with intestinal ulceration and wasting of the general system, or what has been improperly termed intestinal consumption, Dr. Vargas found that these waters restored the healthy action of the digestive organs, kept up a proper cuticular discharge, and radically cured such apparently hopeless cases.

This same water is also allowed to be excellent for the cure of chronic rheumatism, certain deep-seated pains, and contracted joints, &c.

Mr. Rivero gives the following method as that by which invalids are to profit by the use of the sulphurous baths of Yura.

The first four or six baths must be taken in the bathing-places named Desague or Sepultura, which emit less gas and are of lower temperature; for by entering the bath called Tigre, which is the most active, the body experiences a very disagreeable sensation, and at the same time the breast is peculiarly affected.

To be in a fit condition for enjoying the advantages of the bath, the individual must have the stomach empty, be free from fatigue, perspiration, as well as mental emotion of every sort. The bath should not be continued above three quarters of an hour, and in the Tigre one should not remain above twenty or thirty minutes. Should the nature of the disease so require, the invalids may bathe twice a day. A purgative of cream of tartar or Epsom salts should be taken as a preparative for bathing in these baths. Strict attention to diet, daily exercise to favour perspiration, and great care to avoid exposure to damp or chills during the time of taking exercise, or coming from the bath, are requisite precautions.

The effects of these waters are slow of manifesting themselves, and, for this reason, their continued use in many cases is necessary; to their perseverance and constancy in this respect many individuals, now in the enjoyment of perfect health, owe their recovery.

STEAM NAVIGATION.

We have in Vol. I. p. 173, alluded to the prospects of a Steam Navigation along the shores of the Pacific Ocean; and we are now happily able to subjoin a few statements on this subject, for the perusal of such of our readers as may not have seen the report of the British merchants and residents at Lima and Callao, upon the subject of opening through Panama a direct communication between Great Britain and the western coast of South America.[66]

The first meeting on this interesting subject was held in Lima on the 12th of August 1836; and on the 7th of September, at a public meeting, the report of the British Merchant Committee was unanimously approved, and ordered to be printed and circulated in English and Spanish. From a pamphlet, accompanied with documents which detail the general plan of the intended operations of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, printed by J. M. Masias, in Lima, we extract the following authentic information regarding the “Statistics of Trade, and the favourable influence of Steam Navigation.”

“It is only since the dynasty of Spain ceased to exist in South America, that the shores of the Pacific have been thrown open to foreign commerce; and, when it is considered how much these countries have suffered from continued revolutionary convulsions, the rapid advance of commerce and trade is somewhat extraordinary. The following statement of imports is from the best data which could be obtained.

“Of which there is consumed

“The whale fishery of the Pacific may be estimated as follows:

“The whole interest involved, including the Pacific whale fishery, amounts to nearly forty millions of dollars.

“The beneficial influence of steam navigation along the shores of the Pacific, and the opening a communication with Europe and North America, viâ Panama, are subjects of deep interest, not only to those engaged in commerce with the Pacific, but also to the whole commercial world.

“The present state of communication is long and tedious between Peru and Great Britain; it may be averaged at about four months; while, by the proposed route, it will be reduced to little more than one-third that period, viz.

“By substituting steam navigation between Jamaica and England, the voyage from Great Britain to Peru could be performed in little more than a month.

“The security which will be given to commerce by this prompt communication, the facilities afforded to merchants in realizing the proceeds of their shipments, the consequent increase of trade, the regularity of advices along the shores of the Pacific, so desirable for British commerce,—are points of universal interest. To the squadrons stationed in those seas an immense advantage will also be gained by the facility of communication and the increased efficiency of their operations. The moral influence to be effected will tend to strengthen and sustain the governments of the respective states against the usurpation of revolutionary demagogues.”

We further beg leave to add, on the same very good authority, the following valuable remarks for the information of those who are unacquainted with the localities of Panama, and the difficulties and facilities to be met with in crossing the Isthmus.

“The seasons are distinguished by rainy season and dry season. From June to November constitutes the former; from November to June the latter. During the rainy season, the journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic can be performed in two days; while, in the dry season, twenty-four hours only are necessary: from the Atlantic to the Pacific, during the rainy season, three days are required; and in the dry season it can be accomplished in two days. This difference is owing to the swelling of the river produced by rains. The journey from Panama to Cruces is performed on mules, being a distance of twenty-one miles, over a bad but not a dangerous road. In Cruces, there are canoes of all sizes always in readiness, in which passengers embark, and descend the river to Chagres, the sea-port of the Isthmus, where they re-embark on board the first vessel which suits their convenience.

“The transit of the Isthmus during the dry season is neither inconvenient nor unpleasant: the canoes are covered; provisions, fruits, &c. are abundant along the banks of the river; the temperature, though warm, is perfectly healthy, and there is always personal security. During the rains you are subject to great exposure and consequent illness; but were a good road once opened, and a steamer on the river, there would be no danger at any season, and the journey from sea to sea could be accomplished in eight or nine hours, without the slightest inconvenience.”

ECCLESIASTICAL JUBILEE.

The following authentic document we have carefully translated from the Spanish; and, having already referred to it, (vol. i. p. 132,) we now offer no comment on its contents.

We, Dr. Don Jorje de Benavente, Archbishop Elect of Lima, &c. to our clergy, religious communities, and all the faithful residing in and inhabiting this our diocese.

Forasmuch as our most holy father Gregory XVI, Roman Pontiff, and visible head of the Universal Church, moved by the pastoral vigilance and paternal love becoming a successor of St. Peter, has condescended to grant a general jubilee to the whole Catholic world, with a view that the common penitence and prayer of the faithful may obtain from the Father of Mercies and God of all consolation the cessation of the weighty ills that affect the spouse of J. C.; the supreme government of this republic, always zealous for the exact observance of the holy religion which we profess, has given the corresponding pass to the Brief, which with this object his Holiness has despatched, of which the tenor is as follows: