The Inhabitants are thus distinguisht.

Spaniards	Natives of old Spain.
Creolians	Born in America of white parents.
Mulattas	Issue of white and nigro.
Mestizos	Issue of white and indian.
Quartron nigros	Born of white and mulatta.
Quartron indians	Born of white and mestizo.
Sambo de mulatta	Nigro and mulatta.
Sambo de indian	Nigro and indian.

Issue of sambo mulatta, and sambo indian are calld giveros. These are lookt on as having the worst inclinations and principles; and if the cast is known, they are banisht the kingdom.

Hence procede endless denominations according to the variety of mixture: and some people make a science of it, to know the multiplicity of casts and give them a name: but the forementiond are the chief and most particular. It is counted creditable to mend the breed by ascending or growing whiter; but a descent or cast the other way is calld saltatras; from saltare retrò, to go backward; and is lookd upon as base born and scandalous.

The difference of birth and parentage causes an observation pleasant enough: for they are as great strangers to each other as chevaliers are in France, or graduates and scholars in our universities. So that a quartron indian will hardly keep company with a mulatta: and a mestizo thinks himself a king to a sambo.

Of all parts of the world, the people here are most expensive in their habit. The men dress as they do in England, their coats being either of silk, or fine English cloth, and hair camblets imbroiderd or laced with gold and silver, and their waistcoats commonly the best brocades. The women never wear hoops or stays, only a sticht holland jacket next their shifts: they generally throw over their shoulders a square piece of swanskin flannel intirely coverd with Flanders lace, besides the silver or gold lace round the peticoat: when they walk out, the Creolian women are veild, but not the Mulatta; and till the age of thirty or forty they wear no headcloths: their hair being tyed behind with fine ribands. But the pride of both sexes appears chiefly in Maclin and Brussels lace, with which they trim their linen in a most extravagant manner, not omitting their sheets and pillows. Beside the outward covering of the mantle aforesaid, their linen is doubly borderd with it top and bottom, with ruffles of four or five furbelows hanging down to the knee. Then as to pearls and costly stones, which they wear in rings and bracelets for the neck and arms, they are very immoderate; though the value is hardly equal to the appearance.

Of all the convents in Lima, that of St. Domingo is the richest, and Francisco the largest. The provincial or governer of the Dominicans is chosen triennially out of their own body, and his income above seven thousand pound a year. I was present at one election, which I mention because of the great splendor and cost which attended it. A large triumphal arch was built cross the street: the inside lined with scarlet cloth and velvet, and hung all over with jewels and wrought plate. Thro’ this the principal people of Lima past with the new provincial at their head; where he stopd to hear a short oration pronounced by a girl upon that occasion, and then went to his convent to finish the solemnity.

The processions in Lima are made with more show and pageantry than those in Europe, and are sometimes very extravagant. I was present at that noted one when the image of St. Dominic goes to church to wait upon that of St. Francis, which is attended with a deal of firework and equipage: and I doubt not the managers of our opera and comedy would improve much by seeing the odd figures and machinery of this grand visit, which is made yearly to keep up the singular esteem the Spaniards have for those two orders. Tho’ these expenses are profuse, yet at Lima they are common, where the begging fryers often die possest of dollars, from the value of ten to twenty thousand pound. One instance of the riches of this place, I was told by several who rememberd it: that when the duke de la Plata their viceroy made his entry, the inhabitants paved the merchant street thro’ which he past with bars of silver, each of which was 2500 dollars at least: which piece of finery I can liken to nothing but the account we have of Jerusalem in the days of king Solomon.

The viceroy has a handsome palace in the great quadrangle of the city; which I take to be near as large as Lincolns-Inn-Fields at London. His salary is ten thousand pound a year, and his perquisits double that sum: and tho’ his government expires at three, four, or five years end as the king pleases, yet ’tis supposed he makes a good fortune for life; for he has all places in his gift, both in the government and army throughout Peru, except particular persons are sent or nominated by the king.

The judicial court consists of twelve judges, not to mention the inferior officers, council and solicitors. Here all causes should come to be decided; but they are too often determined aforehand in favour of the party who gives most mony. And tho’ these vast dominions abound in riches, yet there is not abundance of work for the lawyers; because the statutes are few and plain: which is certainly happier than a multitude of laws explaining one another ’till they are so intricate that the issue of a cause depends more upon the craft of the solicitor and advocate, than the truth of the case. Moreover, a multiplication of laws begets an infinity of attorneys and council, who live high and great upon the distresses of other people, and as often argue a man out of his right as into it.

Yet in Peru there are corregidors or magistrates in districts from Lima who find ways and means to oppress the poor Indians, notwithstanding they are perjured if they trade with them. These natives live chiefly by husbandry and working the mines; and the Spanish court have found it necessary to forbid the corregidors trading with them, in order to secure them a quiet possession of the fruit of their labour. To evade this oath, another person under-hand procures a parcel of European goods and disperses them among the Indians, who, tho’ they want none of them, must buy them at 3 or 400 per cent. more than prime cost; a time being positively fixt for the money.

These hardships are past retrieving, because every magistrate knows his reign to be but short, and if he don’t make a fortune he is laught at: So that they wink at one another; and the great distance between Peru and Spain is a reason the king’s orders are seldom regarded, being two years going backward and forward: whence arise many clandestine doings. For according to law, the king should have a twentieth part of all gold, and a fifth part of all silver; but there are vast quantities that never pay duty carryd privately over the continent the north way, as well as the south way by trading ships. And tho’ there are prodigious sums allowd for militia, garisons, and repairs of fortifications: yet it is not one half applyd. From all which it is easy to imagine what immense revenues would come to the treasury at Madrid, if his Catholic majesty was but faithfully served.

The country in Peru is naturally subject to earthquakes: and I have heard that the English plantations in the north of America have felt them. At Lima they had two great ones about fifty years ago, which overturnd houses, churches and convents: and in the reign of Charles the late king of Spain, there was an earthquake near the equinoctial line that lifted up whole fields, and carryd them several miles off. Small shocks are often felt without doing any harm; and I have been two or three times calld out of bed when such a thing has happend, tho’ we have heard no more of it: but upon these occasions the bells always toll to prayers.

Notwithstanding this country, especially nigh the coast, has sufferd much by earthquakes; yet their churches are lofty enough, and neatly built. That part of their architecture which requires most strength is generally finisht with burnt bricks; but their houses are all built with bambo canes and bricks dryd only by the weather, which are durable enough because it never rains. The covering is a matting with ashes upon it to keep out the dews, which is all the wet they have.

The small river of Lima is mostly snow water descending from the neighbouring mountains, which are coverd all the year with snow; but partly dissolved in the summer season, which is from September to March. One would expect it much hotter thereabouts than it is, there being no proportion between the heat of this climate in America and the same degree of latitude in Africa; for which there are two reasons: one is the cool temper of the air proceding from the congealed snow on the mountains, which diffuses it self every way: the other is, the humidity of the vapours which hang over the plains, and which are so frequent, that when I came first to Lima, I often expected it would rain. These vapours are not so coarse, low and humble as our fogs, nor separated above like our summer clouds; but an exhalation between both, being spread all round, as when we say the day is overcast. So that sometimes a fine dew is felt upon the outward garments and discernd by the eye upon the nap of the cloth. This is a happy convenience at Lima, the people being thus screend one half of the day from the sun; and tho’ the afternoon be sunshine, ’tis very tolerable being mixt with the sea breezes, and not near so hot as at Lisbon, and some parts of Spain in Europe which are thirty degrees further from the equator.

The want of rain in this part of the continent obliged the poor, I should say happy Indians, before the conquest, to make dreins and canals for bringing down water from among the distant mountains; which they have done with such great labour and skill that the vallies are kindly refresht, producing grass, corn, and variety of fruits: to which the aforesaid dews may also a little contribute.

Zarate the Spanish historian has given us the natural cause of this perpetual drought. He observes that the south-west winds blow upon the Peruvian coast all the year round; and the ocean is therefore calld pacific, because the winds never disturb the waters. These easy gales always bear away the vapours from the plains before they can rise and form a body sufficient to descend in a shower: but when they are carryd farther and higher, they grow more compact and at length fall by their own weight into rain.

This is so fair and rational an account, that I wonder Monsieur Frezier has affected to contradict it. ’Tis convincing to a stranger; and to most gentlemen there who are curious enough to think about it. Any one who reads Frezier’s voyage may see he has not only mistaken the Spaniard, but given us long conjectures of his own, very confused and improbable.

They have plenty of cattle, fowl and fish; and all provision common to us except butter; instead of which they always use lard. They have oyl, wine and brandy enough, tho’ not so good as in Europe. They drink much of the jesuits herb camini brought from Paraguay by land; for all East-India tea is forbid. They make a decoction of it, and suck it through a pipe or quill. It is generally here calld mattea, being the name of the bowl out of which they drink it. Chocolate is their usual breakfast and a grace-cup after dinner: Sometimes they drink a glass of brandy for digestion, but scarce any wine at all. In the kingdom of Chili they make a little butter, such as it is; and their way of doing it is remarkable. The cream is put into a sheepskin stript off whole, and kept on purpose: after tying the ends fast, two women lay it on a table, and shake it and sowse it between them ’till it comes.

Tho’ the Spaniards are no friends to the bottle, yet gallantry and intrigue are here brought to perfection, for they devote so much of their time to the service of the fair sex, that Venus seems here to keep her court. It is unmannerly not to have a mistress, and scandalous not to keep her well. As for the women they have many accomplishments both natural and acquired; their conversation is free and sprightly, their motion graceful, their looks winning, and their words ingaging: they have all a delicate shape, not injured with stiff bodyd stays, but left to the beauty of nature; so that there’s no such thing as a crooked body among them. Their eyes and teeth are particularly excellent, and their hair being generally of a dark polisht hue is finely combd, and platted or tyd behind with ribands, but never disguised with powder: for the brightness of their skin round the temples appears very well shaded thro’ the hair like light thro’ a landskip.

Tho’ these amours are universal at Lima, yet the men are careful enough to hide them; for no indecent word or action is allowd in public. They have two usual times for these entertainments: one is at the siesta or afternoons nap, which is commonly with the mistress; the other is in the evening cross the water in calashes, or at the great square in the town where the calashes meet in great numbers towards the dusk: these are slung like our coaches, but smaller; and many of them fit only for two sitting opposite. They are always drawn by one mule with the nigro driver upon his back: and it is usual among these calashes to observe several of them with the windows close up, standing still for half an hour together.

In these pastimes they have several customs peculiar to themselves. After evening prayers the gentleman changes his dress, from a cloak into a montero or jocky coat, with a linen laced cap and a hankerchief about his neck instead of a wig. If he wears his hair it must be tuckt under a cap, and that flapt all down: so that it is a universal fashion to be disguised some way or other; for those who have no mistress are ashamed to be thought strictly virtuous, and must be in some mask or other to countenance the way of the world. But as all this is night work, they have an establisht rule to prevent quarels, which is never to speak or take notice of one another; whether they are going in quest of amorous game, or visiting their ladies: so that in short the forepart of the night is a masquerade all the year round.

Among that rank of people who don’t keep calashes there are several points to be observed. Particularly when they take the evening air, one couple never walks close upon the heels of another; but to prevent the publishing any secret whispers, each couple walks at the distance of twelve yards at least: and if any lady drops a fan or any thing by accident, a gentleman may civilly take it up; but he must not give it to the lady, but the gentleman who is with her; for she may be the sister or wife of him that takes it up: and as the women are all veild, these wise laws are instituted to prevent any impertinent discoveries. A freedom of that kind is lookt upon as the highest affront in all gallantry, and merits a drawn sword thro’ the liver. They are so careful in these rules, that if a man sees his intimate friend any where with a girl, he must in no wise take notice of him, or speak of it afterwards:

These things are all done with the greatest gravity imaginable; and thus the practice of love becomes decent, safe and easy: so that a man may possess his mistress without any visible inconvenience, and spend all the money he has in the world without fear of brawls, duels, or a roundhouse: not like the rude hectoring blades and prentices of a certain northern metropolis who are continually affronting the female sex, with shocking words or scandalous actions.

Altho’ the commerce of love is here so regularly settled, yet there are some jealousies now and then subsisting, which sometimes have ended fatally. There was a story of this sort pretty fresh when I was at Lima. A young lady had for some time, as she thought, been sovereign mistress of her lover’s heart; but by cruel chance she found him in company with another woman, and perhaps a handsome one. As Shakespear says, Trifles light as air are to the jealous confirmations strong: so she waited for no further proof of his infidelity, nor any excuse for the wrong done her; but suddenly drew his dagger and dispatchd him. She was soon confined and brought to tryal: and when every one expected she would be cast for her life, her judges gave it this turn, that it was not malice fore-thought, but excess of love that prompted her to the rash deed. Whereupon she was acquitted: but the nice casuists thought she should in honour have hangd her self. This instance shews how sacred a thing love is there judged to be, tho’ in a state of concubinage only. And the moral good or evil of some actions are hard to be determined, while different governments have different customs.

How agreeable soever these practices are to the Creole Spaniards, yet they cause a great inconvenience to society: for the men are so seriously taken up with their delicacies, that the women ingross most of their time, and spoil all public conversation. For this reason there are no taverns or coffee-houses, so that the men are only to be met with at their offices or at church. They have a sort of playhouse where the young gentlemen and students divert themselves after their fashion: for what performances they have in the dramatical way are so mean, that they are hardly worth mentioning, being scripture stories interwoven with romance and obscenity.

It was at this theatre that two English sailors of monsieur Martinet’s squadron fought a prize a little before I came to Lima. They first obtaind leave of the viceroy to exercise at the usual weapons; and after the shew-day was fixt, most of the preceding time was taken up with preparatory ceremonies to bring a good house. They each traversed the town by beat of drum in their holland shirts and ribands, saluting the spectators at their windows with a learned flourish of the sword; so that by the extraordinary novelty and manner of the thing, the whole city came to see the tryal of skill: some gave gold, but few less than a dollar. When the company male and female was close packt up together, the masters mounted the stage: and after the usual compliment peculiar to the English nation of shaking hands before they quarel, they retired in great order and stood upon their guard. Several bouts were playd without much wrath or damage: but the design of this meeting being more to get money than cuts or credit, one of the masters had the seasonable fortune to receive a small harm on the breast, which having blooded his shirt began to make the combat look terrible: whereupon the company fearing from such a dreadful beginning that the zele of the champions might wax too intemperate; and till they were reconciled, no man in the house was safe, unanimously cryd out basta, basta, which signifys enough, enough; and so the house broke up. The sailors finding this a better prize than any they ever made at sea, humbly besought his excellency for another trial of skill: but the viceroy and people were all against it, from a religious objection which could never be got over; and that was, lest the fellows should kill one another, die without absolution and be damnd.

While I was at Lima, I grew acquainted with one monsieur Thaylet, a gentleman whose effects were seised by Martinet’s squadron, as an interloper from St. Malo: after which he remaind in Peru, where he was imployd by the government, he having been formerly commander of several good ships. The first service he had, was to fetch the bottle with instructions for Shelvocke, buryd by Clipperton at Fernandes, p. 97 of this book. On his return with the said instructions and the two men who deserted there, the viceroy willing to incourage him, thought of another short expedition for him in the same vessel; being an English ketch of about sixty ton, and had served captain Martinet as a tender. The viceroy having lately had certain notice by a Spanish ship, that they accidentally made an island in the South-Seas till then unknown to them, tho’ markt in several drafts by the name of Solomon’s island; it made his excellency curious to persue the discovery. He thereupon orderd the ketch to be fitted out for two months under Thaylet’s command; who accordingly saild into ten degrees south, in which latitude the island was said to lye. He cruised thereabout till his provision was nigh expended; and returnd without success. However as the same account came by two different ships who touchd there, the Spaniards verily believe there is such a place; for the men reported, that the natives, as to their persons and behaviour, were much like the Indians on the continent; that they had many gold and silver things among them, but that their language was new and unintelligible. The reason why Mr. Thaylet could not meet with Solomon’s island, might be from the uncertainty of the latitude, and his inability of making further search, being provided for only two months: for I have been informd in London that the said island or islands lye more southerly in the Pacific ocean than where they are laid down in the Dutch maps. And the two Spaniards who had been there, were only small trading vessels carryd thither by irregular currents; and could give no certain account of the latitude, because they kept no reckoning.

To sum up this chapter, I shall only observe that the Spanish Peruvians are better seated for the happiness of this world, than any people I know. If they are indolent, their great affluence makes them so. If they are delicate, the kind serenity of the climate contributes greatly to it. Much husbandry and labor is needless, where the whole year is a fruitful spring. Indeed the Nigros and Indians do all the work; for a white face is exemption enough from all labor and care. In our unequal gloomy regions, many customs would be condemnd, which are there the pure effect of nature: for the night and day make a happy medium between cold and heat. Therefore, if the general bent of human nature be for constant happiness and freedom from pain, the man of pleasure must go to Peru, and make Lima his temporal paradise.