ut and saw
the giant Cordilleras, and then we were soon reminded where we were. We
met a Peruvian gentleman on the railway, who told us much about the
country. Among other things, while the Marquis of Villa Garcia was
viceroy of Peru in 1746, on the 28th of October, during a warm but
perfectly calm evening, while the inhabitants of Callao and Lima were
not dreaming of evil, on a sudden, without a moment's warning, the earth
shook with tremendous violence. Every house in Callao fell level with
the ground, crushing their hapless inmates. Many of those in Lima were
likewise overthrown; and as the affrighted survivors looked seaward, a
vast wave like a gigantic wall came roaring on towards the devoted
place. In an instant every living soul in Callao, with the exception of
one man who clung to a piece of timber, was overwhelmed by the raging
waters. Not a vestige of the town remained. On went the wave, carrying
with it a Spanish frigate, the _Saint Fernim_, and other vessels,
leaving them high and dry far inland. Lima narrowly escaped complete
destruction, and it was long before the inhabitants recovered from the
panic into which the catastrophe had thrown them. For years after the
destruction of the Inca rule, unhappy Peru groaned under the
misgovernment and tyranny of the Spaniards, and rapidly and surely the
aboriginal inhabitants decreased in numbers. Several revolts occurred,
but were crushed with barbarous severity. At length the colonists of
Spain conceived the hope of throwing off the yoke of the mother country.
Although frequently defeated, the people of Chili were, by the aid of
Lord Cochrane, at last successful. General San Martin, who had become
the president, entered Lima on the 19th of July 1821, the viceroy La
Cerna being cut off from any support from Spain by the Chilian fleet
having retreated to Cuzco, where he took up his head-quarters.
Ultimately he was completely defeated, and his whole army was destroyed.
On the 20th the independence of Peru was proclaimed, and though the
republic was long subject to intestine commotions, from what we could
learn and see it now appears to be making very satisfactory progress.

We next wished to get up to Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Incas,
situated high up among the Andes; but we had no time to accomplish the
journey. We heard, however, of a very interesting place twenty-five
miles to the south of Lima, on the coast. It was the city and temple of
Pacha