renity, skies the most brilliant, an air as soft and balmy as Elysium; "Felices nimium populi, queis prodigua tellus, "Too happy people, to whose wishes the prodigal earth showers her gifts, to whom are given summers that resemble the spring, winters without cold, a sky unclouded, and a soil that requires not the aid of showers to be rendered fruitful." Such is the kingdom of the Incas; extending from Chuquisaca,* to Cusco, from Cusco to Quito, and containing, according to the calculation of some of the early writers, eight millions of souls, when conquered by that ferocious monster, Pizarro, and his greedy followers. The eastern side of the second Cordillera, differs in some respects from the western. There are numerous openings and deep glens, through which the mountain streams, after having gathered their waters from their elevated sources, become navigable rivers, making their way towards the vast plains of the Amazon. The spurs and broken ridges of the Cordillera del Oro, constitute a surface of the most extraordinary variety; profound valleys, whose temperature is that of the torrid zone, the most delightful amphitheatric slopes, open groves, pastoral plains, abundant waters, and impenetrable forests of gigantic trees. This region is, in general, moist, and hot; and, therefore, far inferior to the high plains between the Cordilleras. It gradually subsides into the immense plains which stretch towards the • This the Indian name of the city of La Paz, or Charcas, the capital of the audiencia and province of Charcas. Paraguay, and the Portuguese possessions, inhabited by uncivilized tribes of Indians,* and forming, in point of territorial extent, by far the greatest of the natural divisions, in which, I have included the provinces of alto Peru. To speak of the productions of this country, would almost appear superfluous, when it is evident, that it is capable of producing all the fruits of the earth! If there be exceptions, their number is so small, as scarcely to deserve to be noticed. It is true that nothing can exceed the sterility of the mine tracks, (of limited extent,) and from this, arises the common error with respect to the countries in which they are situated; those are, beyond comparison, the most fertile and pleasant on the globe. That they have not been known by their agricultural productions to every region of the earth, is owing to their having mines, and to the jealous policy of Spain. Had there been no mines, the produce of the soil would have found its way long ago to the Atlantic, through the channels of La Plata and the Amazon. The Mamore is navigable from Chulumani, a district of La Paz, through the province of Cochabamba. The Beni, another tributary of the Amazon, is navigable from Paucartambo, a district of the province of Cusco; the Apuremac is navigable from the province of Truxillo, and the Maragnon is navigable from Maines. These rivers afford an easy communication with the gulph of Mexico, or the coast of Caraccas; the connexion between the Amazon and the Oronoco, still a subject of * The vast track called Moxos, Chiquitos, and Chaco, watered by some of the southern branches of the Amazon, and stretching along the west side of Paraguay, is called by the Semanario, another terra incognita, and estimated by Sobreviela, at fifteen hundred miles in length, by six hundred in breadth.onej. doubt when La Condamine descended the first of these rivers, is now fully established, and accurately described by Humboldt. It has already been stated that the Pilcomayo is navigable from the neighbourhood of Potosi ; opening a water communication with Buenos Ayres, as easy as that of the western parts of Pennsylvania with Orleans, by the Ohio.. As has been stated in the Introduction, it was the policy of Spain to confine the inhabitants of these districts to the business of mining; any exports besides the precious metals, and a few products almost of equal value, were not encouraged. It is not to be supposed, however, that there was a want of stimulus to cultivate the earth. The mine districts collected crowds of people, great cities rose up, which must be supplied by the cultivators of the soil, a home market was formed, greater perhaps than even in this country. The enormous size of the interior cities, is noticed by Humboldt, as a kind of phenomenon; they were certainly out of all proportion to the rural population. The size of the cities were in proportion to the productiveness of the mines, near which they grew up, and usually occupied the most unpleasant spots of the whole country; but the surplus of agriculture grew only in the same proportion. What would have been its increase if the whole world had been laid open as a market? What would have been the proportion of foreign demand of articles of universal consumption, when compared to the amount of gold and silver? Would it have been greater or less? What would have been the effect on the state of society and population? Would it have produced a greater change in the face of things throughout the world? The exportation of the precious metals was, after all, only a more convenient mode of carrying the surplus produce of labour to market, in a more portable shape; and if it G 1 were impossible to get it to market by any other means than by the assistance of the representative of value throughout the world, (in this respect a thousand times better than mere bills of credit, whatever name may be given to them, whose circulation is limited and partial,) the case would be different; but in opening channels of trade, there was no danger that a surplus would be wanting, both for foreign exports and for the business of mining-they would both increase in proportion to the demand. The articles which were permitted to enter into the commerce of Peru, were, unquestionably, sources of wealth. Would not that wealth have increased with the augmentation of those exports? And how was this to be effected? By simply using the means which "God and nature" have given by opening the navigation of the Amazon and La Plata, and by improving the communications with the Pacific. Labour is the foundation of all national wealth; the precious metals are not taken from the mines without labour, and gold is, itself, of no value but to purchase the labour, or the products of the labour, of others. At the same time, it may be justly regarded as the standard of value, because it is used for this purpose among all commercial nations, and is the great agent in equalizing and regulating the products of labour. If our banks had been mines, the many millions thrown into circulation, would have been slightly felt throughout the world; but without producing any injurious effect, other than gradually to increase the bulk of the circulating medium. There would be inconvenience in having to lug about a cart load of specie, to make the most trifling purchase; as it came to be the case with the leather and iron money of the Greeks. Unfortunately, our paper coin, was only a standard of value in our own country; and, although for a while it effected improvements, and caused every thing to flourish, in the end it embarrased the whole of our foreign trade, by raising the produce in our country to prices which did not correspond to those in Europe. This event caused us to feel the consequences of our mistake somewhat sooner, but we should have felt it at last, and aggravated a thousand fold. The theory of Dr. Bollman, of preserving a certain equilibrium by regulating the issues of paper-money, is very beautiful; its only defect is, that it cannot be put in practice, at least in this country. Nature has placed a bar to the indefinite augmentation of the precious metals; but we must place our faith in men, that the paper coinage will not be carried to excess. In speaking of the intendencies in their order, I shall begin with that of CHARCAS, (or La Plata,) as being also the seat of the audiencia. It is bounded on the north by Cochabamba, on the west and south by Potosi, and on the east by Santa Cruz de la Sierra, (or Puno,) and is divided into the following subordinate jurisdictions: Cinti, Yamparaes, Tomina, Paria, Oruro, and Carangas. The province was conquered in 1538, by Pedro Anzures, one of the captains of Pizarro, who founded the present city of La Plata, on the ruins of the Indian town of Chuquisaca. The audiencia was established in 1559; and being the supreme court of these important intendencies, it is much resorted to from other parts of Upper Peru. There are said to be upwards of five hundred lawyers, and a proportionate train of officers and persons connected with the law. There are also said to be a number of learned and eminent men; as it is, in fact, one of the principal seats of learning in South America. The clergy are possessed of great riches, and are very numerous. The jurisdiction of the archbishop extends over the whole viceroyalty, excepting Cuyo, which belongs to the diocese of Santiago.. In the district of Tomina, which lies to the south-east, the climate is warmer, but has some fine country within |