SPANISH DOMINIONS,

EXTENT. GOVERNMENT.

-CITIES.-COMMERCE.

NATURAL CURIOSITIES.

POPULATION.

MANNERS. LANGUAGE

BOTANY ZOOLOGY. MINERALOGY.

EXTENT AND BOUNDARIES. THE possessions of Spain in the southern part of America, are of prodigious extent, from the Carribean sea to the most southern promontory, according to the Spanish geographers; but the English maps seem justly to regard the regions to the south-east, inhabited by the Tercels, and other tribes confessedly independent, as excluded from the Spanish domain. In this point of view, the eastern shore, from the south of the great river Parana, is open to the settlements of any foreign nation, and on the west the Spanish boundary ends at the gulf of Chonos, south lat. 44°. The remaining length may be 3360 geographical miles; but the medial breadth is not above 900. The whole length of the Spanish possessions in America may be thus computed at more than 5000 geographical miles; though not equal in extent, yet far superior in every other respect, to the Asiatic empire of Russia. On the east the boundary between the Spanish possessions and those of Dutch and Portuguese, is sometimes ascertained by ridges of mountains and rivers; but often consists of an ideal line, observed upon a map at one glance, while a verbal description would be unnecessarily prolix. In general the Por tuguese territory in South America, is perhaps equal in extent to the Spanish, compensating by its breadth, which includes the far greater part of the Maranon, for the deficiency in length.

Governmknt. The Spanish territories are minutely divided into vice-royalties, audiences, provinces, governments, partidos, or departments, and missions, or parishes established among the savages. The enumeration would not only be complex and tedious, but unsatisfactory, as frequent changes occur. The grand divisions are the viceroyalty of Buenos Ayres, that of Peru which includes Chili, and that of New Granada in the north: the capital of the first being Buenos Ayres, of the second Lima, aml of the third Bogota, or Santa Fe de Bogota north lat. 4°. The vice-royalty of New Granada was established in

1718, and that of Buenos Ayres 1778: but the governments are too extensive, and ought to be subdivided, as the vigilance of one man cannot prevent the grossest malversations and oppressions; and, in the opulence of the income, duty is sacrificed to luxury.

Population. The general population of South America, being as already mentioned, about 13,600,000, it is probable that the Spanish possessions contain about 9,000,000. The use of spiritous liquors, and the small pox, with another endemial disease, which acts at intervals like a pestilence, obstruct the increase of the natives. The Spaniards and Creols are fur more numerous in New Spain, than in South America, where it is probable that they do not exceed 2,000,000. The product of the mines of South America is supposed to be about 4,000,000/. sterling yearly; and the royal revenue perhaps amounts to 800,000/. But in Spain according to Mr. Townsend, the colonies are scarcely considered as affording any free income to the crown; when all the expenses incurred on their account are duly estimated.

Manners Ann Customs. The manners of the Spaniards in South America have been illustrated in many popular books of voyages. Among the native nations, the Peruvians are by far the most interesting, having in some instances advanced nearer to civilization than the Mexicans. The Llama, which may be called a small camel, had been rendered subservient to their industry; and their buildings, erected of stone still remain*. The history of the Peruvian monarchs is indeed vague and unsatisfactory, the noted Quipos somewhat resembling the Wampum of the North Americans, being brief and transitory records. The government of the Incas was a kind of theocracy, and the inhabitants revered a divine descent, not claimed by the Mexican monarchs. The religion of the Peruvians was that of love and beneficence; while the Mexicans seem, in their cruel rites, to have been wholly influenced by the fear of malignant deities. Some sacrifices cf the smaller animals, and offerings of fruits and flowers, formed the chief rites of Peruvian superstition. The Mexican monarchy was founded by the sword, the Peruvian by superiority of wisdom; and the captives taken in war were not immolated, but instructed in the arts of civilization. An excellent writer justly pronounces, that the Peruvians had advanced far beyond the Mexicans, both in the necessary arts of life, and in such as have some title to the name of elegantf. Manures and irrigation were not unknown, though a kind of mattock formed the chief instrument of agriculture. Their edifices were sometimes of bricks hardened in the sun; but others were constructed of large stones, the walis however never exceeding twelve feet in height. The great roads between Cuzco and Quito are indeed slight and perishable, when compared with European exertions, yet become wonderful, when estimated with the other parts of savage America. Their weapons and ornaments also displayed no small degree of skill, particularly in cutting

"While (says Mr. Pinkerton) of the earthen edifices of the Mexicans, even the ruins have perished." This is not correct. We have already seen, that many of the buildings of the Mexicans were of stone; and of these the ruins are still visible in various parts of America. B.

^ Robertson, iii. 209.

and piercing emeralds, a gem of great hardness. Amidst all these laudable qualities, it is to be regretted, that superstition led them to sacrifice numerous victims on the death of a chief, and a favourite monarch was sometimes followed to the tomb by a thousand slaughtered servants*. Had the conquest of America been effected by the Spaniards at a period like the present, when European warfare has lost half of its ferocity, the Peruvian monarchy might have been respected and preserved, for in the other parts of South America there is a superabundance of the precious metals to satiate the utmost wish of avarice. Whether the ruling people be chiefly cut off, or from the mere depression of slavery, it is impossible to discover in the manners of the Peruvian natives any marks of their ancient advancement.

Language. The language of the ruling people in Peru was called the Quichua, and it is still cultivated by the Spanish clergy, as indispensable in the conversion of the natives. The sounds b, i/ /, g, r, are wanting; but when the Spanish grammarians add the x and z, they forget that their own x is an h, or *A, and their r is equally expressed by 9. The granimar of this language, and it is said even that of the Tehuels, is nearly as variegated and artificial as the Greek, whence our wonder at the refinement of the Sanscrit may perhaps suffer considerable abatement. As specimens of this celebrated dialect of the Incas are very rare, a few shall here be selected.

A'system somewhat similar to this prevailed among the Natchez of North America. B.

From the Arte y Vocabulario en la lengua general del Peru, Ilamada Quichua. Loy Reyes (Lima) 1614, 12mo. pen. ant. The Quichua is said to have been a new language established by the Incas. The total abolition of any words held ominous by the savages of South America is a singular circumstance in the history of language. See Dobrizhoffer, ii. It is also singular that the sound mb as Mbaa seems only known in Africa and America. Humboldt observes that the language of the Caribs is general in latitude ten degrees, that of the Marisi'ans towards the equator. Pinkerton....The sound mb is not peculiar to Africa and America. Instances of it occur in some siatic languages. B.

Coiba signifies a lake, and mama is mother.

CITIES. The chief cities in Spanish South America are Lima the metropolis, Buenos Ayres, and Bogota. Lima was founded by Pizarro who called it the Ciudad de los Reyes, probably because the foundation was laid on the 6th January, the festival of the three kings. It is supposed to contain 54,000 inhabitants, little above a third part of the population of Mexico. The situation is in a pleasant and spacious vale, near a small river. The great square contains the viceroy's palace, and the cathedral. The streets are generally paved, and enlivened with little canals led from the river; but the houses are low on account of the frequent earthquakes. The churches and convents are rich and numerous, and there is an university of some reputation. Rain is seldom or never seen, the clouds being attracted by the summits of the Andes. The most dreadful earthquake seems to have been that of 1747, when the port of Callao was totally submerged, and of 4000 inhabitants only 200 escapedf.

Buenos Ayres was founded in 1535, receiving its name from the salubrity of the air. The population is supposed to be about 33,000. It is the great resort of passengers from Spain, who thence cross the country by Cordova and Tucuman to Potosi, there being an uninterrupted post-road, with post-houses, and relays of horses and carriages, across the country to Peru^. Bogota is rarely visited by travellers,

*They want B, D, F, G, R, X, Z, yet the R is here, but it is to be softly pronounced. It is declined by altering the terminations, as Runa a man, Runap of a man, Runapac to a man, &c. Tha verbs have also moods and conjugations, the terminations sometimes extending to great length.

f Cuzco is nearly equal in size to Lima, and most of the houses are neatly built of stone. It was the ancient capital of the Peruvian monarchy. See Ulloa, liv. vii. c. xii.

Montevideo is the only good port on the Parana, and is more strongly fortified than Buenos Ayres. Falkner, p. 64. An account of Buenos Ayres may be found in the Monthly Magazine, March 1802, from the Viager* Universal.

and little is known, except its position on a stream which joins th* river Magdalena.

Of the other chief towns Carthagena contains 25,000 souls; and Potosi about the same number*; Popayan above 20,000; Quito 5»,000; Kiobambu and Guayaquil about 18,000 each; Cuenza about 26,000. Other places of note are St. Jago, Conception, and Mendoza, in Chili; Santa Fe on the Parana, Oruro, La Paz, Arequipa, Truxillo and Pasto in Peru; Panama, Maracaybo, Caracas, and St. Thome or Guayana in the north. The manufactures of Spanish South America are inconsi derable, being chiefly coarse woolen cloths for the Indians and negroes, some cottons, hats, drinking glasses, &c.

Commerce. Among the exports are sugar, cotton, cocoa, Peruvian bark and Vicuna woolf. But the chief exports are from the mines, of which the following statements are given by Helms. Front the official registers it appears that the coinage in Spanish America, from the first day of January to the last day of December 1790 was as follows.

So Robertson; but Helms, p. 121, computes the inhabitants of Potosi at 100,000 including the slaves. Hence this city would seem to be the most populous and flourishing in all the Spanish territory of South America. La Paz, according to Helms, has more fhan four thousand hearths, or twenty thousand inhabitants, being an elegant and clean town, chiefly trading in the noted tea of Paraguay. The population of Cuzeo, the ancient capital, is also considerable, p. 145.

f Mercurio Petuana. Lima 1791.

The piastre, not now coined, is generally valued at three shillings and sixpence, being at Madrid computed at eight rials, while the dollar of ten rials is etimated at four shillings and sixpence. The following is the state of the mines in the new vice-royalty of Buenos Ayres, as reported by Helms.