this once well peopled and flourishing country now depopulated to an almost incredible degree, may by a review of what has passed up to the present time, satisfy themselves of the probability of the Indians regaining possession of the territory of which their ancestors were so rudely deprived. What the population of the country we have seen, which was the most flourishing portion of the ancient empire, really was, does not appear to be well known. After visiting however many of the towns and villages in the country, and the ruins of many splendid palaces and fortresses which it once possessed, and consulting the historians of the time of the conquest, before which we are informed it was not difficult for the Incas to raise in a very short time an army of 300,000 men, besides a numerous reserve, and considering that it is now difficult to obtain 10,000 soldiers, we may form some idea of the difference between the population at the era of the conquest and at the present time; but it is difficult for us to conceive how the immense depopulation of which we have the proofs, could have taken place within the three centuries which have transpired. We must however bear in mind, one or two of the known sources of this calamity. First the massacres wantonly committed by the conquerors, after this the voluntary deaths of numbers to escape the labour to which they were condemned, and next, the diseases which always break out where one nation in advance of another, either mingles with, or conquers, an inferior race. To these must be added the forced labour of the Indians in the mines, which, if there be any truth in the reports of historians, must have destroyed three or four times the number of those who have perished from all the other causes together. There is however a period to the duration of every evil. The Indians are no longer massacred; and it is quite certain that they have ceased to be more subject than the Europeans to the influence of the diseases introduced among them. They no longer commit suicide, and no forced labour is now required of them. Thus their numbers at this time, are certainly, though slowly, on the increase. The whole population of Peru, does not now indeed exceed a million and a half; nevertheless it is quite clear that the Indian portion is more on the increase, than that of the whites, and from their known capacity, it seems quite natural to expect that they will one day be again the dominant people in Peru. CHAP. XXIX. VOYAGE TO PANAMA. - PANAMA. -THE ISTHMUS. Impositions upon Travellers. — Touch at Payta. Character of the Country. Guayaquil. - Island said to abound in Gold. Proceedings of the Gold-hunters. — Arrival at Panama.- Town of Panama.— North American Church Service. -A picturesque Scene.- Untoward The Isthmus of Panama. Accident Preparations for Departure. - - Climate.- Fertility of the Soil.-Productions. -Departure.- My Companions. Badness of the Road. -Distress of the Ladies. Road getting worse. — Meeting with Travellers. — Arrival at the Rancho. - Our Accommodations. - Ladies change their Mode of Travelling. A Native Shed inhabited. Our Reception by the Meet Travellers.- An English Party.-Difficulty of the Way. Increasing Cares about the Mules.-Arrival at Cruses. Scarcity of Provisions. Natives. - Sup on Mule's Flesh. On the 20th of November I returned to Callao, where I embarked for Panama, after paying fifteen dollars for my permit to depart, an exaction which the reader will no doubt agree with myself in considering as not very creditable to the government of the Republic. The mention of this reminds me of an occurrence which took place here while I was at Lima. I did not indeed hear all the particulars, but I shall report what reached my ears. A ship from the United States bound to California with many passengers on board, putting into this port to purchase refreshments, the greater part of the passengers landed to view the town, without a question being asked them, and quite ignorant of there being any necessity for a permit to re-embark. On their return however to the beach, they found they were not allowed to go on board without this permit, for which they were told, every one would have to pay the sum I was obliged to pay. The surprise of the whole party at this glaring imposition may be easily imagined when we remember the voyage upon which they were bound. It could not even reasonably be supposed that they all had such a sum of money with them. This communication therefore was no sooner made, than they came to the resolution of fighting their way on board in the best manner they could; so arming themselves with sticks and stones, they seized two of the boats that were at the beach, and in the face of the armed guard who did not attack them, rowed off to the ship; and as it happened that the captain was on board, he got under weigh immediately, and before notice reached the fort, the ship was out of reach of the guns on shore. On the 21st of the month we touched at Payta, where we had no opportunity of landing, but we heard that the little town was like that of Pisco. We were only able to observe that the country behind the buildings of the town was composed of rocky barren heights, similar to those we had been so long accustomed to look upon. Two days after this, we entered the gulf of Guayaquil, where the scenery was so much changed as to be agreeable. Instead of the almost constant sterile mountains, and narrow sandy plains of the coasts of Peru, we had now before us, broad lowlands with abundance of green trees. After threading the narrow channels of a wide river, we anchored at about the distance of a mile off the town of Guayaquil. We were, however, only the bearers of some passengers and a mail, and none of those who were to proceed had the opportunity of landing. From our deck we observed a row of tolerably good houses fronting the long quay. But after the desert scenes upon which we had so long gazed, our eyes were most refreshed by the sight of the country around, which indicated fertility, such as I had not until now seen on the continent of South America. Early on the morning of the 24th we passed the island of Gornona, which is said to abound in gold. There were many stories told by some of our passengers, of rather a novel character concerning the adventures of people who had visited this island in search of the precious metal. Among others it was related, that some Frenchmen had been very successful in their undertaking. On the return of some of the party they were stated to have obtained gold to the value of two hundred thousand francs. But it was said that they were finally driven away, by the reptiles with which the island abounds, and were all lost with their treasure on their passage to the mainland. We heard also, some tales of the pearl fishery on the coast of this island, which is said to be the best of any yet known. Whatever might be the value of the island for its mineral riches, it was certainly a beautiful object. It |