A TRIP TO PERU.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 435, 17 April 1875, Page 2

A TRIP TO PERU.

A " typo " addresses the following letter to the " Panama Star and Herald :" — Owing to the report in Panama, which was greatly exaggerated, of the liberal inducements offered to journeyman printers in Peru, I was moved, by the of General Heath, then principal editor of tae (\illao and Lima Gazette, which paper was established by a joint-stock company, the second English f journal published in that republic (Mr Thomas Crawford having been the first and the pioneer in English journalism in Peru), to visit the above-named place in the early part of 1 873. Desirous of getting the most I could for my services, I without delay embarked on the steamer Chile, Captain Leslie, a gentleman and an officer of no ordinary ability. After seven days' navigation in a disabled steamer wo arrived at the port of Payta. As the steamer was beyond her time we remained but a few hours. Accompanied by a few of my brother passengers we went ashore and paid a visit to the market-place and the different public establishments. This is a most desert-looking spot — nothing but sand-hills and a sprinkling of sand-coloured houses ; not even a herb to relieve the scene. Nevertheless, it is, I believe,^ in a more flourishing condition than it looks. From the appearance of the sky the inhabitants wefe ant\ipating a shower of rain, a curiosity they hadV>t^jyoyed for many years. We did not stay *Ib«g\nough to know whether their expectations weregrfttifietl or not. After a day's steaming from Bayta,- we passed the Lobos Islands, of Parliamentarian^! guano celebrity. I used often, when reading the--V- Star and Herald," and other English newspapers, the tale they were narrating about the Lobos, to wonder where on earth they were, little expecting I should so soon be on the spot, gratifying my curiosity. Two days after leaving the Lobos, we anchored, at about 2 o'clock p.m., in the Bay of Cttlloa, a busy-looking place — flags of all nations waving in the breezo, vessels of all kinds riding at their anchorage, and the sky dim and hazy. Ii is strange that, although it never rains in this " land of the children of the sun," the sky is by no meaAs generally clear, and that the bright and cloudless bltiQ, sp often seen in other parts of the two Americas, is heveHft great rarity. We landed at about halfpast 5 p.m., at the railway station, which, like that at Navy Bay, is at the water's edge. To palliate xfifc thickness of the atmosphere when we arrived, there appeared a beautiful sunset, all crimson and gol^, making even the sand-bills and the white rocks about Callao look romantic. Twenty minutes' drive brought me to the goal of my long journey, to Lima, "the City of Kings." Accompanied by some of my board-ship friends, I proceeded on foot from the railroad station to the hotel. The station, I should mention, was formerly an old convent, now transmogrified into a worldly establishment. The first impressions m«de by Lima, in the little I have been able to see, leave a strong resemblance to Mexico (i, onecanjudge from the views exhibited of the latter place). After walking the length of a handsome street, well illuminated with gas, we suddenly emerged on the Plaza, and here I quite fancied myself irt the Aztec City. The cathedral occupied 09^ entire side of the square ; on the other three sides are rows of arcades, ranged something like the Palais BoyaWn point of gay shops and lustrous stalls, with all their wares spread out in tempting array, and 'brilliantly lit up. There was a general rush from Callao and elsewhere in these parts to witness the opening of the Grand Exposition of Peru, which was so well got up, and reflected such credit on the country and its inhabitants. Indeed, considering what there is to be seen and the\xperience to be gained from a visit to a land that ranks first on this coast in the resources of material wealth, it will not be amiss for all who can spare the time and expense to take a trip to Peru, thereby enlarging their practical knowledge, and profiting by the influences of a bland and salubrious c'imate. A Typo. Panan:a.