Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE PERUVIAN SEA-COAST. Navigation along the Pacific Coast—Panama to Callao—The Ayacuuho —Recent Impulse given to the Coasting Trade by British Maritime Enterprise—The Paci fie Steam Navigation Company—The Colombian Coast—TheCoastof Ecuador—TheCoastof Peru—Crossing the Line —The Weather on the Coast—Cold and Darkness in the Tropics— The Estuary of the Guayas—Tropical Scenery—Guayaquil—The Republic of Ecuador—Quito—Scenery on the Peruvian Coast— Paita, Eten, Pacosmayo—Physical Formation of Peru—The Sea-coast or Western Region—The Table-land on the Andes—The Montana or Eastern Slope of the Mountains—Projected Railway across the Andes to the Navigable Part of the Eastern Rivers—The Oroya Line —The Cuzco and Titicaca Line—Railways on the Coast— Barrenness of Peruvian Mountains—Fertility of the Valleys—Mineral and Agricultural Produce—The Sea the only Highway of Peru—Coasting Trade—-The Pacific Steam Navigation Company—Primitive State of Peruvian Sea-ports—Difficulties of Loading and Landing—Strange and Grotesque Scenes—Peruvian Government—Financial Embarrassment—Depreciated Currency—Railway Enterprise at a standstill even before the War—Consequences of the War—Impressment of Men for the Army—The Author's Luggage and its Carrier. Lima, November 15. From Panama, on the western side of the Isthmus, to Callao, the seaport of Lima, there is a distance of about 22 degrees of the meridian—but a run of 1532 miles. The voyage is accomplished usually in nine days, occasionallyin six, by the magnificent steamers of the English South Pacific Mail Company, which a few years ago only ran once, and then twice a month, but now leave Panama twice a week, some coasting the whole continent down to the Straits of Magellan and through the Straits to the River Plate, Montevideo, and ...