Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 18.djvu/706

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674 PERU Popula tion. Huamalies abound in species yielding the grey bark of commerce, which is rich in chinchonine, an alkaloid effica cious as a febrifuge, though inferior to quinine. With the chinchona trees grow many kinds of Melastomacese, especi ally the Lasiandra, with masses of purple flowers, tree-ferns, and palms. In the warm valleys there are large planta tions of coca (Erythrojrylon Cora), or CUCA (see vol. vi. p. 684), the annual produce of which is stated at 15,000,000 ft>. The other products of these warm valleys are most ex cellent coffee, cocoa, sugar, tropical fruits of all kinds, and gold in great abundance. In the vast untrodden forests farther east there are timber trees of many kinds, incense trees, a great wealth of india-rubber trees of the Hevea genus, numerous varieties of beautiful palms, sarsaparilla, vanilla, ipecacuanha, and copaiba. The abundant and varied fauna is the same as that of the Brazilian forests. Population. The earliest reliable enumeration of the people of Peru was made in 1793, when there were 617,700 Indians, 241,225 mestizos (Indian and white), 136,311 Spaniards, 40,337 negro slaves, and 41,404 mulattos, giv ing a total of 1,076,977 souls, without counting the wild Indians of the montaiia. The ecclesiastics numbered 5496, including 1260 nuns. This tells a sad story of depopu lation since the fall of the Yncas, to which the abandoned terraces on the mountain-sides, once highly cultivated, bear silent testimony. In 1862 the population was officially esti mated at 2,487,716. The latest census was taken in 1876 with much care. The result was 2,673,075 souls (males 1,352,151, females 1,320,924); of these 57 percent, were Indians, 23 per cent, mestizos, and 20 per cent, of Spanish descent, negroes, Chinese, and foreigners ; so that Peru is still the country of the Ynca people. Political Political Divisions. The empire of the Yncas was divided divisions. j n t o f our mam divisions, Chinchay-suyu to the north of Cuzco, Anti-suyu to the east, Colla-suyu to the south, and Cunti-suyu to the west, the whole empire being called Ttahuantin-suyu, or the four governments. Each was ruled by a viceroy, under whom were the " huaranca-camayocs,"or officers ruling over thousands, and inferior officers, in regular order, over 500, 100, 50, and 10 men. All disorders and irregularities were checked by the periodical visits of the " tucuyricocs " or inspectors. The Spanish conquest threw this complicated system out of gear. In 1569 the governor, Lope Garcia de Castro, divided Peru into " corregimientos " under officers named "corregidors," of whom there were 77, each in direct communication with the Government at Lima. An important administrative reform was made in 1784, when Peru was divided into 7 " intendencias," each under an officer called an " intendente." These "intendencias" included about 6 of the old "corregimientos," which were called "partidos," under officers named "sub-delegados." Thus the number of officers reporting direct to Lima was reduced from 77 to 7, a great improvement. The republic adopted the same system, calling the "intendencias" " departments " under a prefect, and the " partidos " "provinces" under a sub-prefect. Peru is divided into 18 departments, 2 littoral provinces, and what is called the constitutional province of Callao. The departments contain 95 provinces. The Government recognizes 65 cities, 70 towns, 1337 smaller towns, 641 villages, 40 hamlets on the sea-coast, and 600 in the rural districts. The depart ments (going from north to south) are : Montana. Ainazonas and Loreto. Coast. Piura. Lambayeque. Libertad. Ancachs. Lima. Yea. Arequipa. Moquegua. Tacna. Sierra. Caxamarca. Huanuco. Junin. Huancavelica. Ayacucho. Apurimac. Cuzco. Puno. Towns and Seaports. The principal towns on the coast, To

except Payta, Callao, and Arica, are always some distance a n<l from the seashore. San Miguel de Piura, founded by sea P Pizarro in 1532, is on the river of the same name. The towns in all parts of Peru are built on the same plan where the ground will allow of it, in squares or "quadras," with the streets at right angles, and a quadrangular open space or "plaza," one side being occupied by the principal church, near the centre. The church usually has an orna mental facade in the Renaissance style, with two towers. The houses on the coast are flat-roofed, with folding doors to the street, leading to a court or "patio," with rooms opening on it. Piura is a town of this class. Farther south are the cities of Lambayeque, Chiclayo, and Sana. Truxillo, founded by Pizarro in 1535, is of more importance. It is of oval shape, and was surrounded by walls with fifteen bastions, built in 1686, which have recently been demolished. Besides the cathedral, seat of a bishopric founded in 1G09, there are three churches, and formerly four monasteries and a Jesuit college. Truxillo is the most important city north of Lima. To the north of Lima there are five principal ports and thirteen smaller ones. Payta has a good anchorage and exports the cotton of the Chira and Piura valleys, the anchorages of Tumbez to the north and Sechura to the south being subsidiary to it. Pimentel is the port for the valleys of Lambayeque and Chiclayo, and Eten for that of Ferrenafe, the older port of San Jos6 having been abandoned as more dangerous. Pacasmayo, also a pre carious anchorage, is the port which taps the rich valley of Jequetepeque. Farther south Malabrigo is the port for the valley of Chicama. Huanchaco was formerly the port for Truxillo, but Salaverry, a few miles to the south, has been substituted as affording a safer anchorage. San tiago de Chao and Guaiiape in the Viru district are lesser ports, the latter being resorted to by ships loading with guano at the adjacent islands. Chimbote, in the bay of Ferrol, has a good anchorage, and is important as the principal outlet for the Santa valley and the department of Ancachs. Farther south are the lesser ports of Santa, Samanco, Casma, Huarmey, Supe, Huacho, Chancay, and Ancon. Lima, the capital (see vol. xiv. p. 644), according to the census of 1876, had a population of 100,046, of whom 33,020were of European descent, 23,010 half-castes, 19,630 Indians, 15,378 foreigners, and 9008 negroes. South of Lima are the cities of Chincha and Yea, with the principal seaport of Pisco, whence the wines and spirits of the adjacent valleys are exported. The small ports of Cerro Azul and Tambo Mora export the sugars of the Canete and Chincha valleys. Farther south the exposed port of Chala, with a bad anchorage, is used for the valley of Acari and the province of Parinacochas in the mountains. South-east of Yea are the charming agricultural towns of Palpa and Nasca. AKEQUIPA (see vol. ii. p. 484), the most important coast-city south of Lima, was founded by Pizarro in 1536. South of Arequipa is the littoral province of Moquegua, with a pleasant town, the centre of a vine-growing industry. The cities of Tacna, Arica, and Iquique are in the Chilian province of Tarapaca. The ports of Arequipa were formerly Quilca, then Islay, and now Mollendo. Ylo and Pacocha, in the same bay, are the ports of Moquegua ; Sana, under the lofty headland of the same name, is a port where landing is impossible except in "balsas," and it is little used. Arica was a very important port before the Chilian invasion, as through it passed all the trade to Bolivia. Iquique and Pisagua are the chief ports of Tarapaca, the others being Junin, Mexillones, Molle, Chucumata, Patillos. In the sierra there is the same regularity in intention in laying out the plan of the towns, but it is often interfered