GUANCAVELICA, containing an area of about 10,000 square miles, and lying east from Lima, with Tarma north and Guamanga south-east, is a mountainous t egion, which has been rendered remarkable from one of the most extensive mines of quicksilver yet discovered in America. Though lying between S. lat. 11° 40' and 14° 30', it is a cold, and in many places a frozen region. The city of Guancavelica from which the province is named, is perhaps the most elevated town ever inhabited by man. It is upwards of 12,3.0 feet above the ocean level, and the quicksilver mines of Santa Barbara, in the vicinity, are 2200 feet still higher. The population of this aerial city, thomOt greatly diminished in number, still ex ceeds live thousand souls. The valley and plains corn posing Lie province of Guancavelica, are drained by the Jauja, Bangara, and other rivers forming the higher north-western branches of the Apurimac. The whole province is about 200 miles by 40 miles ; area 8000 square miles, with a collective population of 30,917, of whom only 2341 were whites.
GuAmmvon has Guancavelica and the southern part of Lima west, Arequipa south, Cuzco cast, and the plains of the Apurimac north and north-cast. The central and civilized settlements of this province are contiguous to Guamanga the capital. The whole province contained in 1795, 111,256 inhabitants, of whom only 5378 were whites, and the residue 75,284 Indians, 29,621 Mestizoes, 943 Mulattoes, and 30 slaves. This province is about 300 miles by 60 miles ; area 18,000 square miles.
The name of the principal river flowing from Gua manga explains the nature of the country ; it is called the Pampas, or river of the plains. The capital contain ing 26,000 souls, occupies an unhealthy situation on a confluent of the Bangara river, at S. lat. 13° 8', and 250 miles S. E. by E. from Lima.
Cuzco, a city containing about 40,000 inhabitants, the ancient seat of the Incas of Peru, is situated at the foot of a ridge of the Andes, at S. lat. 13° 41', and by the road of Guamanga, 550 miles S. E. by E. from Lima. Simi lar to other Peruvian provinces, that of Cuzco is far from being easily defined, but as laid down on our maps, it is bounded west by Guamanga and Arequipa, south-east by the United provinces of Rio de la Plata, and the lake of Chucuito, and north by a country yet in the possession of native Indian tribes. It is about 350 miles long from
north to south, being between S. lat. 12° 50' and 17° 50', with a mean width of 135, and area 47,250 square miles. Aggregate population in 1795, 216,382, of whom 31,828 were whites.
The province of Cuzco is one of the most diversified, not only of Peru. but of the earth. High and precipit ous chains of mountains are separated by deep vallies or by elevated plains, from which the Jambari, Vilcabamba, Apurimac and other rivers flow to the north, and many bria but rapid currents rush into the lake of Chucuito. The latter is a Caspian on a small scale, of about 180 miles from south-cast to north-west, and with a very irre gular outline. It is in fact a mountain basin, similar to to Bohemia in Europe, and Mexico in North America, with the exception, that the two latter have their outlets broken, and the former has no issue for its imprisoned waters. Between lake Chucuito, and the Pacific Ocean at S. lat. 16° are the extreme sources of the Lauricocha, or main stream of the A mazon.
AnEoutrA cloves the Peruvian provinces to the south, having the Pacific Ocean south west, Lima north-west, Guamanga north, Cuzco north-east, the United Provin ces of Rio de la Plata smith east, and the Chilean desert of Alacamas south. This province is a long and narrow strip along the Pacific Ocean between S. lat. 15° and 21° 27', but extending from south-east to north-west, the actual length exceeds 600 miles; breadth inland not ex ceeding a mean of 40 miles; the area 24,0J0 square miles. • Arequipa, the capital, is an inland town of considera ble note, containing a population of 24,000 souls, situated at the western foot of the Andes, at S. lat 16° 20'. The commercial capital is Arica on the Pacific, through which, a trade is maintained with the inland provinces. It stands at S. lat. 18° 20'. The slope of Arequipa entire, partakes so much of the general character already given of the whole Pacific coast of Peru, as not to need much far ther description. It may suffice to observe, that along the streams agriculture is more skilfully and extensively pur sued, than it is on the plateau of the Andes, where the soil is more productive, but where mines of the precious metals supersede the far more useful and really more enriching labours of the field.