A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels - Volume 05: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels - Volume 05: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
Every thing in Peru being now reduced to good order, the president gave
permission to all the citizens and other inhabitants of the country, who
had hitherto served in his army, to retire to their homes, to look after
the re-establishment of their private affairs, which had, suffered great
injury from the unavoidable losses experienced during the rebellion, and
their own necessary expences in the field. He likewise sent off several
officers with detachments upon new discoveries, and appointed the
licentiate Carvajal lieutenant-governor of Cuzco, taking up his own
residence at Lima, which was the seat of government. About this time an
hundred and fifty Spaniards arrived at the city of La Plata, having
travelled all the way from the mouth of the Rio Plata under the command
of Domingo de Yrala to that part of the country which had formerly been
discovered by Diego de Royas, and were now come into Peru to solicit the
president to appoint some one to act as governor of the country on the
Rio Plata which they proposed to settle. He accordingly nominated Diego
de Centeno to that new government, with authority to raise as many more
men as he could procure, to enable him to complete the discovery and
conquest of that country. When all their preparations were completed,
and they were on the point of setting out on the march, Centeno died,
and the president appointed another captain in his place.
The Rio Plata, or River of Silver, derives its source from the high
mountains continually covered with snow which lie between the cities of
Lima and Cuzco[40]. From these mountains four principal rivers flow,
which derive their names from the provinces through which they pass. The
Apurimac, Vilcas, Abancay, and Jauja. This last derives its source from
a lake in the province of Bombon[41], the most level and yet the highest
plain in all Peru, where accordingly it snows or hails almost
continually. This lake is quite crowded with small islands, which are
covered with reeds, flags, and other aquatic plants, and the borders of
the lake are inhabited by many Indians.
[Footnote 40: Zarate is extremely erroneous in his account of the
sources of the Rio Plata. All the streams which rise from the Peruvian
mountains in the situation indicated, and for seven or eight degrees
farther south, and which run to the eastwards, contribute towards the
mighty Maranon or River of the Amazons.--E.]
[Footnote 41: This is an egregious mistake; the Rio Jauja rises from the
lake of Chinchay Cocha in the province of Tarma, and runs _south_ to
join the Apurimac. The river Guanuco rises in the elevated plain of
Bombon, and runs _north_ to form the Gualagua, which joins the
Lauricocha or Tanguragua.--E.]
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