to the great highway, in itself a symbol of modern civilisation, and all that it entails in the way of order, justice, and good government. CHAPTER XI “_The City of the Kings_” About 1500 miles down the coast from Panama lies Callao, the principal port of Peru, a large and busy town, by far the most imposing upon the seaboard of that country. The first town, which stood about a mile from the present one, was destroyed by an unusually violent earthquake shock in 1746. The port of to-day is fast adopting modern improvements, and most of the old mud and wickerwork houses have been replaced by substantial modern dwellings, and the docks and shipping facilities have grown to meet the increasing needs of the country. An electric tramway line connects Callao with the capital, running over a beautiful, richly cultivated plain. The road is wide and straight, and lined on either side with walls constructed with great adobe bricks. Cattle and husbandmen populate the fields, which are irrigated by many streams. “La Ciudad de las Reyes” was the name bestowed by Pizarro on the city that is to-day called “Lima,” a corruption of the Indian word “Rimac,” the name of the river upon which the capital stands. Lima retains more than any other city in Spanish America the subtle melancholy dignity so characteristic of the towns of Andalusia. The whole atmosphere is Spanish, and even the influence which the indigenous art of the conquered race had upon most of the architecture that arose in other cities after the conquest failed to make itself felt in “La Ciudad de las Reyes.” Time has not wrought many changes in the city, and it still preserves its ancient aspect. Even the architects of new buildings that have arisen have not been able to escape entirely from the old traditions, and they adopt timidly the cosmopolitan styles which have been so largely made use of in such cities as Valparaiso, Buenos Ayres, Rio, and São Paulo. The central and most important square in the city, the Plaza de Armas, is full of the old atmosphere. The long, solid building which occupies one side of the square continues to be the seat of the Republican Government, as it was formerly that of the Viceroy of Spain. The square is well shaded by leafy palms, which, in spite of the scarcity of rain, have a freshness that is astonishing, and can only be accounted for by the moist atmosphere which hovers over the city. Some years ago all the trees and shrubs in this square were cut down by order of nervous officials, who doubtless having in their minds the great tragedy enacted on this spot when Pizarro fell a victim to the conspiracy of his fellow-countrymen, saw a danger in the sheltering trees which might conceal armed assassins and conspirators against the Government. The cathedral, with its two towers and richly ornate façade, occupies the eastern side of the Plaza. It is the oldest church in the New World. The shocks of earthquakes and revolutions have failed to