Peru as It Is, Volume 2 (of 2): A Residence in Lima, and Other Parts of the Peruvian Republic, Comprising an Account of the Social and Physical Features of That CountrySmith, Archibald
History
Peru as It Is, Volume 2 (of 2): A Residence in Lima, and Other Parts of the Peruvian Republic, Comprising an Account of the Social and Physical Features of That Country
Smith, Archibald
Peru -- Description and travel
Regarding the roads of the Sierra in general, enough has been said in
the preceding pages; but of Junin, in particular, it remains for us to
observe that very laudable efforts have been lately made for improving
the roads of this department: yet no regular post-houses, with suitable
accommodations for the traveller, are anywhere established; and the
communication between the more remote provinces and Pasco is exceedingly
bad. This is a great hinderance to commerce, and leads to inevitable
delay and inconvenience in the transport of goods. However discreditable
the fact may be to the corporation of miners, so little enterprise have
they shown for the improvement of a place from which so much specie has
been sent all over the world, that it is not without great difficulty,
and loss of time and cattle, that they are able to convey the ore from
the mines to the mills in the environs of Cerro; and all because of the
miserable tracks which they use as roads. By the stream of Sacrafamilia
alone, in the immediate neighbourhood of the mines, there are no fewer
than eighty-eight ingenios or mills for grinding ore, some of which
during the dry season are at a stand-still on account of the scarcity
of water, and others at all seasons are interrupted in their work from
the irregular supply of ore consequent on the bad means of conveyance.
To obviate these great drawbacks on the industry of the miners, and
general resources of the department, the prefect, some time since,
commenced a cart-road, over which the ore might be conducted by oxen
from the mines to the mills specified, through a tract neither extensive
nor precipitous; but the undertaking was a great and a novel one for
that part of the world in the year 1833, so little had such works of
general advantage hitherto called up the attention and energies of the
inhabitants.
POSTS.
The inhabitants of Cerro Pasco have the advantage of a weekly post
between their town and the capital of the republic; and a direct
correspondence twice a month with Huanuco, the capital of the department.
By these arrangements an immediate communication is also held with the
government, and the spirit of mercantile enterprise is thereby increased;
Cerro being, as the reader may readily imagine, when the mines are highly
productive, a most stirring place, visited by men of all climes, and full
of traffic and speculation.
PUBLIC TREASURY AT PASCO.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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