Lima, 8th August, 1823.[1]
My last letter to you was dated 9th November last, and which I hope came safely into your hands. Though the interval between my letters to you be considerable, yet I always suppose you acquainted with what occurs to me here during these intervals, through my letters to our mutual friends in Edinburgh. I therefore consider it unnecessary to go over all that has happened here since I last wrote to you, and shall confine myself to what is going forward at the present time. I am sorry that I have so much to say that may be called of an unfavourable nature. In my letter to Mr. H, from Truxillo, I stated the cause of my removal to that city, and also the favourable change which had induced me to return. I arrived safely in this place on the 2nd instant, after an absence of nearly seven weeks. I found, on my return, all that I had left behind safe, nothing had been touched. The Spanish army continued in possession of Lima just twenty-eight days, during which they did considerable injury to the place, by levying contributions, confiscating property, &c.
The amount of the loss sustained, in one shape and another, is reckoned at two millions of dollars. All the property belonging to the English merchants, which was in their own warehouses, was respected, and no loss was sustained thereon. What goods they had in the Custom house they were allowed to withdraw, upon paying a duty of forty per-cent. The other goods in the Custom-house, belonging to the natives of the country, were confiscated and sold on the spot. The favour thus experienced by the English, was owing to the intervention of the British Naval Commander in this place.[2] The Spanish General, however, intimated to the English merchants that although he had respected their property at this time, yet in future he would not do so, but would confiscate all that belonged to them, should he return again to Lima, and that thus they might consider themselves as warned beforehand, of what they might expect, I had heard in Truxillo that the Spaniards had destroyed the palace, the mint, and some other public buildings. This, however, I am happy to find, was incorrect: they have destroyed no buildings. The machinery of the mint was destroyed; and they have carried off or destroyed all the printing-presses and types they could lay their hands on. The government printing-presses and types have escaped, as they had been removed to Callao in good time. One or two presses also, belonging to private individuals, have likewise been saved, having been hid at the time the rest were carried off.
I suppose you have read (and correctly too,) in the descriptions of this city, that the churches are immensely rich in silver. This, however, is not the case at present, I assure you. They are now completely stripped of all their former grandeur in that respect. The independent government at different times ordered considerable quantities of the silver in the churches to be taken to the mint, which was accordingly done. Upon their retreat from the city on the approach of the enemy, a few weeks ago, nearly everything of silver that could be well spared from the churches, was carried to the castle in Callao, to prevent its falling into the hands of the Spaniards. This proved a proper foresight, for the enemy took almost everything that had been left in the churches, and thus thoroughly stripped them. A priest observed to me the other day, that it should seem the time is now come when God chooses to be served with less splendour, and with more humility. The observation was good; and I wish the time were indeed come when the supporters of this system would lay aside their own riches and righteousness in every respect, and would clothe themselves with the righteousness of Christ, and with true humility. That period is, I trust, advancing, although perhaps not so fast as we could wish. The Lord, however, will bring it about in due time. The way we generally wish to do things, in our impatience, is to jump to our object; or in other words, to gain our benevolent ends all at once. This, however, is not the way the Almighty has established matters in the depth of his wisdom. The end, he tells us, may be gained, yea, and shall he gained, but it can be gained only by the use of the appointed means, and by patient continuance in well doing.
The Spanish army has marched towards Arequipa along the coast. The first division under General Valdés is already at some distance, but the second division, under Canterac the Commander in chief, is only about 100 miles to the south of us. There is, however, I believe, little danger at present of his returning to Lima, as the main object of the Spaniards is to attack as early as possible the patriot army in Arequipa. That army is now of considerable strength, and much better equipped every way than the former one in that place, which was so completely defeated by the Spaniards at Moquegua. I wish the result may be favourable to the independent cause, as much certainly depends on the result.
I mentioned in my letter to Mr. H. that the Congress had been dissolved in Truxillo, and that a Senate had been appointed in its place. This was the single act of the President, and it was certainly a very bold and imprudent step, not to say anything of its injustice. The President has not yet returned to Lima, and in the mean time a strong opposition has been stirred up against him here for having dissolved the Congress. The representatives now in Lima have solemnly protested against this measure, have reinstalled themselves as the supreme council and government of the nation, and have elected the Marquis of Truxillo to exercise the executive power. What will be the result of these operations I know not. It is probable, I think, that Riva Agüero, the President, will give in, and be banished from the country for some time. It is certainly a very unfavourable time for internal disputes. A short time, I hope, will make all things wear a more smiling aspect, and may the Lord who reigneth in the earth, grant that this may indeed be our case. All things are in his hand. He ever reigneth, although his benignant hand may at times be invisible to us.
During the time I was at Truxillo, I formed the plan of visiting some of the aboriginal inhabitants of America, on the banks of the river Amazon. I had calculated that the Spaniards would keep possession of this city for about three months, and I supposed, that time would about suffice me for my intended tour. I had bought a number of glittering buttons, needles, scissors, knives, fish-hooks, ribbons, &c., for presents to the natives. I had also taken out my passport, and was arranging for setting out, when accounts reached Truxillo, that a part of the Spanish army had evacuated this city. In consequence of this, I put off my intended journey, though with regret, in order to return to my duties in this place. I have long had a desire to visit those parts, and though I have not been able to effect my object at this time, my purpose is not laid aside, but only postponed until a more favourable opportunity occur; and in the mean time I will go on collecting all the information I can, regarding those quarters. I have a considerable desire to spend the greater part of my remaining days on the banks of that great river, or on the borders of some of its tributary streams.
In the Mercurio Peruano, a work of which I dare say you have heard, there are some very interesting accounts of the entrance of the Jesuits and of the Franciscan Friars into that part of the country. Their success was various. Numbers of the missionaries lost their lives in prosecution of their object, through the cruel hands of those whom they went to instruct. At length the missions in those parts made some progress, but they never were very flourishing; and even in their best state, missions under such a system were open to many objections. One single Moravian village in the midst of some wilderness would be a more gratifying sight than all the Jesuit missions put together. Though we may thus condemn their system, because truth requires it, yet the Missionaries themselves, generally speaking, in point of zeal and devotion to their object, are worthy of great commendation, and in many instances their conduct forcibly attracts our admiration. The accounts they have published are extremely interesting. In another point of view, also, the Missionaries have done a great service, by their study of the original languages, and by the grammars and dictionaries of these which they published. The whole of these works are by the Jesuits, and not a volume has been published since their fall. These grammars and dictionaries are now extremely scarce in this place. It has cost me a great deal of labour to obtain some of them, and others I have not yet been able to procure, but hope in time to get a copy of all their writings on those subjects, as well as of the geographical works they have published.
I believe it is not generally known in Europe that a great part, the majority of the inhabitants of Peru, are of the descendants of the ancient Peruvians under the Incas. An idea, is, I believe, pretty general with you, that the Spaniards nearly exterminated this race, as they did the inhabitants of St. Domingo and Cuba. That they destroyed vast numbers of the indigenous inhabitants of this part of the world is, alas, too true still, however, the majority here are Peruvians, and not Spaniards. There are, of course, a good many of a mixed race, and on the coast there are not a few of the sons and daughters of unhappy Africa, and their descendants. The Peruvians who live in the towns on the coast, all speak the Spanish language, and know nothing of the ancient language of Peru, called the Quichua. Between the coast and the ridge of the Andes, called the Cordillera, there are many towns, the inhabitants of which generally speak the Quichua and the Spanish, with, however, a predilection for their own native tongue. On the east of the Cordillera of the Andes, the Spanish language is but little spoken, and both Peruvians and Spaniards speak the Quichua. It is spoken, of course, with more or less purity, in these different places, a circumstance to be fully expected of an unwritten language, and among an uneducated people. I have had my attention turned to those parts of this country where the Quichua language is spoken ever since I came to Peru. I have had a great desire to communicate, in one way or another, to this ancient people, the blessings of education and the light of the Sacred Word. The Spaniards have kept them in the lowest state of mental existence, and it may be truly said, that under the Incas, the Peruvians were less ignorant, and more virtuous, than they are at this day. At the time the Spaniards (these enemies of knowledge) drove us from our post here, on their entrance into Lima, we had in our school two descendants of the ancient Peruvians studying our system, with a view to carry instruction among their countrymen; whilst another of the same people was actually engaged in translating one of the Gospels into the Quichua language. I hope we shall be able to muster our forces again, and to go on in this good work. Pray for us that the blessing of the Almighty may be upon us, to crown us with speedy and certain success.
[1] James Thomson. Letters on the Moral and Religious State of South America. (London: James Nisbet, 1827), pp.89-97. Written to a friend in Edinburgh, also 9 Nov 1822. Tabernacle?
[2] Captain Henry Prescott, HMS Aurora (later Sir Henry Prescott) BM