Perwvian worhs in Metals.

171

Chap. 18.]

though it be only forty-two years at this day since those waters forsooktheir course ; yet neither t,he loss of so necessary a provision as water,which was the refreshment of their lives, nor of that stream which sup-plied the temple of the sun, their god, could by nature or religion con-serve inthem the memory of so remarkable a particular. The truth is,that it is probable that the undertakers or master-workmen of those waterworks did communicate or make known to the priests only, the secret con-veyances of those waters ; esteeming every thing which belonged to thehonor and Service of the temple to be sacred, that it was not to be re-vealed to common ea.rs, andfor this reason perhaps the knowledge of thosewaters might dye and end with the Order of priests.”

“ At the end of six or seven months after it was lost, it happened thatsome Indian boys playing about the stream, discovered an eruption of wa-ter from the broken pipe; of which they acquainting one the other, atlength it came to the knowledge of the Spaniards, who, judging it to bethe water of the convent that had been lost and diverted from its formercourse, gave Information thereof unto the friars, who joyfully receivedthe good news, and immediately labored to bring it again into directconveyance, and conduct it to their garden. The truth is, the pipes lyingvery deep were buried with earth, so that it cost much labor and pains toto reduce it to its right channel; and yet they were not so curious or in-dustrious as to trace the fountain to the spring head. That garden whichnow supplies the convent with herbs and plants, was the garden which inthe times of the incas belonged to their palace, called the garden of goldand silver ; because, that in it were herbs and flowers of all sorts, lowerplants and shrubs, and taller trees, made all of gold and silver ; togetherwith all sorts of wild beasts and tarne, which were accounted rare andunusual. There were also stränge insects, and creeping things, as snakes,serpents, lizards, camelions, butterflies, and snails; also all sorts of strängelirds, and every thing disposed, and in its proper place with great care,and imitated with much curiosity, like the nature and original of that itrepresented. There was also a mayzall, which bears the Indian wheat ofan extraordinary bigness, the seed whereof they call quinia. Likewiseplants which produce lesser seeds, and trees bearing their several sorts offruit, all made of gold and silver, and excellently representing them intheir natural shapes. In the palace also, they had heaps or piles of Miletsand faggots made of gold and silver, rarely well counterfeited. And forthe greater adornment and majesty of the temple of their god the sun,they had cast vast figures in the forms of men and women and children,which they laid up in magazines or large chambers, called pirra; andevery year, at the principal feasts, the people presented great quantitiesof gold and silver, which were all employed in the adornment of the tem-ple. And those goldsmiths whose art and labor was dedicated to the sun,attended to no other work, than daily to make new inventions of rare work-manship out of those metals. In short they made all sorts of vessels orUtensils belonging to the temple, of gold and silver, such as pots, and pans,and pails, and fire shovels, and tongs, and every thing eise of use and Ser-vice, even their very spades and rakes of the garden were made of thelike metal.” a

The author of ‘ Italy, with sketches of Spain and Portugal, ’ Phil.1834, enumerating some of the curiosities in the museum of Madrid , re-

“Ths mission of Messrs. James, Bowdich and Hutchinson, sent by the British go-vermnent to Ashantee, found the king and all his attendants literally oppressed with embelhshments of solid gold, with which their persons were nearly covered. ‘ Even the"tost common Utensils were composed of that metal.’