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Royal ·
Comménta-ries.
BooK
IX.
CH A
P.
XXVIlI.
O/ other Fruits of
Spain,
and Sugar Canes.
1
1I T :is mófl: certain, ·that anciemly in
Peru
there were neither Figs nor Pomegra·
.l
nares., nor Oranges, nor
f
weec or fowe1'~i..emons, nor Apples, nor Pears, nor
Qginces, nor Neétarines, nor Peaches, nor Apricocks, nor Plumbs of any
fort,·
Hke
thofe in
Spain ;
onely chey have one forc of Plumb different from ours, which
rhe
Spaniards
call
Mela.,
and che
'Jndians
Vf{rm,
nor had they Melons, or Cucum–
bers; ·uor Goards, wbich we drefs and íl:ew io our Difhes. Of all chefe Fruits·
which I have named, and many ochers wbich I .cannot call to mind, chere was noc
anyforc found in
Peru,
wben che
Spaniards
at
firíl:
entred tbe Countrey, and yec
now che abundance of tbem is
fo
great, tbac cbey are noc efl:eemed ; and like che
Cartel, che number
is
fo increafed , thac che
Spaniards
thernfelves have adrnired
che plemy.
·
'
Wbeú Pomegranaces were firfl: produced in che Cicy of
los
Reyes,
they carried.
one ofchem, of a prodigious greacnefs, in proceílion, laying
it
Ílpoi:i che Pageant
of the 1111oíl: holy Sacramenc, when thac was carried in triumph on che Feíl:ival
day
.of
CorpmChri.fti.
I dare noc defcribe che bignefs ofit, leíl: I íhould be chought
to
tell a Traveller's Scory, and offend che·increduJicy of igno(ant People, who
conceive che perfefüon of ali worldly chings co be concained wichin the compafs
of cheir own Village. Howfoever ic would feem an imprudenc caucion, and too
mudo nicecy for a Man
w
forbear to relate che great Wonders of Nature, for fear
ofoffending che ignorane
fort
of Mánkind ; and therefore I fhall take_ che boldnefs
to r-eporc wirb confidence, chac che Pomegranate, of which I [peak, was as
big
as che Veffel in which chey ordinarily carried Oíl from
Seville
inco che
lndies;
and
rnany bunches of Grapes háve weighed eighc or ten pound
~
eighc, and Citrons
half a hundred, and Qiinces as big as a Man's Head. And chus rnuch for the
Fruir..,
1
Now as to other Trees and,Planes, we fhall deliver chac which is as firange
and ,wonderfull as che former.
. I fhould gladly.know che Names ·and Condicions of chofe Perfons who were
fo
cur~ous and induíl:rious as to import them inco che(e pares, tbac
fo
I might fpe–
cifie and· tecord them·1in chis Hifiory, as worchy of due Praife andHonour.
In
the Year.1580. a
Spat1i.1rd
called
Gafpar de Alcofer,
who was a rich Merchant in
the City 'of
los Reyes,
and had chere a very fair Planrarion, was the
firíl:
thac
br9ught Cherries; :md Mazards, into chac Councrey, which, as chey tell me, are
a)J :dead, ,l9y reafon of che over great care chey had of chem, aüd che many expe·
ri11Jencs chey tried to rnake chem
gro1,'.
Nor were chere anciently Sugar-Canes
in
Pei>u;-
chough now by che indufrry of che
Spániards,
and che fenjlity of che {oil,
chey are increafed
to
a loathfome plenry; chac whereas formerly they were highly
they eíl:eemed, are now become of i;io value or e/hmation.
The
firíl:
Sugar Works of
Peru
were made in
Huanacu
by
the contrivance•ofa
<:_;encleman, wich whom I was well acquainced; a Servane of his who was a fub–
r1le and ingenious Perfon, obferving che greac quancicie of Sugar which were im–
ported from
Mexico,
by reafon of which che Sugar of chat COlmtrey would not
fell co a_ny Accounc, advi[ed bisMaíl:er
to
fend one Ship's lading of his Sugar inco
N ew Spain,
that chey feeing thereby che plency of chacCommodicy in
Peru,
mighc
forbear
to
fend any more chirher; che projeét fucceeded according co expeétacion,
and now Sugar-viorks are ereéted in many places of chac Councrey.
I have been cold, tbac fome
Spaniards,
who have _been curious in Husbandry,
have engrafted che Fruics of
Spain,
upon che wild Stocks of
Peru,
to che greac ad–
mira~jpn of che
l ndians,
who have been aílonifhed to fee one of cheir own Trees
to
bear rwo, thr-ee, and four forts of Fruir in one year, which being a curioficy be–
yond che fcanrling of their Underílanding, chey have conrented themfelves wirh
the a'dmiration of ir, withouc farther fearch imo che caufe.
I am of opinion chac
Olive
s
•