The Diary of Heinrich Witt

The Diary of Heinrich Witt Volume 9 Edited by Ulrich Mücke LEIDEN | BOSTON Ulrich Muecke - 9789004307247 Downloaded from Brill.com10/10/2021 05:09:24AM via free access [1] Volume IX. [2] Commenced in Lima, on the 26th April 1880, by Mr. Neat Ladd Residence in Lima. Thursday, 13th of March 1879. A few days back I lent Alejandro, of my own funds, S15,000, at 1% monthly, upon some ground in Miraflores, measuring 54,000 square varas, which some time ago he had bought from Domingo Porta. At 2 o’clock I went by the Oroya train to Callao; when there, accompanied by Mr. Higginson, to the store of Grace Brothers & Co., to purchase some duck, “lona”, which I required for the curtains, or “velas”, in my Chorrillos rancho, those which I had bought several years back, at the same time as the rancho itself, having become torn and useless; various samples were shewn me, however I made no purchase, because, as the salesman told me, of the quality best adapted, they had several bales aboard a vessel in the bay, from which they could not be landed for eight or ten days. Enriqueta was again ill with migraine, and kept her bed; neither did I go in the evening to the salita, where Garland played rocambor with his friends. Friday, 14th of March 1879. Ricardo read me an article from the Cologne Gazette which said that the plague which had committed great ravages mostly in the vicinity of Astrakhan, owed its origin to the clothes and other articles, which, torn off on the field of battle from half putrefied corpses, had been carried by the Cossacks to their homes on their return from the late Turco- Russian war. Garland, Enriqueta and the little girls went by 2 o’clock train to Chorrillos. As soon as [_] had left I called upon Mrs. Rafael Velarde and [. .] to which ladies I said [_] [3] the name of Mr. and Mrs. Garland and in my own that we should be most happy if they would favour us with a visit whilst we were in Chorrillos whenever it was convenient to them. Several times I had to go to the Chorrillos terminus to look after the luggage; I did not rest till I saw it fairly sent off, and thus it was nearly five before I got home. The new Pope Leo XIII was the subject of an article in the “Eclectic” read to me to-day by Bryson. By the 6.15 train I went out to Chorrillos; (by this train I henceforth intended to go) when I arrived it was nearly dark. The luggage had safely reached our rancho, and though Enriqueta and the servants had been very busy, much still remained to be done. The Batchelors had by no means left the rancho in such a clean state as we had expected, the kitchen shockingly dirty, some plates and dishes unwashed, ewers and chambers without handles, and so on. Instead of © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ��6 | doi ��.��63/9789004307�47_00� This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the prevailing CC-BY-NC License at the time of publication. Ulrich Muecke - 9789004307247 Downloaded from Brill.com10/10/2021 05:09:24AM via free access 2 the diary of heinrich witt a large wash-hand basin and a ewer of a proportionate size, we found a basin and ewer ridicously small. We dined at a late hour with Ricardo and Antonio, and before my lying down the former read to me a little in German. Saturday, 15th of March 1879. My bedroom was the same as last year, that which was formerly Mariquita’s; that contiguous to it was now occupied by Maria, accompanied by a black servant-girl Maria, lately engaged by Enriqueta. Garland, Enriqueta, Corina, and the other servants, had the same rooms as in former years, and, finally, that which was Juan’s when here was now arranged for Ricardo and Enrique. I was awake by six, and at seven I started for the highest point of Moro Solar, which, walking very, very slowly, I reached in 55 minutes [. .] for five minutes, and then [. .] [4] the sky was overcast, it was rather warm, and I felt quite tired. When I got home I lay down on my bed and listened to Ricardo’s reading till it was breakfast time. The train of 11.15 took me back to Lima. At a little past one I was in the office of the Banco Hipotecario, where, in conformity with the statutes, even the Suplentes Francisco Paz-Soldan and Calisto Pfeiffer were present, for we had to treat on the loan to be made to Zavala, which amounted to about S300,000. After all, Candamo, one of the Directors, sent word that he could not come, and we therefore broke up without having done anything. Carlos Prevost had applied to the Municipality for permission to illumine Lima by means of the Electric light. In Chorrillos I found Enriqueta quite tired, really knocked up, so occupied had she been the whole day long. Garland, unwell, went to bed immediately after dinner. Alejandro came: I talked with him for half an hour, and by the 8.45 train I returned to Lima; where I at once retired to rest. Sunday, 16th of March 1879. I was awake by six. At seven I was with my flowers in the pantheon, a little past eight at the barber’s, and half an hour later again in bed. I rose at a little past ten and made my breakfast upon a tumbler of cold water, three small biscuits, and a diminutive piece of chocolate. Bryson came as usual and read to me the “Nacional”, by which we learned that in Italy, [_] the Mediterranean ports of France, measures had [. .] to prevent the spreading of the Ast[_] [5] [_]han plague. We were occupied with my old diary of April 1876, and by the 3 o’clock train I went to Chorrillos, where I found Garland rather indisposed, and the servant Juan ill in bed. Enriqueta gave me a cup of tea; I then looked in at General Pezet’s who the servant told me was dangerously ill, and, afterward, had a very long chat with old Mrs. Pfeiffer and her son Calisto, of course in English. At dinner, to which we sat down in the corridor at as late an hour as seven, we had the entire family Garland except Guillermo and Alejandro, also Jorge Ulrich Muecke - 9789004307247 Downloaded from Brill.com10/10/2021 05:09:24AM via free access Volume 9 3 Valle and John Urquhart. Garland rose before we broke up, and went to bed. I, well, but sleepy, followed his example at ten. Enriqueta did everything in the house, she was up early in the morning, and late at night. Monday, 17th of March 1879. During the night I suffered from diarrhœa, rose before six, Enriqueta and the little girls went to bathe, Aurelia gave me a cup of tea, a soft-boiled egg, some bread and butter, and by the 7.15 train I returned to Lima, where from 8 to 10 Guillermo wrote my cash journal for November and December of last year. From 10 to 12 I felt sleepy and knew not what to do. At noon Davies came, he first read to me the “Nacional” of last night, filled with invectives against Chile. On the 1st inst. Hilarion Daza, provisional President of Bolivia, had given two decrees, the one which ordered all Chilians to leave the country, and to deposit in the Bolivian Treasury all net profits arising from mines worked and other enterprises undertaken by them. The second decree reduced all salaries above 300 dollars (Bolivian) annually paid by the Government to the employés, viz. from 300 to 5000 dollars, 10, 20, 25% progressively, and those above 5000 dollars, 33 1/3%. When we had done with the “Nacional” he read Prescott’s “Ferdin [. .] Isabella”. At two Bryson [. .] [6] Thermometer at 2.30, in my office, 80° F. I returned to Chorrillos by the 6.15 train, dined by myself, for the others had just done. We had a visit from Henry Higginson, and at somewhat past ten all went to bed. Yesterday there had been a numerous gathering of the students in the college of San Carlos, and of the other young Peruvians who had been invited to join them. Many speeches were made full of patriotism, of good feelings for the Bolivians and ill-will towards the Chilians. Upon the whole they had behaved with moderation. Tuesday, 18th of March 1879. For the last three days I had been up at six. To-day I rose somewhat later, without having been able to sleep after daybreak. Enriqueta and the little ones were again in the water at an early hour. I intended not to take any sea-baths because, drawing a conclusion from the complaint of water in my knee from which I suffered the year before last, and from the severe attack of fever and ague last year, I was of opinion that, at my advanced age, the reaction, which means the returning warmth, was delayed too long after my body had been thoroughly cooled by the sea water, so that my frame, instead of being strengthened, was actually injured. I went to Lima at 11.15. At a little past one the five Directors and the two Suplentes of the Banco Hipotecario, together with the two shareholders Dionisio Derteano and J.

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