The Diary of Heinrich Witt
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The Diary of Heinrich Witt Volume 4 Edited by Ulrich Mücke LEIDEN | BOSTON Ulrich Muecke - 9789004307247 Downloaded from Brill.com10/04/2021 12:07:18AM via free access [1] [2] Volume the IVth Commenced in Lima 22nd of May 1872 Continuation of Residence in Lima Sunday, 30th of August 1846. Día de Santa Rosa. Yesterday the wooden image of the Saint had been taken to the cathedral; this day it was carried in solemn procession through some of the streets. As it is the custom I had this day to congratulate those ladies of my acquaintance whose name was Rosa. In 1846 they were: Rosa Mascaro, in 1872 the unhappy wife of Andres Alvarez Calderon residing in Paris. Rosa Zevallos who lived at the time with her mother Doña Ramona and her two nieces Pola and Marga[rita]. Not a house in Lima was more visited than hers, in 1872 she has entirely withdrawn from good society. Doña Rosa Ofelan unmarried and highly insignificant, sister of the excellent bishop of the same name, in 1872 dead. Rosa Quiros, a very nice young girl, daughter of Don Francisco and Doña Rafaela, in 1872 married but not happily to a relation of hers Peligrin. I also called upon Mrs. Barton where I found quite as many visitors as at Rosa Zevallos’; Pflücker dined with us, and being in excellent spirits was a most agreeable guest. Monday, 31st of August 1846. The saint’s day of Don Ramon Castilla, President [_] the Republic, was kept as if it were a holid [. .] 12 o’clock Hellm [. .] [3] palace to congratulate the President. He, in full general’s uniform, two medals on his breast, and with his well known big boots, whence the nick- name given him by the English of “Old boots”, was setting near a table; we went up to him, shook hands, he inquired for my wife’s health, and requested us to take a a seat. Along the wall sat many civilians, natives, the one with a more ugly phiz than the other; Castilla frequently interrupted by new comers amongst whom many military men, held forth on peace, finances, huano, etc., to which speech nobody paid the slightest attention. We remained about half an hour, again shook hands, and walked away, a very stupid affair, indeed. In the evening C. Pflücker sent word and begged my wife to come and see him, for as the messenger said, he was very unwell in bed. Of course Mariquita and I went. For a certainty he was in bed; Cristobal Armero sat at his bed-side, Doña Jesus-Armero, wife of the latter, with whom my wife was on bad terms for many years, was also in the room. Pflücker said he was on the point of dying; accordingly he had made his will, in virtue of which he bequeathed half of the love which he bore to Doña Jesus, to my wife and vice versa; next the two ladies had to shake hands and to embrace, which I am sure neither did with a good will; another point still remained to be settled: who was to pay the first visit? © 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.com10/04/2021 12:07:18AM via free access 2 the diary of heinrich witt Chance was to decide the question, a win was tossed up, head or tail; Doña Jesus guessed well, and my wife had now to pay the first visit, but I doubted whether she would do it. Champagne and cakes were brought in and Pflücker drank to the reconciliation of his two friends. Of course his illness was all sham. From Tuesday, 1st to Tuesday, 8th of September 1846. The time passed very quietly and heavily. Ever since the days of my childhood I had not been accustomed to be idle; in school, in College, in the Counting-house my masters kept me at work, and to do myself justice, I was not given to laziness. In South-America, after the lapse of a few years, I became partner of Gibbs, and then it was my own interest to work hard; after I left [_]m, I spent several years in travelling. Now all this was over and it was [_] natural that after the continual excitement of the last few years I should [. .] more the tedium of the monotonous life of Lima. I also repented [. .] from the House of Gibbs in 1842 [. .] [4] they were commencing the huano business which gradually became of vast importance and proved a source of incalculable gain to the Firm and consequently to all its members. The unconquered desire which I felt to revisit my native place, after an absence of 21 years, was just and legitimate, but I should have inquired, which I omitted to do, whether I might not have absented myself for a year or 18 months, without losing my situation in the House. This Eck did; soon after my return, he went to Europe, left some one in his stead to do his work, and on his return resumed his old place, without ceasing all the while to be a partner, and to have his share in the profits. Such furloughs have in after years been granted, on various occasions to the partners both of Gibbs and Huth; but as already said, in 1842 I had no idea that it could be done; Hayne did not know it either, or if he knew, did not tell me of it, though I must do him the justice to say that he tried to dissuade me, but in vain; “la mina esta en boya” and “you do wrong to leave the concern at this very moment”, these were his words. These and similar thoughts often put me in bad humour, and were the cause of the low spirits which depressed my otherwise elastic mind. On Wednesday the 2nd of Sept., Pfeiffer gave a large evening party to which we were not invited. On Friday the 4th C. W. Schutte arrived from Islay on board “la Belle Poule”. I cannot say that he was overwelcome to me who had to give up to him my bed-room, the same as last time. Difficulties had arisen relative to the conclusion of his contract with the Government above spoken of, which he thought he alone could overcome, and in this perhaps he was right. Early in the forenoon of Sunday 6th I had a visit from Mr. Ewitt, North- American Chargé d’Affaires. With him I went to see José Canevaro who had just been named by the Sardinian government Consul General in Perú, in lieu Ulrich Muecke - 9789004307247 Downloaded from Brill.com10/04/2021 12:07:18AM via free access Volume 4 3 of Barratta, which latter has lost his situation owing to revelations founded or unfounded made by his secretary arrested in Turin, affecting his integrity. Having mentioned the name of Canevaro, I think it worth my while to give a short sketch of his life, as far as I am acquainted with it. He himself told me that when quite a young fellow he was a cabin-boy on board of a slaver which was chased and taken by an English man-of-war; in the scuffle a handspike was run through his hand of which he showed me the cicatrice still visible. On account of his tender age he was pardoned. Some years later (this I know from a gentleman in San Tomas) a young man dressed like a sailor came to this gentleman’s store and requested to buy a few trifles on credit, which he obtained on condition that, as he was taking those articles to [_]ama, he should bring back straw hats to the storekeeper. This young man was [. .] pleased with his honesty [. .] [5] to a larger extent. Such was the foundation of José Canevaro’s business in Panama; from Panama he removed to Guayaquil, where he formed partnership with another Italian, Palmieri; about the year 1832 both came to Lima, married two sisters, daughters of another Italian Feliz Valega, and soon separated. Each had already a small capital, both did business, both made money, but Canevaro tho’ an illiterate man and without education, soon left Palmieri behind him in his mercantile career, and became one of the wealthiest men in Lima. To his numerous family he gave the best education, his sons have married into good Lima families, his two eldest daughters have become the wives of two highly respectable Italian noblemen Migliorati and Cigali, and he himself resident in Paris, has bought the title of Count. With him I went to see his intimate friend Don José Conde-Marin who lived opposite our House in the Calle del Correo. For sometime he had been Prefect in Trujillo, and whilst there had formed a pretty collection of ancient Indian earthenware, vessels of various kinds and shapes, generally found underground and mostly in the artificial mounds called “Huacas” which were the Indians burial-places. Afterwards I called with Mr. Schutte on Dr. Mariano Alejo Alvarez, President of the Supreme Court of Justice; here we found general Mariano Sierra, my wife’s brother, between whom and my family some coolness existed, nevertheless we conversed with each other as gentlemen ought to do, and amongst other things, he gave us an account of an operation performed on his eyes by the French surgeon Dunglass.