345 VOYAGES AND MARITIME PAPERS. THE SOUTH AMERICAN BALSA. AMONG the various contrivances produced by the ingenuity of man, for the purpose of overcoming obstacles to his pursuits, the balsa of South America may be justly considered a rude, but successful application of the most simple means. The Spanish word balsa, in a nautical sense, signifies a raft or float, and it is certainly well applied in the present instance. The use of this contrivance seems to be confined to the descendants of the Spaniards on the shores of Peru, and exposed, as the whole of that coast is, to a continual violent surf from the waves of the vast Pacific ocean, the communication with vessels in their various roadsteads would be much curtailed, were it not for the complete assistance afforded by the balsa. In the foreground of our present sketch is a representation of the balsa, seen in different positions. It is made of sealskins sewed together, so as to form a bag about eight feet long, terminating in two points, and very much resembling the shape of the North American birch canoe, excepting that it is entire, instead of being open in the upper part. Being sewed perfectly tight, it is easily inflated through a tube at one end, which is secured by ligatures. Two of these bags are then placed together, so as to make a considerable angle with each other, the ends that meet being firmly secured together, to form the prow of the balsa. At a short distance from their ends, a small plank is placed across them, for the person whose duty it is at once to guide and propel the balsa through the water, which he does with a piece of wood formed as a paddle at each end. The raft is then completed by small pieces of wood, covered with matting, secured across the whole as far as the other extremity-which serve not only as seats for passengers and goods, but also to keep the two principal parts in their proper position. Thus constructed, the balsa is ready for service, and, when on the water, is so buoyant, that it floats on the very surface of the wave. It is, however, an unwieldy machine, and difficult to launch through the surf, should there be much wind, but at the same time a safe landing may be effected with it at any time. In doing this, the person who has the charge of the balsa paddles it towards the shore, and having reached the edge of the surf within a few fathoms, he watches for the highest wave, and manages, as it comes on, to keep the balsa on the top of it, with her bow to the shore. In a moment the balsa is hurried onwards, and in consequence of its buoyancy is washed fairly to the very extent that the surf reaches on the beach, and as the wave retires it is left safe on terra firma. The opportunity is immediNO. 7.-VOL. I. 2 x ately taken the passengers and goods land in an instant, and all are quickly out of the reach of the next wave. A flat sandy beach is generally chosen for landing on, and that of Arica is particularly adapted for the balsa, as a boat cannot approach it within a considerable distance. The balsa will easily carry three passengers, besides the person who guides it, and is employed in conveying the merchandise from the vessels to the shore. Large quantities of dollars, and bars of silver, are also shipped off by means of this slender conveyance. The town of Arica is one of those places so favourably situated in geographical position as to be destined at some period to rise into importance. Hitherto it has suffered much from the evils of war; and the strife of parties, contending for the reins of government, has carried sorrow and desolation into its streets. The following extract from a little work on South America, published a few years ago by Captain Hall, affords a good picture of its condition, which even these years have but little improved : 7th of June. We anchored off Arica about mid-day, and on landing found the town almost completely deserted, and exhibiting in every part marks of having been recently the scene of military operations. The houses had been broken open and pillaged, the doors were mostly unhinged and gone, the furniture was destroyed, the shops and store-houses were empty. The first house we went to was that of the person styled governor: he was stretched on a mattress laid on the floor, for no bed-stead or other vestige of furniture was left; and he was suffering under the cold fit of an ague. His wife and daughter were in an adjoining room, where they had collected a few friends; but they looked most disconsolate and miserable. The town had been attacked by a patriot force, and had, as usual, suffered by being made the scene of conflict. Most of the people had fled to the interior, and the empty streets and houses gave a silent desolation to the place, which was very striking. Such of the inhabitants as were obliged to remain, either from sickness or from other causes, were reduced to severe privations. We saw some families that had not a table nor a bed left, nor a chair to offer us when we entered; and the governor's wife declared she had not a change of dress: her daughter was in the same distress; a pretty little round-faced modest girl, whose attempts to tie a piece of a handkerchief round her neck, in the absence of all her wonted finery, was affecting enough. The people in general were silent, with an air of deep-settled anger on their countenances. That species of grief which breaks out in fretfulness and complaint is not characteristic either of the Spaniards or their descendants; and I have invariably observed amongst both a great degree of composure in their sorrow. An English gentleman, who was passenger in the Conway, having letters to deliver to a Spanish merchant, we hunted long for him amongst the desolate streets, and at length learned that he, like the rest, had fled to the interior. We had some difficulty in getting mounted, but at length set off in quest of the Spaniard up the valley of Arica, the country round which is, in the truest sense of the word, a desert; being covered with sand as far as the eye can reach, without the slightest trace or hope of vegetation. The ground is varied by high ridges, immense rounded knolls, and long flat steppes, and far off, we get occasional glimpses of the lower ranges of the Andes, but, high and low, they are all alike-one bleak, comfortless, miserable, sandy waste. The colour of |