Untitled - The Alfred Russel Wallace Website

very healthy,
ON THE PACIFIC COAST 317
but now almost uninhabited. The
little towns along the coast to northward are also
healthy, and noted for the longevity of their
inhabitants.
The vegetable products of cool regions become
excessively scarce and dear here in the rainy
season, when all import of goods from the highlands
of the Andes is suspended, although those moun-
tains lie within si^ht when the weather is clear.
O
At Daule potatoes were sold at 2^cl. and apples
while at the same time potatoes were
at 5d. apiece ;
selling at Ambato, only So miles away, at is. 3d.
the sack.
To Mr. John Teasdale
CHANDUY, NEAR GUAYAQUIL, May 14, 1862.
. . . The rains or, as we say here, the wintercame
on at Chonana in the middle of January, when
I descended to Guayaquil, and shortly afterwards
went on to Chancluy a small village on the shores
sea from
of the Pacific, at 2-.V days' journey by
Guayaquil, and a little north of the island of Puna.
Here it scarcely ever rains, beyond a slight drizzle
in the morning, occasionally the same as at Lima
and throughout the year iS6i there was but one
day of heavy rain. This present year, however,
we have had a real rainy season that began in
most of March. It
February and lasted through
has been the first rainy season since 1^45. and
we had actually one night a thunderstorm, a
phenomenon that had not previously been witnessed
here by even "the oldest inhabitant' (and there
are some centenarians). With so dry a climate
normally, you may well suppose the vegetation is