the whole coast is obnoxious to the same danger from those fish; but they are much more frequent where such riches abound. The taberones and tintoretas, which are of an enormous size, feed on the bodies of these unfortunate fishermen ; and the mantas, or quilts, either press them to death, by wrapping their fins about them, or crush them with their prodigious weight.

Every negro, to defend himself against these animals, carries with him a sharp knife, with which, if the fish offers to assault him, he endeavours to strike it in a part where it has no power to hurt him; on which the fish immediately flies. The officers keep a watchful eye on these voracious creatures, and on discovering them, shake the rope, fastened to the negroes bodies, that they may be upon their guard.

Every thing being now ready for their departure, they embarked on board the St. Christopher, commanded by captain Don Juan Manuel Morrel; and on the 9th of March, 1736, about three in the evening, they came to an anchor in Manta bay; being desirous of viewing this coast, in order to know whether by forming their first base in one of its plains, the series of triangles could be continued to the mountains in the neighbourhood of Quito. Accordingly they went on shore in the evening of the sixth, and repaired to the village of Monte Christo, about three leagues from the coast; but soon found that geometrical operations were impracticable there, the country being every where extremely mountainous, and almost wholly covered with prodigious trees, an insurmountable obstacle to any such design: they therefore determined to pursue their voyage to Guiaquil, and thence to Quito.

The bay of Manta was formerly remarkable for a considerable pearl fishery, but it has been discontinued for some time. The bay has probably its name from the great quantity of mantas in those parts; the Indian inhabitants being chiefly employed in taking that fish, which they salt, and carry to the inland provinces. Europeans cannot help admiring their dexterity in this kind of fishery, which they carry on in the following manner: They throw into the water a log of wood, such as they use in making a balza, being about five or six

Another Indian fol

yards in length, and near a foot in diameter. This log will be sufficient to support the weight intended, which consists of a net lying across one end of it, and an Indian standing in an erect position on the other. On this tottering vessel, assisted by only a single oar, he puts off to sea, about the distance of half a league, where he shoots his net. lows him on a similar log, takes hold of the rope fastened to one end of the net, by which means the whole is expanded, and both the Indians move towards the land, where their partners wait to draw the net on the shore. In this occupation the dexterity and agility of the Indians, in maintaining an equilibrium on the round logs, is truly amazing; for the continual agitation of the sea renders it absolutely necessary for them to be continually changing their position, and making different motions with their bodies; and what still heightens the difficulty is, that the Indian is at the same time obliged to mind both his oar and his net, in drawing it towards the land.

On March 13, they left the bay of Manta, and coasted along shore, within the island de la Plata. On the 18th, they anchored in the mouth of the river Tumbez, where they remained till the 20th; when at six in the morning they got under sail, and on the 25th, at five in the evening, landed at Guiaquil, which stands in 2 deg. 11 min. 21 sec. south latitude. Guiaquil is of considerable extent, taking up, along the banks of the river, from the lower part of the old town to the upper part of the new, a space of near half a league; but the breadth is not at all proportional, every person being fond of having a house near the river. This city is defended by three forts; two on the river near the city, and the third behind it, guarding the entrance of a ravin. These are all built after the modern method of fortification, but before they were erected, it had only a platform, which is still remaining in the old town. All the churches and convents are of wood, except that of St. Domingo, still standing in the old town, which is of stone. Guiaquil contains, in proportion to its dimensions, as many inhabitants as any city in all America; the continual resort of strangers, drawn thither by commerce, contributing

very greatly to increase the number, generally computed at 20,000.

The navigable part of the river of Guiaquil extends from the city to the custom-house at Babahoyo, the place where the goods are landed. This distance is twenty-four leagues and a half; and to Caracol, the landing place in winter, twenty-eight and a half. The borders of this river, together with those of its creeks and canals, are decorated with country seats, and cottages of poor people of all casts, having here both the convenience of fishing and agriculture; and the intermediate space filled with such a variety of thickets, that art would find it difficult to imitate the delightful landscape here exhibited by nature.

The principal and most common materials used in building on these rivers, are canes; these also form the inward parts, as walls, floors, and rails of the stairs. The larger houses differ only in some of the principal pieces, which are of wood. The method of building is, to fix in the earth eight, ten, or twelve pieces of wood, more or less, according to the dimensions of the house, forked at the top, and of a proper length; all the apartments being on the first story, without any ground floor. Beams are then laid across on these forks, at the distance of four or five yards from the ground. On these beams, canes are laid in such a manner as to form a kind of rafters; and over these, boards of the same canes, a foot and a half in breadth, which form as firm and handsome a flooring as if of wood. The partitions of the several apartments are of the same materials; but the outer walls are generally latticed, for the free admission of the air. The principal beams of the roof of large houses are of timber, the rafters of cane, with smaller ones in a transverse direction, and over these vijaua leaves. Thus a house is built with very little expence, though containing all the necessary conveniencies. With regard to the poorer sort, every one's own labour serves to procure him a habitation. The lower part both of these houses, as well as those in the greatest part of the jurisdiction of Guiaquil, are entirely open, without having any fence, except the posts and stancheons by which the building is supported. The ground

floor is wholly useless in the winter, when all the country is turned into mud. Such houses, however, as stand beyond the reach of inundations, have ground floors, furnished like the other apartments.

All the inhabitants have their canoes for passing from one house to another; and are so dexterous in the management of these skiffs, that a little girl ventures alone in a boat so small and slight, that another less skilful would overset in stepping into it.

The increase of fish in this river is greatly hindered by the prodigious numbers of alligators; an amphibious creature, found both in the rivers and the adjacent plains; though it is not often known to go far from the banks of the river. When tired with swimming, they leave the water to bask themselves in the sun, and then appear more like logs of rotton wood, thrown ashore by the current, than living creatures; but upon perceiving any vessel near them, they immediately throw themselves into the water. Some are so large, as to exceed five yards in length. During the time they lie basking on the shore, they keep their huge mouths open, till filled with flies and other insects, when they suddenly shut their jaws, and swallow their prey. Whatever may have been written with regard to the fierceness and rapacity of this animal, our company of artists found, from experience, that they avoid a man; and on the approach of any one, immediately plunge into the water. Its whole body is covered with scales, impenetrable to a musket-ball, unless it happens to hit him in the belly, near the fore legs, the only part vulnerable.

She

The alligator is an oviparous creature. The female makes a large hole in the sand, near the brink of a river, and there deposits her eggs, which are nearly equal to those of an ostrich, and as white as those of a hen, but much more solid. generally lays about a hundred, continuing in the same place till they are all deposited, which is a day or two. She then covers them with sand; and the better to conceal them, rolls herself, not only over her precious depositum, but to a considerable distance. After this precaution, she returns to the water, till natural instinct informs her, that it is time to deli

ver her young from their confinement, when she comes to the spot, followed by the male, and tearing up the sand, begins breaking the eggs, but so carefully that scarce a single one is injured, and a whole swarm of little alligators are seen crawling about. The female then takes them into the water: but the watchful gallinazos, a large bird, very common in these parts, makes use of this opportunity to deprive her of some; and even the male alligator, who indeed comes for no other end, devours what he can, till the female has reached the water with the remainder; for all those which either fall from her back, or do not swim, she herself eats; so that out of such a formidable brood, happily not more than four or five

escape.

When these creatures cannot find fish to appease their hunger, they betake themselves to the meadows bordering on the banks of the river, and devour calves and colts; and, in order to be more secure in seizing their prey, take the opportunity of the night, that they may surprise them in their sleep; and it is observed, that those alligators, which have once tasted flesh, become so fond of it as never to take up with fish, but in cases of necessity. Their voracity has often been felt by the boatmen, who, by inconsiderately sleeping with one of their legs or arms hanging over the side of the boat, these animals have seized, and drawn the whole body into the water. The inhabitants of those places where they abound, are very industrious in catching and destroying them. Their usual method is by a casonate, or piece of hard wood, sharpened at both ends, and baited with the lungs of some animal. This casonate they fasten to a thong, the end of which is secured to the shore. The alligator, on sceing the lungs floating on the water, snaps at the bait, and thus both points of the wood enter into his jaws, in such a manner, that he can neither shut nor open his mouth. He is then dragged ashore, where the Indians bait him like a bull, knowing that the greatest damage he can do, is to throw down such as, for want of care or agility, do not keep out of his reach.

As soon as the French and Spanish artists arrived at Guiaquil, the corregidor dispatched a messenger to the magistrate