INYESTIGATIONS IN CENTRAL AND S OUTH AME R I C A. 63 



ancient relics in the place, he answered that none of the inhabitants of the town 

 possessed any, and taking me down stairs to show me his garden, 1 perceived at 

 once two sculptured stones standing at the wall. Of these the curate had not the 

 ( slightest knowledge. The drawings I made of tlicse two monoliths show two 

 figures sculptured, of common sandstone, two feet high. One of these is the image 

 of a woman half sitting, all nude except a cap fitting tightly on the head, with a 

 prolongation behind, similar to that on a hood of India rubber, only that it was 

 tapering near the waist, where its end was secured by a narrow band encircling 

 the waist. The ears were sculptured on the outside of the cap. The arms were 

 bent in the elbows and the hands met in front of the girdle. The legs below 

 the knees were wanting. The other monolith represented a squatting figure 

 more rudely executed, the drawing of which was more angular. The head, of 

 which the top was flat, was inclosed by a tight cap which left the eyes, nose, 

 cheeks, and chin uncovered, after the fashion of a nun. The ears were sculptured 

 outside on the cap. The arms were bent in the elbows, which reached down to 

 the waist, and the hands met in front of it. The legs were only indicated, without 

 being executed. Botli these monoliths were found in the vicinity of Colonche, a 

 village nine leagues distant. A merchant of Santa Elena presented me with a 

 small earthen vessel somewhat injured, and large stone beads which came likewise 

 from the same locality. 



In the arid plain near Santa Elena is an artificial reservoir constructed by 

 the ancients by damming a brook running between two slight elevations. This 

 brook fills the reservoir in the wet season, and ceases to flow in the dry season. 

 The inhabitants of the town get their principal supply of water from it, and the 

 cattle and horses which are roaming in the plain come from a great distance to 

 slake their thirst, there being no other water within a circuit of many miles during 

 the dry season. On this account, when the brook ceases to flow the water gets 

 lower every day, and by the augmentation of the effluvia of the animals, almost 

 fetid, exhibiting a green scum on its surface near the shore; and yet the inhabit- 

 ants are obliged to use it, because the water in the few wells of the town is brack- 

 ish. The wealthier people collect rain-water in earthen jars of a conical shape, 

 the mouth being in the base of the cone. This water they use for drinking. I 

 drank water thus preserved which was two years old, pure as crystal and of excel- 

 lent taste. 



By invitation of the ctdra I accompanied him to Colonche, where he went to 

 celebrate the Corjms festival. After travelling about one-half of the distance I 

 met with large heaps of fragments of ancient pottery, signs of former population, 

 without being able to assign the cause for such accumulations. 



On the Galapagos archipelago, which I visited afterwards, and where I remained 

 over five months, I did not find any archaeological remains. This archipelago bears 

 no evidences of ever having been peopled. The government of Ecuador estab- 

 lished on the island of Floriana Charles, some years ago, a penal colony, which 

 ended miserably by the mutiny of the convicts, who murdered the officials. After- 

 wards an attempt was made to colonize that island, and fruit trees of various kinds 

 were planted on it, and domesticated animals, such as cattle, hogs, etc., were intro- 



