22 A VOYAGE TO Boor VII, 



happens to meet any strong current;, it is swept away 

 by its rapidity^ and carried into tlie sea. When we 

 lorded it, the waters were very low, notwithstanding 

 which, w^e found from three several experiments made 

 on its banks, that the velocity of tlie current was 

 .35 toiscs in 29-j seconds : so that the current runs 

 4371 toises, or a league and a half, in an hour. This 

 velocity docs not indeed equal whatM. de la Conda- 

 mine mentions in the narrative of his voyage down 

 the river Maragnon, or that of the Amazoncs, at the 

 Pango, or streight of Manceriche. But, doubtless 

 when the river of Santa is at its usual height, it ex- 

 ceeds even the celerity of the Pango ; at the time of 

 making our observations, it was at its lowest. 



The latitude of the town of Santa Miria de la 

 Parrilla, for so it is called, we determined by an 

 observation of some stars, not having an opportunity 

 of doing it by the sun, and found it 8" 57' 36' S. 

 It was lirst built on the sea coast, from which it is 

 now something above half a league distant. It was 

 large, populous, the residence of a Corregidor, and 

 had several convents. But in 1685, being pillagpd 

 and destroyed by theabove-mentioücd English advcn»- 

 turer, its inhabitants abandoned it, and such as were 

 not able to remove to a place of greater security, 

 settled in the place where it now stands. The whole 

 number of houses in it at present does not exceed 

 thirty ; and of these the best are only of baxareque, 

 and the others of straw^ These houses are inliabited 

 with about 50 poor families consisting of indians, 

 Mulattoes, and Mestizos. 



DiiRiNG our observations, we were entertained with a 

 sight of a large ignited exhalation, or globe of fire in 

 the air, like that mentioned in the first volume of this 

 work, though not so lari;e, and less efíVilgcnt. Its di- 

 rection was continued for a considerable time towards 

 the west, till having reached the sea coast, it disap- 

 peared with an explosion like that of cannon. Tiiosp 



>vh^ 



