10 Á VOYAGE TO Book VII. 



Piiira, ami siood in the valley pf Targasala, from 

 whence, on account of the badness of the aii';, it was 

 removed to its present situation, which is on a sandy 

 plain. The latitude of it is 5" li' 1" south, and the 

 variation of tl¡e needle we observed tobe 8" lo' east- 

 erly. The houses are either of bricks dried in the 

 sun, or a kind of reeds called quinchas^ and few of 

 them have any story. Here the Corregidor resides, 

 whose jurisdiction extends on one side along; Valles, 

 and on the other among the mountains. Here is an 

 office for the roval revenue, under an accomptant or 

 treasurer, who relieve each otlier every six months, 

 one residing at the port of Paita, and the other in this 

 place : at the former for receiving; the duties on im- 

 ports for goods landed there, and also for preventing; a 

 contraband trade ; and at the latter for receiving- the 

 revenues and merchandizes on i^oods consig-ned from 

 the mountains to Loja, or g'oing- from Tumbez to 

 Lima. 



This city contains near iifteen hundred inhabit- 

 ants ; and among these some families of rank, be- 

 sides other Spaniards, Mestizos, Indians, and Mu- 

 lattoes. The climate is hot and very dry, rains being 

 seldomer known here than at Tumbez ; notwithstand- 

 ing which it is very healthy, it has a river of great 

 advantage to the inhabitants as well as the adjacené 

 country, the soil of which is satidy, and therefore easier 

 penetrated by the water; and being level, the water 

 is conveyed to diflerent parts by canals. But in the 

 summer the river is absolutely destitute of water, the 

 little which descends fr(un the moivitains being ab- 

 sorbed before it reaches the city ; so that the iidiabit- 

 ants have no other method of procuring water, but 

 by digging wells in the bed v.í the river, the depth of 

 which nuist be ¡)r()])()r{ioned to the leng;th of time the 

 dronglit has coiitiniied. 



l-iuu.\ has .an liospital under the care of the Bcth^ 



lemites; and ihougli patients afilicted \\iiliaU kinds of 



1 distempers 



