166 A VOYAGE TO Book VII. 



The jurisdiction of Masque Pocmia, reaches above 

 thirty leagues ; and although the city itself is very 

 thinly inhabited;, there are, in other parts of it, seve- 

 ral populous towns. The temperature is hot, but 

 not in a degree too great for vineyards. The valley 

 in which the citv stands is about eight leagues in cir- 

 cumference, and produces all kinds of grain and 

 fruits; and the vvoods and uncultivated mountains 

 afford great quantities of honey and wax, which con- 

 stitute a principal branch of its commerce. 



The missions belonging to tlie Jesuits in the parts 

 dependent on this bishoprick, are those called Indios 

 Chiquitos, or little Indians, a name given them by 

 the SpaiMards, on account of the great smallness of the 

 doo/s of their houses. Their country lies between 

 Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and the lake Xarayes, from 

 whence the river Paraguay had its rise, and being in- 

 creased by the conflux of others, forms the famous ri- 

 ver de la Plata. It was about the close of the last cen- 

 tury, when the fathers first began their preaching in 

 this nation, and so great has been their success, that in 

 the year 1732, they had formed seven towns, ea(h 

 consisting of above 600 families ; and were then build- 

 ing others for assembling under the same laws, the 

 great number of ividians, daily converted. These In- 

 dios Chiquitos are Vv'cll made and active ; and their 

 courage has been often experienced by the Portugueses 

 who used to make incursions, in order to carry oif the 

 inhabitants for slaves : but tlie valour of these people 

 lias taught them to desist from such inhuman at- 

 tempts, and, for tlieir own safety, to keep within their 

 limits. The arms of these Indians are musquets, sa- 

 ])res, and poisoned arrows. Though their language is 

 different from that of the other nations of Paraguay, 

 the same customs nearly obtain here, as among all 

 the other Indians, 



Bordering on this nation of Chiqiiitos is another 

 of Pagan Indians called Chiriguanos, or Chiriguanaes, 



wlio 



