Ck. II. SOUTH AMERICA. S03 



imnginctl at that time that this proretídinn: was ia 

 consequence of any orders iisued by the eoin:nanííer, 

 and it was afterwards known that he was under great 

 concern for such unjnstiíicable behaviour. 



The corregidor of Piiira, as he had been verj 

 active in the defence of Paita, so he lost no time 

 in sendino- advice of the descent to the, corregidor 

 ofGuayaquiljthathe might ])ut that city in a postura 

 of defence; it being natural to sui>:>ose, that (he 

 English woukl also make an attempt there, as? it had 

 always been attacked by every enemy who before in- 

 fested those seas. Accordingly ihc inh:ibitaais of 

 Guayaquil were soon in arms, and the best measures 

 taken with tlie u.'most expedition. But the force of 

 the enemy being uiicerta^u, no other ship having been 

 seen at Paita than that which entered the port, tlie 

 cowegidor and magistrates applied for assistance to 

 the president and audience of Quito; who amonoj 

 other measures for securing Guayaquil from the rage 

 of the English, required us, in his majesty's name, to 

 repair immediately to th li citv, and take upon us the 

 commiuid of the troops, all the jurisdictions having 

 received orders to send their coutiDgencies ; and 

 to direct the works to be raised, and the trenches ne- 

 cessary to be thrown up in the places most advan- 

 tageous and most exposed. 



As afiairs of this uaiiirc admit of no delay, wc 

 immediately prepared for tiic journey, and leaving 

 Quito the 16th of December, arrived at Guayaquil 

 on the night of the 24Ui. But the passage of the 

 mountains M'as inconceivably fatiguing; the natural 

 difficulty and badness of the roads, it beiijg the be- 

 ginning of winter, having been greatly increased by 

 the violent rains. 



H.vviNG gone through all the necessary opera- 

 tions, and taken the most proper measures to defea^ 

 the attempts of au enemv, and such as we had the 

 pleasure of piecing apuro ved bv the council of war 



held 



