24 A VOYAGE TO Book I. 



deflroyed by the moifture and acrimonious quality of 

 the nitrous air ; from whence, and the fmoky colour 

 of the wallS;, the outlide of the buildings makes but an 

 indiiFerent appearance. 



The churches and convents of this city are the ca- 

 thedral, that of the Trinity in the fjburbs, built by 

 biihop Don Gregory de Molleda, who alfo in 1734 

 founded a chapel of eafe dedicated to St. Toribio. The 

 orders which have convents at Carthagena are thofe of 

 St. Francis, in the fuburbs, St. Dominic, St. Auguñin, 

 La Merced, alfo the Jacobines, and Recollets ; a col- 

 lege of Jefuits and an hofpital of San Juan de Dios. 

 The nunneries are thofe of St. Clara and St. Terefa. 

 All the churches and convents are of a proper architec- 

 ture, and fufficiently capacious; but there appears 

 fomething of poverty in the ornaments, fome of them 

 wanting what even decency requires. The commu- 

 nities, particularly that of St. Francis, are pretty nu^ 

 merous, and confiil of Europeans, white Creoles, and 

 native Indians. 



Carthagena, together with its fuburbs, is equal io 

 a city of the third rank in Europe. It is well peopled, 

 though moil of its inhabitants are defcended from the 

 Indian tribes. It is not the moft opulent in this coun- 

 try, for, beiides the pillages it has fuffered, no mines are 

 worked here; fo that moft of the money feen in it is 

 fent from Santa Fe and Quito, to pay the ialaries of 

 the governor and other civil and military officers, and 

 the wages of the garrilbn ; and even this makes no long 

 flay here. It is not hov/ever unfrcquent to find perfons 

 who have acquired handfome fortunes by commerce, 

 whofe houfes are fplendidly furniilied, and who live in 

 every refpeit agreeable to their wealth. The governor 

 refides in the city, which till 1739 was. independent of 

 the military government. In civil affairs, an appeal lies 

 to the audience of Santa Fe; and a viceroy of Santa 

 Fe being that year created, under the title of viceroy pf 

 New Granada, thegovernmeiitof Carthagena became 

 4 fübjeét 



