Í04 A VOYAGE TO Book IL 



as to ralfe the rent of lodging to an excefiive de- 

 gree ; a middling chamber, with a clofet, lets, during 

 the fair, for a thouiand crowns, and fome large houles 

 for four, five, or fix thoufand. 



The fhips are no fooner moored in the harbour, 

 than the firil work is, to ere6t, in the fquare, a tent 

 made of the fhip's fails, for receiving its cargo ; at 

 which the proprietors of the goods are prefent, in 

 order to find their bales, by the marks whicli diitin- 

 guifii them. Thefe bales are drawn on fledges, to 

 their rcfpeiSlive places, by the crev^^ of every fnip, and 

 the money given them is proportionally divided. 



Whilst ihe fearaen and European traders are thus 

 employed, the land is covered with droves of mules 

 from Panama, each drove confifting of above an hun- 

 dred, loaded with chefts of gold and filver, on account 

 of the merchants of Peru. Some unload them at the 

 exchange, others in the middle of the fquare ; yet, 

 amidfi the hurry and confufion of fuch crowds, no 

 theft, lofs, or diltutbance, is ever known. He who 

 has I'een this place during the tiempo muerto, or dead 

 time, fohtary, poor, and a perpetual filenre reigning 

 every where; the harbour (¡uite empty, and every 

 place wearing a melancholy arpe¿l,rnult be filled with 

 afloniihment at the fudden change, to lee the bufiling 

 multitudes, every houte crowded, the fquare and ftreets 

 en(urr.bcred with bales and chetts of gold and filver 

 oí all kinds; ihe harbour full of Ihips and veifels, 

 fome bringing l-y the way of Rio de Chape the goods 

 of P« ru, as cacao, quinquina or jefuits bark, Vicuna 

 wool, and bezoa'' üones ; others coming from Cartha- 

 g»"na, loaded with provifiotis : and thus a fpot, at all 

 other times dctefied for its deleterious qualities, be- 

 comes the fiaple of the riches of the old and new 

 world, and the fcene of one of the mofi: confiderable 

 branches of commerce in the v.'hole ea'rth. 



The fhips being unloaded, and the merchants of 

 Peru^ together with the prefidcnt of Panama, arrived, 



the 



