Cji. IL SOUTH AMERICA. 1 19 



rifes and falls confiderably ; ib that the íhore, lying 

 on a gentle flope, is, at low water, left dry toa great 

 difiancc. And here wc may obferve the great differ- 

 ence of the tides in the north and fouth feas, being di- 

 reélly oppoñte: what in the ports on the north fea is ac- 

 counted irregular, is regular in the fouth ; and when 

 in the former it ceales to increafe or decreale, in the 

 latter it both rifes and falls, extending over the flats, 

 and widening the channels, as the proper eíFe¿l of 

 the flux and reflux. This particular is lb general, as 

 to be obferved in all the ports of the South Sea ; for 

 even at Manta, which is almoft under the equinoctial, 

 the lea regularly ebbs and flows nearly flx hours ; and 

 the efFecls of thefe two motions are fufliciently vifible 

 along the fhores. The fame happens in the river of 

 Guayaquil, where the quantity of its waters does not 

 interrupt the regular fucceffion of the tides. The like 

 phenomena are feen at Paita, Guanchaco, Callao, 

 and the other harbours; with this diíFerencc, that the 

 water rifes and falls more in fome places than in 

 others; fo that we cannot here verify the well-grounded 

 opinion entertained by failors, namely, that between 

 the tropics the tides are irregular, both in the difpro- 

 portion of the time of flood to that of the ebb, and 

 alio in the quantity of water riñng or falling by each of 

 thefe motions ; the contrary happening here. This 

 phenomenon is not caflly accounted for ; all that can 

 be laid is, that the ifthmus, or narrow neck of land, 

 feparating the two feas, confines their waters, whereby 

 each is fubjeél to diifrrent laws. 



The variation of the magnetic needle, in this road, 

 is 7° 39' eafterly. Both the road and whole coaft 

 abound in a great variety of excellent fifl^, among 

 which are two kinds of oyfters, one fmaller than the 

 other; but the fmalleft arc much the beil. 



At the bottom of the fea are a great number of 

 pearls; and the oyfiers, in which they are ibund, are 

 remarkably delicious. This fifhcry is of great ad- 



I 4 vantage 



