152 A VOYAGE TO Book IV. 



count of the many bays and large rivers which muft 

 be paiied ; fo that no perfon travels this road but in 

 fümmer, and then only fuch as have no baggage, and 

 are, befides, well acquainted with the country and 

 the ferries. 



CHAP. IV. 



Defcription of Guayaquil, 



''PHOUGH there is no certainty with regard to the 

 time when Guayaquil was tounded, it is univer- 

 fally allowed to be the fecond city of Spanifh origin, 

 both in its own province and the kingdom of Peru ; 

 itappearing, from ancient records prelerved in its ar- 

 chives, that it was the next city founded after San 

 Miguel de Piura; and the foundation laid of Los 

 Reyes, Remac, or Lima, being in 1334, or, accord- 

 ing to others, in 1535, the building of Guayaquil 

 may be fixed between thole two years ; but the pro- 

 fperity it attained under its governor Belalcazar was of 

 no long continuance, being, after ieveral furious at- 

 tacks, entirely deñroyed by the neighbouririg Indians. 

 It was, however, in 1537, rebuilt by captian Fran- 

 cifco de Orellatia. The firfi: fituallon of Guayaquil 

 was in the bay of Charapoto, a little to the northward 

 of the place where the village of Monte Chriilo now 

 Hands ; from whence it was removed to the prefent 

 fpot, which is on the well bank of the river of Guay- 

 aquil, in 2° 11' 21'' of fouth latitude, as appeared 

 from our oblervations. Its longitude was not deter- 

 mined by any accurate obfervations : but, by com- 

 pui'ri^ it from thofe made at Quito, it is 297° 17' 

 reckoning from the meridian of Teneriite. On its 

 removal by Ordiana, from its firñ lituation, it was 

 built on the declivity of a mountain called Cerillo 

 Verde, and is now termed Ciudad Vieja, or the old 



to\Vn. 



