vf>. IV. SOUTH AMERICA. 155 



town. Its inhabitants being afterwards ilraitened by 

 the mountain on one iide, and by ravines or hollows 

 made by floods of rain on ihe other, formed a deiign, 

 without entirely abandoning ihe place, to build the 

 principal part of the city at the diltance of five or fix 

 hundred toiles ; which was accordingly begun in 

 1693; and for prefcrving a communication with the 

 old part, a bridge of timber was erec'^ed, of about 

 three hu-ndred toifes in length, by which means the 

 inconveniences of the ravines are avoided, and, the 

 intervals being filled with fmall houfes, the old and 

 new towns are now united. 



This city is of confiderable extent, taking up, along 

 the bank of the river from the lower part of the old 

 town to the upper part of the new, near half a league; 

 but the breadth is not at all proportional, every per- 

 fon being fond of having a houfe near the river, both 

 for the amufements it affords, and for the benefit of 

 refrefhing winds, which, in winter, are the more 

 eagerly coveted as they are very rare. 



All the houfes of both towns are built of wood, 

 and many of them covered with tiles ; though the 

 greater part of thofe in the old town are only 

 thatched ; but in order to prevent the fpreading of 

 fires, by which this city has feverely fuffered on i'eve- 

 ral occafions, fuch covering is now prohibited. Moft 

 of thefe conflagrations owed their rife to the malevo- 

 lence of the Negroes, who, in order to revenge fome 

 punifliments inflicted on them by their mafl:crs, took 

 the opportunity, during the night, of throwing fire 

 on the thatch, and by that means not only ruined 

 thofe who were the immediate objedts of their revenge, 

 but alfo the greater part of the inhabitants of the 

 city. ^ 



Though the houfes are wholly built of wood, they 

 are generally large and beautiful ; have all one fiory 

 and an entrefole ; the back part of the ground floor 

 ferves for warehoufes ; in the front are ihops of all 



kinds. 



