Ch. V. SOUTH AMÉRICA. 157 



are frefh-coloured, and fo finely featured, as jnftly to 

 be iryled the bandloineft, both in the province of 

 Quito, and even in all Peru. Two things are here 

 the more remarkable^ as being contrary to common 

 obfervation ; one, that, notwithftanding the heat of 

 the climate, its natives are not tawny ; the other, 

 that, though the Spaniards have not naturally fo fair 

 a complexion as the northern nations, their children 

 born here of Spanilh women are very fair; nor has 

 this phenomenon hitherto been fufficiently explain- 

 ed. To attribute it to the effluvia exhaling from the 

 contiguous river, aj)pears to me little fatisfacilory ; 

 other cities having the lame advantageous fituation, 

 without producing any improvement in the com- 

 plexions of the inhabitants ; whereas here fair per- 

 fons are the mofl common, and the children have 

 univerfally light hair and eyebrows, and very beau- 

 tiful iaces. 



To thefe perfonal advantages befiowed by nature 

 in a diiiinguifhed manner on the inhabitants, it has 

 added the no lets pleaiing charms of elegance and 

 politenefs ; fo that feveral Europeans, who intended 

 only a Ibort flay here, have married and fettled ; 

 nor were their n:¡arriages owing to the i m mente for- 

 tunes of their ladies, as in fome other cities of this 

 country, the inhabitants not being at all famous for 

 their riches. 



The drefs of the women at Guayaquil nearly re- 

 fembles that at Panama, except only when they either 

 pay or receive a viñt ; inficad of the pollera, they 

 wear a faldellin, which is not longer than the pollera, 

 but, being open before, and crofiing one fide over 

 the other» is adorned in the moit proiufe manner. It 

 is furbeloed with a richer ftufF, near half a yard in 

 depth, and bordered with fine laces, gold or fringe, 

 or ribands, dilpol'ed with an air which renders the 

 drefs extremely rich and becoming. When they go 

 abroad without a veil, they wear a light brown co- 

 loured 



