174- • A VOYAGE TO Book IV. 



Baba is one of the largeft lieutenancies of Guaya- 

 quil, reaching to the fkirts of the Cordillera, or the 

 mountains of Anga Marca, belonging to the jurifdic- 

 tion of Latacunga, or, according to the Indian pro- 

 nunciation, Llatacunga. Befides the principal town 

 of the fame name, it has others annexed to it, fo far as 

 fo be utider one prieil, who, with the corregidoras 

 lieutenant, reiides continually at Baba. Fornnierly, 

 the river of the fame name ran clofe by this town; but 

 Don En Vinces having cut a canal for watering the 

 cacao plantations on his eñate, the river inclining 

 more to this courfe than its former, it was found im- 

 poffible to ftop it ; fo that, leaving its original chan- 

 nel, it has ever fince continued to run in a courfe fome 

 diflance from the town. The other two places are 

 San Lorenzo and Palenque, both at a great diflance 

 from the capital, and near the Cordillera ; fo that their 

 Indian inhabitants are but little civilized. 



The cacao tree, which, as 1 have already obferved, 

 abounds in this diíiriíSl, inílead of being only four or 

 five, according to fome authors, who pofjil^ly faw it 

 when very young, is generally not lefs than eighteen 

 or twenty feet high. It begins from the ground to di- 

 vide itfelf into four or five flems, according to the 

 vigour of the root, from whence they all proceed. 

 They are generally between four and feven inches in 

 diameter ; but their firft growth is in an oblique di- 

 reélion, fo that the branches are all expanded and fe- 

 parated from one another. The length of the leaf is 

 between four and fix inches, and its breadth three or 

 four. It is very fmooth, ibft, and terminates in a 

 point, like that of the China orange tree, but with 

 lome difference in colour, the former being of a dull 

 green, and has nothing of the glofs obfcrvable on the 

 latter : nor is the tree fo full of leav/ss as that of the 

 orange. From the flem, as well as tbe branches, 

 grow the pods which contain the cacao. TIk; firft 

 appcai'ance is a white bloiibmj not very large, whofe 



piüii 



