254 A VOYAGE TO Book V. 



tar of uncommon hardness, used by the ancient In- 

 dians for building houses and walls of ail kinds, se- 

 veral remains being still to be seen near the city, and 

 in many other parts of the kingdom, notwithstanding 

 the remarkable inclemency of the weather ; a suf- 

 ficient proof of its strength and duration. 



The city is divided into seven parishes, th^ Segra- 

 rio, (Plaie 11.) St. Sebastian, St Barbaria, St. Roque, 

 St. Mark, St. Prisca, and St. Blaize. The cathedral, 

 besides the richness of its furniture, is splendidly 

 adorned with tapestry hangings and other costly de- 

 corations; but in this respect the other parish-churches 

 are so mean as to have scarce necessaries for per- 

 forming divine worship. Some of them are without 

 pavem.ent, and with everv other mark of poverty. 

 Tl^e chapel del Sagrario is very large, wholly of 

 stone, and its architecture executed in an elegant taste; 

 nor is the disposition of the inside inferior to the 

 beauty of its external appearance. 



The convents of monks in Quito are those of the 

 Augustines, Dominicans, and the Fathers of mercy ; 

 which are the heads of provinces ; but besides these 

 there is another of Franciscan recollects, another of 

 Dominicans, and another of the Fathers of mercy. In 

 this city is also a college of Jesuits : two colleges for 

 seculars ; one called St. Lewis, of which the Jesuits 

 have the direction; and the other St. Ferdinand, and 

 IS under the care of the Dominicans. In the first are 

 twelve royal exhibitions for the sons of auditors and 

 other officers of the crov/n.' It is also an university 

 under the patronage of St. Gregory. That of the 

 second is a royai foundation, and dedicated to St. 

 Thomas ; the salaries of the professors are paid by 

 the crown. Some of the chairs in this college are 

 filled by graduates, as those. apropriated to the canon 

 and civil -kw, and physic; but the 'latter has been 

 long vacantfor w^nt of a professor, though the degrees 

 would be dispensed with. The Franciscan convent 



has 



