454 A VOYAGE TO Book Yt 



BOOK VÍ. 



Description of the Province of Quito. 



CHAP. I. 



Extent of the Province of ^lito^ and the Jurisdiction 

 of its Audience, 



IN the five preceding books we liave endeavoured, 

 as far as the nature of the subject would permit, to 

 follow the order which the series of our voyage re- 

 quired ; and we flatter ourselves it will appear, that, 

 though our principal attention was directed to the 

 astronomical observations, we have not omitted any 

 interesting particular, relating to the towns and pro- 

 vinces through which we passed. We were always 

 persuaded, that if the former tended to the improve- 

 ment of science, and was agreeable to those who pro- 

 fess it i the latter might prove useful to historians, 

 and be acceptable to those who apply themselves to 

 the study of the constitution, state, customs, and ge- 

 nius of nations. We closed the fifth book with an 

 account of the city of Quito j this we shall employ in 

 treating of the province, which is equally an object of 

 curiosityj and we are enabled to gratify the reader in 

 the most satisfactory manner, having, in the course of 

 our observations, not only surveyed its whole extent, 

 but, by our long stay, obtained the acquaintance of 

 many persons of undoubted judgment and veracity, 

 on whom we could rely for particulars not to be 



known 



