34S A VOYAGE TO Book VI. 



Though tbe country of Atacames lay thus neg- 

 lected for some years after the introduction of the 

 Christian rehgion, and its inhabitants had performed 

 homage to the king of Spain; yet the importance of 

 making settlements here, and cultivating the ground, 

 for facilitating the commerce betwixt the province of 

 Quito and the kingdom of Terra Firma, was not un- 

 known, as thereby an end would be put to the in- 

 conveniences of carrying it on by the way of Guaya- 

 quil; which being a great circuit, the trade suffered 

 in many particulars ; and indeed could not long have 

 subsisted, without making a settlement of Spaniards in 

 Atacames; as thus the way would be much shorter 

 for the commerce betwixt Terra Firma and Quito, 

 which now conveniently supplies it with provisions of 

 all kinds, and receives European goods in return. 



Pursuant to these views, Paul Durango Delga- 

 dillo v.'as in the year 162,1 appointed governor of 

 Atacames and Rio de las Esmaraldas. He had some 

 years before entered into a contract with the Marquis 

 de Monies Claros for opening a way from the town 

 of San Miguel de Ibarra to the river Santiago, one 

 of those which traversed the country belonging to 

 the jurisdiction of this government j and likewise to 

 people and cultivate it. But failing of fulfilling the 

 agreement, though he was not wanting in endeavours, 

 the government in the year 1626 was aken from him 

 and conferred on Francisco Perez Menacho, who 

 however had no better success than he who had been 

 displaced. 



After these two, came Juan Vincencio Justiniani 

 in the same character ; but he, seeing the insuperable 

 difiicultics according to the methods of his prede- 

 cessors, confidently offered to make the uay by the 

 river Mira, bat also failed in the execution ; and Don 

 Hernando de So:o Calderón, who began it in the year 

 1713, and rather more sanguine in his assurances of 

 success than the former, also disappointed the general 



expecta- 



