ON THE PACIFIC COAST 317 



very healthy, but now almost uninhabited. The 

 little towns along the coast to northward are also 

 healthy, and noted for the longevity of their 

 inhabitants. 



The vegetable products of cool regions become 

 excessively scarce and dear here in the rainy 

 season, when all import of goods from the highlands 

 of the Andes is suspended, although those moun- 

 tains lie within si^ht when the weather is clear. 



O 



At Daule potatoes were sold at 2^cl. and apples 

 at 5d. apiece ; while at the same time potatoes were 

 selling at Ambato, only So miles away, at is. 3d. 

 the sack. 



To Mr. John Teas dale 



CHANDUY, NEAR GUAYAQUIL, May 14, 1862. 



. . . The rains or, as we say here, the winter- 

 came on at Chonana in the middle of January, when 

 I descended to Guayaquil, and shortly afterwards 

 went on to Chancluy a small village on the shores 

 of the Pacific, at 2-.V days' journey by sea from 

 Guayaquil, and a little north of the island of Puna. 

 Here it scarcely ever rains, beyond a slight drizzle 

 in the morning, occasionally the same as at Lima 

 and throughout the year iS6i there was but one 

 day of heavy rain. This present year, however, 

 we have had a real rainy season that began in 

 February and lasted through most of March. It 

 has been the first rainy season since 1^45. and 

 we had actually one night a thunderstorm, a 

 phenomenon that had not previously been witnessed 

 here by even "the oldest inhabitant' (and there 

 are some centenarians). With so dry a climate 

 normally, you may well suppose the vegetation is 



