25^4* BOUGUER's voyage to PERU. 



friends the Indians with much facility, confidering the extreme flmplicity of the archi- 

 tedture common to this country, M. Condamine and myfelf made an unfuccefsful 

 attempt to put in pradlice the method I fuggefted in the memoirs of the Academy for 

 1735, to afcertain the precife moment of the equinox. The fun was vifible in the 

 evening, but not in the morning ; this circumflance, joined toxDther accidents, deprived 

 us of the correfpondent obfervations we were in want of. We were prevented by a 

 cloudy fky from obferving fome eclipfes of the fatelHtes of Jupiter ; but it permitted us 

 to notice the end of the eclipfe of the moon, of the 26th of March 1736, in the even- 

 ing ; which, from the circumflance of its fixing the fituation of all this coafl, the mod 

 wefierly of South America, is become an extremely important obfervation *, We 

 learn from it that Monte Chrifli, whofe latitude is 1 *^ 3' S. is fourteen leagues to the 

 wefl of the meridian of Panama or Porto Bello, and the cape St. Lorenzo, which is 

 near four leagues more to the wefl, is about fifty-four minutes of a degree to the weft 

 of the fame meridian. 



I was, with refpedt to myfelf, more fortunate in the obfervations I made at the 

 mouth of the river De Jama, north of the Cape PafTado, at o*^ 9' fouth of the equator. 

 We did not go to this place until we had firfl made our vifit to Don Jofeph de Olabes at 

 Puerto Viejo, by whom we were very well received. Puerto Viejo is one of the oldefl Spa- 

 nifh fettlements in Peru. It yet has the title of city, which it merits as little as that of port, 

 being a very inland town, and the river that pafTes it very inconfiderable. We found 

 notwithflanding a great number of Spaniards here, but for the mofl part very poor ; 

 they have wax and cotton, and cultivate both the cocoa and tobacco, for exportation, 

 but the badnefs of their roads and a defeftive navigation depreffes their commerce ; 

 it is even a fort of hazard that throws an opportunity in their way for the fale of their 

 commodities. 



We noticed in this, as in feveral other places we pafTed, fome very pretty houfes, 

 under roofs thatched with flraw or the leaves of the palm-tree, containing a great num- 

 ber of chambers, and which to their other embellifhments, if we may ufe the term, were 

 added galleries and balconies. The bamboo ferves for beams, as well as joifls and 

 boards. Thefe bamboos of which they make fuch a variety of ufes, are as thick as a 

 man's leg ; when they form boards of them, they fplit them down the whole length 

 on one fide, then open them by breaking the diaphragm within, and fpread them flat ;. 

 thus prepared, thefe boards are as long as ours, and fometimes fifteen inches in 

 breadth ; and of thefe they make their floors, their partitions, and window-frames ; all 

 the parts of the iJuilding are united by the roots of trees, or cords made of the bark 

 or rind, fo that not a particle of iron enters into the compofition or conflrudlion of the- 

 edifice ; and nothing can be more accommodating to the natural indifpofition of the- 

 people of this country to labour ; who, were they inclined to give themfelves a little 



* The moon, although entirely fhadowed, was always vifible^ her emerlion only was obfervable., 



s. 



40^^ — Firft moment of emerfion.. 



31 — Ariftarcus appeared. 



00— Plato, ditto. 



1 7 — Tycho began to emerge. 



23 — Tycho totally emerged. 



47 — Manilius emerged. 



24 — Mare Serenitatis, out of fhad'ow entirely. 



25 — Mare Oris, out of fhadow entirely^ 



17 — Petavius emerged. 



18 — Langrenus, ditto* 



27 — Eclipfe ends. 



more 



