BOUGUEr'S voyage to PERU. S^iJ 



more trouble, might find more folid and durable materials in their forefts. It is true, 

 it would coft them more to erect their habitations in a better and more careful manner ; 

 befides, generally they are in want of nothing elfe than a fhelter from the extreme heat 

 of the fun, or the frequent heavy rains. Walk or move as gently as you can in thefe 

 houfes, the whole edifice fhakes. Accidents by fire, too, are much to be apprehended, 

 but as their furniture partakes of the fimplicity of the building, the damage can never 

 be very confiderable. 



From Puerto Viejo we went to Charapoto, another Spanifh fettlement, where there 

 are yet fome Spaniards to be met with. From this place we proceeded to Canow, and 

 afterwards to the north of the Cape Paflado. On our way to Canow we paffed by the 

 bay of Caracas, a port, thejuttings of which are formed by nature. This bay, fup- 

 pofed to have fome refemblance to that of the fame name in the North Sea, has a very 

 narrow entrance,, but is neverthelefs very fpacious ; and there is much wood in the 

 neighbourhood of it, proper for the conflrudlion of Ihips ; and the Spaniards, who 

 founded a city near the entrance of it, the ruins of which are yet evident, continue 

 here from time to time, eflabhfhing timber-yards. 



In all the places not abfolutely defert, we found and had a refource in bananas, and 

 fome other fruits, milk, eggs, and poultry. In other places we fubfifted upon rice, 

 and what provifions we carried with us ; the bananas, and maize-cakes, which had no 

 other fault than being exceedingly dry, ferved us inftead of bread. 



The Indians provided us with horfes, of which we had much need ; and they taught 

 us to profit of the flux and reflux of the tide, by direfting our way upon the flat fhores, 

 where no roads were found made over the heights of the coafl:. Horfes multiply very 

 much in this country, and there has been a great number of them fince the Spaniards 

 have tranfported them from Europe ; their goodnefs does not arife from the care taken 

 of them, as is the cafe in our iflands ; they fufler them always to run out even during 

 the night, and never fhoe them ; they are fometimes fo lean and ftarved as to excite 

 the companion of a cavalier, but notwithftanding this, they are excellent and truly fer- 

 viceable. We availed ourfelves of another fort of conveyance, when we had occafion 

 to keep to the coaft. We found fome pirogues, a fpecies of canoe or boat, formed 

 of a fmgle trunk of a tree, in which they will venture very far from fliore, and even 

 dare to double the cape, when the fea is not greatly agitated. 



All our propofitions in our different coaftings were defigned to make us as much 

 acquainted as pofTible with the country : but while we had in view the perfeding of 

 geography, we did not negled: other obfervations that prefented themfelves ; to mul- 

 tiply which it was that, being in the fouthern hemifphere, we conceived the defign of 

 coafting now and then our way northward. I fought principally for a commodious 

 fituation to obferve the aftronomical refradtions near the horizon, and I at length found 

 one at the mouth of the river Jama, where I fixed myfelf for near fifteen days. The 

 obfervations I made there, joined to thofe already accompliflied at St. Domingo, fur- 

 nifhed me with a term of comparifon which turned out exceedingly ufeful to me when 

 I got to Quito ; I noticed there the refra(5lions to be lefs, and that, contrary to all re- 

 ceived opinion till that time, they diminiftied in proportion as we were above the level 

 of the fea. 



While I was thus occupied below, I beheld, the 13th of April 1736, a very uncom- 

 mon fight, and of which there have been but few examples : I faw two funs very 

 diftind;, fucceflively fet ; they were in contact, and one exaftly over the other. I 

 do not think I ought to attribute this phenomenon to the refledtion of the furface of the 

 fea, which had fent back the fecond image : for in this cafe the two images would have 



N N a had 



