2^2 BOUGUEr's voyage TO PERU. 



hew heat, that is to fay, to one different from what it received from the fea ; and which 

 arifes from the refledtion, and the neighbourhood of foil, compofed of nothing but fand. 

 Thus the cloud is likely to be lefs difpofed to fall by its own weight, as the volumes of 

 ^ach of its bubbles mull neceflarily augment. It is true, if the dilatation were already 

 too great, from the facility the fmall portion of the confined air had to receive the heat, 

 the neighbourhood of an overheated coaft would only tend to accelerate the burfting of 

 the bubbles, and rain would be the more certain. So there is oftentimes a fufficiency of 

 rain where the irrigadon of the foil is pradifed ; but it is more common to obferve the 

 clouds pafs over to a diftance of twenty-five or thirty leagues beyond, where they are 

 met by the Cordelier, which, as a high wall, intercepts every thing not high enough 

 elevated to fly over it. 



April 23, 1736. — It is now a month and a half ago fmce we firfl vifited thefe deferts, 

 and it became neceffary that we fhould think of making our way to Quito, the roads 

 to which we had now reafon to expeft, from the ceiTation of the rains, were now be- 

 ginning to be prafticable. Being at this time at the mouth of the river Jama, which is 

 nearly upon the fame parallel with Quito, M. Condamine and myfelf agreed to feparate 

 and take different routes. M. Condamine followed the coaft towards the north in fearch 

 of the river of Emeralds, continuing to lay down a map of the country he crofTed in 

 re-afcending it. With refpeQ: to myfelf, retracing back my fteps, I took a fouthern 

 diredion for Guayaquil, and penetrated the forefls, the furface of which was fo over- 

 flowed, that I was frequently, when mounted on horfeback, up to the knees in water : 

 it was, in truth, no other than a continual morafs or flough. The violent efforts by 

 the mules to extricate themfelves, expofed one every inftant to the hazard of being 

 dafhed againfl a tree. 



Having reached Guayaquil, I quitted it the fame day, of courfe could not myfelf 

 acquire much knowledge of it. The town is large, and one of the mofl flourifhing of 

 all the country. Its advantageous fituation renders it the flaple of the commerce of 

 both Panama and Lima ; and though it is at a confiderable diftance from Quito, it is, 

 properly fpeaking, the port of this latter place. It is big enough, and divided into two 

 towns, called the old and new. The houfes, which are all built of wood, are fepa- 

 rated but by fimple partitions. Its fituation is five leagues from the fea, upon the weft- 

 em bank of a wide and deep river, immediately below its confluence with the Daule, 

 which is alfo a very fine river. Almoft all the rivers falling from the Cordelier into the 

 Pacific Ocean, are no other than impetuous currents, notwithftanding the great quan- 

 tity of water that comes down. But thefe rivers come down from too great an height, 

 and fo rapid are their courfes to the fea, that they have not time to enlarge themfelves. 

 Some are confined within very narrow beds, particularly the moft part of thofe which 

 crofs the countries on this fide the Gulph of Guayaquil ; others, running over a fandy 

 foil, are much wider ; they frequently form great fheets of water, preferving, at the 

 fame time, the rapidity impreffed by their fall. But the river Guayaquil, in falling into 

 the gulph of that name, has a more gentle courfe, by reafon that it runs almoft parallel 

 with the Cordelier ; its defcent is not fo great ; it is fubjed to flux and reflux ; and is 

 the recepticle of many other rivers. All thefe circumftances render it more navigable, 

 and abounding in fifh j but, at the fame time, it is full of Caymans, or crocodiles, fo 

 common in America. 



I embarked upon this river, afcending it, and, on the 19th May 1736, reached 

 Caracol, feated at the foot of the Cordelier ; a place left by M. Godin about three days 

 before. This gentleman, although he had all the mules of the province at his com- 

 mand, was under the neceflity of leaving here nearly a fifth part of our equipage, by 



10 reafon. 



