tJLLOA's VOYAGE TO SOUTH AMERICA. . jir 



were very affiduous and very accurate in their inquiries, as well as candid and commu- 

 nicative in relation to the difcoveries and obfervations which they had made in their 

 travels ; — men of fuch talents, and fuch difpofitions, muft tender themfelves agreeable 

 every where ; much more in a country of liberty, and where, without partiality, we may 

 have leave to fay, the fciences are as deeply rooted, and flourifh in as high a degree, as 

 in any other in Europe. We will add, that, from a knowledge of their merit and 

 candour, they not only received the greatell civilities, but the moft feafonable protection, 

 to which, in fome meafure, the world is indebted for this very performance, as the 

 reader will learn in the perufal of it ; accompanied with thofe marks of gratitude and 

 refped, which were due to their kind benefactors, more efpecially the late worthy pre- 

 fident of the Royal fociety, whofe memory is juftly dear to all who had the honour of 

 being in the leaft acquainted with him * ; and that humane and polite patron of every 

 ufeful branch of literature. Earl Stanhope ; whofe noble qualities refled: honour on his 

 titles, and who inherits the virtues of his illuftrious father, one of the braveft men, and 

 one of the moft difmterefted minifters, this nation could ever boaft. 



After doing juftice to the authors, let us come to the work itfelf. In pieces of this 

 kind, there is, generally fpeaking, no part fo tedious and unpleafant, at leaft to the 

 generality of readers, as what regards occurrences at fea ; and yet thefe are allowed to have 

 their utility. In the following Iheets, however, though they are found pretty copioufly, 

 we fhall fee them without thofe defeats. If thefe writers mention the variation of the 

 compafs, they explain the nature, inquire into the caufe, and fliow the ufes that arife 

 from obferving this phenomenon. In this manner, they treat of calms, winds, currents, 

 and other incidents, in fo fuccinCt and fcientific a method, as at the fame time to be very 

 inftrudtive, and not unentertaining. In this refpedt, we may look upon their narratives 

 as a fort of practical introduction to the art of navigation, which we not only read with- 

 out difguft, but which, when read with any tolerable attention, will enable us to under- 

 ftand many paflages in other writers of voyages, which we fliould otherwife pafs over, 

 as utterly uninterefting and unintelligible. This obfervation, the reader will find fo 

 fully verified, from his own experience, that, I am confident, he will think it no fmall 

 recommendation to the book ; and the more fo, becaufe, though very neceffary, and 

 much wanted, the difficulties attending it had hitherto, in a great meafure, difcouraged 

 any fuch attempt. 



The geographical defcriptions we have of the country about Carthagena, the ifthmus 

 of Darien, the Terra Firma, the countries of Peru and Chili, thofe watered by the vaft 

 river of the Amazons, and, in a word, of the greateft part of South America, are 

 not only perfectly accurate, very methodical, and, in all refpeCts, full, clear, and fatis- 

 faCtory ; but alfo what we greatly wanted, and what we never had, at leaft in any com- 

 parifon with what we now have, before this work appeared. Thefe are countries that, 

 from the time of their difcovery, have maintained the reputation of being as pleafant, 

 as fertile, and as valuable, as any upon the globe. But though we knew this in ge- 

 neral, and, from the Spanifh defcriptions and hiftories, were not altogether unacquainted 

 with many particulars relating to them j yet, with refpedt to any diftin6t and precife^ 

 delineation of their feveral provinces, their divifions and fubdivifions, the diftribution 

 of mountains, rivers, plains, and other circumftances, with their relations to each other, 

 and comparative values in all refpedts, they were things not barely unknown, but fuch 

 as we could never expe6t to know, from the nature of the Spanilh government, with 



* Martin Folkes, Efq. a gentleman not more confpicuous from his extenfive knowledge, than amiable 

 for the politenefs of his manners, and refpedable for his excellent private charader. 



s s 2 any 



