^BS ULLOA's voyage to south AMERICA. 



This ledge of rocks was difcovered in 1594, by a fliip's flriking on it. 



From St. Matthew's bay, we, for fome hours, fleered fouth-weft 6^ 15'wefterly; 

 and the next day fouth-eaft and one-fourth foutherly j which, being the third day, at 

 one in the afternoon, brought us in fight of Cape St. Francis, bearing north one- 

 fourth eafterly. 



According to the reckoning of Don George Juan, the difference of meridians between 

 Panama, and Cape St. Francis was o^ 36'; which nearly agrees with the map of this 

 coaft. It muft, however, be fuppofed that the diftance between each knot on the Ic^- 

 line was forty-feven feet by five and an half royal inches, which is equal to fifty and an 

 half Englifh feet : this confirms what we have already obferved, book I. chap. i. and 

 proves the juflnefs of our obfervations on the currents. 



Having weathered this cape, we fleered wefl 3^ foutherly; fouth-wefl 3^ weflerly; 

 and on the 6th and 7th fouth 7^ eaflerly, and fouth-eall 6^ eaflerly ; till on the 7th, 

 at eight in the morning, we again made Cape St. Francis, bearing north 5° eaflerly, and 

 Cape PafTado fouth ; after which we coafled along fhore, obferving the mofl remark- 

 able parts, till the 9th, when, at half an hour after three in the evening, we came to an 

 anchor in Manta bay, in eleven fathom water, the bottom mud mixed with fand : Cape 

 St. Lorenzo, bearing wefl-fouth-wefl and Monte Chrifto fouth-fouth-eafl 6° eaflerly. 



Two reafons induced us to anchor here : the firfl was, that as part of the intention of 

 our original voyage was to meafure fome degrees of the equator, befides thofe of the 

 meridian ; and having been informed at Panama of the fituation of this coafl, we were 

 defirous of viewing it, in order to know whether, by forming our firfl bafe on its plains, 

 the feries of triangles could be continued to the mountains contiguous to Quito : the 

 fecond, the want of water and provifions ; for the feafon being pretty far advanced, we 

 had flattered ourfelves, Mobile at Panama, with falling in with the brifas, and by that 

 means of foon reaching Guayaquil j and had therefore taken in provifions only for fuch 

 a fhort voyage. 



In order to fatisfy ourfelves with regard to our firil and principal view, we all went 

 on fhore on the i ©th in the evening to the village of Monte Chriflo, about two leagues 

 and a half from the coafl. But we foon found any geometrical operations to be imprac- 

 ticable there, the 'country being every where extremely mountainous, and almofl 

 covered with prodigious trees, an infurmountable obflruftion to any fuch defign. This 

 being farther confirmed to us by the Indian inhabitants, we determined to purfue our 

 voyage to Guayaquil, and thence to Quito. Accordingly, on the i ith we returned to 

 the coafl of Manta, where, whilfl the fhip was taking in water and provifion, we em- 

 ployed ourfelves in making obfervations, by which we found the latitude of this place to 

 he 56' 5I" fouth. But MefTrs. Bouguer and De la Condamine, reflecting that our flay 

 at Guayaquil would be confiderable before the feafon would permit the mules to come 

 from Guaranda to carry us to the mountains, and defirous of making the beft ufe of 

 their time, determined to flay here, in order to make further obfervations on the longi- 

 tude and latitude, that they might afcertain the place where the equator cuts this coaft, 

 examine the length of the pendulum, and make other obfervations equally important. 

 Accordingly proper inflruments were left with them. 



On the 13th of the fame month of March, our velfel put to fea, keeping along 

 the coafl, and paifed the next day within the ifland de la Plata. The 15th we 

 began to lofe fight both of Cape St. Lorenzo, and alfo of the ifland ; at one in the 

 afternoon we fleered fouth-fouth-eafl, till the 1 7th, when we difcovered Cape Blanco, 

 the fouth point of the Bay of Guayaquil. From Cape Blanco we coafled along the 

 bay, till, about noon on the 1 8th, coming to the mouth of the river Tumbez, we 



, 9 anchored 



