ULLOA's voyage to south AMERICA. 40I 



and, in feveral parts, for ribands, laces, and other ornaments. Stuffs dyed with 

 this purple are alfo highly valued. This precious juice is extraded by different 

 methods. Some take the fifh out of its fhell, and, laying it on the back of 

 their hand, prefs it with a knife from the head to the tail, feparating that part of 

 the body into which the compreflion has forced the juice, and throw away the 

 reft. In this manner they proceed, till they have provided themfelves with a fufficient 

 quantity. Then they draw the threads through the liquor, which is the whole procefs. 

 But the purple tinge does not immediately appear, the juice being at firft of a milky 

 colour ; it then changes to green ; and, laftly, into this celebrated purple. Other$ 

 purfue a different method in extrading the colour; for they neither kill the fifh, nor 

 take it entirely out of its fhell ; but fqueeze it fo hard as to exprefs a juice, with which 

 they dye the thread, and afterwards replace the fifh on the rock whence it was taken. 

 Some time after it undergoes a fecond operation ; but without yielding fo much juice 

 as at firft ; and at the third or fourth very little, by which means the fifh is exhaufled 

 beyond recovery. In 1 744,- being in the lieutenancy of Santa Elena, I had the fatis- 

 fadion to fee this liquor extrafted according to the firft procefs, and fome threads dyed 

 with it. This purple is far from being fo common as fome authors have imagined ; for, 

 though the fifh increafes, yet fo large a quantity is neceffary to dye a few ounces of 

 thread, that little of it is feen ; and, indeed, its great price is partly owing to its fear- 

 city. Another circumftance worthy of obfervation, and which increafes or diminifhes 

 the value, is the difference of weight and colour of the cotton dyed with it, according 

 to the different hours of the day. I could not find any fatisfadory account of this 

 property at Punta de Santa Elena, where the inhabitants, being lefs curious, have not 

 carried their fpeculations fo far as to be acquainted with this remarkable fingularity ; 

 whereas at Nicoya it is fo well known, that the dealers in it, both buyers and fellers, 

 are exactly acquainted with the times of its increafe or decreafe, fo that one of the firft 

 preliminaries to a contrad is, to fettle the time when it fhall be weighed. From this 

 alteration of the weight of the purple thread at Nicoya it may be inferred, that the 

 fame happens at Punta de Santa Elena j the turbines at both places being exactly of the 

 fame fpecies, and without the leaft vifible difference in colour. Another very remark- 

 able particular relating to its tin£t, and which I have heard from perfons of undoubted 

 veracity, is, that the colour of a thread of flax is very different from that of a thread 

 of cotton. It would, therefore, be proper, to make repeated experiments, on threads 

 of filk, flax, and wool. 



Some, by faying that the fifh, from whence this dye is extraded, breeds in a fhell, 

 by which either the flat or acaracolada or fpiral may be underftood ; it may not be im- 

 proper to remark that it is the laft fpecies, and, accordingly, the cotton tinged with this 

 juice, is called Caracolillo. This department alfo abounds in fruits, cattle of all kinds, 

 wax, and fifh ; fo that the inhabitants have very profitable motives for induftry ; accord- 

 ingly it is very populous, and though it does not abound in towns, the number of in- 

 habitants far exceeds that of the preceding government, and the harbour of Punta is 

 much frequented by veffels, that is, by fuch as trade between Panama and the ports of 

 Peru, in order to purchafe different kinds of provifions, as calves, kids, fowl, and other 

 kinds, of which there is here a great plenty. Veffels belonging to the merchants of 

 Guayaquil of two hundred tons, load here with fait ; a trade which, from the cheap- 

 nefs of that commodity, turns to a very good account. 



The next lieutenancy fouthward is Puna, an ifland in the mouth of Guayaquil river. 

 It extends north-eaft and fouth-weft between fix and feven leagues, and is of a quadri- 

 lateral figure. According to an ancient tradition, its inhabitants were once between 

 twelve and fourteen thouland : but, at prefent, it has only one fmall town, fituated at 



VOL. XIV. 3 F '^6 



