ULLOA's voyage to south AMERICA. 403 



Babahoyo, a name fufficiently known in all thefe countries, it being the feat of the 

 grand cuftom-houfe for every thing going into the Cordillera, or coming from thence, 

 has a very large jurifdidion, in which, befides the principal town, are thofe of Ujiba, 

 Caracol, Quilea, and Mangaches ; the two laft border on the Cordillera, and are a con- 

 fiderable diftance from Ujiba, where the prieft refides during the winter, removing in 

 the fummer to Babahoyo, which, befides its fettled inhabitants, has always a great 

 number of traders from other parts. 



The country of this jurifdidion, being level and low, on the firfl: fwellings of the 

 rivers Caluma, Ujiba, and Caracol, is overflowed to a prodigious diftance, though at 

 different depths, particularly at Babahoyo, where the waters rife to the firft ftory of the 

 houfes, fo that during the winter it is entirely forfaken. 



The country of this jurifdi6lion, as well as that of Baba, contiguous to it, abounds 

 in fuch numbers of cacao plantations, that many are negleded, and their fruit left to 

 the monkies and other animals, which are thus happily provided for by the fpontaneous 

 fertility of the ground, without any alliftance from agriculture. It alfo produces cot- 

 ton, rice, Guinea pepper, and a great variety of fruits. It has likewife large droves of 

 black cattle, horfes, and mules, which, during the time the country is under water, are 

 kept in the mountains j biit, as foon as the lands are dry, are driven down to fatten on 

 the gamalotes, a plant of fuch luxuriance, as to cover entirely the ground ; its height 

 exceeds two yards and a half. It alfo gVows fo thick, as to preclude all paffage, even 

 along the paths made by the traders. 



The blade of the gamalote refembles that of barley, but longer, broader, thicker, and 

 rougher. The green is deep, but lively, and the ftalk diverfified with knots, from which 

 the leaves, which are ftrong, and fomething above two lines in diameter, have their 

 origin. When the gamalote is at its full growth, the height of water during the floods, 

 by rifmg above its top, preffes it down, and rots it, fo that, when the waters ebb away, 

 the earth feems covered with it ; but at the firft impreflion of the fun it flioots again, 

 and in a few days abounds in the fame plenty as before. One thing remarkable 

 in it is, that, though it proves fo nourifliing to the cattle of this diftrid;, it is very 

 noxious to thofe from the Cordillera, as has been often experienced. 



Baba is one of the largeft lieutenancies of Guayaquil, reaching to the fldrts of the 

 Cordillera, or the mountains of Anga Marca, belonging to the jurifdidtion of Lata- 

 cunga, or, according to the Indian pronunciation, Llatacunga. Befides the princi- 

 pal town of the fame name, it has others annexed to it, fo far as to be under one 

 prieft, who, with the corregidor's lieutenant, refides continually at Baba. Formerly, 

 the river of the fame name ran clofe by this town ; but Don En Vinces having cut 

 a canal for watering the cacao plantations on his eftate, the river inclining more to 

 this courfe than its former, it was found impoflible to ftop it ; fo that, leaving its 

 original channel, it has ever fmce continued to run in a courfe fome diftance from 

 the town. The other two places are San Lorenzo and Palenque, both at a great 

 diftance from the capital, and near the Cordillera, fo that their Indian inhabitants 

 are but little civilized. 



The cacao tree, which, as I have already obferved, abounds in this diftrid, inftead 

 of being only four or five, according to fome authors, who poflibly faw it when very 

 young, is generally not lefs than eighteen or twenty feet high. It begins from the 

 ground to divide itfelf into four or five ftems, according to the vigour of the root, from 

 whence they all proceed. They are generally between four and feven inches in dia- 

 meter ; but their firft growth is in an oblique direction, fo that the branches are all ex- 

 panded and feparated from one another. The length of the leaf is between four and 



^ F 2 fis 



