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412 ULLOA's voyage to south AMERICA. 



CHAP. X. — 0/t/?e Commerce carried on by means of the City and River of Guayaquil^ 

 betwixt the Provinces of Peru and Terra Firma, and the Coaji of New Spain, 



THE commerce of Guayaquil may be divided into two parts : one reciprocal, being 

 that of the produds and manufadures of its jurifdidion ; the other tranfitory, its port 

 being the place where the goods from the provinces of Peru, Terra Firma, and Gau- 

 temala, configned to the mountains, are landed j and on the other hand, thofe from 

 the mountains, defigned for the abovementioned provinces, are brought hither and 

 fhipped for their refpettive ports. And as thefe two branches are very different, I 

 fhall firfl treat particularly of its reciprocal commerce. 



The cacao, one of its principal produds, is chiefly exported to Panama, the ports 

 of Sonfonate, el Realejo, and other ports of New Spain j and alfo to thofe of Peru, 

 though the quantity fent to the latter is but fmall. It is fomething fmgular, that in 

 this city and jurifdidion, where cocao grows in fuch plenty, little or no ufe Ihould be 

 made of it. 



Timber, which may be efteemed the fecond article of its commerce, is chiefly fent 

 to Callao, though a little is fold to the places between Guayaquil and that port. All 

 the expenfe of it here is the charge of felling, carrying it to the next creek or river, 

 and floating it down to Guayaquil j where, or at Puna, it is fliipped for the ports it 

 is configned to. 



Though both thefe branches of trade are very advantageous to Guayaquil, as may 

 be eafily imagined, from the prodigious quantities exported ; yet the trade of fait is 

 not inferior to either, though the principal markets to which this is fent, are only the 

 inland towns in the province of Quito. To thefe may be added cotton, rice, and fifh,^ 

 both falted and dried ; the two firft of which deferve to be mentioned, as they are 

 exported both to the maridme and inland provinces. 



The fourth and laft article of the commerce of this jurifdidtion, is the trade in horned 

 cattle, mules, and colts, of which great numbers are bred in the extenfive favannahs 

 of this province. Thefe turn to good account in the provinces of the mountains, where 

 there is not a fufficiency to anfwer the neceflary demands. 



Befides thefe four capital articles, there are others, though fmgly of little confe- 

 quence, yet jointly are equal to any one of the former, as tobacco, wax, Guinea pepper, 

 drugs, and lana de ceibo, by which great numbers of the lower clafs of people acquire 

 a comfortable fubfiflience. 



The lana de ceibo, or ceibo wool, is the produ£t of a very high and tufted tree of 

 that name. The trunk is ftraight, and covered with a fmooth bark ; the leaf round 

 and of a middling fize. At the proper feafon the tree makes a very beautiful appear- 

 ance, being covered with white bloflfoms : and in each of thefe is formed a pod, which 

 encreafes to about an inch and a half or two inches in length, and one in thicknefs. 

 In this pod the lana or wool is contained. W.hen thoroughly ripe and dry, the pod 

 opens, and the filamentous matter or wool gradually fpreads itfelf into a tuft refeni- 

 bling cotton, but of a reddifli caft. This wool is much more foff and delicate to the 

 touch than cotton itfelf, and the filaments fo very tender and fine, that the natives here 

 think it cannot be fpun ; but I am perfuaded that this is entirely owing to their igno- 

 rance : and if a method be ever difcovered of fpinning it, its finenefs will entitle it rather 

 to be called ceibo filk than wool. The only ufe they have hitherto applied it to, is to 

 fill matraffes 5 and in this particular, it muft be allowed to have no equal, both with 



regard 



