452 ulloa's voyage to south America. 



common praftice is, to fnatch off the perfon*s hat, and immediately feek their fafety m 

 their flight ; fo that, before the perfon robbed can recover himfelf, the thief is out of 

 fight. However trifling this may feem, yet fometimes the capture is very confiderable ; 

 the hats generally worn by perfons of any rank, and even by the wealthy citizens when 

 dreffed in their cloaks, are of white beaver, and of themfelves worth fifteen or twenty 

 dollars, or more, of the Quito currency, befides a hatband of gold or filver-lace, faft- 

 ened with a gold buckle fet with diamonds or emeralds. It is very rare that any fuch 

 thing as a robbery on the highway is heard of; and even thefe may be rather ac- 

 counted houfebreaking, as they are either committed by the carriers themfelves or their 

 fervants. In order to execute their mod remarkable pieces of villany within the city, 

 they fet fiire, during the darknefs of the night, to the doors of fuch fhops or ware- 

 houfes, where they flatter themfelves with the hopes of finding fome fpecie ; and hav- 

 ing made a hole fufficiently large for a man to creep through, one of them enters the 

 houfe, while thfe others ftand before the hole to conceal their accomplice, and to receive 

 what he hands out to them. In order to prevent fuch pradices, the principal traders 

 are at the expence of keeping a guard, which patroles all night through the flreets 

 where attempts of this kind are mofl to be apprehended ; and thus the fliops are fecured ; 

 for, in cafe any houfe or fhop is broke open, the commander of the guard is obliged 

 to make good the damage received. 



Neither the Indians, Mefl:izos, nor any of the lowefl clafs of people, think the taking 

 any eatables a robbery ; and the Indians have a particular rule of condu£l in their ope- 

 rations, namely, if one of them happens to be in a room where there are feveral veffels 

 of filver, or other valuable effefts, he advances flowly, and with the utmoft circum- 

 fpeftion, and ufually takes only one piece, and that the leaft valuable, imagining that 

 it will not be fo foon miffed as if he had taken one of greater price. If detefted in the 

 fad, he refolutely denies it, with a yanga, a very exprefllve word in his language, and 

 now often ufed by the Spaniards of this country, fignifying that it was done without 

 , any n^ceffity, without any profit, without any bad intention. It is indeed a word of 

 fuch extent in difculpating, that there is no crime to which it is not applicable with 

 regard to the acquittal of the delinquent. If he has not been feen in the very fa6t, be 

 the circumflances ever fo plain againfl; him, the theft can never be afcertained, no Indian 

 having ever been known to confefs. 



In Quito, and in all the towns and villages of its province, different dialeds are 

 fpoken, Spanifli being no lefs common than the Inga. The Creoles, in particular, ufe 

 the latter equally with the former ; but both are confiderably adulterated with borrowed 

 words and expreflions. The firft language generally fpoken by children is the Inga ; 

 the nurfes being Indians, many of whom do not underftand a word of Spanifli. Thus, 

 the children being firfl: ufed to the Indian pronunciation, the impreffion is fo flrong on 

 their minds, that few can be taught to fpeak the Spanifli language before they are five 

 or fix years old ; and the corruption adheres fo fl:rongly to them, that they fpeak a 

 jargon compofed of both ; an impropriety which alfo gains ground among the Euro- 

 peans, and even perfons of rank, when once they begin to underfliand the language of 

 the country. But what is fl;iU more inconvenient, they ufe improper words ; fo that a 

 Spaniard himfelf, not accuftomed to their dialed, has often need of an interpreter. 



The fumptuous manner of performing the lafl: ofiices to the dead, mentioned in the 

 defcription of Carthagena, is frugal and Ample, if compared to that ufed at Quito and 

 all its jurifdidion. Their oftentation is fo enormous in this particular, that many fami- 

 lies of credit are ruined by a prepofterous emulation of excelling others. The inhabit- 

 ants may therefore be properly faid to toD, fcheme, and endure the greatefl; labour and 



fatigue. 



