^.^6 ULLOa's voyage to south AMERICA. 



difeafe muft naturally be thought in feme meafure to Ihorten their lives ; though it is 

 not uncommon to fee perfons live feventy years or more, without ever Jhaving been 

 entirely free from that diflemper, either hereditary, or contracted in their early youth. 



During the continuance of the north and north-eaft winds, which are the coldeft 

 from palling over the frofty deferts, the inhabitants are afflicted with very painful 

 catarrhs, called Pechugueras. The air is then fomething difagreeable, the mornings 

 being fo cold as to require warmer clothmg ; but the fun foon difperfes this incon- 

 venience. 



As the peflilence, whofe ravages among the human fpecies in Europe, and other 

 parts, are fo dreadful, is unknown both at Quito and throughout all America, fo is alfo 

 the madnefs in dogs. And though they have fome idea of the peftilence, and call thofe 

 difeafes fimilar in their eifefts by that name, they are entirely ignorant of the- canine 

 madnefs; and exprefs their aftonifliment when an European relates the melancholy 

 efteds of it. Thofe inhabitants, on the oth^r hand, are here fubjeft to a diflemper 

 unknown in Europe, and may be compared to the fmall-pox, which few or none efcape ; 

 but having once got through it, they have nothing more to apprehend from that quar- 

 ter. This diflemper is one of thoft; called pefte ; and its fymptoms are convulfions in 

 every part of the body, a continual endeavour to bite, delirium, vomiting blood ; and 

 thofe whofe conflitutions are not capable of fupporting the conflids of the diflemper, 

 perifh. But this is not peculiar to Quito, being equally common throughout all South 

 America. 



CHAP. VII. — Fertility of the Territories of Quito, and the common Food of its 



Inhabitants. 



THOUGH an account of the fruits Ihould naturally fucceed that of the climate, I 

 determined, on account of their variety, and their being different in different parts, to 

 defer a circumllantial defcription, till I come to treat more particularly of each of the 

 jurifdidions. So that I fhall here only take a tranfient view of the perennial beauty and 

 pleafantnefs of the country j which has hardly its equal in any part of the known world : 

 the equability of its air exempts it from any fenfible changes, whereby the plants, corn, 

 and trees, are ftripped of their verdure and ornaments, their vegetative powers checked, 

 and themfelves reduced to a torpid inaftivity. The fertility of this country, if fully 

 defcribed, would appear to many incredible, did not the confideration of the equality 

 and benignity of the climate inforce its probability. For both the degrees of cold and 

 heat are here fo happily determined, that the moiflure continues, and the earth feldom 

 fails of being cherifhed by the fertilizing beams of the fun, fome part of every day ; 

 and therefore it is no wonder that this country fhould enjoy a greater degree of fertility 

 than thofe where the fame caufes do not concur ; efpecially if we confider, that there 

 is no fenfible difference throughout the year; fo that the fruits and beauties of the 

 fevei.7.1 feafons are here feen at the fame time. The curious European obferves, with a 

 pleafmg admiration, that whilfl fome herbs of the field are fading, others of the fame 

 kind are fpringing up ; and whilfl fome flowers are lofmg their beauty, others are blow- 

 ing, to continue the enamelled profped. When the fruits have obtained their maturity, 

 and the leaves begin to change their colour, frefh leaves, bloffoms, and fruits, are feen 

 in their proper gradations on the fame tree. 



The fam6 incelTant fertility is confpicuous in the corn, both reaping and fowing 

 bebg carried on at the fame time. That corn which has been recently fown is coming 



up J 



