^S2 ULLOa'S voyage to south AMERICA. 



tions of Riobamba, Alaufi and Cuenca, by means of the warehoufes at Yaguache and 

 Noranjal, carry on a confiderable trade with Guayaquil. 



This trade in the manufadures of that country, which confift only of three forts, 

 cloth, bags, and linen, is attended with confiderable profit to the traders, and advan- 

 tage to the country, as all the poor people, who are remarkably numerous, and perfons 

 of fubftance, except thofe of the capital, wear the goods manufadured in the country ; 

 thofe of Europe being fo prodigioufly dear, that only Spaniards of large fortune, and* 

 perfons of the higheft diflindtion, can afford to purchafe them. The quantity of cloth 

 and fluffs wove in this country, and all by Indians, either in the public manufactures or 

 their own houfes, appears from hence to be prodigioufly great : and to this, in a great 

 meafure, is owing the happy flate of this province ; the maflers and traders foon raifmg 

 fortunes, and the fervants and dependents contented with the fruits of their induflry. 



BOOK VI. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF QUITO, 



CHAP. I. — Extent of the Province of Quito, and the Jurifdidion of its Audience. 



TN the five preceding books, we have endeavoured, as far as the nature of the fubjeft 

 -*■ would permit, to follow the order which the feries of our voyage required ; and we 

 flatter ourfelves it will appear, that, though our principal attention was direded to the 

 aflronomical obfervations, we have not omitted any interefting particular, relating to the 

 towns and provinces through which we paffed. We were always perfuaded, that if the 

 former tended to the improvement of fcience, and was agreeable to thofe who profefs 

 it ; the latter might prove ufeful to hiftorians, and be acceptable to thofe who apply 

 themfelves to the fludy of the conftitution, flate, cufloms, and genius of nations. We 

 clofed the fifth book with an account of the city of Quito ; this we fhall employ in treat- 

 ing of the province, which is equally an obje£l of curiofity ; and we are enabled to gratify 

 the reader in the mofl fatisfaftory manner, having, in the courfe of our obfervations, not 

 only furveyed its whole extent, but, by our long flay, obtained the acquaintance of 

 many perfons of undoubted judgitient and veracity, on whom we could rely for parti- 

 culars not to be known from ocular infpeftion. So that we have fufficient reafons for 

 warranting the truth of the contents of this hiflory. 



The large province of Quito, at the time when the Spaniards firfl fettled in it, was 

 annexed to the kingdom of Peru, and continued fo till the year 171 8, when a new 

 viceroyalty being erefted at Santa Fe de Bogota, the capital of the new kingdom of 

 Granada, it was difmembered from Peru, and annexed to Granada. At the fame time 

 the audience of Quito was fuppreffed, together with that of Panama, in the kingdom of 

 Terra Firma ; though the latter continued dependent on the viceroys of Lima. The 

 intention in this frugal fcheme was, that the falaries of the great number of officers in 

 both, which ceafed on this abolition, fhould be applied to the fupport of the new vice- 

 royalty, in order to prevent any additional burden on the royal revenue ; a confequence 



otherwife 



