ULLOa's voyage to south AMERICA. 477 



VII. Cariumanga. XI. San Lucas de Amboca. 



VIIL Zororonga. XII. El Sifne. 



IX. Dominguillo. XIII. Malacatos. 



X. Catacocha. XIV. San Pedro del Valle. 



LojA, befides two churches, has feveral convents, a nunnery, a college of JefuitSy 

 and an hofpital. 



In the territory of this jurifdiftion is produced that famous fpecific for intermitting 

 fevers, known by the name of Cafcarilla de Loja, or Quinquina. Of this fpecific 

 there are different kinds, one of which is more efficacious than the others. M. de 

 Juffieu, whom I have already had occafion to mention more than once, being fent ta 

 make botanical obfervations, and take care of the health of the academicians, took the 

 trouble of making a journey to Loja, purely to examine the tree which produces it ; 

 and in a full defcription, which he drew up for the fatisfaftion of botanifls and other 

 curious perfons, enters, with his known fkill and accuracy, into a very minute diflindioa 

 of the feveral fpecies, and enumerates the fmallefl circumflances. At the fame time^ 

 he was pleafed to inform the corregidor of the differences, and to inflruft the Indians^ 

 employed in cutting it to diflinguifh each fpecies, that the' beft fort only might be fent 

 unmixed to Europe. Nor was this all ; he farther inflrufted them how to make an 

 extrad of it, and prevailed on the inhabitants of that territory to ufe it, where its vir- 

 tues had till that time been neglefted, though intermitting fevers are there as common 

 as in any other parts. Before he undeceived them, the natives imagined that it was 

 exported to Europe only as an ingredient in dyeing ; and, though they were not entirely 

 ignorant of its virtues, they made no ufe of it, little imagining that a fimple of fo hot 

 a nature could be good for them. But this ingenious phyfician convinced them of their 

 miftake by many happy effefts ; fo that, now, it is generally ufed in all kinds of fevers :, 

 and perfons of undoubted veracity, who have fmce vifited Loja, have given me very 

 pleafmg accounts of its falutary effeds. 



The tree which produces the cafcarilla is not of the largefl fize, its ufual height be- 

 ing about two toifes and a half, and the body and branches of a proportionate thick- 

 nefs. In this, however, there is fome difference, and in that confifts the goodnefs o£ 

 the cafcarilla, the largefl: branches not yielding the befl. There is alfo a difference both, 

 in the bloifom and feed. The Indians, in order to take off the cafcarilla or cortex, cut 

 down the tree ; after which, they bark it, and dry the quinquina. There are here 

 large and thick forefls of this tree j but notwithllanding this, there is a very fenfible 

 diminution of them, occafioned by the Indians not fowing the feed ; thofe which grow 

 fpontaneoufly not being by any means equal to thofe which have been cut down. 



In the jurifdiftion of Cuenca have alfo been difcovered many woody parts, in which- 

 this valuable tree is found : and when I was in that country, a priefl at Cuenca procured 

 a large quantity of cafcarilla, and fent it to Panama, the only place from whence it is 

 exported. This inflance, together with his affurances that it was of the lame kind with 

 that of Loja, induced feveral of the inhabitants of Cuenca to attempt the difcovery^ 

 and were foon convinced that the jurifdittion contained large forefls of this tree, which, 

 had been neglefted by them, whilfl their neighbours reaped no fmall advantages from 

 it. 



The jurifdiftion of Loja has alfo a very great advantage from breeding the cochineal, 

 and which intelligent perfons reckon of equal goodnefs with that of Oaxaca in New 

 Spain ; but the inhabitants are fo far from applying themfelves to the breeding of that 

 inied, fufficient to fupply the demands of a particular trade,, that they breed no more 



1 2 thatt: 



