^$2 ULLOA*S VOYAGE TO SOUTH AMERICA. 



and the fame may be faid of the other fettlements farther up the river. This place we 

 left the fame day, travelling fometimes along the fnore, fometimes at a league diflance 

 from it. 



On the 6th we halted in a defert place called Tambo de Chao, and afterwards came 



to the banks of the river Santa ; which having pafTed by means of the Chimbadores, 



' we entered the tov^^n of the fame name, which lies at about a quarter of a league from 



it, and fitteen from Biru. The road being chieily over vaft fandy plains intercepted 



betwe :n two hills. 



The river Santa, at the place where it is ufually forded, is near a quarter of a league 

 in breadth, forming five principal flreams, which run during the whole year with 

 great rapidity. It is always forded, and for this purpofe perfons make it their bufmefs 

 to attend with very high horfes, trained up to flem the current, which is always very 



"^ flrong. They are called Chimbadores ; and muft have an exafl; knowledge of the 



fords, in order to guide the loaded mules in their paifage, as otherwife the fording 

 this river would be fcarce practicable, the floods often fhifting the beds of the river y 

 fo that even the Chimbadores themfelves are not always fafe ; for the fords being 

 fuddenly changed in one of the ftreams, they are carried out of their depth by the cur- 

 rent, and irretrievably lofl. During the winter feafon, in the mountains, it often fwells 

 to fuch a height, as not to be forded for feveral days, and the paflengers are obliged 

 to wait the fall of the waters, efpecially if they have with them any goods ; for thofe 

 who travel without baggage may, by going fix or eight leagues above the town, pafs 



:-wt l*iJi over it on balzas made of calabaflies ; though even here not without danger, for if the 

 7^ balza happens to meet any ftrong current, it is fwept away by its rapidity, and carried 



into the fea. When we forded it, the waters were very low, notwithflanding which, we 

 found, from three feveral experiments made on its banks, that the velocity of the cur- 

 rent was thirty-five toifes in twenty-nine feconds and a half ; fo that the current runs 

 4271 toifes, or a league and a half in an hour. This velocity does not indeed equal 

 what M. de la Condamine mentions in the narrative of his voyage down the river Ma- 

 ranon, or that of the Amazons, at the Pango, or ftrait of Manceriche. But doubtlefs 

 when the river Santa is at its ufual height, it exceeds even the celerity of the Pango r 

 at the time of makiiM our obfervations, it was at its loweft. 



The latitude of ^ town of Santa Miria de la Parrilla, for fo it is called, we deter- 

 mined by an obfervation of fome ftars, not having an opportunity of doing it by the 

 fun, and found it 8 57' 36'' S. It was firfl built on the fea coaft, from which it is 

 now fomething above half a league diftant. It was large, populous, the refidence of 

 a corregidor, and had feveral convents. But in 1685, being pillaged and deftroyed 

 by the above-mentioned Englifh adventurer, its inhabitants abandoned it, and fuch as 

 were not able to remove to a place of greater fecurity, fettled in the place where it now 

 (tands. The whole number of houfes in it at prefent does not exceed thirty ; and of 

 thefe the beft are only of baxareque, and the others of draw. Thefe houfes are 

 inhabited with about fifty poor families confiding of Indians, Mulattoes and Meftizos. 

 During our obfervations, we were entertained with a fight of a large ignited exhala- 

 tion, or globe of fire in the air, like that mentioned in the firft volume of this work, 

 though not fo large, and lefs effulgent. Its direction was continued for a confiderable 

 time towards the weft, till having reached the fea coaft, it difappeared with an explofion. 

 like that of cannon. ' Thofe who had not feen it were alarmed, and imagining it to be 

 a cannon fired by fome ftiip arrived in the port, ran to arms, and haftened on horfeback 

 to the ftiore, in order to oppofe the landing of the enemy. But finding all quiet, they 

 returned to the town, only leaving fome centinels to fend advice, if any thing extraor- 



I . dinary 



