Nov.] 



CITY OF PIURA. 



221 



west, without seeing any thing that indicated land except discoloured 

 water. We tried several times for soundings, but found no bottom. 



We now stood to the north as far as the latitude of 7° 50', and in 

 that parallel ran to the westward until we were in long. 130° 7' west. 

 We then stood to the south, to the latitude of 7° 1 0', and beat up to the 

 eastward between the latitude of 6° 50' and 7° 10', to long. 120° 30' 

 west. In short, having wasted forty-six days in this fruitless search, 

 we were satisfied that no such land existed within many leagues of the 

 location assigned to it. 



October \%th. — On Thursday, the 13th of October, we resumed our 

 course to the Gallapagos Islands, with light variable winds from north- 

 east to east-south-east, and fair weather, which continued nearly a 

 fortnight. 



October 27th.— We arrived at the Gallapagos Islands on Thursday, 

 the 27th, and at eleven, A. M., anchored in the south bay of Albemarle, 

 otherwise called Elizabeth Bay, in four fathoms of water, half a mile 

 from the land to the south, with sandy bottom. The volcano of Nar- 

 borough, which broke out in February, was still burning, but very 

 moderately. 



November 5th. — Having examined the south end of Albemarle, and 

 taken a few fur-seal, we got under way and sailed for Indefatigable 

 Island, one of the same group, where we arrived on Saturday, the 5th 

 of November, and sent all hands on shore in search of terrapins. 



November 10th. — This duty was performed with so much alacrity, 

 that in four days' time we had taken on board one hundred and eighty- 

 seven of these valuable animals. We then got under way on Thurs- 

 day, the 10th, and set sail for the Bay of Sechura on the coast of Peru, 

 about two hundred and thirty leagues south-east of the Gallapagos 

 Islands. We had the wind from east-north-east to south-south-east, 

 and fair weather with little interruption for more than a week. 



November \§th. — On Saturday, the 19£h, we arrived in front of the 

 river Sechura, or Piura, as it was originally named, and came to anchor 

 at four, P. M., in three fathoms of water, mud and clay bottom, half a 

 mile from the shore. 



This river, which generally goes by the name of Sechura, from the 

 town and desert so called, and is so marked on the charts, was origin- 

 ally named Piura, from the province in which it rises and to which it 

 gives fertility. Its entrance is in lat. 5° 31' south, long. 80° 44' west ; 

 but its source is many miles farther north, from whence it flows in a 

 south-west direction, and empties into Sechura Bay north of Point 

 Aguja, or Needle Point. On the south bank of this river, about two 

 miles from the seashore, is the town of Sechura, of which I shall speak 

 presently, and some sixty miles up the river is the celebrated city of 

 Piura, in the bishopric of Truxillo, and about twenty -five miles south- 

 east of Payta. 



The city of Piura, which is the capital of the province of that name, 

 is in lat. 3° 15' south, long. 80° 40' west. It is celebrated as being 

 the first city that was built by the Spaniards after their arrival in the 

 New World, and as being founded by Don Francisco Pizarro in the year 

 1531. This successful chieftain also built the first church in it. The 



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