Ch. II. SOUTH AMERICA. 25 



On the 1 5th we proceeded to the banks of the 

 river Barranca, about a quarter of a league diiranr. 

 We eafily forded it, under the direclion of Chimba- 

 dores. It was now very lovv', and divided into three 

 branches, but being full of Hones is always dange- 

 rous. About a league further is the tovvn of Bar- 

 ranca, where the jurifdiftion of Guaura begins. The 

 town is populous, and many ot its inhabitants, 

 Spaniards, tho' tlie houfes do not exceed 60 or 70. 

 The lame day we reached G^uaura, which from 

 Guannanmayo, makes a diftance of nine leagues. 



This town confuts only of one fmgle ftreet, about 

 a quarter of a league in length, and contains about 

 150 or 200 houiies ^ fome of which are of bricks, 

 others of baxareques befides a few Indian huts. 



This town has a parifii church, and a convent of 

 Francifcans. Near it you pals by a plantation, ex- 

 tending above a league on each fide of the read, 

 which is every where extremely delightful ; the 

 country eafcward, as far as the eye can reach, being 

 covered with fugar-canes, and weflward divided into 

 fields of corn, maize, and other fpecies of grain. 

 Nor are thefe elegant improvements confined to 

 the neighbourhood of the town, but the whole val- 

 ley, which is very large, makes the fame beautiful 

 appearance. 



• At the South-end of the town of Guaura, ftands 

 a large tower, with a gate, and over it, a kind of 

 redoubt. This t.)wer is ereded before a ftone 

 bridge, under which runs Guaura river ; and fo 

 near to the lown that it wafhes the foundations of the 

 houfes, but without any damage, bei::g a rock. From 

 the river is a fuburb which extends above half a 

 league, but the houfes are not contiguous to each 

 other ; and the groves and gardens with which they 

 are intermixed, render the road very pleafant. By 

 a folar obfervation, we found the latitude of Guaura 

 to be 11° 36'' S. The n<y is clear, and the tem- 

 perature 



