Ch. ir. SOUTH AMERICA. 23 



who had not feen 'it were alarmed, and imagining it 

 to be a cannon fired by fome fhip arrived in the port, 

 ran to arms, and haftened on horfeback to tbe flioie, 

 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 ex- 

 traordinary Ihould happen, Thefe igneous pli^no- 

 mena are fo far from being uncom.mon all over 

 Valles, that they are feen at all times of the nighr, 

 and fome of them remarkably large, luminous, and 

 continuing a confiderable time. 



This town and its neighbourhood are terribly in- 

 fefted with Mofchitos. There are indeed fome parts 

 of the year when their numbers decreafe, and fome- 

 timxs, though very feldom, none are to be feen j but 

 they generally continue during the whole year,^ The 

 country from. Piura upwards is free from this troi> 

 blefome infeft, except fome particular towns, fituat- 

 ed near rivers but they fwarm no where in fuch 

 intolerable numbers as at Santa. 



Leaving this town on the 8th, we proceeded to 

 Guaca-Tambo, a plantation fo called, eight leagues 

 diftance from Santa, and contiguous to it is the Tam- 

 bo, an inn built by the Yncas for the ufe of travellers. 

 It has a fned for the convenience of paffengers, and 

 a rivulet running near it. 



On the 9th we came to another plantation known 

 by the name of Manchan, within a league of v^^hich 

 we paffed through a village called Cafma la Baxa, 

 having a church, with not more than ten or twelve 

 houfes. Half way betwixt this and Manchan is ano- 

 ther rivulet. The latter plantation is about eight 

 leagues diftant from the former. From Manchan on 

 the tenth we travelled over thofe ftony hills called the 

 Culebras, extremely troublefome, particularly to the 

 litters, and on the following day being the iith, vvg 

 entered GuarmeV, 16 leagues from Manchan, and 

 after travelling about three leagues further we reached 



C 4 the 



