to4 AVOYAGETO Book II. 



as to raife the rent of lodging to an excefiive degree; 

 a middling chamber, with a clofet, lets, during the fair, 

 for a thoLifand crowns, and fome large houfes for 

 four, five, or fix thoufand. 



The fhips are no fooner moored in the harbour, 

 than the firll work is, to erecl:, in the fquare, a tent 

 made of the fnip's faib, for receiving its cargo; at 

 which the proprietors of the goods are prefenr, in 

 crder to find their bales, by the marks which dif- 

 tinguifh them. Thefe bales are drawn on fledges, to 

 their refpedive places by the crew of every fhip, 

 and the money given them is proportionally divided. 



Whilst the leamen and European traders are thus 

 employed, the land is covered with droves of mules 

 from Panama, each drove confiding of above an hun- 

 dred, loaded with chefts of gold and filver, on account 

 of the merchants of Peru. Some unload them at the 

 exchange, others in the middle of the fquare ; yet, 

 amidft the hurry and confufion of fuch crouds, no 

 theft, lofs, or difturbance, is ever knovvn. He who 

 has feen this place during the tiempo muerto, or dead 

 time, folitary, poor, and a perpetual filence reigning 

 every where ; the harbour quite empty, and every 

 place wearing a melancholy afpeft ; muft be filled 

 with aftoniiliment at the fudden change, to fee the 

 buftling multitudes, every houfe crowded, the fquare 

 and ftreets encumbered with bales and chefts of gold 

 and filver of all kinds ; the harbour full of fhips and 

 velTels, fome bringing by the way of Rio de Chape 

 the goods of Peru, as cacao, quinquina^ or jefuits 

 barkj Vicuna wool, and bezoar ilones ; others coming 

 from Carthagena, loaded vvith provifions ; and thus a 

 fpot, at all other times detefted for its deleterious qua- 

 lities, becomes the ftaple of the riches of the old and 

 new world, and the fcene of one of the moft con^ 

 fiderable branches of commerce in the whole earth. 



The fnios bein^ unloaded, and the merchants of 

 Peru, together with the prefident of Panama, arrived, 



the 



