Ch.IV. south AMERICA. 153 



clivity of a mountain called Cerillo Verde, and is 

 now termed Ciudad Vieja, or the old town. Its in- 

 habitants being afterwards ftreightened by the moun- 

 tain on one fide, and by ravins or hollows made by 

 floods of rain on the other, formed a defign, without 

 entirely abandoning the place, to build the principal 

 part of the city at the diftance of five or fix hundred 

 toifes which was accordingly begun in 1693-, and 

 for preferving a communication with the old part, 

 a bridge of timber was ereded, of about three hun- 

 dred toifes in length, by which means the inconve- 

 niencies of the ravins are avoided, and, the intervals 

 being filled with fmall houfes, the old and new towns 

 are now united. 



This city is of confiderable extent, taking up, along 

 the bank of the river from the lower part of the old 

 town to the upper part of the new, near half a league ; 

 but the breadth is not at all proportional, every per- 

 fon being fond of having a houie near the river, 

 both for the amufements it affords, and for the be- 

 nefit of refrefhing winds, which, in v/inter, are the 

 more eagerly coveted as they are very rare. 



All the houfes of both towns are built of wood, 

 and many of them covered with tiles ; though the 

 greatett part of thofe in the old town are only 

 thatched; but in order to prevent the fpreading of 

 fires, by which this city has feverely fufFered on feve- 

 ral occafions, fuch covering is now prohibited. Moft 

 of thefe conflagrations owed their rife to the malevo- 

 lence of the Negroes, who, in order to revenge fome 

 punifhments infiided on them by their maflers, took 

 the opportunity, during the night, of throwing fire 

 on the thatch, and by that means not only ruined 

 thofe v/ho were the immediate objefts of their re- 

 venge, but alio the greateft part of the inhabitants 

 of the city. 



Though the houfes are wholly built of wood, they 

 ^re generally large and beautiful 5 have all one ftory 



and 



