174 A VOYAGE TO Bt?OK IV. 



Bab A is one of the largeft lieutenancies of Guaya- 

 quil, reaching to the Ikirts of the Cordillera, or the 

 mountains of Anga Marca, belonging to the jurif- 

 didlion of Latacunga, or, according to the Indian 

 pronunciation, Llatacunga. Befides the principal 

 town of the fame name, it has others annexed to it^ 

 fo far as to be under one prieft, who, with the corri- 

 gidor's lieutenant, refides continually at Baba. Former- 

 ly, the river of the fame name ran clofe by this town ; 

 but Don En Vinces having cut a canal for watering 

 the cacao plantations on his eftate, the river inclining 

 more to this courfe than its former, it was found im- 

 pofTible to (lop it ; fo that, leaving its original chan- 

 nel, it has ever fince continued to run in a courfe fome 

 diftance from the town. The other two places are 

 San Lorenzo and Palenque, both at a great diftance 

 from the capital, and near the Cordillera ^ fo that their 

 Indian inhabitants are but little civilized. 



The cacao tree, which, as I have already obferved, 

 abounds in this diftrid:, inftead of being only four or 

 live, according to fome authors, who poflibly faw it 

 when very young, is generally not lefs. than eighteen or 

 twenty feet high. It begins from the ground to di- .. 

 vide itfelf into four or five ftems, according to the 

 vigour of the root, from whence they all proceed. 

 They are generally between four and feven inches ia 

 diameter \ but their firft growth is in an oblique di- 

 rection, fo that the branches are all expanded and fe- 

 parated from one another. The length of the leaf is 

 between four and fix inches, and its breadth three or 

 four. It is very fmooth, foft, and terminates in a 

 point, like that of the China orange tree, but with 

 fome difference in colour, the former being of a dull . 

 green, and has nothing of the glofs obfervable on the 

 latter : nor is the tree fo full of leaves as that of the 

 orange. From the ftem, as well as the branches, 

 grow the pods which contain the cacao. The firft 

 appearance is a white blolTom, not very large, whofe 



piftil 



