V 



192 A VOYAGE TO: Book IV. 



in the province of Quito. To thefe may be added, 

 cotton, rice, and fifh, both faked and dried ; the two 

 ifirft of which deferve to be mentioned, as they are ex- 

 ported both to the maritime and inland provinces. 



The fourth and laft article of the commerce of this 

 jurifdidion, is the trade in horned cattle, mules, and 

 colts, of which great numbers are bred in the ex- 

 tenfive favannahs of this province. Thefe turn to good 

 'account in the provinces' of the mountains, where 

 there is not a fufficiency to anfwer the neceffary de- 

 mands. 



•Besides thefe four capital articles, there are others, 

 though fingly of little confequence, yet jointly are 

 equal to any one of the former, as tobacco, wax, 

 Guiney pepper, drugs, and lana de ceibo, by which 

 great numbers of the lower clafs of people acquire a 

 comfortable fubfiftence. 



The lana de ceibo, or ceibo wool, is the produ6b 

 of a very high and tufted tree of that name. The 

 trunk is flrait, and covered with a fmooth bark the 

 leaf round, and of a middling fize. At the proper 

 feafon the tree makes a very beautiful appearance, 

 being covered with white bloflbms and in each of 

 thefe is fornied a pod, which increafes to about an 

 inch and a half or two inches in length, and one in , 

 thicknefs. In this pod the lana or wool is contaia- 

 ed. When thoroughly ripe and dry, the pod opens, 

 and the filamentous matter or wool gradually fpreads 

 itfelf into a tuft refembling cotton, but of a reddilli 

 caft. This wool is much more foft and delicate to 

 the touch than cotton itfelf, and the filaments fo very- 

 tender and fine, that the natives here think it can^ 

 not be fpun ; but I am perfuaded that this is entirely 

 owing to their ignorance. And if a mediod be ever 

 difcovered of fpinning it, its finenefs will entitle it ra- 

 ther to be called ceibo filk than wool. The only ufe 

 they have hitherto applied it to, is to fill matraffesi 

 and . in this particular, it muft be allowed to have no 



