324 A VOYAGE TO Book VL 



' There Is alfo a difference both in the blofibm and 

 feed. The Indians, in order to take off the cafTarilla 

 or cortex, cut down the tree ; after which they bark 

 - it, and dry the quinquina. There are here large and 

 thick foretls of this tree ; but notwithllanding this, 

 there is a very fenfible diminution of them, occa- 

 fioned by the Indians not fowing the feed ; thofe 

 which grow fpontaneoufly not being by any means 

 equal to thofe which have been cut down. 



In the jurifdidiion of Cuen^a, have alfo been dif- 

 covered many woody parts, in which this valuable 

 tree is found : and when I was in that country, a 

 priett at Cuenca procured a large quantity of cafcarilla, 

 and fent it to Panama, the only place from whence it 

 is exported. This inflance, together with his af- 

 furances, that it was of the fame kind with that of 

 Loja, induced feveral of the inhabitants of Cuenca to 

 attempt the difcovery, and were foon convinced that 

 the jurifdi6lion contained large forefts of this tree, 

 which had been negleded by them, whilft their neigh- 

 bours reaped no great advantages from it. 



The jurifdidion of Loja has alfo a very great ad-, 

 vantage from breeding the cochineal, and which intel- 

 ligent perfons reckon of equal goodnefs with that of 

 Oaxaca in New Spain \ but the inhabitants are fo far 

 from applying themfcives to the breeding of that infecl, 

 fufFicient to iupply the demands of a particular trade, 

 that they breed no more than what they imagine will 

 be fuliicienc for the dyers in that and the neighbouring 

 'jurifdi6lion of Cuenca. To this elegant and lading 

 colour it is probably owing that the bays of Cuenca, 

 and the carpets of Loja, are preferred to all others : 

 though the beauty of the colours may in fome meafure 

 proceed from the fuperior ilcill of the v/orkmen of 

 Loja and Cuenca, over thole of Quito, and other 

 parts of the province where the fame goods are manu- 

 faclured. The cochineal is alio bred in the depart- 

 ment of Hambato, though without any conftant ga- 

 therings 



