33^ A VOYAGE TO Book VL 



The city is moderately large, with broad, ftrait, 

 level flreets ; and, though not every where paved, 

 are equally convenient, the foot-path near the houfes 

 being paved in all parts ; and the middle of the 

 ftreets, being compofed of a hard fmall gravel, is ne- 

 ver dirty in rainy weather, nor dufty in the great 

 droughts of this climate •, hence the middle of the 

 ilreets are more convenient for walking than even the 

 pavement itfelf. 



The houfes are built of unburnt bricks, as at Quito, 

 and entirely of the fame conilrudion : all the houfes 

 of note have a ftory but the others only a ground 

 lloor. An idea of the largenefs and convenience of 

 the ofRces and apartments may be formicd by their 

 outward appearance, as well as the magnificence of the 

 furniture, v/hich, is all brought from Europe ; the ex- 

 pence of which muft be enormouOy great, as, befide the 

 long voyage, there is a neceffity for bringing it a pro- 

 digious diftance by land carriage, and fubjed to un- 

 known dangers in thefe countries. 



The church was ereded into a cathedral in the year 

 1547, and is the only parochial church in the city. 

 Not that its extent is too fmall for maintaining others ; 

 but, having originally been the only church, the pre- 

 bends could never be brought to allow of its beins; 

 fiibdivided, and part of its revenues applied to the 

 fupport of other pariflies. Here are alfo convents of 

 Francifcans, Dominicans, and Auguftines, with a col- 

 lege of Jefuits ; all of them having churches. In the 

 latter is alfo a grammar-fchool. The plan of an uni- 

 i'erfity,. under the direction of the fame fathers, is in 

 fuch forwardnefs, that the charter is already granted. 

 The number of religious belonging to each of thefe 

 convents is but {m^l, fome of them amounting to no 

 more than fix or eight. It is, however, very duTerent 

 v;ith regard to one of the nunneries, that of the Incar- 

 nation, theprofeifed niins being betwixt forty and fifty; 

 but the v^hole number, nuns, feculars, and fervants 



included J 



