trH.III. SOUTH AMERICA. 347 



West of the weftern Cordillera of the Andes, is the 

 government of Atacames, which on this quarter 

 borders on the jurifdidtions of the corregmientos of 

 Quito and the town of San Miguel de Ibarra; north- . 

 ward on the department of Barbacoas in the govern- 

 ment of Popayan : its weftern boundary is the South 

 fea; and fouthward it joins the territory of Guayaquil. 

 Thus it reaches along the coaft from the liland of 

 Tumaco, and the houfe of Hufmal, which lie in one 

 degree and a half north latitude, to the bay of Caracas, 

 and the mountains of Balfamo, in 34 min. fouth la- 

 titude. 



The country of this jurifdidtion lay a long time 

 uncultivated ; and if not wholly, at lead the greatefl: 

 part of it, unknown ; for, after its conquefts by Se- 

 baftian de Belalcazar, the peopling of it was negle6ied, 



either becaufe the Spaniards were more intent in regu- 

 lating their conquefts than in improving what they 

 had got, or becaufe the country did not feem to them 

 fo proper for a fettlement as the fierra or mountainous 

 parts ; or perhaps they judged it barren and unhealthy. 

 And though care was taken to furnifh Quiio with 

 priefts, to preferve its Indian inhabitants in an ad- 

 herence to thofe precious truths they had embraced ; 

 yet it was with the total neglect of that improvement 

 of the country, which was feen m all the other parts 

 where the Spaniards had fettled. Thus thefe people, 

 though Chriftians by profeftion, remain in that rufticity 

 and favagenefs natural to men who are out of the 

 way of rational converfation and commerce ta civilize 

 them ; an Indian only coming now and then from their 

 woods with aji, achote, and fruits, to fell at Qiiito, 

 where they feem ftruck with amazement at the fight of 



^ fuch a concourfe of people in one place ; it being in- 

 deed far beyond what could be imagined by fuch as 

 feldom or never came to any diftance from their poor 

 cottages difperfcd and Ihut up in the woods, and living 

 among the wild beafts. 



Though 



