2-22 



lies, and eight thousand one hundred and 

 seventy persons *. 



These Missions suffered greatly in 1681, 1697, 

 and 1720, from t he invasions of the Caribbees, 

 then independent, who burnt whole villages. 

 From 1730 to 1736, the population diminished 

 from the ravages of the small-pox, a disease 

 always more fatal to the copper-coloured In- 

 dians, than to the whites. Many of the Gua- 

 raounoes, who had been assembled together, 

 fled back again to their marshes. Fourteen 

 old Missions remained deserted, and have not 

 been rebuilt. The Chaymas are in general 

 short; and they appear so particularly, when 

 compared, I shall not say with their neighbours 

 the Caribbees, or with the Payaguas or Guay- 

 quilits -f* of Paraguay, equally remarkable for 

 their stature, but with the ordinary natives of 

 America. The common stature of aChayma 

 is 1*57 met. or four feet ten inches [five feet 

 two inches nearly], their body is thick set, 

 shoulders extremely broad, and breast flat. 



* Cultivated land (labranzas), belonging to these thirty -five 

 villages, 6554 almudas. The number of cows in 1792 amount- 

 ed only to 1883. 



t The ordinary stature of the Guayquilits or Mbayas, 

 who live between the 20th and 22d degrees of south latitude, 

 is, according to Azzara 1*84 met. or five feet eight inches 

 [six feet and half an inch Eng.] The Payaguas, equally 

 tall, have given their name to Payaguay, or Paraguay. 



