444 



It's population in 1800, according to the re- 

 searches I made into the number of births, was 

 nearly 40,000; the best informed inhabitants 

 believed it even to be 45,000, of which 18,000 

 are whites, and 27,000 free men of colour. 

 Computations made in 1 778 had already given 

 from 30,000 to 32,000. All the direct n tim- 

 berings have remained a quarter, and more, 

 below the effective number. In 1 766, the po- 

 pulation of Caraccas, and the fine valley in 

 which that city is placed, suffered immensely 

 by a severe attack of the small pox. The mor- 

 tality rose in the town to six or eight thousand. 

 Since that memorable period, inoculation is 

 become general, and I have seen it practised 



Quito, Lima, Cusco, Chuquisaca, Santiago in Chili, and 

 Buenos Ayres. Finally, the eleven great political divisions 

 are the viceroyalty of Mexico (with two commanders gene- 

 ral, in the provincias internets, and the Captain-General of 

 Yucatan) ; the Capitanias-generales of Guatimala, the two 

 Floridas, Cuba, St. Domingo, Porto-Rico, and Venezuela 5 

 the viceroyalty of New Grenada (with the presidencia of 

 Quito) 5 those of Peru and Buenos- Ayres 5 and the Capita- 

 nia General of Chili. There are only four viceroyalties j 

 but Chili, Quito, and Guatimala have always borne in Spain 

 officially the title of kingdoms, reinos. The president of 

 an audiencia may be subject to a viceroy ; for instance, the 

 president of Quito depends in civil and military affairs on 

 the viceroy of Santa-Fe. I thought it proper to record 

 here these triple divisions of the judicial, ecclesiastical, and 

 political hierarchies, because they are often confounded in 

 works, that treat of the Spanish Colonies, 



