101 



house, next in that of the church, and lastly in 

 the clothing of the Indians. He gravely as- 

 sured us, that this order could not be changed 

 on any pretence ; and the Indians, who prefer a 

 state of absolute nakedness to the slightest 

 clothing, are in no hurry that their turn should 

 come. The spacious abode of the Padre had 

 just been finished; and we remarked with sur- 

 prise, that this house, the roof of which formed 

 a terrace, was ornamented with a great number 

 of chimnies, that looked like turrets. This, our 

 host told us, was done to remind him of a coun- 

 try that was dear to his recollection, and of the 

 winters of Arragon amid the heats of the torrid 

 zone. The Indians of Guanaguana cultivate 

 cotton for their own benefit, as well as for that 

 of the church and missionary. The produce is 

 considered as belonging to the community ; and 

 it is with the money of the community, that 

 the wants of the priest and the altar are sup- 

 plied. The natives have machines of a very 

 simple construction, to separate the cotton from 

 the seeds. These are wooden cylinders of an 

 extremely small diameter, between which the 

 cotton passes, and which are made to turn by 

 a treadle. These machines, however imperfect, 

 are very useful, and begin to be imitated in 

 other Missions. I have elsewhere explained, in 

 my work on Mexico, how detrimental the habit 

 of selling the cotton with the seed is with re- 



