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 1778 had already given 

 from 30,000 to 32,000. All the direct num- 

 berings have remained a quarter, and more, 

 below the effective number. In 1766, 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. Finall}', 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 ; 

 the viceroyalty of New Grenada (with the presidencia of 

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

 ma 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, 



