462

ULLOA’s VOYAGE TO SOUTH AMERICA.

tions of Riobamba, Alaufi and Cuenca , by means of the warehoufes at Yaguache andNoranjal, carry on a confiderable trade with Guayaquil .

This trade in the manufactures of that country, which confift only of three forts,cloth, bags, and linen, is attended with confiderable profit to the traders, and advan-tage to the country, as all the poor people, who are remarkably numerous, and perfonsof fubftance, except thofe of the capital, wear the goods manufactured in the country;thofe of Europe being fo prodigioufly dear, that only Spaniards of large fortune, andperfons of the higheft diftinCtion, can afford to purchafe them. The quantity of clothand fluffs wove in this country, and all by Indians, either in the public manufactures ortheir own houfes, appears from hence to be prodigioufly great: and to this, in a greatmeafure, is owing the happy flate of this province; the mafters and traders foon railingfortunes, and the fervants and dependents contented with the fruits of their induftry.

BOOK VI.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROVINCE OF QUITO .

CHAP. I. — Extent of the Province of Quito , and the Jurifdidlion of its Audience.

TN the five preceding books, we have endeavoured, as far as the nature of the fubjeCtwould permit, to follow the order which the feries of our voyage required 5 and weflatter ourfelves it will appear, that, though our principal attention was direded to theaftronomical obfervations, we have not omitted any interefling particular, relating to thetowns and provinces through which we palled. We were always perfuaded, that if theformer tended to the improvement of fcience, and was agreeable to thofe who profefsit; the latter might prove ufeful to hiftorians, and be acceptable to thofe who applythemfelves to the fludy of the conflitution, flate, cufloms, and genius of nations. Weclofed the fifth book with an account of the city of Quito ; this we fhall employ in treat*ing-of the province, which is equally an objeCt of curiofity; and we are enabled to gratifythe reader in the mofl fatisfaftory manner, having, in the courfe of our obfervations, notonly furveyed its whole extent, but, by our long flay, obtained the acquaintance ofmany perfons of undoubted judgment and veracity, on whom we could rely for parti-culars not to be known from ocular infpeCtion. So that we have fuflicient reafons forwarranting the truth of the contents of this hiflory.

The large province of Quito , at the time when the Spaniards firfl fettled in it, wasannexed to the kingdom of Peru , and continued fo till the year 1718, when a newviceroyalty being erected at Santa Fe de Bogota, the capital of the new kingdom ofGranada, it was difmembered from Peru, and annexed to Granada . At the fame timethe audience of Quito was fupprefled, together with that of Panama , in the kingdom ofTerra Firma ; though the latter continued dependent on the viceroys of Lima. Theintention in this frugal fcheme was, that the falaries of the great number of officers inboth, which ceafed on this abolition, fhould be applied to the fupport of the new vice-royalty, in order to prevent any additional burden on the royal revenue ; a confequence

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