his hand, to clear the underwood which may obstruct his road when obliged to land, he descends, swimming for two days, the river of Guacabamba, or Chamaya, and then the Amazons, to Tomependa, a village of Jaen. The Chamaya is full of rapids; but the postman passes these by land, and generally carries with him a log of bombax or balsa, in order to rest himself on in the water. In the huts of the natives, which mostly lie along the shores, he finds food and welcome; and none of these rivers are infested with alligators, which generally prefer water whose stream is not rapid.

The Indians who inhabit Bracamoros are usually in large hordes, and on their migrations from one hunting ground to another, they generally travel in this manner, excepting when they ascend the country. Then the forests offer the only paths; and through these (in which cinchona of the finest quality is found) they are forced to hew their way with their long knives.

The town or city of JAEN, lies in nearly the same longitude as Quito, and in about 5° 25' south latitude, on the river Chinchipe, at its conflux with the False Marañon.

Its inhabitants amount to about 4000, being chiefly Mestizoes, a very few Indians, and still fewer Spaniards.

There are three other villages, called Valladolid, Loyola, and Santiago de las Montañas,

which are styled cities, but contain very few inhabitants to support this title. The other villages, which are about ten in number, are mostly peopled by Indians.

SECTION XXXV.

THE GOVERNMENT OF MAYNAS.

THE government of Maynas extends to the Portuguese frontiers on the Great Marañon. It is bounded on the north by Quixos; on the west, by Bracamoros and Peru; on the south, by Peru; and eastward, by Portuguese America, and the missions north of the Marañon. The extent of Maynas cannot be computed, as the greater part of it consists of the immense forests of the vale of the Amazons.

Maynas is chiefly remarkable as being the country which was supposed to contain such invaluable forests of cinnamon, that the brother of Pizarro nearly lost his life in endeavouring to find it. This exploratory march of the governor of Quito led to the discovery of one of the finest rivers in the world, the Marañon, a part of which traverses this district.

In Maynas the Indians are great adepts in fishing, and the rivers swarm with tortoises on their shores and islands, which they catch in

great numbers. The manati, or sea-cow, is also sought after by them for food. It is about three or four yards long, and very broad, with two large wing fins. This animal feeds on the herbage growing along shore, and has obtained its name from its great size, and from its suckling its young in the manner of a cow. Its flesh also tastes like beef. This country, particularly along the rivers, is infested with large snakes, or boa constrictors; and in the places where these abound, the air is generally hot and unhealthy, as is the case along the whole range of the vast river Marañon, which likewise swarms with alligators, venomous reptiles, and insects.

The most remarkable natural curiosity in Maynas is the Pongo, or strait, through which the Lauricocha passes the Andes. The river above the Pongo runs down a mountain channel, forming rapids, cataracts, &c. approaching the eastern ridge of the Andes, where it suddenly contracts its bounds from 1600 to 600 feet, and rushes through a crevice of tremendous height for the space of eight miles. The vortices are so powerful here, that a missionary was kept in one for two days, and would have perished with his raft, if the river had not suddenly swollen and carried him out of it. Balsas are always used in this strait, as the spring they have resists the shocks which they experience when dashed against the rocks:

in such cases, a canoe or boat would be broke to pieces.

La Condamine was carried through on his balsa at the rate of nine miles an hour; and emerging from the jaws of the mountain, he found himself in a new world, separated from all human intercourse, on a fresh water sea, surrounded by a maze of rivers and lakes, which struck in every direction into the gloom of an immense forest, impenetrable but for them. New plants and animals were exhibited to his view; the soil, covered with a dense mass of vegetation, never appeared; and nothing was to be seen but verdure and water. Below Borja, and four or five hundred leagues beyond it, a stone or a pebble is as rare as a diamond.

Its capital is SAN FRANCISCO DE Borja, or BOYA, in 4° 28' south latitude, and 76° 24′ west longitude.

The inhabitants are not numerous, being mostly Creoles or Indians; but the governor resides here, who is styled governor of Maynas and Marañon.

The western district of Maynas contains, besides the city of Borja, the town of Santiago de la Laguna, or Cocamas, on the eastern bank of the river Guallaga.

This is the seat of the superior of the missions, which are spread among the Cocames, the Maynas, Xibaros, Panos, Omaguas, Chamicuros, Aguanos, Muniches, Otanabes, Roamay

nas, Gaes, Napeanos, Yurimaguas, and several other Indian tribes. On the river Napo, these missionaries have twelve villages; and on the False and True Marañon, as far as the Rio Negro, upwards of twenty-four, with many infant settlements. In the interior, and on the banks of other rivers which flow into the Maraňon, they have also many populous and flourishing places, among various tribes of Indians, most of which are little known.

SECTION XXXVI.

PRESIDENCY OF QUITO.

QUITO was originally an independent country, which remained distinct from all the neighbouring states, until a very short time previous to the conquest of Peru by Francisco Pizarro; but its limits were not the same as they are at present, nor is it of any importance to trace their ancient extent.

Quito is now bounded by Santa Fé on the north; on the east it extends to Maynas, Macas and Quixos, which reach to the Portuguese frontiers; on the west, the Great Pacific washes it from the Gulf of Puna to the government of Atacames; and on the south, the kingdom of Peru concludes its boundaries.