Page 153
An. 1684
Quito, its Gold, and bad Air.
its Inhabitants are Indians, under the Spanifh Go- vernment.
It is environ'd with Mountains of a vaft heighth, from whofe bowels many great Rivers have their rife. Thefe Mountains abound in Gold, which by violent rains is wafh'd with the Sand into the adjacent Brooks; where the Indians refort in Troops, wafhing away the Sand, and putting up. the Gold-duft in their Calabafhes or Gourd Shells: But for the manner of gathering the Gold I refer you to Mr. Waffer's Book: Only I fhall remark here, that Quito is the place in all the Kingdom of Peru that abounds moft with this rich Metal, as I have been often informed.
The Country is fubject to great Rains, and very thick Fogs, efpecially the Valleys. For that reafon it is very unwholfome and fickly. The chiefeft Diftempers are Fevers, violent Head-ach, Pains in the Bowels, and Fluxes. I know no place where Gold is found but what is very unhealthy: as I fhall more particularly relate when I come to fpeak of Achin in the Ifle of Sumatra in the Eaft Indies. Guia- quil is not fo fickly as Quito and other Towns farther within Land; yet in comparifon with the Towns that are on the Coaft of Mare Pacifico, South of Cape Blanco, it is very fickly.
It was to this Town of Guiaquil that we were bound, therefore we left our Ships off Cape Blanco, and ran into the Bay of Guiaquil with our Bark and Canoas, fteering in for the Ifland Santa Clara, where we arrived the next day after we left our Ships: and from thence we fent away two Canoas the next evening to Point Arena. At this Point there are abundance of Oyfters, and other Shell-fifh, as Cockles and Mufcles; therefore the Indians of Puna often come hither to get thefe Fifh. Our Canoas got over before day, and abfconded in a Creek, to wait for the coming of the Puna Indians. The next morning some