The Governors Are Appointed, Or More Properly Purchase
Their Offices, At The Court Of Old Spain, And Are For Life Or Good
Behaviour.
If any one die or misbehave, the viceroy may name another
during his time, which ought only to be for five years; but he sometimes
gets those of his own placing confirmed by an order from Spain, by which
means he derives a considerable portion of his unknown profits.
The late
viceroy of Peru continued in office fourteen years, several intended
successors having died on the way. Scarcely does the king of Spain live
in greater splendour than the viceroy does at Lima, where the chief
courts of judicature are held, to which appeals are brought from all the
courts and provinces of this extensive kingdom. I was told on good
authority that the last viceroy, who died about four years ago, left at
least eight millions of dollars to his widow and family, besides vast
sums given in charity during his life, and building many churches,
friaries, and nunneries. He left a better character than any viceroy had
done for an age past.
[Footnote 223: This province is now in the kingdom or viceroyalty of New
Granada, and audiencia of Quito. - E.]
The province of Guayaquil abounds in excellent timber of several kinds,
so that it is the chief place in all Peru for building and repairing
ships, of which there are seldom less than seven or eight on the stocks
here at one time. Its chief commodity is cacao, with which it supplies
most parts on the South Sea, and we were told it never exported less
than 30,000 carguas yearly, and sometimes double that quantity, a
cargua being eighty-one pounds weight, which only costs here two
dollars and a half. They have also a considerable trade in salt and
salt-fish, from Cape St Helena, which is mostly sent to Quito and other
places of the inland country. It exports also a vast quantity of timber
to Truxilo, Chana, Lima, and other places, where it is scarce. They
export also from hence rice and cotton, with some dried or jerked beef.
This province has no mines of gold or silver, but abounds in all sorts
of cattle, which are very cheap, especially on the island of Puna, where
we amply supplied ourselves. Their only grain is maiz, so that all their
wheat flour is brought from Truxilo, Cherisse, and other places to
windward, or to the south, as the wind blows here always from the south.
They procure several kinds of woollen cloth, among which, are very
strong and good bags, from Quito. Their wines, brandy, olives, oil, and
sugar, come from Piscola, Nasca, and other places to windward. All kinds
of European goods are brought from Panama, being brought there overland
from Portobello on the Gulf of Mexico; and the trade of this port is so
considerable as to employ forty sail every year, besides coasters. A
market is also held daily on bark logs, or boats, every day, on the
river before the town, containing every thing afforded by the interior
country in great plenty.
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