ECUADOR AND ITS CAPITAL.
By Hon. N. F. Graves
QUITO, the capital of Ecuador, has a population of about seventy thousand. It is near the equator, and is about two miles above the level of the sea, being one of the highest cities of the world. It has a climate that is nearly perfect. It is very difficult to reach it at any time, and it takes seven days to climb the mountain. The distance is about two hundred miles from Guayaquil. Between November and May is the rainy season, and then you cannot reach it at all, the roads being impassable. The labor of the journey is very severe, but there is some compensation, for the views are ever changing and are surpassingly beautiful. The city is surrounded by volcanoes, which stand up as sentinels. Three of these volcanoes are active, twelve are extinguished, while others throw up smoke and sometimes ashes. The summits of eleven of them are continually covered with snow. Most of the summits of these great mountains have never been reached by any human being. Cotopaxi is the highest of all volcanoes. It is not now dangerous, but sends up clouds of smoke by day, and at night streams of fire. The rumblings of these volcanoes are heard hundreds of miles away. The people live in dread of them from day to day. It is a sad restraint to enterprise in building; most of the buildings are low, plain, and strong. The city looks grand and fair at the first view. The traveler is surprised to find such splendid houses and public buildings in this lofty top of the Andes. There are twenty streets crossing each other at right angles, and two ravines coming down from the mountain and through the city. These ravines are covered with arches, on which rest the buildings, and over which the streets run. The streets are narrow, and the sidewalks very narrow. The drainage is very good. The streets are lighted by candles and are very dim, and in many places dark. There are three parks, all of which are very small, the largest being about three hundred feet square. It is finely adorned with trees, shrubs, and flowers, and is said to be the finest square in South America. These public grounds are abundantly supplied with pure water, that comes dashing down the mountain side. The Indians build their houses in the outskirts of the city, and they107are very small and low. They are generally mud hovels, very dirty inside and out. The Grand Plaza is in the center of the city, and the buildings around it are much finer than in any other part of the town, but most of them are adobe. The adobe is cheap and resists earthquake shocks. Nearly all the floors are paved with large square brick. The roofs are of tile, and usually project over the sidewalk. The shops are very small. The public buildings surround the plaza, and are modeled after the old Spanish style. These public buildings are generally of brick, but some few are of a dark, volcanic stone. The government house fronts on the Grand Plaza, and is an imposing building, with a fine colonnade. There are no bookstores in the city, and no place where magazines or papers are sold. There are a few drugstores, and all are kept by foreigners and are sources of wealth. The remains of the military roads and highways, aqueducts, temples, and other public works, awaken feelings of surprise. They were constructed by the Incas many hundred years ago. These royal roads extend across the empire. The remains are still noticed in many parts of the country. They extend south to Cuzco and on toward Chile, and north to Bogota. They were constructed over pathless Sierras, and often cut in the solid rock, sometimes in galleries. Perhaps no other roads were ever made where so many serious obstacles stood in the way. Fortresses were constructed at several points along these grand highways, where a few military could command the passage. At every few miles small buildings were erected, where travelers could find accommodations and rest. The government dispatches were carried over these roads by trained runners. Each one had a route of about five miles, when he was relieved and another runner stood ready to rush on with the dispatches, and in that way they ran a hundred and fifty miles a day. The remains of these great roads speak of their former magnificence. The roads on the level ground between the Andes and the ocean were very different. They were constructed mostly on low, sandy land. The beds of these roads were raised above the surface, and trees and shrubs were planted on each side. In wet places large piles were driven into the ground, forming a solid foundation for the road. The remains of these once grand roads is no greater surprise to the traveler than the fact that now there are hardly any roads at all. Humboldt said of these roads that they were "the most stupendous and useful works of man." Quito ranks high among the South American cities as a place to acquire an education. It had two universities; now it has but one. Some of the professors were Europeans, and were celebrated for their learning. There are several colleges under the care and direction of the different religious orders. They have a department of philosophy, theology, and jurisprudence. They do well in the exact sciences, but only tolerably in political history and philosophy. The college of the Jesuits is the finest building in the city. The university occupies a part of this great and fine building. The justly celebrated William Jameson was a professor in the university. There is a public library here containing about twenty thousand books. While the library has not been replenished for many years, it contains very rich material on the history of the country. There is a polytechnical school that is well sustained and is very popular. There are three hospitals, which seem to be ample for the wants of the city. There are more than four hundred priests, monks, and nuns in Quito, and a large number of bishops besides, and, as they pass, the poor Indians kneel and kiss their hands. The Jesuits that come from Europe are the most intelligent and best educated, and are taking the lead. They work more than the natives, and have more influence with the people. They are the teachers and professors in the university and colleges and in all the schools. They mingle with the people and are popular. They insist that all the people shall worship, and promise them that they shall not lose heaven. They blow the bugles and strike the bells every three hours night and day. The bells are struck, not rung. The great bell in the cathedral is struck at half past nine every morning at the elevation of the host, and in an instant all Quito are on their knees. Men and women, in the house or in the street, in the parlor or cathedral, go down on their knees; all business is suspended; they remain on their knees for one minute. The great bell is struck again, when the stream of business flows on as before. The established religion is the most intolerant of any in the world. The people, especially the women, go to church every day, and bow down before little images that, to say the least, are very rude, and worship with a devotion that surprises all who do not agree with them. It is said that one-fourth of Quito is covered with churches and convents. The convents are very numerous and sometimes cover acres of land. Many of the native priests are ignorant and immoral. The people of Quito bury their dead at night. They carry lanterns and sing dirges as the procession winds through the streets. The dirges are very plaintive, and many very touching. If the corpse is a child, they carry it in a chair. A Protestant cannot hold an office, nor vote, nor be a witness in a court of law. There are but few Protestants and no missionaries, and the people greatly need the gospel of Christ.—Gospel in All Lands.