Mountain
Orifaba, or
■Orizava.
range called Urraca, and the volcano of V a ru ; and by feveraLridges-in
i t g | w c ® i
To th e north >of the lake o f Nicaraigua the main ridges' often pafs eaft
and~wieft; and the Sierra' o f Yucatan N. E. T h e chief fummitiiof
Nicaragua feems- to be the Mamatombo. T h e volcano o f Guatiraaia
raged furioufly during the earthquakes which i ruined that great city in
1773. I n ,the ancient kingdom o f Mexico, which extended from rfear
the^Take pftGhapala'in the iiarth, to jGhiapa, on the* river Tabfebo in
the fo u th ,■ the fummitsrife to great height, as being the central parts of
a rapge -whdiy aneonne&qffi with the-Airdes. Their dn&liQn has &ot
been laid down with.care or intelligence, -more attention having: been
paid to the numerous volcanoes, than to.-thA, other grand tf^atutes.
D’Auterpchc obferves that the mountain of Orifa-ba isffiaid to be the
higheft in Mexico j and its fnowy fummk-is vifibi,e' fe rn - the capital,
a diftanee;of Imty mi|esi This celebrated mountain's tobtfiejS/ E. of
Mexico, not’&rjjftpm the road tof^Vera Cruz: It ‘became,volcanic,<in
I 5 4 ^ ^ d continued for twenty year^i fince which titne j:here Ms
been no appearance of Inflammation.., Though .j^&fu^mitybe^ffl'Qthed
with perpetual fno.w, the hides ar,e adorned with beautiful F&refts of
cedars^ pines, and other trees.3 The.. detached mountains py
the Mexicans’Popacatepec, and Iztaccihvtatl, are alfp.t-p^the £L JL/jof |£e
capital, at about th irty miles diftance,. iboth being ^jnduiic. The
Crater of the former is faid to be ha lf a mile wide, and celebrated for
ancient eruptions. Both are covered with perpetual-fnow.* There arc
many other volcanoes in this lingular province ; while others are only
remarkable for height, as the mountain of Tlafcala, the. Tentzon,
I D ’Auterocte California, p. 37. Cbylgerp, i. 13. who adds:, that it is t-he hi^heft land of
the kingdom,- andits cohfe form -obferved at fea, -at'tfcb 1&ilrah?e'<if fifff,ie^Ci8*''f^ortieHmk it
■higher than the peak of Tenerife. , Gage, p. 69; gives an account. oTf?opacjtcpec, and fays
the volcanoes extend, as far fouth as Xeon in ^Nicaragua. His account of the, wildernefs three ■
leagues N. W. from Mexico, p. 70, is curious, arid his whole work very interefting: *
* Clavigero, i. 14, ineritions^that in 1760 ■£■fmall hill-near the viflige off Gba&ha’btirft with
furious volcanic.ihocks, and emitted fire and hui-iiing rocks tiH|m;,.i766'tlie circriinfef.enee was fix
■ miles. The allies were borne to. the diftance of 150 miles, arid in Yal.ladolid, orj;lvTeehoacaii,
fixty miles diftance, the inhabitants were obliged to fwecp their yards two dr three' lim*es§ii®^
day.
Tolglcanij
Toloccam, and others; the range now extending. in a N. W. direction
towards Cinaloa, hnd< being-called the Sierra Mada, or,Mother range,
and The Shining M o u n t a i n s ; ; I t is .afterwards*. according to the belt
maps, joined by a ridge., ru nning N. W. from Louifiaha ; and after th is
junaipnrpaffehl^hroughitbe. rio r ih -w e ffiT i^ ara i c
ocean, while the centre of North America cohfrfts of. extenfive and fetk
tile plains* n
conftructLon of*the' Me-xican^iAoubtai&ih ha«Ih.c^’bedn,examined
M any geologift. Among the ffetiahg'eb^ia<efeim^-cleaHy;itidiea-teT;
aqffijptne* others/will te'meritionet^Althe'lnfeeraiogyk.<H^liere^are4nil'-
-tfi'e fi<iebMithe'mo.untainsi^ and the peninfuia of Yu^-
catan % particularly abundant in l^WQod'ftdes.-'* '
One ofthe.numerous defi derataf o f ‘topographical botany- is^Tcientific
accoimt ofthe-Jpatiye- plants that groty-iiiiThe^SpIrfft^Nsfet^AihericIt
territory yyeft o f the Miffiffippk We know inAgerieTal- AM-it is, extremely;
rich in its- ,vege,feableipr©du£tfOtts, but at% obliged', to-inferi the
particulars from thev aftiole^i o f commercial - export the- Mexican
hari^qurs^, and? the ffiort lift- g ^ e ri'b y Cavsnilles- o f the Mexican plants
cultivated in Spain..' j
Su‘ch o f the trees, and plants-of ILouifiana as we are acquainted with, ar^
for^ljeimoft part inhabitants, alfo. o f th e <Hhited, States, and have been-
alreadyrnoticed. T h e fimilarity therefore o f thefe, and the^ deficiency
ef information concerning ■ th e i reft,- p rev en t. Its -ffibffl giVin'glany 'thing
^Qfep|than a v e ty few fragments’^ th e botany ofa-iW uhtry which] by
its extent.and climate, is- well'worthy- of-ihinute-inVeftigatiom
The plants that characterize- thS'N. American pofleffitms ‘-of the, Spas-
nifli crown are cactus cochenilifer, a fpecies of the Indian fig; upon
Vvhrcli the cochineal infect- more pariieuk'rl^jdeRghts^td''f^d^^'b'6nvl)^
vuli^jalapa, the true jalap, a native of the-prOvilfc^rc&f X.ala^at,''i'h the
viceroyalty o f M ex ico ; copaifera officinalis and toluifera balfamum
two trees that yield1 the fragrant gum refins.known-in commerce .by the
names, o f balfam- of Capivi- and of Tolm The- ffidres- o f the- bays of
* A letter from Cinaloa f Hay de rebus Japonlcis AntV. 1605, E- 945I,'fays, that province iW'
Dftpnded'.on.the eaft by the T^t/htuf mointaihsa ‘
Mou
-Fdreft
Botan-
Honduras;