•674 ■£> U U 1 n XX* TVJ. p XV x v XX,
Mountains. btft aBoiSt two degfeesT© thé N. of the equator;tjhejr are fiöt^oVe; Bne
quarter the fteigHb further to- the- fouth-they alfo^ greatly détréafe in
• According t&thn account,'of Humboldt, a Frënch naturalift, who has
lately vifited 4 confiderable part of -South America,1*: there * are three
^fher fematkable ctóns ëf tódtitót^-whièlï fi?©ih''weft'to seat
pMïeTW the equators and- which' by their height'deférve ithëaften-!
dbö'fef öittttadifts;- as tirSéh «T thë-; GarpMHah mhürtffiiisrAf ^hedP-y.
fehfees" thdügb it have been fuppofed^that^'dh the-'eM óf the ^ d e s ,
nifmehle plaSis(t?xtend to the fhores‘ of Guiana ahd^ Brazil and éveh tb
BuenOs AyréS and Paiagöniai • : F ' ' ( ^ ^ f
m That o f the Öóaft^^ëötïW^il^ef • tod'^teösa^ees' ot
Northern.
' nèïthlatitude!' W , - v
,hég; Thit óf •farióia1', ör tfiebchasStt o f th© csltaïadïs of , OpiSB^^Rp®
tBfi^t'ö'iivefi^degite® h t lat.'f' • ’ " • ;
* - The ehatn of Chiqtutos; betweèh 15° and ^lajitqdë.'
The ihóft* huitbèray of thiit om ^ ed a ft of V^aézutfe, 'W 0 m bit
lofty, but the narfoweft. From thé high plain of Qüito the great chain
^ ï h é Audes'StendsfStóy Pópayan and Choéó, btt the weft of the fiver
* See Ulloa i. 2o6-for an account of the defert of Chimborazo. It is furprifing that in his jjjjll M ■ y -MorinM inn-2. Ato Be eives no. auGUiant of thefe grand features óf nature.
h T e n t ia V fd e of the heights of mountains the Chimborazo is almoft rivalled _b^ thé; Defca-
befado, which feems unknown to Bpuguer: the Antifajia, a pioft M ty •fe ea^ed^
that mathematician; but the Cayambe is alfo not mentioned by him, though all ftated by Lentin
1 fnperior in height to Cotopaffii. The mountain o f Sanguay is a paranrro or vaft defert moun-
- t a i the fummit always covered with fnow: it is a conftant volcano and- the eXplofions are>ard
T i e diftance of forty leagues. Ulloa, liv. vi. c. vn. According to Bouguer, p. 1. the ,heigh
of the freezing point is here 2440 toifes above the level of the fea; and it would end a W « #
'o f 4300 toifcs, not from the ceffatiom of cold, which on the contrary. in.creafes with the d . a ^
from the earthy but becaufe no clouds nor vapours ;can] afcend to a greater height He conMerj,
' p lv. the main chain of the..Andes as-terminating near the junaion-of the rivers (lauca and M.g
■ dalena, between which it proceeds from Popayan. The fame author, p. lzvi. obferved ftones of
eiffht of nine feet diameter qeded from Cotopaihi to the diftance of more than-mne miles. On
. -the N .E . of -the Andes the rocks' are perfedly horizontal, »d,often in grotefque-forms refen.-
bline churches or cattles. Similar appearances are remarked in .A byffinia. The defert fumnu
are not above a feve^th part the height of thofe of Peru. Ib. 363. Doubtful. SeqMohna.
“ Journal de Phyfique, Meffidor an ix. July 1801. . ,
+ Thefe cataracts are at Maypura and Atures, N. lat. 6“ in the map of L a Cruz ; g g
term for a cataraft being raudal, which rather implies a raaide. " -^ ^ [0,
Atrato, towards theflfthmgfo where, on The banks of the Chagre, it only
forms mou-ntainoHS'/ l!and abgut r2:gi6,jfeet high;. T>om-the, Came• Andes
proneeds■<feveilal branches,' one ..called ; the Sierra de Abibe' towards- the
province of St; Marta.* This chain of the.coaft is reftri<5ted, as it approach
eh'the gulf o f Mexico,', and cape of Vela,. and afterwards Tuns ;due
eaft to vvards the mou ntain.: o f - Paria, or ; ew n to the ifle ,;of Trinicistd.i
The greateft height is in the two Sierras; Nevadas of St. Marta, a-hd of
Merida.f ’ The firft being .near's^obei.' varasior:Spanifh yards, 'attd'tlih
fecBfitp^od^liraS'/sthouf 2^5'© toiffesi,'-or .14,006: feet>:Englifh., »above'tire
fea’^bS'eVerai''mountains''of 5 this chairr aipe*’perhaps qqua-L in height to
Mont Blanc | -perpetually -covered;,with fooV,J and often&pouring^ ffom
their fidebiftreams^eTToilih^ T|flphfireotfs Water-".laTid the 'high©ft speak»
afd^roiuaiy^aliiidft mduntai’hs o f lilfle%iieight,, > bhhtMdWMe’fiaki is« hear
tnl psfm' "of^aracits, which -is 'ohVy3|«k?€eeit albo Venfe feat The yaflies
iti the brahcn3oti' the weft,df 'tbdTia^hif,idf ;Ma¥a^a^bo; are narrowband
ruKTrbm noi*th toTodth.- That part WKlelMktdncfe from^Meridhito the
eaft^Hafe var^Ctfehing eaft” and--'weft,;formed -by paralld’tMglfe^dbhevof
which p^ffe? tBf <c^e*t$6Her^ while the H'ldni|isitHreh’^ r ^ i | t jl&a^uks
fuTthVf^tbs th h- Couth. Our:aufhor,'fupp*dfes *-that-The,3 v$Me? filia l- Wfele
formerly lakes ; but is* ttfd‘ fcrid ofhfendihgihaturl^t® hi& ehdSriel| white'
hl^b^ht fWhaV’e'tfeen- eoMeiit -with' the observation o f fetSsrin*
^hgeneral'Hhightft>f the-fchain dfl-the coSftdsifrom 6 to 800 toifes,.
the' hllvad-k of Merida, as-already Aientionfed, .^5,^ 4’ncf the'-SiShas ded^al-
raf^ tf^ffe' Moifetiffg^toTOEdsithe daft,.taape> Coders? y s#y{^stptSsj.
But thisMeprfelilbn -is oniyiof’th^pfimitive^ck, for there are>. fqepndaf y
cifc'Sedhs mduhtafes rTff-e4ti Gape 0nara,Hwhi6hl.dre,bh|ghef ■ than the
gn^^' dr foliate'd-'gtahiite, andhhfe mteace1© u&ifethftusd Theta ajleatieeus
* The mountaihs of: St. Marta are covered,with, fnow andvitible ffpm’the fea...' DUpa; lib, i.„c. I.
f Our author’s latitudes,do not cpjr.efpond witli the' map,.qf La Cruz', who gives the Nevada
of Merida between lat. 8° and 9°. Humboldt is'an advocate for perpetual ranges.* 1 ‘
have laid that Cbrancii; the'^Sierra de^Pirihd, ftretche& towards Vela; while another <.chain, extends
,N. E: giving fonrce tofmahy rivers,which 'flowjin'to] the Orinoco from the north-rand perhaps.
. winds along, to Paria.,.
Condamine,:in failing down the Maranon, did not obferve“ohe Kilt for ffie-Cpace of. two month»,
after leaving the Pongo, till he faw the yiointtains o f Guiana giving fodrc&to rivers that run N„ :
wd S,.
Mou