*j6 s O Ü T H A M l R I C A.
'Of Barima.
mountain^,'Covered 'wiïhcalcatoöüs freeftonc^fMlbw thik' c'hain dn its
röttthern'fidev and increafe m>lï&glitf -tiSfo&llS J®«i fesftêrat :pofet- $fcte-
dónririeot. The chain of the coaft is mèr& ftccp towards the nbrth.tban
thé fèaSj j andthere1 is a dreadful perpendicular precipice’óf l ^oïttoifes
in the Silla de Caracas, above. Caravelledo; tbe^riorthern part ^Etfiis
chain being perhaps broken by tb?'gulf öf Mexico.
I TheSecond Chain,: that dfEarimai, or o f the fcatarads of Orinoco, is
•little known, and was fcarcely efteeraed paffable till with?"® thefe thirty
-yearsj fince the expedition of Ituriaga and S p k ap ,. The volcancj of
Duida is in lat. 3 This, chain leaves- the Andes^ear.^payan,
and ftsetching weft- to eaft, from, the fources of the Guav{iari, appears to
extend, to the N. E. o f that river, forming the cataraös of, May.pur a and
Atures in the Orinqcp, lat. 50, which are truly dreadful, fhut prefentfce
.only paffage yet opened towards.the vale of Amazons. Thence, fo. far
ns can be judged from our author’s qonfufed defcription,.tl^ ^hai^ continues
its courfe N. E. to the river Caronis, the breadth.being fp.m.eti|es
•not lefs than 1 20 leagues.: Humboldt mult mean that branches ocpur of
>that length. Further to the eaft* the. continuation is d itt^ -known.
The ferocity of the Gnaicas and Guajaribos forbade any «i-pprpach ||e-
yond the little.cataract on the eaft o f Chiguera, but Don j\ntonio Santos,
difguifed as an Indian, paffed from the mouth of the^rive'^Garpnis
to the little lake ofParima, and difclofed the continuation of this range
betwfeen\ ° and50 N. lat. where it is about.60 .leagues inJjregdth, di-
viding the waters which fall into the Orinoco,and'Efquibo from t^ofe
that fall into the river o f Amazons. Further to ,thneaft this rajiige becomes
ftill wider, defending fouth along the Mao, where the D i p 1
.ftyle a part o f it Dorado, or the mountain of gold ; being cornpofed of
bright micaceousfchiftus, which has given alike reputation toi.a fihall
ifle in the lake ofParima. T o the eaft o f the Efquibo this range takes
a S. E. dixe&ion, and joins the granitic mountains ó f Guiana,-vcrhichjjive
fouree to the river o f Surinam, and others. This laft group o f mpun-
-tkins is of great extent, thefame gneifs being found at 8° 20' and d 14 •
This wide range is inhabited by a number o f favage tribes, little or not
* j j e fay» betwen 61. and 60. W. long, from Pari*.
A
at
S OU>T II . AM E RI G .A,
at all known in Europe.* No wheresdo^&ikjtff&m to rife to an equal
height.With’ thefnorthern .range* *©f the* coaft, the mountain of Duida,
incsfr far frOni Efmeraldai,nkelngM;eputed the jhighe^^ajid, meafuped by
Humboldt, was -found-rt*32$ ’^hpve .the is a pi&urefque
and majeftic mountain', eating flames Upwards the end;of the rainy
feafon, and fituated near a JjgauiafuLplaitwcoyered, yrith. paljuj trees and
ananas. Towards the eaft it, to expiry in hrokpn rocks; but
there is no appearance throughout cp^any, fecondary ftrata/the rocks
being, granite,.gneifs, micaceous 'fchiftus, and hornblend^flate. ‘
The Third Chain of primitive mountain^ or'thaf of CmqMps, is onTy
known to our author by the accounts; of thoi"e> who haye paffed the Pampas.
It unites the Andps ofjperbaiicf Ghili with the mountains, of Brazil'and
Paraguay, ftretching .from" La,rT4%anQp^,tb:fi arid Tucu^jan
thrpugh. the provinces of Mbxos,' Chiqmtel^apq ^UacjDjtt^alr.ds'ifhe^gp^
vernment of the mines, and of St. Plk'l in-Bra®| The higHe^ fummits
,apgear to he,between i5°.and 20° ^ the' rivers there paffing, to that of
jAjpazons, or that pf La Plata.
Between thefe three great ridgps are, according to our author, thfee
immenfe vallies, that of Orinoco, that of the river 'of Amazons, and that
of the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, from ipTto lat. all opening to
the eaft, hut ftiut mi, the weft by the Andes. 'The middle-valley, or
that of'the Amazons, is covered with To^eftsi To" thick, that "the rivers
alone -form roads ; while thofe of Orinoco and P'amphs'!axe favannasj or
graffy plains, with a few fcattered palms; and fo leVeljfSiatffomefi'mes
for 800 fquare leagues there is no inequality above »right prf' tenrinehps
fri height. In the northern pkin’tVe''primitives rock is.^qoyiered with
' limeftone, gypfunvaml freeftone; while in that of Amazons the granite
everywhere rifes to day. | The generalriintf lfari|n,f is. To. the N. W.
which, according to our author, is the'ufual arrangement of primitive
rocks. '• Petrifadriohs axe uncommon even -in tke Apdes,r whe^b there
are fometimes patches of gypfura, and Secondary limpftone ; wh|^t^e
range -of Parima confifts entirely of granite'ancL qjjijgr, Pfimitive^pcks.
• Our author’ s, fubfcquent remarks'Jhew that hiis: a ftrangcr to the grelft? La Crus;
and nothing.«anbe more c6tifuf?d thau;Kh'wholVacco«6i,V&^%h,J>ranc^e8 Wntairfs laje
.«onfoumkd with the main..chain. • _
677
Mountains,
O f Chiqui-
toa.