Botany, part is as yet publiflied. We know: from the re,porta of navigators
and ©eeafional travdlers-that^the vicUuty of thege&aijb 'produces/pmny of
i| the'Tropical fruits, and vegetables-,, fucli as the cabbage palm,/tbsespcoa
nut, the chocdfee nut, the~ cotton fhrub, the pine apple, the: canna,
Mnomuo|jturmeric, plantain, and fugar-eane. Butin the more jam«.
perate'<dimate.»f the high plain-of Quito, aadnp&n tke fideaeef tshs Abides,
it is natural to. expeft plains,6f a hardier*ct*nflat|iion»,. Rerhaps.ilii^beft
known and moft generally interefting of the trees are the feveral tfpe-
cies of cinchona, from twoi-of which at leaft that valuable, medicine
the Peruvian or Jefuits’ bark is procured. The cardana: alliodora /is a
large timber treej remarkable for rhe ftroug fieell ©f garlic emitted lem
the leaves and frefli wood. A kind of coffee, the Goffaea racemofai is
met with in the mountainous groves of the interior^ whofe. berries are
applied to the fame ule as the cultivated fpecies.. The large flojwered
jafmine and datura arborea diffufe their evening fragrance rawidt, the
neighbourhood-of Lima, and braided in the hair of the women ||iive
and receive a reciprocal charm. No lefs: than twenty-four fpeeies df
pepper, and five or fix of capficum, are reckoned among the Pertevian
natives, befides feveral efculent kinds of folanum, of v^ich tbe lfto-
perficon or love-apple, and S. tuberofum orpotatoe* are the beft knphm
and moft efteemed. The tobacco and jalap abound in the groves at
the feet of the Andes, and many of the ornamental flowersmfllilur
Engliih gardens and greenhoufes, fuch as the fmgular and beautiful
calceolaria, the refplendent falvia longiflora, the graceful fcropgeolum or
nafturtium, and the fimple nolana proftrata, are indebted to thefe-copritries
for their origin.
Mmnalogy. xhe mineralogy of thefe extenfive regions is univerfally .celebrated
as the moft important in the world. In moft accounts the mines of
filver have been deferibed at great length, while Brazil is confidered as
Gold. the chief country of American gold. But the nobleft metal alfo abounds
in the Spaniih pofleffions here, as well as in Mexico-: and Graelin has
fpecially enumerated the following places in Peru and Chili: (Dopiapo,
Quftfco, Coquimbo, Petorca, Ligua, Tiltil, Putaendo, Caren, Alhile,
Chibato, and Huilli-Patagua.* Ulloa informs us that the department of
• Popayan
Popayan abounds hrmirie^o/ nati,ve-^afdl;i'the, richeft being thofe of Cali,
Buga, Almagnar, and Bbrbacoas.;?“ ahd’ftfrere la-re -'aWo’feveral mines in the
noted 'diftt4awdf'fflhdc£),4ifome bf which were-abandoned on account of
the abundance o f platina, a more rare andfingular nietal than gold, but-at
firft, as appears from our author and Bouguer, miftaben far aiebdu flte
pyrites. rOfer go’W Wines 'were near?‘2&riiraa,- wfcliih th!e?|urifdiaion
o f Loxa; and fome in the government of Jaen Bracamoros. Near the
village of Angdtea^iin the was .a mine of
prodigious value.* GfgtffEfo alfo the fand of maliy fivers that
flow into fee'Miaranoriv ' But fthefoife pf the. rhfaes; of Buenos Ayres
above giveh^as'pubKfhed by Helens*,<svifl ieeiriviey a' com^Iete'-idea of thus
fubjedfcj and at thenee - appears tWt^ijhe^ifilV^S! mines are there far rrTore
ptodudMve than fchofe bf gold, except, the prediice returned to St. Jago
de’,fCatagoita;, about thirty miles t-o tSie’^South. ofTo*pft,' Thofe.^f
filver being more numerous, and more eafily. worked, have excited the
chief attention of tfye i’^Sblent ct^dblftt.
( The celebrated mountain of Potofi has prefented.vferiWw-o Tcenturre^
and a half, inexhaustible treafurelf-ofjfifeer; while the,goWfeems
thinly,fcattered by nature, and baa no where been wdiftovered nn’/fudh,
enormous maffesi. Hence, ’if the mated-plain of, CinegmlLahn’North
America he excepted, there is hitherto no example^ any gold mine
enfinehtly *itlh; farfe3Ts rivalBilgt'theprOud <teputateotihcif ■ 'This
mountain, df-a. conic form, is4bout. no iB. -miles imkrcumferencei&nd
perorated by more than three’hundred rude lhafts, '.tbr&wh aVkn.fei-
low argillaceous fchiftus. There are Veils df?WrruginoUsWjm-tz, inter-
fperfed with what are called thehor-n arid’ vltrfeous-ores.*V%f a peculiar
darkreddffh colpuf, this mountain rrfes>.voi& of alb Vegetation, hkfted
9 Luinaa fyftema, in 379 10 I . 450. Engl.- tranf. or i. 3.74. ,Fr. tranf.-
* Darien produced the fineft gold, but tlie mines were loft by a revolt of the natives, as has
happened in feveral other provinces. Ulloa, liv. m c. v. -In Chili the moft celebrated gold'mine '
18 that of Petorca, to the E. of Santyago. Others are in' Yapel, Liguia,"and other.parts of Chili 1
mentioned by Ulloa, U H g c. ix. In Coquimbo apd Guafeo.the whole.earth.feeing compoled
of minerals : and there are mines of excellent .copper. Ib. Humboldt fays all the rivers of the
Ca racas roll down gold.
I
M iner
OGY.
Silver.
4 T 2