HALL’S EXCURSIONS, 353 
Indian, who affixes to it neither meaning nor interest. 
After what has been observed of the conduct of the curates, 
| it affords but a feeble consolation to humanity, to be informed 
that the only step taken by the Constituent Congress of the 
Equator in 1830, in favour of the Indians, that is, of the 
mass of the inhabitants, was “do recommend them to the 
paternal care of these curates.” The first Columbian Congress 
in Cuenca in 1821, among many laws, indicative of a humane 
and liberal feeling, passed one in favour of the Indians, 
placing them on a footing of equality with the rest of the 
inhabitants ; but in the south this law has ever been a dead 
letter. The triple interest of the government, the clergy and 
proprietors, is too strong to yield to the feeble cry of outraged 
humanity, yet there is “retribution even here.” The 
degraded and servile mass of the Indians can form no solid 
basis for the social edifice. "They stand politically only as 
so many beasts of burden: and the consequence is, that the 
remaining inhabitants, few in number and depraved by 
examples of slavery and oppression, have shown themselves, 
of all the South Americans, the most incapable of establish- 
ing a free government, and the easiest victims of the feeblest 
despotism.— But it is time to resume our journey. 
On the morning of the 28th we set out for the Paramos, 
accompanied by the bailiff and servants of the farm, driving 
along 20 mules and horses, that we might change our cattle 
on the road. After ascending for about two hours, we met 
with a considerable mass of Obsidian, slightly projecting from 
the surface of the ground ; but whether an isolated block, or 
part of a considerable formation, the locality scarcely enabled 
us to conjecture. As we continued to ascend the road, the 
weather became worse. A continued storm ofsleet and snow, 
with a piercing wind, annoyed us considerably. The whole 
Paramo was mud and bog, and we crawled over the inequalities 
of the surface for about three hours, till we reached the cave 
of Quisca, the object of our expedition. It isa projecting 
cliff, rising to about 40 feet high, and extending about 50 
yards, formed entirely of Obsidian of a bright coffee colour, 
Srcowp SERIES. Jr 
