•Dec. 13, 1858.] EXPLORATIONS IN ECUADOR. 93 



to the north the climate becomes rapidly more unendurable ; but, 

 on the other hand, a genial climate and a new flora are soon reached 

 on travelling to the southward.* 



Captain R. Collinson, f.r.g.s. — I have not visited the country watered 

 by the Amur, and therefore I approach the subject with some degree of 

 trepidation, for I always like to see a thing before I speak about it. But as 

 you have called me up, I must say that 1 have perused with a great deal of 

 pleasure the papers which have been intrusted to me by the Council for pub- 

 lication in the Transactions of the Society, and I cannot help expressing my 

 admiration of the able manner in which this exploration of a hitherto unknown 

 country has been carried out. We may feel some national jealousy at the 

 acquisition of so large a territory by a power which is already so predominant 

 in Europe and Asia, but as geographers, in our special capacity, we must 

 rejoice that this territory is now open to civilised occupation. From what I 

 have read, and from what I have seen, it offers an admirable position for those 

 who wish to colonise : it has everything that is required for the making of a 

 great country. I also may say that although a stern winter visits it, yet it 

 has undoubted capabilities for the production of corn, the great staple of our 

 maintenance, and the vine which rejoices us ; so that I think the country 

 will prove a most valuable acquisition to the world in general. And although 

 it has not fallen to our province to administer the functions of government 

 in it, yet I cannot but think that this highway being opened into Central Asia 

 will afford a great opening to British commerce. 



The President. — This subject is so peculiarly interesting to Eussia as 

 well as to ourselves, that my distinguished friend his Excellency Baron 

 Brunnow would have been here had he not been prevented by illness. That 

 circumstance alone may be taken as the expression of a wish on the part of 

 Russia to co-operate with the interests of British commerce. Without inflicting 

 on you, gentlemen, any more observations of my own, I will refer those of 

 you who wish to know more of my sentiments on the Amur question, to 

 the 2nd volume, page 277, of our Proceedings, where, in my last *' Annual 

 Address," I endeavoured to bring to your notice the great importance of this 

 noble river. 



The second Paper read was : — 



2. Explorations in Ecuador in 1856-7. By Mr. G. J. Pkitchett. 



Communicated by W. Bollaert, Esq., f.r.g.s. 



The interest lately excited towards Ecuador by the adjudication 

 of 4 J millions of acres of its land to satisfy the claims of foreign 

 creditors makes any information about this country the more 

 acceptable. 



The limits of the republic were not accurately defined at the 

 time of the separation of Old Columbia into the three republics of 

 Ecuador, New Granada, and Venezuela ; and, again, the frontier on 

 the side of Brazil and Peru is at the present moment under dispute. 



* See also Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society, vol. ii. p. 153. — ^Ed. 



