Baron Von Humboldt. 3 



bridges the Icononzo torrent. From Bogota they went to Car- 

 ago on the Rio Cauca, repassing the Rio de la Magdalena, and 

 traversing the central chain of the Andes by the famous quebrada, 

 or mountain-pass, of Quindiu. Hence they proceeded up the Rio 

 Cauca to the town of Popayan, where they visited the volcano of 

 Purace. Departing from Popayan they ascended to the high valleys, 

 enclosed by the double series of the high peaks of the Andes ; and 

 there they travelled as it were on the back of those enormous moun- 

 tain-passes from Popayan (2 26' N. Lat.) to Loxa (4 S. Lat.), ex- 

 amining the volcanoes of Pichincha, Antisana, and Tunguragua, and 

 ascending the Nevado de Chimborazo, to the height of 19,306 feet, 

 3720 feet above the highest place which had been attained by Con- 

 damine, and only 2282 feet below its highest summit. Between 

 Loxa and Truxillo they three times traversed the highest ridge of 

 the Andes, and visited the Pongo (cataract) of Rentema in the 

 Amazonas river. Between Truxillo and Lima their route lay along 

 the coast of the Pacific, and they left South America in the beginning 

 of the year 1803, having remained there three years and a half. 



From Guayaquil they sailed to Acapulco, whence they ascended 

 the table-land of Anahuac to the town of Mexico. They remained 

 in Mexico nearly a year, visiting the famous mines of Real del Monte 

 and Guanaxuato, and the still more famous volcano of lorullo, where 

 Humboldt had an opportunity of making many observations respect- 

 ing the origin of volcanoes. Returning from that volcano they 

 ascended the Nevado de Toluca, and went thence again to Mexico, 

 which town they left in January 1804. In their travel to the Gulf 

 of Mexico, they determined the height of the Popocateptl and 

 Itzaccihuatl, and mounted to the summit of the Coffre de Perote. In 

 the month of February they left the port of Vera Cruz, and went to 

 the Havannah, and hence to Philadelphia, from which place they 

 returned to Europe in August 1804, after an absence of more than 

 five years. 



After his return to Europe Humboldt settled at Paris, where he 

 occupied himself with the arrangement and publication of his exten- 

 sive collection of natural history, of which the botanical portion alone 

 contained 6300 plants. He likewise published his observations on 

 the countries which he had visited ; and in these especially he dis- 

 played the extensive views which he had taken on the objects which 

 fell under his observation. He did not limit his labour to a general 



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