114 



Travels betiueen the Tropics. 



[Sept. ], 



and rendered fertile by tbe canals of tlie 

 Ynga ; nolliing of which remains hut 

 melancholy ruins. When they arrived, 

 by Santa and Giiarnney, at Lima, they 

 remained fome months in that inferediro 

 capital of Peru, the inhahitsnts of which 

 aie ditiinguifhed by the vivacity of their 

 genius and the Iberality of their fenti- 

 nients. M. Huinbo;dt had the happinefb 

 of obferving, in a pretty complete man- 

 ner, at the port of Cailao at Lima, the 

 end of tlie tranfit of Mercury : a ciicum- 

 ftance the more fortunate, as the thick fog 

 which prevails at that Icafon often prc- 

 V'.nts the fun's difk from being ken for 

 twenty days. He was aftonifliird to find in 

 Peru, at lb im:T)enll: a diffance from Eu- 

 rope, the neweft literary produSicns in 

 chtmiftiy, mathematics, an I phyfiology ; 

 and he admired the great ir,teiie(Su3l acti- 

 vity of a people whom the Europtans ac- 

 cufe of indolence and luxuiy. 



In the month of January 1803, our tra- 

 vellers embarked in the King's corvette 

 La Caftora for Guyaquil ; a paflage 

 which is performed, by the htlp of the 

 winds and cuirents, in ihree or four days, 

 w'.itreas the return from Guyaquil requins 

 as many months. In the frmer port, 

 fituaied on the f anks of an immenfe river, 

 the vegetation of which in palms, phime- 

 ria tabernan.onta»a, and fcitaniin'a, is 

 majeftic beyond all defcription. They 

 heard growling every moment liie volcano 

 of Catopaxi, which made a dreadful ex- 

 plcfion on the 6:h of January 1803. 



They immsdiarely fet out that they 

 might have a ntaier view of its raviges, 

 and to vifi; it a fec-nd time; but the iin- 

 expefled news of the fudden departure of 

 the Atlanta fiigate, : nd the fear of not 

 finding Enother cppori unity for feveral 

 months, obliged thtm to return, after 

 being tormented f r feven d lys by the 

 mofquitocsof B-ibaoyo and Ugibjr. 



They had a favomahle navigation of 

 thirt; days on the Pacific Ocean to Aca- 

 pulco, the wcftein port ot the kingdom of 

 New Spiin, c.kbrated by the beauty of 

 its bafon, which appears to liave been cut 

 out in the granite locks by the violence of 

 tarthc(U3kes ; celthiatcd alfo by the 

 wretchednefs of iti inhabitants, who fee 

 there millions cf piallves embarked for the 

 Philippines and China ; and unfortunately 

 celebrated by a climate as fcorthing as 

 mortal. 



M. Humboldt intended at firft to flay 

 or.ly a few montl.s in Mexico, and to 

 halten his return to Europe j his travls 

 had alreaiy been too long; the inltru- 

 ments, and particuhr'v li.c time-keepers, 



began to be gradually deranged ; and atl 

 the efforts he had made to get new one* 

 had proved truitl_-ls. Befides, the pro- 

 grefs of the Iciences in Europe is To rapid, 

 that in travels of niore than four years a 

 traveller may lee certain phenomena under 

 points of view which are no longer inte- 

 reliing when his labours are prel'tnted to 

 the public. 



M. Humboldt flattered himfelf with the 

 hope ot being in England in the months of 

 Auguff or September 1803 ; but the at- 

 traflion of a country fo beautiful and (o 

 vaiiegattd as the kingdom of New Spain, 

 the gieat holp4ta!ity of its inhabitants, and 

 tVe dread ot the yellow-fever at Vera 

 Ciuz, which cuts off almoft all thofe who 

 between the months of June and Oflober 

 come down from the mountains, indutt^J 

 htm to defer his departure till the middle 

 of winter. After havng occupied his 

 a;tent;on mitli plants, the (fate ot the air, 

 the hourly variations of the barometer, 

 the phenomena of the magnet, and, in 

 paiticular, the longitude ot Acapulco, a 

 port in wdiich two able aftronomers, 

 McfTis. Efpinda :>nd Galeano, had before 

 made oblcrvaticns, our travel ers fet outtor 

 Mexico. They al'cended gradually from 

 the fcorching valleys i.f Mcfcala and Pa- 

 pagayo, where the thermometer in the 

 fliade flood at 3^" of Reaumur, and 

 where they paffed the river on the fruit of 

 the crefcentia pinnata, bound together by 

 ropts of agave, to the high table lands cf 

 Chilpaiuzingo, Teliuilotepec, and Tafco. 



At thele lieights of fix or fevtn hun- 

 dred (oifes ab we the level of the lea, in 

 confequence of the mildnefs and coolnefs 

 of the climate, the oak, cyprefs, fir, and 

 fern, begin to be feen, togeihtr with tlie 

 kinds of grain cultivated in Europe. 



Having ipent fome time in tlie mines of 

 Tafco, the oldelt and formerly th-. richctt 

 in the kingdi.ni, and having tludied the 

 nature of thofe fiVtry veins which pafs 

 from the hard calcareous rock to mica- 

 ceous ichilf, and inclolie toliaceous gyp- 

 fum, they afcendecf, by Cuernaraca and 

 the cold regions of Guchilaqua, (o the ca- 

 pital of Mexico. Th!scity, which has 

 150,000 i: habitants, and Hands on the 

 fiteof the old Tenoch'itlan, between the 

 hikes of Tczcuco and Xochimilo, vwhich 

 have decrealed in lize fince ihe Spaniaius, 

 to Icffen the danger of inundations, have 

 opened the mountains (jf Sincoc, is inter- 

 feiSfedby broad firaight Itreets. It ffauds 

 in fight of two fnowy mountains, one of 

 whicii s named Po| ocatepec ; and of a 

 V Icano ffill burning ; and, at the height 

 of J 160 toife>, enjoys a temperate and 

 agreeable 



