ifi South America. 239 



here of cold and fatigue. The whole province of Pa?to, 

 coniprebcndino; tlic environs of Guachucal and Tuqueres, 

 is a cold pU\in,""almost above that point at which vegetation 

 can take place, and surrounded by volcanoes and soufricres 

 which continually throw up clouds of smoke. The un- 

 fortunate inhabitants of these deserts have no other food 

 but potatoes 5 and when these fail, as they did last year, they 

 go into the mountains to eat the trunk of a small tree called 

 nchiipalla {pourretia pitcaniia). As this tree however is 

 the food also of the bears of the Andes, tlie lalter often 

 dispute with them the only nourishment which these ele- 

 vated regions atford. To the north of the volcano of Pasto 

 i discovered in the small Indian village of \ oisaco, at the 

 heioht of 1370 toises above the level of the sea, a red por- 

 phyrv v/ith an argillaceous base inclosing vitreous feldspar 

 and iiornstone, which has all the properties of the serpen- 

 tine of the Fichtel-Gebirge. This porphyry has very evi- 

 dent poles, and shows no attractive force. After having 

 been wet dav and night for two months, and exposed to the 

 danirer of drowning" bv a very sudden rise of the \^ater3, 

 accompanied with earihquakes, we arrived on the 6lh of 

 January 1 802 at Quitf), where the marquis of Salvaalegre was 

 go kind as to prepare for us a house, which after so many 

 fatigues aflbrded us all the conveniences that we could have 

 wished for at Paris, or at London. 



Quito is a beautiful town, but the sky is dismal and cloudy. 

 Th'e neighbouring mountains exhibit little verdure, and the 

 cold is "xerv considerable. Tin- great earthquake of Fe- 

 bruarv 4th 1797, which agitated the whole province, and de- 

 fitroycd in a moment from thity-five to forty thousand peo- 

 ple, has also been fatal to the survivors. It has so changed 

 Ihe temperature of the air, that the thermometer generally 

 Stands at from 4"^ to 10^' of Pvcaumur, and rarely ascends to 

 16° or 17° ; Vvhile Bouguer always observed it at 15" or 16''. 

 Since that catastroph.e" there have been continual earth- 

 quakes : and what shocks ! It is probable that the w liole 

 elevated part is onlv one volcano. What are called the 

 mountains of Cotopaxi and Pinchincha are only small sum- 

 mits, the craters of which form diflerent apertures all ter- 

 minating in the same hollow. The earthquake of 1 707 un- 

 fortunately proved this hypothesis, for the earth everywhere 

 opened and vomited up sulphur, water, &c. Notwith- 

 etandinc these honors and dangers with which hatiire has 

 surrounded the inhabitants of <>iito, they arc cheerful, lively, 

 and agreeable. 'Ih.eir town bn-athcs nothing but plcasui-c; 

 and no where docs there appear so decided a taste for asnuse- 

 l nicnLi. 



