in Soulh America. 243 



and Antisana, is of a volcanic nature. The ridge on which 

 we ascended consists of burnt and scorified rock, mixed wjth 

 puniice stone. It resembles all the currents of lava in this 

 country ; and continues beyond that point where I was ob- 

 liged to set bounds to mv researches, towards the summit of 

 the mountain. It is possible that this summit may be the 

 crater of an extinguished volcano ; and this is even probable. 

 The idea of this possibility, however, makes one shudder — • 

 and with reason ; for, if the volcano should be rekindled, 

 this colossus would destroy the whole province. 



The mountain of Tunguragua sunk down at the period of 

 the earthquake of 1797. Bouguer makes its height to be 

 2620 toiscs; I found it to be only 2531 : it has lost there- 

 fore nearlv 100 toises of its height. The inhabitants of the 

 neighbouring country assert that they have seen its summit 

 crumble down before their eyes. 



During our stav at Riobamba, where we spent some weeks 

 with the brother of Charles Montufar, who is corregidor 

 there, we by chance made a very curious discovery. The 

 state of the province of Quito before the conquest of the 

 inca Tupayupagi * is absolutely unknown-. But the king of 

 the Indians, Leandro Zapla, who resides at Lican, and whose 

 mind is highly cultivated, has in his possession manuscripts 

 written by one of his ancestors in the sixteenth century, 

 which contain the historv of that period. These manuscript'-; 

 are written in the language of Paraguay, which formerly was 

 the general language of Ouito ; but in the course of time it 

 gave place to that of the Incas, or the Anichna, and is now 

 lost. Portunatelv, another of Zapla's ancestors amused 

 himself in translating these manuscripts into Spanish. We 

 made extracts from these valuable documents, and particu- 

 larly in regard to the memorable period of the eruption of 

 the mounrain called Xevado deiylttas, which nuist have been 

 the highest in the universe, superior even to Chimboraco, and 

 which the Indians called Capa-Urcu, ''the chief of moun- 

 tains.' Ouainia Abomalha, the last independent cochocmido 

 (king of the country), reigned at that time at Lican. The 

 priests informed him that this catastrophe was a sinister pre- 

 sage of his destruction. " The face of the universe," said 

 they to him, " is changing : other godawill expel ours. Let 

 us not oppose what has been ordained by fate." The Pe- 

 ruvians indeed introduced into the country the worship of 

 the sun. The eruption of the mountain continued seven 

 years, and Zapla's manuscript asserts that the shower of 

 ashes at Lican was so abundant that continual night pre- 



* Quito was conquered h- the Peruvians in 1470. 



Q 2 vailed 



