M* AKMBL 



above tit* sea; the road from Lima to Huancavelioe, crossing the 

 western rang*, near 13* a lat. at the height of 15,080 feet ; th. road 

 from Lima to Tarma, by the pae of I'ortachuoU, 15,760 feet; the 

 JahUhiml of Paaco is reached from the west by the Viuda Paso, 

 10,000 feet high, and from the valley of the UualUga by a road in the 

 ravin* through which the river flown. A road leads from Truxillo to 

 Caxomarca in the valley of th* Uaranou, by a pass 11,604 feet high. 

 From Caxamaroa a much frequented road leads northward to O'hacha- 

 poyas, and hence over the central range of the Andes to Uoyabambe and 

 Tarapoto. The most northern mountain-pas* over the Peruvian Andes 

 oooura near 5' a Ut, and traverses the Paramo of Guamani, 10,050 feet 



Tht Equatorial A*d* extend from 6 a lat to 1" 13' N. Ut, a 

 tlirlsinr of nearly 460 miles. As far as the equator they run north 

 by east, but north of the line they change to north-north-east They 

 constitute one continuous mass of high rock* resting on a bass about 

 80 miles across, so that this portion of the Andes, excluding some 

 often to the east and west, may occupy an extent of 36,000 square 

 mils*. The region terminates at either extremity in a mountain-knot 

 The mountain-knot of Loja in the south extend* between 5 80' and 

 y 16' & lat, and occupies, according to Humboldt, 11,650 square. 

 milfT The northern mountain-knot, that of Los Pastos, lies between 

 0* 20' and 1 13' N. Ut, and extends, according to the came author, 

 over a surface of 8700 square miles. Between these two mountain- 

 knots are two series of summits parallel to one another, and about 

 40 miles apart The summits are connected by ridges considerably 

 lower. The space between the two ridges is occupied by a valley 

 340 miles long, and varying in width from 15 to 20 miles. Two 

 transverse ridges however divide this valley into three smaller ones. 

 The valley of Cuenca, the most southern of the three, extends more 

 than 60 miles in length, between 8* 16' and 2 27' a lat, and is about 

 7800 (set above the sea. None of the mountains which inclose it rise 

 above the snow line, nor does a volcano occur among them. The 

 highest mountains contiguous to thi* valley are those on the north, 

 forming one of th) transverse ridges alluded to above, and over which 

 tile Pass of Assuay reaches the height of 15,620 feet The central 

 valley is that of Alausi and Ambato, which extends nearly ISO miles 

 from south to north, between 2 27', and 46' S. lot It* surface ia 

 about 8000 feet above the tea. In the two range* east and west of it 

 are many high summits, among which there are four volcanoes. In 

 the eastern range are the volcanoes Sangay (2* 8. lat), which is 

 16,827 feet above the sea, and more than 1000 feet above the snow- 

 line ; Tunguragua (1 SO' S. lat), 16,060 feet ; Cotopaxi (0 41' S. lat), 

 18,876 feet In the western range isChimboraio, the highest summit 

 of the Equatorial Andes, 21,424 feet above the aea ; it is nota volcano ; 

 but not far from its northern declivity stands the volcano of Car- 

 guairaxo (1 23' a Ut), which is 16,668 feet high. At the northern end 

 of this valley is the transverse, ridge called Alto de Chiainche, which 

 i* of inconsiderable width, and rises only about 600 feet above the 

 plain contiguous to it on the north. 



The valley of Quito, the most northern of the three longitudinal 

 valleys of toe Equatorial Andes, extends from the Alto de Chisinche, 

 0- 40' S. Ut, to the mountain-knot of Los Pastos 0" 20' N. lat, nearly 

 70 miles, and is about 9600 feet above the sea. On both sides of it 

 are high mountains, most of which are volcanoes. On the eastern 

 range are, from south to north, the Volcano de Sinchulagua (0 85' a 

 lat), 16,488 feet ; the Volcano de Antisana (0 88' a Ut), 10,137 feet ; 

 and the Cayambe Urcm. on the equator, which ia 10,634 feet high, and 

 not a volcano. On the western range are the Volcano de Pichincha 

 (0 10' a lat), 15,086 feet, and that of Imbabaru (0 20' N. lat), which 

 ooss not reach the snow-line. 



Several of the summit* with which the mountain-knot of Los Pastos 

 is stooVUd rise above the snow-line, and among them are four volcanoes. 

 The Volcano de Chiles (0' 3' N. lat) lie. tn a abort ridge, alway* 

 covered with snow. The Volcano de Chumbal, somewhat farther north, 

 is 16,884 feet above the sea level The Acufral (1* 2' N. lat) is a short 

 rang* OBBMhrinf several peaked summits, and on it several smoking 

 crater* are found ; it remains below the line of perpetual congelation. 

 Th* Volcano da Paste or Tuquerec on the northern edge of the 

 mountain knot, rises only to 13,740 feet The highest district* of 

 this mountain-knot which are inhabited are about 10,240 feet above 

 theses. 



Th* valleys and level grounds which occur in the Equatorial Andes 

 are too much elevated to produce other grain and fruit* than those of 

 Europe, bat as they in general enjoy a very moderate and regular 

 climate and have copious rain nearly every month of the year, the 

 nps they produce an abundant, though th* soil i* not distinguished 

 by fertility. On both sides the declivities of the mountain system are 

 rather steep, bat mor* *o toward the eastern plains, where in many 

 ** * *o p for the growth of trees j in others however it is 

 with forests, which on the mountain-knot of Loja contain* 

 5?"*J!5" ""onona-traee. Through the whole range of the Andes 

 fross M' to 4- a lat th* wwtom slope is almost entirely 



^'"rjover a gnat portion of it north of 4" a lat Thi* 

 to the abundance of rain which occur* on the 

 c, north of 4' a Ut., while south of it only a few 

 .rail, and inmost part, there never fall, a drop. 

 id traverw. both mountain knots and the valley* of tl, 



L to north, and connect* the maritime pro- 



AM'KS. 



.-,. 



of Peru with the great valleys of Nueva Granada. It starts 

 from the town of Piura in Peru, passes through Quito and Pusto, and 

 terminates at the town of Popayan, in the baun of the Cauoa, a feeder 

 of the Hagdalena ; having traversed countries of great diversity of 

 level, reaching iU greatsst height at the pass across the Paramo de 

 Aasuay, north of Cusnoa, and sinking to 3072 foot on the Bio 

 Guachioon, north of Almaguer. Two roads traverse the western 

 range. The southern leads from Ambato in the middle valley to the 

 town of Ouayaquil, skirting the southern declivity of Chiuiborazo to 

 Guaranda, where it crosses over the mountains by a pass about 

 10,000 feet high. The northern road lead* from Quito by the Pass 

 of lialbucha to the harbour of Atacames. The eastern mountains 

 are also traversed by two roads. The southern leads from the town 

 of Loja in the southern mountain-knot through Quancabainba to 

 Tomependa on the Amatonas, The northern road leads from the 

 town of Quito to Santa Kosa on the Napo, a feeder of the Amazons*. 

 It traverses the Paramo or high desert plain of Ouamani, which ia 

 said never to be free from mow. 



Xurtker* Anda or Anda of Xuera Granada. Between 1 13' and 

 2 N. lat, the great mas* of the Andes, occupying about 80 miles in 

 width from east to west, U broken by watercourses into several sub- 

 ordinate ma sifts, which however are connected on the eastern side 

 by a continuous ridge, called Paramo de Iscanse or Quanaca*. This 

 ridge turns eastward on approaching 2 N. lat, and runs in that 

 direction between 77" and 75 W. long. ; it then runs north-north-east 

 to 9 N. lat, constituting the chain called the Eastern Cordillera of 

 Nueva Granada. Where the Paramo de localise approaches 2 N. Ut, 

 near 77" W. long., another range, the Sierra de Socoboni, branches off 

 from it in a north-north-western direction to 8 N. lat From this 

 sierra branch off in a northern direction two other ranges, forming 

 the Central and the Western Cordilleras of the Andes of Nueva Granada. 



The Western Cordillera of the Northern Andes does not continue in 

 the direction of the Sierra de Socoboni, but near 8 N. lat turns 

 north by west, in which direction it continue* to 5 30' N. lat as one 

 chain. Beyond, the chain divides into two branches, of which the 

 eastern runs northward, forming the watershed between the Atrato 

 and the Cauca. This chain terminates between 8 and 9 N. 1st, at 

 about 60 miles from the Gulf of Darien ; this distance is occupied by 

 an inclined plain, which i* drained by the Sinu or Zenu. The western 

 branch runs north by west, between the Atrato and the Pacific, and 

 seems to terminate north of 7 N. lat, on the banks of thu Xipipi r 

 Niipipi, but little U known of this port of the chain. The Western 

 Cordillera of the Northern Andes contains no volcanoes. Between 

 3 and 6 N. lat its mean elevation hardly exceeds 5,000 feet above 

 the sea level, and its crest runs on in a nearly straight line without 

 rising into peaks. Its width hardly exceed* 20 miles, and it resem- 

 bles a wall, having no offsets on either side. North of 5 N. lat 

 high summits occur. The Pico de Turn, east of Novita, perhaps 

 rise* to 10,000 feet above the sea. The eastern branch is from 4<> .. 

 50 miles wide, filling up the whole space between the Cauca anil the 

 Atrato. The highest of its numerous peak* is the Alto de Vicato, 

 which i* about 9,000 feet above the sea. The branch range between 

 the Atrato and Pacific does not seem to rise above 8000 or 4000 feet 

 The western part of this chain is thickly wooded, but on its eastern jrt 

 trees are not frequent The declivities of thin port of the Andes are 

 so exceedingly steep, that goods are brought from the Pacific to the 

 valley of the Cauca on the backs of porters. This U done on all the 

 four road* which cross this chain. The most southern road lead* fn>m 

 the town of Call! to Buenaventura Bay on the Pacific, the second 

 from Buga to Zitani on the Atrato, the third from Cortago to /.ituni, 

 and the fourth from Verraa, a small place 40 milea south of Antioquia, 

 to Xitara. 



The central chain of the Andes of Nueva Granada runs nearly due 

 north, between the Cauca and Uagdalena, from the Sierra de So 

 to 6 N. lat, where it inclines somewhat more to the east It 

 terminates between 8* and 9 N. lat, opposite the point where the 

 Uagdalena turns north-westward to meet the Canon. South of 6 N. 

 lat thi* chain constitutes one mass of very elevated rocks, without 

 oftets, and about 60 milea in breadth. North of 6* N. lat it divi.l. 

 into sevenl branches, which fill up nearly the whole space between t In- 

 two rivers, and the width of the mom ia increased to about 100 milea. 

 This is the widest, and al*o the highest of the three ranges of the Andes 

 of Nueva Granada. South H1" N. lat its mean elevation exceeds I'J.mio 

 feet, and several of its aummits are always covered with anow. Tin- 

 Nevado de Tolima attains an elevation of 18,316 feet, and i* the 

 highest summit of the Amies in South America, north of t] 

 North of the nevados, whi--h <\ mt extend much beyond 5 N. lat, 

 the main elevation of the chain is somewhat under 10,000 feet In 

 this range are four volcanoes : the Volcano de Sotara (2* 13' N. Int), 

 south-east of Popayan, which rise* above the snow-line ; the V 

 clr Piiraee (8* 20 5 ), eart of Popayan, 17,019 feet high; the Volcat 

 Nevado de Tolima, east of Qartego ; and the Paramo de Huiz, north of 

 5* N. lat, which had an eruption in 1828, and does not attain the 

 snow-line. 



Two much frequented roads lead over this range. The 



nnects the town of Iji Plata, in the valley of the 

 Uagdalena, with Popaynn, and crosses the Paramo de Guanncan, 

 attaining at its highest point the height of 14,700 feet above the sea. 



