k ' 



AROKXT1NK OOVRDBRATIOir. 



ARGENTJM: n.xi-T.iiKi;.\Tii>N. 



nication mar be established betwe 

 and that of Conception in Chile, upon the shores of the Pacific." 

 During the blockade of the Rio de la Plata by the English and French 

 squadrons, Rosas had hi heavy guns landed at Port Belgrano and 

 transported across the country to Buenos Ayres. Falsa Bay, some 

 SO mUes & from Port Belgrano, presents to the eye an extensive and 

 dreary waste, surrounded by shifting sand-banks, and having at its 

 mouth, as all along Bahia Blanca, numerous shoals ; yet according to 

 Capt Kit zroy it possesses great capabilities, and may at some future 

 day be converted into a serviceable harbour. Some of the sand-banks 

 have become small islands, as Ariadne Island and Green Island, which 

 are covered with verdure and abound in game. Brightman's Inlet 

 at the southern extremity of Bahia Blanca U a narrow bar-harbour. 

 Hence to the Rio Colorado the land U low, consisting for the 

 most part of a succession of sand-dunes from 30 to 40 feet in height. 

 Union Bay a short distance south of the Colorado is suitable for 

 rnssols drawing less than 16 feet of water. At the mouth of the 

 Colorado is a low headland, and from it to San Bias Bay are extensive 

 shoals running east and south from 10 to 15 miles from the shore. 

 The whole of Anegada Bay is almost blocked up with these dangerous 

 shoal*, of which the principal are known as Viper Bank and Snake 

 Bank. San Bias Harbour affords anchorage for vessels of large size, 

 and furnishes abundant supplies of fresh-water, fish, and other 

 provision* But ships suffer here considerably both from the dryness 

 of the air and some peculiarity in the water. Capt Fitzroy says : 

 " By lying moored in this harbour during four months, an English 

 ship built of well seasoned African oak was rendered unseaworthy. 

 Her chain-cables were reduced one-third in size, and lost the greater 

 number of the cross-bars." From Rubra Point .the shore bears to 

 the south-west as far as Rasa Point, and thence west-south-west to the 

 mouth of the Negro : along this portion of the coast there are 

 neither shoals nor rocks, and the sand-hills are lower. Maine Point, 

 or Point Redondo, at the mouth of the Negro is 40 feet high : it is 

 the extreme southern point of the Argentine coast At the entrance 

 of the Rio Negro is a bar on which is 6 feet of water at low-tide. 

 Eighteen miles up this river is the old Spanish establishment I'.l 

 Carmen, which u still the most southern position inhabited by civilised 

 man on this eastern coast of South America ; all beyond to Cape 

 Horn is left to the undisturbed possession of the native Indians. 



Surfatt and Soil. About one-sixth of the surface of this country 

 is mountainous : the remainder consists of wide plains, on which are 

 scattered a few isolated ranges of hills, and an extensive system of 

 low mountains, called the Sierra de Cordova. 



I. Mouniaint and Countriei inclottd ly them. The mountainous 

 countries lie on and along the eastern declivity of the Andes. This 

 mountain range, which traverses South America in all its length, 

 from the Strait of Magalhaens to the Isthmus of Panama and the 

 neighbourhood of the Caribbean Sea, is of comparatively moderate 

 width south of 30 8. lat, hardly exceeding anywhere 100 r I.'" 

 miles ; but north of that parallel the eastern side spreads out into an 

 extensive mountain region, the eastern border of which U more than 

 400 miles distant from the western declivity of the range. 



The Andes from 40 8. lat, where they begin to constitute the 

 matsin boundary of the Argentine Confederation, dividing it from 

 Chili to 37* S. lat, are but little known. They seem to be composed of 

 two parallel ranges, about 30 or 40 miles distant from each other, of 

 which the western is supposed to be the more elevated. A consider- 

 able part of the western range rises above the snow-line, which in 

 these parts occurs about 10,000 feet above the sea level, and am on- its 

 suinmiu there are three volcanoes. The most southern, the Volcano 

 ila Rica, or Cerro Imperial (89 10' S. lat), attains an elevation 

 of more than 10,000 feet, the aides to a great distance below the 

 summit being always covered with snow. Farther north i* the 

 Volcano de Cura (88 8. lat). These two volcanoes are in the 

 western range. In the eastern is the Volcano de Unalayquen, (37 10' 

 8. lat). 



Farther north, between 37 and 34* S. lat, the Andes consist of two 

 parallel ranges which in some places approach one another within ::o 

 or 40 miles, and at others are 70 r SH miles apart The eastern 

 range does not attain such an elevation as the western, no part of it 

 apparently being covered with perpetual snow except between 3G and 

 35 8. lat, where a Cerro Nevado is marked on Parish's map. This 

 range contains one volcano, that of Pomahuida (near 86 15'), which 

 had three eruptions between 1820 and 1830, and a terrible one in 

 1822. In the western range, which in its whole extent forms the 

 watershed between the rivers that run to the Pacific and Atlantic 

 oceans, and is therefore considered as the boundary between Chili and 

 the Argentine Confederation, many summits rise far above the ->,- 

 line, and four among them are volcanoes the Volcanoes de Antuco 

 ( 50' a lat), dc Chilian (86' 6' 8. lat), de Peteroa, or Curico (35" 

 1 Ut), and de Rancagua (84 10' 8. lat). A much greater nu 

 at volcanoes is marked on our maps, but it has not been asoei ' 

 that they really are volcanoes. The gen mn of this portion 



<* *he Andes may be from 12,000 to 18,000 feet above the sea, and 

 eonsrtjuently it approaches the snow-line, as is shown by the iiioun- 

 tahvpasM by which this part of the Andes is traversed. The most 

 southern of these prims, that of Antuco, near the volcano 



rues in its highest part above the line of vegetation. The 



Planchon Pass (about 35" 10' S. lat) is much lower, as there is vege- 

 tation upon it, and it probably does not exceed 1 1,000 feet Tin 

 pass, called II Passo de las Daman, occur* near 34 50', and as it U 

 clothed with vegetation even at its most elevated point it is supposed 

 not to rise above 11,000 feet. 



Between 34 and 33 8. lat, the two ranges of the Andes are not 

 far distant from each other, and they inclose the elevated valley of 

 Tn tin van, which U about 20 miles wide, and 7 <>ve the sea 



level. The ranges which run north and south on each side of the 

 valley, attain nearly double that elevation. The pass called !' 

 which traverses the valley obliquely, rises on the western chain of 

 the Andes to 13,210 feet, and on the eastern to 14,365 feet This 

 pass is only open from the beginning of January to the end of April, 

 being blocked up by snow the remainder of the year. South of thix 

 pass is the Volcano de Maypu, or Peuquenes, which is above 15,000 

 feet high, and always covered with 



Between S3 and 30 S. lat, the two ranges of the Andes recede 

 from one another to the distance of 40 or 50 miles. Between these 

 ranges is the valley of Uspallata, which is about 180 miles long and 

 40 miles wide, of which width about 15 miles ore level ground, and 

 the remainder consists of hills, which skirt both ranges. The level 

 part of the valley is 6200 feet above the sea level. Near 82 S. lat. 

 the valley is traversed by some higher ground, which runs east and 

 west, and from which the Rio de Mendoza runs southward, and the 

 Rio de Son Juan northward. The Mendoza finds its way to the eastern 

 plains by a cleft in the mountains near 33 S. lat, and the San Juan 

 by a similar passage near 31. The soil of the valley i - sterile, and 

 impregnated with salt, except towards the northern extremity, where 

 it is fertile. The range of the Andes which is east of the valley is 

 called the Panimilla Mountains : it is about 10,000 feet high, and is 

 I>artly covered with wood. The great chain of the Andes, west of the 

 valley of Uspallata, occupies between 50 and 60 miles in width, and 

 consists of four or five parallel inassea of rocks, divided from one 

 another by ravines or glens. The highest summits of these rocky 

 masses may attain the elevation of nearly 14,000 or 15,000 feet, as 

 there is snow in the ravines even in April. The road which leads 

 over them, and in the highest part is called La Cuuibre, attains an 

 elevation of 12,454 feet, and is passable by mules from the commence- 

 ment of November to the end of Hay ; but the remainder of the 

 year it can only be travelled by foot-passengers, and with considcr.ible 

 danger, being then blocked up by snow. On the northern side of 

 the road is the Volcano de Aconcagua, the highest of the known 

 volcanoes on the globe, rising 23,200 feet above the sea level : it is 

 within the boundary of the Argentine Confedot 



North of 30 S. lat the Andes assume a different character. As 

 for north as 28 S. lat they consist of three parallel but unconnected 

 ranges. The western range forms one continuous mans of mountains 

 with those which lie farther south mid nor- central and 



eastern ranges rise rather abruptly from the plains along the eastern 

 side of the Andes near 30 S. lat, and they terminate as abruptly 

 near 28 S. lat The three ranges, together with the wide inU > 

 valleys, occupy a space of more than 120 miles in width 

 western range, which alone is called the Andes, does not rise above 

 the snow-line. No volcano occurs in this mountain mass; and indeed 

 no volcano is ascertained as occurring between the volt-:. 

 Aconcagua (32 13' a lat) and that of Atacama (21 86'). 

 Andes in this port not being so high as they are farther south, .- 

 easy passes lead over them, hut they are only used occn 

 country along the Pacific being nearly a desert The central range 

 is called Sierra Faniutinu. from the celebrated silver mines which are 

 found on its eastern declivity. South of 29 S. lat the Famatina 

 Mountains rise to a considerable elevation, though short of tin 

 line : but north of 29 S. hit. there is an enormous mass of rocks, the 

 lummltof which, being covered \ now, is call' 



Cerro Nevado. On the eastern declivity of this mountain mam are 

 the mines. The eastern range of the mountain*, called Sierra Velasco, 

 preserves nearly an equal elevation in its whole extent, and its 

 height probably falls short of 8000 feet, as it is rarely covered with 

 snow even in winter. It is only alout 8000 feet above the valley of 

 Famatina. The v; lies between the Andes and the Sierra 



na is called the Vale of (luandae..! : it is about 140 miles 

 long, ami 'J4 miles wide. A river called the Bermejo rises at the 

 most northern ext ud traverses it in a southern 



direction, until it roaches a point south of 80, when it runs round 

 the so\ MM Sierra Famatuia, and entering the 



plain is either lost, in the sandy surface of that tract or finds it 

 to the lakes of Guanocoche. The valley of Quandacol is stated to 

 be very favourable to the growth of wheat There are some rich 

 e..p|.cr-mine, which are not much worked, because of the difficulty 

 ( briniriiiir the metal to a market The inhabitants are aborigines, 

 v. 1, do not speak the Quichua language, and who partly live on 

 una, whose skins supply an article of exportation to other 

 , where j. :iks) and hats arc made of them. Th. v 



und. The 



which is inclosed by the Sierra Famatinn 

 Velanco, is about the same length, but somewhat narrower, 

 hardly 2n miles wide. No stream runs through it The southern 

 half is a complete desert without water. The soil is sandy, and in 



