322 



HUMBOLDT. 



reared themselves in Uie midst of forests of storax, 

 passion-flowers, resembling trees in size, bambusas, 

 and wax-palms. When they arrived, barefooted and 

 wet, at the valley of the river Cauca,'they rested at 

 Cartago and Buga, and wandered through the pro- 

 vince of Choco, the region of the metal platina. 

 They now ascended to Popayan, at the foot of the 

 snow-capped volcanoes of Purace and Sotara, through 

 Caielo and the gold-washings of Quitichao. The 

 thermometer, in this remarkable climate, always 

 stood at 17 19 of Re'aumur (70 74 of Fahren- 

 heit). They ascended at this time, though with 

 laborious exertions, to the crater of the volcano 

 Purace, the mouth of which is full of boiling water, 

 *uid, in the midst of snow, sends out a constant 

 vapour of sulphureted hydrogen. They then passed 

 on, avoiding the poisonous valley of Patia, over the 

 steep Cordilleras of Almaguer, to Pasto, and travelled 

 through Guachucal over the mountainous plains of 

 the province de los Pastes. 



After four months of great fatigue, they at length 

 reached the cities of Iberra and Quito in the south- 

 ern hemisphere. They arrived at the latter city, 

 distinguished for the superior education of its inhabi- 

 tants, January 6, 1802. They continued their geo 

 logical and botanical surveys eight or nine months 

 in the kingdom of Quito, remarkable for its huge 

 mountains, its volcanoes, its vegetation, its old 

 monuments, but more especially for the manners 

 of its former inhabitants. They ascended twice to 

 the crater of the volcano Pichincha, where they per- 

 formed experiments to ascertain the composition of 

 the air, its electrical, magnetical, and hygroscopical 

 qualities, its elasticity, and the degree of temperature 

 of boiling water. Meantime they made several 

 excursions to the mountains of Antisana, Cotopaxi, 

 Tunguragua and Chimborazo, whose tops are covered 

 with perpetual snow. The geognostical character 

 of the Andes was also a subject of their particular 

 attention. The trigonometrical and barometrical 

 measurements of Humboldt have fully proved that 

 some of these volcanoes have sunk considerably 

 since 1753, and with this result the observations 

 of the inhabitants perfectly coincide. At the same 

 time, Humboldt was convinced that all these great 

 masses were formed by crystallization. Charles 

 Montufar, son of the marquis of Selvalegre of Quito, 

 a man passionately devoted to science, in January, 

 1802, joined our travellers, and accompanied them 

 throughout their remaining expeditions to Peru and 

 Mexico. Being favoured by circumstances, they 

 ascended the summits of the most remarkable moun- 

 tains, to a height hitherto never reached. They 

 ascended Chimborazo, June 23, 1802, 3096 toises, 

 18,576 Fr. feet (3485 feet higher than Condamine 

 reached, in 1745) above the surface of the sea. 

 The blood started from their eyes, lips, and gums, 

 and they became almost torpid through cold. A 

 narrow, deep valley hindered them from reaching 

 the most remote summit of Chimborazo, which was 

 about 224 toises (or 1344 feet) higher. 



From Quito they proceeded to the river Amazon 

 and Trina, in the hope of observing there the transit 

 of Mercury over the sun's disk. They visited the 

 ruins of Lactacunga, Hambato, and Rio Bamba a 

 country which was overwhelmed, February 7, 1797, 

 by a terrible earthquake went through the snowy 

 fields of Assonay to Cuenga, and thence through the 

 Paramo of Saraguro to Loxa, where, in the forests of 

 Gonzanama and Malacatos, they made valuable 

 observations on the Peruvian bark. From Loxa 

 they proceeded through Ayavaca and Gouncabamba 

 to Peru, passing over the lofty Andes, in order to 

 reach the river Amazon. They saw the splendid 

 ruins of the road of Yega, which passes over the 

 porphyry rocks of the Andes, between 12 and 1800 



toises high, from Cusco to Assonay, and is provided 

 with inns and public fountains. At the village of 

 Chamaya, they embarked on a raft, followed the 

 course of the river of the same name into the 

 Amazon, and ascertained the astronomical situation 

 of their junction. As Condamiue had embarked 

 upon the Amazon, below Quebrada de Chuchunga, 

 and likewise had not ascertained any longitude 

 except at the mouth of the Rio Napo, Humboldt 

 followed the Amazon to the cataract Rentewa, 

 and, at Tomependa, drew up an accurate plan of 

 this unknown part of the river. Bonpland had, in 

 the mean time, employed himself in botanical 

 researches. Now, for the fifth time, our travellers 

 passed the Andes, in order to return through 

 Montan and Peru. They determined the point 

 where the magnetic needle of Borda showed the 

 middle point of declination, although under the 

 seventh degree of south latitude, and examined 

 the rich mines of Hualguayok, where silver is found 

 2000 toises above the surface of the sea. From 

 Caxamarca, which is celebrated for its batiis and 

 ruins, they descended to Truxillo, in the neighbour- 

 hood of which are included the ruins of the immense 

 Peruvian city, Mansiche, decorated with pyramids, 

 in one of which, in the eighteenth century, was found 

 beaten gold to the value of more than 4,000,000 

 livres. On this westerly descent of the Andes, 

 they had, for the first time, a magnificent view 

 of the Pacific ocean, and of that long and narrow 

 valley where rain and thunder are unknown. They 

 followed the barren coasts of the southern ocean 

 through Santa and Guarmey to Lima, where Hum- 

 boldt was so fortunate as to observe pretty accurate- 

 ly, in the harbour of Callao de Lima, the termination 

 of Mercury's transit over the sun. In January, 

 1803, our travellers took passage for Guayaquil, 

 a harbour upon the bank of a mighty river, where 

 palms, plumaria, tabernse-montana, and banana plants 

 appear in indescribable splendour. After thirty 

 days, they reached Acapulco. 



Although Humboldt wished very much to hasten 

 his return to Europe, yet the beauty of New Spain, 

 the hospitality of its inhabitants, and the fear of the 

 black vomit, then prevalent at Vera Cruz, induced 

 him to delay his departure till the middle of winter. 

 Afterwards they employed themselves in the exami- 

 nation of plants, of the air, the hourly variations of 

 the barometer, the appearances of the magnet, and 

 especially the longitude of Acapulco, and then 

 departed for Mexico. They passed through the 

 sultry valleys of Mescala and Papagayo, where the 

 thermometer stood, in the shade, at 32 of Reaumur 

 (104 Fahrenheit); traversed the lofty plains of 

 Chilpanzlugo, Theuilotepec and Tasco, where oaks, 

 cypresses, fir trees, and European grain flourished in 

 a mild climate. Here they visited the mining works 

 of Tasco, where the veins of silver appear alternately 

 in limestone and mica slate, and contain within them 

 gypsum in laminae. In April, 1803, they ascended 

 through Cuernaraca and the fogs of Cuchilaqua to 

 the city of Mexico, which is very pleasantly situated, 

 and is distinguished from all the cities of the new 

 world by its scientific institutions. After a residence 

 of some months, during which Humboldt corrected 

 the longitude of Mexico, our travellers visited the 

 celebrated mining works of Moran and Real del 

 Monte, where the mines of Biscaya have already 

 yielded to the count of Regla several millions of 

 dollars. They then examined the obsidian of Oya- 

 mel, which lies imbedded in the layers of pearlstone 

 and porphyry, and served the former inhabitants for 

 knives. This whole country is full of basaltic blocks : 

 amygdaloid and secondary calcarious formations af- 

 ford the most striking appearances for the considera- 

 tion of the geologist. These Del Rio, a scholar of 



