VOLCANOES. 237 



about 800 miles from the south pole. Two of the loftiest of these 

 were named from his vessels, Mount Erebus, and Mount Terror, 

 they are each about 12,000 feet in height, and the former is an 

 active volcano. This range of mountains is probably connected 

 by a submarine chain with the Andes, first appearing in Terra- 

 del-Fuego, near which Capt. Basil Hall is said to have witnessed 

 volcanic eruptions. As we proceed north along the western shore 

 of South America, we find in Chili, a large number of active 

 volcanoes, and, what we might reasonably expect, the country 

 continually disturbed by earthquakes, and abounding in hot 

 springs. Villarica is the principal of the Chilian volcanoes, it 

 burns without intermission, and is so high that it may be seen at 

 a distance of 150 miles. It is s^aid that a year never passes in 

 this province, without some slight shocks of earthquakes, and 

 sometimes the most tremendous convulsions occur. As we pro- 

 ceed northward, we find one active volcano in Peru, but earth- 

 quakes are so common that scarce a week passes without them ; 

 and" the names of Lima, and Callao, are familiar in this connect- 

 ion. Proceeding still farther north, the mountains increase in 

 height, and furnish by the melting of their accumulated snows,' 

 and the moisture which is precipitated from the trade winds which 

 blow over the warm region of Brazil, the sources of that magni- 

 ficent river, the Amazon, which continually pours such a flood of 

 water into the Atlantic. When we arrive in the neighborhood of 

 Quito, in Equador, we find numerous and very lofty volcanoes, 

 no less than six being embraced in a space of five degrees ; com- 

 mencing at the second degree of south latitude, and proceeding 

 to the third degree of north latitude One of these volcanoes, 

 Cotopaxi, arises to the height of 18,867 feet, and is the highest 

 volcanic summit of the Andes. Inform it is a perfect cone, us- 

 ually covered with an enormous bed of snow. On next page, we 

 give an engraving which represents this celebrated volcano, which 

 is higher than Vesuvius would be, if placed on the top of Teneriffe. 

 The smooth cone, crested with the purest white, shines in tho 

 rays of the sun with dazzling splendor, and detaches itself from 

 the azure vault of heaven in the most picturesque manner. At 

 night, smoke and fire are seen rising from its summit, like a 



