CHAPTER XVII. 



MOUJfTAINS ABOUT THE VALLEY OF QUITO. 



Groups of Volcanoes.— Quitonian Peaks. — What gives tliem their Intei-- 

 est. — Chimborazo. — Its Summit gained by M. Eemy. — Sangai. — Coto- 

 paxi. — Antisana. — Pichincha. — Our Ascent. — Wild Scene from its 

 Summit. — Down its Crater. — A Thunder-storm within. — Climbing 

 out. — Lost upon the Volcano. — Eeturu to Quito. 



The volcanoes of the New World — unlike those of 

 the Old, which are generally placed upon the islands — are 

 situated upon the continental land, in connection with its 

 great mountain-axes; and, moreover, curiously disposed 

 in five great linear groups. Humboldt, in a geognostic and 

 geographic description of the volcanoes of the Americas, 

 designates these as the group of Mexico, of Central 

 America, of New Granada and Quito, of Peru and Bo- 

 livia, and of Chili.* More than ninety volcanoes are em- 

 braced by these series, of which number foi-ty-eight still 

 give evidence of activity. The distance between the most 

 northern in Mexico and the most southern in Chili is al- 

 most five thousand miles ; the greatest distance between 

 any two of the groups is found separating the clusters of 

 Quito from that of Bolivia, a stretch of nine hundred and 

 sixty miles. The volcanoes in each assemblage have a 

 linear meridional disposition ; those in Chili being set along 



• Sea " Cosmos," vol. v., pp. 265, 283. 



