214 



condamine's travels 



the Napo, elleemed the main fource of the river, was merely tributary, and that 

 the Amazons itfelf, under the denomination of Maraiion, iflued from a lake near 

 Guanuco, thirty leagues from Lima. But Father Fritz, deftitute of pendulum or 

 telefcope, was enabled to determine no one longitudinal point, and for afcertaining the 

 latitudes he had merely a fmall wooden femicircle of three inches radius ; he was 

 moreover ill, as he fell down the river near Para. One need only read his manufcript 

 journal, of which I have a copy taken from the original in the archives of the college 

 of Quito, to fee that numerous obftacles, both at that time and on return to his ftation, 

 prevented his making thofe obfervations requifite for rendering his chart exad:, efpe- 

 cially towards the lower part of the river. This chart is merely accompanied by a few 

 notes on the map -itfelf, without any hiflorical detail, fo that, in faQ:, to this time 

 Europe remains, with refpeft to the countries through which the river of Amazons 

 takes its courfe, as deftitute of information as it was left a century ago, after the nar- 

 rative of Father Acuna *. 



The Maraiion ifluing from its parent lake, in 1 1 ° of latitude fouth, diredis its courfe 

 northward to Juan de Bracomoros, through a fpace of fix degrees : thence it bends 

 eaftward, in a line nearly parallel to the equator, to the North Cape, difemboguing 

 its waters into the ocean under the line itfelf, after traverling from Taen, where it 

 begins to be navigable, nearly thirty degrees of longitude or 750 common leagues ; 

 or, computing its windings, from 1000 to iioo leagues f. From the north, as well 

 as from the fouth, it receives a prodigious number of rivers, many flowing through an 

 extent of five or fix hundred leagues, and feveral of them equalling in volume the 

 Danube or the Nile. The banks of the Maraiion, more than a century back, were 

 peopled with a great variety of nations, who withdrew to the interior at fight of 

 Europeans. In the prefent day merely a few aflfemblages of natives are to be feen 

 themfelves, or their immediate predeceiTors, recently drawn from their native woods 

 by the Spanifh mifllonaries in the upper portion, and by thofe of Portugal, in the 

 lower divifion of the river. 



Three roads communicate between the province of Quito and that of Maynas, which 

 gives its diftindion to the Spanifh miffions on the Maraiion. Thefe roads traverfe that 

 famous chain of fnow-capped mountains termed Las Cordilleras de los Andes. The 

 firft of thefe roads, almoft immediately under the line, eaftward of Quito, leads by 

 Archidona to the Napo : this was the road traced by Texeira on his return from Quito, 

 and by Father Acuiia. The fecond road is through a gorge below the Volcano of 

 Tonguragua in i|^ of latitude fouth: it leads to the diftrict of Canelos acrofs nume- 

 rous torrents, the jundion of which fornfs the river Paftaga, a river that falls into the 

 Maranon one hundred and fifty leagues higher up than the Napo. Thefe two roads 

 are thofe commonly travelled by the piilTionaries of Quito, the only Europeans by 

 whom thefe countries are frequented ; for the communication between them and the 

 neighbouring province pf Quito is rendered almoft impradlicable by the Cordilleras, 

 which are paffable but for a few months in the year. The third road is by Juan de 

 Bracomoros in 5!° of latitude fouth, where the Maranon begins to be navigable for 

 boats. This lait is the only road by which beafts of- burthen can travel to the place of 

 embarkation. The two preceding require a march of many days on foot, and on 

 thefe every thing muft be carried by Indians ; neverthelefs the laft road is that the 

 leaft frequented, as much on account of the long circuit it requires, and the conftant 



■■■ The work entitled El Maranon o Amazonas, 1684, is of no value. 



f According to the chart, about 2350 Britifh miles, 1000 leagues (25 to a degree) is 2768 Britifh miles. 



rains 



