ulloa's voyage to sotJTn AMiiRicA. , 501 



men. In order to avoid its circuit, and the danger of the pafs of Manzeriche, prefer the 

 difficulties and dangers ib the others. 



In the long courfe of this river from Chuchunga, are fome parts where the banks, 

 contrading themfelves, form ftreights, which, from the rapidity of the waters, are dan- 

 gerous to pafs. In others, by a fudden turn of its direction, the waters are violently 

 carried againft the rocks ; and in their repercuffion, form dangerous whirlpools, the 

 apparent fmoothnefs of which is no lefs dangerous than the rapidity in the ftreights. 

 Among thefe, one of the moft dangerous is that betwixt Santiago de las Montanas and 

 Borja, called Pongo de Manzeriche ; the firft word of which fignifies a door or entrance, 

 and by the Indians is applied to all narrow places ; the fecond is the name of the ad- 

 jacent country. 



The Spaniards who have paffed this ftreight make the breadth of it to be no more 

 than twenty-five yards, and its length three leagues ; and that, without any other help 

 than merely the current of the water, they were carried through it in a quarter of an 

 hour. If this be true, they muft move at the rate of twelve leagues an hour ; a moft 

 aftoniftiing velocity ! But M. de la Condamine, who examined it with particular atten- 

 tion, and to whofe judgment the greateft deference is due, is of opinion, that the breadth 

 of the Pongo, even in its narroweft part, is twenty-five toifes ; and the length of the 

 Pongo about two leagues, reckoning from the place where the ftiores begin to approach, 

 as far as the city of Borga. And this diftance he was carried in fifty-feven minutes. 

 He obferves alfo, that the wind was contrary ; and confequently his balza did not go fo 

 far as the current would otherwife have carried her ; fo that, making allowance for this 

 obftruftion, the current may be ftated at two leagues and a half, or at three leagues an 

 hour. 



The breadth and depth of this river is anfwerable to its vaft length ; and in the pon- 

 gos or ftreights, and other parts where its breadth is contrafted, its depth is augmented 

 proportionally. And hence many are deceived by the appearance of other rivers which 

 join it, their breadth caufmg them to be taken for the real Maranon ; but the mind is 

 foon convinced of its error, by obferving the little increafe which the Maranon receives 

 from the influx of them. This large river, by continuing its courfe without any vifible 

 change in its breadth or rapidity, demonftrates that the others, though before the obje£b 

 of ajflonifhment, are not comparable with it. In other parts it difplays its whole gran- 

 deur ; dividing itfelf into feveral large branches, including a multitude of iflands, parti- 

 cularly in the mtermediate fpace between the mouth of the Napo and that of the 

 Coari, which lies fomething to the weftward of the river Negro ; where, dividing itfelf 

 into many branches, it forms an infinite number of iflands. Betwixt the miffion of 

 Peba, which is at prefent the laft of the Spanilh, and that of ^an Pablo the firft of the 

 Portuguefe, M. de la Condamine, and Don Pedro Maldonado, having meafured the 

 breadth of fome of thefe branches, found them nearly equal to nine hundred toifes, that is, 

 almoft a fea league. At the influx of the river of Chuchunga, the place where the Mara- 

 non becomes navigable, and where M. de la Condamine firft embarked on it, he found 

 its breadth to be one hundred and thirty five toifes : and though this was near its begin- 

 ning, the lead did not reach the bottom at twenty-eight toifes, notwithftanding this 

 founding was made at a great diftance from the middle of the river. 



The iflands formed by the Maranon eaft of the Napo, terminate at the river Coari, 

 where it again reunites its waters, and flows in one ftream : but here its breadth is from 

 one thoufand to twelve Imndred toifes, or near half a league ; and here the fame inge- 

 nious gentleman, after taking all poffible precautions againft the current, as he had 

 before at the mouth of the river Chuchunga, founded, but found no bottom with one 



hundred 



