TRUE VOLCANOES. 273 



of Central America, twenty-nine volcanoes are numbered, 

 whose former or present varied activity may be stated 



The vol^.no Barba (more than 8419 feet), to the north of San 

 Jose*, the capital of Costa Rica; with a crater which contains 

 several small lakes. 



Between the volcanoes Barba and Orosi, there follows a series of 

 volcanoes which intersects the principal chain, running S.E. N.W. 

 in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, almost in the opposite direction, east and 

 west. Upon such a fissure stand, furthest to the eastward, Miravalles 

 and Tenorio (each of these volcanoes is about 4689 feet); in the centre, 

 to the south-east of Orosi, the volcano Rincon, also called Rincon de la 

 Vieja* (Squier, vol. ii, p. 102) which exhibits small eruptions of ashes 

 every spring at the commencement of the rainy season; and furthest to 

 the westward, near the little town of Alajuela, the volcano Votos* 

 (7513 feet) which abounds in sulphur. Dr. Oersted compares this 

 phenomenon of the direction of volcanic activity upon a transverse 

 fissure, with the east and west direction, which I found in the Mexican 

 volcanoes from sea to sea. 



Orosi,* still active, in the most southern part of the State of Nica 

 ragua (5222 feet); probably the Volcan del Papayayo, on the chart of 

 the Deposito Hidrografico. 



The two volcanoes, Mandeira and Ometepec* (4157 and 5222 feet) 

 upon a small island in the western part of the Laguna de Nicaragua, 

 named by the Aztec inhabitants of the district after these two moun- 

 tains (ome tepetl signifies two mountains ; see Buschmann, Aztekische 

 Ortsnamen, pp. 178 and 171). The insular volcano Ometepec, erro- 

 neously named Ometep by Juarros (Hist, de Guatemala, t. i, p. 51), is 

 still in activity. It is figured by Squier (vol. ii, p. 235). 



The extinct crater of the island Zapatera, but little elevated 

 above the sea-level. The period of its ancient eruptions is quite 

 unknown. 



The volcano of Momobacho, on the western shore of the Laguua de 

 Nicaragua, somewhat to the south of the city of Granada. As this city 

 is situated between the volcanoes of Momobacho (the place is also 

 called Mombacho, Oviedo, Nicaragua, ed. Ternaux, p. 245), and Masaya, 

 the pilots indicate sometimes the one and sometimes the other of 

 these conical mountains by the indefinite name of the Volcano of 

 Granada. 



The volcano Massaya (Masaya) which has already been treated of in 

 detail (pp.258 261) was once a Stromboli, but has been extinct 

 since the great eruption of lava in 1670. According to the interesting 

 reports of Dr. Scherzer (Sitzungsberichtedcr Philos. Hist. Classe derAkad. 

 der Wiss. zu Wien, Bd. xx, s. 58) dense clouds of vapour were again 

 emitted in April, 1853, from a newly opened crater. The volcano of 

 Massaya is situated between the two lakes of Nicaragua and Managua 

 to the west of the city of Granada. Massaya is not synonymous with 

 Nindiri ; but, as Dr. Oersted expresses himself, Mcasaya and Nindiri* 

 VOL. V. T 



