THE CORDILLERAS. 



333 



base, and by which it was originally created. Fifty-one vol- 

 canoes are found along the line. Of the twenty which sur- 

 round the Valley of Quito, three are active, five dormant, and 

 twelve are supposed to be extinct. By far the larger number 

 rise out of the eastern range ; indeed, the western contains 

 only one active volcano, but out of it tower the peerless 

 Chimborazo, and Pichincha with its deep crater. The whole 

 region is subject to terrific earthquakes, which have from 



time to time shaken down its cities, caused huge waves to 

 flow over the level land, and destroyed countless thousands of 

 its inhabitants. Chimborazo was long supposed to be the 

 most lofty mountain on the globe. It is 21,420 feet high; 

 but Aconcagua in Chili rises to the height of 23,200 feet. 

 Several of the summits of the Himalayan range in Asia are 

 over 25,000 feet; and Kilima Njaro, the most lofty peak in 

 Africa, is about the same altitude as Chimborazo. Chimborazo, 

 for solitary grandeur and from the excessive steepness of its 



