106 HISTORY OF 



Such are, !n general, the wonders that present themselves to 

 a traveller in his journey either over the Alps or the Andes. 

 But we must not suppose that this picture exhibits either a con- 

 stant or an invariable likeness of those stupendous heights. In- 

 deed, nothing can be more capricious or irregular than the forms 

 of many of them. The tops of some nin in ridges for a consi- 

 derable length, wthout interruption ; in others, the line seems 

 indented by great valleys to an amazing depth. Sometimes a 

 solitary and a single mountain rises from the bosom of the plain ; 

 and sometimes extensive plains, and even provinces, as those of 

 Savoy and Quito, are found embosomed near the tops of moun- 

 tains. In general, however, those countries that are most moim- 

 tainous, are the most barren and uninhabitable. 



If we compare the heights of mountains with each other, we 

 shall find that the greatest and highest are found under the line.' 

 It is thought by some, that the rapidity of the earth's motion in 

 these parts, together with the greatness of the tides there, may 

 have thrown up those stupendous masses of earth. But, be the 

 cause as it may, it is a remarkable fact, that the inequalities of 

 the earth's surface are greatest there. Near the poles, the earth, 

 indeed, is craggy and uneven enough ; but the heights of the 

 mountains there are very inconsiderable. On the contrary, at 

 the equator, where nature seems to sport in the amazing size of 

 all her productions, the plains are extensive, and the mountains 

 remarkably lofty. Some of them are knoM'n to rise three miles 

 perpendicular above the bed of the ocean.* 



To enumerate the most remarkable of these, according to 

 their size, we shall begin with the Andes, of which we have 

 an excellent description by UUoa, who went thither by com. 

 mand of the king of Spain, in company with the French Aca- 

 demicians, to measure a degree of the meridian. His jouniey 

 up these mountains is too curious not to give an extract from it 



After many incommodious days' sailing up the river Guayaquil, 

 he arrived at Caracol, a town situated at the foot of the Andes. 

 Nothing could exceed the inconveniences which he experienced 

 in this voyage, from the flies and inoschetoes (an animal resem- 

 bling our gnat). " We were the whole day," says he, " in con. 



1 Buffon, passim. 

 * See Plate iv. for a view of tlie absolute and relative heights of the most 

 prominent mountains in the world. 



