Or CAETHAGEXA. 223 



along tlie Cordilleras, by Santa Fe de Bogota, Popayan, 

 Quito, and Caxamarca, would be preferable to the sea-voyage; 

 and would furnish an immense field for exploration. The 

 predilection of Europeans for the t terras frias, that is to say, 

 the cold and temperate climate that prevails on the back of 

 the Andes, gave further weight to these counsels. The 

 distance's were known, but we were deceived with respect to 

 the time it would take to traverse them on mules' backs. 

 We did not imagine that it would require more than 

 eighteen months to go from Carthagena to Lima. Not- 

 withstanding this delay, or rather owing to the slowness 

 with which we passed through Cuudinamarca, the provinces 

 of Popayan, and Quito, I did not regret having sacrificed the 

 passage of the isthmus to the route of Bogota, for every step 

 of the journey was full of interest both geographically and 

 botanically. This change of direction gave me occasion to 

 trace the map of the Bio Magdalena, to determine astrono- 

 mically the position of eighty points situated in the inland 

 country between Carthagena,' Popayan, and the upper course 

 of the river Amazon and Lima, to discover the error in the 

 longitude of Quito, to collect several thousand new plants, 

 and to observe on a vast scale the relations between the 

 rocks of syenitic porphyry and trachyte, with the fire of 

 volcanoes. 



The result of those labours, of which it is not for me to 

 appreciate the importance, have long since been published. 

 My map of the Eio Magdalena, multiplied by the copies of 

 the year 1802 in America and Spain, and comprehending 

 the country between Almaguer and Santa Marta, from 

 L' to 11 15' lat., appeared in 1816. Till that period 

 no traveller had undertaken to describe New Grenada ; and 

 the public, except in Spain, knew the navigation of the 

 Magdalena only by some lines traced by Bouguer. That 

 learned traveller had descended the river from Honda ; but, 

 being in want of astronomical instruments, he had ascertained 

 but four or five latitudes, by means of small dials hastily 

 constructed. The narratives of travels in America are now 

 singularly multiplied. Political events have led numbers of 

 persons to those countries : and travellers have perhaps too 

 hastily published their journals on returning to Europe. 

 They have described the towns where they resided, and 



