312 THE EASTEBN CHAHT." 



northern hemisphere. The peak of Tolima (lat. 4 

 which is almost unknown even by name in Europe, and 

 which I measured in 1801, is at least 2865 toises high. It 

 consequently surpasses Imbabura and Cotocache in the 

 province of Quito, the Chiles of the table-lands of Log 

 Pastes, the two volcanos of Popayan, and even the Nevadoa 

 of Mexico and Mount Saint Elias of Kussian America. 

 The peak of Tolima, which in form resembles Cotapaxi, is 

 perhaps inferior in height only to the ridge of the Sierra 

 Nevada de Santa Marta, which may be considered as an 

 insulated system of mountains. 



The eastern chain, also called the chain of Choco and the 

 east coast (of the Pacific), separates the provinces of Popayan 

 and Antioquia from those of Barbacoas, Raposo, and Choco. 

 It is in general but little elevated, compared to the height 

 of the central and eastern chains ; it however presents great 

 obstacles to the communications between the valley of Cauca 

 and the shore. On its western slope lies the famous auri- 

 ferous and platiniferous land,* which has during ages yielded 

 more than 13,000 marks of gold annually. This alluvial 

 zone is from ten to twelve leagues broad ; its maximum of 

 productiveness lies between the parallels of 2 and 6 lat. ; 

 it sensibly impoverishes towards the north and south, and 

 almost entirely disappears between 1J north lat. and the 

 equator. The auriferous soil fills the basin of Cauca, as 

 well as the ravines and plains west of the Cordillera of 

 Choco ; it rises sometimes nearly 600 toises above the level 

 of the sea, and descends at least 40 toises.f Platinum (and 

 this fact is worthy of attention) has hitherto been found 

 only on the west of the Cordillera of Choco, and not on the 

 east, notwithstanding the analogy of the fragments of rocks 



* Choco, Barbacoas, and Brazil are the only countries in which the 

 existence of grains of platinum and palladium has hitherto been fully 

 ascertained. The small town of Barbacoas is situated on the left bank of 

 tbe Rio Telembi (a tributary of Patias or the Rio del Castigo), a little above 

 the confluence of Teleiubi and the Guagi or Guaxi, nearly in lat. 1 48'. 

 The ancient Provincia, or rather the Partido del Raposo, comprehend! 

 the insalubrious land extending from the Rio Dagua, or San Buenaventura, 

 fa the Rio Iscuande, the southern limit of Choco. 



f M. Caldas assigns to the upper limit of the zone of gold -washings, 

 >nly the height of 350 toises. Semanario, (torn, i, p. 18) ; but I found the 

 fevocferw of Quilichao, on the north of Popayan, to be !>G5 toises high. 



