QUITO — COTOPAXl. 283 



these the most lofty are Cayambeurcu, Imhaburu, CHAP.XXIIL 

 Ilinisa, Antisana, Chimborazo, and the beautifully — 

 magnificent Cotopaxi, crowned with its volcano."* 



Nearly six months were devoted to researches of varied 

 various kinds. They made excursions to the snowy researches. 

 mountains of Antisana, Cotopaxi, Tunguragua, and 

 Chimborazo, the latter of which was considered as the 

 highest on the globe until it was found to be exceeded 

 by some of the colossal summits of the Ilimmaleh, and 

 even by several in Upper Peru. In all these journeys 

 they were accompanied by a young man, son of the 

 Marquis of Selva-alegre, who subsequently followed 

 them to Peru and Mexico.+ They twice ascended to 

 the volcanic summit of Pichincha, where they made 

 experiments on the constitution of the air, — its elasticity, 

 its electrical, magnetic, and hygroscopic qualities, — and 

 the temperature of boiling water. 



Cotopaxi is the loftiest of those volcanoes of the volcano of 

 Andes which have produced eruptions at recent periods ; Cotopaxi. 

 its absolute height being 18,878 feet. It is consequently 

 2625 feet higher than Vesuvius would be were it placed 

 on the top of the Peak of TeneriflFe. The scoriae and 

 rocks ejected by it, and scattered over the neighbouring 

 valleys, would form a vast mountain of themselves. In 

 1 "38 its flames rose 2963 feet above the crater ; and in 

 1744 its roarings were heard as far as Honda, on the 

 jMagdalena, at a distance of 690 miles. On the 4th Eruption. 

 April 1768, the quantity of aslies thrown out was so 

 great, that in the towns of Hambato and Tacunga the 

 inhabitants were obliged to use lanterns in the streets. 

 The explosion which took place in January 1803 was 

 preceded by the sudden melting of the snows which 



* Stevenson's Residence in South America, vol. ii. p. 324. 



t This accomplished individual, Don Carlos Montutar, of vrhon. 

 our author speaks veith approbation, having connected himselt'with 

 the popular party in the strufjgles of which the Spanish colonies 

 have late!}' been the theatre, was seized in Quito, in 1811, by Don 

 Taribio Monies, sentenced as a traitor, and shot through the back; 

 after which his heart was taken out and burnt. — See Stevenson's 

 Residence in Soutli America, vol. iii. p. 44. 



