52 
Sedum, cover the stone crevices so high 
as 3,300 feet, and may, perhaps, be found 
at a still greater elevation. Itis singular, 
that not a single Sempervivum grows in 
Sicily, while fourteen species are found in 
the Canary Islands; and though Sicily has 
ten species of Sedum, the Canary Isles 
have none. 
(To be continued.) 
EXCURSIONS IN THE NEIGH- 
BOURHOOD OF QUITO, AND 
TOWARDS THE SUMMIT OF 
CHIMBORAZO, IN 1881. 
By the late Colonel Hall, of Quito. 
( Continued from p. 29. ) 
EXCURSION TO COTOPAXI, THE VALLEY 
OF BAÑOS, AND CHIMBORAZO. 
On the 22d of November, M. Boussin- 
gault and myself set out on our last and 
longest excursion, Dr. Dasti accompanied 
us as far as Cotopaxi. The first day’s jour- 
ney brought us to Callo, distant from 
Quito about twelve leagues. The road 
passes, first, the level plain of Turupamba, 
in the Quichua language, “ Plain of Mud;” 
then the wooded ravines of Tambillo, wa- 
tered by the streams which descend from 
Atacago down the head of the valley of 
Chillo; and leaving the village of Macha- 
chi, surrounded by verdant pastures, on 
the left, and those of Aloa and Aloasi at 
the foot of El Corazon on the right, it 
crosses the Paramo of Tiopullo, already 
alluded to as dividing the level lands of 
Quito into two basins. Its bleak situation, 
rather than its height, which does not reach 
12,000 feet, gives it the character of a 
Paramo. The northern slope is profusely 
sprinkled with a species of Gentiana, and 
the southern is covered with thickets, 
among which are found several Buddleas, 
mixed with Ribes frigidum, Berberis glau- 
ca, and the shrubs which designate the 
EXCURSIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF QUITO. 
modation of troops and travellers. The 
estate belonged to the Augustine Friars, 
from whom it lately passed into the hands 
of Don Jose Felix Valdivieso, who is 
erecting a new farm-house with the mate- 
rials of the ancient edifice, which, in con- 
sequence, will soon altogether disappear. 
He told us that he had taken particular 
care to preserve it; but we found the pre- 
servation to apply only to the stones, 
which were preserved by being transferred 
from the old building to the new. It has 
been described both by the Academicians 
and Humboldt ; some account of it, how- 
. ever, may not be considered superfluous, 
if it be only to save the trouble of refer- 
ence. 
The whole length of the Quadrangle 
is about 150 feet: the side chambers 
are about 40 feet by 12, with narrow pas- 
sages betwixt them. Of these, four, in 
the year 1826, were entire, except the 
roofs, the remainder, more or less in ruin; 
especially those at the two ends, which 
leaves their figure a matter of conjecture, 
though it most probably resembled that of 
the others. The present farm-house occu- 
pies the site where the entrance seems to 4 
have been, and where there were the remains 
of a conduit. Along the wall of each room, 
opposite to the entrance, is a row of niches, 
alternating with knobs carved in stone, 
probably for the purpose of suspending 
arms or utensils. The entrances are 73 
feet high, and 8 feet wide: the height of 
the walls 92 feet; their thickness 2 feet 
4 inches. They are of pumice stone, not 
placed, as in many edifices of the Incas, in 
irregular blocks, ingeniously adapted to 
each other, but perfectly squared, though 
the pieces are of unequal size, and every 
where symmetrically arranged, with a slight 
convexity towards the outside: the ce- 
ment, if any were used, being scarcely per- 
ceptible; and it was probably of a liquid 
nature, as mentioned by Garcilaso de la 
Vega. The preservation of this monu-' 
at shook down th 
earthquakes th e proudest 
. edifices erected by the Spaniards in its 
neighbourhood, was so much the more in- 1 
ment of cua which has resisted the — 
Si a lee -— 
à 
