EXCURSIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF QUITO. 
perpetual snow, and commenced the as- 
cent; but, after about two hours toil, we 
were obliged to abandon the enterprize, 
for the snow was so loose that, at every 
step, we were buried up to the middle. 
We retreated back to the farm, like a 
storming party repulsed, but not dismayed, 
and the next morning we renewed the 
attack on what seemed a more assailable 
point. 
This was towards the western side, in 
the direction of what is called El Arenal, 
or the “sand desert,” over which passes 
the high road to Guayaquil. Ascending 
through a long ravine, the course of which 
seemed to indicate the easiest mode of 
access to the upper regions, we arrived at 
a quarter before eleven A. M. at the foot of 
the snow. The barometer indicating 17, 
or 16,000 feet: thermometer, 49°, We 
found the surface here so hard and glazed, 
that the hammer was necessary to secure 
a footing; but, in other respects, the 
ascent was much easier than that of Co- 
topaxi. 
This was owing to two causes; instead 
of a steep, uniform cone, we encountered 
a long gradual ridge, and, in many places, 
rocks, entirely free from snow. Owing to 
this circumstance, vegetation had crept up 
to a height, far above our expectations. 
At nearly 18,000 feet we found, in the 
crevices of the rocks, Draba aretoides ; a 
species of syngenesious plant, seemingly 
a Culcitium, about three inches high; 
flower terminal, resembling a miniature 
frayljon, leaves opposite and rather hairy 
than downy; another syngenesious plant, 
probably of the same family, and a smaller 
head of flowers, perhaps a Draba ; and, 
finally, still higher, a moss, which may be 
considered as having attained the highest 
limit on the globe, at which vegetable life. 
exists. Specimens of all these have been 
sent to Humboldt and to Dr. Hooker. 
At a quarter before one, we had reached 
the elevation of 18,593 feet: here a per- 
pendicular cliff seemed to threaten a ter- 
mination to our journey: thermometer 40°. 
Light drifts of clouds passed rapidly along 
the mountain; Saussure’s Hygrometer in- 
63 
dicating 61° 50’. On carefully examining 
our condition, it was found possible to turn 
the cliff, and continue our route upwards, 
though M. Boussingault, in the attempt, 
lost his footing, and narrowly escaped 
rolling down the glassy steeps into the ra- 
vines below. At two P. M. we encountered 
a second obstacle of the same nature. The 
barometer now gave14,998 f.: thermometer 
44°—-19,660 feet. The sun had come out, 
and we suffered more from heat than cold; 
a feverish sensation and thirst are univer- 
sally felt at these elevations: both our 
pulses beat 106 per minute, and we found 
eating snow a very grateful refreshment. 
Adopting the measurement of Humboldt, 
we were now 1,754 feet below the summit, 
or taking that of the Academicians, only 
923. I have no doubt, could we have 
climbed the precipice before us, we should 
have had no difficulty in treading the 
summit of the cupola. Even had we con- 
veniences to pass the night, so as to renew 
the attempt in the morning, we might have 
found means to turn the second cliff, as we 
had done the first: but the difficulty of 
these expeditions consists, in the impossi- 
bility of transporting such articles as are 
indispensable to pass the night, without 
the risk of being frozen to death, or buried 
in a sudden snow-storm. 
No Indian can be induced to ascend be- 
a yond the limit of congelation; that is, be- 
yond the point from which they are accus- 
tomed to fetch snow. They have a super- 
stitious dread of the mountains, and are 
timid in the extreme in every case of no- 
velty. It was a consolation that the point 
which marked the limit of our ascent, was 
characterized by features of no common 
interest. From the perpendicular cliff al- 
ready mentioned, the elevation of which 
we reckoned at about 60 feet, descended 
two cascades, which had been stiffened into 
ice; one might have supposed they rather 
owed their origin to a species of stalactitic 
formation, as the water trickled from above, 
but this figure representing the straight 
lines of a falling body of water, with the 
foam and bubbles at its foot congealed on 
the frozen snow beneath, compelled us to 
