2'4<2 f ARTICULAXS OF SOUTH AMERICA. 



VII. 



Curious Particulars refpeciing the A'loiintains and Volcanof, 

 and the Effeft of the late Earthquakes in South America, with 

 Remarks on the Language and Science of the Natives, and 

 other Suhjcds. Bij M. A. Von Homboldt *. 



Three branches VV E arrived at Quito, by crotfing the fnov/s of Qaridien 

 " "' and Tolirna^ for as the cordillera of the Andes forms three fe- 

 parale branches, and at Santa Fe de Bogoto, we were on thg 

 eafternmofti it was neceflary for us to pafs the loftleft, in 

 order to reach the coaft: of the Pacific ocean. We travelled 

 bh foot, and fpent feventeen days in thefe deferts, in which 

 are to-be found no traces of their ever having been inha- 

 Hutsmadeof bjted. We llcpt in huts made of the leaves of the heiiconia, 

 liconia. which we carried with us for the purpofe. Defcending the 



The Andes Andes to the wefl, there are marflies, in which you fink up 

 niarfliy toward jq ^^^ knees. T!ie latter part of the time we were deluged 

 with rain ; our bools rotted on our legs ; and we arrived 

 barefoot at Carthago, but enriched with a fine colle6lion of 

 new plants, of which I have a great number of drawings. 

 Mines of Platina From Carthago we went to Popayan, by way of Buga,. 

 innaountChoca.^j.^fj-^g the beautiful vale of the river Cauco, and having con- 

 flantiy at one fide the mountain of Clioca, in which are the 

 mines of Platina. 

 , Bafaltic moun- We fiaid during the month of November 1801^ at Po- 

 • ^^'"^* payan, vifiting tjie Bafaltic mountains of Julufuito ; the 



Volftanro of mouths of the volcano of Purace, which evolve, with a 

 "'^*'^^' dreadful noife, vapours of hydrofulphurated water ; and the 



Columnar per- porphvritic granites of Pifche, which form columns of five, 

 phyritic gra- ^^^^ qj. feven fide«, fimilar to thofe I remember I favv in the 



Euganean niountains in Italy, which Strange has defcribed. 

 Paramos piercing In travelling from Popayan to Quito, we had to crofs the 



cold and d«fti - paramos of Pafto, and this in the rainy feafon. Every place' 

 tute or vegeta- ^ ^ -' » 



tion. in the Andes, where, at the height of 3500 or 4000 yards,^ 



vegetation ceafes, and the cold penetrates to the very mar- 

 row of your bones, is called a paraw/o. To avoid the heats 



* Abridged from the Magazin Encylopedique. 



of 



