334 MANILLA. 



enough. The soil was exceedingly rich, producing tropical plants 

 in great profusion, in the midst of which were seen the neat bamboo 

 cottages, with their industrious and cleanly-looking inhabitants. 

 When they reached the foot of the mountain, they found it was 

 impossible to ride farther, and were obliged to take to walking, 

 which was, however, less of a hardship than riding the little rats of 

 horses, covered with mud and dirt, which were at first deemed 

 useless ; but the manner in which they ascended and maintained 

 themselves on the slippery banks, surpassed any thing they had 

 before witnessed in horseflesh. The first part of the ascent of the 

 mountain was gradual, but over a miry path, which was extremely 

 slippery ; and had it not been for the sticks stuck down by the party 

 of the padre in their former ascent, they would have found it ex- 

 tremely difficult to overcome : to make it more disagreeable, it rained 

 all the time. 



It took about two hours to reach the steep ascent. The last portion 

 of their route had been through an uninhabited region, with some 

 openings in the woods, affording pasture-grounds to a few small herds 

 of buffalo. In three hours they reached the half-way house, by a very 

 steep and regular ascent. Here the natives insisted upon stopping to 

 cook their breakfast, as they had not yet partaken of any thing 

 through the day. The natives now endeavoured to persuade them it 

 was impracticable to go any farther, or at least to reach the top of 

 the mountain and return before nisdit. Our gentlemen lost their 

 patience at the delay, and after an hour's endurance of it, resolved to 

 set out alone. Six of the natives followed them, and by half-past 

 three they reached the summit, where they found it cold and un- 

 comfortable. The ascent had been difficult, and was principally 

 accomplished by catching hold of shrubs and the roots of trees. The 

 summit is comparatively bare, and not more than fifty feet in width. 

 The side opposite to that by which they mounted was perpendicular, 

 but owing to the thick fog they could not see the depth to which the 

 precipice descended. 



The observations with the barometers were speedily taken, which 

 gave the height of Banajoa as six thousand five hundred feet. The 

 trees on the summit were twenty or thirty feet high, and a species 

 of fir was very common. Gaultheria, attached to the trunks of trees, 

 Rhododendrons, and Polygonums, also abounded. The rocks were so 

 covered with soil that it was difficult to ascertain their character : Dr. 

 Pickering is of opinion, however, that they are not volcanic. The 



