206 



RIO CHAP ARE. 



might repeat the soundings ; as we descended the soundings increased 

 to two and a half fathoms upon a current of one and five-tenths of a 

 mile per hour. The muddy stream wound its way through the forest 

 trees and thick cane-brakes like a great slow-moving serpent. We find, 

 at the foot of the most lofty mountains, that the lands on both sides of 

 this navigable river are semi-annually 'deluged ; that the rise of the wa- 

 ters in the wet season is about thirty feet, and by the marks on the trunks 

 of the trees, the appearance of the undergrowth, with the information 

 gained from the Creoles and confirmed by the Indians, the banks are 

 overflowed about two feet deep. In the rainy season, the bottom of the 

 Madeira Plate would have been found covered with water, so that we 

 might navigate over the land in a canoe drawing less, than two feet ; 

 our canoe draws but six inches when fully loaded. 



The forest trees here are not so large as higher up the country, nor is 

 vegetation heaped up in such luxuriance as we saw it on our way down 

 through the boisterous region. The climate is more mild and gentle in 

 its action. As night comes on, thunder roars and lightning flashes 

 above us towards the southwest among the mountains, while here the 

 sky is clear, and winds gently blow from the northwest. The winds 

 strike heavily against the great elevated side of the earth, and the storm 

 there is raging from the southeast. 



The sun passes from our view behind dark clouds, and cuts our day 

 short by. setting below the great ridge which stand between us and the 

 Pacific. We have watched the mercury in our thermometer as it fell 

 by the application of boiling water in ascending those mountains from 

 the great western ocean, and saw its indisposition to rise or to fall as we 

 travelled along on the table lands of the Titicaca basin. As we de- 

 scend on this side it gradually ran up again, until now we have arrived 

 on a level. The observation of yesterday was the same as that of to-day, 

 at our journey's end. 



Turning to the table of observations, in Lima, 22d April, 1851, at 3 

 p. m., boiling point, 209, 250 ; temperature of air, I 1 ! . Here on the 

 Chaparc river, May 27, 1852, at 9.30 a. m., boiling point, 209, 500 ; 

 temperature of air, 75°. These show how near the bottom of the 

 Madeira Plate is on a level with the ocean. They tell us we are below 

 Lima ; but Lima, according to our barometrical measurement, was 493 

 feet above sea level. On the river we are 28 feet below the general 

 level of this part of the Madeira Plate. 



The Indians paddle their canoe for a short distance with a will, and 

 then let her ride along on the current. They lay up the paddles on the 

 gunwale, put one leg over the handle, and drawing from among the 



