62 



colossal summits of Guanacas, Baragan, and 

 Quindiu. At the rising and setting of the Sun, 

 this central chain offers a magnificent spectacle 

 to the inhabitants of Santa Fe ; and reminds us, 

 though on a much more stupendous scale, of the 

 view of the Alps in Switzerland. 



The western chain of the Andes separates the 

 valley of Cauca from the province of Choco, and 

 the coasts of the South Sea. Its elevation is 

 scarcely fifteen hundred metres ; it sinks so low 

 between the sources of the Rio Atracto, and 

 those of Rio San-Juan, that we can scarcely 

 follow its course into the isthmus of Panama. 



These three chains of mountains are blended 

 together in the sixth and seventh degrees of 

 north latitude. They form a single group to the 

 south of Popayan, in the province of Pasto. We 

 must not, however, confound them with the 

 division of the Cordilleras observed by Bouguer 

 and La Condamine in the kingdom of Quito, 

 from the equator to the second degree of south 

 latitude. 



The city of Santa Fe de Bogota is situate on 

 the west of the Paramo of Chingasa, in an ele- 

 vated plain, which is two thousand six hundred 

 and fifty metres above the level of the sea, and 

 which extends to the ridge of the eastern Cordil- 

 leras. This particular structure of the Andes 

 obliges the traveller from Santa Fe to Popayan 

 and the banks of the Cauca, to descend the 



