178 HONDA. 



to me so appropriate, that 1 beg leave to 

 quote it. 



The mountains bordering the river near 

 Honda are remarkable for the horizontal 

 situation of their strata, which are clearly 

 seen on account of the faces of the rocks 

 being so perpendicular, as to resemble walls. 

 When any of these hills are insulated, they 

 form such a regular cone, and the strata are 

 so uniformly and cylindrically disposed, that 

 they seem rather the work of art than of 

 nature." One of these exists about a league 

 from Honda on the road to Mariquita, and is 

 of such an extraordinary shape and so sym- 

 metrical, that M. Bouguer forbears describ- 

 ing it minutely, for fear of being thought to 

 take the usual liberty imputed to travellers. 

 Other mountains in the vicinity of this river, 

 assume the shapes of sumptuous and ancient 

 edifices ; of chapels, domes, castles and for- 

 tifications, consisting of long curtains, sur- 



