Ch. VII. SOUTH AMERICA. 425 

 rife from the plain on which the villages are fituated. 

 On this fide, in a fmall plain betwixt its ficirts and 

 the Cordillera, has been built the village of Bannos, fo 

 called from its hot medicinal baths, to which there is a 

 great refort from all parts of this jurifdid:ion. South 

 of Cuen^a, and not far from another village, called 

 Bannos aifo, belonging to this jurifdiftion, are other 

 hot waters on the fummit of an eminence^ gufhing 

 out through feveral af^ertures of four or five inches 

 diameter, and of a heat which hardens eggs fooner 

 than water boiling over the fire. Thefe feveral ftreams 

 unite and form a rivulet, the ftones and banks of 

 which are tinged with yellow^, and the water is of a 

 brackiih tafte. The upper part of this fmall eminence 

 is full of crevices, through which iffues a continual 

 fmoke ; a fufficient indication of its containing great 

 quantities of fulphureous and nitrous fubftances. 



North of Riobamba, inclining fome degrees, to the 

 weft, is the mountain of Chunborazo, by the fide of 

 which lies the road from Quito to Guayaquil. At 

 firft great numbers of the Spaniards perifhed in pafTing 

 the vafl and dangerous deferts on its declivity j but 

 being at prefent better acquainted with them, and 

 inured to the climate, fuch misfortunes are feldom 

 heard of-, efpecially as very fev/ take this road, unlefs 

 there is the greateft appearance of two or three days 

 pf calm and lerene weather. 



North of this mountain ftands that of Carguayrafo^ 

 which has been already taken notice of. 



North of Latacunga, and about five leagues dif- 

 tant from it, is Cotopaxi, which, towards the north- 

 weft and fouth, extends itfelf beyond all the others ; 

 ^nd which, as I have before obferved, became a vol- 

 cano at tlie time of the Spaniards firft arrival in this 

 irountry. In 1743, a new eruption happened, having 

 been fome days preceded by a continual rumbling in 

 its bowels. An aperture was made in its fummit, 

 and three about the fame height near the middle of 



its 



