197 



inhabitants would be baptized only in the hot 

 springs of Hecla : and under the torrid zone, in 

 the plains, as well as on the Cordilleras, the 

 natives flock from all parts to the thermal 

 waters. The sick, who come to La Trinchera 

 to use vapour baths, form a sort of arbor over 

 the spring with branches of trees and very 

 slender reeds. They stretch themselves naked 

 on this arbor, wh'ch appeared to me to possess 

 little strength, and to be dangerous of access. 

 The Rio de Aguas Calientes runs toward the 

 North-East, and becomes, near the coast, a 

 considerable river, peopled with great crocodiles, 

 and contributing by it's inundations to the in- 

 salubrity of the shore. 



We descended toward Porto Cabello, having 

 constantly the river of hot water on our right. 

 The road is extremely picturesque. The waters 

 tumble down on the shelves of the rock. We 

 seemed to gaze on the cascades of the Reuss, 

 that flows down Mount St. Gothard ; but what 

 a contrast in the vigour and richness of the 

 vegetation ! The white trunks of the cecropia 

 rise majestically amid bignonias and melasto- 

 mas. They do not disappear till we are only 

 one hundred toises above the level of the ocean. 

 A small thorny palm-tree extends also to this 

 limit ; the slender pinnate leaves of which look 

 as if they had been curled toward the edges. 

 This tree is very common in these mountains ; 



