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and Chicoplaya, Huacurachuco and the sources 

 of the Rio Monzan, between Pataz and Pajatan, 

 Caxamarquilla and Moyobamba. It widens 

 greatly in the parallel of Chachapoyas,and forms 

 a mountainous territory, traversed by deep vallies, 

 excessively hot. The central chain, in 6° lati- 

 tude, on the north of Paramo de Piscoguanuna, 

 throws two branches towards La Vellaca and 

 San Borja. We shall soon see that this latter 

 branch forms, below the Rio Neva, a tributary 

 stream of the Amazon, the rocks that border 

 the famous Pongo de Manseriche. In this zone, 

 where northern Peru draws near the confines of 

 New Grenada in 10° and 5° of latitude, no sum- 

 mit of the eastern and central chains rises as 

 high as the region of perpetual snows ; the only 

 snowy tops are in the western chain. The cen- 

 tral chain, that of the Paramos de Callacalla, 

 and Piscoguanuna, scarcely reaches 1800 toises^ 

 and lowers gently to 800 toises; so that the 

 mountainous and tempered land which extends 

 on the north of Chachapoyas towards Pomacocha, 

 La Vellaca, and the source of the Rio Nieva, 

 is still rich in fine trees of quinquina. After 

 having passed the Rio Huallaga and the Pachi- 

 tea, which with the Beni forms the/Ucayali, we 

 find in advancing towards the east, only ranges 

 of hills. The western chain of the Andes, 

 which is the most elevated and the nearest 

 to the coast, stretches almost in a parallel with 



