434 



Felipe, Matara, and Jaen de Bracamoros, they 

 are not more than 500 or 300 toises. 



As we advance from the mountains of mica- 

 slate of Loxa towards the north, between the 

 Paramos of Alpaehaca and Sarar (in latitude 

 3° 15'), the knot of mountains is ramified into 

 two branches that comprehend the longitu- 

 dinal valley of Cuenca. This separation lasts 

 on a length of only 12 leagues; for in the 2° 

 27' of latitude, the two Cordilleras join anew 

 in the knot of Assuay, a trachytie groupe, of 

 which the table-land, near Cadlud, 2428 toises 

 high, enters nearly into the region of perpetual 

 snow. 



At the knot of the mountains of Assuay, 

 which affords a very frequented passage of the 

 Andes, between Cuenca and Quito, succeeds 

 (lat. 24° to 0° 40' south), another division of the 

 Cordilleras become celebrated by the labors of 

 Bouguer and La Condamine, who have placed 

 their signals sometimes on one, sometimes on 

 the other of the two chains. The eastern is that 

 of Chimborazo (3350 toises) and of Carguai- 

 razo ; the western, the chain of the volcano 

 Sangay, the Collanes, and of Llanganate. The 

 latter is broken by the Rio Pastaza. The bot- 

 tom of the longitudinal basin that bounds those 

 two chains, from Alausi to Llactacunga, is a 

 little higher than the bottom of the basin of 

 Cuenca. North of Llactacanga, 0° 40' latitude, 



