451 



mountains, because on the northern limit of the 

 plains of Buga, or the basin of Cauca, they join 

 the central and western chains. We have seen 

 above, that the ridge of the eastern Cordillera 

 remains separated by 35 leagues of distance 

 from the knot, so that the narrowing of the bed of 

 the Rio Magdalena, between Honda and Amba- 

 lema, results only from the approximation of 

 the counter-forts of Mariquita and Guaduas. 

 There is not therefore, properly speaking, a 

 groupe of mountains, between 5° and 51° of la- 

 titude, uniting at the same time the three 

 chains. In the groupe of the province of An- 

 tioquia, which forms the junction of the central 

 and western Cordilleras, we may distinguish 

 two great masses, one, between the Magdalena 

 and the Cauca, the other, between the Cauca 

 and the Atrato. The first of these masses is 

 linked most immediately to the snowy summits 

 of Herveo ; it gives birth on the east, to Rio 

 de la Miel, and the Nare ; and towards the 

 north, to Force and Nechi ; its mean height is 

 only from 1200 to 1350 toises. The culminant 

 point appears to be placed near Santa Rosa, 

 south-west of the celebrated valley of Bears. 

 (Valle de Osos.) The towns of Rio Negro and 



teresting province, of which I attempted to trace, in 1816, 

 the first geographical map, from the labors of M. Manuel 

 Jose de Restrepo. (See 24th PI. of my Atlas.) 



2h 2 



