558 



the back of the Andes, in the knot of moiin- 

 tains containing the sources of the Magda- 

 lena, at a height of 900 toises above the level 

 of the Llanos, between the Caribbean Sea and 

 the Pacific Ocean *, almost in the same lati- 

 tude (1° 45'— 2° 20'). From the isthmus of Ja- 

 vita towards the east, the line of the partition 

 of the water is formed by the mountains of 

 the grOupe of Pari me ; it first rises a little on 

 the north-east towards the sources of the 

 Oroonoko (lat. 3° 45' ?) and the chain of Pa- 

 caraina*J~ (lat. 4° 4' — 4° 12'); afterwards, 

 during a course of 80 leagues, between the 

 portage of the Anocapra % and the banks of 

 the Rupunuri, runs very regularly from west 

 to east ; and finally, beyond the meridian 61° 

 50', again deviates towards lower latitudes* 

 passing between the northern sources of the 

 Rio Suriname, the Maroni, and the Oyapok, 

 and the southern sources of Rio Trombetas, 

 Curupatuba, and Paru (lat. 2°— 1° 50'). These 

 indications suffice to prove that this first line 

 of partition of the water of South America 

 (that of the northern hemisphere) traverses 

 the whole continent between the parallels of 

 2° and 4°. The Cassiquiare only has cut its 



* Vol. v, p. 325, 326 j Vol. vi, p. 439. 

 + Vol. vi, p. 520. 



X Road from Rio Borneo to Rio Carony. 



