566 



the Cordillera of the shore (Serra do Mar). 

 It is seen winding (lat. 17°-20°) between the 

 northern sources of the Araguay, the Maranhao 

 or Tocantines, and the Rio San Francisco, and 

 the southern sources of the Parana. This second 

 line of partition, which enters into the groupe 

 of the mountains of Brazil, on the frontier of 

 the Capitainerie of Goyaz, separates the 

 flowings of the basin of the Amazon from 

 those of the Rio de la Plata, and corresponds, 

 south of the equator, with the line we have 

 indicated in the northern hemisphere (lat. 

 2°-4°), on the limits of the basins of the Ama- 

 zon and the Lower Oroonoko *. 



If the plains of the Amazon (taking that 

 denomination in the geognostic sense we 

 have given it) are distinguished in general 

 from the Llanos of Venezuela and the Pam- 

 pas of Buenos Ay res, by the extent and 

 thickness of their forests, we are so much the 

 more struck by the continuity of the savan- 

 nahs in that part running from south to north. 

 It would seem as if this sea of verdure 

 stretched forth an arm from the basin of 

 Buenos Ayres, by the Llanos of Tucuman, 

 Manso, Chuco, the Chiquitos, and the Moxos, 

 to the Pampas del Sacramento-^, and the 



* Vol. vi, p. 577. 



t This Pampas, which Sobreviela first made known, bears 



