321 



on going up the tributary streams which furrow 

 the plains, a volcano is found still in activity, 

 before you reach the Cordillera of the Andes. 

 This phenomenon was discovered recently by 

 the monks of St. Francis, who go down from 

 Ceja by the Rio Fragua to Caqueta. A solitary 

 hill, emitting smoke night and day, is found on 

 the north-east of the mission of Santa Rosa, and 

 west of the Puerto del Pescado. This is the 

 effect of a lateral action of the volcanoes of Po- 

 payan and Pasto ; as the Guacamayo and the 

 Sangay, situate also at the foot of the eastern 

 declivity of the Andes, are the effect of a lateral 

 action produced by the system of the volcanoes 

 of Quito. After having closely inspected the 

 banks of the Oroonokoand the Rio Negro, where 

 the granitic rock every where pierces the soil ; 

 when we reflect on that total absence of vol- 

 canoes in Brazil, Guyana, on the coast of Vene- 

 zuela, and perhaps in all that part of the conti- 

 nent, which lies to the east of the Andes ; we 

 contemplate with interest the three burning vol- 

 canoes, that are situate near the sources of 

 the Caqueta, the Napo, and the Rio de Macas 

 or Morona. 



Although the imposing greatness of the Rio 

 Negro had already struck Orellana, who saw it 

 in 1593 at it's confluence with the Amazon un~ 

 das nlgras spar gens, it was not however till a 

 century later, that geographers sought for it's 



vol. v. y 



