812 



The resistance he met with during a whole year 

 in the province de los Choques put an end in 

 1537 to this memorable expedition*. Nicolas 

 Federmann and Geronirno de Ortal (1536), who 

 went from Macarapana and the mouth of the 

 Rio Neveri, followed (1535) the traces of Jorge 

 de Espira. The former sought for gold in the 

 Rio Grande de la Magdalena ; the latter endea- 

 voured to discover a temple of the Sun (Casa del 

 Sol) on the banks of the Meta. Ignorant of the 

 idiom of the natives, they seemed to see every 

 where, at the foot of the Cordilleras, the re- 

 flexion of the greatness of the temples of Iraca 

 (Sogamozo), which was then the centre of the ci- 

 vilization of Cundinamarca. 



I have now examined in a geographical point 



which falls into the Rio Magdalena above the Rio Suaza ; 

 but Fray Pedro Simon leaves no doubt respecting the real 

 course of the Papamene (a name which signifies river of sil- 

 ver). He says expressly (p. 332 and 666) ; " nace este 

 gran rio a la parte del este de las Cordilleras de Timana, 

 como las aguas del oeste caen al rio de la Magdalena." The 

 provincial of New Grenada, Fray Pedro Simon, composed 

 his memoirs from those of the Adelantado Gonzalo Ximenez 

 de Quesada, whose government " tenia por terminos por la 

 parte del este la Provincia de Papamene." He must there- 

 fore have been well informed of the localities. Raleigh 

 believes erroneously, that the Rio Papamene is the river, by 

 which Orellana proceeded down to the Amazon. He con- 

 founds the Napo with the Caqueta. (Raleigh, p. 13.) 



* Fray Pedro Simon, p. 171, 179, 188,202, 278 : and 

 Herera. Descr. geogr., p. 32. 



