152 
THE GEOLOGIST. 
like tliat of Chile, of tertiary age, exceptinfj, perhaps, that of Bogota, 
■svhich may be of the carboniferous or even cretaeeous period. 
Gold, the yelloAA- representative of earthly riches, at once the blessing 
and the curse of life, in this auriferous land appears before ua everywhere, 
ornamenting the clothes of the living and decking the bodies of the dead, 
covering wooden idols and hanging as jingling bells from the branches of 
the sacred trees ; tempting the avarice of the proud Spaniard to murder 
and to theft, and to gather glistening treasures which should perchance 
mate him the prey of some stronger buccaneer. The mines of Spain are 
closed ; even the Espiritu Santo, from which alone more gold yearly went 
through Panama than from all the other mines of America put together. 
Then there is the gold-district of Coyba ; the mine at Bogota, the king's fifth 
from which was 300,000 dollars ; the gold-dust of Panama and Pacora ; 
the mountain of the '"Block of Gold" in the Cano del Piion do Oro ; the 
streams of the Chepo, where Major Don shovelled out the gold-earth by 
panfuls ; and the thousands of graves in Chiriqui, abounding in golden 
images and earthen pots of gold beside the black dust of mouldered bodies. 
So much for 'New Granada. Now for Equador or Quito. We have 
here too some geological gleanings. Coal is mentioned as occurring in 
Amortajado, and probably in Puna, Santa Clara, Santa Elena, and the coast 
of Choro. 
Passing by Latacunga and the volcano of Cotopaxi, Quito, and the vol- 
canic Pichineha, we come to the land of the mighty Chimborazo, rearing 
itself high above the chain of the Andes, like a majestic dome upon those 
ancient monuments. What mean those tales of giants which the Caras 
believe came to these coasts on floats of rushes, and were annihilated in 
their evilncss by the wrath of God.^ JN^ow that man's antiquity is proven, 
we must seek the interpretation of such old legends ; for, like the Eastern 
fable of the elephant and tortoise, there may be a long-lost meaning in 
them. In the similitudes of these traditionary tales we shall see the 
race-badges of many an ancient people. 
Whether Manta, the seaport to Monte Christo, has derived its name 
from the broad mantle-like fish which is said to squeeze the pearl-fishers of 
Panama to death, is not to our purpose, but it is so to know that it has an 
emerald-mine, and that the emeralds are found in crystals in the rock, and 
have something of a vein-like character. " Some are half-white, others half- 
green, but they get ripe and come to perfection." At Tezcuco there was, 
in the " Tribunal of God," a skull crowned with an emerald. 
At Manta, too, and Punta S. Elena, large fossil bones are met with;* 
some, so Humboldt states, being those of large cetaceans. Of gold, 
too, we get frequent accounts, in the form of abundance of ornaments. 
The entire range of the Cordilleras abounds with gold, silver, and copper, 
and the former metal is found in every river which has its source 
in the high lauds; the mountain-range of Llanganate (S.S.E. of Quito) is 
known as the " mother " of the gold found in the streams that run from it. 
Quicksilver is seen to ooze out of the ground in Cuenca ; and the district 
of Esmeraldas only requires searching in its streams and rocks for the 
beautiful gems from which it takes its name. But where is the far-famed 
mine from which the ancient rulers of Quito drew those gigantic emeralds 
so valued by the Conquistadores, and some of which are treasured as the 
crown-jewels of Spain. That it exists there is no doubt ; but the Indians, 
if they know the spot, conceal it. An emerald as big as a hen's egg fell 
into the hands of Pizarro's followers : cannot modern adventurers find it 
* The occurrence of these remains is also referred to in a paper in the Geographic^ 
Society's Journal, xs., 1850. 
