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colossal summits of Guanacas, -Baragan^ and 
Quindiu. At the rising and setting of the SiiOy 
this central chain offers a magnificent spectacle 
to the inhabitants of Santa Fe ; and reminds us, 
though on a much more stupendous scale, of the 
view of the Alps in Switzerland. 
The western chain of the Andes separates the 
valley of Cauca from the province of Choco, and 
the coasts of the South Sea. Its elevation is 
scarcely fifteen hundred metres ; it sinks so low 
between the sources of the Rio Atracto, and 
those of Rio San-Juan, that we can scarcely 
follow its course into the isthmus of Panama. 
These three chains of mountains are blended 
together in the sixth and seventh degrees of 
north latitude. They form a single group to the 
south of Popayan, in the province of Pasto. We 
must not, however, confound them with the 
division of the Cordilleras observed by Bouguer 
and La Condamine in the kingdom of Quito, 
from the equator to the second degree of south 
latitude. 
The city of Santa Fe de Bogota is situate on 
the west of the Paramo of Chingasa, in an ele- 
vated plain, which is two thousand six hundred 
and fifty metres above the level of the sea, and 
which extends to the ridge of the eastern Cordil- 
leras. This particular structure of the Andes 
obliges the traveller from Santa Fe to Popayan 
and the banks of the Cauca, to descend the 
