VOLCANO 
OF 
CAYAMBE. 
PLATE XLII. 
Oe the various summits of the Cordilleras^ the 
heights of which have been determined with any 
precision^ Cayambe is the loftiest except Chim- 
borazo» Bouguer and Condamine found its ele- 
vation to be 5901 metres (3208 toises) ; and the 
angles which I took in the Exido of Quito, to 
observe the progress of the terrestrial refraction 
at different hours of the day, confirm this deter- 
mination. The French Academicians ^ named 
this colossal mountain Cayamhur^ instead of 
CayambeAJrcu^ which is its real name ; the word 
urcu denoting, in the qquichua language, moun- 
tain, as tepetl in Mexican, and gua in Muysca. 
This error is repeated in every work, that gives 
a table of the principal heights of the Globe. 
* La Condanwne, Voyage ^ rEpiateur, p, 163. 
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