306 
MOliNTAlNS OF ASSUT. 
Talley of Cuenca. This separation continues for a length 
of only 12 leagues; for in latitude 2“ 27', the two Cordilleras 
again re-unite in the knot of Assuy, a trachjdic group, ol 
which the table-land, near Cadlud (2428 toises high) nearly 
enters the region of perpetual snow. 
The group of the mountains of Assuy, which affords a 
very frequented pass of the Andes between Cuenca and 
Quito (lat. 2^“ to 0° 40' south) is succeeded by another divi- 
sion of the Cordilleras, celebrated by the labours of Bouguer 
and La Condamine, wlio placed their signals sometimes 
on one, sometimes on the other of the two chains. The 
eastern chain is that of Chimborazo (8:130 toises) and Car- 
guairazo; the western is the chain of the volcano Sangay, 
the Collancs, and of Llanganate. The latter is broken by 
the Eio Pastaza. The bottom of the longitudinal basin that 
bounds those two chains, from Alausi to Llactacunga, is 
somewhat higher than the bottom of the basin of Cuenca. 
Xorth of Llaetacauga, 0“ 40' latitude, between the tops crt 
Yliniza (2717 toises) and Cotopaxi (2950 toises), of which 
the former belongs to the chain of Chimborazo, and the latter 
to that of Sangay, is situated the knot of Chisinche ; a kind of 
narrow dyke that closes the basin, and divides the waters 
between the Atlantic and the Pacific. The Alto de Chisinche 
is only 80 toises above the surrounding table-lands. The 
waters of its northern declivity form the llio de San Pedro, 
which, joining the llio Pita, throws itself into the Guala- 
bamba, or llio de las Esmeraldas. The waters of the 
southern declivity, called Cerro de Tiopullo, run into the 
llio San i clipe and the Pastaza, a tributary stream of the 
Amazon. 
The bipartition ol the Cordilleras re-eommences and con- 
tinues from 0“ 40' lat. south to 0“ 20' lat. north ; that is, ha 
far as the volcano of Imbabui’a, near the villa of Ibarra. 
'The eastern Cordillera i)resents the snowy summits of Anti- 
sana (2992 toises), of Cuamani, Cayambe (3070 toises), and 
ol Imbabura; the western Cordillera, those of Corazon, 
Atacazo, Pichinca (2491 toises), and Catocaehe (2570 
loises). Between these two chains, which may be regarded 
as the classic s()il of the astronomy of the 18th century, is 
a valley, part of which is again divided longitudiuallv by the 
hills ot Ichimbio and Poitmasi. The table-lands of Puembo 
