308 
COUDILLEKA DE LA SUMA PAZ. 
Eio de Patias, which receives the Guativa, the Guacaicon, 
and the Quilquase. The table-land or intermediary basin 
has great inequalities; it is partly filled by the Paramos of 
Pitatumba and Paraguay, and the separa’tion of the two 
chains appeared to me indistinct as far as the parallel of 
Almaguer (lat. 1^ 54^; long. 79° 15'). The general direction 
of the Andes, f?-om the extremity of the basin of the pro- 
vince of Quito to the vicinity of Popayan, changes from 
]Sr. 8° E. to JSi . 36"' E. ; and follows the direction of the coast 
of Esmeralda and Barbacoas. 
On the parallel of Alinaguer, or rather a little nortli-east 
of that town, the geological structure of the ground displays 
very remarkable changes. The Cordillera, to which we have 
given the name of ‘ eastern,’ that of the lake of Sebondov, 
widens considerably between Pansitara and Ceja. The knot 
of the Paramo de las Papas and of Socoboni gives birth to 
the great rivers of Cauea and Magflaleua, and is divided 
into two chains, latitude 2° 5' east and west of La Plata, 
Vieja, and Timana. These two chains continue nearly parallel 
as far as 5° ot latitude, and they bound the longitudinal 
valley through which winds the Eio Magdalena. We shall 
give the name of the eastern Cordillera of IS'ew Grenada to 
that chain which stretches towards Santa Fe de Bogota, and 
the Sierra Nevada de Merida, east of JMagdalena ; the chaui 
which lies between the Magdalena and the Cauea, in the 
direction of Mariquita, we will call the central Cordillera of 
New Grenada ; and the chain which continues the Cordillera 
do la Costa from the basin of Almaguer, and separates the 
bed of the Eio Cauea from the platiniferous territory of 
Choeo, we will designate the western Cordillera of Kew 
Grenada. For additional clearness, we may also name the 
chain, that ot Suma Paz, after the colossal group of moun- 
tains on the south of Santa Fe de Bogota, which empties the 
W'aters of its eastern declivity into the Eio Meta. The 
second chain may bear the name of the chain of Guanacas 
or Quindiu, after the two celebrated passages of the Andes, 
on the road from Santa Fe de Bogota to Popayan. The 
third chain may be called the chain of Choco, or of the 
shore. Some leagues south of Popayan (lat. 2° 21' N.), 
west of Paramo de Palitara and the volcano of Purace, a 
ridge of mica-slate runs from the knot of the mountains of 
