PEAK or IiriEA. 
458 
of Hindiokho, and of Himalaya, furnish frequent examples 
We saw the appearance of flames in many parts ot eastern 
America subject to earthquakes, even from secondary rocks, 
as at Cuchivero, near Cumanacoa. The fire shows itself 
when the ground, strongly heated by the sun, receives the 
first rains ; or when, after violent showers, the earth begins 
to dry The first cause of these igneous phenomena lies at 
immense depths below the secondary rocks, in the primitive 
formations: the rains and the decomposition of atmospheric 
water act only a secondary part. The hottest springs ol 
the (dobe issue immediately from granite. Petroleum 
gushes from mica-schist; and frightful detonations are 
heard at Encaramada, between the rivers Arauca and 
Cuchivero, in the midst of the granitic soil of the Orinoco 
and the Sierra Parima. Here, as everywhere else on the 
globe, the focus of volcanos is in the most ancient soils ; 
audit appears that an intimate connection exists between 
the great phenomena that licave up and liquify the crust ot 
our planet, and those igneous meteors which are seen from 
time to time on its surface, and which from their littleness 
we are tempted to attribute solely to the influence ot the 
^Diud^tiiough lower than the height assigned to it by 
popular belief, is however the most prominent point ot the 
whole oroup of mountains that separate the basin ol the 
Lower’briiioco from that of the Amazon. These mountains 
lower still more rapidly on the north-east, toward the Puru- 
nama, than on the east, toward the Padamo and the 1W 
Ocamo. In the former direction the most elevated summits 
next to Duida are Cuneva, at the sources of the Bio Paru 
(one of the tributary streams of the Ycntuari), SipapOj 
Calitamini, which forms one group with Cunavami and the 
peak of TJniana. East of Duida, on the right bank ot the 
Orinoco, Maravaca, or Sierra Haraguaca, is distmgiushe 
by its elevation, between the Rio Caurunoni and the 
Padamo; and on the left bank of the Orinoco rise the 
mountains of Guanaja and Yumariquin, between the Rios 
Amaguaca and Gehetto. It is almost superfluous to repeat 
that the line which passes through these .ofty summits 
(like these of the Pyrenees, the Carpathian mountains, aim 
so manv other charns of the old continent) is very distinct 
