THE  QUININE  DISTRICTS  OF  THE  ANDES.  161 
sins,  Chuquiragua  insignis,  and  other  plants  of  the  order  Corn- 
posit  oe,  ran  up  to  the  very  verge  of  perpetual  snow.  Passing 
along  a  road,  hedged  on  each  side  by  monstrous  specimens  of 
Agave  Americana,  he  came  to  the  snow-covered  cone  of  the 
volcano  Cotopaxi,  from  which  a  perpetual  rumbling  noise  is 
heard,  and  which  sends  up  flame  to  a  height  of  1,000  feet  above 
the  summit  of  the  crater.  Our  traveller  next  passed  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Laguna  de  San  Pablo,  which  was  surrounded  by 
tumuli,  some  of  which  were  of  the  extraordinary  height  of  400 
feet,  and  thence  to  the  plain  of  Tuquerres,  which,  at  a  height 
of  10,500  feet,  produces  a  Bamadesia  with  white  flowers,  and 
where  a  dwarf  species  of  gentian  was  in  full  bloom,  covering 
the  ground  as  thickly  as  daisies  do  in  a  pasture  field  in  Eng- 
land. At  Pasta  he  came  to  a  district  which  has  a  wild  tempe- 
rature, being  surrounded  by  forest- covered  mountains,  where  a 
species  of  Cinchona  is  cultivated,  chiefly  for  export  to  the 
United  -States.  Pasta  is  also  a  market  for  vegetable  dyes, 
which  are  brought  there  by  the  Indians.  .There  was  much 
cinchona  bark  stored  up  at  this  place,  and  also  in  sheds  in  the 
forests ;  but  as  its  yield  of  quinine  was  small,  it  did  not  sell 
readily.  The  bark  diad  a  yellow  or  orange  color,  and  in  the 
fracture  was  coarse  and  fibrous.  Mr.  Cross  describes  the  tree 
producing  it  as  the  Cinchona  lancifolia  of  Karsten,  being  of 
great  size,  with  large  lanceolate  coriaceous  leaves  and  bark, 
covered  with  silvery  epidermis.  After  passing  through  a  series 
of  adventures  of  no  ordinary  kind,  Mr.  Cross  arrived  at  the  city 
of  Popayan,  which  lies  between  two  volcanoes,  at  nearly  6,000 
feet  above  the  sea.  He  next  reached  Sylvia,  the  head- quarters 
of  those  who  buy  the  bark  of  Pitayo,  Hambola,  Tortoro,  and 
Purrace.  Passing  on  to  Pitayo,  some  choice  plants  were  dis- 
covered, and  here  Mr.  Cross  selected  seed  from  trees  about  fif- 
teen feet  high.  He  remarks  that  the  color  and  depth  of  the 
soil  varied  from  light  brown  to  nearly  black,  and  was  from 
three  inches  to  three  feet  in  depth.  In  all  situations  the  vigor 
of  the  cinchona  plant  appeared  the  same,  but  it  was  restricted 
to  the  dry  slopes,  and  was  never  found  on  wet  ground.  After 
drying  the  capsules,  he  occupied  himself  in  taking  the  tempe- 
rature of  the  region,  and  he  found  that  at  the  lowest  limit  of 
11 
