Chapter XII: Part II: South American Dominions (11)

The continent opposite to the northern extremity of Chiloe, has some Spanish settlements in the country of the Canches and Huilliches, small but independent tribes; these settlements are said to be three in number, of which _Fort Maullin_, opposite to Chaco Bay in Chiloe is the chief, and the Spaniards are engaged in forming communications from this settlement to Valdivia; as the sea is rendered almost innavigable during the winter by the frequent and dreadful storms. Pedro de Agueros, gives the names of twenty-four islands on the east of the Great Chiloe, which are inhabited, but as so little is known concerning this group, and as several contradictory statements have been made about them, the mere names are uninteresting.

The capital is _Castro_, in 42° 40' south latitude, on the eastern shore of the island of Chiloe, upon an arm of the sea, and was founded in 1566, by Don Martin Ruiz de Gamboa.

The houses, as is the case with all the rest in the province, are of wood, and are inhabited by about 150 persons; it has a parish church, a convent of Franciscans, and another of Mercedarii, in which only two or three monks reside. This city was overthrown by an earthquake soon after its foundation, since which it has never been in a flourishing state; it is 180 miles south of Valdivia.

The other towns are the port of _Chacao_ or _Chaco_, in the middle of the north coast of Chiloe, and opposite to Port Maullin, which has a tolerable anchorage, but is difficult of access.

_San Carlos_ is on the Bahia del Rey, and was built In 1767, on account of the difficulties attending the entrance to Chaco. It is in 41° 57' south latitude, and 73° 58' west longitude, and is the most populous and flourishing town in the province, containing 1100 inhabitants. The harbour is good, but subject to tremendous squalls and hurricanes; and the town is fortified, and has a regular garrison; and from the advantages of its harbour, the governor and council always reside at San Carlos.

The other islands have each one settlement and a missionary church on them, excepting _Quinchuan_, which has six; _Lemui_ and _Llachi_, each four, and _Calbuco_ three, but none of any material consequence.

South of the Islands of Chiloe is the Archipelago of GUAYTECAS and CHONOS, lying in a large gulf or inlet of the continent, from 44° 20' to 45° 46' south latitude; they are comprehended by the Spaniards within the province of Chiloe, but are uninhabited, being a mere mass of granite rocks, covered with thick forests.

Some of these, namely, _Tequehuen_, _Ayaupa_, _Menchuan_ and _Yquilao_, the Indians of Chiloe visit periodically, and put cows in them, for the sake of the pasture, which is luxuriant.

Having now concluded the description of that part of Chili inhabited by Spaniards, and their descendants, we shall give a slight sketch of the country, reaching from the Biobio river to Fort Maullin; and which, on account of its being the territory of the Araucanians and of nations in confederacy and identified with those people, in manners and language, it may be proper to give the general name of Araucania.

_ARAUCANIA, OR INDIAN CHILI_,

Extends from the river Biobio in 36° to the south of Chiloe, in the 45° of south latitude, exceeding 420 miles in breadth, and also occupying from the 33° to the 45° south latitude, both the central and eastern ridges of the Andes. The nations who inhabit this extensive tract are the _Araucanians_, possessing the country between the Biobio and the Valdivia rivers, the Pacific and the Andes; the _Puelches_, who inhabit the western flanks of the Cordillera and its central valleys; and still farther north, on the Andes, adjoining Cuyo, the _Pehuenches_ and the _Chiquillanes_, their territory lying as far north as the thirty-third degree of south latitude, or opposite to Santiago, the capital of Chili, and extending indefinitely to the east.

South of the Valdivia river, and as far as the forty-fifth degree, are the _Cunches_ on the sea coast, and the _Huilliches_ in the plains, near the western declivity of the Andes, which mountains are also occupied in this quarter by the Puelches.

All this country, to the north of the archipelago of Chiloe, is fertile and pleasant, consisting mostly of wide plains, agreeably diversified with mountains. That part which lies on the Andes possesses some beautiful valleys, but as the chain attains a great elevation the climate is cold. In these valleys, towards the east, salt and sulphur is plentiful; and the precious metals are by no means rare. Near Valdivia, immense quantities of gold were formerly found in the sands of the rivers and in alluvious grounds, but they are not worked at present, as the Spaniards are kept from those places by the natives.

In Araucania the vegetables and animals are the same as those of Spanish Chili; but the rivers and sea abound with fish in greater quantities than in the latter country.

The Araucanian nation is the most considerable and the most noted of all those which have been named as inhabiting Indian Chili; the others resemble them in their customs and persons, but are in a more savage state; we shall therefore only describe these extraordinary people, whose history forms so prominent a feature in the affairs of Chili. They are of a middling stature, well made, and of a strong muscular form and martial appearance. Their colour is the same as that of the other native American tribes, only rather clearer, and they have round faces, small eyes, and small feet; and many of their women are said to be beautiful. Accustomed to a hardy life; and breathing a pure air, these people live to an advanced age, and are not subject to many disorders. In character they are haughty, free, patient under fatigue, and very intrepid in danger; but are fond of strong liquors, which causes them to commit crimes.

Their dress consists of clothes fitted close to the body, and ponchos, or cloaks, which are made of cotton, and are so beautifully worked that they are sometimes worth a hundred and fifty dollars.

Their heads are girt with embroidered wool, in which is placed plumes of ostrich, flamingo and other beautiful feathers. The women wear a robe of woollen stuff, descending to the feet, and tied round the waist with a girdle, over which they put a small cloak. The hair is allowed to grow long, and is formed in tresses ornamented with a kind of false emerald and other gems; necklaces, bracelets, and rings on every finger, complete the female toilet. The national colour, which is worn by both sexes, particularly among the lower classes, is greenish blue.

These people never inhabit towns, but dwell in huts, occasionally placed near each other, though oftener dispersed on the banks of the rivers and in the plains; these habitations descend from father to son, and are not removed, except in case of absolute necessity. The cottages are remarkably neat, and are proportioned to the size of the family; they are surrounded with trees, under whose shades their repasts are made in summer; and the rich people display much plate on these occasions. At their marriages, funerals, and feasts, the utmost profusion of provision appears; and at these times fermented liquors are given in such quantities that they often occasion feuds.

Polygamy is practised by these people, every man having as many wives as he can maintain, it being deemed reproachful to remain unmarried. Instead of the husband receiving a portion with his wife, he pays a considerable sum to the parents for their permission to wed her; after he has obtained which, he carries off his bride without any further ceremony, excepting giving a feast to her relations. The first wife is regarded as the head of the family, the others being under her orders in respect to the management of the house; each wife has a separate apartment where she prepares food for her husband every day, and all present him once a year with a poncho or embroidered cloak, but the women are in general condemned to the laborious occupations.

Both sexes practise daily ablutions in the rivers, and are excellent swimmers.

Oratory is held in the highest esteem by these people; and their language, which is the ancient dialect of Chili, is very soft, harmonious, and rich. Molina in his description of Chili has given a full account of it, and says that it differs essentially from all the languages of the American tribes.

The government of that part of Chili inhabited by this nation is singular; they divide the territory into four parallel provinces, the maritime, the plains, the foot of the Andes, and that which lies on the sides of these mountains; each province is separated into five districts, and these are again subdivided into nine other portions.

The four provinces are governed each by a _toqui_ or general, subordinate to whom are the _Apo Ulmens_; and on these, as far as military affairs are concerned, the _Ulmens_ are dependent, each subdivision having its Ulmen or Cacique. All these magistrates have distinctive badges; the toqui a hatchet; the Apo Ulmen a silver-headed rod encircled by a ring; and the Ulmen a rod with a silver head; and these dignities are hereditary. The whole are occasionally combined in a general council, which meets on a plain; the chief occasion to assemble this council being to elect a supreme toqui for the command of the army when it is about to take the field; and any native is eligible to this appointment.

Their wars are terrible, and as they are excellent horsemen, the Araucanian cavalry is very formidable, their arms being swords and lances; those of the infantry, clubs and pikes; their onset is furious, but always conducted with order, and though swept down in rants by the cannon, they close with their Spanish enemies, and fighting hand to hand, are frequently victors in spite of the superiority of European discipline and arms.

After a great victory they sacrifice a prisoner to the manes of their warriors who have fallen in battle; and this ceremony is said to be attended with some disgusting circumstances, such as the toqui and chiefs sucking the blood from the panting heart of the victim, which is cut for that purpose from his breast.

These people have always resisted the attempts of the English and Dutch to land on the shores of Chili; they were seen by Sir Francis Drake in his celebrated voyage round the world, in some of the islands near the coast, and subsequently they drove the Dutch from several points on which they had landed.

They have hitherto frustrated all the attempts of the Spaniards to conquer their country, and being in strict alliance with the surrounding nations, keep the Europeans at defiance.

The Araucanians are said to wander over the Andes with the Puelches, in order to attack the convoys of merchandize and the travellers going from Buenos Ayres to Chili through the Pampas; and have even penetrated in the disguise of friendly Indians, as far as Buenos Ayres itself.

We shall conclude this account of Spanish America with a short description of a Spanish settlement formerly made in the Straits of Magalhaens, and of the islands on the coasts of South America belonging to or claimed by that power.

The Straits of Magalhaens and others in their vicinity being at present, though it is to be hoped that the voyage now performing by order of the British Government will not long allow them to remain so, the only passage from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean, it may not be uninteresting to state that they were discovered by FERDINAND MAGALHAENS a Portuguese navigator, who having turned his mind to the circumstance of the extreme probability of there being a communication between the two oceans which had in vain been sought for by Columbus and his followers, offered to conduct an expedition to explore the southern part of America for this purpose.

Meeting with a denial from his own court, he went to Madrid, where, from his known talents and previous voyages, he received the utmost favour; a fleet was fitted out, and, being placed under his orders, Magalhaens sailed from the Guadalquivir on the 10th of August 1519, and discovering the coast of Patagonia, proceeded along its shores to the south, where the land bearing away to the west, the admiral followed it, till he found his squadron in the straights that now bear his name, through which he passed, and entered the great South Sea on the 28th of November, 1520; proceeding through it till he discovered the Ladrones, and in one of those isles was killed in a skirmish with the natives; after which, one of his ships only arrived in Spain by way of the Cape of Good Hope, on the 7th of September, 1522, having been absent three years and twenty-seven days; and having had the honour of being the first to circumnavigate the globe.

Sir Francis Drake, following Magalhaens by the same route into the South Sea, and taking much treasure and many ships from the people of Chili, Peru and Mexico, it was determined by the Spanish court that the newly discovered passage should be explored and fortified. With this view Sarmiento, the best naval officer in the service, was selected in Peru to pass the Straits from the South Sea into the Atlantic; he accordingly performed this voyage; and so plausible were the representations he made to the cabinet of Madrid, that Philip II. ordered twenty-three ships to be fitted out, with 3500 men, under Don Diego de Valdez, and Sarmiento with 500 veterans was directed to settle and fortify such positions as he deemed the best.

It was more than two years before this fleet arrived at its destination: but as soon as it entered the straits, Sarmiento built a town and fort at the eastern entrance, which he named _Nombre de Jesus_ and in which he left 150 men; fifteen leagues farther to the west he erected another fortress, in the narrowest part of the straits, and In 53° 18' south latitude, where he built his principal town, which he called _Ciudad del Rey Felipe_. This was a regular square, with four bastions, and is said to have been excellently contrived. In it was placed a garrison of 400 men and thirty women, with provisions for eight months: but on the return of Sarmiento into the Atlantic he was taken by an English ship.

The garrison, for want of succour, fell a prey to disease and famine, and on January the 7th, Sir Thomas Candish found only one Spaniard, out of twenty-three who had remained alive, which were all that had escaped of the whole colony; the twenty-two others had set out to find their way to the Rio de la Plata over land: but as they were never heard of, it is conjectured they must have perished miserably in the deserts of Patagonia.

Thus ended this seemingly well-ordered expedition; since which time the Spaniards have not attempted to resume the colony; finding that the straits were too wide to fortify, and that other passages existed to the south, which were equally good for the purposes of the navigator.

_ISLANDS ON THE COASTS_

OF SPANISH SOUTH AMERICA.

Commencing the description of the Spanish South American islands from the coasts of Chili, our attention is first led to the islands of JUAN FERNANDEZ, three in number; the largest, which alone properly bears that appellation, is in 33° 40' south latitude, and 80° 30' west longitude, distant from Chili 110 leagues, and was discovered by a Spaniard, who gave it his name, in 1563. This island was so much spoken of by navigators in early times that it was supposed to be a terrestrial paradise. It is, however, in fact, merely a small spot, rising out of the ocean to a considerable height, not more than four leagues in length from east to west, and generally mountainous, but there are some fine valleys and plains, which are full of trees and herbage. The hills towards the north are also covered with large woods, but those on the south are destitute of timber; every place is, however, overspread with coarse grass, which grows to the height of six feet. Among all the species of trees there are few of the tropical kinds, owing to the coldness of the climate; for being surrounded by the sea, it is even cooler here than on the coast of Chili, under the same parallel: but the European and American fruits peculiar to these latitudes flourish and grow abundantly.

Juan Fernandez has been the abode of several English navigators in the voyages round the world, and into the Pacific, from the circumstance of its being excellently adapted as a place of shelter and refreshment to squadrons or vessels cruizing against the trade of Peru and Chili; but the government of the former country made a settlement here in 1750, which completely prevented all vessels from touching here excepting those belonging to powers in amity with Spain. Its western side is composed of cliffs rising perpendicularly out of the sea, but the north-west point is the first anchoring place, and here the Spaniards have a guard-house and battery. About half a mile east north-east of this is the great bay, where the anchorage is close to the shore; and in this bay is seated the village or principal settlement; in a fine valley between two high hills. A battery of five guns on the right commands the road, and there is another on the left, with seven embrazures to the anchorage, and seven towards the town.

In this village the houses amount to about forty; but there are several dispersed over different parts of the island. Each house has a garden, with grape vines, fig, cherry, plum and almond trees, and plenty of vegetables.

The officer who commands at this island is sent from Chili, in which government it is included, and the island is called _La de Tierra_ by the Spaniards, on account of its lying nearer the shore of Chili than the next largest, which is distinguished by the name of _Mas-afuera_, or the farthest, and is 80 miles west from Juan Fernandez, in 80° 46' west longitude, and 33° 45' south latitude. This last is very high and mountainous, and at a distance appears one hill; its form is triangular, and seven or eight leagues in circuit; the southern part is much the highest, and on the north end are some clear spots, but the rest is covered with wood. Several parts of the coasts of this isle afford good anchorage, but the bottom is generally deep; and it abounds in goats, which are easily caught and afford a good supply of fresh provision. On the south-west point of the island is a pierced rock, which proves a good mark for the anchorage on the western shore.

Mas-afuera contains plenty of wood and fresh water, falling in cascades from the high ground of the interior; but these articles cannot be procured without difficulty, on account of the rocky nature of the shore causing the surf to beat violently. Several birds, and amongst these large hawks, are seen on the land, and hovering over the fish which abound on the shores, and may be easily caught. Sea wolves, seals, and other aquatic animals, are also very common.

Off the south-western extremity of Juan Fernandez is a small uninhabited isle, or rather rock, named Isla de Cabras, or Isle of Goats.

These islands are noted for having been the residence of two persons whose adventure gave rise to the novel of Robinson Crusoe. The one was a Mosquito Indian left there by the Buccaneers, and the other Alexander Selkirk, a Scotchman, also left there by his ship, and who lived four or five years on Juan Fernandez, subsisting upon the goats he caught, which were introduced into the islands by Fernandez, the discoverer, who settled and died in La de Tierra.

In proceeding to the north from these, the next isles of any consequence off the coasts of Peru, are those named _St. Felix_ and _St. Ambrose_; but these are mere rocks of some extent and very high, on which innumerable seals and marine animals are found. They are not more than five miles in circumference, and are four leagues and a half distant from each other, between 26° 19' and 26° 13' south latitude, and between 79° 41' and 79° 26' west longitude.

On the coast of Peru, opposite the town of Pisco are the _Isles of Lobos_, or the Sea Wolves, where numbers of seals and other aquatic animals may be caught; they are also, however, mere rocks; north-north-west of these rocks is the small isle of _Sangallan_ in 13° 45' south latitude, famous for seals and sea wolves, and north of this are the isles _Chinca_, _Pachacamac_, and _St. Lorenzo_, all small, but the latter of which is famous as forming the road of Callao, being the place where the Dutch fortified themselves in 1624, when they made an attempt against Lima.

North of these are the _Farellones de Huara_, which are dangerous rocks, and the isles _de Saint Martin_, _de Santa_, and _de Chao_, also very small, and close to the coast of Peru.

The next are the _Lobos de Mar_, formerly the resort of the Buccaneers, and the _Lobos de Tierra_, the first sixteen leagues from the shore, and the latter close to it; they are twelve miles from each other, in 6° 25' and 6° 45' south latitude, but are unimportant.

North of these, in the gulf of Guayaquil, is the large island of _Puna_ already mentioned.

The next on the coast of New Granada is _Salengo_, a small isle near Cape Santa Elena, and still further is _La Plata_, the place where Sir Francis Drake divided his plunder, and is a very small isle close to the coast, in 1° 10' north latitude, which is followed at a considerable distance on the shore of Atacames, by the _Isla del Gallo_, a small uninhabited spot, furnishing good wood and water, in 2° 28' south latitude, and 76° 47' west longitude.

The next is _Gorgona_, in 3° 36' south latitude, and 77° 52' west longitude, 10 miles in circumference, and eighteen from the coast; opposite to these, but at a great distance from the land, are the _Gallapagos or Tortoise Islands_, but as they are uninhabited, and more than 110 leagues from the land, a description will take us beyond the limits we have prescribed to the work.

From Plata there are no isles of any consequence on the coast, till those which lie in the bay of Panama, occur, but they have already been mentioned in the description of the isthmus.

Crossing to the western side, and beginning at the northern boundary of Panama, we find several groups of rocky islets on the shores of that province, but none of them are of sufficient size or importance to merit a detail of their figure or qualities; passing therefore along the northern shore, the island of _Baru_, or _Varu_, presents itself near the southern part of that which Carthagena is built. It is large, fertile, and inhabited; its length is about sixteen miles, and breadth three, in 10° 12' north latitude, and 75° 25' west longitude.

Off the coast of Caraccas are several large islands, of which _Aves_, _Rocca_, _Orchilla_, _Blanca_, Tortuga-Salada, _Margarita_, _Cubagua_, _Cocke_, _Los Testigos_, and some others belong to the Spaniards, and are included within the limits of the captain-generalship of Caraccas. _Aves_ and _Rocca_, are barren and uninhabited rocks; _Orchilla_ or _Horchilla_, is a small cluster, in 12° north latitude, and 65° 20' west longitude, the largest isle being in the form of a crescent, and is low, excepting on the east and west capes, which are very hilly; on this part the trees and verdure abound, whilst the other sides are barren and salt. The only animals on it are goats and lizards, and it contains but little fresh water; _Blanca_, or _Blanquilla_, in 11° 56' north latitude, and 64° 40' west longitude, is also desert, but higher and more rocky than the former.

_Tortuga-Salada_ is in 10° 53' north latitude, and 65° 18' west longitude, ninety-five miles east-north-east of La Guayra on the main land, and forty-eight west of Margarita, being about thirty miles in circumference, and abounding in salt ponds. The southern part contains some fresh-water springs, and is well covered with trees, but the rest is barren, naked and full of salt-pools, for which reason it was much frequented by vessels of all nations, in order to take in cargoes of that substance, but the Spaniards have lately laid these pools under water; this island is, however, still used by foreign vessels in time of peace, and on it are some goats which have multiplied very much. _Margarita_ has been already noticed; its western side is a noted sea-mark, on account of a cape in 64° 26' west longitude, named Cape Macanao, the mountains of which are 3500 or 4000 feet in height above the sea.

_Cubagua_, _Coche_, _Los Testigos_ and _Los Frayles_, are small uninhabited islands in the neighbourhood of Margarita, but were formerly noted for their pearl fishery, and they were first discovered by Columbus. On Cubagua a town was founded soon after by Ojeda, who named it New Cadiz; but no vestiges of it now remain. At that time the coast from Paria to Cape Vela, was named Costa de las Perlas, the Coast of Pearls, the first Spaniards who landed on this shore, finding the natives every where decorated with those valuable jewels. So actively was the trade carried on in these islands, that at the conquest, _Coche_ alone furnished to the value of 1500 marks a month; and the King's annual fifth amounted to 15,000 ducats; til 1530, the pearl fishery averaged yearly 173,000_l._, while the American mines furnished only during the same period, 434,000_l._ sterling. But this fishery diminished rapidly afterwards, and was entirely at an end before 1683.

The destruction of the oysters contributed to this decay, as well as the cutting and setting diamonds which had become common in the 16th century. At present the Indians are the only persons concerned in this traffic, and they sometimes procure a few pearls, but they are generally of the seed kind, and they sell them at Cumana for five shillings a dozen.

The island of _Cubagua_ is full of small deer, which are of a brownish red on the back, white under the belly, and beautifully spotted, some of them are quite white; the Guayqueria Indians frequently land on the island to kill them for the sake of the venison and skins.

Nearer the coasts of Caraccas, and between La Guayra and Cumana, in the bays of Mochima and Santa Fé, are some extraordinary islets named _Caraccas_ and _Chimanas_ the former being three, and the latter eight in number, but they are nearly barren rocks, some of which, as _Picua_, _Picuita_, _Caraccas_, and _Boracha_ which is the largest, rise to the height of 930 feet above the surrounding ocean. On one of them are large wild goats, which were originally left there by a family who settled on it from the continent; but the father outliving his children, and becoming rich enough to purchase slaves, he brought two blacks from Cumana, who murdered him, and living on the produce of the farm, were undiscovered in so lonely a spot, for a length of time; but by some accident the affair becoming known, they were taken to Cumana, where one was beheaded, and the other turned public executioner in order to save his life.

Between Cape Unare and Barcelona are the two _Piritoo_ islands, which are low and covered with herbage, but are uninhabited and of small size.

In the channel between the British island of Trinidad and Cape Paria are several small and desert isles which are of little importance; and descending further to the south, the islands of the mouths of the Orinoco present themselves, inhabited by a fierce and warlike tribe of Indians, named the Guarounoes.

No island of any importance occurs on the Spanish coast of South America, till we reach the mouth of the La Plata, where the island of _Lobos_, Wolves, in south latitude 35° and fifteen miles south-west of Cape Santa Maria, is found; it is small and chiefly noted for the quantity of sea-wolves, seals and other marine animals which are taken on it.

The _Falkland_ or _Malouin Islands_, on the east of the Straits of Magellan, are at present possessed by the Spaniards, as they have a fort and barracks on the eastern one, which they have named _Soledad_; here all the male criminals from Peru and Buenos Ayres are sent for life; vessels sail with these convicts, and with provisions at stated seasons, but as no woman ever accompanies them, Soledad cannot be named a Spanish colony; and it is even doubtful, whether in the present state of the government of Buenos Ayres, they continue to send their delinquents to this banishment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATE

OF

COMPARATIVE ALTITUDES OF THE MOUNTAINS

IN

SPANISH NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA.

The accompanying plate represents the elevations which some of the most noted summits attain in MEXICO or NEW SPAIN, contrasted with the altitudes of the higher peaks of the Southern Andes in QUITO, MERIDA, SANTA MARTA and CARACCAS; by which it will be readily seen, that the northern range of the _Cordillera of the Andes_, is not very inferior in height to that part of the chain which has been considered, till very lately, to reach an elevation unequalled by any other mountains in the world.

Recent enquiries, and the researches of zealous travellers and geographers, have not only disclosed the fact, that the Asiatic summits rival and surpass those of Peru, but have also made it questionable whether the continuation of the Andean chain, south of _Chimborazo_, _Cotopaxi_, &c. is not far superior in altitude to those celebrated peaks.

It is true, that the Cordillera sinks very much after it has passed the confines of PERU, and that it continues to lower its lofty crest in running through the vast deserts of _Atacama_, in the kingdom of LA PLATA, and the upper districts of CHILI; but no sooner has it passed these provinces, than it again assumes the same majestic form, and continues it in three parallel ridges, as far as the forty-fifth degree of south latitude, beyond which scarcely any thing is known of this enormous chain, excepting that its height is very great till it loses itself in the ocean of the south, opposite to Cape Pilares, the western entrance of the Straits of Magalhaens.

From its quitting COPIAPO, the most northerly province of CHILI, till it arrives opposite to the great island of CHILOE and the archipelago of GUAYTECAS, is the space in which the Cordillera is conjectured to attain an elevation superior to that of the equatorial ridges of POPAYAN and QUITO; as in this space are the lofty peaks of the _Descabezado_, the _Tupungato_, _Blanquillo_, _Manflos_, _Longavi_, _Chillan_, and the _Corcobado_ or Gibbous mountain; all of which rise so far superior to the lower limits of perpetual congelation, that not only Molina, but other travellers have imagined they must be higher than the equinoctial range, though unfortunately all those who have had the opportunity of seeing them, have either been ignorant of the methods of determining their altitudes, or have been engaged in such active employments as to have precluded them from making any other than slight and general observations.

One of the most curious circumstances attendant on the scenery of the Cordillera of the Andes, and which is, from local causes, in a great measure peculiar to those mountains, is the extreme regularity with which the inferior term of congelation or lower limit of perpetual snow, is described on their heads; this feature has therefore been introduced into the drawing, and that in such a manner as to show by the scales placed on its sides, the various heights at which the phenomenon takes place, in the different latitudes the mountains are situated in.

Some of the principal cities, towns and volcanoes, and a few of the most extraordinary scenes in the Andes, have also been introduced, and a scale of miles has been adapted to the right hand, as well as a scale of feet to the left, in order to afford every facility to the reader of the work, in forming just notions of the singular situations of those objects, which may be better done in a graphic manner, than by any description; but as the immediate object of this plate is to exhibit comparative magnitude, on a determinate scale, it is with this view only that it has been constructed, no regard having been paid to the effect as a drawing.

In the centre is introduced the Mountain island of SOCORRO, one of the REVILLAGEGIDO group, off the western coast of New Spain, which attains a great elevation for so small a spot, and is remarkable as being nearly on the same parallel as the volcanic summits of _Popocatepetl_ or the _Smoky Mountain_, _Citaltepetl_, or _Pico de Orizaba_, or the _Starry Mountain_; _Iztaccihuatl_, or the White Woman; _Nauhcampatepetl_, or _Cofre de Perote_, or the Square Mountain; the _Volcan de Xorullo_ and the _Volcan de Colima_, on the continent, and as being itself evidently the produce of an ancient eruption.

The ensuing list will be found to contain an enumeration of most of the works which may be referred to as the best authorities for the early and modern history, &c. of the Spanish colonies in the western world.

LIST OF WORKS ON, OR RELATING TO SPANISH AMERICA, QUOTED IN THIS PUBLICATION, OR WHICH CONTAIN THE MOST VALUABLE INFORMATION CONCERNING THOSE COLONIES.

ACCOUNT of the Expedition to the Mississippi, and to the interior of New Spain, by ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE, 1810.

ACOSTA, Historia Natural y moral de las Indias, 1591 and 1603.

A Journey through Peru, from Buenos Ayres on the great Rio de la Plata, by Potosi, to Lima, 8vo. in German, by HELMS, Dresden, 1798.

ALCEDO'S Dictionary (Geographical and Historical) of America and the West Indies, edited by THOMPSON, 5 vols. 4to. 1810. London.

ALZATE, DON J. A. Descripcion de las Antiguedadas de Xochicalco. Mexico. 1791.

ANQUETIL, Precis de l'Histoire Universelle, 12 vols, Paris, 1801.

ANSON'S Voyage round the world.

Astronomical, Barometrical and Trigonometrical Observations in the Equinoctial Regions of America, from 12° of south latitude to the 41° of north latitude, by M. de HUMBOLDT, in French, 2 vols. Paris.

AUBLET, Histoire des Plantes de la Guyane Francoise.

Aurora ó Correo Politico-economico de la Havanah.

AZARA, Voyage dans l'Amerique Meridionale de Juin, 1781 jusqu'a 1801. 4 vols Translation, 1809, 8vo.

AZARA, DON FELIX DE, Essais sur l'Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupedes du Paraguay, 2 vols. Paris, 1801.

BANCROFT'S Natural History of Guiana.

BEAUCHAMP, Histoire de la Conquete et des Revolutions du Perou, 2 vols. Paris, 1801.

BERNAL DIAZ, Historia de la Conquista del Mexico.

BERENGER, Collection Abregée des Voyages autour du Monde, 9 vols. Paris, 1789-90.

BIGGS' History of Miranda's attempt to Revolutionize South America, 8vo. 1 vol.

BORDA, Voyage de la Flore.

BOTURINI'S BERNADUCCI, Historical Essay on New Spain.

BOUGAINVILLE, Voyage autour du monde.

BOUGUER, Figure de la Terre, 1 vol. 4to. Paris, 1749.

BUFFON, Histoire Naturelle, 54 vols. Aux Deux Ponts, 1785-90.

CARLI, J. R. COMTE DE, Lettres Americaines, 2 vols. Boston, 1788.

CATERI, 1697.

CARDENAS, Historia de la Florida.

CHAPPE D'AUTEROCHE, Voyage en Californie.

Cronica del Peru, por PIEDRO de CIECA DE LEON, 1554.

CHARLEVOIX, Histoire du Paraguay.

CHURRUCA, Apendice a la Relacion del Viage al Magellanes, 1790.

CLAVIGERO, Storia Antica di Messico.

COLNETT'S Voyage to the South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, 4to. 1 vol.

CONDAMINE, Voyage a l'Equateur. Paris, 1745.

Comentarias Reales de los Incas, por GARCILASSO DE LA VEGA.

COOK'S Voyages round the World. 7 vols.

Correspondence du Ferd. Cortez avec Charles V. sur la Conquete du Mexique. Francfort, 1775.

COSME BUENO, Descripcion del Peru.

Cronica Serafica de Queretaro, 1792. Mexico.

DAMPIER'S Voyages, 4 vols. 8vo. London, 1729.

DEPONS, F., Voyage a la Terre Firme dans l'Amerique Meridionale, 1801-4, 3 vols. Paris, 1806.

DES MARCHAIS, les Voyages de, par LABAT, 4 vols.

DOBRIZHOFFER, de Abiponibus. Vienna, 1784.

Due Antichi Monumenti di Architettura Messicana Illustrati, da PIETRO MARQUES. Rome, 1804.

DU PRATZ, Voyages dans la Louisiane, 3 vols. Paris, 1758.

El Viajero Universal, por ESTALLA. Madrid, 1796.

EQUIARA, Bibliotheca Mexicana.

Equinoctial Plants of America, 2 vols. folio, (French) by HUMBOLDT.

Essai sur la Geographie des Plantes, &c. par HUMBOLDT.

FALKNER'S Patagonia.

FERNANDEZ or HERNANDEZ, Nova Hispania.

FEYJOO, Relacion de la Ciudad de Truxillo, 1763.

FLEURIEU, Voyage de l'Isis, dans 1768 et 1769.

FORBES' Oriental Memoirs, containing Observations on parts of South America, 4 vols.

FREZIER, Voyages de, 2 vols. 12mo. 1717.

GAP'S Voyage of Lewis and Clarke to the Pacific, 8vo.

GAGE, on Spanish North America, 1655, folio.

GALLEANO Viage al Estrecho de Magellanes.

Gazetta de Literatura de Mexico, a periodical publication. Mexico.

GEMELLI CARRERI, Giro del Mondo. Naples, 1699. 6 vols.

GILIJ, Saggio di Storia Americana, or Storia di Terra Firma, 4 vols. 1780. Rome.

GOMARA, Conquista de Mexico, 1553, folio. Medina del Campo.

----, Cronica General de las Indias, 1553, folio.

GRYNÆI, Novus Orbus, 1555.

GUMILLA, Orinoco Illustrada.

HENDERSON'S account of the British Settlements of Honduras.

HERRERA Descripcion de las Indias Occidentales. Madrid, 1730.

History of Chili, by MOLINA, English translation, 2 vols.

Historia de la Nueva Espana escrita por Don Hernando Cortez y aumentado por LORENZANA.

History of the Settlements of the Europeans in the East and West Indies, by RAYNAL, 8 vols.

Historia del Nuevo Mundo, GIROLAMO BENZONI.

HORN de Originibus Americanus, 1699.

HUMBOLDT'S Political Essay on New Spain, 4 vols. 8vo. London.

HUMBOLDT'S Personal Narrative of Travels in America, 3 vols. 8vo. London.

---- Tableau de la Nature, 2 vols. Paris.

---- Monographie de la Melastomas, rhexia, &c. 2 vols. folio, Paris.

---- Observations sur la Zoologie, &c., 2 vols. 4to. Paris.

---- Vues des Cordilleres, &c., 1 vol. folio, Paris.

---- Researches, 2 vols. 8vo. London.

JEFFREYS on the Spanish West India Islands, 1762, 4to. London.

Journal of ANDREW ELLICOTT, Commissioner for determining the Boundaries of Ohio and Mississippi, &c.; 1803.

KERR'S Collection of Voyages and Discoveries.

KNOX'S Collection of Voyages.

KOSTER'S Travels in Brazil.

La Florida del Inca, Madrid, 1723.

La Guia de Forasteros (Annual Almanac of Mexico); Mexico.

LABAT'S Voyages to the West Indies, 6 vols. 8vo.

LAET, Orbis Novus, 1633.

LAVAYSSE (DAUXION), Voyage aux Isles de Trinidad, de Tabago, de la Marguerite, et dans diverses Parties de Venezuela, 2 vols. Paris, 1813.

LEBLOND (J. P.), Voyage aux Antilles et à l'Amerique Meridionale, 1797 et 1802, 2 vols. 8vo. Paris. 1813.

LEDRU, Voyage aux Isles de Teneriffe, Porto Rico, &c.; 1796-1798; 2 vols. Paris, 1810.

Lettre de Monsieur Godin.

LOCKMAN'S Travels of the Jesuits.

MALTE BRUN, Precis de la Geographie Universelle; 3 vols. and 2 vols. of maps, Paris, 1810.

MAWE'S Travels in the Interior of Brazil, and Account of the Revolution in Buenos Ayres; 4to.

MARCHAND, Voyage autour du Monde, 1790-2; 5 vols. 4to. Paris, 1798-1800.

MARIETA, Historia eccleslastica, 1596.

Memoirs of the Jesuits concerning California, 3 vols, 4to. Madrid, 1757.

Mercurio Peruiano (a literary periodical work), Lima.

MICHAUX, Voyage a l'ouest des Monts Alleghany, 1804.

MUNORZ, Historia del Nuevo Mundo.

Notes on the Viceroyalty of La Plata; London.

Noticia de la California del Padre Fray MIGUEL VENEGAS, 1757.

OEXEMELIA'S (OLIVER) History of the Bucaniers, 1686.

Origen de los Indios del Nuevo Mundo por P. GARCIA, Valencia, 1610.

Observaciones sobre el Clima de Lima, por el Doctor DON HIPOLITO UNANUE, Lima, 1806.

OVIEDO, Historia natural de Indias.

PAUW, Recherches Philosophiques sur les Americains, 1769.

PEROUSE (La), Voyage autour du Monde, 1785-1788, redige par M. L. A. Millet-Mureau, 4 vols. Paris, 1798.

PEREZ DE ROXAS, Historia de Cinaloa.

PINCKARD'S Notes on the West Indies, 2 vols.

PINKERTON'S Modern Geography, 2 vols. 8vo.

PIEDRAHITA (LUCAS FERNANDEZ, EL OBISPO), Historia General de las Conquistas del Nuevo Reyno de Granada.

POTERAT (Marquis de), Journal d'un Voyage au Cap de Horn, au Chili, au Perou, &c., 1795-1800, Paris, 1815.

PURCHAS' Pilgrim; a collection of curious voyages, in 5 vols.

RAYNAL, Histoire Politique et Philosophique des Etablissemens et du Commerce des Européens dans les deux Indes, 10 vols. et Atlas, Geneva, 1780.

Relations des diverses Voyages curieux, par M. M. THEVENOT.

ROBERTSON'S History of America.

ROBIN, Voyage dans l'interieure de la Floride occidentale, &c., 1802-1806, 3 vols.

RUIZ (HYP.) Y JOSE PAVON, Flora Peruviana, 3 vols. Madrid, 1798--1802.

SEMPLE'S Sketch of the present State of the Caraccas.

Sir Francis Drake's Voyages, London, 1653, 4to.

SKINNER on Peru.

SOLIS, Historia de la Conquista de Mexico y de Nueva Espana, por Josse, 3 vols.

SOLORZANO PEREIRA, de Indiarum jure.

SOUTHEY'S History of Brazil, 4to.

STEDMAN'S History of Surinam.

THOU (I. A. DE), Universal History, 1543-1610; 16 vols. London, 1734.

TORQUEMADA, Monarquia Indiana, 3 vols. folio. 1615.

TOURON, Histoire Generale de l'Ameriquedepuis sa decouverte, 14 vols. Paris, 1768-1770.

TUCKEY'S Maritime Geography.

ULLOA and JUAN'S Voyage to South America, 2 vols. 8vo. (English translation.)

UNANUE, Guia Politica del Peru (periodical).

VATER, Inquiries into the Population of the New Continent (German).

VANCOUVER'S Voyage round the World.

Vida del Padre Fray J. Serro, Mexico, 1787.

Vida del Almirante Colon por FERNANDO COLON.

VIDAURRE, Compendio del Chili, 8vo. Bologna, 1776.

VOLNEY, Tableau du Climat et du Sol des Etats Unis.

Voyage a la Recherche de La Perouse, par M. D'Entrecasteaux.

Voyage au Perou, 1791-1794, par les P. P. Manuel Sobreviella, et Narcisso y Barcel, 2 vols. with an Atlas, in 4to. Paris, 1809.

Vue de la Colonie Espagnole de Mississippi, en 1802, Paris, 1803.

WAFER'S Description of the Isthmus of Darien, 1699.

WALTON'S Present State of the Spanish Colonies, 2 vols. London.

WILCOCKE'S History of the Viceroyalty of Buenos Ayres, 1806.

Ydea de una Nueva Historia General de la America Septentrional, por BOTURINI.

ZARATE, Histoire de la Conquete du Perou; Paris, 1742.

ZOEGA, de Origine et usu Obeliscorum.

TABLE OF THE LATITUDES AND LONGITUDES OF SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL PLACES IN _SPANISH AMERICA_, CORRECTED FROM THE LATEST INFORMATION, WITH THE NUMBER OF INHABITANTS IN THE CHIEF TOWNS.