rock, which have fallen so as to support each other. The cavern below is haunted by thousands of nocturnal birds. At the village of Turbaco near Carthagena there is a singular group of air-volcanoes, consisting of conical hillocks from 20 to 25 high, on the summit of which are cavities filled with water; from these issue bubbles of gas, which often project the water to a considerable height, while a constant succession of explosions is heard under ground.

8. Divisions. New Grenada comprises the territories of the former Spanish province, styled the viceroyalty of New Grenada, and is divided into five departments, which are subdivided into 18 provinces.

9. Towns. Bogota, the capital of the republic, is situated on the table-land of New Grenada, and is in general well built. The houses are low, consisting of only one or two stories on account of the frequency of earthquakes. The principal public buildings are the cathedral, the Government palace, which contains the Executive offices, the Representatives Hall, and the residence of the president, several convents, more remarkable for their size and solidity, than for beauty, the mint, &c. Here are also a university, and several other learned institutions. Population, 40,000. The beautiful plain in which the city stands having an elevation of 8,700 feet, it enjoys a mild and healthful climate.

Carthagena possesses the finest harbor in the country, and has a thriving commerce, with 18,000 inhabitants. It is built on a sandy, island, which is connected with the continent by bridges, and the narrow, dark, and crooked streets give it a gloomy appearance. Its strong military works, and its vast reservoirs for supplying the inhabitants with water, deserve notice. The marshes in the vicinity render it unhealthy.

Santa Martha, on the coast to the northeast of Carthagena, has a good harbor, strongly defended, an active commerce, and a population of 6,000.

Porto Bello, on the isthmus of Panama, celebrated for the great fair formerly held in it, is now much declined on account of the insalubrity of its climate. Rio Hacha is a small town, but important for its pearl fishery and trade.

Panama, on the south side of the isthmus, and at the head of the bay of the same name, has a thriving and extensive commerce, with about 10,000 inhabitants.

Popayan, with 7,000 inhabitants, situated at the foot of the great volcanoes of Purace and Sotara, is a handsome and well built town.

Pasto, near the southern frontier, surrounded by volcanic mountains, was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1834. Population, 10,000.

10. Inhabitants. The population like that of Mexico is composed of Creoles, Indians, negroes, and the different mixed races, and bears a general resemblance to that of the Mexican States. The whites are, however, less numerous, and there is a greater proportion of negroes.

The country is very thinly peopled, and there are extensive unoccupied tracts and wildernesses.

In the mountainous regions the usual mode of travelling is in chairs tied to the backs of cargueros or porters. The mountains are so difficult to be crossed, that they must either be passed on foot or in this manner. Travellers in traversing the great forest of the Quindiu mountains, which extends for 12 or 15 days journey, take a month's provision, as the melting of snows, or violent rains, often prevent them from proceeding. The cargueros provide themselves with the large leaves of a species of banana, and on the spot where they wish to pass the night, or are compelled to stop by rain, erect a frame of branches of trees, and cover it with these leaves, which being water-proof, afford a comfortable shelter.

11. History. The Spanish province of New Grenada declared itself an independent state in 1811, and after a long and severe struggle with the mother country, expelled the Spaniards from its territory. The memorable victory of Carabobo in 1821 completed the downfal of the Spanish authority. In 1819 New Grenada formed a union with Venezuela, under the title of the republic of Colombia, and Quito subsequently acceded to the confederacy; but this connection has recently been dissolved, and New Grenada has again formed a separate government, upon republican principles. The Roman Catholic is the established religion of the state, and the inhabitants are rigidly devoted to this form of religion.

LI. VENEZUELA.

1. Extent and Population. The republic of Venezuela comprises the territories of the former Spanish Captain-generalship of Venezuela or Caraccas, and extends from New Grenada on the west, and Brazil on the south, to the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic ocean, having an area of 450,000 square miles, and a population of about 900,000 souls.

2. Mountains. The great eastern chain of the Andes enters the republic from New Grenada, and extends, nearly parallel to the coast, across the northern part to the gulf of Paria. It is known under the name of the Maritime Cordilleras of Caraccas or Venezuela, and some of the summits rise to the height of 18,000 feet. The Silla of Caraccas, near the city of that name, has an elevation of 8,750 feet. There are some mountainous ridges in the south, called the Parima Mountains, the direction of which is imperfectly known. Mount Duida, near Esmeraldas, has an elevation of about 8,000 feet.

3. Plain. The most remarkable feature of this country is the vast plain which constitutes the greater part of its surface. It extends from the Caqueta in New Grenada to the mouths of the Orinoco, occupying the whole space between the mountainous chains already described. Including a part of New Grenada, it has an area of 350,000 square miles, but slightly broken, and intersected by numerous rivers. On the borders of the streams and ponds there are thickets of palm, but the rest of this great level consists of open plains, called by the Spaniards llanos, covered only with grass. In the dry season the llanos present the aspect of a desert; the grass is reduced to powder, the ground cracks with the heat and drought, and the alligators and ser

pents, having buried themselves in the mud, remain in a torpid state, until they are revived by the wet season.

4. Rivers. The Orinoco is one of the largest rivers in the world. Rising in the mountains of Parima, it flows, after a very circuitous course of upwards of 1,500 miles, by about fifty mouths, into the Atlantic ocean. The principal mouth is nearly 6 leagues wide. The Orinoco receives a great number of tributaries, several of which are large navigable rivers. The Guaviare, Apure, and Meta, which rise in the Andes of New Grenada, and the Ventuari and Caroni, which have their sources in the Parima Mountains, are the principal. During the rainy season it inundates the vast plains through which it flows, presenting in some places an expanse of water 80 or 90 miles in extent. Immediately on its banks are impenetrable forests, from which are heard the cries of the jaguar, the puma, innumerable troops of monkeys, pecaries, and other animals. While the gigantic boa swings from the branches of the trees, ready to seize its prey, huge alligators, long files of river porpoises, and great numbers of manatees, crowd its wa

ters.

5. Lakes. The principal lakes are that of Maracaybo, which is, properly speaking, a gulf of the Caribbean Sea, and is deep and navigable, and the lake of Valencia. The latter is 34 miles in length, by 6 or 8 in breadth, covered with beautiful islands, and well stocked with fish.

6. Climate and Soil. The seasons are here divided into the wet and the dry, and as there is little variety of surface, a high temperature prevails throughout the country during the whole year. The soil is fertile, producing coffee, cotton, sugar, cocoa, indigo, cassava, plantains, and various medicinal plants and edible roots. The vegetation is characterised by great vigor and freshness, and such is the nutritious quality of the vegetable food here used, compared with that of the cereal grains of the temperate climates, that a much smaller extent of ground is able to maintain a given number of persons.

7. Divisions. Venezuela is divided into 4 departments, which are subdivided into 12 provinces.

8. Towns. The capital is Caraccas, which, before it was ravaged by an earthquake in 1812, contained 45,000 inhabitants. It is now much reduced, but is the centre of an extensive commerce. Its situation is pleasant, and being elevated it enjoys a perpetual spring. The population at present does not exceed 20,000. La Guayra, its port, has a poor harbor, and is extremely unhealthy. It contains about 6,000 inhabitants.

Maracaybo, on the gulf of the same name, with 20,000 inhabitants; Puerto Cabello, with a fine harbor and strong military works, 3,000 inhabitants; Valencia, a pleasant town, with a delightful climate, and 15,000 inhabitants; Barcelona, a great mart for the smuggling trade with the English islands, with a population of 5,000, and Cumana, which has much declined, but still contains about 10,000 inhabitants, are commercial places on the northern coast.

In the interior Varinas and Angostura, with 3,000 inhabitants each, are the principal towns.

Merida with 5,000 inhabitants, and Coro, with 4,000, are the other most important towns.

9. Inhabitants. The whole country is thinly inhabited, and the greater portion is occupied by Indians, the whites being only about 220,000, and the blacks 60,000. Many of what are called the wild Indians or Indios bravos, dwell in villages, and raise plantains, cassava, and cotton. The civilized Indians are those among whom the Spaniards have established missions, and introduced Christianity. They are indolent, peaceful, and ignorant. The population may in general be divided into three classes, corresponding to the three great natural divisions of the country. Along the shore, in the valleys, and on the mountains, agriculture and commerce are pursued, and here the whites are most numerous. In the great plains, the inhabitants or llaneros, as they are called, lead a pastoral life, raising large flocks and herds, and keeping great numbers of horses, all of which abound in these natural pastures. These are chiefly Indians and mixed races. In the woody and mountainous regions of the south, beyond the Orinoco, are tribes of hunters, many of whom are at perpetual war with each other, and have all the characteristics of savages.

10. Government. Since the separation of Venezuela from New Grenada, a new constitution has been adopted, resembling that of the latter.

LII. REPUBLIC OF THE EQUATOR.

1. Extent and Population. The republic of the Equator (Ecuador) is bounded on the north by New Grenada and Venezuela; east by the empire of Brazil; south by Peru; and west by the Pacific Ocean. It extends from 2° N. to 6° 30′ S. Lat., and from 65° to 81° W. Lon., having an area of 325,000 square miles, with a population of 650,000souls. 2. Mountains. The western part of the state is traversed from south to north by a chain of the Andes, forming a double ridge of colossal summits, the valley between which constitutes an elevated table-land, from 25 to 50 miles in width, and from 9,000 to 9,500 feet in height. The principal summits projecting above this great plateau, are Chimborazo 21,730 feet high, and the volcanoes of Antisana 19,400, Cotopaxi 19,000, and Pichincha 16,000 feet high.

Above the height of 16,750 feet these mountains are covered with perpetual snow. Chimborazo has been ascended to the height of 19,800 feet, probably the highest point on the surface of the globe ever trodden by the foot of man; the air is here so much rarified that blood issued from the eyes, lips, and gums of the visiters.

3. Rivers. The whole of the eastern part of the state is traversed by the great river Maranon or Amazon, which forms part of the southern boundary of the republic. It receives the Napo, the Putumayo or Ysa, and the Tigre from the north, and the Huallaga, the Ucayali, and the Javari from the south, within the limits of the republic. The other most important river is the Guayaquil, which is navigable for the largest vessels to the distance of 40 miles from the sea, and empties itself into the fine bay of the same name.

4. Climate and Face of the Country. Although this country lies directly under the equator, the great elevation of the central valley, and of the western table-land renders the climate of those sections mild and temperate. In the low country along the coast the heat is excessive, and the climate is dangerous to foreigners. The productions resemble those of New Grenada.

5. Divisions. The territory of the republic is divided into three departments, which are subdivided into eight provinces.

Departments.
Equator,
Guayaquil,
Assuay,

Capitals.
Quito.

Guayaquil.

Cuenca.

vege

6. Towns. Quito, the capital of the Equator, is built on an elevated plain, on the eastern slope of the western chain of the Andes, at an elevation of 9,600 feet. At this elevation the climate is such that tation never ceases. Around the city are seen eleven colossal summits, covered with perpetual snow, and reaching the height of from 16,000 to 21,000 feet. Several of these are volcanoes, and the city is so often visited by earthquakes, that the buildings are, like those of Bogota, low but solid. The episcopal palace, the government house, and the cathedral, with numerous convents and churches, are the most remarkable public edifices. The university of Quito has enjoyed great celebrity in South America. The streets are irregular and crooked, and so uneven as not to be adapted to carriages. Population 70,000.

Guayaquil is distinguished for the excellence of its harbor, and the extent of its commerce. The government has a navy-yard here, and ship building is extensively carried on. Population 22,000.

Riobamba, with 20,000 inhabitants, Ibarra, with 10,000, and Latacunga, with 17,000, are among the other most important towns.

Cuenca, situated at an elevation of more than 8,000 feet above the level of the sea, contains a college, a Jesuit's house, and an episcopal palace. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the manufacture of cotton goods, hats, and confectionary. Population 20,000.

7. History, Inhabitants. This state formerly constituted the Spanish Presidency of Quito, which was dependent upon the viceroyalty of New Grenada. But a small proportion of the inhabitants are whites, the Indians and mixed breeds composing the bulk of the population. The civilised part of the population is confined to the central valley and the western coast, the vast tracts to the east of the mountains being occupied by independent and hostile tribes of savages. The aborigines belonged to the Peruvian family, and numerous remains of their architectural industry and skill are still visible.

In 1809 the inhabitants of Quito deposed the Spanish president, and after a long struggle, the Spanish authority was completely overthrown by the splendid victory of Pichincha in 1822, soon after which Quito was united with Colombia. This union was dissolved in 1830, and Quito formed an independent republic.