BRAZIL-1. Tingua, 3,600 feet. -2. Arasoiaba, 4,160 do.-3. Sierra do. Frio, 6,000 do.-4. Itacolumi, 6,175 do.-VENEZUELA-5. Mt. Duida, 8,000 feet.-6. Silla of Caraccas, 8,750 do.-15. Chimborazo, 21,730 do.- REPUBLIC OF THE EQUATOR-11. Cotopaxi, (volcanic,) 19,000 feet.-7. Pichincha, do. 16,000 do.-13. Antisana, do. 19,400 do. PERU 8. Arequipa, 17,750-NEW GRENADA-10. Quindiu, 18,000 feet.-12. Sierra of Santa Martha, 19,000 do. - CHILI-14. Chilian Range, 20,000 feet. - BOLIVIA -16. Illimani, 24,250 feet. 17. Sorata, 25,400.

are all uninhabited and rugged, and covered with perpetual snow and ice; but have lately acquired importance from the seal and whale fishery prosecuted on their coasts and the surrounding waters. Most of them have been lately discovered by European and American mariners. South Georgia extending to Lat. 55° was visited during the last century, as were also the frozen islands lying to the southeast, and known under the name of Sandwich Land. Southwest of the latter, lie the South Orkneys, a mass of rocks, discovered in 1822. Still further south and west, are the South Shetland isles, Lat. 61°-63°, Lon. 70°81° W., discovered in 1819, and containing some convenient harbors, and volcanic peaks. The little islands of Alexander and Peter, discovered in 1821, are the most southern regions (Lat. 694 S.) known. The Antarctic Ocean has not, however, been so carefully examined as the Artic seas, and the South Pole has not been so nearly approached, as the North.

In the Pacific Ocean, the Patagonian coast is lined with numerous islands, which have been but very recently examined. The principal group is the archipelago of Guayneco. Further north lie the Chonos islands, and the Archipelago of Chiloe, belonging to Chili. The Gallapagos, lying under the equator, 160 leagues west of the coast of New Grenada, enjoy a pleasant climate and a fertile soil. A colony from Guayapuill has recently been settled upon them.

7. Climate. The descriptions already given under separate heads show that South America, although lying principally within the tropics, presents a succession of all temperatures, from the tropical climates of the coasts and plains, and the eternal spring of the table lands, to the perpetual snows of the more elevated regions. The southern regions, extending far into the temperate zone, and exposed to the cold winds of the Antarctic Ocean have a severe and rigorous climate.

8. Vegetable Productions. The vegetation of South America is remarkable for its variety and its luxuriance. Upwards of 80 species of palms, equally distinguished for their beauty and size, and for their various uses, furnishing wine, oil, wax, flour, sugar, and salt, are found here. In the Brazilian forests there are no less than 259 species of wood useful for carpentry or dyeing. Fourteen species of the cinchona or Peruvian bark are collected in different districts. The guaiacum or lignumvitæ exudes a valuable gum, which, as well as its wood, possesses important medicinal powers. The caoutchouc or gum elastic, also called India rubber, is the milky juice of several plants found in Guiana, Brazil, and Buenos Ayres. It is obtained by making incisions through the bark, and is then spread while in its viscous state over a mould, and dried in a thick smoke. It is now so extensively used for making shoes and cloth, as to form an important article of commerce. Cacao, vanilla, maize, aracatscha, and potatoe are also natives of South America, as are also the cassava, from which tapioca is prepared, and the capsicum, whose pods yield the Cayenne pepper. The sugar-cane, indigoplant, cotton, coffee, and the cereal grains, which have been introduced by Europeans, thrive.

The cow-tree is found in Venezuela, and derives its name from the singular fact of its juice resembling milk. When an incision is made in the trunk, the juice issues out in great abundance, and is drunk by the inhabitants. This vegetable milk does not coagulate nor curdle like animal milk, but in other respects has an astonishing resemblance to it.

9. Minerals. The mineral kingdom is not less rich in precious productions. In Brazil, diamonds are found of the largest size and greatest abundance, but they are inferior in quality to those of the East Indies. Gold is found in mines, and in the sands of many rivers; the silver mines of Bolivia are among the most productive in the world, and platina has been found in various places. Tin, quicksilver, copper, and other useful metals are abundant, and salt is found in great plenty.

10. Animals. Among the animals of the cat kind, the largest and most fierce are the cougar or puma, which has already been described, the jaguar or ounce, the ocelot and the margay.

The jaguar, called also the American tiger, is inferior in size and strength to the cougar. He preys upon the larger quadrupeds, carrying off a horse or ox, with little difficulty. When he has singled out his victim from the herd, he leaps upon its back, and twisting the head with a sudden jerk, kills it instantly by dislocating the spine, The jaguar may be tamed; he is taken by the South Americans with dogs, or by means of the lasso. The ocelot is a beautiful but savage animal, holding an intermediate station between the leopard and the common

cat.

Like other creatures of the cat kind, he lies concealed during the day, and issues forth at night in pursuit of the smaller quadrupeds and birds. He is about 18 inches high, and the body is three feet in length. The margay is a smaller animal of the same family, common in Brazil and Guiana. There are also several other species of cats in South

America.

The tapir resembles the hog in its general form, but the legs and snout are longer. It is mild and timid, living upon fruits, and the young branches of trees. It grows to the height of three feet and a half, and it is six feet in length; the skin is tough, the flesh dry and disagreeable. There are two species of tapir, one of which inhabits the marshy plains of Guiana and Brazil, and the other the declivities of the Andes.

The peccary bears a strong resemblance to the common domestic hog, but is, however, of a distinct species, and differs in several striking characters. But the most remarkable distinction between it and all other quadrupeds, appears to consist in a large gland placed immediately beneath the skin on the middle of the loins, which secretes a fluid of an unpleasant smell. These animals are extremely numerous in all parts of South America. There are two species; the Collared peccary, and the White-lipped peccary. The former is the smallest of the two, seldom measuring three feet in length. The latter not unfrequently reaches the length of three feet and a half. These animals subsist for the most part on vegetable food, chiefly roots.

The llama or guanaco may be termed the South American camel, although it is much more graceful, and has more vivacity and intelligence, than the eastern camel. Like that animal it is used as a beast of burden, lying down to receive its load; it carries only from 150 to 200 pounds, travelling at the rate of from 12 to 15 miles a day. But though slow, it is sure footed, docile, and maintained at a trifling expense. The flesh is wholesome and pleasant, the wool and skin are both useful. When provoked, the llama avenges itself by spitting upon the aggressor, and the saliva is slightly corrosive. The vicugna is an animal of the same family, but somewhat smaller, and is valuable for its wool.

The paca is a small animal living in forests, near the water, and