Distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Antiqua
Antiqua; Spaltensatz; Auszeichnung: Kursivierung.
From the New-York Daily Advertiser
The following abstract of the American Travels of
the celebrated Baron
former has kindly furnished, and will supercede the
many very incorrect accounts hitherto published rela-
tive to this interesting object.
Baron
1790, as a naturalist, through Germany, Poland,
France, Switzerland, and through parts of England,
Italy, Hungary, and Spain, came to Paris in 1798,
when he received an invitation, from the directors of
the national museum to accompany captain
his voyage round the world. Citizen
Gourjon Bonpland
up in the Paris museum, was also to have accompanied
them; when on the point of departing, the whole
plan was suspended until a more favourable opportuni-
ty, owing to the re-commencement of the war with
Austria, and the consequent want of funds.
Mr.
the plan of travelling through India at his own ex-
pense, with a view of adding to the knowledge of the
sciences connected with natural history, then resolved
to follow the learned men, who had gone on the expe-
dition to
the Swedish frigate which carried the consul
brandt
giers to Mecca, going through
thence by the Persian golph to the English East-India
establishments. The war which unexpectedly broke
out in October, 1798, between France and the Bar-
bary powers, and the troubles in the East, prevented
Mr.
he had been fruitlessly two months waiting to proceed.
Impatient at this delay, and continuing firm in his
determination to go to
hoping to pass more readily under the Spanish flag
him the large Collection of philosophical, chymical,
and astronomical instruments, which he had purchased
in England and France.
From a happy concurrence of circumstances, he
obtained, in
February, 1789, from the court of Ma-
drid, a permission to visit
the
two Americas
a liberality and frankness, which was honourable to
the government and to a philosophick age. After a
residence of some months at the Spanish court, during
which time the king showed a strong personal interest
in the plan, Mr.
rope,
accompanied by Mr.
found knowledge in botany and zoology, added an in-
defatigable zeal. It is with this friend that Mr. Hum-
boldt has accomplished, at his own expense, his travels
in the two hemispheres, by land and sea,
most extensive which any individual has ever
under-
taken.
These two travellers left
ship
ded to the crater of the Peak of Teyde, and made ex-
periments on the analysis of the air. In July they
arrived at the port of
1799, 1800, they visited the coast of Paria, the mis-
sions of the Chaymas Indians, the province of New
Andalusia (a country which had been rent by the most
dreadful earthquakes, the hottest, and yet the most
healthy, in the world) of
la, and Spanish Guayana. In January, 1800, they
left Caraccas to visit the beautiful vallies of
where the great lake of Valencia recals to mind the
views of the lake of Geneva, embellished by the ma-
jesty of the vegetation of the tropics. From Porto
Cabello they crossed to the south, the immense plains
of Caloboza, of
Llanos, a desert similar to those of
the shade (by the reverberation of heat) the thermo-
meter of
degrees. The level of the country for 2000 square
leagues does not differ 5 inches. The sand every where
represents the horizon of the sea, without vegetation;
and its dry bosom hides the crocodiles, and the torpid
boas (a species of serpent.) The travelling here, as in
all
horseback. They passed whole days without seeing a
palm tree or the vestige of a human dwelling. At
Messrs.
navigation of nearly 1000 marine leagues, executed in
canoes, making a chart of the country by the assist-
ance of chronometers, the satellites of Jupiter, and
the lunar distances. They descended the
which empties itself into the Oronoco, in 7 degrees
of latitude.—They ascend the last river (passing the
celebrated cataracts of Mapure and
mouth of the Guaviare. From thence they ascended
the small rivers of
From the mission of Sarita they crossed by land to
the sources of the famous Rio Negro, which Conda-
mine saw, where it joins the
calls a sea of fresh water. About 30 Indians carried
the canoes through woods of Mami Lecythis and Lau-
rus Cinamomoides to the cano (or creek) of Pemichin.
It was by this small stream that the travellers enter-
ed the Rio Negro, or Black River which they des-
cended to St. Carlos, which has been erroneously sup-
posed to be placed under the
frontiers of Great Para, in the government of Brasil.
A canal from Tenie to Pemichin, which from the level
nature of the ground is very practicable, would pre-
sent a fine internal communication between the Para
and the province of Carracas, a communication infi-
nitely shorter than that of Cassiquiare. From the for-
tress of St. Carlos on the Rio Negro, Mr. H. went
north up that river and the Cassiquiare to the Oronoco,
and on this river to the volcano Daida or the mission
of the Esmeralda, near the sources of the Oronoco;
the Indians, Guaicas (or race of men almost pigmies,
very white and very warlike) render fruitless any at-
tempts to reach the sources themselves.
After remaining some months at
and Cumana, the travellers arrived at the Havanna,
after a tedious and dangerous navigation, the vessel
being in the night on the point of striking upon the
island of Cuba, where he occupied himself in ascer-
taining the longitude of the Havanna, and in con-
structing stoves on the sugar plantations, which have
since been pretty generally adopted. They were on
the point
the way of Mexico and
pine Islands, and from thence, if it was possible, by
Bombay and
false reports relative to
and made them change their plan. The gazettes held
out the idea that this navigator would proceed from
France to Buenos Ayres and from thence, by Cape
Horn, for Chili and the coast of Peru. Mr. Hum-
boldt had promised to Mr.
of Paris, that wherever he might be, he would endea-
vour to join the expedition, as soon as he should know
of its having been commenced. He flattered himself
that his researches, and those of his friend
might be more useful to science, if united to the la-
bours of the learned men who would accompany cap-
tain
These considerations induced Mr.
send his manuscripts, for 1799 and 1800, direct to
Europe, and to freight a small schooner at Bantabano,
intending to go to Carthagena, and from thence, as
quickly as possible, by the Isthmus of Panama, to the
South Sea. He hoped to find captain
Guayaquil, or at Lima, and with him to visit New-
Holland, and the Islands of the Pacific Ocean, equally
interesting in a moral point of view, as by the luxuri-
ance of their vegetation.
From the Esmeralda Messrs. H. and B. went down
the Oronoco, when the water rose, towards its mouth
at St. Thomas de la Guayana, or the
was during this long navigation that they were in a
continued state of suffering, from want of nourishment
and shelter from the night rains, from living in the
woods, from the mosquettoes, and an infinite variety
of stinging insects, and the impossibility of bathing,
owing to the fierceness of the crocodile and the little
carib fish, finally the miasmata of a burning climate.
They returned to Cumana by the plains of Cari and
the mission of the Carib Indians, a race of men very
different from any other, and probably, after the Pata-
gonians, the tallest and most robust in the world.
It appeared imprudent to expose the manuscripts
and collections already made to the risks of this pro-
posed navigation. These manuscripts, of the fate of
which Mr. H. remained ignorant during three years,
and until his arrival in Philadelphia, arrived safe, but
one third part of the collection was lost by shipwreck.
Fortunately, except the insects of the Oronoco and
Rio Negro they were only duplicates; but unhappily,
friar
the friend to whom they were entrusted, perished with
them. He was a young man full of ardour, who had
ana further than any other European.
Mr.
passed to the south of the Island of Cuba, on which
he determined many geographical positions. The pas-
sage was rendered very long by calms, and the cur-
rents carried the little schooner too much to the west,
to the mouths of the
the river Sinu, where no botanist had ever before visit-
ed, and they had a very difficult passage up to Car-
thagena. The season being too far advanced for the
South Sea navigation, the project of crossing the isth-
mus was abandoned; and animated by the desire of
being acquainted with the celebrated
miring his immensely rich collections of objects of na-
tural history, Mr. H. determined to pass some weeks
in the woods of Tobaco, and to ascend (which took
forty days) the beautiful river Madalaine of the
source of which he has sketched a chart.
From Honda, our travellers proceed through forests
of oaks, of melaslomo, and of cinchona, (the tree
which affords the Peruvian bark,) to St. Fe de Bogo-
ta, capital of the kingdom of New Grenada, situated
in a fine plain, elevated 1360 toises (of six French
feet) about the level of the sea. The superb collec-
tions of
dama (falls of 98 toises height) the mines of Mari-
quita, St. Ana, and of Tipaquira, the natural bridge
of Scononza, (three stones thrown together in the
manner of an arch, by an earthquake,) these curious
objects stopped the progress of Messrs.
At this time, notwithstanding the rainy season had
commenced, they undertook the journey to Quito,
and passed the
mountains covered with wax palm-trees, (palmers a
cire,) with passe flores, (passion flower) of the growth
of trees, storax, and bambusa (bamboo.) They were,
during 13 days, obliged to pass on foot through
places dreadfully swampy, and without any traces of
population.
(To be continued.)
(Concluded)
From the village of Carthago, in the valley of
Cauca, they followed the course of the choco, the
country of Palatina, which was there found in round
pieces of basalte and green rock (grein stein of
ner
ayan, a bishop’s see, and situated near the volcanoes
of Sotara and Purace, a most picturesque situation,
and enjoying the most delicious climate in the world,
the thermometer of Reamur keeping constantly at 16
to 18 (68 to 72 Fahr.) They ascended to the crater
of the volcano of purace, whose mouth, in the middle
of snow, throws out vapours of sulphureous hydrogene,
with continued and frightful rumbling.
From
of
valley of Patia, to Posto, and from this town, even
now situated at the foot of a burning volcano, by
Tuqueras and the province of Pastos, a flat portion of
country, fertile in European grain, but elevated more
than 1500 to 1600 toises above the towns of Ibarra and Quito.
They arrived, in January, 1802, at this beautiful
capital, celebrated by the labours of the illustrious
and
amiability of its inhabitants, and their happy turn for
the arts.
They remained nearly a year in the kingdom of
Quito; the height of its snow-capped mountains, its
terrible earthquakes (that of February 7, 1797, swal-
lowed up 42,000 inhabitants, in a few seconds), its fer-
tility, and the manners of its inhabitants, combined
to render it the most interesting spot in the universe.
After three vain attempts, they twice succeeded in
ascending to the crater of the volcano of Pichincha,
taking with them electrometers, barometers, and hy-
drometers.
minutes, and that without instruments. In his time,
this immense crater was cold and filled with snow.
Our travellers found it inflamed; distressing informa-
tion for the town of Quito, which is distant from it
only 5000 to 6000 toises.
They made separate visits to the snowy and por-
phyritic mountains of
raque, and Chimborazo, the last the highest point of
our globe. They studied the geological part of the
Cordillera of the
has been published in Europe, mineralogy (if the ex-
pression may be used) having been created, as it
were, since the time of
measurements proved that some mountains, particu-
larly the volcano of Tungaraque, has considerably
lowered since 1750, which result agrees with the ob-
servations made to them by the inhabitants.
During the whole of this part of the journey,
they were accompanied by Mr.
the
for the progress of science, and who is, at his own ex-
pense, rebuilding the pyramids of Saraqui, the extre-
mity of the celebrated bases of the triangles of the
Spanish and French academicians. This interesting
young man having followed Mr.
mainder of his journey through Peru and the kingdom
of New Spain, is now on his passage with him to Europe.
Circumstances were so favourable to the efforts of
the three travellers, that at
2200 French feet, and at Chimborazo, on June 22,
1802, nearly 3200 feet higher than
ble to carry his instruments. They ascended to 3036
toises elevation above the level of the sea, the blood
starting from their eyes, lips, and gums. An open-
ing, of 80 toises deep, and very wide, prevented them
from reaching the top, from which they were only dis-
tant 134 toises.
It was at Quito that Mr.
ter from the National Institute of France, informing
him; that captain
of Good Hope, and that there was no longer any hope
of joining him.
After having examined the country overturned by
the earthquake of Riobamba, in 1797, they passed
by the
comparing the barks (cinchona) discovered by Mr.
payan, and the cuspa and cuspare of New Andalusia,
and of the river Caroni (named falsely Cortex Angus-
tura) with the cinchona, (barks) of Loxa and Peru;
they preferred deviating from the beaten track from
Cuenza to Lima; but they passed with immense diffi-
culties in the carriage of their instruments and collec-
tions, by the forest (Paramo) of Saragura to Loxa,
and from thence to the province of Saen de Bracamo-
ros. They had to cross thirty-five times, in two days,
the river Guancabamba, so dangerous for its sudden
freshes. They saw the ruins of the superb Ynga
road comparable to the finest roads in France, and
which went upon the ridge of the
to the
verns.
They descended the river Chamaya, which led them
into that of
last river down to the cataracts of Tomeperda, one
of the most fertile, but one of the hottest, climates of
the habitable globe. From
returned to the south-east by the Cordillera of the
the
at seven degrees of south latitude. They visited the
mines of Hualguayoc, where native silver is found at
the height of 2000 toises. Some of the veins of these
mines contain petrified shells, and which, with those
of Pasco and Huantajayo, are actually the richest of
Peru. From Caxamarca they descended to Truxillo,
in the neighbourhood of which are found the ruins of
the immense Peruvian city, Mansiche.
It was on this western descent of the
the three voyagers, for the first time, had the pleasure
of seeing the Pacifick Ocean. They followed its
barren sides, formerly watered by the canals Yngas
at Santa Guerma, and Lima. They remained some
months in this interesting capital of Peru, of which
the inhabitants are distinguished by the vivacity of
their genius, and the liberality of their ideas.
Mr.
end of the passage of Mercury over the sun’s disk,
in the port of Callao. He was astonished to find, at
such a distance from Europe, the most recent produc-
tions in chemistry, mathematicks, and medicine; and
he found great activity of mind in the inhabitants,
who in a climate where it never either rains or thun-
ders, have been falsely accused of indolence.
From Lima our travellers passed by sea to Guaya-
quil, situated on the brink of a river, where the
growth of the palm tree is beautiful beyond descrip-
tion. They every moment heard the rumbling of the
volcano of Cotopaxi, which made an alarming explo-
sion on the 6th January, 1803. They immediately
set off to visit it a second time, when the unexpected
intelligence of the speedy departure of the frigate
Atalanta determined them to return, after being seven
of
They had a fortunate passage, by the Pacific O-
cean, to
of New Spain, famous for the beauty of its harbour,
which appears to have been formed by earthquakes, for
the misery of its inhabitants, and for its climate,
which is equally hot and unhealthy.
Mr.
main only a few months in Mexico, and to hasten
his return to Europe; his voyage had already been too
much protracted, his intruments, particularly the
chronometers, began to be out of order, and every
effort that he made to have new ones sent to him
proved of no avail; add to this consideration, that
the progress of science is so rapid in Europe, that,
in a journey that lasts four or five years, great risk is
run of contemplating the different phenomena under
aspects, which are no longer interesting at the mo-
ment of publishing the result of your labours. Mr.
tember, 1803, but the attractions of a country, so
beautiful and so varied, as is that of the kingdom of
New Spain, the great hospitality of its inhabitants,
and the fear of the yellow fever, fatal, from June to
November, for those who come from the mountainous
parts of the country, led him to stay a year in this
kingdom.
Our travellers ascended from
celebrated for its mines, as interesting as they are an-
cient. They rise, by small degrees, from the ardent
valley of Mescala and Papagayo, where the thermo-
meter of
from 28 to 31 (95 to 101 Fah.), in a region 6 or 700
toises above the level of the sea, where you find the
oaks, the pines, and the fougere (fern) as large as
trees, and where the European grains are cultivated.
They passed by Tasco, by Cuerna Vacca, to the capi-
tal of Mexico. This city of 150,000 inhabitants, is
placed upon the ancient site of Texochtitlan, between
the lakes of Tezcuco and Xochimilco, lakes which
have lessened somewhat since the Spaniards have open-
ed the canal of Hucheutoca, in sight of two snow-
topped mountains, of which one, Hopocatepec, is even
now an active volcano, surrounded by a great number
of walks, shaded with trees, and by Indian villages.
This capital of Mexico, situated 1160 toises abovethe sea, in a mild and temperate climate, may doubt-
less be compared to some of the finest towns in Eu-
rope. Great scientific establishments, such as the a-
cademy of painting, sculpture, and engraving, the col-
lege of mines, [owning to the liberality of the company
of miners of Mexico] and the botanick garden, are in-
stitutions which do honour to the government which
has created them.
After remaining some months in the valley of Mex-
ico, and after fixing the longitude of the capital,
which had been laid down with an error of nearly two
degrees, our travellers visited the mines of Moran and
Real del Monte, and the Cerro of Oyamel, where the
ancient Mexicans had the manufactory of knives
made of the obsidian stone. They soon after passed
by Queretaro and Salamanca to Guanaxoato, a town
of fifty thousand inhabitants, and celebrated for its
mines, more rich than those of Potosi have ever been.
The mine of the count of Valenciana, which is 1840
French feet perpendicular depth, is the deepest and
richest mine of the universe. This mine alone gives
to its proprietor nearly six hundred thousand dollars
annual and constant profit.
From Guanaxoato they returned by the valley of
St. Jago to Valladolid, in the ancient kingdom of Mi-
choacan, one of the most fertile and charming pro-
vinces of the kingdom. They descended from Pascu-
ara towards the coast of the Pacifick Ocean to the
plains of Serullo, where, in 1759, in one night, a vol-
cano arose from the level, surrounded by two thousand
small mouths, from whence smoke still continues to is-
sue. They arrived almost to the bottom of the crater
of the great volcano of Serullo, of which they ana-
lysed the air, and found it strongly impregnated with
carbonick acid. They returned to Mexico by the val-
ley of Teluca, and visited the volcano, to the highest
point of which they ascended, 14,400 French feet a-
bove the level of the sea.
In the months of January and February,
they pursued their researches on the eastern descent of
the Cordilleras, they measured the mountains Mora-
dos de la Puebla, Popocatyce, Izazihuatli, the great
peak of Orizaba, and the Cofre de Perote; upon the
top of this last Mr.
height of the sun. In fine, after some residence at
Xalappa, they embarked at Vera Cruz, for the Havan-
ah. They resumed the collections they had left there
in 1801, and by the way of Philadelphia, embarked for
France, in July,
labours. A collection of 6000 different species of plants
(of which a great part are new) and numerous mine-
ralogical, astronomical, chemical, and moral observa-
tions, have been the result of this expedition. Mr.
tection granted to his researches by the Spanish government.
Baron
of September, 1769.