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Antiqua
Antiqua; Spaltensatz; Auszeichnung: Kursivierung.
FROM THE NEW-YORK DAILY ADVERTISER.
The following abstract of the American Travels
of the celebrated Baron
panion
which the former has kindly furnished, and will
supersede the many very incorrect accounts hither-
to published relative to this interesting object.
Baron
year 1790, as a naturalist, through Germany, Po-
land, 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 ac-
company captain
world. Citizen
pland
the Paris museum, was also to have accompanied
them; when on the point of departing, the
whole plan was suspended until a more favorable
opportunity, owing to the re-commencement of
the war with Austria, and to the consequent want
of funds.
Mr.
ed the plan of travelling through India at his own
expence, 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 expedition to
to go to
ried the consul
van which goes from
through
sian gulph to the English East-India establish-
ments. The war which unexpectedly broke out
in October, 1798, between France and the Bar-
bary powers, and the troubles in the East, pre-
vented Mr.
seilles, where he had been fruitlessly two months
waiting to proceed. Impatient at this delay, and
continuing firm in his determination to go to
readily under the Spanish flag from Carthagena to
collection of philosophical, chemical, and astro-
nomical instruments, which he had purchased in
England and France.
From a happy concurrence of circumstances,
he obtained, in February,
of Madrid, a permission to visit the
lonies of the two Americas
was granted with a liberality and frankness, which
was honorable to the government and to a philo-
sophic 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.
panied by Mr.
knowledge in botany and zoology, added an in-
defatigable zeal. It is with this friend that Mr.
his travels in the two hemispheres, by land and
sea, probably the most extensive which any indi-vidual has ever undertaken.
These two travellers left
ship
ascended to the crater of the Peak of Teneriffe, and
made
experiments on the analysis of the air. In
July they arrived
at the port of
America
Paria, the missions 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
of
Guayana. In January, 1800, they left Caraccas
to visit the beautiful vallies of
great lake of Valencia recals to the
mind the views of
the lake of Geneva, embellished by the
majesty 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
in the shade (by the reverberation of heat)
the thermometer of
to 115 F.)
degrees. The level of the country for
2000 square leagues
does not differ five inches.
The sand every where represents
the horizon of
the sea, without vegetation; and its dry
bosom
hides the crocodiles, and the torpid boa (a
species
of serpent.) The travelling here, as in all
America
back. They passed whole days without seeing a
palm-tree or the vestige of a human dwelling. At
nas, Messrs.
fatiguing navigation of
nearly 1000 marine leagues,
executed in canoes, making a
chart of the country
by the assistance of chronometers, the
satellites of
Jupiter, and the lunar distances. They
descended
the
noco, in seven degrees of latitude. They ascended
the last
river (passing the celebrated cataracts of
Mapure and
From thence they ascended the small rivers
of
Sarita they crossed by land to the sources of
the
famous Rio Negro, which
it
joins the
fresh water. About thirty Indians carried the ca-
noes through woods of Mami Lecythis and Laurus
It was by this
small stream that the travellers enter-
ed the Rio Negro, or
Black River, which they de-
scended to St. Carlos, which has
been erroneously
supposed to be placed under the
at 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 practi-
cable, would present a fine
internal communication
between the Para and the province of
Carracas, a
communication infinitely shorter than that of
Cas-
siquiare. From the fortress 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 (a race of men almost pigmies, very
white and very warlike) render fruitless any at-
tempts to
reach the sources themselves.
From the Esmeralda Messrs. H. and B. went
down the Oronoco, when the waters rose, towards
its mouths at St. Thomas de la Guayana, or the
gostura
were in a continued state of suffering, from want
of nourishment, and shelter from the night rains,
from living in the woods, from the mosquetoes, and
an infinite variety of stinging insects, and from the
impossibility of bathing, owing to the fierceness of
the miasmata of a burning climate. They returned
to Cumana by the plains of Caritana, the mission
of the Carib Indians, a race of men very different
from any other, and probably, after the Patagoni-
ans, the tallest and most robust in the world.
After remaining some months at
and Cumana, the travellers arrived at the Havan-
na, after a tedious and dangerous navigation, the
vessel being in the night on the point of striking
upon the
months in the
island of Cuba, where he occupied
himself in ascertaining
the longitude of the Havan-
na, and in constructing stoves on
the sugar planta-
tions, which have since been pretty
generally adopted.
They were on the point of setting off for
Vera
Cruz, meaning, by the way of Mexico and
pulco
thence, if it was possible, by
Bombay and
to
Constantinople, when some false reports relative
to
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.
had promised to Mr.
Paris, that
wherever he might be, he would en-
deavour 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
united to the labours of the learned men who
would
accompany captain
These considerations induced Mr.
send his manuscripts, for 1799 and 1800, direct
to Europe, and to freight a small schooner at Ban-
tabano, 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 cap-
tain
him to visit New-Holland, and the Islands of the
Pacific Ocean, equally interesting in a moral point
of view, as by the luxuriance of their vegetation.
It appeared imprudent to expose the manuscripts
and collections already made to the risks of this
proposed 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 in-
sects of the Oronocco and of the Rio Negro they were on-
ly duplicates; but unhappily, friar
monk of the order of St.
whom they were entrusted, perished with them.
He was a young man full of ardor, who had pene-
trated into this unknown world of Spanish Guayana
further than any other European.
Mr.
and passed to the south of the island of Cuba, on
which he determined many geographical positions.
The passage was rendered very long by calms,
and the currents carried the little schooner too
much to the west, to the mouths of the
The vessel put into the river Sinu, where no
botanist had ever before visited, and they had a
very difficult passage up to Carthagena. The sea-
son being too far advanced for the South Sea navi-
gation, the project of crossing the isthmus was
abandoned; and animated by the desire of being
acquainted with the celebrated
ing his immensely rich collections of objects of na-
tural history, Mr. H. determined to pass some
weeks in the woods of Turbaco, and to ascend
(which took forty days) the beautiful river of Ma-
dalaine, of the course of which he sketched a
chart.
From Honda, our travellers ascended through
forests of oaks, of melastomo, and of cinchona,
(the tree which affords the Peruvian bark), to St.
Fe de Bogota, capital of the kingdom of New Gre-
nada, situated in a fine plain, elevated 1360 toises
(of six French feet) above the level of the sea. The
superb collections of
of the Tequendama (falls of 98 toises height) the
mines of Mariquita, St. Ana, and of Tipaquira, the
natural bridge of Scononza (three stones thrown
together in the manner of an arch, by an earth-
quake) these curious objects stopped the progress
of Messrs.
of September, 1801.
At this time, notwithstanding the rainy season
had commenced, they undertook the journey to
Quito, and passed the
are snowy mountains covered with wax palm-trees,
(palmiers a cire), with passe
of the growth of trees, storax, and bambusa (bam-
boo). 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 Platina,
which was there found in
round pieces of basalte and green
rock (grein
stein of
by
near the volcanoes of
picturesque situation, and
enjoying the most deli-
cious 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 volca-
no of Purace, whose mouth, in the middle of
snow, throws out vapours of hydrogene, with con-
tinued and
frightful rumbling.
From
files of
gious 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
por-
tion of country, fertile in European grain, but
ele-
vated 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,
swallowed up 42,000
inhabitants, in a few seconds);
its fertility, 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 electrome-
ters, barometers, and hygrometers.
could only stop here a few minutes, and that with-
out instruments. In his time, this immense crater
was cold and filled with snow. Our travellers
found it inflamed; distressing information 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
rague, and Chimborazo, the last the highest
point of our globe. They studied the geological
part of the Cordillera of the
ject nothing has been
published in Europe; mine-
ralogy, (if the expression may be
used) having
been created, as it were, since the time of
Conda-
mine. The geodesical measurements proved that
some mountains, particularly the volcano of Tun-
garague, has considerably lowered since 1750,
which result agrees with the observations made to
them by
the inhabitants.
During the whole of this part of the journey,
they were
accompanied by Mr.
son of the
person zealous for the progress of science, and who
is, at his own expence, re-building the pyramids of
Saraqui, the extremity of the celebrated bases of
the triangles of the Spanish and French academi-
cians. This interesting young man having follow-
ed Mr.
through Peru and the kingdom of
New-Spain, is
now on his passage with him to Europe.
Circumstances were so favorable to the efforts of
the three
travellers, that at
2200 French feet, and at Chimborazo, on June
22,
1802, nearly 3200 feet higher than
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 distant 134 toises.
It was at Quito that Mr.
letter from the National Institute of France,
in-
forming him, that Capt.
the Cape 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
desire of comparing
the barks, (cinchona) disco-
vered by Mr.
with those of Popayan, and the cuspa and cuspare
of New-Andalusia, and of the river Caroni (named
falsely Cortex Augustura), with the cinchona
(bark) of Loxa and Peru, they preferred deviating
from the
beaten track from Cuenza to Lima; but
they passed with
immense difficulties in the carri-
age of their instruments
and collections, by the fo-
rest (paramo) of Saragura to
Loxa, and from
thence to the province of Saen de
Bracamoros.
They had to cross thirty-five times, in two
days,
the river Guancabamba, so dangerous for its
sud-
den 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
with
fountains and taverns.
They descended the river Chamaya, which led
them into that of
the
this last river down to the cataracts of Tomeperda,
one of the most fertile, but one of the hottest, cli-
mates of the habitable globe. From the
river
leras of the
they had passed the
tion being 0, although
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 plea-
sure of seeing the Pacific Ocean.
They followed
its barren sides, formerly watered by the
canals of
the Yngas at Santa, Guerma, and Lima. They re-
mained 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.
the 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
re-
cent productions in chemistry, mathematics, and
medicine; and he found great activity of mind in
either rains or thunders, have been falsely accused
of
indolence.
From Lima our travellers passed by sea to Gua-
yaquil,
situated on the brink of a river, where the
growth of the
palm-tree is beautiful beyond des-
cription. They every
moment heard the rumbling
of the volcano of Cotopaxi, which
made an alarm-
ing explosion on the 6th of January, 1803.
They
immediately set off to visit it a second time,
when
the unexpected intelligence of the speedy depar-
ture of the frigate Atalanta determined them to
return, after being seven days exposed to the
dreadful attacks of the mosquitoes of
and Ujibar.
They had a fortunate passage, by the Pacific
Ocean, to
dom 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 un-
healthy.
Mr.
main only a few months in Mexico, and to
hasten
his return to Europe; his voyage had already
been
too much protracted, his instruments,
particularly
the chronometer, 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 considera-
tion, that the progress of science is so rapid in Eu-
rope, 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 in-
teresting at the moment of publishing the result of
your labours. Mr.
in August or
September, 1803; but the at-
tractions 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
ancient. They rise, by small degrees, from the
ancient valley of Mescala and Papagayo, where
the thermometer of
constantly
from 28 to 31 (95 to 101 Fahr.) in a
region 6 or 700 toises
above the level of the sea,
where you find the oaks, the
pines, and the fou-
gere, (fern) as large as trees, and where
the Eur-
opean grains are cultivated. They passed by
Tasco, by Cuerna Vacca, to the capital of Mexi-
co. This city, of 150,000 inhabitants, is placed
upon the ancient scite of Texochtitlan, between
the lakes of Tezcuco and Xochimilco, lakes which
have lessened somewhat since the Spaniards have
opened the canal of Hacheutoca, in sight of two
snow-topped mountains, of which one, Hopoca-
tepec, 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
above the sea,
in a mild and temperate climate,
may doubtless be compared
to some of the finest
towns in Europe. Great scientific
establishments,
such as the Academy of Painting,
Sculpture, and
Engraving, the College of Mines, (owing to
the
liberality of the Company of Miners of Mexico),
and the Botanic Garden, are institutions which
do honour to the government which has created
them.
After remaining some months in the valley of
Mexico, 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 val-
ley of St. Jago to
Valladolid, in the ancient
kingdom of Michuacan, one of the
most fertile and
charming provinces of the kingdom. They
de-
scended from Pascuaro towards the coast of the
Pacific Ocean to the plains of Serrullo, where,
in
level,
surrounded by two thousand small mouths,
from whence smoke
still continues to issue.
They arrived almost to the bottom
of the crater
of the great volcano of Serrullo, of which
they
analysed the air, and found it strongly
impregna-
ted with carbonic acid. They returned to
Mex-
ico by the valley of Toluca, and visited the
volcano, to the highest point of which they ascen-
ded, 14,400 French feet above the level of the
sea.
In the months of January and February, 1804,
they pursued
their researches on the eastern
descent of the Cordilleras,
they measured the
mountains Merados, de la Puebla,
Popocatyce,
Izazihuatli, the great peak of Orizaba, and
the
Cofre de Perote; upon the top of this last Mr.
sun. In fine, after some residence at Xalappa,
they embarked at Vera Cruz, for the Havanna.
They resumed the collections they had left there
in 1801,
and by the way of Philadelphia, em-
barked for France, in
July 1804, after six years of
absence and labours. A
collection of 6000 dif-
ferent species of plants (of which a
great part are
new) and numerous mineralogical,
astronomical,
chemical, and moral observations, have
been the
result of this
the highest praises to the liberal protection granted
to his researches by the Spanish government.
Baron
14th of September, 1769.