The route from Buenos Ayres to Potosi, which is 16 t7 geographical miles, and from Potosi to Lima, which is an additional 1215 miles, passes over the highest ridge of the Andes, and, according to the -account of Hobs, who crossed the continent by it to Lima, the traveller who undertakes sn arduous s journey-must expect to meet with every met of pri vation and hardship; not only from being exposed to the utmost extremes both of heat and cold, but from the rugged and impracticable nature of the country through which he has to pass. It is only during the summer that the passage across the can be attempted, and as this is the season when the mountain snows begin to melt, the streams which rush down the declivities of the Cordilleras are swelled to impetuous torrents. And this often hap. pens so suddenly, that the unfortunate traveller has no time to escape from the fury of the stream, but is swept down with his mule, and perishes miserably amid the precipices and dark abysses through which the foaming waters take their rapid course. To facilitate the passage across those rivers. wooden bridges are frequently constructed, of suth cient breadth to admit the passer of a traveller on horseback ; but where the river is too broad fer the construction of those bridges, other bridges are thrown over of a slighter construction. These are formed of a thin elastic cane, called injaco, and from thence they have received the name of bijuco bridges. Several of these canes are twisted together so as to form a large cable of the length required. Six of these being stretched from one side of the river to the other, two of which are considerably higher this the other four, sticks are laid in a transverse direc tion over the lower four, and over these branches of trees. The two uppermost ropes are fastened to the others that are lower, so as to serve as rails for the security of the passengers, who would otherwise be in no small danger from the continual oscillation. These bridges are only for men, the mules being taught to swim across the rivers. But where the rapidity of the torrent, and the large stones which it continually rolls down, render it impracticable for mules, a contrivance is adopted for passing them safely across, named a tarabita. This consists of two ropes made of bijuco, or of thongs of an ox-hide twisted together to a proper thickness. These ropes, being extended across the river, are fastened on each bank to strong posts, and the animal being slung in a sort of leathern hammock which depends from the ropes, and properly secured by girths round the belly, neck, and legs, is drawn to the opposite shore by means of ropes fastened to the hammock and ex. tending to both sides of the river. For the carry ing over men or baggage only one rope is required, and on one side is • winch or wheel by which it may be either tightened or slackened as circumstances may require.
• In those upper regions beat and cold depend, it is well known, not so much on the geographical pose Lion of any particular place, as on its height above the level of the sea. In South America, according ly, which is distinguished above all ether countries by the prodigious elevation of its sail, we find ever lasting ice and snow under the rays of a tropical son; and throughout the whole tract of this elevated country the climate is uniformly modified by the height of the land. In the low country, on the other hand, the distance from the equator fixes the climate; and the. extentlive and unsheltered -plains are et posed to the most scorching heats, more espeCially those towards the south. At Assumption, the coital 4,1 Paraguay, which is situated in 25° 16' 40" of south latitude, it is stated by Aura that, hi ordinary summer weather, Fahrenheit's thermometer rose, within doors, to 85 degrees ; and that, during the greatest heat of the season, it rose so high as 100. During the winter, in weather which would have been called cold, it fell to 45; but in seasons when the cold was unusually severe, such as in the years 1786 and 1789, the water was found frozen in a court adjoining his house. The nature of the weather depends, in a great measure, on the pre vailing winds. It is generally remarked, that a south or south-east wind brings cold weather, and that the weather is hot when the wind blows from the north. This last is the most prevailing wind,
the southerly wind not blowing, at the most, for more than a twelfth part of the year. The west wind is scarcely ever known, and, if it is sometimes felt, it scarcely continues for two hours together.
At Buenos Ayres, which is situated, in south lati tude 84° 25', the weather is, of course, colder than at Assumption; and it is considered as an ordinary winter in which there are only three or four days when wa ter is slightly frozen. Here, and on the coast, the winds are greatly more violent than in the interior. The west winds, which have been already noticed, are more frequent ; and those from the south-east, while they always bring rain in winter, are accom panied with clear weather in summer. The violent winds, which prevail both in summer and spring, raise clouds of dust which penetrate into all the apartments of the houses, and greatly incommode the inhabitants. Hurricanes are rare; but they sometimes occur. In the year 1799, the settlement of Atira in Paraguay was thrown down by one of them ; thirty-six persons were killed, many carri ages were blown away, and various other destruc tive consequences were experienced. The atmo vhere is everywhere filled with moisture, by which the furniture of the houses is injured. At Buenos Ayres, all the apartments which have a southern ex. posure have the floors continually damp ; the walls are also covered with moss, and the roofs with a sort of bushy grass, three feet in height, which must be cleared away every two or three years, to prevent the moisture from sinking down into the house. This moisture of the atmosphere does not appear to be in the least degree prejudicial to the health of the inhabitants. In no country is thunder and lightning more violent. The peals of thunder suc ceed each other with such rapidity, tha‘there seems hardly. an instant between them, and the whole hea vens appear as if they were illuminated with one flame. These thunder-storms are frequently fatal to indivi duals; and in one of them, which happened in January 1798, the lightning struck the town of Buenos Ayres in thirty-seven places, and killed nineteen persons.
The precious metals, which form such an import ant article of commerce in this viceroyalty, are en tirely derived from the western hich lie on the eastern declivity of the Cordillera, and which, in 1778, were separated from Peru. The fol lowing enumeration of the mines presently worked was extracted by Helms from the records of the chancery.
An account of the accidental discovery of the rich mines of Potosi will be found in the Encyclopredia un der the article Palm. In 1545, the first mine was for• malty registered. Another was discovered some days afterwards. A third, surpassing the two others in wealth, was distinguished by the name of Rica, which, with a fourth, were worked with great activity. The mountain, which at the base is .18 miles in circum ference, is pierced everywhere by the operations of the miners. According to JE-leirns, who visited Potosi in 1789, above three hundred pits were at that time worked ; but those who directed these works seemed totally ignorant of the first principles of mining. 'Few of them penetrated to a greater depth than 70 yards, and they were all of them worked as irregularly, as if it had been merely fir _ plunder. Many of the }sits were inundated with water ; to free them from which, a main conduit had been begun in 1778, which, in the course of nine years, had, at an incredible expence, been carried two miles in length. But so unskilfully had this im portant work been plunned, that even at its mouth the conduit was above the level of the water in many of the mines, after which it rose about one yard in every thirty-two, which rendered it still more inef ficacious. Eight new veins were intersected by this conduit, some of them containing very rich silver ores. Another conduit was inspected by Helms and the other German Mineralogists who accom.. parried him, which was begun about 100 years be fore, and which led to many rich veins of red and grey silver ore. For want of proper machinery, however, all the pita were filled with water ; though, under better management, they might have been made. to yield a considerable revenue to their pros prietors.