SOUTH AMERIC A, one of the great continental ex tensions of the earth, and to which has been given a very improper relative name, since though confounded under one general term, the two sections of the newly disco vered continent stand much more detached from each other than do Asia and Africa, and beyond comparison more than Europe and Asia. In general features, and in vegetable and animal productions also, the two Ame ricas stand very strongly conrtasted.
South America reaches in a very nearly north and sou th direction from Cape Vela, N. lat. 12° 15', to Cape Horn, S. lat. 56°, or through above 68 degrees of latitude, 4743 miles. The greatest breadth is almost exactly at right angles to the greatest length. From Cape San Roque to Cape Blanco on the Pacific is very near 44 degrees of longitude, on from 4° to 5° S. lat. giving to the con tinent a width of upwards of three thousand miles.
On even a cursory glance on its map, coloured to re present, not the political, but natural subdivisions, the mountains and rivers of South America present them selves as the most distinguishing features. We find the continent united to North America by a mere strip of land, and expanding rapidly to the south-east. The con necting isthmus is really or apparently continued south ward in an immense system of mountains, to which the original Spanish discoverers bestowed in their just ad miration the title of Cordilleras. In the first ages of Spanish discovery, the Andes, as they are now univer sally called, were considered as continuous from one continent to the other, but more recent and accurate observation has rendered the connexion doubtful between the mountains of North and South America. Without attempting to decide the problem, we may proceed regard the Andes of South America as an immense system of mountains stretching along the western side of that continent in all its length, and dividing it into two very unequal inclined planes. Between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, the slope of land does not average one hundred miles in width, though extending along an inflected line of upwards of sixty degrees of latitude.
Rising from this confined border, the system of the Andes extends in lateral ridges, with unequal interven ing vallies ; the system extending in width from 100 to 00 miles. Here occur many of those elevated, and, from
their approach to the equator, habitable vallies, or ratner plateaus, which vary the features of every continent, but which in South America deserve particular notice. This will appear from a comparative view. In Europe, the table land of Spain is about 1900 feet above the level of the ocean. The table land of the Alps rises to about from 1300 to 1900 feet, and that of Bohemia and Silesia perhaps at a mean of 1400 feet. The highest level in France* is Auvergne, which rises to 2360 feet above the ocean level. The central plateaus of Asia and Africa are not very accurately determined, but must be far more elevated than the high plains of Europe.
In South Am erica,t the Cordilleras of the Andes exhi bit at immense heights plains comparatively level. Such is the plain between the sources of the Meta and Mag dalena, N. lat. 3° 5', elevated 8413 feet, where on its surface stands the city Santa Fe de Bogota. Some of the vallies and plateaus of Peru are equally, if not still more elevated. But the volcanic region of Pichincha, only 13 minutes south of the equator, sustains the city of Quito at the height of 9500 feet above the Pacific.
The enormous summits or peaks of this vast system may be said literally to pierce the heavens, and not only reach, but pass the region of perpetual snow. Though it is probable that the Andes of Chili are as high as those of Colombia, the latter part of the system has been scientifically measured, whilst the more southern chains have not been visited by travellers of adequate activity and science. The following tabular view contains the height of the most remarkable peaks of the Colombian ndes From this congeries of chains, peaks, and ridges, arc precipitated westward into the Pacific, innumerable small, but locally interesting rivers. Of the Pacific river system of South America, the Guayaquil Patia, neither having a comparative course of 200 miles, are neverthe less the most considerable streams, but on the eastern slope, the lengthened volumes of the Magdalena, Ori noco, Amazon, Plate, St. Francis, Colorado, and Cusu Leuvu, compensate for the brevity of those westward from the Andes.