Travels in the United States, etc.,: during 1849 and 1850./ By the Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley.

86 R-ES NAEIA
first place we stopped at was Buenaventura, which was a miserable-looking town. Whether it had ever seen better days in the
time of the Spanish dominion, and has become impoverished and
half depopulated since, I know not. The coast was rugged and
bold, but nobly wooded.
Buenaventura is the port of Bogota, on the Pacific. Those
who go by this route to the capital, generally follow the course of
the river Cauca to Cartago, from whence they ride along a dreadful road to Bogota. The time occupied altogether by this journey
is usually about three weeks. The country, we were told, is
splendid. The Atlantic and Pacific are thought to be connected
through a communication between the Cauca and the Magdelena.
From Buenaventura we proceeded to Guayaquil. Soon after
crossing the Line we found the heat intense, and so it continued
till we got near Callao. We were much amused by one of our
fellow-travelers in the morning rushing into the cabin to know
whether we would not go on deck to see the Line, as we were
very near it.
Before entering the Guayaquil river we passed the singular
rock called by the English Dead M[an's Island; by the Equadorians, El Enamortajado (corpse). We thought it looked very
much like a gigantic fossilized Egyptian mummy; a mnost colossal
corpse laid in state on its boundless ocean bed, with its face upturned to the everlasting sun and stars. Noble sepulchral lamps,
indeed
There is a story in reference to its sombre designation of terror,
of some men having been forgotten there and left to perish during
a Guayaquil Pronunciamiento; but its extraordinary formation is
sufficient to account for its melancholy name. After that we
passed a large island called Puna.
The river of Guayaquil is a noble, deep, large stream. While
we were ascending it we felt almost suffocated with the heat,
which was terribly oppressive. Guayaquil is eighty-five miles
from the mouth of the river. WThen the heat of the sun moderated, we went on deck.
I thought some of the scenery on the banks lovely; in many
parts they appeared to me to assume a particularly park-like
aspect, with charming openings between the groups of trees, that
nade one long to land and explore a little there-please the musquitoes.
WVe tried in vain to catch a glimpse of grand old kingly Chimborazo and the great Cotopaxi. There was a floating canopy of
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TRAVELS IN AMERICA.