A M A Z O N branch of the Orinoco the drainage of the eastern slope Cayambe and the Colombian frontier. From the west, it of the “ oriental ” Andes of Colombia. The Negro is receives a secondary tributary, the Curaray, from the navigable for 450 miles above its mouth for 4 feet of Andean slopes, between Cotopaxi and the volcano of water in the dry season, but it has many sandbanks and Tunguragua. From its Coca branch to the mouth of the minor difficulties. In the wet season, it overflows the Curaray, the Napo is full of snags and shelving sandcountry far and wide, sometimes to a breadth of 20 miles, banks, and throws out numerous canos among junglefor long distances, and for 400 miles up, as far as Santa tangled islands, which in the wet season are flooded, Isabella, is a succession of lagoons, full of long islands giving the river an immense width. From the Coca to and intricate channels, and the slope of the country is so the Amazon, it runs through a forested plain where not a gentle that the river has almost no current. But just hill is visible from the river—its uniformly level banks before reaching the Uaupes there is a long series of reefs, being only interrupted by swamps and lagoons. From over which the river violently flows in cataracts, rapids, and the Amazon, the Napo is navigable for river craft up to whirlpools. The Uaupes is full of similar obstacles, some its Curary branch, a distance of about 216 miles, and fifty rapids barring its navigation, although a long stretch perhaps a few miles farther; thence, by painful canoe of its upper course is said to be free from them, and to navigation, its upper waters may be ascended as far as flow gently through a forested country. Despite the Santa Rosa, the usual point of embarkation for any venturesome traveller who descends from the Quito tableimpediments, canoes ascend this stream to the Andes. The Branco is the principal affluent of the Negro from the north ; land. The Coca river may be penetrated as far up as its it is enriched by many streams from the sierras which separate middle course, where it is jammed between two mountain Venezuela and British Guiana from Brazil. Its two upper main walls, in a deep canon, along which it dashes over high tributaries are the Uraricuera and the Taqutu. The latter almost falls and numerous reefs. This is the stream made famous links its sources with those of the Essequibo. The Branco flows by the expedition of Gonzalo Pizarro. nearly south, and finds its way into the Negro through several The Nanay is the next Amazon tributary of importance channels and a chain of lagoons similar to those of the latter river. It is 350 miles long, up to its Uraricuera confluence. It west of the Napo. It belongs entirely to the lowlands, has numerous islands, and, 235 miles above its mouth, it is and is very crooked, has a slow current, and divides much broken by a bad series of rapids. into canos and strings of lagoons which flood the flat, low The Yapuka. West of the Negro the Amazon re- areas of country on either side. It is simply the drainage ceives three more imposing streams from the north-west ditch of districts which are extensively overflowed in the —the Yapurd, the Iga or Putumayo, and the Napo. The rainy season. Captain Butt ascended it 195 miles, to near first was formerly known as the Hyapora, but its Brazilian its source. The Tigre is the next west of the Nanay, and is navigpart is now called the Yapura, and its Colombian portion the Caqueta. Barao de Marajo gives it 600 miles of able for 125 miles from its confluence with the Amazon. navigable stretches; but Crevaux, who descended it, de- Like the Nanay, it belongs wholly to the plains. Its scribes it as a frightful river-—forests, jungles, rapids, mouth is 42 miles west of the junction of the Ucayali cataracts, torrential rains, cannibals, and fevers throughout with the Amazon. Continuing west from the Tigre its course. It rises in the Colombian Andes, nearly in we have the Parinari, Chambira, and Nucuray, all short touch with the sources of the Magdalena, and augments lowland streams, resembling the Nanay in character. its volume from many branches as it courses through The Pastaza is the next large river we meet. It rises Colombia. It was long supposed to have eight mouths; on the Ecuadorian tableland, where a branch from the but Kibeiro de Sampaio, in his voyage of 1774, determined valley of Riobamba unites with one from the Latacunga that there was but one real mouth, and that the supposed basin and breaks through the inland range of the Andes; others are all furos or canos. In 1864-68, the Brazilian and joined, afterwards, by several important tributaries, Government made a somewhat careful examination of the finds its way south-east among the gorges; thence it turns Brazilian part of the river, as far up as the rapid of southward into the plains, and enters the Amazon at a Cupaty. Several very easy and almost complete water- point about 60 miles west of the mouth of the Huallaga. routes exist between the Yapura and Negro across the So far as known, it is a stream of no value except for low, flat intervening country. Barao de Marajo says there canoe navigation. Its rise and fall are rapid and unare six of them, and one which connects the upper Yapura certain, and it is shallow and full of sandbanks and snags. with the Uaupes branch of the Negro; thus the Indian The Morona flows parallel to the Pastaza and immeditribes of the respective valleys have facile contact with ately to the west of it, and is the last stream of any each other. importance on the northern side of the Amazon before The Ica, or Putumayo, west of and parallel to the reaching the Pongo de Manseriche. It is formed from a
apura, was found more agreeable to navigate by Crevaux. multitude of water-courses which descend the slopes of the
He ascended it in a steamer drawing 6 feet of water, and Ecuadorian Andes south of the gigantic volcano of Sangai; running day and night. He reached Cuemby, 800 miles but it soon reaches the plain, which commences where it above its mouth, without finding a single rapid. Cuemby receives its Cusulima branch. The Morona is navigable is only 200 miles from the Pacific Ocean, in a straight for small craft for about 300 miles above its mouth, but line, passing through the town of Pasto in southern it is extremely tortuous. Canoes may ascend many of its Colombia. There was not a stone to be seen up to the branches, especially the Cusulima and the Miazal, the base of the Andes; the river banks were of argillaceous latter almost to the base of Sangai. The Morona has earth and the bottom of fine sand. been the scene of many rude explorations, with the hope The Napo rises on the flanks of the volcanoes of Anti- of finding it serviceable as a commercial route between the sana, Sincholagua, and Cotopaxi. Before it reaches the inter-Andean tableland of Ecuador and the Amazon river. plains, ,it receives a great number of small streams from A river called the Paute dashes through the Eastern Andes impenetrable, saturated, and much broken mountainous from the valley of Cuenca; and a second, the Zamora, has districts, where the dense and varied vegetation seems to broken through the same range from the basin of Loja. fight for every square foot of ground. From the north, Swollen by their many affluents, they reach the lowlands it is joined by the river Coca, having its sources in and unite their waters to form the Santiago, which flows the gorges of Cayambe on the equator, and also a power- into the Maranon at the head of the Pongo de Manseriche. ful river, the Aguarico, having its headwaters between There is but little known of a trustworthy character re348
