LatAm Digital Edition and Gazetteer

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state to maintain itself. Thus the colonists lived for some years, and in time the productions in which their commerce consisted, increased to such a degree as to have caused them to excel all the other English colonies,

ALUEMAur.E, another county or part of Vir ginia, washed by the river Fluvana on the s. which divides itself into several branches, and adds much to the fertility of the country. It is bounded e. by the county of Goochland, w. divided by a chain of mountains of Augusta, and by that of Louisa on the «. [It contains 12,585 inha bitants, including 5579 slaves. Its extent, about S5 miles square.]

Albemarle, a strait, which is the mouth or entrance into the sea of the river Roanoke.

ALBERTO, a small settlement or ward of the head settlement of the district of Tlazintla, and alcafdia mayor of Ixmiqailpan, in Nueva Espana.

[ALBION, New, the name given by Sir Francis Drake to California, and part of the n. w. coast of America, when he took possession of it. A large uncertain tract of the n. w, coast is thus called. Its limits, according to Mr. Arrow smith’s chart, are between 27° 12' and 41° 15' 71. lat. Humboldt asserts, that, agreeably to sure historical data, the denomination of New Albion ought to be limited to that part of the coast which extends from the 43° to the 48°, or from Cape White of Martin de x\guilar, to the entrance of Juan de Fuea. Besides, he adds, from the mis sions of the Catholic priests to those of the Greek priests, that is to say, from the Spanish village of San Francisco, in New California, to the Russian establishments on Cook river at Prince William’s bay', and to the islands of Kodiac and Unalaska, there are more than a thousand leagues of coast inhabited by' free men, and stocked with otters and Phocre! Consequently, the discussions on the extent of the New Albion of Drake, and the pre tended rights acquired by certain European na tions, from planting small crosses, and leaving inscriptions fastened to trunks of trees, or the burying of bottles, may be considered as futile. The part of the coast on which Capt. Cook landed on the 7th of March 1778, and which some desig nate as Nezo Albion, is in n. lat. 44° 33'. e. long. 235° 10', which he thus describes : “ The land is lull of mountains, the tops of w hich are covered with snow, while the vallies between them, and the grounds on the sea-coast, high as well as low, are covered with trees, which form a beautiful prospect, as of one vast forest. At first the natives seemed to prefer iron to every other article of

commerce; at last they preferred brass. They were more tenacious of their property than any of the savage nations that had hitherto been met with ; so that they would not part with wood, water, grass, nor the most trifling article without a compensation, and were sometimes very unrea sonable in their demands.” See Calii^ornia, New.]

ALBOR, a small island of the N. or Atlantic sea, one of the Bahamas, between those of Neque and 8. Salvador.

ALBUQUERQUE, Santa Rosa de, a settle ment and real of the silver mines of the alcaldia mayor of Colotlan in Nueva Espana. It is 19 leagues s. w. of the head settlement of the district of Tlaltcnango.

Albuquehque, a townof New Mexico, situate on the shore of the Rio Grande (large river) of the N. [opposite the village of Atrisco, to the w. of tlie Sierra Obseqra. Population 0000 souls.]

Albuquerque, a small island, or low rocks, of the N. sea, near that of 8. Andres.

ALCA, a settlement of the province and corre gimienlo of Condensuyos of Arequipa in Peru.

ALCALA, a settlement of the province and alcaldia mayor of Chiapa, and kingdom of Gua temala, in the division and district of that city.

ALCAMANI, a branch of the head settlement of the district and alcaldia mayor of Igualapa in Neuva Espana, and two leagues to the n. of the same.

ALCANTARA, S. Antonio de, a town of the province and captainship of Maranam' in the kingdom of Brazil. It luis been frequently invaded by the infidel Indians, who destroyed its work shops, so that its inhabitants have been much reduced.

Alcantara, S. Antonio de, another settle ment in the province and district of Chanco, in the kingdom of Chile, near the shore of the rivec Mataquino.

ALCARAI, a small river of the province and government of Buenos Ayres. It runs e. and enters the river La Plata between those of Lay man and Gomez.

ALCATRACES, Ishmd of the, one of those which lie n. of St. Domingo, between the s. point of the Caico Grande, and the Panuelo Quadrado, (square handkerchief).

ALCIIICHlCd, 8 . Martin de, a ward of the head settlement erf the district and alcaldia mayor of Izucar in Nueva Espana, belonging to that of Santa Maria de la Asuncion.

ALCHIDOMAS, a settlement of the province of the Apaches in Nuevo Mexico, situate on the

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as to render it impracticable to cross them. In the road they usually take lies the steep declivity of San Antonio, extremely difficult to be passed. The mules however are so well versed in the manner of letting themselves slide down it, that there has never been an instance of these animals falling. The 'vegetable productions of this province are confined to bark, and from this no emolument is derived, although it was discovered, after much search and solicitude, by the Lieutenant-colonel Don Miguel de Santistevan. It accordinglj'- provides itself with all that it may require in this way from the adjoining provinces of Riobamba and Tacunga. It is of a very cold temperature, from its being so near to the mountainous desert of Chimborazo. Its natives amount to 2000 souls, the greater part of them being Mustees, and the ■whole are divided into seven settlements, of which the capital bears the same name ; and although this was formerly the residence of the corregidor, yet has it of late been deserted for the settlement of Guaranda. The seven settlements are,

San Lorenzo, Guaranda,

Asancoto, Guanujo,

Chapacoto, Tomabelas.

San Miguel,

CHIMBORAZO, a very lofty mountain or desert of the cordillera of the province and corregimiento of Riobamba, in the kingdom of Quito; which, in the language of the country, signifies mountain of the other side. It is covered with everlasting snow, and is the loftiest mountain in the known world, since its height, taken by the academicians of the sciences of Paris, is 3220 toises from the level of the sea to its top, which terminates in a cone or truncated pyramid. Its sides are covered with a kind of white sand or calcined earth with loose stones, and a certain herb called pajon, which affords pasture for the cattle of the neighbouring estates. The warm streams flowing from its n. side should seem toAvarrantthe idea that within it is a volcano. From its top flow down many rivers, which take different winding courses; thus the Guaranda runs 5. the Guano s. e. and the Machala e. On its skirt lies the road which" leads from Quito to Guayaquil ; and in order to pass it in safety, it is requisite to be more cautious in choosing the proper season than were the Spanish conquerors of this province, who were here frozen to death. North of the town of Riobamba, in lat. 1° 21' 18" s. according to the observations of M. La Condamine. fThis mountain was visited, on the 23d of June 1797, by Humboldt; who with his party reached its €. slope on that day, and planted their instru-

ments on a narrow ledge of porphyritie rock Avhich projected from the vast field of unfathomcd snow. A chasm, 500 feet wide, prevented their further ascent. The air was reduced to half its usual density, and felt intensely cold and piercing. Respiration was laborious and blood oozed from their eyes, their lips and their gums. They stood on the highest spot ever trod by man. Its height, ascertained from barometrical observation, was 3485 feet greater than the elevation attained in 1745 by Condamine, and 19,300 feet above the level of the sea. From that extreme station, the top of Chimborazo was found, by trigonometrical measurement, to be 2140 feet still higher.

CHIMBOTE, a small pointed island of the S. sea, on the coast of Peru, and province and corregimiento of Santa. It lies close to another called Corcobado.

CHIMBUZA, a large lake of the province and government of Barbacoas, of the kingdom of Quito, to the s. w. of the river Patia, formed by a narrow canal, through ■which the Avater of this river enters, and so forms the same lake into a sheet of water of an oblong figure, two leagues in length, and half a league in breadth. This lake has another narrow canal, through which the water issues, and re-unites itself with the same river.

CHIMENE, a port of the e. coast of the island of San Juan in Nova Scotia.

CHIMICA, a small province of the government of Santa Marta in the Nuevo Reyno de Granada. It is almost as it were desert and abandoned, notwithstanding that it produces a good quantity of maize. The climate is hot and unhealthy ; and although it was formerly peopled by the Chimicas Indians, none of these are now found to reside here.

CHIMILAS, a barbarous nation of Indians of the Nuevo Reyno de Granada, in the province of Santa Marta. They inhabit the Avoods to the e. of the large river Magdalena, go naked, and have no fixed abodes. They are cruel and treacherous, and are bounded by the nation of the Guaxiros.

CHIMIRAL, a river of the province and corregimiento of Copiapo in the kingdom of Chile. It rises in the SnoAvy sierra, runs w. and enters the sea in the point of its name. It in many parts runs in so inconsiderable a stream as frequently to be in all appearance lost before it enters the sea.

CHIMIRAL ALTO, a settlement of this province and kingdom ; situate on the shore of the former river.

Same name, a point of the coast ef the same kingdom.

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which is above 100 leagues distant, and that through a desert country.]

COBITU, a river of the province and missions of the Gran Paititi. It rises in the mountains of the infidel Indians, which serve as a boundary to the province of Larecaja ; runs nearly due n. collecting the waters of many others, and enters theMarmore w ith the name of Mato.

COBLER’S Rock, a rock or isle of the North sea, very close upon the e. coast of the island of Barbadoes.

[COBLESKILL, a new town in the county of Schoharie, New York, incorporated March 1797.]

COBO, a river of the province and government of Neiva in the Nuevo Reyno de Granada. It rises in a llanura^ or plain, runs w, and enters the river Magdalena, opposite the city of La Plata.

COBORCA, a large and capacious bay of the province of Pimeria in Nueva Espana.

COBOS, a fortress of the province and government of Tucuman in Peru ; of the district and jurisdiction of the city of Salta, from whence it is nine leagues distant ; having been founded in 1693 at the foot of a declivity, to serve as an outwork or defence against the Indians of Chaco, it is at present destroyed and abandoned, and serves as a country-house on the estate of an individual.

COBRE, Santa Clara de, a settlement of the alcald'ia mayor of Valladolid, in the province nnd bishopric of Mechoacan. It contains 100 families of Spaniards, bO oi Mustees, 38 of Mulattoes, and 135 of Indians ; some of whom speculate in working the mines of copper which are close by, others in the cultivation of maize, and others gain their livelihood as muleteers. Three leagues s. of the city of Pasquaro.

COBRE, another settlement in the island of Cuba, on the s. coast.

Same name, a river of the province and government of Veragua in the kingdom of Tierra Firrae. It has its origin in the sierras of Guanico to the s. and enters the Pacific sea.

Same name, a mountain on the coast of the province and corregimiento of Coquimbo in the kingdom of Chile. It derives its name from some very abundant copper mines. Great quantities of this metal are carried from hence to Spain for founding artillery, and for different purposes.

COBULCO, a settlement of the province and alcaldia mayor of Los Zacatepeques in the kingdom of Guatemala.

COCA, a large river of the kingdom of Quito. It rises from different streams which flow down from the cordillera oi t\\e paramo, or mountain desert, of Cotopaxi. It continually follows the course

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of the large river Napo, and at last becomes incorporated with the same.

COCAGNE, a small river of Nova Scotia. It runs e. and enters the sea in the gulf of St. Lawrence, and in the strait formed by the island of St. John, opposite the island of its own name.

[COCALICO, a township in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.]

COCAMA, a great lake in the midst of the thick woods which lie in the country of Las Amazonas, to the s. and w. of tlie river Ucayale. It is 10 leagues long from n. to s. and six wide from e. to w. On the e. it flows out, through a little canal, into the river Ucayale, and on the w. it forms the river Cassavatay, which running n. and then e. enters also the Ucayale. Its shores are constantly covered with alligators and tortoises.

COCAMAS, a barbarous nation of Indians of the country of Las Amazonas, who inhabit the w'oods to the s. of the river Maraiion, and in the vicinities of Ucayale. It takes its name from the former lake, called La Gran Cocama. They are a barbarous and cruel race, wandering over the forests in quest of birds and wild beasts for mere sustenance. Their arms are the macana, and the Indian cimeter, or club of chonia, a very strong ebony.

COCANIGUAS, a settlement of the province and government of Esmeraldas in the kingdom of Quito.

COCAS, a settlement of the province and corregimiento of Castro Vireyna in Peru ; annexed to the curacy of Uuachos.

Same name, another settlement, in the province and corregimienito of Vilcas Huaiman, of the same kingdom ; annexed to the curacy of Tofos.

COCATLAN, San Luis de, a settlement of the head settlement of Coatlan, and alcadia mayor of Nexapa, in Nueva Espana. It contains 160 families of Indians, employed in the trade in cochineal and cotton stuffs. It is four leagues to the n. of its head settlement.

COCAYA, a river of the province and government of Maynas in the kingdom of Quito. It unites itself with the Ibinelo, and then takes the name of Unquizia, and enters the Putumayo.

COCHA, a settlement of the province and government of Jaen de Bracamoros in the kingdom of Quito.

Same name, another settlement of the province and corregimiento of Cotabambas in Peru ; annexed to the curacy of Llaaquas.

COCHA, another (settlement), of the province and corregimiento of Vilcas Huaiman in the same kingdom ; annexed to the curacy of Vilcas.

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