Copy 1, Volume 1

The gallery of nature and art; or, a tour through creation and science. Comprising new and entertaining descriptions of the most surprising volcanoes, caverns, cataracts, whirlpools, waterfalls, earthquakes, and other wonderful and stupendous phenomena of nature. Forming a rich and comprehensive view of all that is interesting and curious in every part of the habitable world. By the Rev. E. Polehampton, and John M. Good, F.R.S. Illustrated by one hundred engravings / [Edward Thomas William Polehampton].

Polehampton, Edward (Edward Thomas William), 1777?-1830.

Date:: 1821

Credit: The gallery of nature and art; or, a tour through creation and science. Comprising new and entertaining descriptions of the most surprising volcanoes, caverns, cataracts, whirlpools, waterfalls, earthquakes, and other wonderful and stupendous phenomena of nature. Forming a rich and comprehensive view of all that is interesting and curious in every part of the habitable world. By the Rev. E. Polehampton, and John M. Good, F.R.S. Illustrated by one hundred engravings / [Edward Thomas William Polehampton]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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extinct, and even covered with snow; but we had to report the unpleasant news, that it was burning. On my second visit, being better furnished with instruments, I found the diameter of the crater to be 1600 yards, whereas that of Vesuvius is but 670. The height of the mountain is 5280 yards. When we visited the volcano of Antisana, the weather was so fa- vourable, that we reached the height of 5915 yards. In this lofty region, the barometer sunk to 14 inches 7 lines, [15.6 Eng.] and the tenuity of the air occasioned the blood to issue from out lips, gums, and even eyes: we felt extremely feeble, and one of our company fainted away. The air brought from the loftiest point we visited, gave on being analysed 0.218 of oxygen gas, and 0,008 of carbonic acid. We visited Cotopaxi, but could not reach the mouth of the crater. The assertion, that this mountain was diminished in height by the earthquake of 1797, is a mistake. In June we proceeded to measure Chimboraco and Tunguragua, and take a plan of all the country affected by the grand catastrophe of 1797. We approached within about 500 yards of the summit of Chimboraco, our ascent being facilitated by a line of volcanic rocks covered with snow. The height we reached was 6465 yards; and we were prevented from ascending farther by a chasm too deep to cross. We felt the same inconveniences as on Antisana ; and were unwell for two or three days after. The air at this height contained 0.20 of oxygen. The trigonometrical measurement I took of the mountain at two different times, and I can place some confidence in my operations, gave me for its height 6970 yards, a hundred more than Condamine assigns it. The whole of this huge mass, as of all the high mountains of the Andes, is not granite, but porphyry, from the foot to the summit, and there the porphyry is 4050 yards thick. Chimboraco is probably a volcanic mountain, for the track by which we ascended, consists of a burnt and scorified rock mixed with pumice-stone, resembling all the streams of lava in this country, and ran higher up the mountain than we could climb. The summit therefore is in all likelihood the crater of an extinct volcano. The mountain of Tunguragua has diminished in height since the earthquake of 1797. Bouguer assigns it 5589 yards, I found it but

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