ture except the condor, they made a great variety of most
interesting observations, which have proved of essential service to
the cause of science. They were 3485 feet above the most elevated
point which the learned Condamine, who had hitherto ascended highest,
reached in 1745, but were still 2140 feet below the loftiest summit of
the mountain. They determined, by a series of strict trigonometrical
observations, the height of the chief peaks of that celebrated ridge--

"Where Andes, giant of the western star,
Looks from his throne of clouds o'er half the world."

Having returned, after this fatiguing and dangerous mountain
expedition, to Lima, Humboldt remained several months enjoying the
hospitality of its kind-hearted inhabitants, whose warm feelings and
excellent qualities excited in him the warmest admiration. In the
neighbouring harbour of Callao, he was fortunate enough to see the
passage of the planet Mercury over the disk of the sun, of which
transit he made very important observations; and from thence passed
into the province of New Spain, where he remained an entire year,
sedulously engaged in agricultural, political, and statistical, as
well as physical enquiries, the fruits of which added much to the
value of his published travels. In April 1803, he proceeded to Mexico,
where he was so fortunate as to discover the only specimen known to
exist of the tree called _Cheirostomon Platanoides_, of the highest
antiquity and gigantic dimensions. During the remainder of that year,
he made several excursions over the mountains and valleys of Mexico,
inferior to none in the world in interest and beauty; and in autumn
1804, embarked for the Havannah, from whence he passed into
Philadelphia, and traversed a considerable part of the United States.
At length, in 1805, he returned to Europe, and arrived safe at Paris
in November of that year, bringing with him, in addition to the
observations he had made, and recollections with which his mind was
fraught, the most extensive and varied collection of specimens of
plants and minerals that ever was brought from the New World. His
herbarium consisted of four thousand different plants, many of them of
extreme rarity even in South America, and great part of which were
previously unknown in Europe. His mineralogical collection was of
equal extent and value. But by far the most important additions he has
made to the cause of science, consist in the vast series of
observati