The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-11-10
CUNDUHANGo BARK,
What 1t Ia and Where
1T Grows.
xxpea,non to the Interior "A Perilous Journey
Tho cuudurango Bark-Its Different
Varieties 1t Has Done
for the Natives.
QuARUMA, PROVINCE or LOLA,
ECUADOR, August -, 1871.

Sor,a h,nest Old Betsy Trotwood rise from nc:
rave and travel mp the Jambou River to Santa
Sosa. with what intense satisfaction she would
skew the goodly number Of donkeys that are always
accumulated there; but douot whether she or any
other Christian would be able to keep their senses
hong under ileir incessant braying, from which
there is no escape while the place. All the traffic
Detween the inland towns and Santa Rosa Is car
ned On with pack mules ana donkeys OWING 10 the
miserable roads. Quaruma, town winch contains
about two thousand: LOLA, place OF upwards
Of 5000, ana the surrounding valleys, which proba-
bly, contain upwards Of 10000 inhabitants. ne
beyond range Of the Andes and the r"..,,s during
the rainy season are almost impasa Ole even for the
hardest mules, and at no tire can any KIND OF cart
be employed 10 trarsport merchandise; conse-
suentiy everythrs is carried ON the backs or mules
and Oopkeys, or which immense numbers are con-
unaaly arriving at aud leaving santa Rosa, the sea-
poTs OF this extensive inland country
In my last letter wrote that we were awaiting
sufrieent saddle mules 10 carry us TO Qnarnnia, ann
the 18th instant we left Santa Rosa and travelled
three days through OF the richest tropical
countries l have beheld. The road on
each side was lined with immense trees, from
which depended countless parasites OF every hue
Aad form. BY the first night hau left far behind
every species oil habitatton and were compelled 10
encamp OH the bank OF small river that nows from
me mountains. Some idea may he formed OF me
sarougn these regions and OF the tortuous path we
2ursueu when | state that we crossed and rccrossel
me same river forty.elRht times. In the morning.
before day break, We were again OIL our way, and
soon commenced the ascent OF the mountains. Here
our real dlnicultes began, anu Tor twelve hours we
coon commenced TO show precpces on one sic,
Rey auTng me %ss W " Mno Hg re
SOUND Of small tigers which infest his country f0a
mounted by q wooden cross, that markell the snot
nneIe an unusually daring tiger had attacked and
sernoo M we ma, carrier During the az
terwards DIR. Ayers had u narrow escape frr% IN
sSa asa'a through the givng way OF pcrion II
tne Uack ana would soon have been O. :, ~ S,gnt
over nearly perpendicular precplcr nm u FOR tne
sgV q nls mule which sneceede IN recovering
Nsei !Ds ttle episode made us al mora cs,;iihSsS
anu afterwards as we Rugged "pposi,e side a.
open country on the e ave we oe th so ,o n aG
mere we were grece Sy one Of the grandess Sights
South Americo -h'Da one OF the richest valleys OF
s se ssan osh In It's paimiest days ana wond
the dii arpass II III productyeness were u not for
a o. a,gn 81 to ana market sar,s
- duybrcsk Tor ouarana, where we ar.
.S sSSr' Two oo%%s Ssys
where the ouaruma Quadrangle abOunds,
ano found six different varieties, AZ iollows-Cuu-
~arango biancO, Dr. fdtOnd, de tntbO D10Hde, ne
lss'bO chico, az oloodosciito and pla,tdRo. The
And that has been purchased by spectators to send
70 the United STATES ~ q variety OF the tu,n60
gf01,de, and cannot learn iha, IL mas ever been
Ssed as q medicine II IS more abundant IN thus
Neighh0rnoOd than the Others, aud the few mer.
ehans penetrated thus far bounced upon IL without
waiting 10 ascertain whether II possessed medicinal
virtues or not Since our arrival the people in
0eigaDorhood have worked the mse yes into an I'M
1efse excitement over cundurango, and the price
OF mules 10 santa Rosa mas enhanced more tnan
threefold. Formerly they could be hired at $a for
we trip; now they are scarce At $l2 and
we where eav was Hs S
she only place where II has been incidentally used
Wlli deier any further description nnt VIC have In
Vurthcr Examination ipfo thc Merits Of Can-
durango Eask-lis Eaecf Upon Acimais-iIoi
Sulphur sprina-Cnndnranso Used by wi e
10 Poison = Hnsbsnd--Doubts Regarding lis
Vaiue rs Medicine.
GUAYAQuIL, Ecuador, Sept 81, 1871.
In my last communication ! tooS leave OF the
herald as Quaruma, Province or Lola, where was
Engaged examining the different classes OF cundu-
sango anu other medicinal plants which are SO
abundant IN tho fertile valleys or the Andes.
RuarumA is a small town of about three thousand
ave hundred Inhabitants with nothing to distn
gush II from other Ecuadorau villages beyond It's
picturesque situation and delightful air, which gives
II q climate as charming as that OF Madeira, in
country only a few degrees from the equator. The
town is burt the side OF spur, which Ju,s ont
nom one OF the sierras OF The Andes at an elevation
Of about three Thousand Ave hundred feet above
the level OF the sea, and most VI the streets
are SO precipltous that II Is difficult TO walk upon
them. Below, at distance Of 800 feet, lies The
rich valley OF the sane name as the town, watered
BY the Amarillo River, and covered with sugar,
rice and maize plantations. IL Is in the woods OF
sns valley that the Quaruma cundurango grows. II
y large vine that entwnes itself in all conceivable
shapes and twists among trees sometimes 20 a
height OF fifty feet ana sometimes two vines Will
Col around each other with all the regularity OF a
rope. II abounds in great quantities, but until re-
GENTLY was supposed TO be OF no medicinal value,
and was never used 10y the natives, except 10 XIII
che which prey upon their grain and cattle.
One variety was called the nend perrO, dog
kNler nom the fact that they used the Of IL TO
ksn the numerous dogs which are accustomed to
prey upon their gram, and during our stay at
Qlaruma large Tiger was SO stmpeneo with u al y
neiyhboring place called Las Pnas that he Was
safely approached and XII ed.
During the ten davs renamed In Quaruma dis.
covered SIX different varieties OF cundurangO which
ore classified by tue natives as cUndtidhgO ba,co
De pai0n.0, de ttt7abo yra,ldo, de Jumbo CHICO te
al0OduciRa and a. pd,Hano. Although they all
bear afruit winch Is similar In It's internal struc
sure the flowers OF the cp,,du,ango bdnco are en-.
tirely distinct and 1t Is extremely doubtful II any Of
the medicinal properties OF the plant extend beyond
tins species In fact there is no evidence thai any
or the Qar'ima cundurango has been successfully
70 have been cured by 1t or very advanced case OF
syphilis, but he died ABOUT two weeks Afterwards
81 disease OF the throat IS doubtful whether cudu.
Rngo helped him III or out OF tins world.
the cundurango Is the only plant at Quaruna
4 nose meulclual Virtues are worthy notice. ana,
a ter thorough examination OF It's leaves, flowers
m fruit, we proceeded on our way to LOLA Valley,
nj ere the Inhabitants claim TO possess different
pe cee OF me plant ana Which mas more achve
n0a nCina quallles. AZ nrst our road lay through
he Valley OF QuaruiLa, following the course OF the
Ana rio Eiser, ID the bed OF which we found
Arge ano strongly lmpregnated hot sulphur spring;
u the hscehued o sierra, on q ridge OF WIlcn IS
lituel ed tile valley OF Qualatf, and descended again
into ! valley winch contains The Luis River:
here we again assembled anctbcr range OF
mount aims. and found the small town OF
Csne. where we Nmsined the first night The
next d y We passed along another ridge, and, de.
soendin about Two thousand feet, found ourselves
IN the kAt, sultiy valley OF Tunba which Is large
level san q plain. WITH the CaIamayo River flowing
through lts centre. and containing no other yegeta
Non tllan a lew stunted trees and cactus plants
From rpfaha we again assembled, and, crossing the
mountains at an elevation OF q, 900 leet found the
magnificent valley OF LoJ3 stretched ont before us