Academy Newspaper Saturday 29th August 1874
Dr Philippi states in Das Ausland that the boundary treaty
concluded between Chili and Bolivia describes the borderland according to the
old notions of theoretical geography, which gave the Cordilleras of that region
sierras, deep valleys, streams, &c., notwithstanding that he had explained
its true character in his published journey through the desert of Atacoma.
He found a huge plain, on which were scattered isolated mountains, mostly extinct volcanoes, never forming chains, valleys, or passes, but huge clefts often 500 or 600 feet deep, with perpendicular walls, that appeared to have resulted from aqueous action at some former period. At present it only rains about once in from twenty to fifty years.
From his description it
is evident that a model of this district would look much like certain portions
of the moon as seen through a good telescope.
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