262 Dr. Webster on St. Michael 
peasants. Itis watered by many streams that wind through 
ates plantations, till they unite to form a small river, called 
“* Ribeira Quinte,” or warm river. ter a circuitous 
course the Ribeira Quinte flows through a deep ravine and 
empties itself into the sea on the southern side of the island 
at the base of Pico da Vigia. 
The mountains surrounding this valley are composed 
chiefly of pumice, but compact lava and rocks of the tra- 
chyte family are seen on the face of many of the precipices. 
The columnar structure and vertical arrangement of these 
rocks are quite distinct in some places; in others, aes “4 
the porphyry and pumice appear to alternate. They 
sometimes separated by layers of fine sand or ashes. “4 “a 
pieces of slaggy lava and scorie, are occasionally found at 
the foot of the ee but there are no large collections 
or beds of them 
“ The hot springs are continued towards one extremity 
of the valley, beyond a few cottages composing the village 
of Trunnas. They are not seen at any distance, being sur- 
rounded by small hills, some of which, there is great rea- 
son to believe, owe their origin in if not altogether, to 
the springs themselves. They are generally covered with 
short shrubs, butsomeofthemare wholly devoid of any traces 
of oe They are composed of clay of different de- 
es of compactness, which is variously, and often beau- 
tfally coloured by iron under different degrees of oxidation. 
The clay is intermixed with fine pumice and masses 0 
siliceous sinter. As we pass along the narrow road from 
the village to this spot, the gradual change from a fertile to 
a barren soil is observed, and within a few yards of the hot 
springs nearly all traces of vegetation are lost. At the ex- 
tremity ofthe road the ground is almost snow white, and 
then acquires a reddish tinge ; this increases in intensity and 
brightness, and finally passes through an infinite variety 
shades to a deep brown. Here and there patches and veins 
of a brilliant yellow and purple colour add to the singular 
aspect of this remarkable spot. The clay is in some places 
so much indurated as to retain an imperfect slaty charac- 
ter but most of it is soft and has an earthy aspect. It does 
not feel perfectly smooth when rubbed, "past is full of hard 
grains, 
of it is diffused in water, a 
which are exceedingly minute; and when amass 
of fine siliceous parti- 
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