.Geological Delineation of South America. 34 7 



their wrists with cords of the Phormlum tcnax ; but I.musJ. 

 ob^rve that these were only dtt'ensive weapons, for they 

 did every thing in their power to engage our confidence, 

 and soon consented to exchange these weapons for our 

 hatchets, and lor other instruments of iron, on which these 

 warlike people set great value. r- , • v t 



It follows from the experiments, the results of which 1 

 have here given, 1st, that the strength of the fibres of the 

 aloe being equal to 7 ; that of flax is represented by .1 Ij ; 

 that of hemp bv 16V; that of the flax of New Zealand by 

 23^5.., and that of silk bv 34. But the quantity they stretch 

 before thev break is in another proportion ; tor that of the 

 filaments 'of the aloe being equal to 21 ; that of flax i^ 

 only y ', that of hemp 1 ; that of the flax ol Ne\v Zea and 

 U ; and that of silk 5. 2d, That great advantages will re- 

 sult from the cultivation of the New Zealand flax in T ranee, 

 where it will thrive exceedingly well. 



LXIV. Sketch of a Geological Delineation of South Ame^ 

 rku. JS?/ F, A. Von Humboldt*, 



Since I sent to Madrid the two first sketches of a geolo- 

 frical delineation of South America, from the Caraccas and 

 Nueva Valencia, 1 have travelled 1200 miles, and described 

 a square between (Jaribe, Portocabello, Pimichm, and Es- 

 meralda, a space comprehending above 59000 square miles, 

 for I am not acquainted with the land between the mouur- 

 tain Parea and Portocabello, and between the northern 

 coast and the valley of the Black river. In consequence of 

 the creat (circumference of this district, I must content my- 

 self with delineatimz it in a general manner, and to avoid 

 details, with describing the construction of the earth, the 

 declivity of the land, the direction and inclination of the 

 mountains, their relative ages, their similarity with the 

 formation of those in Europe. These are the circumstances 

 most necessary to be known in this science. We must 

 j)roceed in mineralogy as in geography ; v\ e are acquainted 

 \vith stones, but not 'with mountains ; we know the mate- 

 rials, but we are ignorant of the whole of which they torm 

 eomponent parts. I wish I may be able, amidst the variety 



» This iiketch is an extract from a paper transmitteil by M. "V oji 

 Humboldi fiom South America, togctlur with a geological collccnoii. to 

 ,he diiictors of the cabinet of natural history at Madrid. It was sent 

 a<,o hy M. Von Humboldt to Delamctherie, and inserted by him in tht 

 ■joutn.dde Pbjii<iuc, vJ. 53. p. 30- ' ',- 



