tJumholdt' s Travels through ^paniflj America. 277 



granted to me by the king of Spain. This idea alone is ca- 

 pable of exciting us to redouble our aftivity. During the 

 feven months we have been in this beautiful continent, we 

 have dried (with duplicates) nearly 4000 plants, written 

 more than 800 defcriptions of new fpecies or fpecies little 

 known, particularly new genera of palms, cryptogamia, bifaria, 

 niclaftoma ; collefted infefts and fliells, and made many 

 drawings refpefting the anatomy of marine worms; with 

 obfervations on magnetifm, electricity, humidity, the tempe- 

 rature of the atmofphere, and the quantity of oxygen it con- 

 tains. We have meafured that immenfe and high chain of 

 mountains extending to the coafl of Paria, and examined 

 their volcanoes, which vomit forth kindled inflammable 

 air, fulphnr, and hydro-fulphurous water. We have alfo 

 collected many feeds, which we fliall fend off in three or 

 four weeks for Europe, addrcffed to the Jardin des Plantes. 

 We have fpent five months in the interior of New Anda- 

 lufia and on the coafts of Paria, where we experienced very 

 violent earthquakes in the end of laft year. One part of thefe 

 countries is ftill inhabited by the favage Indians, and others 

 have begun to be cultivated only within five or fix years. In 

 what words fhall I defcribe to you the majcfty of the vege- 

 tation here; the forefis of Ceiba, Hura, Hymenea, which 

 the rays of the fun never petictrate ; the variety of the ani- 

 mals; the fuperb plumage of the birds; the apes, the tigers; 

 the hideous afpeft of the crocodiles (^caimans) which fwarni 

 in the rivers, and of which ' fome are thirty feet in length ? 

 From Cumana we proceeded to Caraccas, where we remain- 

 ed during the month of November and part of December : 

 A charming capital fituated in a valley which has 426 toifes 

 of elevation ; and, though in latitude 10^31', enjoys the 

 coolnefs, and I might fay the cold, of Paris I From this 

 place we afcended to the furamit of the famous Silla de Ca- 

 raccas, or Sierra de Avila, where, at the height of 131 5 

 toifes, we difcovercd beautiful cryftals of titanium. I found 

 alfo dendrites limilar to thofe of manganefe, which are oxj-d 

 of titanium. 



We fiiall proceed hence for Varina and the fnow-covered 

 jnouutifins of Mcrida, the catara6t:s of Rio Nigro, and the 



unknowa 



