278 Ilumholdi's Travels through Spanifh America. 



unknown world of Oronoco, in order to return by Guyana 

 to Cumana, from which we ihall fet out for the liavannah 

 and Mexico. 



** We fliall take care to tranfniit the feeds we have col- 

 lected for the Jard'in des Planles at Paris, the Mufeuni; and 

 Sir Jofeph Banks, as we agreed with Juffieu - - - -. 



" How much I lament the fate of Dolomicu, detained a 

 prifoner m Sicily ! If he fhould rtturn, communicate to him 

 the following, fa£l : — It is more than three years fince I an- 

 nounced to Lametherie, that, in the primitive mountains of 

 Italy, France, Swiflerland, Poland, and I can now add Spain> 

 there exifts a parallelifm of Jireihon between the ftrata of 

 foliaceous granites, flate, micaceous fchiits, corneous fchifts : 

 that thefe Itrata incline (fink down) towards the north-weft, 

 a^id that their direction makes with the axis of the globe an 

 angle of 45° 57': that this inclination and direftion In no 

 manner depend on the form and dirct\ion of the mountains : 

 that it is not any way aftected by the valleys, "but that it 

 announces a caufe much greater, and more general : that it 

 depends on a ghenomenon of attraction which has afted at 

 the time of the confolidation of the globe. Having travelled 

 over the greater part of Europe on foot, and with fcxtants 

 and compares, I have a very extenfive collection of obferva- 

 tions on that fubjeel. My manufcript on the identity of 

 ftrata in the conftruction of the globe, is in the hands of my 

 brother. I was employed on it fince 1791, but it will not 

 appear till I have fcen more of the globe. To my great allo- 

 iiiflimcnt, I have obfcrved in the Cordillera of Paria, New 

 ^ndalufia, New Barcelona, and Venzuela, that in the new 

 Vi'orld, near the ecjuator, the ftrata follow the fame laws and 

 th^ fame parallelifm. 



^' You remenibei; the laft ingenious obfcrvations of Cou- 

 lomb on the air which ifllies with explofion from the truaks 

 of trees when they are pierced. I have made experiments 

 ort the clufea rojea, in which (in the interior of the pneumalo-^ 

 r/'iffii/'tr veflels of Hcdwig, the vnjh cochlcnta of Malpighi,) 

 there circulates an imuienfe quantity of air. This air con- 

 tajas as far as tV© of oxygen. The leaves of the fame tree,, 

 when expofgd tp the fun. under water, do not give a cubic 



niellimctre 



