ix THE SEA 365 
THE SOUTHERN SKIES 
In considering these exquisite scenes, the 
beauty of the Southern skies must not be 
omitted. “From the time we entered the 
torrid zone,” says Humboldt, “we were never 
wearied with admiring, every night, the 
beauty of the southern sky, which, as we 
advanced towards the south, opened new 
constellations to our view. We feel an inde- 
scribable sensation, when, on approaching the 
equator, and particularly on passing from 
one hemisphere to the other, we see those 
stars which we have contemplated from our 
infancy, progressively sink, and finally dis- 
appear. Nothing awakens in the traveller a 
livelier remembrance of the immense distance 
by which he is separated from his country, 
than the aspect of an unknown firmament. 
The grouping of the stars of the first magni- 
tude, some scattered nebule rivalling in 
splendour the milky way, and tracts of space 
remarkable for their extreme blackness, give 
a particular physiognomy to the southern sky. 
This sight fills with admiration even those, 
