48 STEPPES AND DESERTS. 



term the Llanos a gulf; for, when we consider their small elevation 

 above the present sea level, their form open as it were to the equa- 

 torial current sweeping from east to west, and the lowness of the 

 eastern coast between the mouth of the Orinoco and the Essequibo, 

 we can scarcely doubt that the sea once overflowed the whole basin 

 between the coast chain of Caraccas and the Sierra de la Parime, 

 and beat against the mountains of Merida and Pamplona; (as it is 

 supposed to have overflowed the plains of Lombardy, and beat 

 against the Cottian and Pennine Alps.) The strike or inclination 

 of the American Llanos is also directed from west to east. Their 

 height at Calabozo, 400 geographical miles from the sea, is barely 

 30 toises (192 English feet); being 15 toises (96 English feet) less 

 than that of Pavia, and 45 toises (288 English feet) less than that 

 of Milan, in the plains of Lombardy between the Alps and Apen- 

 nines. The form of the surface of this part of the globe reminds 

 one of Claudian's expression, "curvata tumore parvo planities." 

 The horizontality of the Llanos is eo perfect that in many portions 

 of them no part of an area of more than 480 square miles appears 

 to be a foot higher than the rest. If, in addition ta this, we imagine 

 to ourselves the absence of all bushes, and even in the Mesa de Pa- 

 vones the absence of any isolated palm trees, it will afford some idea 

 of the singular aspect of this sea-like desert plain. As far as the 

 eye can reach, it can hardly rest on a single object a few inches high. 

 If it were not that the state of the lowest strata of the atmosphere, 

 and the consequent changes of refraction, render the horizon con- 

 tinually indeterminate and undulating, altitudes of the sun might 

 be taken with the sextant from the margin of the plain as well as 

 from the horizon at sea. This great horizontality of the former sea 

 bottom makes the " banks" more striking. They are broken strata 

 which rise abruptly from two to three feet above the surrounding 

 rock, and extend uniformly over a length of from 40 to 48 English 

 geographical miles. The small streams of the Steppes take their 

 rise on these banks. 



In passing through the Llanos of Barcelona, on our return from 

 the Rio Negro, we found frequent traces of earthquakes. Instead 

 of the banks standing higher than the surrounding rock, we found 

 here solitary strata of gypsum from 3 to 4 toises (19 to 25 English 



