OF BARON HUMBOLDT. 87 



used by Humboldt on this occasion with con- 

 siderable success, in ascertaining the degree 

 of the blue, and the nature of those vapours 

 in the atmosphere which are not transparent. 

 At Cumana the travellers witnessed the traces 

 of an earthquake which had taken place 

 eighteen months previously. Humboldt exa- 

 mined the coast, the town, the fortress, and 

 the vicinity. This place, frequently visited by 

 earthquakes, afforded him the material for a 

 thorough investigation of the volcanic soil. 

 He studied the history of this phenomenon in 

 order to obtain more correct views ; to discover 

 the direction and the expansion of these earth- 

 quakes, and to bring them under a yet undis- 

 covered law. On the 9th August, 1799, the 

 travellers made their first excursion to the 

 peninsula of Araya, a place formerly noted 

 for its slave-trade and its pearl-fisheries. They 

 found, after the exploration of a forest of con- 

 siderable extent, in the hut of an Indian family, 

 a hospitable reception. Having spent two days 

 in exploring these regions, they proceeded soon 

 afterwards to the missions of the Chaymas 

 Indians, a district of wonderful plants and 

 animals, and a people still in their primitive 

 condition. They passed through a district 

 covered by trees of gigantic height and dimension. 



