14 FERNANDO NORONIIA. 



rock near the Bermudas, lying many miles out at 

 sea, and at a considerable depth, was first discov- 

 ered by the circumstance of fish having been ob- 

 served in the neighbourhood. 



Fernando Noronha, Feh. 20tJi. — As far as I 

 was enabled to observe, during the few hours wo 

 stayed at this place, the constitution of the island 

 is volcanic, but probably not of a recent date. The 

 most remarkable feature is a conical hill, about one 

 thousand feet high, the upper part of which is ex- 

 ceedingly steep, and on one side overhangs its base. 

 The rock is phonolite, and is divided into iiTegular 

 columns. On viewing one of these isolated masses, 

 at first one is inclined to believe that it has been 

 suddenly pushed up in a serai-fluid state. At St. 

 Helena, however, 1 ascertained that some pinnacles, 

 of a nearly similar figure and constitution, had been 

 formed by the injection of melted rock into yield- 

 ing strata, which thus had formed the moulds for 

 these gigantic obelisks. The whole island is cov- 

 ered ^vith wood ; but from the dryness of the cli- 

 mate there is no appearance of luxuriance. Half- 

 way up the mountain, some great masses of the 

 columnar rock, shaded by laurel-like trees, and or- 

 namented by others covered with fine pink flowers 

 but without a single leaf, gave a pleasing effect to 

 the nearer parts of the scenery. 



Bahia, or San Salvador. Brazil, Feh. 29th. — 

 The day has passed delightfully. Delight itself, 

 however, is a weak term to express the feelings of 

 a naturalist who, for the first time, has wandered by 

 himself in a Brazilian forest. The elegance of the 

 grasses, the novelty of the parasitical plants, the 

 beauty of the flowers, the glossy green of the foli- 

 age, but, above all, the general luxuriance of the 

 vegetation, filled me with admiration. A most par- 



