THE CITY. 41 



of the extent of its ancient borders.* How rapid the 

 change of level was previous to the nineteenth century, 

 we have no exact means of estimating; but, judging from 

 the increase in the rapidity of its shrinking since that 

 date, we infer that its rate of diminution formerly Avas 

 much slower than at present. The historian Oviedo states 

 that when Valencia was founded, in 1555, it was one-half 

 league distant from the western shore of the lake, and 

 Humboldt asserts that, according to his own measure- 

 ment, in 1800, the town was a little more than twice that 

 distance from its borders, and that the lake was ten leagues 

 long, and nowhere over two or three leagues broad. The 

 last accurate observer also makes mention of there being, 

 at the time of his visit, fifteen islands, and also adds that 

 many formerly such had become, by the retreating of the 

 waters, attached to the main-land, forming promontories. 

 The lake at present is about eight leagues in length, with 

 its v/idth proportionally contracted. Within the last 

 three-quarters of a century, no islands have become at- 

 tached to the shore, by the lowering of the waters ; but, 

 instead, seven new ones have appeared. The height of 

 the lake above the sea is nearly twelve hundred feet. The 

 water has a temperature of Y5° to 80° Fahrenheit, and is 

 perfectly fresh, although stated by Eastwick as being 

 brackish. We used it exclusively during our stay upon 

 its borders. Humboldt found that the water upon evap- 

 oration left only a small residuum of carbonate of lime, 

 and a little nitrate of potash. 



The desiccation of this great basin of Valencia has 

 excited general interest, and is a matter of no small im- 

 portance to the inhabitants of those regions. During the 

 last half-century the process has been going forward with 



* These fossils we found in strata often several feet in thickness ; in 

 the vicinity of the lake, the soil, in places, is largely composed of them. 



