"hapM 

 ' total5 



18 AT ST. DOMINGO. [chap, 



The scenery of St. Domingo possesses a beauty 

 unexpected, from the prevalent gloomy character of the 

 rest of the island. The village is situated at the bottom oi 

 a valley, bounded by lofty and jagged walls of stratified 

 lava. The black rocks afford a most striking contrast with 

 the bright green vegetation, which follows the banks of a 

 little stream of clear water. It happened to be a grand 

 feast-day, and the village was full of people. On our 

 return we overtook a party of about twenty young black 

 girls, dressed in excellent taste ; their black skins and snow- 

 white linen being set off by coloured turbans and large 

 shawls. As soon as we approached near, they suddenly 

 all turned round, and covering the path with their shawls, 

 sung with great energy a wild song, beating time with 

 their hands upon their legs. We threw them some vintems, 

 which were received with screams of laughter, and we left 

 them redoubling the noise of their song. 



One morning the view was singularly clear ; the distant 

 mountains being projected with the sharpest outline, on a 

 heavy bank of dark blue clouds. Judging from the appear- 

 ance, and from similar cases in England, I supposed that 

 the air was saturated with moisture. The fact, however, 

 turned out quite the contrary. The hygrometer gave a 

 difference of 29.6 degrees, between the temperature of the 

 air, and the point at which dew was precipitated. This 

 difference was nearly double that which I had observed on ! 

 the previous mornings. This unusual degree of atmospheric 

 dryness was accompanied by continual flashes of lightning. 

 Is it not an uncommon case, thus to find a remarkable 

 degree of aerial transparency with such a state of weather ? 



Generally the atmosphere is hazy ; and this is caused by 

 the falling of impalpably fine dust, which was found to have 

 slightly injured the astronomical instruments. The morning 

 before we anchored at Porto Praya, I collected a little 

 packet of this brown-coloured fine dust, which appeared to 

 liave been filtered from the wind by the gauze of the vane 

 at the mast-head. Mr. Lyell has also given me four 

 packets of dust which fell on a vessel a few hundred miles 

 northward of these islands. Professor Ehrenberg* finds 

 that this dust consists in great part of infusoria with 



* I must take this opportunity of ackno\yledgring the great kindness with 

 which this illustrious naturalist has examined many of my specimens. I 

 have sent (June, 1845) a full account of the falling- of this dust to the 

 Geological Society. 



