OFF AGAIN. 197 



of Araja, and observing many eclipses of satellites, which 

 confirmed the longitude of the place already obtained 

 by other means. They also made experiments on the 

 extraordinary refractions, on evaporation, and on atmo- 

 spheric electricity. 



They prolonged their stay at Cumana a fortnight. 

 Having lost all hope of the arrival of a packet from 

 Corunna, they availed themselves of an. American vessel, 

 laden at Nueva Barcelona with salt provision for the 

 island of Cuba. They had now passed sixteen months 

 on this coast, and in the interior of Venezuela, and on 

 the 16th of November they parted from their friends at 

 Cumana to make the passage for the third time across 

 the gulf of Cariaco to Nueva Barcelona. The night was 

 cool and delicious. It was not without emotion that they 

 beheld for the last time the disc of the moon illuminating 

 the summit of the cocoa-trees that surrounded the banks 

 of the Manzanares. The breeze was strong, and in less 

 than six hours they anchored near the Morro of Nueva 

 Barcelona, where the vessel which was to take them to 

 Havanna was ready to sail. 



They sailed from Nueva Barcelona on the 24th. On 

 the 2d of December they descried Cape Beata. During the 

 night there was a very curious optical phenomenon, 

 which Humboldt could not account for. At half-past 

 twelve the wind blew feebly from the east ; the ther- 

 mometer rose to 74°. Humboldt had remained upon 

 the deck to observe the culmination of some stars. The 

 full moon was high in the heavens. Suddenly, in the 

 direction of the moon, 45° before its passage over the 

 meridian, a great arch was formed tinged with the pris- 

 matic colours, though not of a bright hue. The arch 



