CHAPTEE T. 



Porto Praya Ribeira Grande Atmospheric Dust with Infusoria Habits 

 of a Sea-slug and Cuttle-fish St. Paul's Rocks, non-volcanic Singular 

 Incrustations Insects the first Colonists of Islands Fernando Noronha 

 Bahia Burnished Rocks Habits of a Diodon Pelagic Conferva? and 

 Infusoria Causes of discoloured Sea. 



ST. JAGO CAPE DE YERD ISLANDS. 



AFTER having been twice driven back by heavy south-western 

 gales, Her Majesty's ship Beagle, a ten-gun brig, under the com- 

 mand of Captain Fitz Koy, E.N., sailed from Devonport on the 

 27th of December, 1831. The object of the expedition was to com- 

 plete the survey of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, commenced 

 under Captain King in 1826 fo 1830 to survey the shores of Chile, 

 Peru, and of some islands in the Pacific and to carry a chain of 

 chronometrical measurements round the World. On the 6th of 

 January we reached Teneriffe, but were prevented landing, by fears 

 of our bringing the cholera : the next morning we saw the sun rise 

 behind the rugged outline of the Grand Canary island, and sud- 

 denly illumine the Peak of Teneriffe, whilst the lower parts were 

 veiled in fleecy clouds. This was the first of many delightful days 

 never to be forgotten. On the 16th of January, 1832, we anchored 

 at Porto Praya, in St. Jago, the chief island of the Cape de Verd 

 archipelago. 



The neighbourhood of Porto Praya, viewed from the sea, wears a 

 desolate aspect. The volcanic fires of a past age, and the scorching 

 heat of a tropical sun, have in most places rendered the soil unfit 

 for vegetation. The country rises in successive steps of table-land, 

 interspersed with some truncate conical hills, and the horizon is 

 bounded by an irregular chain of more lofty mountains. The scene, 



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