238 PROFESSOR SMITH'S JOURNAL. 



and we began to form a more favourable idea of the vege- 

 tation of the island, than its first appearance from the 

 vessel seemed to promise. The shore was covered with 

 Convolvolus soldonellu, resembling Ipoincea ; and half a 

 dozen unknown plants, which were successively found 

 growing among the palms, made us soon regret, in our joy, 

 that we had so short a time to stay here. We took a view 

 of the structure of the rocks, which on this side the town 

 form a perpendicular precij)ice, and every where along the 

 coast consist of five or six strata in the following order. 

 1st. Conglomerate. 2d. Tufa of pumice-stone. 3d. Pu- 

 miCe-stone. 4th. A stratum consisting of an uniform and 

 somewhat blistered substance. 5th. Basalt. 6th. The 

 uppermost stratum, which is similar to the 4th, and by its 

 concentric formation, globules &c. made it evident that it 

 had been in a fluid state. It resembled the same corres- 

 ponding stratum in the Canaries. \A e went into the town, 

 which consists of a few rows of miserable huts, situated on 

 a flat rock, about an English mile in circumference, and 

 surrounded by the lower part of the valley of Trinidad. 

 Most of the inhabitants here, as indeed on the whole island, 

 are negroes. Although we discovered nothing but naked 

 rocks and withered fields, wherever we turned our eyes, 

 yet many different sorts of fruit, poultry, &c. were offered 

 to our view, which proves, that the interior of the country 

 must have a different appearance. We descended and 

 crossed the other valley of palms, travelling over level and 

 scorched plains, in order to Join our comrades of the fish- 

 ing party. The night was fast approaching. We made 



