G8 



LUNAR UALOEB. 



CHAPTER VI. 



Residence at Cumana, 



Lunar Halo — Africnn Slaves — Excursion to the Peninsula of Araya 

 — Geological Constitution of the Country — Salt-works of Arava 

 — Indians and Mulattoes — Pearl-fishery — Maniquarez — Mexi- 

 can Deer — Spring of Naphtha. 



CHAP. Yl The occupations of our travellers were much disturLed 

 Disturbnnce during the first weeks of their abode at Cumana, by the 

 of TUitors. intrusion of persons desirous of examining their astro- 

 nomical and other instruments. They however deter- 

 mined the latitude of tlie great square to be 10° 27' 52", 

 and its longitude 64° 10' 2". 

 i.tmarhnio. ^^ *-'^^ ^'"''^^ ^^ August, a halo of the moon attracted 

 the attention of the inhabitants, who viewed it as the 

 presage of a violent earthquake. Coloured circles of 

 this kind, Humboldt remarks, are much rarer in the 

 northern than in the southern countries of Europe. 

 They are seen more especially when the sky is clear 

 and tlic weather settled. In the torrid zone they appear 

 ahnrist every night, and often in the space of a few 

 minutes disappear several times. Between the latitude 

 of 15° N. and tlic equator he has seen small haloes 

 around tlie planet Venus, but never observed any in 

 connexion witli the fixed stars. While the halo was 

 seen at Cumana, the liygrometer indicated great humi- 

 dity, altliough the atmosphere was perfectly transparent. 

 It consisted of two circles ; a larger, of a whitish colour, 

 and 44° in diameter, and a smaller, displaying all the 



Planetary 



