108 



EARTHCIUAKE. 



Setting sun. 



Tbird shock. 



CHAP. X. south. A few minutes before the first, there was a 

 violent gust of wind followed by large drojos of rain. 

 The sky remained cloudy, and the blast was succeeded 

 by a dead calm which continued all night. Tlie setting 

 of the sun presented a scene of great magnificence. Tiie 

 dark atmospheric shroud was rent asunder close to the 

 horizon, and the sun appeared at ]2° of altitude on an 

 indigo ground, its disk enormously enlarged and distorted. 

 The clouds were gilded on the edges, and bundles of 

 rays reflecting the most brilliant prismatic colours ex- 

 tended over the heavens. Al)out nine in the evening 

 there was a third shock, which, although much slighter, 

 was evidently attended with a subterranean noise. The 

 barometer was a little lower tban usual, but the pro- 

 gress of the horary variations was in no way interrupted. 

 In the night, between the 8d and 4th of November, the 

 red vapour was so thick that the jjlace of the moon 

 could be distinguished only by a beautiful halo, 20' in 

 diameter. 



Scarcely twenty-two months had elapsed since the 

 almost total destruction of Cumana by an earthquake ; 

 and as tlie people look on the vapours, and tlie failure 

 of the breeze during the night, as prognostics of disaster, 

 the travellers had frequent visits from persons desirous 

 of knowing whether their instruments indicated new 

 shocks on the morrow. On the 5th, precisely at the 

 same liour, the same phenomena recurred, but without 

 any agitation ; and the gust accompanied by thunder 

 returned periodically for five or six days. 



This earthquake, being the first tiiat Humboldt ever 

 felt, made a strong impression upon him ; l)ut scenes of 

 this kind afterwards became so familiar as to excite 

 little apprehension. It appeared to have a sensible 

 influence on the niagnetical phenomena. Soon after his 

 arrival on tlie coasts of Cumana, he found the dip of the 

 needle 48-53° of the centesimal division. On the 1st of 

 November it was 43-65°. On the 7th, three days after 

 the concussion, lie was astonished to find it no more 

 than 42-75'^, or 90 centesimal minutes less. A year 



Popular iip- 

 prehensioiL 



Impression 

 on H lira- 

 bold L 



