THE AMERICAN NATCR A LIST. [Vol. XXXVI 11. 



Stream called the Riviere Blanche, because of the color of its 

 water (caused, like the " yellow baths " of (iuadeloupe, probably, 

 by the presence of an iron hydrate) became black, char^^ed with 

 ashes or mud, and this coloration of the water could l)e seen far 

 out to sea, as in time of flood. 



The spirit of the city was an anxious curiosity, dissimulating, 

 according to the light-hearted spirit of the country, under many 

 jests. A few brave spirits made a reconnaissance of the moun- 

 tain, and from their description the first accounts were published 

 in the Courrier de la Martinique" and in " Les Antilles." 



The government appointed an investigating commission ; Le 

 Prieur, chief Pharmacist of the colonial hospitals, who had 

 already made several explorations in (iuiana : Dr. Rufz, and 

 pharmacist Peyraud. The present document is the report of 

 this commission. 



The general aspect of La Montagne Pelee, seen from St. 

 Pierre, is that of a great cone, from whose summit descend 

 sharp spurs down to its base, these spurs being separated by an 

 equal number of gorges or valleys. It resembles the cone 

 formed by a pleated filter paper. In order to reach the summit 

 of the mountain it is necessary to follow one of the spurs, for 

 the valleys are often precipitous gorges. On August 28, we 

 took what is considered the most direct route, by way of the 

 su^ai phntition " Riviere Blanche," near the farm Paviot, and 

 came out at the habitation Ruffin. RufBn is a farm hours 

 horseback from St. Pierre, 551 meters above the sea. We slept 

 there : 7 a. m. the morning of Aug. 29, the thermometer marked 

 in air 23 Centigrade and 22.5^ in the earth. At St. Pierre at 

 this hour, 27' or 28'. We descended by a zigzag path to the 

 bottom of the ravine of the Riviere Claire. This path is cut in 

 piimitcsy or local pumice stones which are white and friable, 

 in little fragments. The Riviere Claire is so-called by way of 

 contrast to the Riviere Blanche. 1'he latter, whose waters are 

 always milky, comes from one of the creases in the mountain 

 separated from the Riviere Claire by a steep spur: both flow 

 se])arately above, but unite below, and continue to the sea under 

 the name of the Riviere l^lanche. It appears that now the 

 Rixiere Claire receives the volcanic mud and blackens the 



