OT 
Or 
DEPARTURE FROM SANTA CRUZ. 
CHAPTER IV. 
Passage from Teneriffe to Cumana. 
Departure from Santa Cruz—Floating Seaweeds—Flying-fish— 
Stars—Malignant Fever—Island of Tobago—Deatlt of a Pas- 
senger—lIsland of Coche—Port of Cumana—Observations made 
during the Voyage; Temperature of the Air; Temperature of 
the Sea; Hygrometrical State of the Air ; Colour of the Sky and 
Ocean. 
Havine sailed from Santa Cruz on the evening 
of the 25th of June, with a strong wind from the 
north-east, our travellers soon lost sight of the Ca- 
nary Islands, the mountains of which were cover- 
ed with reddish vapour, the Peak alone appearing 
at intervals in the breaks. The passage from Te- 
neriffe to Cumana was performed in twenty days, 
the distance being 3106 miles. 
The wind gradually subsided as they retired from 
the African coast. Short calms of several hours 
occasionally took place, which were regularly inter- 
rupted by slight squalls, accompanied by masses of 
dark clouds, emitting a few large drops of rain, but 
without thunder. ‘To the north of the Cape Verd 
Islands they met with large patches of floating sea- 
weed (Fucus natans), which grows on submarine 
rocks, from the equator to forty degrees of lati- 
tude on either side. These scattered plants, how- 
ever, must not be confounded with the vast beds, 
