LUNAR HALOES. 77 
CHAPTER VI. 
Residence at Cumana. 
Lunar Halo—African Slaves —Excursion to the Peninsula of Araya 
—Geological Constitution of the Country—Salt-works of Araya 
—Indians and Mulattoes—Pearl-fishery—Maniquarez—Mexi- 
can Deer—Spring of Naphtha. 
THE occupations of our travellers were much dis- 
turbed during the first weeks of their abode at Cu- 
mana by the intrusion of persons desirous of exa- 
mining their astronomical and other instruments. 
They however determined the latitude of the great 
square to be 10° 27’ 52", and its longitude 66° 30’ 2”. 
On the 17th of August, a halo of the moon attract- 
ed 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 the weather settled. In the 
torrid zone they appear almost every night, and 
often in the space of a few minutes disappear se- 
_veral times. Between the latitude of 15° N. and 
_ the equator he has seen small haloes around the 
_ planet Venus, but never observed any in connexion 
| with the fixed stars. While the halo was seen 
_ at Cumana, the hygrometer indicated great humi- 
| dity, although the atmosphere was perfectly trans- 
| 
