July.] CAPE VERBS— ST. ANTONIO. 257 



thousand square leagues ; from which ships disengage themselves with 

 difficulty. Other masses of seaweed are also seen in parts of the sea 

 more to the north-west* between the tropic of Cancer and the Azores." 

 Columbus, in his first voyage, passed through this marine meadow, to 

 the no small alarm of his timid companions. 



As these islands lie several hundred miles west from the continent, 

 they are not subject to such intense heat as is experienced on the coast 

 of Senegambia in the same latitude, which is caused by the east trade- 

 winds arriving on this coast after having swept over the burning surface 

 of Africa in all its breadth, of more than four thousand miles. In thus 

 passing over the sultry continent, the air acquires a great capacity for 

 imbibing moisture ; and consequently in continuing its progress west- 

 ward over the ocean to the Verd Islands, it becomes, in the dry season, 

 saturated to the highest point, so that the least diminution of tempera- 

 ture causes it to deposite abundant vapour. Not only the highest peak 

 of St. Antonio, which has an elevation of more than seven thousand 

 feet, but also the whole central ridge of hills on all the islands, down 

 to two thousand feet, are generally enveloped in clouds, from ten 

 o'clock in the morning until late in the evening. This humidity clothes 

 the hills with thick pasture grass, giving to the country a feature en- 

 tirely unlooked for in so low a latitude. 



St. Antonio, being the most northern and western of the Cape 

 Verd Islands, is often adopted as the point from which ships take their 

 departure when bound to different parts of the East Indies. Indeed, 

 before the late improvements in nautical science, the perfection of chro- 

 nometers, and the use of lunar observations, it was highly necessary to 

 make this or some other island of the group, in order to correct the 

 ship's reckoning. At present, however, the making of land for this 

 purpose is not considered essential, where the master has good instru- 

 ments on board, and understands the use of them. Still St. Antonio may 

 be passed in sight, the island being to the eastward of the ship, without 

 any apprehensions of delay from calms or light winds, if the vessel 

 does not come within twenty miles of the land. 



Ships bound from Europe to the Cape of Good Hope, or by that 

 route to the East Indies, generally take their departure from one of the 

 Cape Verd Islands, and then steer south-west, stretching over towards 

 the coast of Brazil so as to cross the equator between the meridians of 

 28° and 30° west longitude. This apparently round-about course is 

 adopted to avoid the tedious calms and adverse currents which con- 

 tinually prevail on the coast of Guinea. For south of the Cape de 

 Verd Islands, " even along the meridians of these very islands, that part 

 of the ocean must be traversed, so fatal to navigators, where long calms 

 detain the ships under a sky charged with electric clouds, pouring 

 down by turns torrents of rain and fire. This sea of thunder, being a 

 focus of mortal diseases, is avoided as much as possible both in ap- 

 proaching the coast of Africa and in seeking those of America."* 

 Though this western course involves the greatest distance, it always 



* Malte Brum 



R 



