368 



humboldt's cuba. 



I believe these phenomena result from the nature of 

 a hard and rocky bottom, without sand or coral, 

 from the form and inclination of the foundations, the 

 velocity of the currents, and the absence of a com- 

 municating motion in the lower strata of water. 

 The low temperature generally indicated by the 

 thermometer, on the surface of deep water, arises 

 from the sinking of the heated particles caused by 

 their diffusive movement and nocturnal cooling, and 

 by the mingling of the deep strata which rise along 

 the sides of the banks, as upon an inclined plain, to 

 unite with the surface waters. 



Notwithstanding the small size of our craft, and 

 the much praised skill of our pilot, we grounded 

 very often ; but as the bottom was soft, we incurred 

 no danger. Yet at sunset it was thought best to 

 anchor near the outlet of the Don Cristobal channel. 

 The sky was admirably clear during the first part of 

 the night, and we saw a multitude of shooting stars 

 landward of us, all passing in the same direction, 

 counter to the east wind which then prevailed in the 

 lower portions of the atmosphere. The solitude of 

 these regions differs widely now from their appear- 

 ance in the time of Columbus, when tfiey were 

 inhabited, and frequented by large numbers of 

 fishermen. The natives of Cuba then availed them- 

 selves of a small sucker-fish to catch the large sea- 



