390 



humboldt's cuba. 



the horizon of the sea, and above an artificial hori- 

 zon. I had practised this method at the castle of 

 Murviedro, the ruins of Saguntum, and Cape Blanco 

 near La Guaira : but the sea horizon was clouded, 

 and broken in several places by dark streaks, which 

 indicated the existence of small currents of air, or a 

 series of extraordinary refractions. 1 



We were entertained in Trinidad at the house of 

 Senor Munoz, the collector of customs, with a charm- 

 ing hospitality. I continued my observations during 

 the greater part of the night under rather unfavor- 

 able circumstances, and found the latitude near the 

 cathedral to be 21° 48 ; 20". My chronometrical longi- 

 tude was 82° 21 ; 7". I learned on my second visit 

 to Havana, on my return from Mexico, that this longi- 

 tude was very nearly the same with that observed by 

 Captain Jose del Rio, who long resided there, and 

 also that that officer placed the latitude of the city 

 in 21° 42' 40". I have discussed this disagreement 

 in another work, and it will suffice to note here that 

 Mon. Puysegur found the latitude to be 21° 47' 15", 



1 In the opinion of the great naturalist, Wollaston, whom I had the 

 pleasure of consulting relative to this curious phenomenon, these black 

 streaks consist, probably, of that portion of the atmosphere nearest 

 to the surface of the ocean when the wind begins to ruffle it. In 

 this case, the true horizon, which was more distant, would be made 

 invisible to the eye by the opposition of color. — H. 



