SUCCESSION OF VOLCANOES. 339 



one on board. The king of the sea seemed conscious 

 of his fallen state ; his beautiful colours faded, and he 

 became spotted, and at last heavy and lustreless, like 

 any other dead fish. 



We passed in regular succession the volcanoes of San 

 Salvador, San Vicente, San Miguel, Telega, Momotom- 

 bo, Managua, Nindiri, Masaya, and Nicaragua, each 

 one a noble spectacle, and all together forming a chain 

 vsdth which no other in the world can be compared ; 

 indeed, this coast has well been described as "bristling 

 with volcanic cones." For two days we lay with sails 

 flapping in sight of Cape Blanco, the upper headland 

 of the Gulf of Nicoya. On the afternoon of the thirty- 

 first we entered the gulf. On a line with the point of 

 the cape was an island of rock, with high, bare, and 

 precipitous sides, and the top covered with verdure. 

 It was about sunset ; for nearly an hour the sky and sea 

 seemed blazing with the reflection of the departing lu- 

 minary, and the island of rocks seemed like a fortress 

 with turrets. It was a glorious farewell view. I had 

 passed my last night on the Pacific, and the highlands 

 of the Gulf of Nicoya closed around us. 

 I Early in the morning we had the tide in our favour, 

 and very soon leaving the main body of the gulf, turn- 

 ed off to the right, and entered a beautiful little cove, 

 forming the harbour of Caldera. In front was the range 

 of mountains of Aguacata, on the left the old port of 

 Pont Arenas, and on the right the Volcano of San Pablo. 

 On the shore was a long low house set upon piles, with 

 a tile roof, and near it were three or four thatched huts 

 and two canoes. We anchored in front of the houses, 

 and apparently without exciting the attention of a soul 

 on sTiore. 



All the ports of Central America on the Pacific are 



