208 



PANAMA. 



that island. By an official report^ made to the 

 governor of Nicaragua^ Matagalpa in Segovia 

 was thirty-six hours in total darkness^ and the 

 vegetation would have been entirely destroyed 

 from the ashes^ if torrents of rain had not 

 succeeded this wonderful convulsion of the 

 earth.* 



* N. B. The eruption of Cosiguma took place be- 

 tween the 17th and 23d of January, 1835, beginning on 

 the 1 7th, and continuing, according to some accounts, till 

 the 26th. Port Royal is 670 geographical, or about 800 

 statute miles from the volcano, but the clouds of dust were 

 seen, and pumice-stone found floating by his Majesty's 

 ship Conway, in the Pacific, in lat. 7° north, long. 105^ 

 west, at 1100 geographical miles from Cosiguina! — See 

 Journal R. G. S., vol. v., p. 390. 



Since the above was written, I have received a more de^ 

 tailed account of this volcano in a letter from Lieutenant 

 Barrie of her Majesty*s ship President, from which I have 

 extracted the following particulars : " At Jacmel and 

 Port-au-Prince similar sounds were heard at the same 

 time, and similar reports were current as to the cause. 

 Nothing further was heard of the matter until the Thun- 



