199 



rise, a very beautiful prospect over an elevated 

 group* of calcareous mountains. As this group 

 subtends an angle of three degrees only at the 

 house where we dwelt, it long served me to com- 

 pare the variations of the terrestrial refraction 

 with the meteorological phenomena. Storms 

 are formed in the centre of this Cordillera ; and 

 we see from afar thick clouds resolve themselves 

 into abundant rains, while during seven or eight 

 months not a drop of water falls at Cumana. 

 The Brigantine, which is the highest part of this 

 chain, raises itself in a very picturesque manner 



* If the Brigantine (Cerro del Bergantin) be actually 24 

 miles, or 22800 toises distant from Cumana, as is indicated 

 on the chart of Mr. Fidalgo, published by the Hydrographi- 

 cal Depot at Madrid, in 1805, the angles of altitude whjch I 

 took at the Plaga Grande make this mountain 1255 toises high. 

 But this very chart, less accurate with regard to places dis- 

 tant from the coasts than to the coasts themselves, assigns 

 the town of Cumanacoa a latitude of 10° 5 r , while, according 

 to my direct observations, it is 10° 16' ll*. (Obs. Astron. t. 

 i, p. 96.) If this too southern position has an influence on 

 that of the Brigantine, we must admit, that this mountain is 

 much lower. It presents itself at the Plaga Grande under a 

 vertical angle (corrected for the refraction and curve of the 

 Earth) of 3° 6' 12". Other angles, taken on a base of 196 

 toises, which was measured on ground where the water had 

 rested along time, would induce me to think, that the height 

 and distance of the Brigantine are not much above 800 toises, 

 and 12 or 16 miles ; but we can have no confidence in so 

 short a basis, and an operation, the immediate object of which 

 was not the measure of the Brigantine. 



