CLIMATE OF MERIDA. 



87 



street, Don Vicente Calera, who, at the time of our 

 former visit, was still travelling in the United States. 

 In the mean time he had returned, married, and was 

 again domesticated in his native city. 



Under his escort we traversed Merida in every di- 

 rection, and visited all the public buildings and in- 

 stitutions. 



The population of Merida is probably about twen- 

 ty-three thousand. Two tables are published in the 

 Appendix ; but both purport to give the population 

 of the district, and neither that of the city alone. 

 The city stands on a great plain, on a surface of 

 limestone rock, and the temperature and climate are 

 very uniform. During the thirteen days that we 

 were in Merida the thermometer varied but nine de- 

 grees ; and, according to a table of observations kept 

 for many years by the much-esteemed Cura Villa- 

 mil, it appears that during the year beginning on the 

 first of September, 1841, which included the whole 

 time that we were in the country, the greatest vari- 

 ation was but twenty-three degrees. By the kind- 

 ness of the cura, I have been furnished with a copy 

 of this table, from which I extract the observations 

 for the days that we passed in Merida. The entire 

 table is published in the Appendix. The observa- 

 tions were made by a Fahrenheit thermometer kept 

 in the open air and in the shade, and noted at six 

 in the morning, midday, and six in the afternoon. 



