91 



mobility of the imagination of man, eternal 

 source of our enjoyments, and our pains ! 



We began in the cool of the morning to climb 

 the Tumiriquiri. Thus is called the summit of 

 the Cocollar, which, with the Brigantine, forms 

 one single mass of mountain, formerly called by 

 the natives the Sierra de los Tageres. We tra- 

 velled along a part of the road on horses, which 

 roam about these savannahs ; but some of 

 them are used to the saddle. Though their ap- 

 pearance is very heavy, they pass lightly over 

 the most slippery turf. We first stopped at a 

 spring, that issues not from the calcareous rock, 

 but from a layer of quartzose sandstone *. The 

 temperature was 21°, consequently 1*5° less 

 than the spring of Quetepe ; hence the difference 

 of the level is nearly 220 toises. Wherever the 

 sandstone appears above ground the soil is level, 

 and constitutes as it were small platforms, which 

 follow like steps. To the height of 700 toises, 

 and even beyond, this mountain, like those in 

 it's vicinity, is covered only with gramineous 

 plants -f\ This failure of trees is attributed at 

 Cumana to the great elevation of the ground ; 

 but a slight reflection on the distribution of 

 plants in the Cordilleras of the torrid zone will 



* Direction : hor. 4*3. Dip 45° south-east. 



f The most abundant species are the paspalus ; the 

 andropogon fastigiatum, which forms the genua diectomes of 

 Mr. Palissot de Beauvois ; and the panicum olyroides. 



