s 



812 



Ocean is already heaved up, so that the flames 

 and incandescent scoria escape from the 

 swelled and creviced part, without traversing 

 the waters. 



December 4th. — At half past ten in the 

 morning we were in the meridian of Cape 

 Bacco (P ta Abacou), which I found at 76° 7 

 50", or 9° 3' 2", west of Nueva Barcelona. In 

 time of peace the vessels that trade in dried meat 

 (tasajo) between Cumana and Barcelona, or 

 the Havannah, set out, according* to the antient 

 practice of the Spanish mariners, by the channel 

 of Portorico, to take the old channel, on the 

 north of the island of Cuba ; sometimes also 

 they pass between cape Tiburon and cape Mo- 

 rant, going along the northern coast of Jamai- 

 ca. But in time of war, these passages become 

 alike dangerous, the ship remaining too long in 

 sight of land. Having attained the parallel of 

 17°, the fear of pirates made us prefer the di- 

 rect passage across the bank of Vibora, better 

 known by the name of Pedro Shoals. This bank 

 occupies more than 280 square marine leagues, 

 and its configuration strikes the eye of the geo- 

 logist, on account of its resemblance to that of 

 Jamaica, which is in its neighbourhood. It 

 seems like a heaving up of the bottom which 

 could not attain the surface of the sea, and 

 forms an island almost as large as Portorico. 

 From the 5th of December, the pilots believed 



