814 



other lipids which we had seen in the bed of 

 the Oroonoko. The captain accused less the 

 negligence of the pilot, than the imperfection of 

 the charts. We succeeded in turning our 

 course, and in less than a quarter of an hour 

 we were out of danger. The soundings indi- 

 cated first 9, then 12, then 15 fathoms ; we re- 

 mained near the cape during the rest of the 

 night ; the north-wind made the thermometer 

 descend to 19.7° (15.7° Reaum.) The next day 

 I ascertained by clironometric observations, 

 combined with the results of the corrected 

 reckonings of the past night, that the breakers 

 nearly at 16° 50' of latitude, and 80° 43' 49' 

 long. The breaker on which the Spanish vessel 

 el Monarca had nearly perished in 1798, is in 

 lat. 16° 44', and long. 80° 23', consequently 

 more to the east. While we traversed the bank 

 of the Vibora, in the direction from S.S.E. to 

 N.N.W., I repeatedly tried to measure the 

 temperature of the water at the surface of the 

 sea. The cooling was less sensible on the 

 middle of the bank than on its edge, which we 

 attributed to the currents that there mingle 

 waters of different latitudes. On the south of 

 Pedro Kays, the surface of the sea at 25 fa- 

 thoms deep, was 26\4° ; and at 15 fathoms 

 deep, 26.2°. The temperature of the sea on the 

 east of the bank had been 26 8°. These expe- 

 riments can only yield a precise result in those 



