693 



ourselves again in the midst of civilization ; but 

 this happiness is of short duration to persons, 

 who are powerfully affected by the marvels, with 

 which nature has embellished the torrid zone. 

 The fatigues we have endured are soon forgot- 

 ten ; and we have scarcely reached the coast, 

 the region inhabited by European colonists, when 

 we form the project of returning to the interior 

 of the country. 



A painful circumstance obliged us to sojourn 

 a whole month in the town of Angostura. We 

 felt ourselves on the first days after our arrival 

 tired and weakened, but in perfect health. Mr. 

 Bonpland began to examine the small number of 

 plants, which he had been able to save from the 

 influence of so damp a climate ; and I was oc- 

 cupied in settling by astronomical observations 

 the longitude and latitude of the capital # , as 



* I found the latitude of Santo Tomas de la Nueva Guyana, 

 vulgarly called Angostura, or the Strait, near the cathedral 

 8° 8' 41"; the longitude, 66° 15' 21". (Obs. Astr., vol. i, 

 p. 249.) The town is consequently only 0° 15' east of the 

 meridian of the castle of St. Antonio at Cumana. La Cruz 

 and Faden had placed it from 20' to 30' too much to the 

 east, and 4' too much to the south. The dip of the magnetic 

 needle at Angostura, according to my observations, was 39° 

 cent. div. The intensity of force was expressed by 222 os- 

 cillations in 10' of time. It is remarkable, that the isodyna- 

 mic line of Angostura passes through Calabozo (geogr. lat. 

 8° 58 7 8"), where the dip is only 0 3° less. See vol iv, p. 

 377, 378. 



