56 
Tl’JNIDAD, 
debility. One of these springs discharges water sulBi- 
ciently hot to boil an egg ; the others are tepid. 
The imid vQlcano of Savannah Grande is a curious 
phenomenon. It is, perhaps, more curious than beau- 
tiful. Its appearance is that of a level surface of soft 
black mud, forming a circle of about 300 feet in dia- 
meter. Here and there are several craters, of two, three, 
and four feet high, which, at regular intervals of about 
a minute’s duration, discharge a kind of fluid, black, 
cold, and somewhat salt. Craters form, are active, and 
become extinct in a few w^eeks, according to their size ; 
iieAv ones arising to take the place of the former. At 
intervals, altogether uncertain, an explosion is heard, 
and, upon visiting the volcano or salsis, a new appear- 
ance is presented to the eye: that part which was 
formerly a step higher than the other is now a step 
lower, or some considerable change has been made. It 
need hardly be said that no vegetation grows within the 
circumference of the circle formed by the salsis, so that 
as you draAv near to the spot you know the directioiij 
by the increased light from the absence of trees. The 
space occupied by the salsis is like a large circus or 
hippodrome, having low brushwood for its railing and 
forest trees for its spectators. As a whole, it is to the 
eye no very attractive scene, though, undoubtedly, it is 
an object of interest to those who consider it in its 
origin and scientific aspect. 
Humboldt, in his “ Cosmos,” speaking of these phe- 
nomena, says : — “ Salses deserve more attention than 
they have hitherto received from geognosists. Their 
grandeur has been overlooked, because of the twm condi- 
tions to which they are subject ; it is only the more 
peaceful state, in which they may continue for centuries, 
which has generally been described. Tlieir origin is, 
however, accompanied by earthquakes, siibterranean 
thunder, the elevation of a whole district, and lofty 
emissions of flame of short duration. . . . Streams 
of argillaceous mud, attended by a periodic development 
