TUB PXBITtT ISLANDS. 
369 
Curacaguitiche, fifteen leagues south of the Morro of Bar- 
celona, when, on our return from the Orinoco, we crossed 
the llanos, and approached the mountains on the coast. 
1ms stone presented yellowish concentric lines and bands* 
on a reddish brown ground. It appeared to me that the 
round pieces of Egyptian jasper belonged also to the Bar- 
celona limestone. Yet, according to M. Cordier, the fine 
pebbles of Suez owe their origin to a breccia formation, or 
siliceous agglomerate. 
At the moment of our setting sail, on the 19th of No- 
vember, at noon, I took some altitudes of the moon, to de- 
termine the longitude of the Morro. The difference of 
meridian between Cumana and the town of Barcelona, 
where I made a great number of astronomical observa- 
tions in 1800, is 34' 48". I found the dip of the needle 
the intensity of the forces was equal to 224 os- 
dilations. 
From the Morro of Barcelona to Cape Codera, the land 
becomes low, as it recedes southward; and the soundings 
extend to the distance of three miles. Beyond this we find 
the bottom at forty-five or fifty fathoms. The temperature 
oi the sea at its surface was 25*9° ; but when we were pas- 
sing through the narrow channel which separates the two 
Piritu Islands, in three fathoms water, the thermometer 
was only 24 , 5°. The difference would perhaps he greater, 
if the current, which runs rapidiy westward, stirred up’ 
deeper water ; and if, in a pass of such small width, the 
land did not contribute to raise the temperature of the 
sea. The Piritu Islands resemble those shoals which become 
visible when the tide falls. They do not rise more than 
eight or nine inches above the mean height of the sea. 
Their surface is smooth, and covered with grass. We 
might have thought we were gazing on some of our own 
northern meadows. The disk of the setting sun appeared 
like a globe of fire suspended over the savannah ; and its 
last rays, as they swept the earth, illumined the grass, which 
Mas at the same time agitated by the evening breeze. In 
the low and humid parts of the equinoctial zone, even when 
the gramineous plants and reeds present the aspect of 
a meadow, a rich accessory of the picture is usually want- 
ing ; I allude to that variety of wild flowers, which, 
VOI,. i. 2B 
