Personal Narrative Of Travels To The Equinoctial Regions Of America During The Years 1799-1804 - Volume 3 - By Alexander Von Humboldt And Aime Bonpland.
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A Survey Taken With The Compass
Placed The Most Easterly Of The Points Or Roques At 0 Degrees 19
Minutes West Of The Western Cape Of Orchila.
The clouds continued long
accumulated over that island and showed its position from afar.
The
influence of a small tract of land in condensing the vapours suspended
at an elevation of 800 toises is a very extraordinary phenomenon,
although familiar to all mariners. From this accumulation of clouds
the position of the lowest island may be recognized at a great
distance.
On the 29th November we still saw very distinctly, at sunrise, the
summit of the Silla of Caracas just rising above the horizon of the
sea. At noon everything denoted a change of weather in the direction
of the north: the atmosphere suddenly cooled to 12.6 degrees, while
the sea maintained a temperature of 25.6 degrees at its surface. At
the moment of the observation of noon the oscillations of the horizon,
crossed by streaks or black bands of very variable size, produced
changes of refraction from 3 to 4 degrees. The sea became rough in
very calm weather and everything announced a stormy passage between
Cayman Island and Cape St. Antonio. On the 30th the wind veered
suddenly to north-north-east and the surge rose to a considerable
height. Northward a darkish blue tint was observable on the sky, the
rolling of our small vessel was violent and we perceived amidst the
dashing of the waves two seas crossing each other, one the from north
and the other from north-north-east.
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