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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(* It Is Affirmed That The Island Of Trinidad
Is Traversed In The Northern Part By A Chain Of Primitive Slate, And
That Grenada Furnishes Basalt.
It would be important to examine of
what rock the island of Tobago is composed; it appeared to me
Of
dazzling whiteness; and on what point, in going from Trinidad
northward, the trachytic and trappean system of the Lesser Antilles
begins.) We observe the effect of the rotatory current in the
direction of the coast of Trinidad, as in the coasts of the provinces
of Cumana and Caracas, between Cape Paria and Punta Araya and between
Cape Codera and Porto Cabello. If a part of the continent has been
overwhelmed by the ocean on the north of the peninsula of Araya it is
probable that the enormous shoal which surrounds Cubagua, Coche the
island of Marguerita, Los Frailes, La Sola and the Testigos marks the
extent and outline of the submerged land. This shoal or placer, which
is of the extent of 200 square leagues, is well known only to the
tribe of the Guayqueries; it is frequented by these Indians on account
of its abundant fishery in calm weather. The Gran Placer is believed
to be separated only by some canals or deep furrows of the bank of
Grenada from the sand-bank that extends like a narrow dyke from Tobago
to Grenada, and which is known by the lowering of the temperature of
the water and from the sand-banks of Los Roques and Aves.
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