258
Martinique
Sketches.
Huge as the mountain looks from St. Pierre, the eye under-estimates its bulk ; and when you climb the mornes about the town, Labelle, d'Orange, or the much grander Parnasse, you are surprised to find how much vaster Pelée appears from these summits. Volcanic hills often seem higher, by reason of their steepness, than they really are ; but Pelée deludes in another manner. From surrounding valleys it appears lower, and from adjacent mornes higher than it really is : the illusion in the former case being due to the singular slope of its contours, and the remarkable breadth of its base, occupying nearly all the northern end of the island ; in the latter, to misconception of the comparative height of the eminence you have reached, which deceives by the precipitous pitch of its sides. Pelée is not very remarkable in point of altitude, however : its height was estimated by Moreau de Tonnés at 1 6 0 0 metres ; and by others at between 4 4 0 0 and 4 5 0 0 feet. T h e sum of the various imperfect estimates made justify the opinion of Dr. Cornilliac that the extreme summit is over 5 0 0 0 feet above the sea—perhaps 5200.* The clouds of the summit afford no indication to eyes accustomed to mountain scenery in northern countries ; for in these hot moist latitudes clouds hang very low, even in fair weather. But in bulk Pelée is grandiose: it spurs out across the island from the Caribbean to the Atlantic : the great chains of mornes about it are
tastes. A n d finally, it must b e r e m e m b e r e d that these d i s c o u r a g e ments a n d dangers are never mitigated b y the least h o p e o f personal consideration, o r b y the pleasure o f e m u l a t i o n , — s i n c e such study is necessarily u n a c c o m p a n i e d either b y the o n e o r the other in a country where n o b o d y undertakes it."—(Voyage à la Martinique.) . . . T h e conditions have scarcely c h a n g e d since D e C h a n v a l l o n ' s d a y , despite the creation o f G o v e r n m e n t roads, a n d the thinning of the high woods. * H u m b o l d t b e l i e v e d the height to b e . n o t less than 8 0 0 toises (1 t o i s e = 6 ft. 4.73 inches), o r about 5115 feet.