Personal Narrative Of Travels To The Equinoctial Regions Of America During The Years 1799-1804 - Volume 1 - By Alexander Von Humboldt And Aime Bonpland.
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As We Drew
Nearer To Victoria The Ground Became Smoother; It Seemed Like The
Bottom Of A Lake, The Waters Of Which Had Been Drained Off.
We
might have fancied ourselves in the valley of Hasli, in the canton
of Berne.
The neighbouring hills, only one hundred and forty toises
in height, are composed of calcareous tufa; but their abrupt
declivities project like promontories on the plain. Their form
indicates the ancient shore of the lake. The eastern extremity of
this valley is parched and uncultivated. No advantage has been
derived from the ravines which water the neighbouring mountains;
but fine cultivation is commencing in the proximity of the town. I
say of the town, though in my time Victoria was considered only as
a village (pueblo).
The environs of La Victoria present a very remarkable agricultural
aspect. The height of the cultivated ground is from two hundred and
seventy to three hundred toises above the level of the ocean, and
yet we there find fields of corn mingled with plantations of
sugar-cane, coffee, and plantains. Excepting the interior of the
island of Cuba,* (* The district of Quatro Villas.) we scarcely
find elsewhere in the equinoctial regions European corn cultivated
in large quantities in so low a region. The fine fields of wheat in
Mexico are between six hundred and twelve hundred toises of
absolute elevation; and it is rare to see them descend to four
hundred toises. We shall soon perceive that the produce of grain
augments sensibly, from high latitudes towards the equator, with
the mean temperature of the climate, in comparing spots of
different elevations.
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