Our first day in the missions corresponded to the first day of the rainy season. Every night a thick mist covered the sky like a uniform veil; only through clearings did I manage to make any observations of the stars. The thermometer marked between 18. and 20°C, which in this zone, and for a traveler arrived from the coast, appeared rather cold. In Cumanà I never saw the thermometer go lower than 21°C. The hottest hours are from midday to three in the afternoon when the thermometer rises to 26°C or 27°C. During the hottest hour of the day, two hours before the sun passes over the meridian, a storm regularly built up and then exploded. Thick black low clouds dissolved in rain; the downpour lasted two to three hours while the thermometer sunk to 5°C or 6°C. At about five the rain stopped, the sun appeared just before sunset, and the hygrometer moved towards the point of dryness; by eight or nine at night we were again enveloped in a thick mist. These different changes follow successively - we were assured day after day for months, yet not the slightest breeze was felt.