At half past six we passed the Tower of Hercules, which acts as theLa Coruña lighthouse, at the top of which a coal light has been keptburning from remote times toguide ships. At around nine we spotted the light of a fisherman's hut atSisarga, the last we would see on the European coast: Soon distanceweakened that feeble light, which we began to confuse with stars on thehorizon, but our eyes refused to stop staring at it. These impressions are never forgotten by those who begin a longocean journey at an age when their feelings remain vivid and profound. Somany memories are awoken in our imagination by a dot of light in a darknight, flickering on and off above the rough waves, signaling our home land!

The destruction of the forests, the clearing of the plains, and the cultivation of indigo over half a century has affected the amount of water flowing in as well as the evaporation of the soil and the dryness of the air, which forcefully explains why the present Lake Valencia is decreasing. By felling trees that cover the tops and sides of mountains men everywhere have ensured two calamities at the same time for the future: lack of fuel, and scarcity of water. Trees, by the nature of their perspiration, and the radiation from their leaves in a cloudless sky, surround themselves with an atmosphere that is constantly cool and misty. They affect the amount of springs by sheltering the soil from the sun's direct actions and reducing the rainwater's evaporation. When forests are destroyed, as they are everywhere in America by European planters, with imprudent haste, the springs dry up completely, or merely trickle. River beds remain dry part of the year and are then turned into torrents whenever it rains heavily on the heights. As grass and moss disappear with the brushwood from the mountainsides, so rainwater is unchecked in its course. Instead of slowly raising the river level by filtrations, the heavy rains dig channels into the hillsides, dragging down loose soil, and forming sudden, destructive floods. Thus, the clearing of forests, the absence of permanent springs, and torrents are three closely connected phenomena. Countries in different hemispheres like Lombardy bordered by the Alps, and Lower Peru between the Pacific and the Andes, confirm this assertion.