2 MR. SPRUCE’S VOYAGE 
the river-side had mostly shed their flowers and had fruit too young to 
be worth gathering; still I found enough to keep me occupied. 
In the afternoon of December 21st we got out of the upper mouth 
of the Casiquiare. I could not look for the first time on the Orinoco 
without emotion; and I thought of the illustrious voyagers who, more 
than fifty years previously, had explored its course and the vegetable pro- 
ducts of its shores, not without hope of being able to collect again some 
of the latter in the places where they were first discovered. My original 
intention (as you already know) was to explore the river Cunucunuma, 
which flows along the western side of the mountains Maraguaca and 
Dinda, and enters the Orinoco a little below the mouth of the Casi- 
quiare ; but first I had resolved to have a peep at Esmeralda. We 
started therefore up the Orinoco, and in the morning of the 24th 
reached Esmeralda, having experienced no small difficulty in finding a 
= way for the piragoa, for the Orinoco was falling fast, and in certain 
places where it spreads out to a great width we could hardly anywhere 
find three feet of water, all that was necessary to float my little vessel. 
As my provisions were falling short, I had to devote some time to 
seeking up the Indians of Esmeralda, and setting them to work to bake 
eassavi. With this exception, every moment of daylight during my 
short stay was given to collecting the plants of the surrounding cerros 
and savannahs. 
I suppose I mentioned to you that the Commisario General of the 
Canton del Rio Negro (residing in San Fernando de Atabapo) had in- 
. vited me to accompany him on an exploratory expedition towards the 
sources of the Orinoco, and appointed to meet me for that purpose in 
Esmeralda on Christmas day. As above stated, I arrived at the rendez- 
| vous a day earlier than agreed on, but I already knew that everything 
was in confusion at head-quarters in Venezuela, and that it was probable 
nearly all the officidls would be changed throughout the country; 
though I found that orders had been given by the Commisario to prepare 
a quantity of mandiocca in Esmeralda, Cunucunuma, and in other 
places higher up the Orinoco—proof that he was sincere in his proposal. 
... Some time afterwards, when I was on the Pacimoni, I received a letter 
_ from him, informing me that he was no longer Commisario, and that he 
~ could not leave his post until the arrival of his successor, which in fact 
. has not taken place until within the present month (March). I would 
-willingly have waited some time in Esmeralda, but the Orinoco con- 
