172 VIEAVS OF NATURE. 



regular forms delights the eye. The causes of these resem- 

 blances, as I have explained elsewhere, are rather to be refer- 

 red to psychical conditions, and to the inner nature of our 

 mental qualifications, than as affording evidence in favour of 

 a common origin and the ancient intercourse of nations.* 



Our interpreters could give us no certain information re- 

 garding the age of these vessels ; but that of the skeletons did 

 not in general appear to exceed a hundred years. There is a 

 legend amongst the Guareke Indians, that the brave Atures, 

 when closely pursued by the cannibal Caribs, took refuge on 

 the rocks of the cataracts, — a mournful place of abode, in 

 which this oppressed race perished, together with its lan- 

 guage! (12) In the most inaccessible portion of the Kaudal 

 other graves of the same character are met with ; indeed it is 

 probable that the last descendants of the Atures did not 

 become extinct until a much more recent period. There still 

 lives and it is a singular fact, an old parrot in Maypures which 

 cannot be understood, because, as the natives assert, it speaks 

 the language of the Atures ! 



We left the cave at nightfall, after having collected, 

 to the extreme annoyance of our Indian guides, several 

 skulls and the perfect skeleton of an aged man. One of 

 these skulls has been delineated by Blumenbach in his ad- 

 mirable craniological work;f but the skeleton, together with 

 a large portion of our natural history collections, especially the 

 entomological, was lost by shipwreck off the coast of Africa 

 on the same occasion when our friend and former travelling 

 companion, the young Franciscan monk, Juan Gonzalez, 

 lost his life. 



As if with a presentiment of this painful loss, we turned 

 from the grave of a departed race with feelings of deep emo- 



* This subject is elaborately discussed in Heeren's various works. — 

 Ed. 



+ Blumenbach, Collectiones sace Craniorum diversarum gentium, &c, 

 4to, Gotting., 1798-1828. -Ed. 



