182 METEOROLOGY. 



The valley in which Colonia Tovar is situated was, so late as De- 

 cember, 1S41, a perfect wilderness, covered with primitive forest. 

 Not even the existence of this valley was known fifteen years ago, 

 neither to the government nor to its owner, although it is only thirty- 

 five miles west of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and in a straight 

 line cannot be more than twelve miles from the sea. And when an 

 attempt was made to explore this region not even a guide could he 

 found for the small exploring party of fifteen men, headed by Colonel 

 Codazzi, a skillful officer and compiler of the new map of Venezuela. 

 When this party at last succeeded in crossing this region and reaching 

 the sea-shore, they thought they had achieved a most extraordinary 

 thing, (to cross a distance of twelve miles in six days;) and after they 

 had returned to their homes none of them had a desire to do the feat 

 over again. This was a party of natives. And when, at a later 

 period, after the establishment of the colony, another skillful engi- 

 neer found, with a party of colonists, his way to the opposite port of 

 the sea-shore, the party did not venture to go back the same route, but 

 rather chose the way by sea to Laguayra, from there to Caracas and 

 back to the colony, a very circuitous route certainly. Such is the 

 nature of this mountain region, with its precipices, waterfalls, deep 

 ravines, and its dense, almost impenetrable primeval forests. 



In collecting botanical specimens, I have penetrated, without a com- 

 panion, the wilderness around in different directions, also that on the 

 other side of the principal mountain range towards the sea, and can 

 testify to the difficulties and hardships which are met with in. exploring 

 such a country. On excursions of this kind the most needful thing 

 besides a comjiass is a short sabre, called "machetta," which I have 

 to use continually in cutting through the lianos, the erect and climbing 

 canes, the under shrub, which is all matted and intermingled in a 

 thousand different ways into a dense mass of vegetation. 



In these woods, where the rays of the sun never touch the ground, 

 there it is Avhere moisture and a cool temperature reign forever. The 

 trunk of every tree and its branches are covered with Ferns, Lyco- 

 podiaceee, Kosses, Hepaticfe, Lichens, Orchids, Bromeliads, Aracece 

 and besides Piperacce with many exogenous plants too numerous to 

 mention.. 



The soil in these forests is one entire mass of slender rootlets most 

 completely intei mingled and interwoven, more than a foot in thickness, 

 the interstices filled with a brown but imperfectly decomposed vege- 

 table mould, which is kept in its place by the network of the rootlets. 

 This stratum is covered with mosses and remnants of leaves, so that 

 on the mountain ridges not only the ground, but also the trunks and 

 branches of the trees, act like a thick layer of sponges in retaining the 

 water that either pours down in form of rain or settles more slowly 

 in the form of mist and clouds. This water is allowed to trickle and 

 sink down but very gradually, and is, therefore, a never-failing source 

 from which are constantly fed the many little rivulets that hurry down 

 the steep declivities into their common receptacle^ the narrow chasm 

 of the river Tuy, which, in one continued row of cascades, rushes 

 thundering down SE. and S. until after a run of twenty miles, turn- 

 ing suddenly to the east^ it finds a more level country. 



