1822. ] 
I was mounted grew tired previous to 
reaching the summit, and obliged 
me to beat him most unmercifully to 
get him forwards. 1 arrived, how- 
ever, at Bayladores a little after sun- 
set, without having stopped any where, 
much fatigued, and consequently 
alighted very gladly at the house of a 
labourer, where we passed the night. 
Bayladores is divided into two parts, 
one of which is termed the town, and 
the other the parish. We found here a 
coul atmosphere, and more cultivation 
of tobacco than [ had seen any where 
reviously. The town is small, the 
eee very much dilapidated, and the 
population probably about 300 persons. 
The Spanish general, La Torre, was 
-encamped eleven months in Bayladores, 
the consequence of which has been a 
general destruction of its houses and 
resources. Of the former, but very 
few have floors, and fewer still a chair 
to sit upon, or a pair of fowls to breed 
from; and indigence and want are 
universal, 
The distance from the town of Bay- 
ladores to the parish of the same name, 
is two leagues, and consequently occu- 
pied us two hours. It is somewhat less 
in population and extent than the 
town, and offered nothing particularly 
worthy of record. Such part of the 
surrounding country as is cultivated is 
very fertile, and a few potatoes we ob- 
tained here proved the best we had 
seen upon our journey. We changed 
our animals, and left at nine e’clock in 
the morning subsequent, for Estanques, 
where we arrived between four and 
five o’clock in the evening. The road 
was more level than any we had passed 
hitherto, although still continuing its 
course among the mountains. The 
natural heat of the day was consider- 
ably added to by the burning of the 
bushes on the road side the night 
previous. We passed about an hour 
and a half at mid-day in the house 
of a cottager, near the pathway, whose 
maintenance, and that of a numer- 
ous family, was derived from the pro- 
duce of a small plantation of tobacco 
which surrounded the house, con- 
structed by himself, with a species of 
bamboo cane and mud walls. 
Estanques is the name of a cocoa 
estate, (Hacienda) the property of a 
family resident in Santa Fé. Although 
it has been much injured by the Spani- 
ards, there are still nearly 100 slaves 
remaining, under the superintendence 
Recent Journey in Columbia. 3 
of a major-domo, also a slaye. We 
were informed, previous to touching 
here, that this Hacienda, although very 
extensive, does not produce to its pro- 
prietors 2000.dollars annually. It has 
the appearance of being well regulated, 
and contains a small church, in which 
the slaves were all very punctual in 
their attendance to the morning and 
evening prayer. 
About seven o’clock the following 
morning we left Estanques, for San 
Juan, a distance of seven leagues. 
An hour after our departure we reached 
the spot where a curious bridge has 
been constructed across the river Chas 
ma, for the conveyance of passengers 
who travel this ruad to Maracaibo. It 
consists of a variety of long strips of 
hide fastened to a post on each side of 
the river, on which slides a square 
piece of leather, on which the passenger 
seats himself and pulls himself over to 
the other side with a line destined for 
that purpose. The Chama, although 
not very deep in this part of it, runs 
down with such extraordinary violence, 
that it would be quite impossible to 
ford it. We occasionally found tem- 
porary bridges constructed where the 
passes were narrower than in this place. 
The road from Estanques to San 
Juan has most deservedly the reputa- 
tion of being one of the most difficult 
and dangerous in this part of America. 
We had frequently to mount rocks and 
precipices, where one false step of the 
mules would have occasioned imme- 
diate destruction. I collected two or 
three specimens of the rocks which 
form these perilous situations. To 
crown a most fatiguing day’s journey, 
it rained very heavily before I could 
reach San Juan. The thickness of the 
atmosphere, and approaching night, 
occasioned a most painful uncertainty 
about the road, which I frequently ap- 
prehended I had mistaken. On my 
arrival at San Juan, however, I was 
civilly received by the Alealde, in 
whose house I immediately changed my 
apparel, to avoid, if possible, another 
return of the fever and ague, which 
the drenching I had received, gave me 
but too much reason to anticipate. 
San Juan, isan Indian village, which 
has been much injured and depopulated 
by the Spaniards. As it is much svat- 
tered, it would be dificult to estimate 
the population correctly, perhaps 1000 
persons. The church is the only brick 
building, the remainder are espn 
an 
