6 An Old Man of the age of King Wilham. 
mountains, in a manner which prevents 
the possibility of extending it beyond 
its present limits. So badly has its 
scite been chosen, that General Bolivar 
has interested himself much in trying 
the practicability of removing Truxillo 
to Valera, or some part or the surround- 
ing country more naturally adapted to 
such a purpose. The city was built 
one hundred years previous to the 
foundation of Caraccas, and has the 
appearance of great antiquity. It 
contains three or four churches, a con- 
vent and a population of about 6000 
persons, consists principals of one main 
street and one square. ‘The houses are 
moderately spacious and lofty, but ge- 
nerally much neglected and in bad re- 
pair. The inhabitants are remarkable 
for their affability, partiality to dancing, 
music and similar amusements. The 
circumstances of the revolution have 
destroyed nearly the whole of the male 
population and left a quantity of fe- 
males, which makes the numbers of 
the sexes very disproportionate in all 
public entertainments. 
It was ten o'clock on Sunday morn- 
ing by the time our mules were loaded, 
and we had left Truxillo. Our usual 
task of ascending began at the distance 
of about a league and a half after leav- 
ing the city. At two we reached the 
summit of the mountain, and shortly 
after commenced the descent, which 
conducted us to St. Anua, a small In- 
dian village, gifted with a most inviting 
atmosphere, where we passed the night 
in the house of the Alcalde. At the 
entrance of the Pueblo, on our left, 
we passed a stone placed near the path- 
way, in commemoration of the meeting 
of Bolivar and Morillo on that spot, to 
treat of the armistice, which was subse- 
quently realized in the month of No- 
vember of last year. 
From St. Anna to the town of Ca- 
rache was but six leagues, and we con- 
sequently arrived at the latcer at an 
early hour. The surrounding country 
is fertile, and, previous to the ravages 
committed by the Spaniards, was re- 
markably abundant. The site of the 
town isasmall plain, agreeably situated 
between the mountains. We found the 
Padre and the Alcaldes very obliging, 
although not friendly to the patriot 
cause until lately; but they have now 
seen their error and changed sides. 
The town, at the time of our passing © 
through, was afflicted with a malignant 
fever, productive of the most afflicting 
[Feb. 1, 
results among the inhabitants. The 
population is probably from three to 
four thousand, and the temperature a 
few degrees warmer than that of St. 
Anna. 
(To be completed in our next.) 
—>—_ 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ACCOUNT of an OLD MAN of the Age of 
KING WILLIAM; by DR. SILLIMAN. 
WO miles from Whitehall, on the 
Salem road, to Albany, in the 
state of New York, lives HENRY 
FRANCISCO, a native of France, and of 
a place which he pronounced Essex. 
He believes himself to be one hundred. 
and tlirty-four years old, and the coun- 
try around believe him to be of this 
great age. When we arrived at his re- 
sidence, (a plain farmer’s house, not 
painted, rather out of repair, and much 
open to the wind,) he was up stairs, at 
his daily work, of spooling and winding 
yarn. This occupation is auxiliary to 
that of his wife, who is a weaver, and 
although more than eighty years old, 
she weaves six yards a day, and the old 
man can supply her with more yarn 
than she can weave. Supposing he 
must be very feeble, we offered to go up 
stairs to him, but he soon came down, 
walking somewhat stooping, and sup- 
ported bya staff, but with less apparent 
inconvenience than most persons exhi- 
bit at eighty-five or ninety, His sta- 
ture is of the middle size, and although 
his person is rather delicate and slender, 
he stoops but little, even when unsup- 
ported. His complexion is very fair 
and delicate, and his expression bright, 
cheerful, and intelligent; his featnres 
are handsome, and considering that 
they have endured through one-third 
part of a second century, they are regu- 
lar, comely, and wonderfully undisfi- 
gured by the hand of time; his eyes 
are of a lively blue; his profile is Gre- 
cian, and very fine; his head is com- 
pletely covered with the most beautiful 
and delicate white locks imaginable ; 
they are so long and abundant as to fall 
gracefully from the crown of his head, 
parting regularly from a central point, 
and reaching down to his shoulders ; 
his hair is perfectly snow white, except 
where it is thick in his neck; when 
parted there, it shews some few dark 
shades, the remnants of a former cen- 
tury. 
He still retains the front teeth of his 
upper jaw; his mouth is not fallen in, 
like that of old people generally, cam 
lis 
