602 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



devoted to this employment, and 

 who are called Huragiieros, are 

 embodied at the residence of the 

 Teniente visitador. The Indians 

 employed at this work are easily 

 distingiiished by their hair be- 

 coming red. Being embodied, 

 they proceed, in presence of the 

 (lens d'armes, to sound the lake 

 with a long pole, ac the end of 

 which is fixed a bar of iron, which 

 serves to break the mineral. 

 Having by these means found 

 the parts where the Urao is most 

 copiously deposited, they divide 

 themselves into (hffcrent parlies 

 (quadrillas), for the sake of faci- 

 litating their labour. Each party, 

 composed of eight, ten, or more 

 Indians, fixes a pole in the centre 

 of the district allotted to them. 

 Supported by this pole, the Hura- 

 gueros plunge into tlie lake, and 

 beginning by separating a bed of 

 earth which covers the mineral, 

 they proceed to break the Ui'ao. 

 "NA'hen they suppose tliat a consi- 

 derable part of the Urao is sepa- 

 rated from the mass, they dive 

 for it, and then lising again above 

 the water, place it in very small 

 canoes (piraguitas), which float 

 round the spot. As theic are se- 

 veral Indians who explore the 

 same mine, the work goes on 

 Avithout interruption, but the 

 same Huraguero is not able to 

 plunge many times successively. 

 The work, which begins early, 

 and always in presence of the 

 Gens d'armes, who are stationed 

 on the borders of the lake, ceases 

 at six o'clock in the afternoon, 

 when the produce of the day's 

 labour is deposited in tl\e royal 

 magazine, and is afterwards ex- 

 posed to the heat of the sun. 

 The extvaction, which lasts 



nearly two months, produces from 

 lOOo' to 1600 weight of Urao, 

 which is the quantity consumed 

 in two years at Venezuela ; but 

 if more were required, the lake 

 would probably furnish upwards 

 of four times that quantity. The 

 difficulty of extracting the Urao 

 may easily he imagined, but what 

 is much worse, considerable dan- 

 ger attends it. If the Indian 

 diver happens to lose his hold of 

 his pole, or if soinc other acci- 

 dent prevent his I'ising promptly 

 to the surface of the water, and 

 indeed tlie Indians of Lalagiiiiilla 

 are in general but indifferent di- 

 vers, he is in danger of swallow- 

 insr more or less of the alkaline 

 solution. If the quantity drank 

 be inconsiderable, the bad conse- 

 quences may be ti'itling j but if 

 he happen to drink largely, he 

 cannot survive it many days. Oil 

 lias been had recourse to in vain. 

 Acetic acid might, perhaps, in 

 such cases be administered with 

 better eifect. Father Rendon pro- 

 posed, in 1808, to the Captain- 

 general of Caraccas, to effect the 

 extraction of the Urao by sinking 

 a caisson, which when properly 

 secured should be opened at bot- 

 tom to get at the soda. This pro- 

 ject, which undoubtedly at low 

 AA.iter might be realised at a 

 small expense, was rejected as 

 impracticable. 



When the extraction of the 

 Urao is completed, the superin- 

 tendant of the tobacco, Avho re- 

 sides at Merida, repairs to Lala- 

 gunilla, accomj)anied by the Te- 

 niente visitador and others. The 

 salt is weighed, and paid for in 

 the proportion of about one real 

 of plata (about seven-pence) the 

 pound. It is then conveyed into 



the 



