Capuchin Missions of i he Caroiti. a 



from a stream, rising in the mountains near Cumamo, and run- 

 ning hither westward, until, emptying itself into the Uruguare, 

 it turns southward into the Coyuni. This is the principal 

 Caraib settlement, and in 1803 contained 920 inhabitants; the 

 numbers have been greatly reduced by the fever, levies, and 

 desertion ; though the former was not nearly so destructive as 

 elsewhere, there were forty sick. Silvas the commandant seems 

 to keep the people in pretty good order. He had been in the 

 employ of the Capuchins, and this is the only place that escaped 

 plunder at the epoch of the revolution. He has occupied the 

 younger hands in planting tobacco round his own place, which 

 thrives well, and is of good quality. He rode out with us to the 

 tobacco-ground cultivated for Government; it had suffered 

 much from want of rain. This planting, of which I had heard 

 so much, seems to have been delayed for want of seed until the 

 rains were over, or far more would have been raised. — Dis- 

 covered, in the course of conversation, [that ii was our host's 

 practice to buy up all the colts and hammocks at a given 

 price, 2i dollars for the former, from three to four for the 

 latter. The captain, a great breeder, told me of the contract 

 and that I had been famously bit. This mission being m 

 tolerable order, had an opportunity of examining a little into its 

 ceconomy. A teniente (lieutenant,) has the command, who 

 has under him a mayordomo in charge of the cattle, and 

 another officer, with the rank of Serjeant, charged with super- 

 vision of the plantations ; these three are Creoles. A cap- 

 tain, who seems in a manner hereditary, a lieutenant, two 

 or three fiscals, and the master, artisans, — all Indians, — 

 command their countrymen at large. One is always in atten- 

 dance at the residence. The mayordomo has under him a 

 certain number of men all mounted, whose business it is to bring 

 in and take care of the cattle, and kill them when requisite. 

 Each artisan has his assistants; the field-labour is allotted to the 

 females, who should strictly work from sun-rise to four P.M. 

 deducting two hours for meals. These people work alternately 

 one week for the state, during which they are mustered every 

 morning at the church, and the next retire to their conucos to 



