330 TRINIDAD. 



ductive by drainage — not an easy task, I admit. This swamp 

 may be estimated at 34,560 acres. 



Several streams originating in the central range have their 

 course towards the swamp ; the principal of these, pretty large, 

 bears the name of Nariva. 



The swampy part of Nariva presents, from the sea, a striking 

 appearance, it being a perfect level from the beach to the foot of 

 the Lebranche ridge; and, though covered with a luxuriant 

 vegetation, it looks like a still waste, with the mountain-cabbage 

 towering above the tall grasses and the copse- woods around; 

 close to the beach, mangroves and balatas grow in clusters. The 

 vapours which rise early in the morning, forming long hovering 

 streaks of wreathy mist, indicate the locale of the swamps which 

 intersect these lowlands in all directions, whilst in the back- 

 ground, the Lebranche hills seem to emerge abruptly from the 

 plain. In front, the Nariva or Mitan stretches along the beach, 

 immediately beyond the Cocal, for several miles. It is a fine 

 deep sheet of dark water, expanding near its mouth into a sort 

 of basin. The Nariva, as I have already stated, takes a northerly 

 course until it meets the southern spur of the valley of Le- 

 branche, when it turns nearly abruptly southward ; it is formed 

 by the accumulation of the waters which descend the Lebranche 

 group, from Morne Calabash to Tamana. They collect first in 

 swamps and canals communicating with each other, ultimately to 

 unite in one stream. There is, besides the Nariva, the Jean Paul, 

 or Doubloon river ; it owes its existence and names to the follow- 

 ing circumstance : Mr. Carter, the lessee of the Cocal, finding 

 that, during the rainy season, the quantity of water received by 

 the Nariva was disproportionately large, came to the determina- 

 tion of opening a new channel for the surplus waters, and made 

 an arrangement with a man of the name of Jean Paul to cut a 

 canal through the sandy beach, for which he paid him a doubloon ; 

 hence the names of Jean Paul and Doubloon given to that canal, 

 which may be said to form, at present, a second mouth to the 

 Nariva. 



In the year 1849, Messrs. M. Sorzano, surveyor-general, 

 L. d'Abadie, also a land-survej^or, received instructions from 

 Lord Harris to cut a track from Tamana to the Cocal. They 

 began their survey on the 15th of April, and reached the beach 

 on the 2nd of May. This track is a straight line, its direction 



tie 



