C A R A C C A S. 



423 



linn of thia mighty river, with its tributaries, we 



- n.n.t u-cuTve f.M a future occasion, and hhall, in the 



in time, content ourselves with enumerating a few 



oft! ns, which Di'pons has thought worthy 



of a particular description. 



At sixteen leagues west from Cora is the river 

 , navigable for canoes and sloops for six 

 miles from its niuiith. Twenty-five leagues to the 

 of Guigues, the river Toe uvo discharges itself 

 into the sea. Its source is about fifteen leagues south 

 of C-tror.i, upwards of sixty leagues from the coast, 

 and it is navigable as far as Managua, about forty 

 leagues from its ihouth. Its vicinity furnishes abun- 

 dance of timber fit for every kind of building ; and it 

 flows through a fertile, but neglected country. Ten 

 leagues to windward of the "1 ocuyo is the mouth of 

 the AROA, of which the navigation is neither easy nor 

 beneficial, though its course be upwards of forty 

 leagues. Rcasccnding along the coast, we come to 

 the mouth of the YARACUY, three leagues distant 

 from that of the Aroa. It has a course of forty 

 leagues, but does not become navigable till within 

 two leagues east of St Philip. From that point it 

 is very useful for the conveyance of the produce 

 raised in the vallies of St Philip, and the plains of 

 Barquisimeto, which is sent by sea to Porto Bello, 

 the nearest port. There is no river of importance 

 between the Yaracuy and the TUY, which falls into 

 the ocean thirty leagues east of the port of Guayra. 

 The source of this river is in the mountains of San 

 Pedro, ten leagues from Caraccas.. After flowing 

 through several extensive and fertile vallies, it is aug- 

 mented by the junction of the Guayra, and being 

 thus rendered navigable, serves for the transportation 

 of the produce with which these vallies abound, par- 

 ticularly cacao, which is there of the finest quality. 

 No river to windward of the Tuy fixes the traveller's 

 attention till he reaches UNARA, the line of division 

 between the governments of Caraccas and Cumana. 

 It pursues a northerly course for about thirty leagues, 

 and is navigable about six leagues from the sea. All 

 that deserves to be mentioned of the NEVERI and the 

 MANZANARES, is, that the one is seventeen leagues, 

 and the other twenty-seven east of die Unara ; the 

 former is too rapid and powerful to be navigated far, 

 the other is too small to admit even small vessels more 

 than a mile from its mouth. The latter stream 

 washes the city of Cumana, to which, however, it is 

 of little consequence. After passing Cumana, we 

 meet the Gulf of Cariaco, which receives, besides se- 

 veral other streams, a river of the same name. This 

 river passes by the city of Cariaco, about two leagues 

 from the gulf, and is only thus far navigable, nor al- 

 ways eveii so far j for as it receives a considerable 

 quantity of rain water, in dry weather it becomes 

 shallow, and, in rainy weather, is subject to inunda- 

 tions, which are extremely inconvenient to the city. 

 A tradition prevails among the Guayqueris Indians, 

 that the Gulf of Cariaco was formed by an earth- 

 quake. 



On all the northern coast, as far as the Cape of 

 Paria, which, with the Isles of the Dragons, forms 

 the great entrance of the Gulf of Paria, not a single 

 navigable river is to be found. Of those which dis- 

 charge themselves into the Gulf, the most consider- 



is the GuARAPicnt. This river, ruing in the Car- 



ern declitity of Mount Brigantin, is swelled by *"" ~ f^* / 



able 

 eastern 



many streams of considerable magnitude, so that it 

 rolls towards the Gulf with all the majesty of a river 

 of the firbt rank. To vessels of ordinary size, it is na- 

 vigable us far as the Fork of Fantarma. Beyond that, 

 the navigation is impeded, not so much by the bhal- 

 lowness of the river, as by the mangroves and trees 

 which are thrown into it by the wind, or deposited 

 by ihe currents. 



These rivers are joined by an infinite number of 

 smaller streams, yet they water only the high or 

 northern part of the provinces of Venezuela and Cu- 

 mana, and do not amount to the twentieth part of the 

 rivers which proceed directly to the sea. The south- 

 ern, or low part of Venezuela, is intersected by others 

 which flow from north to south, till they discharge 

 themselves into the great Oronoko. Of these, the 

 most considerable are the Mamo, the Pariagoan and 

 Pao, the Chivata and Zoa, the Cachimamo, the Ara- 

 cay, the Manapira and Espino. In this enumeration, 

 however, the first place must be given to the Apura. 

 After receiving the waters of innumerable tributary 

 streams, which form altogether the figure of a fan, 

 occupying a space of upwards of thirty leagues, this 

 river discharges its mighty flood by severalchannels 

 into the Oronoko. Most of these rivers are navigable 

 for forty or fifty leagues, affording the most anima- 

 ting anticipation of the future prosperity of the coun- 

 try through which they flow, when its inhabitants, 

 more enlightened and industrious, shall have learned 

 to appreciate and to improve the advantages which 

 nature so profusely bestows. 



The only lakes in Caraccas which are worthy of , , ^ 

 description are the lakes of Maracaibo and Valencia. 

 The lake of Maracaibo is nearly in the form of a de- 

 canter, lying from north to south, with its neck com- 

 municating with the sea. Its length is about fifty 

 leagues ; its greatest breadth, thirty ; and its circum- 

 ference, upwards of a hundred and fifty. It is na- 

 vigable to vessels of the greatest burden ; but the en- 

 trance to it is considerably obstructed by a bar. 

 When strong breezes prevail, its waves are so vio- 

 lently agitated as to overwhelm the canoes and small 

 craft ; but it is seldom visited by hurricanes. Its 

 water is fresh ; but when a gale blows strongly from 

 the sea, it acquires a brackish taste from its mixture 

 with the waves. In this lake the tide is more per- 

 ceptible than on its neighbouring coasts. It abounds 

 with all the different species of fish which are found 

 in the rivers of South America : the tortoise alone 

 forms a singular exception. The shores of the Mara- 

 caibo are so sterile and nuxious, as to discourage cul- 

 ture and population ; insomuch, that the Indians 

 preferred dwelling in huts, erected by a particular 

 construction on the lake itself. In a place called 

 Mena, to the north-east of the lake, in the most bar- 

 ren part of its borders, there is an inexhaustible mine 

 of mineral pitch, the true natural pessaphalte, which, 

 when mixed with suet, is used for graving vessels. 

 The vapours exhaled from this mine are so inflam- 

 mable, that during night phosphoric fires are con- 

 tinually seen, in their appearance resembling light- 

 ning. They serve as a light house and compass to the 

 Spaniards and Indians who navigate the lake, ard 



