VENEZUELA. 



VENEZUELA. 



99} 



], MOM very dark, othen. almost u fair u European! ; 

 an *bort in stature, and have little hair, though they are not 

 beard)***. Their limbe, large and muscular, bare the 

 of great strength, but they support hard labour with 

 . The gretar part of them are acquainted with agriculture, 

 and cultivate cotton, plantain*, yucca, batatas, and even the sugar- 

 cane, Th*y lire in bouses, but all of tliem go nearly naked. The 

 following wa* given at the distribution of the population in 1844, but 

 we hare no similar semi-official summary for 1851, when the total 

 population was said to hare increased to 1,356,000 : 



Independent Indian tribes 62.000 



Subjected Indiana of pure blood .... 14,000 

 Indians mixed with the other population, who have 

 adopted the manners of the other inhabitants, but 

 preserve the characteristic features of their race . 160,000 

 Whites or Creoles, Spanish Americans, and foreign- 



0_ 298,000 



The mixed race, mulatto**, mestizoes, samboes, 



tercrones,andquarterones "0,000 



Negroes or slaves (by the law of 18SO, the importa- 

 tion of slaves was forbidden, by an act of 1854 

 they were emancipated) 48.00C 



1,052,000 



7>irui<Mi, Town, <tf. Venezuela is divided into 5 departments 

 Maturin, Venezuela or Caracas, Tulia, Apure, and Orinoco. These 

 are subdivided into 18 provinces, 88 cantons, and 523 parishes. 



The capital of the republic is CARACAS. The following are some 

 of the other more important towns: the populations are merely 

 vague estimates : 



ASOOSTTJRA. 



Anmcvm, the capital of the province Margarita, stands in a narrow 

 valley on the east side of the Island of Margarita. It has about 3500 

 inhabitants, and carries on some trade in coffee, palm-oil, and the 

 other product* of the island. 



lUmmojiA; BARQUICIMENTO. 



Bannat, or Variant, the capital of the province of the same name, 

 is built on the St. Domingo River, at the base of the Nevado de 

 Mlrida, in 7* 30' N. lat, 70 12' W. long. : population about 6000. It 

 is the centre of a very fertile district, and a large trade is carried on, 

 the inhabitants of the higher country bringing in their corn and fruit, 

 and taking in exchange the produce of the numerous herds which 

 pasture on the plains. A good deal of tobacco is grown in the 

 vicinity. 



Carora, on the left bank of the Tocuyo, 100 miles N.W. from 

 Barquicimrnto, population 4000, has some manufactures of cotton- 

 bluff) and several tanneries, and carries on a good trade. 



Con, the capital of the province of Coro, stands on an arid plain 

 about 2 miles from the tea, at the western angle of the Oulf of Mara- 

 caibo : population, 4000. It carries on some trade, chiefly with the 

 Dutch island of Curacao, by means of the small harbour called Vela 

 de Coro, which is about 7 miles from the town. 



Cumand, the capita] of the department of Maturin, stands about a 

 mile from the sea, at the entrance of the Gulf of Cariaco : popula- 

 tion 12,000. The gulf itself is spacious and safe, but its entrance is 

 somewhat dangerous, owing to a sandbank, which extends from 1'unta 

 Araya, and a shoal off the opposite coast. The town has no remark- 

 able buildings ; the houses are low and slightly built, on account of 

 the frequent earthquakes. There is a considerable trade in cattle, 

 dried meat, salted fish, and salt, with Caracas and the Windward 

 Island*. 



Guayra, or La Ouayra, the port of CARACAS, from which it is 

 distant in a straight line only 6 miles, but by the road over the moun- 

 tains about 13 miles : population, 6000. It is built on a narrow and 

 uneven plain between two huge masses of rock, and at the back of 

 the town the mountains rise almost perpendicularly. The town is 

 rather well built; but it has only an exposed roadstead, and the 

 anchoring ground is not good. The climate is exceedingly hot, and 

 it it considered very unhealthy, but it is said without reason. 



Maracaibo, the capital of the province of the same name, is built 

 on the western shores of the strait which connects the great bike with 

 the Oulf of Maracaibo : population, 14,000. It contains some good 

 building*, but the greater part of the houses arc of wood and 

 thatched. The town has a considerable trade, as it is the harbour of 

 the provinces of Merida and Tnijillo, and also of several districts of 

 New Oranada, especially those surrounding Cucuta, from which cacao, 

 honey, sugar, conserves, tobacco, ropes, and some smaller 

 an brought to Maracaibo, and then exported by English, 

 an, Dutch, French, and Danish vessels. By tho same way 

 these provinces are supplied with European articles and with salt. 

 Besides the ordinary schools the town has a college and a school of 

 navigation. A considerable number of vessels are built here, the 

 forest* on the southern banks of the lake supplying abundance of 

 excellent timber. 



Jfofttrin is a considerable place on the banks of the Rio Ouarapiche, 

 which falls into the Gulf of Paria. The river is navigable at the 

 town for barge*, and for larger vessels at the Cano Colorado, about 



27 miles lower down in a straight line. The town exports to Trinidad 

 a great number of cattle, hones, and mules. 



Merida, the capital of the province of the same name, population 

 6000, is built on a plain, or rather table-land, 10 miles long and 3 

 miles wide, which on one side joins tho range of mountains, and on 

 the other sides is encompassed by deep valleys. It is 5518 feet above 

 the sea-level, and on the south of the town is the Sierra Nevada. Tho 

 coffee grown in tho vicinity is of excellent quality. Several kinds of 

 woollen and cotton stuffs are made. There are a college and several 

 schools. 



Puerto Cabttto, is situated at the bottom of the Gulf of Triste, in 

 10 20' N. lat, 69 10' W. long. : population, 10,000. The port is con- 

 sidered the best on the south coast of the Caribbean Sea. The 

 harbour is formed on the west by a peninsula projecting northward, 

 and terminating about 100 yards from the island, and is sheltered 

 by a narrow low island, about 2 miles long, which is overgrown with 

 mangrove-trees, and at its eastern extremity is united to the con- 

 tinent by a shoal. The space between the peninsula and island forms 

 the entrance of the port, which is deep, but so narrow that only one 

 vessel can pass through it at a time. The harbour itself is spacious, 

 and the largest vessels may lie there in safety; the water being 

 always as smooth as that of a lake. The city is small, but contains 

 several good houses and is well fortified. There is au excellent wharf, 

 close to which vessels of large burden may lie. A suburb, much 

 more extensive than the city, but built with less regularity, is separated 

 from it by a cut. The commerce of the town is considerable. The 

 exports consist of cacao, coffee, sugar, and a great number of mules. 

 Formerly 10,000 mules are said to have been annually shipped for 

 Jamaica and other parts of tho West Indies. 



San Felipe, near the left bank of the Yuracuy, about CO miles N.E. 

 from Barquicimento : population, 7000. The town is well built aud 

 has a considerable trade, but it stands in a low unhealthy region 

 which is subject to frequent inundations. In its neighbourhood are 

 the copper mines of Aroa. 



Tucuyo is situated in an elevated valley near the source of the river 

 Tucuyo: population, 10,000. The town is the centre of that part of 

 the province of Barquicimento which is best adapted for the cultiva- 

 tion of wheat. It is a well built place, and the inhabitants are enter- 

 prising and industrious : they make cotton- and woollen-stuffs, and tan 

 leather, of which they make boots, shoes, and leathern girdles, which 

 they send to the plains. In the town are a college and some elementary 

 schools. 



Trujillo, the capital of the province of Trujillo, stands on the great 

 road from Caracas and Barquicimento to Merida and New Granada : 

 population, 4000. The town is built on a slope between two ranges 

 of high mountains, and is 2744 feet above the sea-level. In its vicinity 

 much wheat is grown. Many worsted stuffs are made in the town, 

 also conserves aud cheese. There are a college and several elementary 

 schools. 



Valencia, the capital of the province of Carababo, stands on a slope, 

 near the opening of a valley, about six miles from the west bank of 

 the Lake of Valencia : population, 15,000. Its position is important 

 for commerce, as all the products of the provinces of Barinas aud 

 Barquicimento pass through the town to Puerto Cabello. It is well 

 built, and contains among other institutions for education, a college, 

 a grammar school, and several elementary schools. 



Victoria, or La Victoria, is situated in the vale of Aragua, about 40 

 miles S.W. from Caricas : population, 8000. The town is advan- 

 tageously situated for the commerce with the great plains ; for to tha 

 south of it the southern ridge of the coast range presents a great 

 depression, through which the road leads to the town of Cura, which 

 is built at the southern opening of the depression. In the southern 

 plains is the town of Calabozo, a thriving place. Maracai aud Turmcro, 

 both in the vale of Aragua, are also considerable places. 



History, etc. The most eastern part of this coast, and the Island of 

 Margarita, were discovered by Christopher Columbus in his third 

 voyage, 1498, and the following year the whole northern coast of 

 South America, from the Gulf of Paria to Cape de la Vela iu New 

 Granada was discovered by Ojeda and Vespucci. In the same year 

 Christobal Guerra made a voyage for the purpose of ascertaining the 

 commercial wealth of the country. The first settlements on the couti- 

 n rut were at Cumaud, which was built iu 1520, aud at Coro, which 

 was built in 1527. About this time the emperor Charles V. gave up 

 the whole northern coast as far west as Cape de la Vela to the Welsers, 

 a family of merchants in Augsburg, to be held as a fief of the crowii 

 of Castile; but ho resumed possession of it in 1542. Several places 

 in the coast range had already been discovered where there were 

 indications of gold ; and the Spaniards now began to form their settle- 

 ments. Tucuyo was established in 1545, Barquicimeuto in 1552, 

 Valencia in 1555, and Caracas iu 1567. In 1C34 the Dutch took pos- 

 session of tho island of Curasao, aud from that time Venezuela began 

 to rise. The continually increasing demand for cacao on the part of 

 the Dutch induced the Spauish settlers to attend to its cultivation, 

 and in a short time a considerable quantity of cacao was exported. 

 This excited the jealousy of the Spanish court aud of tho Spanish 

 merchants. Various means were employed to direct this branch of 

 commerce to Spain, but with little success. In 1700 the company of 

 Guipuzcoa was established, in which was vested the exclusive right of 



