THE GOLD-EEGIO^"S. Ug 



these birds seem to love the sunshine — hang with hun- 

 dreds of their long, sack-like homes, with flocks of the 

 brilliant-colored inhabitants hovering about them, present- 

 ing a beautiful sight. Among the many peculiar sounds 

 of animated Nature we recognized tlie familiar one " Wliip- 

 poor-will," recalling pleasant memories of our northern 

 home. 



Although Urbana is situated three hundred miles from 

 the gold-regions of Venezuelian Guiana — the veritable 

 " El Dorado," whose fabulous wealth is just being made 

 known to the world — still the Urbanians were suilerino- 

 from the " gold-fever," so prevalent throughout Venezuela. 

 The story of the " Gilded King," which inflamed such a 

 spirit of wild adventure among the conquistadores, had, 

 indeed, a more substantial foundation than we may have 

 thought — it was not wholly chimerical, but had such a 

 basis in facts that we can easily excuse the introduction 

 of the gold-bespangled monarch. The gold-regions em- 

 brace the broken mountain-ranges lying about one hundred 

 miles south of the Orinoco, in the eastern portion of Ven- 

 ezuela, between the rivers Essequibo and Caroni. The 

 auriferous quartz is found not only in immense veins, but 

 also in ledges or mountain-like masses, all of a richness 

 which is said to far exceed the gold-bearing c[uartz of 

 California. These gold-districts are easily accessible from 

 the coast, being situated inland scarcely two hundred 

 miles. Thus far the greater portion of the gold obtained 

 from these rich fields has been the result of unsystema- 

 tized labor, but already several companies are formed in 

 England, Germany, France, and the States, for the open- 

 ing of mines and the scientific working of the auriferous 

 quartz. The limits of our owm w^ork will not enable us to 

 speak at length iipon the wonderful developments that 

 have been made in this incredibly rich yet (until recently) 

 comparatively unexplored field ; but we must refer our 



