338 TRINIDAD. 



Carter the lessee of the Cocal and, more recently, by Messrs. 

 Sorzano and d'Abadie. 



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

 aspect it being a perfect level from the beach to the foot of the 

 Lebranche ridge ; and, though covered with a luxuriant vegeta- 

 tion, 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 Lebranche, 

 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 Doublon river ; it owes its existence and names to the following 

 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 determination 

 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 Doublon 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, 

 and L. d'Abadie, also a land-surveyor, 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 

 being E. J S., and its entire length fourteen miles. For 

 nearly four miles, from Tamana, the country is undulating, 

 the superstratum resting on limestone. The lower portion is 



