62 CITY OF CUMANA. 



CHAP. V eous hill, commands the town, and forms a picturesqus 



,. , ohiect to vessels entcrinirtlie port. On the south-western 



st^Viitonio slope of the same rock are the ruins of the castle of St 

 Mary, from the site of which there is a fine view of the 

 Gulf, together with the island of Margarita and the 

 small isles of Caraccas, Picuita, and Boracha, which 

 present the most singular appearances from the effect of 

 mirage. 

 Site of the "^^^^ ^^^Y °^ Cumana, properly speaking, occupies the 

 city. ground that lies between the castle of St Antonio and 



the small rivers IManzanares and Santa Catalina. It 

 has no remarkable buildings, on account of the violent 

 earthquakes to which it is subject. The suburbs are 

 almost as populous as the town itself, and are three in 

 number : namely, Serritos, St Francis, and that of the 

 Guayquerias. The latter is inhaluted by a tribe of 

 civilized Indians, who, for upwards of a century, have 

 adopted the Castiiian language. The whole populatior 

 in 1802 was about eighteen or nineteen thousand. 

 Surronndini; The plains wliicli surround the city have a parched 

 country. and dusty aspect. The hill on wliich the fort of St 

 Antonio stands is also bare, and composed of calcareous 

 breccia, containing marine shells. Southward, in the 

 distance, is a vast curtain of inaccessible mountains, also 

 of limestone. These ridges are covered by majestic 

 forests, extending along the sloping ground at tluir base 

 to an open plain in the nciglibourhood of Cumana, 

 through which the river Manzanares winds its way to 

 the sea, fringed with mimosas, erythrinas, ceibas, and 

 other trees of gigantic growth. 

 RivorMan- This river, tlie temperature of -which in the season of 

 the floods descends as low as 71 '6'', when that of the air 

 is as high as OT, is an inestimable benefit to the inhabi- 

 tants ; all of whom, even the women of the most opu- 

 lent families, learn to swim. Tlie mode of bathing is 

 various. Our travellers frequented every evening a 

 very respectalilc society in the suburb of the Guay- 

 querias. In the beautiful moonlight, chairs were placed 

 in the water, on which were seated the ladies and 



uiuaies. 



