] IG MOKRO DE BARCELONA. 



CHAP. XI. had formerly been the residence of a family of whites, 

 wudKoats there were wild goats of a large size and brown colour. 

 The inhabitants had cultivated maize and cassava ; but 

 the father, after the death of his children, having pur- 

 chased two black slaves, was murdered by them. One 

 of the assassins subsequently informed against his accom- 

 plice, and at the time of Humboldt's visit was hangman 

 at Cumana. 

 New Uai- Proceeding onwards they anchored for some hours in 



celuna. ^j^^ ^^^ ^£ -^^^ Barcelona, at the mouth of the river 



Neveri, which is full of crocodiles. These animals, 

 especially in calm weather, occasionally make excursions 

 into the open sea, — a fact which is interesting to 

 geologists, on account of the mixture of marine and 

 fresh-water organic remains that are occasionally ob- 

 Commerce of served in some of the more recent deposites. The port 

 tue port. ^£ Barcelona had at that time a very active commerce, 

 arising from the demand in the West Indies for salted 

 • provision, oxen, mules, and liorses ; the merchants of 

 the Havannah being the principal purchasers. Its 

 situation is extremely favourable for this exportation, 

 the animals arriving in three days from the Llanos, 

 while they take more than double that time to reach 

 Cumana, on account of the chain of mountains which 

 they liave to cross. Eiglit thousand mules were em- 

 l)arked at Barcelona, six thousand at Porto Cabcllo, and 

 three thousand at Carupano, in 1799 and IHOO, for tlie 

 several islands. 

 Morro d^^ Landing on the right bank of the river, they ascended 



baiceu.aa. jg ^ g,„jjji j-^^^^ ^lie Morro de Barcelona, built on a 

 calcareous rock, at an elevation of about 400 feet above 

 the sea, but commanded by a mucli higher hill on the 

 south. Here tiicy observed a very curious geological 

 phenomenon, which recurred in the cordilleras of Mex- 

 ico. The limestone, which had a dull, even, or flat 

 conchoidal fracture, and was divided into very thin 

 strata, was traversed by layers of black slaty jasper, 

 with a similar fracture, and breaking into fragmeniij 

 liaving a parallelopipedal form. It did not exhibit the 



