144 



DEPARTURE FROM CAUACCAS. 



CHAPTEH XIV. 



Journey from Caraccas to the Lake of Valencia. 



Departure from Caraccas — La Buenavista — Valleys of San Pedro 

 and the Tuy — Manterola— Zamang-tree — Valleys of Aragua— 

 Lake of Vuicnria — Diminution of its Waters — Hot Springs — 

 Jaguar— New Valencia— Thermal Waters of La Trinchera— 

 Porto Cabello— Cow-tree — Cocoa-plantations — General View of 

 the Littoral District of Venezuela. 



from Ca- 

 TAccas. 



CTTAP. XIV. Lkavinq the city of Caraccas, on their way to the 

 DeparTui-e Orinoco, our travellers slept the first night at the base 

 of tile woody mountains whicli close the valley toward 

 the south-west. They followed the right bank of the 

 Rio Guayra, as far as the village of Antimano, by an 

 excellent road, partly scooped out of the rock. The 

 mountains were all of gneiss or mica-slate. A little 

 before reacliing that hamlet they observed two large 

 veins of gneiss in the slate, containing balls of granular 

 diabase or greenstone, composed of felspar and horn- 

 blende, with garnet disseminated. In the vicinity all 

 the orchards were full of peach-trees covered with 

 flowers. Between Antimano and Ajuntas they crossed 

 the Rio Guayra seventeen times, and proceeded along 

 the bottom of the valley. The river was bordered by a 

 gramineous plant, the Gynerium saccharoides, which 

 sometimes reaches tlie height of thirty-fwo feet, while 

 tlie huts were surrounded by enormous trees of Laurua 

 persra, covered by creepers. They passed the night in 

 a tiugar-plantation. In a square house were nearly 



Orclianla 



