66 TiMEHRI. 



able oasis of this kind is El Valle from whence the 

 water supply of the town is derived, it is a very bright 

 place indeed, with canes, and every description of fruit 

 trees and plenty of water, about 3 miles from Porlamar, 

 but in spite of the generally arid chara6ler of the country 

 there comparatively is very little land out of cultivation 

 and you pass fields of plantains carefully fenced in, 

 ca-efuUy weeded and planted in lines, as well as Yucca or 

 Manioc canes everywhere. Distilleries and potteries are 

 all busy, as the earth is of the best quality for pottery. The 

 road was excellent but scarcely wide enough at places 

 for two to ride abreast (there is no wheel traffic in the 

 island) ; like in other parts of Venezuela you have a line 

 of trees (thorn bushes) which affords shelter from the sun 

 and serves also for a fence. After a leisurely ride of 

 about 3 hours, including stoppages at many houses along 

 the road, where my lively companion was always warmly 

 received, he declaring that the Muchachas were her- 

 mosisima, and rmiy sympatica, we entered Asuncion, 

 once honoured by the arrogant Hidalgos and the flower 

 of the Spanish Army, but now the retreat of a few quaint 

 old-fashioned people and poor tillers of the soil. Tempora 

 mutantur ! What was KiNGSLEY thinking of with 

 his " At last "and the many yachtsmen who hunt out inter- 

 esting places, not to come here ? for surely it is worthy 

 the pencil of both poet and artist. The town is 

 prote6led, or was so formerly before the days of modern 

 artillery, by a castle on a low hill overlooking the town, 

 and which, although unoccupied appears inta6t. There 

 are also the remains of no less than 7 churches, one is 

 the present church of the Asuncion a very quaint 

 old-world building with funny porticos, alcoves, turrets 



