Margarita. 75 



tutions* (5 per cent of the population) the streets full of 

 loiterers, loafers, and unemployed beggars ? The day I 

 returned to Trinidad I found 100 beggars in front of a 

 merchant's store (a6lually counted). Venezuela is a 

 badly governed country some say but they know better 

 than to allow cranks and dipsomaniacs to disgrace their 

 Courts of Justice, and if they find a pronunciamento a 

 quicker remedy to dispose of traitors and incapables 

 than Royal Commissions I don't blame them. I found the 

 law administered in Carupano by a Judge of the Court of 

 first instance with a salary of $60 a month, and a clerk 

 of the peace at $20. So much to their credit then. It 

 shews that apart from political disturbances they prefer 

 attending to their business instead of spending their 

 lives in endless litigation as in Trinidad. If the patient 

 reader has followed me thus far, with my moralising, I 

 will simply add that having breakfasted at the house of 

 a wealthy and hospitable merchant in the town, I reluc- 

 tantly mounted my animal and returned to Porlamar, 

 where it was necessary to arrive the same evening in 

 order to catch the steamer Paparo crossing over to 

 Carupano. Nothing need be said of the rather fatiguing 

 route homewards except perhaps to notice two jolly fel- 

 lows, arm in arm, in Asuncion. " Borachonesy^ exclaimed 

 my companion — certainly they were the first and last that 

 I saw in Venezuela. 



We reached Porlamar at 8 p.m. and after a hurried 

 leave-taking and packing up found ourselves on board 

 the little river steamer, the Paparo^ a mere temporary 

 makeshift and in no way fitted for a rough sea. It was at 



* Trinidad actually provides accommodation for something like the 

 above number. 



Vi'4 



