364 TlMEHRI. 



" bounded by the mountains of Parime on the north and 

 " by those of Minas Geraes and Matogrosso on the south. 

 " The opposite slopes of the same valley often display 

 " an analogy in their geological relations."* 



A discovery of Schomburgk'S which may be men- 

 tioned here in connection with the opening up of the 

 country, and of this savannah country in particular, is 

 the following: — Near the " Quitaro River" we had to 

 cross numerous swamps abounding in a species of cocao 

 (Theobroma bicolor). The large melon shaped fruits 

 of all sizes, " some green, some of a bright yellow^ were 

 " eagerly colle6led by the Indians, who however did not 

 " appear acquainted with the fine aroma which the seed 

 " itself possesses — we collefted a number of seeds of 

 " which I counted as many as sixty in one capsule. 

 " They afforded us for some mornings the most delicious 

 " cup of cocoa I ever tasted. It is remarkable that 

 " cocoa in its wild state is only found in swampy, or at 

 *' the best moist situations. The trees which I observed, 

 " although of a peculiar growth, almost shrubby, and 

 '■' the trunks less developed than in large forest trees, 

 " often attained the height of 50 feet. The capsules 

 " were large and contained from sixty to seventy seeds, 

 " which were larger than in the cultivated kind but not 

 " so thick." 



In Reports on geology of British Guiana by Charles 

 B. Brown, F.G.S. and y. G. Sawkins, F.G.S., p. 94, 

 B. Concretionary Iron Ore, it is stated that : " On the 



* Humboldt's Personal Narrative Vol. iii, page 139. It seems certain 

 from several historical notices that there exist two groups of auriferous 

 alluvial land * * * and the other between the sources of the Esse, 

 quibo, the Caroni and the Rupunuri (Rupununi). 



