68 tiMEWfeh 



" be very convenient and necessary to provisionally 

 " fortify it, and to establish there a town with the native 

 " Indians who inhabit the neighbourhood, appointing for 

 " this obje6l two missionaries with a detachment to serve 

 " as escort ; in this manner the inhabitants of said colony 

 " will be prevented from entering the lands which lie 

 " between them and the Orinoco ; as this cannot be of 

 " great expense to the king, it will be of use when it is 

 " intended to populate the other points of my mission 

 " with Spaniards, as they will more easily find there the 

 " necessaries of life with the exception of meat." 



The Spaniards did not occupy the post of Moruca. 

 Their intention to do so got no further than Manana! 

 The post was fortified by the Dutch, and was held by 

 them against a Spanish attack, on the 19th January, 

 1797. The Dutch were not," prevented from entering 

 the lands which lie between them and the Orinoco." 



To the Spaniards, A macura, Barima and Monica^ were 

 little more than names. This is shown by the bare state- 

 ments about them which Alcedo gives in \\\s Dictionary^ 

 as will be noted in the subjoined extra6ls, and in which 

 those places are claimed for Spain : — 



" Amacuro, a river in the same province, (CumanaJ, 

 " which runs towards the n. and joins the Orinoco at its 

 " large mouth, called De Navios. 



" Barima, a small river of the province and government 

 " of Cumana in the Kingdom of Tierra Firme ; it rises 

 " in the middle of the sierra of Imatnca, runs n. and 

 «' enters the sea at the same mouth of the Orinoco, which, 

 " on account of its size, is called De Navios. 



" Barima, a point or strip of land of the same pro- 

 '' yince and government ; it is one of those which form 



