366 TiMEHRI. 



kept by the shore, * the better to come to speach with some 

 of the inhabitantes, and also to understand the rivers, 

 watering places and portes of the island,' He refers 

 to a chart of Trinidad upon which he was engaged. 

 One can only wonder what has become of that ' plot and 

 description of the island.' Of the island, its inhabitants, 

 (the ' naturals') and its produ6lions, RALEIGH gives the 

 following general description : — 



"This iland of 'Irinedado hath the forme of a sheep- 

 hook, and is but narrow ; the north part is very moun- 

 teynous, the soile is very excellent and wil beare sugar, 

 ginger, or any other commodity that the Indies yeeld. 

 It hath store of deare, wyld porks, fruits, fish and fowle. 

 It hath also for bread sufficient Mais, Cassaui^, and of 

 those roots and fruits which are common euery where in 

 the West Indies^ It hath diuers beasts, which the 

 Indies, haue not: the Spaniards confessed that they 

 found grains of gold in some of the riuers, but they 

 hauing a purpose to enter Guiana (the Magazin of all 

 rich mettels) cared not to spend time in the search there- 

 of any farther. The iland is called by the people thereof 

 Cairi/^ and in it are diuers nations : those about Parico 

 are called laio ; those at Punto Carao are of the Arwa. 

 cas and betweene Carao and Curiapan they are called 



* These two plants supply the most useful food of the Indian tribes 

 they form their staff of life. The grains of the first [,Zea Mays, 

 Linn.) furnish the Indian corn or maize, and from the roots of the 

 second {Manihot utilissima, Pohl), although itself a strong poison 

 in its natural state, the Indians prepare a nutritious substitute for 



bread, 

 t Sometimes given as /<'r<', the Indian word for humming bird. Trini 



dad aboundb with that beautiful bird. 



