STATISTICS OF VENEZUELA. 125 



In the magnificent savannas watered by the Caroni there are no longer any- 

 permanent settlements, although the Capuchin friars from Catalonia had here 

 founded over thirty missions. Of these stations nothing remains except a few 

 ruins, such as those of Grlor (Gurior), at the foot of the Sierra Pacairaraa, 

 near the Brazilian frontier. 



Nevertheless, several tribes that have reverted to the wild or free state still 

 call themselves Catholics, and wear round their necks crosses, medals, some- 

 times even little pouches full of relics. Such are the Quiriquiripas, a group 

 of sedentary agriculturists, who have established themselves on the southern 

 banks of the Orinoco and neighbouring affluents. Like the Ariguas of the 

 Caura basin, who, however, still tattoo their faces, the Quiriquiripas have retained 

 the costume received from the missionaries — a long loin-cloth for the men, a 

 folded skirt for the women; some of their songs, also, are echoes of the former 

 hymns and prayers. 



But farther on the uplands are occupied by many still savage tribes, Caribs 

 and Arawaks, who go naked, daub face and body, deck themselves with feathers 

 and claws, and wield darts dipped in the deadly curare poison. In their midst the 

 traveller recognises the ancient Venezuela, such as it appeared to Ordaz, Alfinger, 

 and the other pioneers of conquest and discovery. 



Y. 



Material Condition of Venezuela. 



No regular census has been taken of the Venezuelan population, and several of 

 the past official estimates appear to have been obtained by extremel}^ rough pro- 

 cesses. Nevertheless, there can be no reasonable doubt regarding the steady 

 increase reported from decade to decade since the War of Independence, by which 

 certain regions had been depopulated. The exaggerations pointed out by various 

 travellers are due to the fact that the offici.d documents occasionally attribute to 

 the chief towns the population of whole districts, so that certain obscure villages 

 figured in the returns as populous cities. 



According to Humboldt the whole nation, including negroes, half-breeds, and 

 Indians, numbered in 1810 about 800,000, which was reduced by the ofiicial 

 statements to 660,000 in 1825, that is, soon after the terrible struggle for freedom. 

 Since that time the subjoined table shows that the growth of the population has 

 never been interruj^ted by internal revolutions or other calamities. 



Inhabitants. 



] 839 (Coflazzi's estimate) 945,3-18. 



1854 (Official number) 1,564.433. 



1874 (Official estimate) 1,784,194. 



1892 (Official estimate) 2,238,900. 



The estimate for 1893 may be put at 2,250,000, and even this should be 

 increased by some 80,000 wpre it to include the territories till recently claimed by 

 the republic north of the Gulf of Venezuela, west of the middle Orinoco, and on 

 the left bank of the Essequibo, territories still included in the administrative 

 valuations. Uncertainty prevails especially as regards the pure indigenous 

 element, which is at present estimated at over 325,000, of whom 240,000 are 



