128 



SOUTH AMERICA— THE ANDES REGIONS. 



" upholstered " in ox-liicle, and hammocks bartered for with some passing 

 Indian. The clothing, also, is often at least partly the product of native 

 industry. Various vegetable fibres are used for making straw hats, greatly 

 inferior, however, to those of Colombia, and for weaving cohijas similar to the 

 Mexican ponchos. Close to every hut grows the calabash-tree, yielding an 

 unlimited supply of ready-made household utensils, and even musical instruments. 

 In these maracas, as they are called, the llaneros enclose a few grains of maize, 

 flourishing them about in tune with the mandoline at their dances and concerts. 

 The wealthy classes, however, need something more than this, and their require- 

 ments are met by the foreign importers. 



Under the Spanish regime the trade of Venezuela was monopolised by the 

 historical " Guipuzcoa " Company. The transactions of this society led to the 



Fig. 46. YUETTAVEI G-OLD-MINES. 



Scale 1 : 425,000. 





■^i'\ :;.°: 



62*20' 



West or breenwich 



G2° 



9 Miles. 



first revolt in 1749, when Juan Francisco de Leon advanced at the head of 9,000 

 men to drive the company's people from Caracas. Under more liberal regulations 

 the business of the country has increased tenfold since 1830, a rate of increase far 

 surpassing that of the population. But in this increase Spain, which formerly 

 excluded all rivals, now takes the least share, ranking not only after Great Britain, 

 the United States, France and Germany, but even after Colombia and the 

 British colony of Trinidad. England, which formerly stood first, now takes the 

 second place next to the United States, whose exchanges were nearly doubled 

 during the decade between 1880 and 1890, thanks to the new line of steamers now 

 plying between the two republics. In return for cacao, skins, copper ores, timber, 

 phosphates and especially coffee, Venezuela takes from the United States cottons, 

 flour and salt meat. 



