56 



THE CAYMAN. 



wood's despatches up the Oronoque to the city 

 of Angustura, where the Spanish governor, 

 Don Felipe de Yneiarte, resided. I corre- 

 sponded with him for some time afterwards. 

 He was a soldier, of vast information in the 

 Natural History of the country ; and had been 

 a great explorer in his time. He showed me a 

 large map of Spanish Guiana, having made it 

 from his own personal survey of those regions 

 in early life. On the breaking out of the 

 revolutionary war, which, according to Canning's 

 rambling speculation, was to give rise to a 

 thousand republics, this true Spaniard fought 

 for King Ferdinand VII. But fortune having 

 declared against him he left the Oronoque, and 

 retired to the island of Santa Cruz, where 

 death closed his mortal career. 



The Spaniards, who have more of pleasure 

 than of puritanism in their composition, think 

 it no harm, after they have performed the 

 sacred duties of the day, to enjoy a fine Sunday 

 evening, in gay attire, on the Alameda or 

 public walk, where there is generally a band of 

 music. I had resorted to the walk attached to 

 Angustura, and was in company with Governor 

 Yneiarte, when he stopped on reaching a certain 



