PENINSULA OF ARAYA. 



69 



this saliferous clay, it is necessary to follow our 

 author in his exposition of the nature of the neigh- 

 bouring country. Three great parallel chains of 

 mountains extend from east to west. The two 

 most northerly, which are primitive, constitute the 

 Cordilleras of the island of Margaretta, as well as 

 of Araya. The most southerly, the cordillera of 

 Bergantin and Cocollar, is secondary, although more 

 elevated than the others. The two former have 

 been separated by the sea, and the islets of Coche 

 and Cubagua are supposed tp be remnants of the 

 submersed land. The Gulf of Cariaco divides the 

 chains of Araya and Cocollar, which were connected, 

 to the east of the town of Cariaco, between the 

 lakes of Campoma and Putaquao, by a kind of dike. 

 This barrier, which had the name of Cerro de Mea- 

 pire, prevented in remote times the waters of the 

 Gulf of Cariaco from uniting with those of the Gulf 

 of Paria. 



The western slope of the peninsula of Araya and 

 the plains on which rises the castle of St. Antony 

 are covered with recent deposites of sandstone, clay, 

 and gypsum. Near Manifuarez, a conglomerate 

 with calcareous cement rests on the mica-siate ; 

 while on the opposite side, near Punta Delgada, it is 

 superimposed on a compact bluish-gray limestone, 

 containing a few organic remains, traversed by 

 small veins of calcareous spar, and analogous to that 

 of the Alps. 



The saliferous clay is generally of a smoke-gray 

 colour, earthy and friable, but encloses masses of a 

 dark-brown tiut and more solid texture. Selenite 

 and fibrous gypsum are disseminated in it. Scarcely 

 any shells are to be seen, although the adjacent 

 rocks contain abundance of them. The muriate of 

 soda is not discoverable by the naked eye ; but when 

 a mass is sprinkled with rainwater and exposed to 

 the sun, it appears in large crystals. In the marsh 

 to the ease of the castle of St. Jago, which receives 



