228 



THE RIO NEGRO. 



reached the tributaries of the Amazon, — in having 

 passed the isthmus which separates two great sys- 

 tems of rivers, — and in having attained a certainty 

 of fulfilling the most important object of our jour- 

 ney, — that of determining by astronomical observa- 

 tions the course of that arm of the Orinoco which 

 joins the Rio Negro, and whose existence had been 

 alternately proved and denied for half a century. 

 In these inland regions of the New Continent we 

 almost accustom ourselves to consider man as ines- 

 sential to the order of nature. The earth is over- 

 loaded with plants of which nothing impedes the 

 development. An immense layer of mould evinces 

 the uninterrupted action of the organic powers. 

 The crocodiles and boas are masters of the river ; 

 the jaguar, pecari, dante, and monkeys of numerous 

 species traverse the forest without fear and with- 

 out danger, residing there as in an ancient heritage. 

 On the ocean and on the sands of Africa, we with 

 difficulty reconcile ourselves to the disappearance 

 of man ; but here his absence, in a fertile country 

 clothed with perpetual verdure, produces a strange 

 and melancholy feeling." 



The Rio Negro, which flows eastward into the 

 Amazon, was for ages considered of great political 

 importance by the Spanish government, as it would 

 have furnished to the Portuguese an easy introduc- 

 tion into the missions of Guiana. The jealousies 

 of these rival nations, the ignorance and diversified 

 languages of the Indians, the difficulty of penetrat- 

 ing into these inland regions, and other causes, ren- 

 dered the knowledge of the sources as well as the 

 tributaries of the Negro and Orinoco extremely de- 

 fective. To endeavour to throw some light on this 

 geographical point, and in particular to determine 

 the course of that branch of the Orinoco which 

 joins the Rio Negro, was the great object of Hum- 

 boldt's journey. This last, or Black River, is so 

 named on account of the dark colour of its waters. 



