32 



TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



The district now known as Erin was more likely 

 to have been inhabited by the aborigines of Trinidad 

 than Icacos, as Erin was a far more healthy locality 

 and had a better supply of water. Icacos must in 

 those remote days have been a pestiferous swamp, 

 because to this day it is largely surrounded by 

 lagoons and swamps. Another matter of importance 

 to the Indians of that district w^as that they were in 

 direct communication with the Indians on the 

 Orinoco, one of the numerous mouths of which lies 

 directly opposite Erin about 14 miles distant and can 

 be seen even from the lowest point of Arenal, or, as I 

 say it is now called, Erin. That a commerce was kept 

 up between the Indians of Trinidad and those of the 

 Orinoco ds self evident because, although growing less 

 every year, it is still kept up by the Guarahoon In- 

 dians coming over to trade with Erin, and thence 

 round by sea to Cedros, La Brea and San Fernando. 



With these two exceptions I am willing to agree 

 with the other accounts given. I hope I will not be con- 

 sidered presumptuous in differing from these learned 

 men who have written of Trinidad, but it must be 

 remembered that I have been there and many of 

 them have not ; besides, my professional training has 

 taught me not to accept every thing stated to me as 

 facts when I have the means of verifying their cor- 

 rectness or otherwise for myself. 



There are three different accounts as to why 

 Columbus called it "La Trinidad " — meaning the 

 Trinity. One is that he resolved to name after the 

 Trinity the first land that he saw ; another that he 



