TIERRA FIRM A. 



provinces. Between the city and the mountains of the Andes, which are 

 rocky and barren, the land is level, and produces abundance of oranges, 

 lemons, pine-apples, and grapes. In fome places there are gold-mines, and 

 in others precious ftones of great value. 



The harbour of Santa Martha is very large and fafe, and covered by two 

 fmall iflands, with very good anchoring ground, and a place very fit for 

 careening vefTels: there is alfo good conveniency for watering of fhips, and 

 cutting'- of wood. The inhabitants fend their goods to Carthagena. 



All along this coaft from la Trmidad to Carthagena there ufed to be pearl 

 fiflieries, of which we (hall give the reader fome account, though they are- 

 almoft, if not quite difufed. They were, ftriilly {peaking, five ; the firft 

 was at Ciibagua, a fmall illand lying between Margarita and the continent j 

 the pearls here feldom exceeded five carrats, but to ballance this they were 

 found in great quantities. The fecond was at the ifle of Margarita, or JJIe of 

 Pearls, where they found the largeft, fineft, and mofi; regular of any in- 

 the Weji-lndies . The third was the fifhery of Cimanagota, 20 leagues foutli- 

 (■f Tortuga, and 26 leagues fouth-eaft of Cape Blanco, at the bottom of the 

 gulph of Caracas, on the coail of the Caracas. The fourth fiiliery was- 

 that which the Spaniards ftiled La Rancberia, at the mouth of the Rio de 

 la Hacha. The fifth was the fifhery of S"". Martha, at 60 leagues difiance 

 from the former. The time of fifiiing is from the month of OSiober to the 

 month of March, at which time there fail from Carthagena ten or twelve 

 barks, convoyed by fome men of war, fiyled the Armadilla ; and thefe having 

 made their tour, return again to the fame port, which is the centre of the, 

 pearl trade. Thefe barks have an admiral, which is fiyled la Capitana, on . 

 board whereof all the oyfters that are taken in the day are depofited at night. 

 Some of the flaves who are made ufe of in diving will continue under water 

 near a quarter of an hour, and then bring up with them a little bafket of oy- 

 fiiers. The pearl oyfter, or mother of pearl, as it is ufually called, is three or 

 four times as big as another oyfler, and contains ufually ten or twelve pearls 

 of different fizes. The ripeft andlargeffc appear firfl, the fmaller and rawer 

 lie deeper in the fliell. When the oyfters arc brought on fhore, they bury 

 them in the fand, till, by the heat of the fun, they corrupt and open of 

 Srhemfelves, and tlie pearls are difcoveredj in fome they find m^any in ibme few,. 



C 2 ^ndi 



