440 



CITE 11 A. 



iect of the people in general, whose nature m 

 indolent, no redress is obtained, and the delin- 

 quents escape with impunity. The soil is ge- 

 nerally swampy, though there is a good deal 

 of gravel on the banks and beach. There is 

 society amongst the natives ; but they are mi- 

 serably poor, and much burthened, having' 

 to support one hundred and thirty soldiers, 

 which requires eleven hundred dollars a month. 

 I scarcely know where they find the money in 

 their present impoverished state. It appears 

 to me a very great injustice ; and the chief 

 people have petitioned the Congress for the 

 removal of the troops. 



I received letters from Bogota, informing 

 me that General Urdineta was appointed Go- 

 vernor of Maracaybo, and that Doctor Mayne 

 would accompany him to that place, where 

 he himself was appointed agent to the Pearl 

 Fishery. Senor Rivero wrote me word, that 

 on the 15th of January he should set out for 

 the emerald mines of Muso, to remain there a 

 month. The Congress was not expected to 

 meet before the beginning of March, as a suf- 

 ficient number of senators had not arrived. 



I made enquiries about the tierras baldias 



