28 ^ CARACCAS. 



an Audiencia manepre (administrative and 

 judicial court), on which depended the re- 

 spective governors of the provinces of Cu- 

 mana and New Andalusia, Maracaybo, Va- 

 rinas, Guiana, and the Island of Trinidad. 



It is not possible to be too clear and 

 precise in the description of a country as 

 yet so little known, and respecting which 

 there are confused and contrary accounts. I 

 shall therefore repeat what I have already 

 stated, that when the Spaniards discovered 

 this country, they found near the Lake of 

 Maracaybo a great number of Indian vil- 

 lages, built on piles, which made them give 

 it the name of Venezuela, in comparing it 

 with Venice. This name soon extended to 

 all the province, of which Coro became the 

 capital. The town of Caraccas being sub- 

 sequently made the metropolis of all the 

 country, formed then the captain-generalship 

 of that name ; the district of that town took 



