452 



VENEZUELA. 



night, or are compelled to stop by rain, erect a frame of branches of trees, and cover it w;lh 

 these leaves, which, being water proof, afford a comfortable shelter. 



The bridges which are thrown over the torrents of the Andes, and from steep to steep, are 

 of the most fragile description. In general, a few rough planks are laid across, and covered 

 with earth and branches ; no fence, and no breadth of more than 4 feet being thought necessary. 

 Where the space is too great to be passed in this way, a bridge of cable is constructed, which 

 rocks beneath the traveler at every step. Sometimes a single rope is stretched across, and a 

 basket is made to pass from one end to the other. 



4. History. The Spanish province of New Grenada declared itself an independent State in 

 181 1, and after a long and severe struggle with the mother country, expelled the Spaniards from 

 its territory. The memorable victory of Carabobo, in 1821, completed the downfall of the 

 Spanish authority. In 1819, New Grenada formed a union with Venezuela, under the title of 

 the Republic of Colombia, and Quito subsequently acceded to the confederacy ; but this con- 

 nexion has recently been dissolved, and New Grenada has again formed a separate government, 

 upon republican principles. The Roman Catholic is the established religion of the State, and 

 the inhabitants are rigidly devoted to this form of religion. 



CHAPTER LIX. VENEZUELA. 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



1. Extent and Population. The Republic of Venezuela comprises the territories of the 

 former Spanish Captain-generalship of Venezuela or Caraccas, and extends from New Grenada 

 on the west, and Brazil on the south, to the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, having an 

 area of 450,000 square miles, and a population of about 900,000 souls. 



2. Mountains. The great eastern chain of the Andes enters the republic from New Gre- 

 nada, and extends, nearly parallel to the coast, across the northern part to the Gulf of Paria. 

 It is known under the name of the Maritime Cordilleras of Caraccas or Venezuela, and some 

 of the summits rise to the height of 18,000 feet. The Silla of Caraccas, near the city of that 

 name, has an elevation of 8,7.50 feet. There are some mountainous ridges in the south, called 

 the Parima Mountains, the direction of which is imperfectly known. Mount Duida, near 

 Esmeraldas, has an elevation of about 8,000 feet. 



3. Plain. The most remarkable feature of this country is the vast plain which constitutes 

 the greater part of its surface. It extends from the Caqueta, in New Grenada, to the mouths 

 of the Orinoco, occupying the whole space between the mountainous chains already described. 

 Including a part of New Grenada, it has an area of 350,000 square miles, but slightly broken, 

 and intersected by numerous rivers. On the borders of the streams and ponds, there are thick- 

 ets of palm, but the rest of this great level consists of open plains, called by the Spaniards llanos, 

 covered only with grass. In the dry season, the llanos present the aspect of a desert ; the 

 grass is reduced to powder, the ground cracks with the heat and drought, and the alligators and 

 serpents, having buried themselves in the mud, remain in a torpid state until they are revived 

 by the wet season. 



4. Rivers. The Orinoco is one of the largest rivers in the world. Rising in the mountains 

 of Parima, it flows, after a very circuitous course of upwards of 1,500 miles, by about 50 

 mouths, into the Atlantic Ocean. The principal mouth is nearly 6 leagues wide. The Ori- 

 noco receives a great number of tributaries, several of which are large navigable rivers. The 

 Guaviare, Jlpure, and Meta, which rise in the Andes of New Grenada, and the Ventuari and 

 Caroni, which have their sources in the Parima Mountains, are the principal. During the 

 rainy season, it inundates the vast plain through which it flows, presenting in some places an 

 expanse of water 80 or 90 miles in extent. Immediately on its banks are impenetrable forests, 

 from which are heard the cries of the jaguar, the puma, innumerable troops of monkeys, peca- 

 ries, and other animals ; while the gigantic boa swings from the branches of the trees, ready to 

 seize its prey, huge alligators, long files of river porpoises, and great numbers of manatees, 

 crowd its waters. 



5. Lakes. The principal lakes are that of Maracaybo, which is, properly speaking, a gulf 

 of the Caribbean Sea, and is deep and navigable, and the Lake of Valencia. The latter is 34 

 miles in length, by 6 or 8 in breadth, covered with beautiful islands, and well stocked with 6sh 



