363 



Cabello, and three thousand at Carupano, in 

 1799 and 1800, for the Spanish, English, and 

 French islands. I am ignorant of the precise 

 exportation of Barburata, Coro, and the mouths 

 of the Guarapiche and the Oroonoko ; but I 

 believe, notwithstanding the causes that have 

 diminished the quantity of cattle in the Llanos 

 of Cumana, Barcelona, and Caraccas, those 

 immense steppes did not furnish less at that 

 period than thirty thousand mules a year for 

 the West India trade. Estimating each mule 

 at twenty-five piastres (the cost price) we find 

 that this branch of trade alone produces nearly 

 3,700,000 francs, without reckoning the profits 

 on the freight of the vessels. Mr. de Pons % 

 in general very exact in his statistical compu- 

 tations, estimates them at a much smaller 

 number. But as he could not himself visit 

 the Llanos, his place of agent to the French 

 government obliging him to reside constantly 

 at the town of Caraccas, the proprietors of 

 the Hatos perhaps communicated to him too 

 low estimations. I shall collect farther on, 

 in a particular chapter, whatever relates to the 

 trade and agricultural industry of these coun- 

 tries. 



Having disembarked on the right bank of 

 the Neveri, we ascended to a little fort, El 



* Voyage a la Terre-Ferme, vol. ii, p, 386. 



