185 



this rocky dyke, the isthmus itself in all pro- 

 bability would not exist. From the castle of 

 Araya as far as Cape Paria, the whole mass of 

 the mountains of the coast would form a nar- 

 row island, parallel to tiie island of Santa Mar- 

 garetta, and four times as long. It is not only 

 the inspection of the ground, and considerations 

 drawn from it's relievo, which confirm these 

 assertions : a simple view of the configuration 

 of the coasts, and a geological map of the coun- 

 try, would excite the same ideas. It appears, 

 that the island of Margaretta has been hereto- 

 fore contiguous to the coast chain of Araya, 

 by the peninsula of Chacopata, and the Carrib- 

 bee islands, Lobo and Coche, in the same man- 

 ner as this chain is still to that of Cocollar and 

 Caripe by the ridge of Meapira. 



In the present state of things, we see the hu- 

 mid places, which stretch themselves to the 

 east and west of the ridge, and which bear the 

 improper names of the vallies San Bonifacio and 

 Cariaco, enlarge themselves by gaining on the 

 sea. The waters retire, and these changes of 

 the shore are very remarkable, more particu- 

 larly on the coast of Cumana. If the level of 

 the soil seem to indicate, that the two gulfs of 

 Cariaco and Paria occupied formerly a much 

 more considerable space, we cannot doubt, that 

 at present the land augments progressively. 

 Near Cumana a battery, which is called de la 



