289 



our canoe made by rowing 4*6 feet. The embar- 

 cadere of the Pimichin appeared to me to be 

 eleven thousand toises west of it's mouth, and 

 0° 2' west of the mission of Javita. This canno 

 is navigable during the whole year, and has but 

 one raudal, which is somewhat difficult to go 

 up ; it's banks are low, but rocky. After hav- 

 ing followed for four hours and a half the wind- 

 ings of this narrow channel, we at length en- 

 tered the Rio Negro *. 



The morning was cool and beautiful. We 

 had been confined thirty-six days in a narrow 

 boat, so unstable, that it would have been over- 

 set by any person rising imprudently from his 

 seat, without warning the rowers to preserve her 

 trim, by leaning on the opposite side. We had 

 suffered severely from the sting of insects, but 

 we had withstood the insalubrity of the cli- 

 mate; we had passed without accident the 

 great number of falls of water and bars, 

 that impede the navigation of the rivers, and 

 often render it more dangerous than long voy- 



* In the map of the Oroonoko, constructed by Surville for 

 Caulin's work, which is the most recent of those that pre- 

 ceded my itinerary map, the Pimichin is confounded with the 

 Itinivini or Conorichite, which is an arm of the Cassiquiare. 

 La Cruz, who had worked before Surville on the materials 

 furnished by Solano, knew the Pimichin well. It is an im- 

 portant point for the communications of the missions of the 

 Rio Negro with that part of the coast, where the seat of 

 government is placed. 



VOL. V. U 



