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questions, that comprehend the pretended bi- 

 furcations of the Caqueta, the communications 

 between the Rio Negro and the Oroonoko, and 

 the local fable of Dorado, heretofore called 

 Enim, or the empire of the Grand Paytiti. 

 When we study with care the ancient maps of 

 these countries, and the history of their geogra- 

 phical errors, we see how by degrees the fable 

 of Dorado has been transported toward the 

 west w T ith the sources of the Oroonoko. Born 

 on the eastern declivity of the Andes, it was 

 fixed at first, as I shall show in another place^ 

 to the south-west of the Rio Negro. The vali- 

 ant Philip de Urre sought for the great city of 

 Manoa by traversing the Guaviare. Even now 

 the Indians of San Jose de Maravitanos relate, 

 that " on sailing to the north-east for fifteen 

 days on the Guape, or Uaupe, you reach a 

 famous Laguna de oro, surrounded by moun- 

 tains, and so large, that the opposite shore can 

 not be discerned^. A ferocious nation, the 

 Guanes, do not permit the collecting of the gold 

 of a sandy plain, that surrounds the lake. Fa- 

 ther Acunna places the lake Manoa, or Yene- 

 fili, between the Jupura and the Rio Negro. 

 Some Manao Indians, (this is the word Manoa, 

 transposing the vowels, which is done by so 



* Journals of the Travels of Don Pedro Apollinario Diaz 

 de la Fuente (manuscript). 



