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thorny opuntia, and promote it's growth, as they 

 are careful to keep crocodiles in the ditches of 

 fortified places. Under a climate where orga- 

 nized nature is so powerful and active, man 

 summons as auxiliaries in his defence the car- 

 nivorous reptile, and the plant with it's armor of 

 formidable thorns. 



The castle of St. Antonio, on which the Spa- 

 nish flag is hoisted on festivals, is only thirty 

 toises above the level of the waters in the gulf 

 of Cariaco*. Placed on a naked and calcareous 

 hill, it commands the town, and forms a very 

 picturesque object to vessels entering the port. 

 It forms a bright object against the dark cur- 

 tains of those mountains, which raise their sum- 

 mits to the region of the clouds, and of which 

 the vaporous and bluish tint blends itself with 

 the azure of the sky. On descending from Fort 

 St. Antonio toward the south-west, we find on 

 the slope of the same rock the ruins of the old 

 castle of St. Mary. This site is delightful to 

 those, who wish to enjoy, toward sunset, the 

 freshness of the breeze, and the view of the gulf. 



* This elevation is concluded from the zenith distance of 

 the staff on which signals are hoisted. I found in the great 

 square of Cumana this angle, not corrected for refraction, 

 83° 2' 10". According to the topographical plan of Cumana, 

 laid down in 1793 by Mr. Fidalgo, the horizontal distance of 

 the Gran Plaza from the Castillo de San Antonio is 220 

 toises. 



