771 



the territory of the missions toward the south, 

 and founded the villa de Barceloneta, above the 

 confluence of the Carony with the Rio Paragua, 

 and the Ciudad de Guirior, near the union of 

 the Rio Paragua and the Paraguamusi. From 

 that period till the political troubles, which now 

 agitate the Spanish colonies, the civil adminis- 

 tration has carefully avoided all intervention in 

 the affairs of the Capuchins ; whose opulence 

 has been exaggerated, like that of the Jesuits of 

 Paraguay. 



The missions of the Carony, by the configu- 

 ration of their soil * and the mixture of savan- 

 nahs and arable lands, unite the advantages of 

 the Llanos of Calabozo and the vallies of Aragua. 

 The real wealth of this country is founded on 

 the care of the herds, and the cultivation of 

 colonial produce. It were to be wished, that 

 here, as in the fine and fertile province of Vene- 

 zuela, the inhabitants, faithful to the labours of 

 the fields, would not addict themselves too has- 

 tily to the research of mines. The example of 

 Germany and Mexico prove no doubt, that the 

 working of metals is not at all incompatible 

 with a flourishing state of agriculture ; but, 

 according to popular traditions, the banks of 

 the Carony lead to the lake Dorado, and the 



* It appears, that the little table-lands between the moun- 

 tains of'Upata, Cuniamu, and Tupuquen, are more than one 

 hundred and fifty toises above the level of the sea. 



3 d 2 



