834 



notions he had collected, the Cari, the Pao, the 

 Apure (Capuri?), the Guarico (Voari?), the 

 Meta*, and even, " in the province of Baraguan, 

 the great cataract of Athule (Atures), which 

 prevents all farther navigation." Notwithstand- 

 ing Raleigh's exaggeration, so little worthy of a 

 statesman, his narrative contains important ma- 

 terials for the history of geography. The Oroo- 

 noko, above the confluence of the Apure, was 

 at that period as little known to Europeans, as 

 in our times the course of the Niger below Sego. 



* Raleigh distinguishes the Meta from the Beta, which flows 

 into the Baraguan (the Oroonoko) conjointly with the Daune 

 near Athule ; as he also distinguishes the Casanare, a tributary 

 stream of the Meta, and the Casnero, which comes from 

 the south, and appears to be the Rio Cuchivero. All above 

 the confluence of the Apure was then very confusedly 

 known $ and streams, that flow into the tributary streams of 

 the Oroonoko, were considered as flowing into this river 

 itself. The Apure (Capuri) and the Meta appeared long to 

 be the same river, on account of their proximity, and the 

 numerous branches by which the Arauca and the Apure 

 join each other. Is the name of Beta perchance connected 

 with that of the nation of Betoyes, of the plains of the Casa- 

 nare and the Meta ? Hondius, and the geographers who have 

 followed him, with the exception of De I/Isle (1700), and 

 of Sanson (1656), place the province of Amapaja erroneous- 

 ly to the east of the Oroonoko. We see clearly by the nar- 

 rative of Raleigh (p. 26 and 72), that Amapaja is the inun- 

 dated country between the Meta and the Guarico. Where 

 are the rivers Dauney and Ubarro ? The Guaviare appears 

 to me to be the Goavar of Raleigh. 



