843 



(Wia ?). The inland sea (Laguna ParimeJ was 

 at first placed in such a manner, that it's western 

 extremity coincided with the meridian of the 

 confluence of the Apure and the Oroonoko. By 

 degrees it was advanced toward the east # , the 

 western extremity being found to the south of 

 the mouth of the Oroonoko. This change pro- 

 duced others in the respective situations of the 

 lakes Parima and Cassipa, as well as in the 

 direction of the course of the Oroonoko. This 

 great river is represented as running, from it's 

 delta as far as beyond the Meta, from south to 

 north, like the river Magdalena. The tributary 

 streams therefore, which were made to issue 

 from the lake Cassipa, the Carony, the Arui, and 

 the Caura, then took the direction of the lati- 

 tude, while in nature they follow that of a meri- 

 dian. Beside the lakes Parima and Cassipa, a 

 third was traced upon the maps, from which the 

 Aprouague (Apurwaca) was made to issue. It 

 was then a general practice among geographers, 

 to attach all the rivers to great lakes. By this 

 means Ortelius joined the Nile to the Zaire or 

 Rio Congo, and the Vistula to the Wolga and 

 the Dnieper. North of Mexico, in the pre- 



ana, we observe, since D'Anville, a great confusion in the 

 denomination of the little rivers between the Aprouague and 

 the Maroni. 



* Compare the maps of 1599 with those of Sanson (1656) 

 and of Blseuw (1633). 



