134 



pulous in the provinces of Maracaybo, both around the lake, 

 and in the mountains of Merida and Truxillo. Among the 

 780,000, or 800,000 inhabitants, which we may suppose 

 in the Capitcmia general of Caraccas in 1800, there were 

 probably nearly 120,000 Indians of pure race. The official 

 documents * give 25,000 for the province of Cumana (15,000 

 of them for the missions of Caripe alone) ; 30,000 for the 

 province of Barcelona (of which 24,700 are in the missions 

 of Piritoo) j 34,000 for the province of Guayana (that is, 

 17,000 in the missions of Carony, 7000 in that of the 

 Oroonoko, and nearly 10,000 living in a state of indepen- 

 dance in the Delta of the Oroonoko and in the forests). 

 These statements suffice to prove, that the number of copper- 

 coloured Indians in the Capitcmia general is neither 72,800 

 nor 280,000, as it has recently been erroneously asserted. 

 {Depons, torn, i, p. 178 ; Malte-Brun, Geogr., torn, v, 

 p. 549). The first of these authors, who estimates the total 

 population at only 728,000, instead of 800,000, has sin- 

 gularly exaggerated the number of slaves. He reckons 

 218,400 (torn, i, p. 241). This number is almost four 

 times too great (See above, vol. iii, p. 433). According to 

 partial estimates, made by three persons to whom the lo- 

 calities were well known, don Andres Bello, don Louis 

 Lopez, and don Manuel Palacio Faxardo, in 1812, there 

 existed 62,000 slaves at the utmost, of whom there were 

 10,000 at Caraccas, Chacao, Petare, Baruta, Mariches, 



Guarenas, Guatire, Antimano, La Vega, Los Teques, 



San Pedro, and Budare. 

 18,000 at Ocumare (las Sabanas), Yare, Santa Lucia, 



Santa Teresa, Marin, Caucagua, Capaya, Tapipa, 



Tacarigua, Mamporal, Panaquire, Rio Chico, 



Guapo, Cupira, and Curiepe. 

 5,600 at Guayos, San Mateo, Victoria, Cagua, Escobal, 



Turmero, Maracay, Guacara, Guigue, Valencia, 



Puerto Cabello, and San Diego. 



* See note C., at the end of the 9th Book. 



