203 



Indigo. The growth of this very important article de- 

 creased much more from 1787 to 1798 than that of cacao. 

 It is maintained with advantage only in the province of Va- 

 rinas (for instance, between Mijagual and Vega deFlores), 

 and on the banks of the Tichira. The value of the indigo of 

 Caraccas amounted, in the most prosperous times, to 

 1/200,000 piastres. The exportation to LaGuayra,in 1794, 

 was 900,000 pounds, and in 1809, 7000 zurrones. (Vol. 1, 

 pp. 62, 63 j Vol. iv, pp. 119, 187. 



Tobacco. The tobacco of Venezuela is not only very supe- 

 rior to that of Virginia, but yields in quality only to the to- 

 bacco of the island of Cuba and the Rio Negro. The establish- 

 ment of the royal farm in 1777, has prevented the opening 

 of this important branch of commerce to the trade of Varinas, 

 and of the vallies of Aragua and Cumanacoa. The total pro- 

 duce of the sale of tobacco at the beginning of the 19th cen- 

 tury, was 600,000 piastres. (Vol. i, p. 57 ; Vol. iv, p. 166, 

 and Vol. v, p. 368.) When the king of Spain, during the 

 ministry of Don Diego Gardoqui, declared, by his ctdule of 

 September 30, 1792, that he would consent to deliver the 

 country of the farm (estanco), it was proposed to substitute 

 a general capitation on the monopoly of the fabrication of 

 brandy from the sugar cane, (aguardiente de cana) or other 

 taxes not less vexatious. These projects failed, and the farm 

 of tobacco was continued. 



Cerealia. The eastern and western parts of Columbia are 

 often contrasted with each other from very vague and imper- 

 fect notions of the localities $ it is affirmed that New Gre- 

 nada is a country of mines and wheat, and that Venezuela is a 

 country of colonial productions. In making these arbitrary 

 distinctions the tierra fria y tcmplada, is alone considered 5 

 that is, the countries of which the mean temperature * of the 



* Between 800 and 1600 toises above the level of the sea. 

 It may appear surprising that in equinoctial America, coun- 



