403 



found more to the east, toward the sources of 

 the Pacimoni, Siapa, and Mavaca. Having 

 arrived on the south of the Raudal of Caravine, 

 We perceived that the Cassiquiare, by the wind- 

 ings of it's course, again approached San Carlos* 

 The distance from this fort to the mission of 

 San Francisco Solano, where we slept, is only 

 two leagues and a half, by land ; but it is rec- 

 koned seven or eight by the river. I passed a 

 part of the night in the open air, waiting vainly 

 for stars. The air was misty, notwithstanding 

 the aquas blancas, which were to lead us beneath 

 an ever-starry sky. 



The mission of San Francisco Solano, situate 

 on the left bank of the Cassiquiare, was thus 

 named in honor of one of the chiefs of the expe- 

 dition of the boundaries, Don Joseph Solano, of 

 whom we have often had occasion to speak in 

 this work. This well-informed officer never 

 went beyond the village of San Fernando de 

 Atabapo ; he saw neither the waters of the Rio 

 Negro and the Cassiquiare, nor those of the 

 Oroonoko east of the mouth of the Guaviare. 

 It is by an error founded on ignorance of the 

 Spanish language, that geographers have fan- 

 cied they saw in the celebrated map of La Cruz 

 Olmedilla the traces of a road four hundred 

 leagues long, by which it is pretended that Don 

 Joseph Solano reached the sources of the Oroo- 

 noko, lake Pari me, or t he White sea, and the 



2d 2 



