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river, to land at an island on which the mission 

 of Vasiva is established*. The lake, which sur- 

 rounds this mission, is a league broad, and com- 

 municates by three outlets with the Cassiquiare. 

 The surrounding country, full of marshes, is ex- 

 tremely feverish. The lake, the waters of which 

 appear yellow by transmitted light, is dry in th§ 

 season of great heat, and the Indians themselves 

 are unable to resist the miasmata, that rise from 

 the mud. The complete absence of wind con- 

 tributes to render the climate of this country 

 more pernicious. A sketch of the plan of Vasiva., 

 which I drew on the day of our arrival, I have 

 had engraved. Part of the village has been 

 removed to a dryer spot, toward the north, and 

 this change has become the source of a long 

 quarrel between the governor of Guyana and 

 the monks. He maintained, that they had no 

 right to remove their villages without the per- 

 mission of the civil power; but, being com- 

 pletely ignorant of the situation pf the Cassi- 

 quiare, he addressed his reprimands to the mis- 

 sionary of Carichana, who lives at the distance 

 of one hundred and fifty leagues from Vasiva, 

 and could not comprehend what was meant. 

 These geographical mistakes are very common 

 in countries, that are generally governed by men 

 who have never been in possession of a map, 



* Barometer a£ Vasjya, 327' 2 lines. 



