439 



The mission of Padamo was given in 1785 to 

 father Valor, with an injunction, to " repair 

 thither immediately, the Indians being without 

 a pastor." This was more than fifteen years 

 after the village of Padamo had ceased to exist, 

 and the Indians had fled al monte. 



From the 14th to the 21st of May we slept 

 constantly in the open air ; but I cannot indi- 

 cate the spots where we halted. These regions 

 are so wild, and so little frequented, that with 

 the exception of some rivers, the Indians were 

 ignorant of the name of all the objects which I 

 set by the compass. No observation of a star 

 helped me to fix the latitude in the space of a 

 degree. After having passed the point* where 

 the Itinivini separates itself from the Cassi- 

 qui are, to take it's course to the west, toward 

 the granitic hills of Daripabo, we found the 

 marshy banks of the river ornamented with 

 bamboos. These arborescent gramina rise to 

 the height of twenty feet; their stem is con- 

 stantly arched toward the summit. It is a new 

 species of bambusa with very broad leaves. Mr. 

 Bonpland fortunately found one in flower; a 



* It is above Vasiva, nearly in 2° 30' of latitude - } the 

 same branch of the Cassiquiare enters, by the name of the 

 Conorichite, into the Rio Negro, near Toino. (See above, 

 p. 358.) More to the north come in succession the Canno 

 Curamuni, the Port of wild Cacao-trees, the Rio Maminavi, 

 the lake Duractumuni, and the Rio Pamoni. 



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