101 



mentioned elsewhere the history of a native of 

 Peru *, who died at the age of one hundred and 

 forty-three years, after having been ninety years 

 married. 



Don Francisco Montera, and his brother, a 

 young and enlightened ecclesiastic, accompanied 

 us, in order to conduct us to their house at La 

 Victoria. Almost all the families, with whom 

 we had lived in friendship at Caraccas, the Usta- 

 rizes, the Tovars, and the Toroes, were assembled 

 in the fine valleys of Aragua. Proprietors of 

 the richest plantations, they contended with 

 each other in whatever could render our stay 

 agreeable. Before we plunged into the forests 

 of the Oroonoko, we enjoyed once more all the 

 advantages of an advanced civilization. 



The road from Mamon to La Victoria runs 

 toward the South and the South-West. We 

 soon lost sight of the river Tuy, which, turning 

 to the East, forms an elbow at the foot of the 

 high mountains of Guayraima. As we drew 

 nearer to Victoria, the ground became smoother; 

 it looked like the bottom of a lake, the waters 

 of which had been drained off. We might have 

 fancied ourselves in the valley of Hasli, in the 

 canton of Berne. The neighbouring hills, only 

 one hundred and forty toises in height, are 

 composed of calcareous tufa ; but their abrupt 



* Hilario Pari de Chiguata. 



