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formerly a part of the rounded summit of the 

 mountain. In every zone it is the property of 

 unstratified granite, to separate by decomposi- 

 tion into blocks of prismatic, cylindric, or 

 columnar figures. 



Opposite the shore of the Guaricotoes, we 

 drew near another heap of rocks, which is very 

 low, and three or four toises long. It rises in 

 the midst of the plain, and has less resemblance 

 to a tumulus than to those masses of granitic 

 stones, which in the North of Holland and of 

 Germany bear the name of Huenenbette, beds (or 

 tombs) of heroes. The shore at this part of the 

 Oroonoko is no longer of pure and quartzose 

 sand ; but is composed of clay and spangles of 

 mica, deposited in very thin strata, and most 

 frequently with a dip of forty or fifty degrees. 

 It looks like decomposed mica-slate. This 

 change in the geological constitution of the 

 shore extends far beyond the mouth of the Apure. 

 We had begun to observe it in this latter river as 

 far off as Algodonal and Cano del Manati. The 

 spangles of mica come no doubt from the granite 

 mountains of Curiquima and Encaramada; since 

 farther to the North and to the East we find 

 only quartzose sand, sandstone, compact lime- 

 stone, and gypsum. Alluvial earth carried suc- 



find represented a granitic rock, the Taddi Enzazi } which 

 bears a striking resemblance to the mountain of Encaramada. 



