BELIOIOU8 INCUBSIONS. 
337 
San Fernando de Atahapo, San Carlos, and San Francisco 
Solano, arc the most considerable settlements among the 
missions of the Upper Orinoco. At San Fernando, as well 
as in the neighbouring villages of San Balthasar and Javita, 
the abodes of the priests are neatly-built houses, covered by 
lianas, and surrounded by gardens. The tall trunks of the 
pirijao palms were the most beautiful ornaments of these 
plantations. In our walks, the president of the mission 
gave us an animated account of his incursions on the Bio 
Guaviare. He related to us how much these journeys, 
Undertaken “for the conquest of souls,” are desired by the 
Indians of the missions. All, even women and old men, take 
part in them. Under the pretest of recovering neophytes 
’"’ho have deserted the village, children above eight or ten 
years of age are carried olf, and distributed among the 
Indians of the missions as serfs, or polios. According to the 
astronomical observations I took on the banks of the Ata- 
hapo, and ou the western declivity of the Cordillera of the 
Andes, near the Paramo de la smna Paz, the distance is one 
hundred and seven leagues only from San Fernando to the 
first villages of the provinces of Caguan and San Juan de 
l°s Llanos. I was assured also by some Indians, who dwelt 
formerly to the west of the island of Amanaveni, beyond 
fhe confluence of the Bio Supavi, that going in a boat on 
fhe Guaviare (in the manner of the Bavages) beyond the 
strait (angostura) and the principal cataract, they met, at 
three days’ distance, bearded and clothed men, who came in 
search of the eggs of -the terekay turtle. This meeting 
farmed the Indians so much, that they fled precipitately, 
^descending the Guaviare. It is probable, that these 
bearded white men came from the villages of Aroma and 
“an Martin, the Bio Guaviare being formed by the union of 
the rivers Ariari and Guayavero. We must not be sur- 
prised that the missionaries of the Orinoco and the Atabapo 
ittle suspect how near they live to the missionaries of 
* h ° COa ’ I' ra g ua > ai 'd Caguan. In these desert countries, 
, ‘ e real distances can be known only by observations of 
longitude. It was in consequence of astronomical 
ft 
data, and the information I gathered in the convents of 
,,°P a yan and of Pasto, to the west of the Cordillera of 
l| e Andes, that I formed an accurate idea of the respective 
t ol. ii. z 
