PEARLS OF CTJBAGTJA. 
143 
San .Tose to beyond the mouth of Itio Carupano. The; gave 
us some fresh cocoa-nuts, and very beautifully coloured fish 
of the Chffitodon genus. What riches to our eyes were con- 
tained in the canoes of these poor Indians ! Broad spread- 
ing leaves of Vijao* covered bunches of plaintains. The 
scaly cuirass of an armadillo (Dasypus), the fruit of the 
calabash tree (Crescentia cujete), used as a cup by the 
natives, productions common in the cabinets of Europe, 
lad a peculiar charm for us, because they reminded us that, 
javing reached the torrid zone, we had attained the end to 
xhich our wishes had been so long directed. 
The master of one of the canoes offered to remain on board 
he Pizarro as coasting pilot (practico). lie was a Guayqueria 
of an excellent disposition, sagacious in his observations, and 
ie had been led by intelligent curiosity to notice the pro- 
ductions of the sea as well as the plants of the country. By 
a fortunate chance, the first Indian we met on our arrival 
was the man whose acquaintance became the most useful to 
us in the course of our researches. I feel a pleasure in 
recording in this itinerary the name of Carlos del Pino, who, 
during the space of sixteen months, attended us in our course 
along the coasts, and into the inland country. 
The captain of the corvette weighed anchor towards 
evening. Before we left the shoal or 'placer of Coche, I 
ascertained the longitude of the east cape of the island, 
which I found to be 60° 11' 58*. As we steered westward, 
we soon came in sight of the little island of Cubagua, now 
entirely deserted, but formerly celebrated for its fishery 
of pearls. There the Spaniards, immediately after the voy- 
ages of Columbus and Ojeda, founded, under the name of 
New Cadiz, a town, of which there now remains no vestige. 
At the beginning of the sixteenth century the pearls of 
Cubagua were known at Seville, at Toledo, and at the great 
fairs of Augsburg and Bruges. New Cadiz having no water, 
that of the Eio Manzanares was conveyed thither from the 
neighbouring coast, though for some reason, I know not 
what, it was thought to be the cause of diseases of the eyes. 
The writers of that period all speak of the riches of the first 
planters, and the luxury they displayed. At oresent, downs 
* Heliconia biluti. 
YOL. I. 
L 
