Feb. 8, 1858.] EXPEDITION TO THE GOLD FIELDS OF CARATAL. 
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gigantic as those along the upper course of the Barima. On the 
15th they came to an Indian path that led to the Cuyuni, at a distance 
of two or three days, through an undulating country, and followed 
it on foot, hut owing to various delays they did not reach the Cuyuni 
till the 26th. They found this river to he about 500 yards wide, 
and containing a considerable body of water, though at a distance 
of 200 miles from the sea. They now started in a flotilla of “ wood 
skins” which had been ordered to meet them. There were numerous 
rapids in the Cuyuni which caused great delay, but on October 1st 
they reached the mouth of the Curama River, which was blocked up 
by drift timber, otherwise it would have afforded the best line of 
route, as it passes only 30 miles from Caratal. It flows from the 
high savannah lands, and forms a natural outlet, that admits of being 
turned to account, for the produce of that immense and admirable 
grazing country. On September 30th the hills by the side of the 
Cuyuni became more mountainous, and more covered with blocks of 
quartz, and they gradually rose into the Ekreku range, about 2000 
feet high. The scenery was striking, the atmosphere drier than 
elsewhere in Guayana, and the climate genial. On October 7th the 
Cuyuni was left, being still 300 yards wide, and the Yuruan was 
ascended : this tributary was about 200 yards wide. After 8 miles the 
mouth of the turbid Yuruari was reached : it was 150 yards in width, 
and was infested with a perfect plague of sand flies. The party, 
ascended its stream : they reached the first savannah on October 
9th, where the river ran, fringed with a narrow bush, through 
thousands of acres of pasture land totally unoccupied. Cattle farms 
began to appear as Tupuquen was approached ; they had mostly 
belonged to the late Colonel Hamilton, who owned a vast tract of 
land in this neighbourhood. 
The party were politely received by the Alcalde of the mud 
village of Tupuquen : it was formerly a missionary station, and is 
now chiefly tenanted by persons connected with the diggings of 
Caratal, from which place it is 6 miles distant. Caratal was reached 
by the party on October 14th. 
The diggings consist of about 50 thatched lodges, for the most 
part without walls, and tenanted by from 120 to 200 diggers. There 
are no goldfield laws here, but each man can dig where he likes. 
The community appeared an honest one, but very sickly. In the 
process of gold-seeking, the bush has first to be removed, then the 
upper soil, then a hard subsoil which requires the pickaxe, and at 
10 or 15 feet the “ Graja ” is reached. This is a layer of earth, 
clay, quartz, and iron stone, in which the gold is found. Below it 
is stiff clay. In most cases the miners fail in meeting with the 
