156 EXPEDITION TO THE GOLD FIELDS OF CARATAL. [Feb. 8, 1858. 
Graja : either they come upon solid rock or are flooded with water. 
The successes at the diggings appeared in no way commensurate 
to the hardships. Every man suffered from fever, and many from 
beclie (inflammation of the lower bowel). Yermin of all kinds 
abounded. The usual diet was beef dried in the sun. 
On October 18th the travellers started for Upata, which they 
reached on the 22nd, passing through Guacipata, and crossing a 
wide savannah with fine park-like clumps of trees, and dotted with 
hills, covered to their summits with verdure. The natives were as 
hospitable as their means admitted, but it was strange that in this 
pastoral country, milk and cheese were found to be rarely used, and 
butter was altogether unknown. Milk had the reputation of pre- 
disposing to fever. The ordinary food is dried meat and cassava 
bread. The whole country abounded with quartz (Sir W. Ealeigh’s 
“ el madre del oro ”). Las Tablas was reached on October 25th : it 
is the port of Upata, as regards the Orinoco ; thence they boated to 
Barancas in 12 hours. This town was surrounded with lagoons 
that were then drying up : its inhabitants suffered much from 
fever, and from this time fever began to attack all the members of 
the expedition, though they had previously enjoyed perfect health. 
Dr. Blair, one of their number, died of it. 
Thirty or forty Indians, of various tribes, had accompanied the 
party throughout their journeyings, and they are much praised for 
being honest, willing, and easily satisfied. The opinion of Sir 
W. Holmes and Mr. Campbell is, that the districts of the Waini, 
Barima, and their tributaries are worthy of a much closer investi- 
gation than either their time or experience enabled them to give. 
Mr. Bratt started for Caratal very shortly after the above-men- 
tioned travellers. In his tours of inspection he passed along three 
different routes to the diggings, and found in all of them the same 
repetitions of wet alluvial land, dry arenaceous savannah, stunted 
trees, coarse grass, large quantities of quartz lying about in all 
directions, and a remarkable absence of animal life. He estimates 
the number of men in constant work at 130, and the yield of gold 
at 100 oz. per week. He does not think that Caratal is, by nature, 
an unhealthy place. 
Mr. James Shanks, surveyor, left George Town on October 3rd, 
and reports his belief that the climate of Caratal is fatal : he estimates 
the yield of gold at less than 80 oz. per week. If any trade should 
arise between Venezuela and Guayana, he believes the course it 
would take would be along the left bank of the Yuruari and along- 
side the Cuyuni ; water navigation being, as a general rule, imprac- 
ticable on these rivers. He considers that the colony of British- 
