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has been formed ; and one cannot help 
fecing, in this fingular formation, the 
aélion of the tropical currents, , which 
may be. called the currents of the earth’s 
Fotation ; an action which fhews itfelf alfo 
in the direStion of the coaft from Cuba, 
St. Domingo, Porto Rico, Yucatan, and 
Honduras, as in the feries of the Wind- 
ward Iflands, Grenada, Orchila, Rocca, 
‘Aves, Buencs-Ayres, Curagoa, and Aru- , 
ba, the ruins of the cordillera from Cape 
Chichibacoa, which are all parallel to 
theequator. It wasthis headland of Chi- 
chibacoa, notwithfianding its mconfider- 
able height, which, by its refiftance to the 
influx, preferved the. kingdom of New 
Grenada from lofing fo much land as the 
general government of Car2cas. 
The fecond original cordijlera of South 
Amer.ca, which I have called the cordil- 
lera of the Catara&s of Orinoco, is yet 
very little known. During the journey 
which we made on the Black River, to 
the borders of the Great Bara, we tra- 
velled more than two hundred leagues, 
firt from north to fouth, from Cerro de 
Uruana to Atabapo and Tuamini; then 
from weft toeat, from the mouths of the 
Ventuari to Velcan de Duida, which I 
have found to be in latitude 3° 13’ 26”, 
and iongitude 60° 34! 7” weft from Paris. 
Sirce the journey of Mefirs. Ituriaga and 
Solano, a paffage over thefe cordilleras, 
which may be called alfo Parima or Do- 
rado, (Golden) a name which has occa- 
‘fioned fo much misfortune in America, 
and fo much ridicule in Europe, has been 
poffible ; but as all the European fettie- 
ments on'the Altc Orinoco, and the Rio 
Necro, (Black River,) contain at this 
time no more than four hundred Indian 
families; and as the way from Efineralde 
to Erevato and Caura has been totally loft, 
our refearches in a land fo little civilized 
prefented more difficulties thanCondamine 
experienced during his tedious navigation 
on the river Amazon, the banks of which 
for many years have been inhabited. 
The cordillera of the Cataraéts, or of 
Parima, feparates itfelf from the Andes 
of Quito and Popayan, in the longitude of 
from 3° to 6°. It extends from welt to 
eaft, from Paramode ‘Tuquillo aud St. 
Martin, or the fources of the Guaviare, 
. the theatre of the gallant deeds of Philip 
de Urre, and the old refidence of the Or- 
neguas, through Morocote, Piramena, 
and Macuco, ftretching through the 
country of the Indians of Guajibos, Sagi, 
Dagueres, ‘and Poigraves, according ‘to 
the direction of the great rivers Meta, 
Geological Defeription of South America. 
[April 1, 
Vichada, Zama, Guaviere, and Ymerida, 
in the longitude of 70° weft from Paris, 
between the high fummits of Uniama and 
Cunavami. They form the Raudals of 
Atures and Maypuré, tremendous water- 
falls, which afford the only paflage by 
which one can penetrate into the interior 
of the land in the valley of the River 
Amazons. 
Thefe Cordilleras of the Catara&s rife 
from the longitude of 70°, and fpread out 
in fuch a manner that they comprehend 
the whole immenile tratt of country be- 
twern the rivers Caura, Erevato, Cavony, 
Paraguamufi, WVentuari, Jao, Padamo, 
and Manariche, and then afcend fouth 
towards the fources of the Pafimona, Ca- 
chevaynris, and Cababury, towards the 
forefts, where the Portugueze, penetrat- 
ing into the Spanifh diftrifls, collect the 
beft farfaparilla known (Smilax Sarfapa- 
rilla, Linn.). In this diftritt the cordil- 
leras of the Cataraéts are above one hun. 
dred and twenty miles in breadth. Their 
continuation more towards the eaft, be-~ 
tween the longitude of 68° and 60% weft 
from Paris, is little known. I proceeded 
with altronomical inftruments only, as 
faras Rio Guapo, which difcharges itfelf . 
into the Orinoco, oppoite the Cerro de la 
Cauclilla, in longitude 68° 33' welt from 
Paris. The Indians of Catarapeni and 
Maquiritares, who refide in the fmall 
millin of Efmeralde, came fifteen miles 
further eaft over the mountains Guanaja 
and Yamariquin to the Canno Chiguire ; 
but neither the Europeans, nor Indians 
with whom Europeans have had any ins 
tercourle, are acquainted with this fource 
of the Orinoco, which is here called Canno 
Paragua, and is {carcély 150 or 200 toifes 
in breadth, whereas at Boca de Apuré, 
in latitude 7° 32/20", it is 4632 toifes, 
as I myfelf found. The wildnefs of - 
the Indians of Guaicas, who are only 
four feet in height, but who area very 
white and warlike people, and particularly 
the favage ftate of the Guajaribos, greater 
men-eaters than any of the other nations 
which we viiited, prevent any one from 
penetrating over the fmall cataracts 
(Raudal de Guajarihos,) éaft from Chi- 
guire, unlefs a military expedition were 
undertaken on purpofe. ‘But by the won- 
derful jou:ney undertaken by D. Antonio 
Santos, who married Onotho, and who 
dreffzd fometimes as a:Carib, and fome- 
times as a Macacy, whole languages he 
{poke, froni Orinoco (the mouth of the 
Rio Carenis) to the fmal! lake Parima and 
the river Amazon, we have obtained in- 
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