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Full text of "A statistical, commercial, and political description of Venezuela, Trinidad, Margarita, and Tobago: containing various anecdotes and observations, illustrative of the past and present state of these interesting countries; from the French of M. Lavaysse: with an introduction and explanatory notes, by the editor [Edward Blaquière]"

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STATISTICAL,  COMMERCIAL,  AND  POLITICAL 

DESCRIPTION 

OP 

VENEZUELA,  TRINIDAD, 

MARGARITA,  and  TOBAGO : 

CONTAINING 

Farfous  gtitefrotes  aritt  (©bsttbatfons; 

ILLUSTRATIVE  OF  THE 

PAST  AND  PRESENT  STATE  OF  THESE  INTERESTING  COUNTRIES , 

<Boxtf6urn_. 
FROM  THE  FRENCH  OF  MylAVAYSSR: 

WITH  AN 

INTRODUCTION  AND  EXPLANATORY  NOTES, 
By  THE    EDITOR. 


Hie  patet  ingeniis  oampus :  certusque  merenti 

Stat  favor :  ornatur  propriis  industria  donis !— Claudia*. 


«* I  lea?e  to  your  sovereign  authority  the  reform  or  repeal  of  all  my 
ordinances,  statutes,  and  decrees;  bat  I  implore  you  to  confibm  thr  com- 

PLBTB  EMANCIPATION  Of  THB  SLAVES,  AS  I  WOULD  BRO  MY  LIFE,  OB  THE 
SALVATION  OV  THB  BBPUBLIC ! ! !" 

Installation  Speech  qf  General  Bohiv ah,  Feb.  IStk,  1810. 


LONDON; 
PRINTED  FOR  G.  and  W.   B.  WHITTAKER, 

13,    AYE-MARIA   LANK. 
1820. 


Har/srd  Goiu».„*  njcb>iy 

Api  4  iocs. 

G.ft    of 

Eram  Eingh  .  r 
of 
New    H  .-.van 


W.  8hack»ll,  Printer, 

Johcuoa'i-cowt, 
Ffettotrwt,  Lotto. 


TO 

MAJOR  GENERAL  IMEVEKEUX, 

4"c*  fa* 


My  dear  General, 

Had  a  personal  visit  to  the 
wonderful  regions  of  which  the  following 
pages  treat,  put  it  in  my  power  to  submit  to 
the  public  the  result  of  my  inquiries,  in  an 
original  work,  the  friendly  regard  with  which 
you  honour  me,  might,  perhaps,  dispose  you 
to  receive  my  humble  efforts  as  an  author 
with  a  more  partial  but  less  merited  indul- 
gence; I  feel  persuaded,  howeyer,  that  in 
requesting  your  permission  to  inscribe  the 
first  English  edition  of  M.  Lavaysse's  per- 
formance with  your  name,  I  shall  not  only 
contribute,  in  a  far  greater  degree,  to  the . 
introduction  among  oar  countrymen  of  a  just 
notion   respecting  the  moral  and  political 


VI  DEDICATION. 


condition  of  Venezuela,  but  also  lend  a  still 
more  effectual  aid  to  the  great  cause,  to  which 
you  have  so  generously  dedicated  your  splen- 
did talents,  and  the  whole  of  a  considerable 
fortune. 

It  having  been  my  object  in  the  few  re- 
marks which  are  prefixed  to  the  translation, 
to  demonstrate,-  with  what  a  capricious  de- 
viation from  the  true  principles  of  a  sound 
policv,  and  how  little  consonant  with  the 
characteristic  liberality  and  well  known  feel- 
ings of  the  British  nation,  is  the  suspicious 
neutrality  to  which  ministers  profess  their 
determination  to  adhere,  whilst  the  contest 
between  the  brave,  but  much  enduring  peo- 
ple of  Spanish  America,  and  their  imbecile 
though  remorseless  oppressors  continues  un- 
decided ;  I  will  not  presume  to  detain  you 
here  with  any,  on  a  subject  of  such  various 
and  complicated  bearings,  but  beg  leave  to 
tender  you  the  tribute  of  my  sincere  and 
fervent  admiration  at  your  glorious  reso- 
lution to  unite  your  political  destiny  to  that 
of  a  Bolivar,  who,  in  sacrificing  a  large 
patrimony  on  the  altar  of  his  country's  free- 
dom, and  in  spontaneously  liberating  fifteen 


DEDICATION.  Vll 

hundred  slaves  on  his  own  extensive  estates, 
has  held  out  a  sublime  example  to  the 
Patriots  of  every  country,  and  transcended 
the  illustrious  Washington,  not  less  in 
genuine  philanthropy,  than  in  disinterested 
patriotism! 

In  full  confidence  that  the  gallant  and 
well  appointed  band  which  has  recently  left 
oar  shores,  will,  under  your  skilful  auspices, 
insure  to  the  standard  of  the  Independents 
an  increase  to  that  long  series  of  brilliant 
victories  which  has  already  crowned  their 
arms ;  and  with  every  heartfelt  wish  that,  in 
witnessing  the  early  accomplishment  of  the 
benevolent  designs  of  a  gracious  Providence 
in  favour  of  the  new  world,  you  may  reap 
the  appropriate  reward  of  your  noble  enthu- 
siasm and  magnanimous  self-devotion, 

I  have  the  honour  to  be 

Your  very  affectionate  friend, 
And  ever  devoted  servant, 

THE  EDITOR. 

London, 
Nottmbtr  15**,  1819. 


*'  *•      i* 


INTRODUCTION  BY  THE  EDITOR. 


Amongst  those  who  have  described  that  portion 
of  Spanish  South  America,  which  has  recently 
become  the  theatre  of  such  agitating  and  important 
scenes,  few  had  better  opportunities  of  prosecut- 
ing inquiries  connected  with  the  political  economy 
and  commercial  resources  of  Venezuela  and  the 
islands  in  its  vicinity,  than  M.  Lavaysse,  who 
resided  fifteen  years  in  the  West  Indies,  and  was 
latterly  a  landed  proprietor  at  Trinidad,  whence 
he  paid  frequent  visits  to  the  opposite  continent. 

A  desire  of  rendering  the  work  more  accept- 
able to  his  English  readers,  has  induced  the  Edi- 
tor to  make  some  trifling  change  in  the  original 
arrangement,  and  also  to  omit  those  passages 
which  were  either  irrelevant  to  the  main  object, 
or  only  calculated  to  swell  out  the  volume  to  an 
unnecessary  size.  Of  these  omissions,  the  author's 
account  of  the  unfortunate  transactions  which 
occurred  at  Trinidad,  from  the  period  of  its  cap- 
ture in  1797,  until  the  removal  of  Sir  Thomas 
Picton,  is  the  only  one  worthy  of  being  noticed 
in  this  place ;  and  of  them  it  is  scarcely  requisite 
to  say,  that  having  been  discussed  to  satiety  in 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

the  united  kingdom,  it  could  have  answered  no 
useful  purpose,  to  encumber  the  present  edition 
with  a  recurrence  to  those  painful  and  shocking 
details.  In  deploring  events  that  will,  it  is  sin- 
cerely to  be  hoped,  never  disturb  the  peace  or 
retard  the  prosperity  of  that  valuable  colony 
again,  the  Editor  cannot  well  be  charged  with  a 
disposition  to  suppress  the  author's  statement  on 
the  subject ;  as,  according  to  an  assertion  of  M. 
Lavaysse,  they  have  been  treated  at  much  greater 
length,  and  with  more  pointed  severity  in  the 
Annual  Register,  European  Magazine,  and  daily 
journals  of  1803,  and  the  following  year,  than 
by  himself.  With  respect  lo  the  persecution 
of  which  he  occasionally  complains,  it  is  need- 
less to  remind  the  author,  that  the  tribunals  of 
this  country  were  as  open  to  him  as  they  have 
been  to  others;  although  in  making  the  above 
remark,  the  present  writer  is  fully  aware  of  the 
extreme  difficulty  generally  attendant  on  bringing 
such  trials  to  a  satisfactory  issue,  even  under  the 
most  favourable  circumstances.  A  strong  bias  of 
national  jealousy,  aggravated  by  a  sense  of  inju- 
ries,, whether  real  or  imaginary,  has  evidently 
stimulated  our  traveller's  pen  in  some  parts  of  his 
book,  and  hence  it  was  no  easy  portion  of  the 
editorial  task  to  qualify  the  author's  expressions, 
by  divesting  them  of  that  acrimonious  turn, 
which  is  never  essential  to  the  support  of  truth. 
Anxiously  intent  upon  elucidating  his  subject,  the 
Editor  trusts,  that  the  manner  in  which  be  has 


INTRODUCTION*  XI 

acquitted  himself  in  this  respect,  will  equally  ex- 
empt him  from  the  charge  of  partiality  or  prejudice. 

Having  thus  briefly  alluded  to  M.  Lavaysse, 
and  to  his  own  views  in  undertaking  the  transla- 
tion, the  Editor  feels  that  he  would  but  imper- 
fectly discharge  the  most  important  part  of  the 
obligations  which  he  has  imposed  on  himself,  were 
he  to  suffer  this  occasion  to  pass  without  adverting 
to  the  momentous  question  of  South  American 
independence.  True  it  is,  he  cannot  dare  to  hope 
that  any  remarks  he  is  capable  of  making,  will 
give  the  faintest  impulse  to  the  grand  efforts 
which  are  now  accelerating  the  final  emancipation 
of  that  immense  continent  from  the  tyranny  of 
those,  whom  the  blind  and  fatal  policy  of  Europe 
still  permits  to  prolong  its  desolation  and  wretch- 
edness. 

Without  going  back  to  inquire  how  so  large  a 
portion  of  the  new  world  could  have  remained 
subject  to  the  galling  yoke,  and  infuriate  bigotry 
of  Spain,  during  a  period  of  three  centuries,  it 
will  be  sufficient  for  our  present  purpose  to  ob- 
serve, that,  no  sooner  had  the  sanguinary  wars, 
and  consequent  calamities  which  visited  Europe 
from  the  commencement  of  the  revolution, 
pointed  out  the  necessity  of  liberating  the  Spa- 
nish colonies  from  the  system  of  oppression  and 
exclusion  established  by  the  mother  country,  than 
the  ministers  of  Great  Britain,  with  Mr.  Pitt  at 
their  head,  were  the  first  to  proclaim  to  the  peo 


Xll  INTRODUCTION. 

pie  of  Venezuela,  that  the  time  had  at  length  ar- 
rived for  asserting  those  rights  of  which  they  were 
so  cruelly  deprived ;  and  moreover,  that  his  majesty 
was  prepared  to  afford  them  every  assistance  in 
shaking  off  the,  chains  of  tyranny !  As  the  solemn 
pledge  then  given,  is  still  in  force,  for  it  was  of 
a  nature  not  to  be  superseded  by  any  subsequent 
engagements,  and  calls  more  loudly  than  ever  for 
fulfilment  on  our  part;  the  Editor  cannot  do 
better  than  present  it  to  his  readers  in  the  follow- 
ing extract  of  a  despatch  from  Mr.  Dundas,  the 
Secretary  of  State,  addressed  to  Sir  Thomas 
Pioton,  Governor  of  Trinidad,  by  whom  it  was 
most  industriously  circulated  throughout  Vene- 
zuela and  New  Grenada.  , 

«  With  regard  to  the  hopes  you  entertain 
of  raising  the  spirits  of  th08e  persons  with 
whom  you  are  in  correspondence,  towards 
animatingthe  inhabitants  to  re8ist  the  oppres- 
SIVE   AUTHORITY   OF  THEIR    GOVERNMENT,     I    have 

little  more  to  say,  than  that  they  may  be  certain, 
that  whenever  they  are  in  that  disposition,  they 
may  receive  at  your  hands  all  the  succours  to  be 
expected  from  His  Britannic  Majesty ;  be  it  with 
forces,  or  with  arms  and  ammunition  to  any  extent : 
with  the  assurance  that  the  views  of  His  Bri- 
tanic  Majesty  go  no  further  than  to  secure  to 
them  their  independence,  without  pretending 
to  any  sovereignty  over  their  country,  nor 
even    to    interfere    in    the    privileges    of    the 


INTmODUCTION.  Xlll 

people,  nor  in  tbeir  political,  civil,  or  religious 
rights."— 

Had  the  just  and  beneficent  design  thus  gene- 
rously evinced  been  steadily  followed  up,  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  many  of  those  embarrass- 
ments which  now  weigh .  so  heavily  on  the  com- 
mercial interests  of  the  country  would  never  have 
been  created,  while  numerous  and  important  ad- 
vantages must  have  accrued  from  a  maintenance 
of  good  faith  with  those  whom  we  had  so  posi- 
tively promised  to  support. 

Although  the  Editor  is  willing  to  draw  a  veil 
over  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  sad 
story  of  Miranda  and  his  companions  in  arms, 
history  will  not  be  silent  on  the  fate  of  that  brave 
but  unfortunate  general.  Suppressing  those  feel- 
ings of  regret  or  indignation  to  which  a  reference 
to  such  events,  irresistibly  give  rise,  he  trusts 
though  late,  a  recollection  of  them  may  stimulate 
the  friends  and  followers- of  Mr.  Pitt,  to  adopt 
measures  of  atonement,  while  they  are  yet  in  office, 
and  before  the  required  succours  proceed  from 
others  who  are  much  less  deeply  interested  in  the 
existing  struggle  than  ourselves. 

Notwithstanding  the  disastrous  result  of  our 
first  feeble  efforts  in  favour  of  the  patriot  cause 
in  Venezuela,  they  were  still  anxious  to  avail 
themselves  of  British  protection,  and  no  greater 

*  For  the  whole  of  this  memorable  document,  which  was 
signed  Thomas  Picrotf,  and  dated  Port  Spain,  June  26th,  1797, 
see  the  official  papers  at  the  end  of  the  volume. 


XIV  INTRODUCTIOtf. 

proof  of  this  desire  can  be  adduced,  than  the 
famous  letter  addressed  to  our  venerable  sove- 
reign by  the  junta  of  Caraocas  on  the  1st  of  June, 
1810,  in  which  amongst  other  passages,  those  un- 
acquainted with  the  secret  springs  and  tortuous 
policy  of  modern  statesmen,  would  naturally 
suppose  that  the  following  might  have  produced 
some  effect.  "  Great  Britain  by  her  maritime 
power,  by  her  political  influence,  and  by  the 
philanthropic  views  which  direct  her,  is  the  nation 
that  appears  called  upon  to  complete  the  grand 
work  of  confederating  the  scattered  sections  of 
America,  and  to  cause  order,  concord  and  rational 
liberty,  to  reign  therein;  and  we  may  venture  to 
say,  that  nothing  would  be  more  worthy  of  Great 
Britain*  more  worthy  of  the  wise  government,  as 
well  as  congenial  to  the  character  and  personal 
virtues  of  your  majesty ;  and  that  amongst  the 
many  transcendent  traits  which  already  adorn 
the  history  of  your  memorable  reign,  none  would 
render  this  era  more  brilliant  to  the  eyes  of  posh 
terity,  than  the  one  to  which  we  here  allude/' 

To  the  above  eloquent  appeal,  no  answer  what- 
ever was  returned  1  We  bad  already,  in  defiance 
of  every  previous  engagement,  coalesced  with 
the  selfish  regency  of  Cadiz,  and  guaranteed  the 
colonies  to  Spain.  It  is  needless  minutely  to  reca- 
pitulate the  results  ;  but  how  can  the  impartial 
observer  who  reflects  on  subsequent  events,  re- 
frain from  deploring  that  any  circumstances,  how- 
ever urgent,  could  have  induced  us  to  abandon 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

those  ill-fated  pro  vinoes.  While,  however,  a  war  of 
extermination,  scarcely  equalled  in  the  annals  of 
mankind,  and  in  which  several  hundred  thousand 
human  lives  have  been  already  sacrificed,  has 
desolated  them,  we  are  gleaning  the  reward  of 
our  fatal  policy,  in  the  lass  of  innumerable  ad  van* 
tages  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  basest  ingratitude 
on  the  other,  from  a  prince  who  has  done  more 
to  render  the  kingly  power  odious  aad  unpopular 
in  Europe  than  two  thirds  of  his  imperial  and 
royal  contemporaries! 

Without  being  insensible  to  the-  extreme  deli* 
caey  of  our  present  situation,  not  only  as  it  regards 
the  cabinet  of  Madrid  but  that  of  Washington, 
a  predicament  which  is  most  assuredly  not  the 
offspring  of  wisdom,  or  sound  policy,  it  would  be 
the  height  of  folly  to  imagine  that  the  indecisive 
and  temporizing  phms  now  pursued,  can  lead  to 
any  thing  but  still  greater  embarrassment.  The 
most  superficial  reasoner  amongst  us,  will  not 
maintain  the  probability  of  Venezuela  or  New 
Grenada  ever  returning  to  the  Spanish  yoke ;  and 
yet,  the  project  of  occupying  Cuba,  is  confidently 
said  to  be  the  secret  cause  of  ministers  adhering 
to  the  above  ruinous  system.  Although  he  is  far 
from  presuming  to  be  sufficiently  versed  in  the' 
arcana  of  diplomacy  to  offer  a  positive  opinion  on 
a  subject  necessarily  so  complicated,  the  Editor 
is  by  no  means  singular  in  his  opinion,  that  govern- 
ment will  encounter  more  obstacles  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  such  a  plan,  if  it  really  is  contemplated 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

than  the j  anticipate  ;  whereas,  should  it  ever  be 
realized,  we  may  be  involved  in  an  unprofitable 
contest,  that  will  most  probably  terminate  in 
disappointment,  ultimately  placing  us  in  the 
awkward  dilemma  of  adding  not  only  Venezuela 
but  New  Grenada,  and  Mexico,  to  the  number 
of  our  enemies! 

The  necessity  tod  importance  of  promoting  a 
federal  union  between  the  provinces  south  of 
Panama  and  Mexico,  is  strenuously  advocated  by 
the  most  enlightened  politicians  of  Venezuela 
and  their  friends  in  JNew  Grenada,  while  the 
undeviating  policy  of  the  North  American  go* 
vernment  renders  it  self-evident.  The  whole  sub- 
ject of  our  interests  in  this  part  of  the  new 
world,  is,  in  fact,  pregnant  with  such  vital  con- 
sequences to  our  colonial  power  and  commercial 
interests,  that  nothing  less  than  the  cruellest  fata- 
lity, can  prevent  ministers  from  taking  it  into 
immediate  consideration,  and  adopting  those 
measures  in  favour  of  our  real  friends  and  natu- 
ral allies,  which  every  view  of  the  question 
seems  so  imperiously  to  demand.* 

*  Some  days  after  the  above  cursory  thoughts  were  committed 
to  paper,  the  editor  met  the  following  curious  passage  (not  a  little 
corroborative  of  his  opinions)  in  the  communication  of  a  Spaniard 
to  the  editor  of  the  Espanol  Constitucional,  for  May :  it  is  dated 
Nov.  29th,  1818,  from  the  capital  of  Mexico.  In  addition  to 
various  strictures  on  the  policy  of  Ferdinand,  and  an  able  ex- 
position of  the  ambitious  views  of  North  America,  he  concludes 
by  observing — "  From  my  long  experience  and  the  knowledge  I 
have  of  the  plans  projected  in  that  country,  (the  United  States) 


INTRODUCTION.  XTIl 

But  though  ministers  should  persevere  in  the 
present  system,  which  they  have  so  many  mo- 
tives for  abandoning ;  surely  there  is  nothing  to 
prevent  the  British  merchants,  a  body  so  often 
foremost  in  acts  of  liberality,  from  attending  to 
the  appeal  made  to  their  humanity  on  one  side, 
and  the  prospect  of  immense  advantages  held 
out  on  the  other  ?  Unhappily  the  policy  ot  the 
cabinet  and  interests  of  the  merchant  are  but  too 
frequently  separated,  nor  were  they  ever  more,  at 
variance  than  in  this  instance.  Will  it,  however,  be 
denied  that  many  capitalists  of  this  country,  are  in 


I  shall  not  be  surprised,  if  four  years  pass  over  our  heads  with- 
out seeing  America  dominate  in  Mexico,  as  she  does  in  the 
Floridas.  With  respect  to  the  other  provinces  which  have  risen, 
even  if  they  are  consolidated  into  small  republics,  the  United 
States  will  exercise  a  terrible  preponderance  over  them.  God 
grant  that  my  political  prophecy  may  not  be  fulfilled ;  but  I  can- 
not help  thinking,  if  you  have  reflected  a  little  on  this  grave  mat- 
ter, as  I  do  not  doubt  you  have,  that  you  will  agree  with  my 
opinion,  except  as  to  the  period  of  time  given,  which  is  an  ac- 
cidental circumstance  in  the  great  problem." 

A  little  farther  on  he  says,  "  After  a  forty  years  residence  in 
America,  1  had  hoped  to  have  descended  into  the  tomb,  with 
the  consolation  of  having  left  my  children,  the  noble  title  of 
Spanish  Citizens  guaranteed  by  a  constitution  framed  under  the 
auspices  of  deputies  from  both  worlds  ;  but,  alas !  my  aged  and 
sorrowful  eyes  will  yet  see  the  great  vice-royalty  made  a  prize 
of,  or  what  is  still  more  degrading,  sold  like  the  Floridas  to  this 
proud  republic,  which  exceeds  that  of  Rome  in  ambition/1 

The  reader  is  earnestly  requested  to  compare  the  above  with  Com- 
modore Perry's  recent  mission  to  Angostura,  not  to  mention  various 
•ther  indications  of  a  decided  change  in  the  policy  of  the  Union. 

b 


XV111  INTRODUCTION. 

the  daily  habit  of  employing  money  Jess  advan- 
tageously, and  with  an  infinitely  smaller  chance 
of  a  profitable  return,  than  if  appropriated  to 
securing  the  independence  of  unexceptionably 
one  of  the  most  fertile  and  productive  regions  on 
earth  ?  Well  might  the  Abb£  de  Pradt,  to  whom 
public  gratitude  is  pre-eminently  due  for  his 
meritorious  efforts  on  the  subject  of  South  Ame- 
rica during  the  last  twenty  years,  exclaim ; 
"  Let  us  not  dispute  the  fact,  but  candidly  con- 
fess that,  as  yet,  America  is  only  discovered  in 
name,  and  geographically.  The  treasures  it 
contains  are  still  buried  riches,  which  its  free- 
dom alone  can  discover  to  the  old  world  :  when 
we  yield  to  the  contemplation  of  those  blessings 
which  the  independence  of  this  immense  conti- 
nent will  overwhelm  the  universe ;  the  imagina- 
tion is  sterile  to  conceive,  and  language  too  weak 
for  their  description  !"* 

When  the  present  prosperous  state  of  the  Su- 
preme Chiefs  affairs,  are  compared  with  his 
heroic  constancy  during  a  period  of  ten  years 


•  The  following  account  of  the  progressive  advance  in  the 
revenue  and  produce  of  New  Spain  is  not  a  little  calculated  to 
favour  the  above  ingenious  writer's  flattering  anticipations. 
Total  amount  in  1 71 2         -  1 6,000,000  francs. 

Do.  in  1802  -  -         100,000,000 

Augmentation  in  ninety  years  84,000,000 

Crop  of  cocoa  in  1735         65,000  quintals  of  150  lbs.  each. 
Do.         do    in   1763       110,650  do. 

During  the  interval  between  1763  and  1783,  the  plains  near 
Caraccas  tripled  the  number  of  animals  they  had  previously 
contained. 


INTRODUCTION.  XIX 

incessant  warfare,  against  the  blood-thirsty  Mo- 
rillo,  the  Attila  of  South  America,  and  his  san- 
guinary satellites,  the  Editor  is  certainly  justi- 
fied in  saying,  that  the  independent  governments . 
of  Venezuela  and  New  Grenada,  are*not  inferior 
as  securities  for  the  payment  of  a  few  millions, 
to  some  of  the  best  guarantees  held  out  in  the 
dilapidated  financial  condition  of  more  than  one 
European  nation;  particularly,  should  any  of 
those  events  anticipated  by  many  political  econo- 
mists ever  take  place.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
a  few  liberal-minded  men  are  disposed  to  risk  any 
part  of  their  capital,  surely  there  is  quite  as  much 
consolation  in  doing  so  for  the  rescue  of  a  great 
continent  from  tyranny  and  oppression,  as  if  it 
were  sacrificed  in  any  of  those  private  specula- 
tions which  are  daily  absorbing  the  wealth  of 
individuals  ?* 


•  A  very  well  written  communication  that  has  appeared  in 
the  daily  papers,  and  dated  from  Trinidad,  September  2d, 
contains  the  following  passage,  which  the  Editor  is  induced  to 
submit  to  those  who  entertain  any  doubts  on  the  subject  to  which 
it  alludes. 

"  Of  the  personal  characters  of  the  individuals  composing  the 
government  I  entertain  the  highest  opinion,  and  every  day's  ex- 
perience and  observation  confirm  its  correctness.  Every  debt 
that  has  .been  contracted,  I  am  confident,  will  be  fully,  completely 
and  faithfully  discharged ;  and  every  delay  which  may  have  oc- 
curred hitherto,  however  much  to  be  deplored,  cannot  in  the  slight- 
est degree  be  attributed  to  want  of  either  inclination  or  exertion, 
but  to  circumstanoes  over  which  there  was  no  human  eontroul. 
The  best  proof  which  I  can  give  of  my  perfeot  reliance  on  the 

b  2 


XX  INTRODUCTION. 

Such  is  the  actual  state  oi  things,  both  as  to 
the  stability  of  the  government  in  Venezuela,  and 
the  progress  of  its  army,  that  were  a  few  men  of 
property  to  combine  and  take  the  subject  of  ad- 
vancing a  loan  into  their  consideration,  the  Editor 
feels  convinced  they  would  not  have  to  wait 
many  months  for  a  return  either  in  specie  or 
produce,  while  a  comparatively  small  sum  would 
enable  the  Supreme  Chief  to  decide  the  contest 
during  the  present  or  ensuing  campaign  at  farthest* 
In  suggesting  the  propriety  of  an  association  like 
the  above,  it  is  superfluous  to  remind  his  generous 
countrymen,  that  the  self-satisfaction  arising  out 
of  thus  removing  an  immense  portion  of  human 


honour  and  good  faith  of  tbe  Government  of  Venezuela,  is,  the 
fact,  that  I  and  my  friends  are  continuing  our  advances ;  and  I 
declare  most  solemnly,  that  had  I  the  power  I  would  go  almost 
any  lengths.  The  debts  owing  by  this  country  are  com- 
paratively a  mere  bagatelle,  and  which  the  possession  of  New 
Grenada,  and  a  short  repose,  will  easily  liquidate. 

"  The  patriotic  cause  never  wore  so  favourable  an  aspect  as  at 
preseut,  and  the  complete  emancipation  of  these  beautiful  coun- 
tries may  be  speedily  anticipated. 

"  What  an  act  of  philanthropy,  were  the  British  Government  to 
interfere,  and  pot  an  end  to  this  inhuman  warfare ;  for  whatever 
the  result  of  this  or  any  other  campaign  may  be,  America  is  lost 
for  ever  to  Spain !  This  beautiful  country  may  be  rendered  a 
desert,  but  never,  never  will  it  be  brought  to  submit  to  the  yoke 
of  Ferdinand:  the  continuation  of  the  conflict  can  produce  nothing 
but  a  useless  shedding  of  human  blood.  The  interference  of 
Great  Britain  would  rivet  the  chains  of  amity  and  attachment 
which  already  exist,  while  from  the  situation  and  nature  of  the 
two  countries  xu>  rivalry  can  ever  arise  betwixt  them." 


INTRODUCTION.  XXI 

misery,  liberating  a  continent,  and  securing  con- 
siderable pecuniary  advantages,  would  far  exceed 
that  which  springs  from  the  success  of  an  ordinary 
speculation. 

Here  it  is  but  performing  a  common  act  of 
justice  to  observe,  that  the  persevering  exertions 
of  General  D'Evereux,  have  produced  the  most 
salutary  effects,  not  only  as  they  regard  the 
patriot  cause,  but  also  in  favour  of  our  commerce. 
By  directing  the  attention  of  mercantile  men  to  a 
most  profitable  market,  he  has  at  the  same  time 
snatched  many  a  brave  veteran  from  the  evils  of 
poyerty  and  wretchedness,  which  have  weighed 
so  heavily  on  our  disbanded  soldiers  and  seamen 
since  the  peace  of  1814.  By  a  most  fortunate 
coincidence,  the  period  at  which  these  laudable 
exertions  are  making,  combined  with  the  generous 
manner  in  which  the  nobility  and  gentry  of  Ire- 
land, not  excepting  its  women  of  rank  and  for- 
tune, have  seconded  the  general's  views,  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  that  odium  which  naturally 
resulted  from  a  late  most  impolitic  act,  has  been 
removed.  With  respect  to  those  delays  which 
have  somewhat  retarded  the  plans  of  the  Major 
General  in  favour  of  humanity  and  our  commer- 
cial prosperity,  they  have  originated  in  causes  over 
which  be  had  no  controul,  and  cannot  be  so  acutely 
felt  on  the  part  of  his  brave  followers  as  by  himself. 
Having  understood  that  those  busy  meddlers,  who 
are  ever  ready  to  mar  the  best  interests  of  society, 
without  hesitating  to  depreciate  private  character, 


XXii  INTRODUCTION. 

are  not  idle  on  the  present  occasion,  the  Editor 
pledges  himself,  that  the  most  satisfactory  expla- 
nations will  be  given  on  the  whole  of  General 
D'Evereux's  patriotic  proceedings,  which  have  a 
far  different  and  infinitely  more  exalted  aim  than 
have  those  of  too  many  of  his  contemporaries  in 
the  same  sacred  cause.* 

These  remarks,  intended  to  convince  those  who 
have  already  made  any  advances  to  the  indepen- 
dent government,  that  they  have  nothing  to 
apprehend  in  the  future,  and  with  the  hope  of  ex- 
citing others  to  complete  the  work  of  humanity, 
cannot  close  more  appropriately  than  by  quoting 
the  passage  in  the  Supreme  Chief's  celebrated 
speech  during  the  recent  installation  of  Congress 
at  Angostura,  in  which,  alluding  to  th^  foreign 
creditors  of  the  republic,  he  observes,  "  Those 
friends  of  mankind  are  the  guardian  geniuses  of 
America,  and  to  them  we  owe  a  debt  of  eternal 
gratitude,  as  well  as  a  religious  fulfilment  of  the 


*  Amongst  other  ornaments  of  their  country,  Messrs.  Phillips 
and  Finlay,  two  of  the  most  eloquent  men  at  the  Irish  bar,  or  per- 
haps any  other  in  Europe,  have  been  particularly  distinguished  in 
this  generous  emulation  to  second  the  Major  General's  benevolent 
and  laborious  efforts.  But  the  Editor  cannot  omit  this  opportunity 
of  declaring,  that  the  oratory  of  Mr.  Curran's  able  biographer  is, 
in  his  humble  opinion,  infinitely  more  brilliant  and  persuasive, 
when  contending  for  the  emancipation  of  our  Catholic  countrymen, 
and  asserting  the  liberties  of  Ireland  and  South  America ;  than 
while  giving  countenance  or  support  to  the  pious  members  of  Bible 
Societies  in  the  British  Metropolis ! 


INTRODUCTION.  xxiil 

several  obligations  contracted  with  them*  The 
national  debt,  legislators,  is  the  deposit  of  the 
good  faith,  the  honour  and  the  gratitude  of  Vene- 
zuela :  respect  it  as  the  holy  ark  which  encloses 
not  only  the  rights  of  our  benefactors,  but  the 
glory  of  our  fidelity.  Let  us  perish  rather  than 
fail,  in  any  the  smallest  point,  connected  with 
the  completion  of  those  engagements,  which  have 
been  the  salvation  of  our  country,  and  of  the  lives 
of  her  children  !" 

In  having  thus  endeavoured,  however  ineffec- 
tually, to  persuade  the  ministers  of  this  country 
into  an  act  of  common  justice,  and  at  the  same 
time  convince  the  mercantile  interest  of  a  measure 
that  would  ere  long  prove  eminently  advanta- 
geous to  both,  let  it  not  be  imagined  that  the 
Editor  supposes  the  cause  of  South  American  free- 
dom depends  altogether  on  either. — The  trium- 
phant manner  in  which  the  Supreme  Chief  may 
now  be  said  to  have  almost  terminated  his  glorious 
labours,  would  render  such  a  belief  exceedingly 
irrational.  Although  so  tardy  in  coming  forward 
many  years  after  they  were  bound  to  support  the 
sister  continent,  our  commercial  rivals  in  North 
America  seem  to  have  at  length  awakened  to  a 
sense  of  their  interest  in  this  great  cause.  Here,  the 
Editor  is  anxious  to  record,  that  he  attributes  no 
part  of  their  conduct  during  the  struggle  either 
to  national  generosity  or  public  virtue !  on  the 
contrary,  every  part  of  it  appears  to  have  been  the 
offspring  of  a  cold  calculating  trading  policy  on 


XXIV  INTRODUCTION. 

the  one  hand,  not  unmixed  with  an  ill  concealed 
sentiment  of  envy  and  jealousy  on  the  other. 
But  while  there  does  not  appear  to  be  any  motive 
for  the  latter  feeling,  the  cabinet  of  Washing- 
ton has  certainly  every  reason  to  be  envious  of  a 
neighbouring  state,  in  which  Universal  Liberty 
is  proclaimed,  whil^  slavery  is  tolerated  through- 
out the  incessantly  vaunted  republio  of  North 
America! 

If  the  Editor  has  dwelt  on  this  subject  some- 
what longer  than  he  intended,  it  arises  from  a 
conviction  that  the  recitals  of  disappointed  ad- 
ventures, and  representations  of  those  who  are 
ever  ready  to  palliate  the  errors  of  men  in  power, 
have  bad  the  effect  of  prejudicing  many  of  our 
capitalists  on  the  subject  of  Venezuela*  Leaving 
those  publications  which  draw  so  lamentable  a 
picture  of  the  hardships  experienced  by  two  or 
three  isolated  individuals  and  their  companions, 
hardships  which  the  Editor  ventures  to  assert  have 
been  felt  by  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands, 
during  the  late  disastrous  wars  in  which  this  coun- 
try was  engaged,  to  that  oblivion  which  awaits 
them,  he  takes  this  opportunity  of  noticing  a  wri- 
ter in  the  last  number  of  a  well  known  Review, 
and  of  shortly  replying  to  his  strictures  on  the  cause 
of  independence.  In  these,  amongst  other  equally 
liberal  remarks  it  is  asserted  that, "South  America 
is  nothing  but  an  arena  in  which  a  set  of  needy 
and  adventurous  prize  fighters  are  contending 
each  for  his  own  individual  advantage."  Upon  such 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV 

an  assertion,  and  indirect  mode  of  defending 
government,  the  Editor  has  no  hesitation  in  ob- 
serving that,  so  far  from  exonerating  ministers 
from  the  charge  of  betraying  the  patriots,  it  is  a 
gross  exaggeration  of  the  crimes  laid  to  our 
account  by  the  independent  party  in  that  long 
persecuted  region.  .  But  this  is  not  the  only  in- 
stance wherein  the  advocates  of  a  bad  cause,  in- 
stead of  justifying  their  patrons,  only  tend  to 
bring  them  into  still  greater  contempt,  and  hasten 
the  accomplishment  of  those  events  they  vainly 
endeavour  to  retard.  Does  the  writer  thus  no- 
ticed, merely  because  the  above  periodical  work 
is  not  only  patronized  by  ministers,  but  partly 
conducted  by  members  of  the  administration, 
require  to  be  informed  that,  if  his  assertion  with 
respect  to  South  America  were  even  true,  every 
honest  mind  could  most  easily  trace  the  cause 
to  those  statesmen  who,  after  having  invited  the 
colonists  to  shake  off  the  yoke,  and  solemnly  pro- 
mised every  assistance,  abandoned  them  to  their 
fate!!! 

In  answer  to  the  absurd  proposition  that  the 
great  mass  of  the  inhabitants  take  little  or  no 
interest  in  the  struggle,  and  which  not  only  past 
experience,  but  these  events  daily  announced  most 
effectually  controvert,  the  Editor  begs  to  quote  a 
passage  from  M.  de  Humboldt's  Essay  on  New 
Spain,  which  accounts  in  a  great  measure  for  many 
of  those  difficulties  that  have  impeded  the  termi- 
nation of  this  terrible  contest. 


XXVI  INTRODUCTION, 

u  Notwithstanding  the  tranquil  character  and 
extreme  docility  of  the  people  in  the  Spanish 
colonies/'  says  that  intelligent  traveller ;  "  in  spite 
of  thfeir  peculiar  situation,  dispersed  over  a  vast 
extent  of  country,  enjoying  that  species  of  indi- 
vidual liberty  which  always  arises  from  great 
liveliness,  political  agitations  would  have  been 
more  frequent  after  the  peace  of  Versailles,  and 
above  all  since  1789,  if  the  mutual  hatred  of  the 
casts,  and  the  fears  with  which  the  great  number 
of  blacks  and  Indians  inspire  the  whites,  had  not 
arrested  the  progress  of  popular  discontent.  These 
motives  have  become  still  more  powerful,  sub- 
sequent to  the  events  that  have  taken  place  in 
St*  Dfomingo ;  and  it  cannot  be  for  a  moment 
doubted,  that  they  have  contributed  more  to  pre- 
serve peace  in  the  Spanish  colonies,  than  mea- 
sures of  rigour  or  the  formation  of  militias." — 
When  to  the  foregoing  causes  we  add  the  influence 
of  the  priesthood,  and  power  of  the  inquisition ; 
the  superstitious  and  unenlightened  state  of  the 
people,  not  to  mention  the  efforts  those  in  power 
are  ever  ready  to  make  for  the  preservation  of 
their  patronage,  emoluments  and  places,  the 
wonder  will  greatly  diminish  if  it  be  not  entirely 
removed.  Amongst  those  consequences  antici- 
pated by  the  best  informed  individuals,  from  the 
European  cabinets  thus  tacitly  encouraging  the 
war  of  extermination,  that  of  the  black  popula- 
tion being  stimulated  to  follow  the  example  of 
St.  Domingo,  is  not  the  least  important  or  wor- 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV11 

thy  the  serious  consideration  of  our  statesmen, 
as  being  fraught  with  the  most  imminent  dan- 
gers to  our  colonial  interests. 

Without  entering  into  a  defence  of  such  men 
as  Puyerdon,  St.  Martin,  O'Higgins  and  Artigas  ; 
all  of  whom  are  embraced  by  the  sweeping 
charge  of  the  Reviewer ;  the  best  reply  to  his 
strictures,  as  well  as  those  suggested  by  the  hatred 
and  malignity  of  others,  will  be  found  in  the  late 
proceedings  at  Angostura,  where  General  Bo- 
livar, in  opening  the  second  National  Congress, 
previous  to  a  most  eloquent  speech,  in  which  the 
basis  of  a  final  constitution  is  proposed,  insisted 
on  giving  up  that  unlimited  authority  with  which 
he  had  been  entrusted  by  the  people ;  in  directing 
the  secretaries  of  state  to  lay  the  whole  of  his 
proceedings  before  the  representatives  of  the  na- 
tion, and  finally  consigning  the  staff  of  office  to  the 
President.  When  this  had  been  done  the  General 
nobly  added,  "  I  return  to  the  Republic  the  gene- 
ral's staff,  entrusted  to  me :  to  serve  in  whatever 
rank  or  class  the  congress  may  place  me,  cannot  but 
be  honourable;  in  it  I  shall  give  an  example  of  that 
subordination  and  blind  obedience,  which  ought 
to  characterize  every  soldier  of  the  Republic." 

The  speech  from  which  the  above  is  extracted, 
together  with  an  account  of  the  proceedings  that 
took  place  on  the  15th  of  February,  a  proud  day 
for  Venezuela,  marks  a  memorable  epoch  in  the 
history  of  the  new  republic  :  it  has  been  published 
under  the  auspices  of  General  D'Evereux,  and  is- 


XXV1I1  INTRODUCTION 

particularly  deserving  the  attention  of  all  those 
who  feel  an  interest  in  the  present  progress  of 
events.  It  is  not  amongst  the  least  extraordinary 
political  phenomena  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
to  witness  a  military  chief  imitating  the  most  ex- 
alted men  of  antiquity,  and  promulgating  the 
sublimest  legislative  truths,  in  a  country  hitherto 
signalized  as  the  very  focus  of  bigotry  and  depo- 
tistfi !— expressing  sentiments  which  the  people 
of  Europe,  chiefly  know  through  the  too  partial 
medium  of  Grecian  and  Roman  history  ;  as  if  the 
principles  recently  advocated  by  the  friends  of 
human  nature  in  the  old  world,  were  destined  to 
be  practically  realized  urthe  western  hemisphere! 
But  this  is  not  the  first  time  the  Genius  of  Liberty 
has  crossed  the  Atlantic.  With  the  most  ardent 
wishes  to  see  her  cherished  by  the  sons  of  Southern 
Columbia,  let  us  however  hope  that  she  has  not 
totally  abandoned  her  votaries  in  Europe ! 

Yes!  even  at  this  moment,  the  situation  of 
Simon  Bolivar  might  well  be  envied  by  the 
greatest  monarchs  on  earth.  Hailed  a  second 
time  as  the  liberator  of  Santa  F£  de  Bogota; 
having  previously  merited  the  same  glorious  title, 
were  the  Editor  disposed  to  hazard  comparisons 
between  public  characters,  how  pre-eminently 
transcendent  would  not  a  chief  whose  glory  and 
fortunes  areof  his  own  creation,  achieved  through 
unparalleled  difficulties,  and  fighting  for  the  liber- 
ties of  his  country,  appear,  over  those  who,  hav- 
ing sworn  to   defend    popular   rights,  are  only 


INTRODUCTION.  XXlX 

coalescing  for  their  destruction,  and  endeavour- 
ing to  degrade  the  species  by  adding  to  the  weight 
of  their  fetters! 

Although  a  summary  of  the  speech  to  which 
the  Editor  has  felt  it  his  duty  to  call  the  attention 
of  his  readers,  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix,  he 
hopes  to  be  excused  for  closing  these  observations 
called  forth  by  the  illiberal  attempts  of  a  few  in- 
dividuals to  lessen  the  Supreme  Chiefs  well  merit- 
ed claims  to  the  admiration  of  this  country,  with 
the  last  paragraph  of  his  luminous  address,  which, 
though  drawing  a  picture  that  may  not  be  realiz- 
ed to  the  extent  anticipated,  still  does  infinite 
honour  to  the  head  and  heart  of  the  illustrious 
orator.  "  Flying  from  present  and  approaching 
future  times,"  said  the  General,  "  my  imagination 
plunges  into  future  ages,  in  which  I  observe  with 
admiration  and  amazement,  the  prosperity,  the 
splendour  and  animation  which  this  vast  region 
will  have  acquired  ; — my  ideas  are  wafted  on, 
and  I  see  my  beloved  native  land  in  the  centre  of 
the  universe  expanding  herself  on  her  extensive 
coasts,  between  those  oceans,  which  nature  has 
separated,  and  which  our  country  will  have 
divided  with  large  and  spacious  canals ;  I  see  her 
the  bond,  and  central  emporium  of  the  human 
race;  I  see  her  transmitting  to  earth's  remotest 
bounds,  those  treasures  contained  in  her  moun- 
tains of  gold  and  silver;  I  see  her  distributing 
by  her  salutiferous  plants,  health  and  life  to 
the  afflicted  of  the  old  world ;  I  see  her  impart- 


XXX  INTRODUCTION. 

ing  to  the  sages  of  other  regions  her  inestimable 
secrets,  ignorant  until  then,  how  much  her  height 
of  knowledge  transcends  her  excessive  wealth; 
--yes!  I  see  her  seated  on  the  throne  of  freedom, 
wielding  the  sceptre  of  justice,  and  crowned 
with  glory,  $hew  the  old  world  the  majesty  of 
the  new !" 

A  cursory  perusal  of  the  documents  prefixed 
to  the  end  of  the  volume,  while  it  demonstrates 
upon  what  enlightened  principle  the  new  govern- 
ment is  founded,  equally  removed  from  the  vio- 
lence of  democracy  on  the  one  hand,  and  from 
the  danger  of  arbitrary  power  on  the  other, 
proves  that  a  system  of  equal  laws,  like  those  even 
now  in  force,  and  solemnly  promised  by  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  people,  must  prevent  the  abuses 
which  daily  arise  in  the  best  regulated  communi- 
ties of  Europe.  If  sentiments  such  as  those  ex- 
pressed in  the  declaration  of  independence,  and 
in  the  Supreme  Chiefs  late  installation  speech, 
are  not  calculated  to  excite  admiration  and  inspire 
confidence,  where  are  they  be  found  ?  And  let  it 
be  recorded  to  the  honour  of  General  Bolivar, 
they  have  been  rigidly  acted  upon,  in  all  that 
relates  to  the  government  of  the  Republic,  since 
he  has  been  called  to  the  arduous  office  he  now 
fills  with  no  less  credit  to  himself  than  advantage 
to  his  country. 

The  late  Congress  at  Aix  la  Chapelle,  from  the 
labours  of  which  so  many  benefits  were  antici- 
pated by  some  people,  was  also  to  have  arranged 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXI 

the  affairs  of  South  America,  and  thrown  that 
vast  continent  open  to  the  industry  and  commerce 
of  the  old  world.  But  what  was  the  result  of 
its  deliberations  on  that  vitally  important  subject  ? 
The  august  members  separated  without  one  soli- 
tary measure  calculated  to  inspire  the  oppressed 
colonists  with  hope,  or  change  the  infatuated 
policy  of  Ferdinand !  What  a  humiliating  reflec- 
tion, that  those  who  had  so  often  boasted  of  re- 
establishing peace  on  such  a  solid  foundation, 
should  imply  their  inefficiency  to  complete  the 
beneficent  work,  by  ieaving^an  immense  and  fertile 
continent  a  prey  to  war,  rapine,  and  persecu- 
tion !* 

But  it  is  time  to  terminate  this  discussion,  which 

*  When  the  future  historian  of  our  times,  sits  down 
to  record  the  proceedings  of  this  assemblage,  it  must 
be  truly  painful  for  him  to  state  that,  with  such  a  glorious 
opportunity  of  performing  acts  of  real  magnanimity,  and 
restoring  their  lost  popularity,  as  no  other  Congress  ever 
possessed,  its  measures  were  exclusively  confined  to  an 
act  of  necessary  duty,  that  of  withdrawing  the  foreign 
armies  from  France,  concerting  the  best  means  of  adding 
to  their  power  and  increasing  their  territories  I 

Would  it  not  have  been  more  conducive  to  the  interests 
of  humanity  and  beneficial  to  themselves,  bad  those 
Sovereigns  opened  the  vast  continent  of  South  America  to 
the  industry  and  enterprize  of  their  starving  subjects, 
giving  it  that  independence  which  must  eventually  triumph 
even  without  their  aid  ?  Ought  they  to  have  been  indif- 
ferent to  the  laudable  efforts  of  the  philanthropic  Owen 
to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  species ;  much  less  deaf 
and  insensible  to  the  appeal  of  the  virtuous  Count  de  Lai 


XXX11  INTRODUCTION. 

has  already  far  exceeded  the  proposed  limits. 
Unambitious,  as  he  is  undeserving  of  literary 
fame,  the  Editor  has,  in  the  foregoing  desultory 
remarks,  been  rather  anxious  to  quote  official 
documents,  and  record  the  opinions  of  more 
weighty' authorities  than  his  own;  thus  hoping 
to  make  out  a  case  in  favour  of  the  brave  and 
suffering  people  of  South  America,  which  neither 
sophistry  nor  declamation,  ridicule  nor  invective, 
could  well  controvert.  Relying  on  the  indulgent 
consideration  of  his  country,  it  is  for  an  impartial 
public  to  decide  how  far  those  important  objects 
have  been  attained.  If  he  has  trespassed  some- 
what longer  on  the  patience  of  his  readers  than 
might  be  thought  necessary,  he  trusts  their  recol- 
lection of  those  countless  millions  in  both  worlds, 
whose  best  interests  are  either  directly  or  collate- 
rally involved  in  the  momentous  question  of  South 


Casas  in  favour  of  his   persecuted  but  once  powerful 
master ! 

Although  the  advocates  of  injustice  and  arbitrary 
power  in  this  country  affect  to  forget,  and  are  silent  on 
our  treatment  of  Napoleon,  the  hero  of  Tilsit,  of  Elau 
and  Esling ;  the  conqueror  of  Vienna,  the  preserver  of 
Frederick  William's  throne,  the  sworn  friend  of  the 
magnanimous  Alexander,  finally  of  the  Emperor  and 
former  enemy  of  England,  who  claimed  British  hospi- 
tality when  overtaken  by  misfortune;  that  treatment 
is  not  the  less  inhuman  and  impolitic,  or  likely  to  become 
a  serious  item  of  accusation  against  its  authors  and  abet- 
tors, when  the  day  of  civil  and  political  retribution 
arrives ! 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXM 


American  independence,  will  be  accepted  as  a 
sufficient  excuse  for  a  greater  want  of  brevity. 

Should  the  feeble  voice  he  has  endeavoured  to 
raise  with  the  best  intentions  and  most  ardent  de- 
sire to  serve  the  cause  of  England  and  humanity, 
not  be  heard,  he  ventures  to  express  a  hope,  th&t 
the  walls  of  Parliament  will  resound  with  such 
an  appeal  in  favour  of  the  violated  rights  of  men 
in  the  new  world,  that,  while  it  convinces  Europe, 
the  British  nation  does  not  participate  either  in 
the  wishes  or  designs  of  its  ministers;  shall  finally 
lead  to  the  accomplishment  of  those  salutary  mea- 
sures which  neither  the  Congress  of  Emperors  and 
Kings,  nor  the  servants  of  the  crown,  have  had 
sufficient  magnanimity  to  perform. 

Without  wishing  to  divert  the  attention  of 
the  legislature  from  objects  of  still  greater  con- 
sequence nearer  home,  or  diminish  the  awful,  nay, 
almost  unprecedented  circumstances  under  which  it 
is  about  to  assemble,  the  Editor  feels  satisfied  that 
the  subject  of  South  America  is  one  of  paramount 
importance;  he  is  moreover  induced  to  add  as 
his  firm  conviction,  that  if  there  is  any  event 
connected  with  our  foreign  policy,  more  likely 
to  calm,  the  perturbed  spirit  of  the  people  than 
another,  or  one  that  would  give  a  most  salutary 
impulse  to  manufactures  and  commerce,  go- 
vernment would  find  it  in  a  prompt  and  liberal 
measure,  such  as  sound  policy  dictates  and  our 
situation  really  calls  for,  with  regard  to  that  con- 
tinent. 


JCXX1V  INTRODUCTION. 

It  baa  been  recently  announced  in  the  public 
papers,  thpt  twelve  of  the  Englishmen  surprized 
atPortobello;  have  been  shptjby  th?  Spanish  autho- 
rities at  Panama. '  If  this  atrocious  act  be  con- 
firmed, the  Editor  trusts,  for  the  honour  of  our 
qame  as  a  people,  that  the  circumstance  of  these 
unfortunate  victims •  haying  been  l$d  in  an.  evil 
ljour,  pr  perhaps  by  t be  dreadful  pecuniary  embar- 
rassment now  so  prevalent  in  our  once  happy  coun- 
try, to  follow  the  fortunes  of  an  adventurer,  who  baa 
justly  forfeited  public  confidence,  will  not  save  the 
perpetrators  from  the  just  vengeance  of  England  ; 
and  that  unlike  the  recent  conduct  of  her  minis- 
ters, ia  suffering  the  sanguinary  general*  of  North 
America  to  slaughter  our  ill-fated  country  men  in 
qqld  blood,  the  solitary  abettors  and  murderpus 
instruments  of  Ferdinand  in  South  America,  will 
not  also  be  allowed  to  act  with  similar  impunity ! 

'  E.  B. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  I. 

Historical  Sketch  of  Venezuela*— Ijust  Adv^tur^— Wejteis. , 
—Their  Cruelties.— Depopulation  amongst  theJjadianaTribev  t 
—Early  Commerce,  and  Pearl  Fishejy.— Exclusive  Commercial  ^ 
Companies.  — Views  of  the  British  Ministers.  -t*Piernal,  . 
Gual,  and  Espana^-Dou  Vlncente  de  Emparan,— Anecdote. 
— General  Miranda— Geographical  Description  of  the  Country. 
—Rivers,  Lakes,  Population,  Vallies  of  Cape  de  Pa^Ovc^Caiaq- , 
cas. — State  of  Religion  and  Education.— JLa  £uyrju— Porto 
Cavallo.-r-Valencia,— Marac^y^Coro.,— Barquisjmeto.  — iSan  • 
Felipe.— Guanare.— Miraculous  Madonqu— Curious  Law  Suit 
— Nirgc>a*— Zambc^s.^Conjectures.-HCkdabosa.  .        .1 

CHAP.  II. 

1  Cumana,  Historical  and  Geographical  Sketch  of  the  Frovihce.— ' 
Privileges  granted  by  Pope  Alexander  VI.— Conduct  of  the 
first  Spanish  Invaders.-— Retaliation  of  the  Indians.— Barthe- 
lemy  de  Las  Casas. — Ocampo.— Biographical  Sketch  of  Las 
Casas.— Extract  from  his  History.— City  of  Cumana.— Its  Pros- 
perity tmderEmparaiL-Its  Population. — Public  Amusements. 
—Anecdote  of  M:  de  Humbofdt— System  of  Education.- Price 
ctfProvisions. — Manners. — Trade. — Defences  and  Fortifications. 
— ^Gulph  of  Cariaco.-Marine  Birds.— Singular  Mode  of  catching 
them.— Carupana. — Valley  of  Yaguaraparo.— Cumanacoa.—  ' 
Grotto  df  Guacharo. — Indian  Superstitions.— New  Barcelona. 
—Its  Productions  and  Trade.— Conception  del  Pas.— Remarks i ' 
Guiana. — Derivations.— San  Tome  de  Angostura.— State  of  ther 
Indian  Tribes.— Mode  of  recognizing  Flocks.— Wild  Horses, 
Moles,  Ac. — Curious  Account  of  them. — Province  of  Vari- 
nas,— Account  of  the  Inhabitants.— Maracaybo.— Population. 
—Island  of  Margarita.— An  Original— Decoration  of  the  Vir- 
gin, and  Anecdote.— Pompatar.— A  Sermon.— Theological  Dis* 
pntatton— Bulls  and  Indulgences^—Faxardo.— Margarita  ,4*. 
scribed— Asuncion.— Fisheries— Departure. 77 


XXXVi  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  III. 

Page. 
Manners  and  Customs. — Various  Casts.— Conquistadora.— 
Creoles — Idea  of  Nobility.— Refutation  of  De  Paw's  Doctrines. 
—Mental  Qualifications  of  the  Creoles.— Reflections  on  Concu- 
binage.— Parental  Affection  of  the  Creoles.— Account  of  the 
Guahiros.— Quadrupeds.— Traits  of  Manners.— Dress,  &c  at 
Caraccas.  —  Singular  Fashion  at  Cumana.— Anecdote  of  an 
Indian  Female.— Remarks  on  several  Animals. — Paca,— Pecary. 
—Catalogue  of  Birds.— Insects. — Trees  and  Shrubs. — Anecdotes 
of  the  Boa  Stricter.— Remarks.— Vegetable  World. — M.  de 
la  Barrere's  Herbal. — Reflections. — Geological  Attributes  of 
Trinidad. — The  Sugar  Cane.— Introduction  and  Mode  of  culti- 
vating the  Otaheite  Cane^— Fattening  Qualities  of  the  Cane.— 
Suggestions. — Proposed  Improvements  in  Sugar  Plantations.—  . 
The  Cocoa  Tree.— Nutritious  Virtues  of  Cocoa.— The  Tree 
described.— Epidendrum  Vanilla. — Coffee.— Thoughts  on  its 
cultivation*— Mode  of  planting  Coffee.  And  various  Hints  on 
the  subject — Podocmrpus. — A  Reflection.  — Geological  Obser- 
vations. ....  174 

CHAP.  IV. 

Industry  and  Commerce  of  the  ci-devant  Spanish  Colonies  com- 
pared with  those  of  England,  France,  Holland,  &c— Lord 
Chatham's  opinion  of  Colonial  Manufactures.— Impolicy  of  en- 
couraging them.— Most  adviseable  System  for  Governments  to 
pursue.— Barbarous  Policy  of  the  Spanish  Cabinet  with  regard 
to  the  Colonies. — Juice  of  the  Agave. — Absurd  and  oppressive 
Mode  of  Taxation.— Reflections, — Guipuscoa  Company— Edict 
of  Free  Trade. — Prohibitions  of  the  Spanish  Government. — 
Remarks  on  the  Work  of  M.  Depons. — Contraband  Trade  of 
English  Merchants.— Facts  and  Observations  relative  thereto.— , 
Panegyric  on  the  Custom  House,  and  Revenue  Laws  of  Great 
Britain.— Remarks  on  the  Colonial  System  of  France,  and  Con- 
sequences of  the  prohibitory  Regulations  of  Spain.— List  of 
various  Duties,  Imposts,  Itc.— Privileges  accorded  to  French 
Settlers  In  the  Spanish  Colonies  by  the  Family  Compact— An- 
aeul  Amount  of  Exports  from  Venezuelan-Including  Reniark*.  $3* 


CONTEXTS.  XXXYii 

CHAP,  V. 

Page. 
Trinidad.— Geographical  Description  of  the  Island.— Guaraouns. 
— Their  singular  Mode  of  Living,  Trade,  and  Habitations.— 
Mouths  of  the  Orinoco. — Guarapiche. — Gulph  of  Paria.— 
Scenery. — Port  Spain. — Rivera  of  TrinidacL — Its  Bays  and 
Harbours. — Natural  Canals.— Fish. — Mangrove  Trees.— Birds. 
— The  Asphaltum  Lake,— Its  Peculiarities.— Volcanic  Re- 
mains.— Mountains. — Conjectures. — Las  Cuevas. — Nature  of 
the  SoiL— Excavations  at  Guadaloupe.— Crater  of  Erin.— A 
newMetai  .  .  .  275 

CHAP.  VI. 

Climate.— Seasons.  —Winds — Rain. — Rarity  of  Storms  and 
Hurricanes.— State  of  the  Thermometer. — An  Experiment- 
Quantity  of  Rain. — Inundation  of  the  Orinoco. — Tides. — 
Effects  of  increased  Cultivation. — Various  Degrees  of  Heat. — 
Observations  on  the  Effects  of  Climate,  and  Precautions  recom- 
mended—Spring  or  fine  Season— Reinarks«— Dews.         .         306 

CHAP.  VII. 
Historical  Sketch  of  Trinidad. — Its  Discovery.— First  Establish- 
ment of  the  Spaniards.— Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  Visit  to  the 
Island— His  Treaty  with  the  Indians,  and  Attack  on  San  Joseph. 
— Eulogium  on  the  Soil  and  Climate  of  Venezuela.— Blind 
Policy  of  Spain. — Project  of  M.  de  Saint  Laurent— Change  in 
the  Island's  Condition. — Rapid  Increase  of  its  Population.— 
Don  Joseph  Chacon. — His  Policy. — Port  Spain. — French  Refu- 
gees.—Inhabitants  in  1797.-rFirst  Sugar  Plantation. — Capture 
of  the  Island  by  Sir  Ralph  Abbrcrombie.— Progressive  State 
of  Population,  Agriculture,  and  Commerce  between  1783  and 
1807 321 

CHAP.  VIII. 

Tobago. — Historical  Sketch  of  the  Island— Its  Discovery  and 
original  Inhabitants. — First  Establishment  of  the  Dutch  there. 
— The  Lampsins.— Ceded  to  the  Duke  of  Courland  by  James  I. 
— Manifestoes  of  Charles  L  in  favour  of  the  Duke. — The 
Island  is  attacked  by  Sir  Tobias  Bridges,  and  the  French  Admi- 
ral d'Estrees.— Captain  Pointz.— Tobago  is  ceded  to  Great 
Britain.— Treaty  of  Aiz  la  Cbapelle.— State  of  the  Island  in 


jndran  comwmwl 

Page. 
1765.— Messrs.  Franklyri  and  Robley.— Taken  by  the  French 
•  in  1 78 1.— Reflections.— Recaptured  by  General  Cuyler  in  1793. 
— Present  State  of  Cultivation.- -Mr.  Robley 's  Plantation  and 
EstaWishmcnt.^-ifia  numerous  Improvements  and  Character.— 
Scotch  Emigrants— Reflections.— Natural  Productions  of  the 
Islands— Plants.— Birds. — Fish— Quadrupeds^-ScARBOBOtroH. 
— Orarenla,  &c.  .  >.  ...  .  .        341 

CHAP.  IX. 

Inquiries'  concerning  the  Negroes.— Their  intellectual  Capabili- 
"  ties.- *M.  Lilet^— Opinion  of  Camper  and  Blumenbach. — 
Difference  between  Negro  Tribe^— How  they  are  improved. 
— Bjlakchbtisr  Beulevub.— Cause  of  Crime  and  Degene- 
racy in  the  Negroes.— Instances  of  Fortitude  and  Generosity 
among  them.— Anecdote*— Allusion  to  the  Cruelties  exercised 
at  Surinam.— Singular  Instance  of  Resolution  in  Suffering.— 
Heroic  Speech  of  a  Negro. — Anecdotes.— Pride  and  Vanity  of 
Negroes.—- Affection  for  their  Children.— Causes  of  Infanticide 
amongst  thenu— Poisoning  prevalent.— Mode  of  punishing  the 
Delinquents.—  Objection*  answered. — Reflections.  —  Ad  van- 
tage* of  Freedom.— Effects  of  the  Slave  Trader-Sir  William 
Young*  Plantation-— Treatment  and  Management  of  the  Slaves' 
there^-MeiJkrrott.— Their  harsh  Treatment  by  Europeans, 
and  Condition  in  the  Colonies.  .  366 

CHAP.  X. 

Injw  athu— Otassedmto  Caribs  and  Parias.— Opinion  of  Rochefort, 
and  contradictory  Accounts  of  that  Writer.— Analogies.— 4 
Religion  of  the  early  Tribes.— Sorcery.— Sylvester.— Anecdote. » 
—Curious  Dialogue*— First  Establishment  of  Missions*— Com-) 
parison. — Reflections.— Jesuits.— Mission  of  St  Joseph. — Hastf 
.  of  the  Indians. — A  Review.— -Indians  e>p  Guiana. — Anecdote. 
—Degraded  State  of  some  Tribes.— Custom  of  selling  their 
Wives  and  Children.— Indians  of  Trinidad.— Their  uncivilized 
State.— Nefarious  Conduct  of  some  English  Proprietors.— The 
Arrouages— Their  Trade.— Accouchement  of  the  Indian  Mo- 
thers.—Conjectures^-^Account  of  the  Black  Caribs  of  St  Vin- 
cent's.—Visit  to  Grind  Sable,  and  curious  Description  of  a 
CariJ>  ChJell— Concluding  Remarks.  :       3°4 


CONTENTS.  XXXIX 


APPENDIX, 

Page, 
Containing  Official  Documents,  Extracts  from  General  Bolivar" s 
Speech,  &c,  *tc  •  440 


ERRATA. 

■ 

Pa^e  lt  for  "  TVall"  m  beading  to  CHap,  r«id  «  Gunl,"  p.  £3. 
. .  -  -  5,  /<?f  tf  accomplished  for  the  degradation  of  humanity  "  rafli  M  coolu 
elfectfcuV&c. 

«0,  /art "  in  wbidT  rwrf  ■  where." 

l*Of/<*r  "Caom,"  rwiif  "  Curoni." 


DESCRIPTION  OF  VENEZUELA, 


CHAP.  I. 

Historical  Sketch  of  Venezuela. — First  Adventurers. — Welsers. — Their 
Cruelties— Depopulation  amongst  the  Indian  Tribes. — Early  Com- 
merce, and  Pearl  Fishery. — Exclusive  Commercial  Companies. — 
Views  of  the  British  Ministers. — Pikrnel,  Wall,  and  Espana. — 
Don  Vincente  de  Emparan.— Anecdote. — General  Miranda. — Geo- 
graphical Description  of  the  Country. — Rivers,  Lakes,  Population, 
Vallies  of  Cape  de  Paria. — Caraccas— State  of  Religion  and  Educa- 
tion.— La  Guyra. — Porto  Cavello. — Valencia. — Maracay. — Coro. — 
Barquisimeto. — San  Felipe. — Guanare. — Miraculous  Madonas.— 
Curious  Law  Suit— Nirgoa.— Zamboes — Conjectures.— Calabosa. 

The  vast,  fine,  fertile,  and  generally  pictu- 
resque country,  of  which  I  am  about  to  sketch 
the1  history  and  description,  was  discovered  by 
Christopher  Columbus,  during  his  third  voyage 
to  the  new  world  in  1498.  All  that  this  great 
man  related  to  the  court  of  Spain,  relative  to 
the  beauty  and  riches  of  the  regions  he  had  dis- 
covered, excited  the  cupidity  of  two  adven- 
turers, his  cotemporaries,  Americo  Vespucci 
and  Alfonso  Ojeda :  in  consequence  of  which, 
they   obtained    permission    from    the     Spanish 


2  COLUMBUS. 

Government    to    glean   on    his    track.     These 
men  united  in  this  enterprise,  like  two  traders 
on  a  commercial  speculation.     The  noble  mind 
of  Columbus   was   only  animated  by  a  tove  of 
the  sciences  and  true   glory;  while  Ojeda  and 
Vespucci  were   stimulated  by  the  desire  of  ac- 
quiring riches,  no  matter  by  what  means.     It  is 
not  therefore    surprising,   that  the  last  named 
personage  attempted  to  persuade,  and  at  length 
succeeded  in  convincing  the  court  of  Spain,  that 
the  discovery  of  the  new  continent  was  due  to  him, 
and  that  Columbus  had  merely  discovered  some 
islands.     In  almost  every  age,  audacious  adven- 
turers have  obtained  more  success  at  courts  than 
men  of  real  genius ;  but  it  is  not  the  less  surpris- 
ing, that  although  the  deceit  of  Vespucci  was 
soon  discovered,  his  name  should  be  given  to, 
and  still  remains  with  the  new  world.      It  was 
destined,  that  the  man  who  made  the  greatest 
and  most  brilliant  of  discoveries,   who  was  the 
cause   of  reclaiming  so  large  a  portion  of  the 
human  species  from  the  forests  of  barbarism,  and 
of  laying  the  foundations  of  numerous  states  and 
colonies;   it  was  decreed  that  this  truly  great 
man     should    be    calumniated    and    persecuted 
during  his   life,  that  his  glory  should  be  con- 
tested, and  even  his  name  mutilated. .  Historians 
are  justly  indignant  at  this  injustice  of  his  cotem- 
poraries;   but  many  think   it  fortunate  for  the 
pure  and  unspotted  glory  of  Columbus,  that  his 
name  has  not  been  borne  by  a  portion  of  the 


ALFONSO   OJEDA.  3 

world  which  was  to  be  made  the  theatre  of  all  that 
avarice  and  superstition,  tyranny  and  slavery,  have 
accomplished  for  the  degradation  of  humanity. 
When,  however,  those  objects  now  so  gloriously 
contending  for,  are  accomplished,  and  this  coun- 
try attains  its  proper  rank  among  the  mightier 
powers,  it  would  be  worthy  of  its  inhabitants,  to 
give  it  the  name  of  Columbia,  and  that  the  usurped 
trading  name  of  America  should  be  effaced  from 
their  maps.  When  in  August,  1806,  General 
Miranda  made  his  first  attempt  to  render  Vene- 
zuela, his  native  country,  an  independent  state, 
he  conceived  the  noble  idea  of  giving  to  the 
little  band  which  he  commanded  at  Coro,  the 
name  of  the  Columbian  army,  and  proposed  that 
his  countrymen  should  take  the  name  of  Colum- 
bians. 

Alfonso  Ojeda  reconnoitred  the  Lake  of  Mara* 
oaibo  in  1499,  and  having  found  the  villages  of 
the  natives  built  on  piles,  he  gave  the  country 
the  name,  of  Venezuela,  from  its  similitude  to 
Venice.  He  did  not  found  any  settlement  there, 
but  spent  his  time  in  waging  war  with  the  natives, 
whom  he  took  to  sell  as  slaves  in  the  island  of 
Saint  Domingo  and  Porto  Rico. 

It  does  not  enter  into  the  present  plan,  to  write 
a  history  of  the  plunders,  massacres  and  cruelties 
committed  in  all  those  countries,  soon  after  their 
discovery,  calamities  of  which  the  original  cause 
may  be  traced  to  the  permission  granted  by 
Charles  V.  to  those  ruthless  robbers  of  a  barbar- 

b2 


4  THE    WELSERS, 

ous  age,  who  went  to  conquer  the  new  world, 
and  enslave  the  natives.  A  man  who  had  na- 
turally a  benevolent  heart,  and  who  was  ani- 
mated with  the  true  spirit  of  the  gospel,  the  vir- 
tuous Bishop  of  Chiapa,  had  the  glory  of  re- 
straining those  excesses,  and  of  shielding  the  In- 
dians from  their  executioners.  He  also  was  ca- 
lumniated ;  but  the  good  which  he  effected  re- 
mains, and  his  name,  an  honour  to  that  of  Spain, 
will  descend  to  the  remotest  posterity  among 
those  of  the  most  illustrious  heroes  of  huma- 
nity. 

Previous  to  my  giving  a  description  of  the  pro- 
vince of  Venezuela,  it  may  be  proper  to  present 
a  short  historical  view  of  the  government  of  the 
Welsers,  bankers  at  Augsburgh,  to  whom  Charles 
V.  had  ceded  the  country  as  an  hereditary  fief 
of  the  crown  of  Spain.  The  young  colony  was 
then  governed  by  a  prudent  and  wdrthy  chief, 
Don  Juan  Ampues,  who  had  founded  the  town 
of  Coro,  in  1529,  the  most  ancient  establishment 
in  Venezuela  except  Cumana,  built  in  1520,  by 
Gonzalo  Ocampo,  and  which  did  not  form  a  part 
of  that  government. 

The  conditions  on  which  this  important  cession 
was  made,  were  as  follows : 

First.  All  the  countries  comprised  between 
Cape  de  la  Vela,  and  Maracapana,  with  the  pri- 
vilege of  making  conquests,  and  extending  their 
possessions  towards  the  south,  were  ceded  to  the 
new  company. 


THEIR    POLICT.  5 

Second.  The  Welsers  obliged  themselves  to 
found  two  towns,  and  three  forts,  in  the  space  of 
three  years. 

Third.  They  were  to  equip  four  vessels  for 
the  conveyance  of  three  hundred  Spaniards,  and 
fifty  Germans,  and  it  was  allowed  to  them  by 
this  charter,  to  work  all  the  mines  of  the  new 
world  for  their  advantage,  or  that  of  their  as- 
signs. 

Fourth.  The  emperor  gave  the  title  of  Ade- 
lantado,  to  the  person  whom  the  Welsers  should 
appoint  to  the  government  of  that  colony. 

Fifth.  The  imperial  cedula  permitted  the 
Welsers  to  make  slaves  of  such  Indians  as  should 
refuse  to  become  their  vassals. 

.  It  is  true  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  appointed  a 
priest,  Father  Montesillo,  to  be  the  protector  of 
the  Indians ;  but  some  historians  have  given  to 
this  precaution  the  term  of  a  refinement  in  hypo- 
crisy. From  whatever  motive  H  arose^  Montesillo 
found  it  more  profitable  to  participate  in  the  plun- 
der of  the  Welsers,  than  fulfil  the  duties  of  his 
pious  mission. .  The  agents  of  those  bankers  be- 
haved in  that  devoted  country,  as  commercial 
companies  have  always  done,  to  which  the  sove- 
reignty of  distant  regions  has  been  confided.  To 
found  durable  establishments,  or  encourage  agri- 
culture and  the  arts,  has  never  been  the  noble 
ambition  of  such  men.  Stimulated  by  the  desire 
of  accumulating  riches  speedily,  and  returning 
to  enjoy  them  in  their  native  country,ihe  Welsers 


6  ALFINGER. 

began  by  exactions  and  pillage,  and  were  not  long 
in  familiarising  themselves  with  murder,  rapine 
and  cruelty.  Such  was  the  conduct  of  Alfinger, 
the  first  Welser  agent,  and  of  his  deputy,  Sail- 
ler,  who  arrived  at  Coro  in  1528,  at  the  head  of 
four  hundred  adventurers.  Scarcely  had  they 
taken  possession  of  the  government,  when  they 
inquired  where  the  mines  of  gold  and  silver  were ; 
but  when  Alfinger  was  informed  that  the  coun- 
try did  not  contain  any,  and  that  the  means  of 
enriching  himself  wtre  not  so  easy  as  he  had 
been  assured  in  Spain,  he  sallied  forth  into  the 
interior  of  the  colony,  at  the  head  of  a  detach- 
ment, leaving  Sailler  to  command  at  Coro.  While 
on  this  predatory  excursion  he  hunted  the  unof- 
fending Indians,  as  if  they  were  wild  beasts,  ap- 
plying the  torture  to,  or  exterminating  all  those 
who  did  not  bring  him  a  certain  quantity  of  gold 
dust  on  the  appointed  days ;  for  although  mines 
of  gold  had  not'  been  discovered  then,  yet  it 
was  found  in  the  beds  of  some  rivers.  The  colo- 
nists, who  were  a  mixture  of  Spanish  and  Indian 
blood,  were  no  better  treated  by  Alfinger.  He 
made  incursions  on  their  plantations,  robbing  all 
who  fell  in  his  power,  and  murdering  any  one  that 
opposed  his  progress :  he  also  sold  the  Indians 
to  whoever  would  buy  them.  This  wretch,  no 
less  cruel  than  insatiable,  lost  a  great  many 
troops  in  the  first  year  of  his  government; 
but  the  Welsers  took  care  to  send  him  recruits 
occasionally :  at  length  the  relentless  assassin  was 


SIMKKA.  7 

massacred  by  the  Indians,  in  1531,  in  a  valley  that 
has  ever  since  borne  his  name,  El  Vatlide  Misser 
Ambrosia^  the  Valley  of  Anibrosio,  for  that  was 
the  monster's  name.  The  Welsers  had  sent 
another  German  to  succeed  Alfinger  in  case  of 
death  :  this  man,  instead  of  roaming  about,  armed, 
like  his  predecessor,  led  a  tranquil  life  at  Coro, 
gorging  himself  with  pillage  which  never  ceased 
to  be  exacted,  as  in  the  time  of  the  former  go- 
vernor. 

tn  1533,  the  Welsers  sent  out  Spirra  with  the 
title  of  governor ;  he  had  under  his  orders  four 
hundred  men,  Spaniards  or  natives  of  the  Canary 
Islands :  when  he  had  united  his  troops  to  those 
which  were  in  the  colony,  he  divided  them  into 
three  bands,  which  penetrated  the  country  to 
plunder  it,  he  being  at  the  head  of  one  of  those 
detachments.  This  expedition  lasted  five  years: 
Spirra  returned  to  Coro  in  1539,  bringing  back 
but  eighty  of  the  four  hundred  men  whom  he 
had  taken  with  him-  It  was  on  this  journey 
that  the  story  of  the  fabulous  country  of  El 
Dorado  originated.  It  is  probable  that  the  In- 
dians invented  this  fable,  to  attract  their  greedy 
tyrants  into  the  large  forests  of  their  country, 
that  they  might  perish  the  more  easily.  Spirra 
died  at  Coro  of  fatigue  and  chagrin.  The  court 
of  Spain  had  sent  a  bishop  named  Bastidas,  to 
Venezuela,  in  1530,  At  the  death  of  Spirra, 
the  audiencia  of  Saint  Domingo,  which  at  that 
time,  had  the  superintendence  of  the  other  colo- 


LAS    CAMAS. 


nies,  conferred  the  government  on  this  bishop ; 
Philip  de  Urre,  a  general  officer,  was  appointed 
to  command  the  troops.  Those  two  men  shewed 
themselves  in  every  thing  worthy  of  succeeding 
to  the  agents  of  the  Welsers. 

The  Bishop  Bastidas  commenced  by  ordering 
an  officer  named  Pedro  Limpias  to  go  on  an  ex- 
pedition against  the  Indians  of  the  Lake  Mara- 
caibo,  on  whom  it  was  expected  a  large  contribu- 
tion in  gold  might  be  raised ;  but  the  result  hav- 
ing produced  only  a  small  quantity,  the  people 
were  sold  as  slaves,  when,  all  hope  was  lost  of 
procuring  by  their  means  a  greater  supply  of  that 
metal. 

Bastidas  then  sent  Philip  de  Urre  in  search 
of  the  far  famed  El  Dorado.  After  having 
pillaged,  and  assassinated  all  who  fell  into  his 
hands  during  the  four  years  the  expedition  lasted, 
Urr£  returned  to  Coro,  without  discovering  the 
chimera,  reduced  to  the  last  stage  of  misery,  and 
after  having  lost  nearly  all  the  accomplices  of  his 
crimes.  On  his  arrival  he  was  assassinated  by  Lim- 
pias, and  Carvajal,  who  by  means  of  false  papers 
seized  on  the  government  of  the  colony,  whilst 
Bastidas  had  been  sent  to  fill  the  episcopal  chair 
of  Porto  Rico.  Carvajal  founded  the  town  of 
Tucuyo,  the  only  establishment  formed  in  the 
colony  during  the  time  it  remained  in  the  power 
of  the  Welsers. 

At  length  the  eloquent  voice  of  the  immortal 
Las  Casas  succeeded  in  asserting  the  rights  of 


PKRES    DE    TO  LOS  A.  9 

suffering  humanity  at  the  court  of  Charles  V. : 
that  monarch  reclaimed  those  powers  which  none 
ought  ever  to  alienate,  especially  in  favour  of 
commercial  companies;  he  resumed  the  actual 
sovereignty  of  Venezuela,  and  the  ferocious  agents 
of  the  Welsers  were  expelled.  Grant  Heaven  that 
those  who  now  exercise  a  tyranny  no  less  cruel  and 
diabolical,  may  ere  long  experience  the  fate  of  the 
Welsers  and  their  agents ! 

Returned  to  the  administration  of  a  deputy 
appointed  by  their  sovereign,  the  colonists  were 
at  length  relieved.  Those  who  had  survived  the 
tyranny  of  the  traders,  resumed  the  occupations 
of  agriculture  and  the  useful  arts,  under  the 
government  of  Don  Juan  Peres  de  Tolosa.*  Vari- 
ous edicts,  published  from  1526  to  1542,  declare 
the  Indians  free ;  but  it  is  known  other  edicts  had 
encroached  on  their  liberty.  At  length  in  1546, 
it  was  solemnly  proclaimed  by  Toloso,  and  ex- 
tended even  to  those  who  might  be  taken  inarms: 
these  he  distributed  in  several  villages,  under  the 
superintendence  of  Spanish  chiefs,  where  they 
were  subjected  to  a  kind  of  feudal  government ; 
a  system,  which,  when  prudently  administered, 
is  perhaps  one  of  the  best  and  surest  for  training 
savages  to  civilization. 


*  Raynal  says,  that  the  conduct  of  the  Spaniards  was  not  in 
the  least  different  from  that  which  had  just  been  the  cause  of  so 
many  horrors.  The  Spanish  historians  and  chronicles  of  Carac- 
cas  and  Cumana,  however,  eulogize  Tolosa. 


10  POLICY    OF    SPAIN* 

The  plan  of  distribution,  which  the  chiefs  did 
not  delay  in  turning  to  an  abuse,  was  changed 
in  many  colonies  for  that  of  the  encomiendas. 
There  was  this  difference  between  these  two  modes: 
in  the  last,  the  Spanish  chief,  or  inspector  of  the 
Indians,  was  prohibited  from  residing  in  the  same 
village  with  them.  The  encomendero  was  a  kind 
of  inspector'or  surveyor,  appointed  to  visit  them 
on  certain  days,  to  decide  on  their  differences, 
and  induce  them  to  renounce  the  customs  of  savage 
life ;  also  to  inspire  a  taste  for  agriculture,  arts, 
and  civilization ;  in  short,  to  aid  the  missionaries 
with  all  his  influence.  This  system  was  certainly 
preferable  to  that  of  the  repartimiento.  It  may 
be  seen  by  the  prohibition  which  the  legislature 
placed  against  the  encomenderos  residing  in  the 
same  village  with  the  Indians,  that  the  cause  of 
humanity  had  made  considerable  progress.  It 
was  feared,  with  good  reason,  that  the  con- 
stant presence  of  arbitrary  commanders,  among 
artless  and  ignorant  men,  would  end  in  habituating 
those  chiefs  to  treat  them  as  slaves.  Notwith- 
standing all  the  precautions  taken  by  a  sovereign 
who  resided  nearly  two  thousand  leagues  from 
these  new  states ;  as  generally  happens,  the  enco- 
menderos concluded  by  abusing  their  authority, 
and  appropriating  the  labour  of  the  poor  Indians 
to  themselves. 

"  The  Indians,"  says  M.  de  Humboldt,  "  whose 
liberty  had  been  proclaimed  in  vain  by  Queen 
Isabella,  were,  until  then,  the  slaves  of  the  whites, 


ENCOMENDEROS.  11 

who  had  collected  them  promiscuously.  By  the 
establishment  of  the  encomiendas,  slavery  took 
a  more  regular  form.  To  put  an  end  to  the  dis- 
sentions  among  the  conqueror*,  the  remains  of 
the  conquered  people  were  distributed  to  them ; 
the  Indians,  divided  into  tribes  of  several 
hundreds  of  families,  had  masters  appointed  in 
Spain  from  among  the  soldiers  who  had  distin- 
guished themselves  in  the  conquest,  and  among 
the  lawyers  (Licentiados,)  that  the  court  sent 
to  govern  the  provinces,  -and  serve  as  a  counter- 
poise to  the  usurping  power  of  the  generals.  A 
great  number  of  the  encomiendas,  and  the  best, 
were  given  to  the  monks.  Religion,  which,  by 
its  principles,  ought  to  be  favourable  to  liberty, 
was  debased  in  availing  itself  of  the  slavery  of  the 
people.  This  distribution  of  the  Indians  attached 
them  to  the  soil ;  their  labour  belonged  to  the 
encamenderos.  The  vassal  frequently  took  the 
family  name  of  his  master ;  many  Indian  families 
bear  Spanish  names  to  this  day,  without  having 
ever  mixed  their  blood  with  that  of  Europeans. 
The  court  of  Madrid  thought  it  gave  protectors 
to  the  Indians ;  but  it  had  increased  the  evil,  by 
rendering  the  oppression  more  systematic. 

"  Such  was  the  state  of  the  Mexican  cultivators 
in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries.  Since 
the  eighteenth,  their  lot  has  become  progressively 
more  fortunate :  the  families  of  the  conquerors 
are  partly  extinct :  the  encomiendas,  considered 
as  fiefs,    hevve  not   been  distributed  anew;  the 


12  CHARLES   III. 

v  iceroys,  and  especially  the  audiencias,  have 
watched  over  the  interests  of  the  Indians;  their 
liberties,  arid  in  many  provinces,  even  their  com- 
forts, have  increased  gradually.  Above  all,  it 
was  Charles  III.  who,  by  measures  no  less  wise 
than  energetic,  was  the  benefactor  of  the  na- 
tives :  he  abolished  the  encomiendas,  and  prohi- 
bited the  repartimientos,  by  which  the  corregi- 
dores  arbitrarily  constituted  themselves  the  cre- 
ditors, and  consequently  masters  of  the  labour  of 
the  natives,  in  providing  for  them,  at  exorbi- 
tant terms,  horses,  mules,  and  dress.  The  establish- 
ment of  intendancies,  which  is  due  to  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  Count  de  Galvez,  has  become  a 
memorable  era  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians. 
The  annoyances  to  which  the  cultivator  was  in- 
cessantly exposed  on  the  part  of  the  Spanish 
and  Indian  subaltern  magistrates,  have  greatly 
diminished  under  the  active  inspection  of  the 
superintendents ;  the  natives  begin  to  enjoy  the 
advantages  which  the  laws,  generally  mild  and 
humane,  have  granted  them,  but  of  which  they 
were  deprived  in-  ages  of  barbarism  and  op- 
pression. The  first  appointment  of  persons  to 
whom  the  court  confided  the  important  places  of 
superintendents,  or  of  governors  of  provinces,  was 
very  fortunate.  Among  the  twelve  who  adminis- 
tered the  country  in  1804,  there  was  not  one 
whom  the  public  accused  of  corruption,  or  want 
of  integrity."* 

*  See  his  Fjsayon  New  Spain. 


MEXICANS.  13 

Heaven  far  bid  that  I  should  endeavour  to 
palliate  the  crimes  of  those  rapacious  and  unjust 
men  who  availed  themselves  of  the  gifts  of  civi- 
lization only  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  the 
unhappy  Indians  to  slavery  !  The  observations 
of  M,  de  Humboldt  are  equally  just  and  wise; 
when  the  Spaniards  conquered  Mexico?  they 
found  a  people  who  had  made  a  great  progress  in 
civilization,  and  to  whom  there  was  only  wanting 
a  knowledge  of  the  art  of  writing,  to  be  on  a 
level  with  the  greater  part  of  the  European  na- 
tions of  that  period.  The  Mexicans  were  cultiva- 
tors, and  practised  many  of  our  mechanical  and 
chemical  arts  :  a  good  government,  and  wise  laws5 
would  have  exacted  the  adoration  of  a  people 
that  groaned  under  the  double  tyranny  of  a  Mon- 
tezuma, and  the  most  debusing  feudality. 

But,  the  aboriginal  natives  of  Venezuela,  were 
then  in  a  very  different  situation  :  they  had  made 
no  advances  from  a  savage  state,  scarcely  culti- 
vating a  few  roots,  and  depending  for  the  re- 
mainder of  their  wants  on  the  spontaneous  pro- 
ductions of  nature,  which  were  lavished  in  a  cli- 
mate so  inviting  to  indolence.  The  Caribbs,  Pa- 
rian, and  Caraccayans,  had  not  arrived  at  the 
knowledge  of  domesticating  animals  ;  they  were 
not  even  herdsmen  or  shepherds,  and  conse- 
quently far  inferior  to  the  Bedouins  and  Tartars. 
Something  more  than  mere  exhortations  was 
therefore  requisite  to  withdraw  them  from  such  a 
life,  and  induce  them  to  become  cultivators. 


14  INDIAN   TRIBES. 

Even  to  this  day  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  new 
world,  so  far  from  being  ameliorated  in  their 
condition,  have  become  completely  depraved, 
and  are  almost  extinct  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
European  settlements,  particularly  the  British  and 
French,  which  have  not  subjected  them  to  their 
laws.  Since  the  abolition  of  the  Jesuits,  drunk- 
enness, licentiousness,  and .  the  small  pox,  have 
destroyed  nearly  all  the  communities  that  lived 
in  the  vicinity  ofHhe  French  and  English  posses- 
sions in  the  two  Americas.  At  Cayenne,  for  ex- 
ample, more  than  sixty  thousand  Indians  were 
counted  in  1720;  and  fifteen  years  after  they  had 
lost  their  Jesuit  missionaries,  that  is  to  say  in 
1777,  there  remained  only  four  or.  five  thousand  ; 
in  1809,  there  were  scarcely  two  hundred ! 

It  is  not  much  more  than  ten  years  since  the 
savages  of  Brazil  were  still  subjected  to  a  kind  of 
feudal  system ;  the  native  population,  far  from 
becoming  annihilated,  as  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  British  and  French  possessions,  had  increased 
as  well  as  in  the  Spanish  colonies.    At  that  period 
M.  de  Souza  Coutinho,  governor  of  Grand  Par&, 
liberated  by  order  of  his  government,  two  hun- 
dred thousand  Indians,  all  cultivators,  carpenters, 
cabinet-makers,  masons,  Ac.  in  that  province  only. 
If  the    ancestors    of    those    savages  had  been 
abandoned  to  themselves,  and  not  collected  toge- 
gether  under  the  care  of  missionaries  and  Euro- 
pean chiefs,  the  vicinity  of  the  white  colonists;  of 
whom   they    contract  only  the  vices,  when  they 


THEIR    EXTINCTION.  15 

are  not  held  in  subjection  by  a  vigilant  and  steady 
police,  would  no  doubt  have  reduced  them  to  as 
small  a  number  as  those  who  vegetate,  and  are  on 
the  point  of  extinction  in  French  Guiana  and 
Canada. 

It  is  truly  surprising,  that  a  country  which  be- 
gan under  such  unfavourable  auspices  in  1629, 
should  have  had  a  considerable  population  in  1660* 
At  that  period,  the  towns  of  Cumana,  Coro,  Bar- 
quisimeto,  Palmes  de  Nirga,  Tocuyo,  Borburato, 
Valencia,  Truxillo,  and  Collado  were  already 
founded.  The  district  of  the  Lake  Maracaibo, 
which  at  first  formed  the  government  of  Vene- 
zuela, that  has  since  given  its  name  to  the  general 
government  of  Caraccas,  and  which  now  forms 
one  of  the  states  of  the  Venezuelan  confederation, 
was  first  visited  in  1499,  by  Alfonso  Ojeda. 
This  adventurer  did  not  form  any  establishment 
there,  and  only  thought  of  plunder.  The  first 
colonial  establishment,  that  of  Coro,  was  made 
in  1527,  by  Ampues :  in  the  following  year  the 
colony  was  delivered  to  the  Welsers,  under  the 
tyranny  of  whom  it  languished  until  1545. 

It  was  therefore,  in  the  short  space  of  twenty- 
five  years  that  the  towns  mentioned  after  Cu- 
mana and  Coro,  were  founded.  No  historical 
record  informs  us  of '  the  population  of  Ma- 
racaibo or  Coro  in  1560;  but  according  to  a  ma- 
nuscript which  I  received  from  a  respectable 
inhabitant  of  the  Caraccas  in  1807,  the  popula- 
tion of  Maracaibo,  in  1560,   was  about  16,000. 


16  POPULATION. 

The  resources  of  that  country,  and  perseverance 
of  the  first  colonists,  must  have  been  great,  to 
produce  such  an  increase,  without  any  commer- 
cial connection  with  the  mother  country.  Pre- 
vious to  1660,  no  ship  had  ever  sailed  from 
Spain  to  exchange  its  productions  for  those 
of  the  colony;  the  intercourse  of  the  Welsers 
having  had  for  their  object  only  the  discovery 
and  working  of  the  mines.  But  a  considerable 
population  being  created  by  the  marriages  of 
Europeans  with  the  Indian  women,  those  colonists 
sent  a  deputy  to  Spain  in  1555,  calling  upon  their 
sovereign  for  a  reform  in  the  colonial  adminis- 
tration, and  permission  to  despatch  annually  from 
Spain  to  the  port  of  Borburata,  at  the  expense 
and  risque  of  the  colonists,  a  vessel,  whose  cargo 
should  be  liable  to  pay  only  half  the  excessive 
duties  then  levied  on  cargoes  that  arrived  at,  or 
were  sent  from  America.  This  favour  was  grant- 
ed in  December,  15Qp:  from  that  time  until  1575, 
a  ship  went  every  year  to  Borburato.  But  the 
town  of  Caraccas  having  been  founded  in  1565, 
by  Diego  Lozada,  and  that  part  of  the  colony 
becoming  more  populous  than  the  district  of 
Maracaibo,  owing  to  the  superior  fertility  of  its 
soil  and  delightful  climate,  the  ship  ceased  to 
visit  Borburata  from  1576,  thenceforth  frequent- 
ing La  Guyra,  the  nearest  port  to  the  Carac- 
cas. Pearls  were  the  principal  object. taken  in 
return:  a  little  cocoa,  vanilla,  indigo,  arnotto, 
and  deer   skins,  formed  the   remainder  of  the 


PEARL    FISHlRlEft.  17 

the  cargo.  But  the  rapacity  and  want  of  pre- 
caution with  which  the  pearl  fishery  was  carried 
an,  about  the  Island  .of  Margarita,  caused  the 
almost  total  destruction  of  the  oysters  that  pro* 
dueed  them,  at  the  same  time  that  it  occasioned 
the  loss  of  thousands  of  Indians  who  were  forci- 
bly employed  as  divers  in  the  fishery.  This  oc- 
cupation having  been  fruitless,  during  the  last 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  it  has  been  abandoned,  ai\d 
the  oysters  m  which  the  pearls  are  found,  hav* 
again  multiplied  on  the  coasts  of  that  island.  In 
1807,  I  saw  a  person,  who  had  procured  about 
four  hundred  of  them,  in  the  course  of  the  pre* 
ceding  yean 

The  colony  remained  for  a  long  time  in  the 
same  state;  its  population  increasing  by  the 
abundance  of  its  provisions,  but  unable  to  en- 
rich itself  from  the  want  of  commerce.  The 
Dutch,  who  had  formed  an  establishment  at 
CurtKjoa  in  1634,  did  not,  however,  delay  enter- 
ing into  commercial  connections  with  the  Spanish 
colonists ;  agriculture  then  assumed  another  as- 
pect, and  cocoa  .soon  became  the  principal  article 
of  cultivation.  The  animals  received  from  En* 
rope,  were  better  managed ;  they  have  sine* 
multiplied  to  such  &  degree,  that  the  Colonists 
having  many  more  than  they  could  keep,  horses, 
asses,  mules  and  oxen,  have  at  length  ran  wild 
in  the  desert  plaks  and  forests,  where  travellers 
and  hunters  find  them  in  herds  of  many  thousands. 

When  the  relative  increase  and  prosperity  of 


18  COMMERCIAL   MONOPOLIES. 

this  colony  was  known  in  Europe,  and  also  thd 
large  profits  gained  there  by  the  Dutch  in  their 
contraband  trade,  the  Spanish  merchants  peti- 
tioned their  government  for  permission  to  senc} 
cargoes  out.  But,  as  it  was  necessary  to  have 
a  special  licence  from  the  king,  for  the  despatch 
of  each  vessel,  which  licences  were  very  expen- 
sive, and  as  they  were  granted  on  the  express 
condition  that  they  should  be  sent  from  Seville 
only,  as  also  that  they  should  return  to  dis- 
charge at  that  port,  not  to  mention  the  enor- 
mous imposts  exacted  on  leaving  Spain  arid 
reaching  America  :  it  was  found  totally  impos- 
sible to  support  a  competition  with  the  Dutch 
interlopers  in  the  new  world  :  consequently  the 
two  vessels  which  were  sent  from  Seville  in 
1655  and  1656,  made  ruinous  voyages.  Other 
merchants  having  attempted  to  renew  this  trade 
by  sending  three  ships  in  1680,  were  not  more 
fortunate,  in  consequence  of  the  imbecile  rapa- 
city of  their  government.  The  company  of  Gui- 
puscoa  was  formed  in  1722.  The  object  of  this 
association  was  to  engross  the  trade  of  the  colony, 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  Dutch.  Its  first  opera- 
tions were  favourable  to  the  colonists,  and  pn> 
fitable  to  the  share-holders;  but  the  old  spirit 
of  insatiable  avarice,  that  always  gain*  the  ascen- 
dency in  commercial  monopolies,  did  not  fail 
soon  to  render  the  company  odious  to  both  colo- 
nists and  government.  Its  agents  having  found 
it  more  profitable  to  trade  with  the  Dutch  in 


EAST    INDIA   COMPANY.  10 

Curtujoa,  than  with  Spain,  elided  by  sending 
wry  few  vessels  to  the  latter  country.  It  is  curi- 
ous to  observe  how  in  all  times,  and  in  every 
nation,  this  monstrous  avarice  of  exclusive  com- 
panies has  produced  the  same  results,  arid  -con- 
cluded by  effecting  their  destruction.  It  is  con* 
fidently  said,  that,  for  about  fifteen  years  past, 
the  British  East  India  Company  sell  licences  or 
protections  to  neutrals  to  trade  to  their  ports  in 
India.  This  knavery,  (what  other  term  can  morfc 
appropriately  be  applied  to  it?)  has  produced 
some  colossal  fortunes  in  England  and  America, 
whilst  the  trade  was  prohibited  to  the  merchants 
of  England,  Ireland  and  Scotland.* 


*  It  is  sincerely  to  be  hoped  that  the  above  assertion  was 
merely  a  report;  if  otherwise,  the  author's  language  is  certainly 
not  too  strong;  and  whether  true  or  false,  the  recent  alteration 
in  the  East  India  Company's  charter,  has  removed  the  evil. 
God  knows  the  mercantile  sovereigns  of  the  east,  have  enough 
«>f  sins  to  answer  for,  without  the  disreputable  charge  of  adding 
to  their  revenue  in  the  manner  stated  by  M.  Xiavaysse.  But 
the  author  is  by  no  means  singular  in  his  dislike  to  exclusive 
privileges  in  commerce.  The  Abbe  de  Pradt,  whose  enlightened 
opinions  on  the  subject  cannot  be  too  often  read,  or  highly 
praised,  observes — "  To  see  the  use  which  the  moderns  have 
made  of  exclusive  commercial  companies ;  to  contemplate  this 
practice  as  consecrated  by  nations  and  ages ;  to  compare  the 
system  with  those  effects  which  it  has  never  failed  to  produce, 
together  with  the  expences  into  which  it  has  led  the  mother 
country  and  her  colonies ;  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  avoid  being 
surprized  at  the  respect  one  has  felt  towards  institutions,  that 
have  been  thus  sanctioned  no  less  by  the  imposing  authority  of 

c2 


20  FBfiB  TRADE, 

The  company  of  Guipusooa,  after  having  ex* 
perienced  various  modifications,  was  at  last  abo- 
lished in  1778,  by  an  edict  of  Charles  III.,  to 
which  the  Spaniards  have  given  the  term  of  the 
"  edict  of  free  trade."  From  that  period,  a* 
glorious  for  the  monarch  as  it  was  fortunate  for 
the  mother  country  and  its  colonies,  is  to  be 
dated  an  increase  of  population  and  wealth 
which  can  scarcely  be  believed,  under  a  govern* 
merit  vicious  in  every  other  respect.    The  popu- 


their  authors,  than  the  seal  of  time.  To  buy  at  a  low  price 
from  the  producer,  and  sell  dearly  to  the  consumer ;  to  graduate 
the  proportion  of  abundance,  not  on  public  want,  but  according 
to  the  interest  of  the  privileged  few,  has  always,  and  ever  will 
be,  the  maxim  of  exclusive  companies  :  they  will  think  much  less- 
of  providing  for  those  who  have  the  misfortune  of  being  left  to 
their  mercy,  than  of  keeping  away  those  who  wish  to  partici- 
pate in  their  profits.  People  have  invariably  adduced  the  ad- 
vantages of  exclusive  commerce  to  palliate  the  odious  parts  of  it. 
Bat  who  can  ever  believe  that  a  nation  ought  to  be  excluded  for 
its  advantage  ?  It  is  high  time  to  speak  in  the  language  of 
froth,  and  proclaim  that  the  word  exclusive  should  be  hence- 
forth banished  from  the  vocabulary  of  every  civilized  people, 
and  confined  to  that  of  Turkey  or  other  countries  equally  en- 
lightened!"—See  Chap.  X.  of  the  Abbe's  famous  work  on  the 
Clofonies.  Nor  is  our  own  celebrated  political  economist  Adam 
Smith  much  more  partial  to  trading  companies.  See  the  admir- 
able remarks  fa  VoL  II.  p.  505,  et  passim,  of  his  admirable 
work  on  the  Wealth  of  Nations,  wherein  that  independent  writer 
does  not  hesitate  to  declare  mercantile  companies  incapable  of 
consulting  their  true  interests  when  they  become  sovereigns, 
finally  considering  them  as  a  public  nuisance. — Ed. 


REVOLUTIONARY    PRINCIPLES.  21 

latum  of  Venezuela  alone  has  more  than  doubled 
in  the  space  of  twenty -nine  years ;  it  was  a 
million  of  souls  in  1809. 

The   edict  of  1778  was  issued  most    oppor- 
tunely,  at  a  moment  when  the  British  colonies 
of  North  America  had  risen  to  shake  off  the  yoke 
of  the  parent  state  ;  so  that  the  Spanish  colonists 
testified  no  desire  to  imitate   their  neighbours, 
and  seemed  contented  with  what  was  granted  to 
them*    The  principles  of  the  French  revolution 
did  not  as  yet  inflame  their  minds,  though  some 
individuals  endeavoured  to  convince  the  people, 
they  also  had  a  right  to  civil  and  political  liberty. 
It  is,  however,  a  singular  feet,  that  whilst  Great 
Britain  was  at  war  with  Prance,  under  the  spe- 
cious pretence  of  preserving  herself  from  its  prin- 
ciples,   her  ministers  no    sooner   heard  of  the 
treaty    of  Basle,   by  which  Spam  made  peace 
with  France,  than  they  lavished  the  public  trea- 
stfres  to  propagate  ideas  that  had  been  dissipated 
in  France,  as  soon  as  the  commotions  insepar- 
able from  such  a  great  revolution  had  ceased. 
Scarcely  had  the  Island  of  Trinidad  been  deliver* 
ed  to  them,  than  they  established  a  focus  of  in- 
surrection, destined  not  only  to  render  Spanish 
America  independent,  but  to  overturn  and  ruin 
it   like  our  colonies*     Historical   impartiality  re- 
quires me  to  state  that  His  Royal  Highness  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  as  well  as  many  distinguished 
personages  in  England,  expressed  their  indigna- 
tion at  this  perfidious  mode  of  making  war. 


22  STATE    PRISONERS* 

At  the  time  that  Great  Britain  took  possession 
of  Trinidad,  great  discontents  had  prevailed  in 
the  province  of  Caraccas  for  some  months,  owing 
to  the  exactions  recently  committed  by  the  officers 
of  the  customs,  and  the  vexations  practised  by  a 
police  magistrate* 

During  these  occurrences,  three  Spanish  state 
prisoners  arrived  at  La  Guayra,  condemned 
to  imprisonment  for  life  in  one  of  the  forts. 
These  were  men  of  great  talents :  one  of  them,. 
Picornel,  had  been  surnamed  by  his  coun- 
trymen, the  Spanish  Mirabeau;  they  availed 
themselves  of  the  public  discontent,  to  interest 
the  commander  and  officers  of  the  garrison  in 
their  fate.  Farenheit's  thermometer  is  generally 
at  ninety  degrees  in  the  casemates,  in  which  they 
were  ordered  to  be  confined,  a  circumstance  that 
excited  the  pity  of  the  garrison.  The  commander, 
therefore,  took  upon  himself  to  allow  them  the 
fort  as  their  prison.  The  eloquence  of  Picornel, 
and  the  singular  talents  of  his  two  companions, 
gave  rise  to  the  esteem  and  friendship  of  all  those 
who  saw  them ;  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbour- 
hood obtained  leave  to  visit  the  fort.  On  perceiv- 
ing every  one,  even  to  the  priests  and  monks, 
exasperated  against  the  administrators  of  the 
colony,  the  triumvirate  formed  the  bold  project 
of  delivering  the  country  from  the  yoke  of  its 
oppressors.  Don  Joseph  de  Espafia,  corregidor  of 
Macuto,  and  Don  Manuel  Gual,  captain  of  engi- 


THEIR    ESCAPE.  $J 

titers,  both  natives  of  Caraccaa,   undertook  to 
organize  this  revolution. 

The  prisoners,  however,  finding  that  the  con- 
spirators were  not  sufficiently  forward  in  putting 
their  project  into  execution,  and  fearihg  a  disoo* 
very,  made  their  escape :  soon  after  one  of  them 
became  mad  and  died.     The  14th  July,   1797, 
was  the  day  fixed  by  Espafla  and  Gaul,  for  raising 
the  standard  of  independence :  those  conspirators 
were   not  Cat  alines;  they  were  the  most  distin- 
guished men  in  the  colony  for  their  talents,  virtues, 
fortune,  and  even  their  birth.     Their  object  was 
to  possess  themselves  of  the  beads  of  the  govern- 
ment, to  keep  them  as  hostages,  and  treat  them 
with  the  greatest  kindness,  especially  the  Captain 
General  Carbonel,  who  detested,  and  had  even 
endeavoured  by  every  means  in  his  power  to  put 
an  end  to  the  crying  vexations  committed  by  cer- 
tain administrators :  their  plan  was  imitated  in  all 
points  by  the  congress  of  Venezuela,   when  it 
declared  itself  independent  of  the  Junta  of  Cadiz, 
in  181 1*     On  the  13th  July,  1797,  in  the  evening, 
a  conspirator  seized  with  fear,  went  to  the  cathe- 
dral and  rang  one  of  the  bells.  It  is  thus  that  a  cri- 
minal acts  in  Spain,  after  haying  committed  mur- 
der, in  order  that  a  priest  may  go  and  give  him 
absolution,  and  secure  impunity  for  him.    This 
man  required  they  should  conduct  him  to  the  arch- 
bishop, to  whom  he  promised  to  reveal  the  con- 
spiracy, on  condition  that  the  Captain  General 
and  the  Audiencia  would  guarantee  his  life.  What 


24  E8PANA. 

hd  d&ntadedwas  granted.  Orders  were  suddenly 
issued  to  arrest  all  the  persons  he  accused :  Espafia 
and  Gual,  who  were  at  La  Guayra,  had  timely 
notice  to  escape ;  which  they  effected  in  a  boat  to 
Cusa<?oa,  from  whence'  they  went  to  Trinidad, 
where  I  became  acquainted  with  them.  The 
other  conspirators*,  to  the  number  of  seventy- two, 
were  arrested  and  imprisoned.  The  colonial 
government  sent  a  despatch  to  Spain,  to  give  in- 
telligence of  this  occurrence.  The  king,  after 
having  received  the  official  report,  convinced 
that  his  Venezuelan  subjects  had  been  driven  to 
despair  and  rebellion  by  the  unheard-of  exactions 
of  his  administrators,  ordered  that  the  conspira- 
tors should  be  treated  with  clemency  and  sent  to 
Spain.  But  the  latter  had  reason  to  fear,  that  if 
they  Were  sent,  the  truth  would  have  been  made 
known  to  the  sovereign,  and  themselves  sacrificed 
to  the  just  resentment  of  the  colonists.  This  was 
the  motive  which  induced  them,  instead  of  obey- 
ing the  order  of  their  sovereign  ,  to  linger  out  the 
process  of  the  prisoners ;  and  it  may  be  well  suppos- 
ed they  did  not  omit  informing  the  minister,  rea- 
sons of  state  required  that,  at  least,  some  of  the 
principal  heads  should  fall. 

During  the  above  period  Espafia  was  at  Trini- 
dad, the  most  unhappy  of  mankind,  by  his  sepa- 
ration from  a  wife  and  children  whom  he  tenderly 
loved.  It  was  not  unknown  at  Trinidad  that  the 
king  had  recommended  clemency:  this  intelli- 
gence, and  the  desire  of  seeing  his  family  again, 


RETURNS   TO    THB  CARACCA8.  M 

t 

induced  him  to  adopt  the  resolution  of  returning 
to  hi*  country,  in  spite  of  all  that  those  who  were 
most  interested  m  his  fate  could  say  to  dissuade 
him  from  it*  He,  therefore,  returned  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  Caraccas,  where  he  remained 
concealed  for  some  time,  at  the  house  of  a  friend, 
where  be  had  the  consolation  of  seeing*  his  wife 
and  children  occasionally*  It  would  seem  as  if 
the  Audiencia  had,  until  then,  respected  the  king's 
order,  only  for  the  purpose  of  attracting  Espafia 
and  Gual  into  the  country,  two  men  whose  talents, 
courage,  and  popularity  they  most  feared*  As  had 
beenforboded  by  his  friends,  the  retreat  of  Espafia 
was  discovered,  the  house  surrounded,  and  himself 
taken. 

The  trial  of  the  conspirators  had  now  been 
carried  on  for  nearly  two  years;  every  one 
supposed  that,  in  consequence  of  the  king's  or- 
ders, they  would  be  no  further  punished  than 
hy  sending  them  to  Spain*  During  those 
events,  a  new  captain  general  came  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  government  of  those  provinces: 
scarcely  had  Espafia  been  taken,  when  the  trial, 
which  many  supposed  forgotten,  was  renewed : 
this  created  the  utmost  consternation,  and  excited 
a  great  fermentation  in  the  country.  The  new 
captain  general,  Don  Miguel  de  Vasconoellos, 
received  anonymous  letters,  threatening  another 
disturbance,  if  the  life  of  Don  Joseph  de  Espafia 
should  be  endangered.  Those  letters  produced 
no  other  effect  than  that  of  irritating  him*   Vas- 


20  fiMPEBA*. 

poncellos  possessed  neither  the  knowledge,  virtue^ 
nor  the  calm  firmness  of  Carbonel,  his  prede- 
cessor :  yet  he  was  not  mplicious  or  tyrannical, 
but  one  of  those  narrow-minded  men  who  conceal 
their  weakness  by  a  degree  of  violence,  to  which 
they  endeavour  in  vain  to  give  the  appearance  of 
greatness  of  mind  and  fortitude.  Instead  of  con- 
trouling  the  subalterns,  he  neglected  every 
part  of  the  administration,  except  the  military ; 
complaint  and  murmurs  recommenced,  and  the 
oppressors  of  the  colony  represented  those  com- 
plaints and  murmuring  to  him  as  indicating  a 
spirit  of  revolt.  Severe  measures  were  redoubled 
at  the  moment  when  most  people  called  for,  and 
all  would  have  been  satisfied  by  a  removal  pf  the 
abuses.  As  a  proof  that  it  was  the  excess  of  op- 
pression, and  not  the  contagion  of  revolutionary 
principles,  that  inspired  the  inhabitants  of  Ca- 
raccas  with  the  desire  of  throwing  off  the  Spanish 
yoke,  it  should  be  remarked  that  the  province  of 
Cumana,  or  New  Andalusia,  did  not  participate 
in  those  troubles,  although  both  these  .  province* 
were  adjacent ;  and  the  English,  who  had  then 
much  more  commercial  intercourse  with  Cumana 
than  the  Caraccas,  had  omitted  nothing  to  propa- 
gate a  spirit  of  independence  in  New  Andalusia* 
But  the  latter  was  governed  by  a  man  of  inte- 
grity, and  of  a  disinterested,  firm  character,  Em- 
paran  :  under  such  heads,  symptoms  of  discontent 
or  revolt  are  never  manifested. 

But  to  return  to  the  process  against  Espana 


FATE  OF   SftPANA.  St 

and  the  other  conspirators ;  the  threat*  addressed 
to  the  captain  general  produced  no  other  efiect 
than  that  of  hastening  their  ruin.  It  was  disco- 
vered afterwards  that  those  anonymous  menace* 
had  been  fabricated  by  the  auditor  of  war,  Lav-» 
nes ;  who,  seeing  that  the  Captain  General  Vas- 
concettos  inclined  to  mercy,  invented  the  above 
diabolical  stratagem,  to  exasperate  him  against 
the  accused.  This  malignant  magistrate,  who 
had  long  sold  his  decisions  at  Trinidad  and  Ca- 
raccas  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  who  the  con* 
gress  of.  Venezuela  had  merely  banished,  knew 
that  if  Espafia  should  obtain  access  to  the  throne, 
he  would  reveal  bis  numerous  extortions. 

Seven  of  the  accused  were  condemned  to  die ; 
one,  of  them  for  contumacy.  Five  were  executed 
at  La  Guayra  in  the  beginning  of  May,  1799,  and 
on  the  8th  of  the  same  month,  Don  Joseph  de  Es- 
pafia was  drawn  and  quartered  at  Caraccas.  "  Can* 
ducted  to  execution,"  says  a  celebrated  writer, 
whom  I  shall  quote  on  this  occasion,  u  he  saw  the 
approach  of  death  with  the  courage  of  a  man  born 
for  great  actions."*  Thirty-three  of  the  other  pri- 
soners were  condemned  to  the  gallies :  there  re- 
mained in  prison  thirty-two,  against  whom  there 
were  no  proofs ;  they  were  sent  to  Spain  :  Charles 
IV.  pardoned  them  in  1802,  and  gave  them  em- 
ployments, on  condition  that  they  should  never 
return  to  their  own  country. 

*  M.  de  Humboldt. 


18  CHAJUCTER    OF    ESPANA* 

During  the  time  proceedings  were  carrying*  on 
against  Espafia,  one  of  fak  relations  went  to  a, 
Scotchman  residing  at  Oaraecas,  who  was  the 
secret  agent  and  banker  of  his  government  in 
that  •  capital :  the  Venezuelan  told  the  agent 
that  the  relations  and  friends  of  Espafia  had 
subscribed  to  form  a  sum  of  thirty  thousand  dol 
lars,  by  means  of  which  they  would  save  his 
life :  the  half  of  this  sum  was  to  be  paid  to  Lav-* 
nes,  who  had  put  that  price  on  his  escape,  and 
the  remaining  fifteen  thousand  dollars  were  des- 
tined for  the  jailor,  who  had  promised  to  run  away 
.with  him.  A  boat  was  waiting  for  them  in  the 
port  of  La  Guayra ;  the  prisoner's  friends  were 
deficient  of  eight  thousand  dollars ;  every  species 
of  security  was  offered  to  obtain  from  him  that 
Bum  by  way  of  loan.  This  man,  who  had  then 
more  than  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  his  chest, 
«ad  who  had  inveigled  the  too  credulous  Espafia 
into  his  schemes,  was  deaf  and  insensible  to  their 
proposals  1 

•  I  was  acquainted  with  Espafia :  he  had  one  of 
those  frank  and  open  countenances,  but  pensive 
«nd  full  of  sensibility,  such  as  I  have  sometimes 
seen,  though  very  rarely,  so  fine,  in  the  new 
world ;  a  primordial  type,  of  which  scarcely  any 
traces  remain,  except  in  the  Pyrenees,  Switzer- 
land, the  mountains  of  Scotland,  and  in  some 
elevated  regions  in  which  the  inhabitants  have 
not  been  much  intermingled  with  their  neigh- 
bours.   He  was  descended  from  an  illustrious  Bis- 


cayan  f&mily,  transplanted  to  Ameriea,  iris  m 
went  to  Guadaloupe,  and  from  thenoe  io  France, 
where  he  hew  found  friend*  and  a  second  country* 

Glial,  abandoned  by  the  British  government  m 
1801,  soon  afterwards  .died  of  a  broken  heart  in 
Trinidad.  It  appears  that  in  that  year,  Great 
Britain  had  deemed  it  proper  to  defer  the  anarchy 
of  the  Spanish  colonies;  for  the  Governor  of 
Trinidad  eeased  to  pension  the  persons  he  eon-* 
ployed  for  that  purpose,  and  to  encourage  those 
who  were  really  desirous  of  the  independence  of 
their  country.     This  requires  some  explanation.* 

There  is  a  period  when  colonies  must  ceaae  to 
be  subject  to  the  countries  that  helve  founded 
them :  nature  herself  indicates  that  period :  it  is 
that  in  which  they  have  sufficient  strength  to 
maintain  themselves  in  regard  to  self-defence  and 
commerce.  The  Spanish  colonies,  the  islands  of 
Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  and  Trinidad  excepted,  have 
approached  rapidly  to  this  situation  for  mare 
than  half  a  century.  The  identity  of  religion, 
opinions,  recollections,  origin  and  language ;  the 
ties  of  kindred ;  all  that  of  which  the  endearing 
name  of  country,  is  composed,  formed  the  moral 
cement  which  retained  tho$e  of  Spam  under  the 


*  It  does !  and  the  editor  trusts  far  the  honour  of  his  country, 
that  (he  friends  of  those  ministers  who  patronized  the  heroic  but 
dhfatunate  Miranda,  will  come  fin-ward  to  disprove  many  of  those 
♦barge*  whi*h  remit  unanswered,  bat  nMefa  his  JnpartiaMtY 
and  lovt  of  truth  wiU  not  allow  the  editor  to  ragprea*   . ' 


30  ANECDOTE. 

authority  of  the  common  sovereign.  In  that  re- 
spect, they  differ  from  those  which  now  form  the 
United  States  of  North  America,  whose  inhabi- 
tants have  sprung  from  colonies  and  emigrants 
sent  out  from  nearly  all  the  nations  of  Europe » 
The  white  population  of  the  Spanish  colonies 
having,  on  the  contrary,  an  homogeneal  origin* 
it  is  easy  to  conceive  that  nothing  less  than  great 
oppressions  in  the  government  of  one  of  those 
colonies,  or  a  revolution  occurring  in  the  mother 
country,  could  break  the  moral  ties  by  which  it 
remained  subject  to  its  sovereign.  These  principles 
are  advanced  in  order  to  distinguish  the  peaceable 
citizens  and  proprietors  of  a  country,  who  are 
solicitous  solely  for  its  independence,  from  the 
factious  agitators  and  spies  hired  by  a  powerful 
enemy,  to  propagate  discord  and  anarchy  in  it. 

An  excellent  governor,  Don  Vincente  de  Em-' 
paran,  had,  by  the  mere  influence  of  his  wisdom 
and  virtues,  put  an  end  to  public  discontent  in 
the  provice  of  Cumana,  after  the  catastrophe  of 
Espafia.  The  fruits  of  his  beneficent  administration 
were  still  enjoyed  under  his  successor,  Don  Ma- 
nuel de  Cagigal,  in  1807,  when  I  was  in  Cumana. 
Having,  one  day  entered  the  store  of  a  grocer, 
in  that  town,  I  found  him  occupied  in  making 
paper  bags  and  wrappers  of  the  declarations  of 
the  rights  of  man,  copies  of.  the  social  contract* 
and  the  bulls  true  or  false  of  Pope  Pius  VI.  which 
excommunicated  the  French  nation.  I  inquired 
how  those  papers  had  come  to  his  shop ;  the  fol- 


CONTRADICTIONS.  3t 

lowing  was  his  answer:   "  I  made  a  voyage  to 

Trinidad  after  the  peace  of  Amiens :  Mr. . 

gave  me  a  bale  containing  five  hundred  copies  of 
each  of  these  writings,  and  as  many  by  a  Peruvian 
Jesuit,  who,  has  long  resided  in  London,  by  which 
he  instigated  us  to  renounce  our  allegiance  to  our 
sovereign,  and  promised  us  the  assistance  of  Eng- 
land. Such  bales  are  given  to  all  the  traders  who 
frequent  the  ports  of  Trinidad.  As  for  me,  I  took 
mine  to  the  governor,  after  having  reserved  some 
copies  for  making  bags,  &c.  It  must  be  acknow- 
ledged," added  this  Creole,  a  man  of  singular  good 
sense,  "  that  the  British  ministers  are  as  perfidious 
as  they  are  inconsistent :  they  .send  us  these 
writings  in  order  to  inculcate  democratic  princi- 
ples, whilst  they  at  another  time  declared  war 
against  France,  under  the  pretext  of  opposing 
her  in  an  attempt  to  establish  for  herself  that 
form  of  government  which  they  now  wish  by  all 
means  to  force  us  to  adopt.  They  are  Protestants* 
and  they  send  us  the  Pope's  bulls  against  the 
French,  to  inspire  us  with  horror  for  that  nation* 
They  must  truly  deem  us  a  very  stupid  race,  in 
supposing  that  we  can  be  entrapped  in  such  a  man-* 
tier,"  "  My  friend/*  Ixeplied,  "  it  is  of  very  little 
consequence  to  those  ministers  under  what  form 
of  government  you  Or  we  live :  their  great  object 
is  to  sow  enmity  and  discord  among  other  nations* 
to  obtain  a  monopoly  of  their  commerce :  that  is 
the  sole  aim  of  their  policy/' 

The  reforms  effected  jn  the  province  of  Cargo* 


IS  MIRANDA. 

cas  by  Don  Pedro  Carbonel,  and  in  that  of  Cu- 
mana  by  Don  V.  de  Emparan,  (the  two  principal 
provinces  of  the  general  government  of  Vene- 
zuela,) had  calmed  and  satisfied  all  minds ;  but, 
with  those  governors,  it  was  not  long  before  the 
good  they  had  introduced  also  disappeared.  The 
Captain  General  Vasconcellos  having  placed  all 
his  confidence,  and  in  some  measure  transferred 
his  authority  to  Lavnes,  tyranny  and  extortions 
again  distracted  the  colonists.  General  Miranda 
was  invited  by  thousands  of  letters  to  go  and 
place  himself  at  the  head  of  the  insurgents  in  the 
year  1805.  He  appeared  on  the  coast  of  Porto 
Cavello  m  the  month  of  May,  1806 ;  bat  the  ves- 
sel that  conveyed  him  was  repulsed  by  the  Spanish 
gun-boats.  He  repaired  to  Trinidad  in  the  fol- 
lowing month,  and  departed  from  it  cm  the  1st  of 
August,  accompanied  by  about  one  hundred  and 
eighty  volunteers,  escorted  by  a  sloop  of  war  from 
the  squadron  of  Admiral  Cochrane.  Six  days 
afterwards  he  landed  at  Coro,  where  he  remained 
twelve  days  with  his  little  troop,  without  being, 
attacked  by  Colonel  Salis,  who  was  posted  at  four 
leagues  from  him.  Miranda  found  the  people  of 
that  thinly  inhabited  part  of  the  province,  very 
little  disposed  for  a  revolution,  and  seeing  himself 
abandoned  by  the  British  admiral,  who  had  pro* 
mised  him  powerful  aid,  he  decided  on  returning 
to  Trinidad,  where  he  was  the  object  of  the  most 
cruel  raillery,  both  to  the  English  generals  whe 
had  deceived  him,  and  of  those  persons  who  had 


THE   AUDIENCIA.  33 

previously  lavished  the  meanest  flatteries  on  him, 
when  they  expected  to  see  him  soon  become  the 
head  of  a  new  state.  I  shall  say  nothing  of  the 
events  that  have  since  elevated  him  to  the  place 
of  supreme  chief  of  the  United  States  of  Vene- 
zuela, because  I  \?as  not  there  when  that  revolu- 
tion brokerout ;  but  I  know  that  the  persecutions 
exercised  against  the  French,  when  that  state 
was  governed  by  the  agents  of  the  Junta  of  Cadiz, 
have  ceased  since  the  authority  has  passed  into 
the  hands  of  General  Miranda  and  the  indepen- 
dent party. 

Here  it  is  necessary  to  direct  the  reader's  atten- 
tion to  two  things :  the  first  is,  that  as  soon  as 
the  Audiencia  cf  Caraccas  had  information  that 
General  Miranda  was  preparing  at  New  York 
to  invade  his  country,  they  hastened  to  put  an 
end  to  public  discontent,  by  prohibiting  exac- 
tions and  abuses,  afid  by  displacing  some  subaltern 
agents;  which  proves  how  mild  the  people  are, 
and  easy  to  be  governed. 

In  the  second  place,  it  is  to  be  observed  that 
the  British  ministry  of  this  period,  the  close  of 
1806,  caused  to  be  inserted  in  the  London  Ga- 
zette, an  official  letter  from  Admiral  Cochrane, 
in  which  he  announced  the  capture  of  Caraccas 
by  General  Miranda,  While  they  ought  to  have 
known  that  the  general  had  not  approached 
within  fifty  leagues  of  that  capital.  As  there 
were  negociations  for  pe$ee  at  the  time,  they 

D 


34  VENEZUELA, 

thought,  perhaps,  that  this  petty  trick   would 

have  an  influence    on  those  which   related  to 
Spain. 


VENEZUELA. 

This  country  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the 
Caribbean  Sea,  and  extends  southward  from  St* 
Joseph  de  Rio  Negro  (where  the  Portuguese 
possessions  begin,)  which  is  in  the  first  degree  of 
northern  latitude,  to  Cape  de  la  Vela,  in  12°  10'; 
and  from  east  to  west  from  the  62°  of  "West 
longitude,  to  76°  60.  French  and  Dutch  Cayenne 
form  its  eastern  limits,  and  the  kingdom  of  New 
Grenada,  or  Sanja  Fe  de  Bogota,  bounds  it  on 
the  west*  A  chain  of  mountains  which  stretch 
from  the  Andes  de  Bogota,  meander  across  the 
country,  first  in  a  northern  direction,  then  to- 
wards the  east,  and  at  length  incline  as  they  ap- 
proach the  coast.  The  Island  of  Trinidad,  which 
is  at  the  end  of  this  chain,  and  that  of  Tobago  to 
the  eastward  of  Trinidad,  are  supposed  to  be  ves- 
tiges of  the  great  catastrophe  which  has  detached 
them  from  it.  To  the  south  and  north  of  the 
mountains  are  vast  plains  which  extend  to  the 
east  and  west,  and  are  terminated  at  the  foot  of 
the  Andes  de  Bogota. 

There  are  few  countries  so  well  watered,  if  we 
except  the  steppes  or  desarts  which  have  been  so 


TOPOGRAPHICAL   DESCRIPTION*  35 

well  described  by  M.  de  Humboldt.  In  a  future 
chapter,  I  shall  offer  some  observations  on  the 
periodical  increase  and  decrease  of  the  Orinoco. 
There  are  nearly  three  hundred  and  seventy 
marine  leagues  from  the  Raudal  (cataract)  of 
the  Guajaribos,  east  of  the  Esmeralda  (the 
nearest  point  to  its  sources,  which  are  unknown) 
to  the  mouths  of  the  Orinoco.  The  map  prefix- 
ed to  this  work  will  shew  its  windings,  the  rivers 
it  receives,  its  cataracts,  and  its  depth  between 
the  town  of  St.  Thomas  and  the  sea,  and  also 
above  the  last  named  place. 

The  country  is  intersected  in  every  direction 
by  navigable  rivers  of  various  sizes.  All  those 
which  are  eastward  of  Cape  de  Paria,  the  Guara- 
piche,  and  the  small  rivers  that  flow  into  the  Gulf 
of  Paria  excepted,  are  lost  in  the  Orinoco, 
Many  of  its  tributaries  are  more  considerable 
than  some  distinguished  rivers  in  Europe:  the 
Bio  Apure  runs  nearly  one  hundred  and  twelve 
leagues,  and  is  navigable  for  large  vessels  for 
more  than  sixty  leagues  from  its  confluence  with 
the  Orinoco.  In  latitude  7°  32'  N.  it  has  four 
thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty-two  fathoms  in 
width,  and  is  not  impeded  by  islands. 

The  Guarapiche  pVesents  a  very  remarkable 
phenomeifbn:  this  river  has  its  source,  like  all 
those  of  New  Andalusia,  in  that  part  of  the  Lla- 
nos which  is  denominated  Mesa  (a  platform  or 
plain?)  de  Amana,  Mesa  de  Guanipa,  Mesa  de 
Taroro,  &c.  The  mountains  that  separate  the  ma- 

d  2 


36  TOPOGRAPHICAL  DESCRIPTION. 

ritime  range  of  Paria  from  the  granitic  and  am- 
phibolic mountains  of  the  Lower  Orinoco,  form  a 
ridge  very  little  above  the  rest  of  the  plain ;  but 
this  elevation,  which  is  called  Mesa,  is  sufficient 
to  determine  the  rivers  to  run  northward  towards 
the  gulf  of  Paria,  and  to  the  south  into  the  Ori- 
noco. The  Guarapiche  rises  in  the  Mesa  de 
Amana,  to  the  south-west  of  the  village  of  Ma- 
thurin :  it  receives  near  St.  Antonio  the  Rio  Co- 
lorado, then  the  Rio  Punceres,  and  at  last  the 
large  river  Arco,  which  is  called  Rio  de  San 
Bonifacio  near  its  source.  The  Governor  Emparan 
had  formed  some  very  useful  projects  for  colonial 
establishments  on  the  fertile  banks  of  the  Arco 
and  Guarapiche.  The  place  where  the  Arco 
unites  with  the  Guarapiche,  at  five  leagues  from 
its  mouth,  is  called  the  Horquetta,  a  name  given 
by  the  Spaniards  to  all  junctions  of  rivers :  at  that 
point  the  Guarapiche  has  a  depth  of  from  forty  to 
fifty  fathoms.  Previous  to  1766,  large  vesselscould 
have  sailed  up  the  Guarapiche  to  Mathurin:  an 
earthquake  has  since  raised  its  bed,  and  now  the 
navigation  of  the  Rio  Arco  is  preferable.  The  lat- 
ter is  still  sixteen  fathoms  deep  as  far  as  Port  San 
Juan,  at  twenty-five  leagues  from  the  sea.  I  can 
venture  to  assert  that  there  is  no  communication 
between  the  Guarapiche  and  Orinoco:  I  have 
never  heard  it  mentioned  in  all  the  time  I  re- 
sided in  that  country,  and  in  which  I  travelled 
through  it  in  various  directions.  I  was  not  a 
little  surprised  to  find  in  the  map  of  a  work, 


TOPOGRAPHICAL   DESCRIPTION.  37 

otherwise  estimable,  (Travels  of  M.  de  Pons,)  a 
pretended  canal  of  Morichal,  a  natural  channel, 
that  effected  a  communication  between  those  two 
rivers  above  old  Cayenne.  M.  de  Humboldt, 
who  navigated  that  river,  had  also  no  knowledge 
of  any  such  communication.  A  geographer  who 
raises  or  sinks  mountains,  forms  or  drains  marshes 
with  the  same  facility  with  which  he  penetrates 
into  iron  mines  to  the  centre  of  the  earth,  has  not 
placed  in  his  map  this  curious  and  important  river  j 
and  the  place  where  its  mouth  is  found  in  the 
Gulf  of  Paria,  presents  the  extremity  of  a  natural 
canal  or  branch  of  the  Orinoco,  which  would 
commence  on  its  left  bank,  at  San  Thorn^  de  An- 
gostura. The  Guarapiche,  notwithstanding  its 
depth,  and  the  great  body  of  water  it  carries  to 
the  sea,  has  only  from  its  sources  to  its  mouth  a 
course  of  thirty-three  marine  leagues/ 

This  country  contains  a  large  lake,  that  of  Ma- 
racaybo,  some  gulfs,  and  a  most  interesting  lake 
for  naturalists,  that  of  Tacarigua.  I  shall  say 
nothing  of  Lake  Parima  or  El  Dorado,  which 
has  so  excited  the  invention  of  authors,  and  the 
avarice  of  adventurers;  nothing  being  more  du- 
bious than  its  existence ;  and  according  to  the 
astronomical  observations  of  M.  de  Humboldt, 
if  such  a  lake  does  exist,  it  ought  to  be  situated 
more  to  the  east,  and  consequently  nearer  to 
French  Guyana  than  the  maps  have  placed  it.  It 
has  been  suppressed  in  the  new  map  of  South 
America,  by  Arrowsmith.     As  for  myself,  I  sas* 


38  LAKB  TACARIGUA. 

pact  that  this  lake  is  only  an  immense  plain,  inuB* 
dated  annually  in  the  rainy  season. 

The  Lake  Tacarigua,  to  which  the  Spaniard* 
have  given  the  name  of  Valencia,  is  situated  at 
the  southern  extremity  of  the  valley  of  Arogoa, 
and  at  twenty  French  leagues  from  Caraccas, 
It  is  elevated  twelve  hundred  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  and  has  almost  the  shape  of 
an  oblong  square;  its-length  is  thirteen  league* 
from  east  to  west,  and  it  is  two  leagues  broad  in  al- 
most its  whole  extent.  The  contrast  of  the  desert 
and  barren  mountains  of  Guigue,  with  the  hills  and 
valliee  opposite,  ornamented  with  the  most  beau- 
tiful tropical  vegetation,  and  even  the  fields  of 
corn  and  fruit  trees  of  Europe,  and  the  vicinity 
of  the  Kttle  town  of  Valencia,  agreeably  remind* 
an  European  of  the  lake  of  Geneva  and  Vevay. 
The  mountains  of  Caraccas,  it  is  true,  have  not 
the  grand  appearance  of  the  Alps;  but  then 
how  much  superior  the  rich,. varied  and  majestic 
vegetation  which  ornaments  the  borders  of  the 
Tacarigua,  is  to  the  most  beautiful  natural  produc- 
tions of  Europe !  I  was  there  in  company  with 
a  Dane,  (Mr.  West,)  a  man  of  talents.  Whilst 
we  were  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  thai 
delightful  scene,  the  native  of  the  north  suddenly 
exclaimed :  "  It  is  here  that  we  should  fix  our 
residence  for  the  remainder  of  our  lives :  I  shall 
return  to  Santa  Cruz,  there  collect  my  property, 
and  come  to  these  charming  shores,  which  shall 
also  be  my  tomb.9' 


NEW-BO BN    ISLANDS.  39' 

Several  small  rivers  and  streams  flpw  into  this 
lake,  which  has  no  outlet :  this  has  induced  the 
people  of  the  country,  and  even  some  writers, 
to  believe  that  it  communicates  with  the  sea  by 
subterraneous  channels;   but  a  celebrated  natu- 
ralist, who  has  studied  nature  on  the  spot,  and 
calculated  her  operations,    thinks  that  by  the 
evaporation  more  water  is  exhaled  from  the  lake 
than  is  carried  to  it.     It  is  thus  that  M.  de  Hum- 
boldt explains  the  formation  of  the  small  islands 
that    have  been  formed  in    the    lake:  at  first 
they  were  only  sand-banks,  which  by    degrees 
became  covered     with      vegetables.       Another 
cause  that  I  had  the  means  of  observing  at  Tri- 
nidad, has  contributed,   without  doubt,    to  the 
formation  of   these  islands;    the  draining  and 
cultivation  of  the  vallies  of  Aragoa.    There  is  a 
prodigious  difference  between  the  quantity  of 
slime  carried  off  by  the  rains  and  torrents  in  a 
cultivated,  or  a  savage  country :  it  is  known  that 
in  the  latter  the  quantity  of  earth  washed  away 
is  much  less  than  in  the  former :  if  the  mountains 
and  vallies  which  surround  the  Lake  Tacarigua, 
had  not  lost  their  ancient  trees  and  thick  turf, 
perhaps  it  would  have  required  a  thousand  years 
to  have  formed  these  small   islands  in  its  bed. 
From   time  to  time  new  ones  are  seen  to  arise. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  neighbourhood  have  given 
to  them  a  name  that  justly  characterises  them  : 
Las  Aparecidas,   the  new-born  islands.     A  great 
number  of  small  crocodiles  are  seen  in  this  lake, 


40  LAKES    AND    RIVKRS. 

which  never  attack  the  persons  who  go  there  to 
bathe. 

The  shape  of  the  Lake  Maracaybo  is  an  oval,  of 
fifty  leagues  in  length,  by  thirty  in  breadth; 
which  makes  a  circumference -of  about  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  leagues :  this  lake  is  situated  be- 
tween the  lowest  part  of  the  mountains  of  Santa 
Martha,  and  near  the  place  where  the  chain 
begins,  which  is  detached  from  the  Andes  de 
Bogota :  it  communicates  with  a  gulf  of  half  its 
size,  by  a  passage  of  about  two  leagues  broad  and 
eight  long :  thus  this  lake  forms  a  little  Mediter- 
ranean: it  receives  the  tribute  of  more  than 
twenty  rivers,  and  a  great  number  of  rivulets 
that  rundown  the  two  ridges  of  mountains,  be- 
tween which  it  is  situated.  The  most  considerable 
are  the  Subio  and  the  Matacau  ;  for  the  Souba 
and  the  Cuervos,  though  wide  at  their  mouths, 
are  only  creeks  fed  by  torrents,  into  which  the 
waters  of  the  lake  recoil  during  winter. 

The  Souba  has  nearly  eight  leagues  of  length, 
and  the  Cuervos  forms  a  curve  of  about  fifteen 
leagues :  both  of  those  creeks  are  navigable.  It 
is  between  them  and  the  mountains,  that  the 
Guahiros  are  found;  warlike  Indians  who  have 
never  been  subjected  by  the  Spaniards.  They 
extend  to  the  other  side  of  the  mountains,  along 
the  Rio  de  la  Hache  to  the  borders  of  the  sea. 
The  Rio  de  la  Hache  in  that  part  forms  the 
boundary  between  the  government  of  Caraccas 
and  the  kingdom  of  New  Grenada. 


LAKBS   AKD    RIVERS.  41 

Though  the  Lake  of  Maracaybo  communicates 
with  the  sea  by  a  gulf,  of  which  the  opening  is 
about  fifteen  leagues,  its  waters  are  sweet  and  fit 
for  use ;  but  when  the  wind  blows  inward  with 
violence,  the  sea  water  rushes  into  the  lake,  and 
its  water  becomes  brackish  until  the  wind  changes. 
This  lake  is  not  subject  to  tempests;  yet  when 
the  north-wind  is  strong,  it  produces  a  short 
and  broken  swell  that  sometimes  does  considerable 
injury  to  the  smaller  craft. 

The  tide  rises  higher  in  this  lake  than  on  the 
adjacent  coasts,  where  it  is  scarcely  perceptible. 
It  is  the  same  in  the  Gulf  of  Paria,  and  in  that  of 
Cariaco,  because  the  tide  and  wind  oppose  the 
water  there,  which  continually  runs  out.  On  the 
north-west  shore  of  the  Lake  Maracaybo  ia~  an 
extensive  mine  of  asphaltum,  of  the  pame  nature 
as  that  in  Trinidad.  When  the  Spaniards  dis- 
covered this  country,  they  found  a  great  number 
of  Indian  villages  situated  about  the  lake,  built  on 
piles,  which  was  the  reason  that  they  gave  it  the 
name  of  Venezuela,  as  already  noticed.  This 
name  soon  extended  to  all  the  province ;  of  which 
-Coro  became  the  capital.  The  townofCarao- 
cas  having  been  since  made  the  metropolis  of  all 
the  countries  that  compose  the  captain  general- 
ship, its  district  took  the  name  of  the  Province 
of  Venezuela ;  the  country  surrounding  the  lake 
was  named  the  province  of  Maracaybo ;  the  other 
three  continental  provinces  were  termed  Varinas, 
Guyana,  and  Cumana.     The  country  known  by 


42  TRINIDAD. 

the  name  of  New  Andalusia,  as  well  as  the  Island  of 
Margarita,  form  part  of  the  government  of  Cumana. 

The  Island  of  Trinidad  formed  a  sixth  province 
or  particular  government,  depending  on  that  of 
Caraccas,  before  the  English  got  possession  of  it. 
A  captain  general,  intendant,  and  an  audiencia, 
or  supreme  tribunal  of  justice  and  finance,  com- 
posed the  superior  government  of  those  pro- 
vinces. The -provincial  governors  were  directly 
subjected  to  the  captain  general  of  Caraccas  in  all 
affairs  concerning  the  military  and  civil  govern- 
ment ;  to  the  intendant,  of  whom  they  took  the 
title  of  sub-delegates,  for  financial  concerns ;  and 
the  audiencia  was  a  tribunal  to  which  appeals 
were  made,  not  only  from  the  decisions  of  the 
provincial  courts,  but  also  to  which  individuals 
had  the  right  of  summoning  such  persons  in  office 
as  they  thought  they  had  reason  to  complain  of. 

There  was  a  privilege  of  appeal  from  the  de- 
crees of  the  audiencia,  to  the  supreme  council  of 
the  Indies,  at  Madrid.  A  government  where 
all  the  departments  were  so  regulated  as  to  watch 
and  balance  each  other,  was  no  doubt  admirably 
calculated  to  protect  the  rights  of  the  subject, 
and  establish  a  laudable  emulation  among  its 
officers,  which  ought  to  promote  public  pros- 
perity ;  and  such  was  always  its  happy  result, 
when  those  provinces  were  governed  by  an  honest, 
vigilant  and  firm  captain  general,  like  Don  Pe- 
dro Carbon  el.  But  as  it  unfortunately  happens, 
it  became  an  established  practice  at  Madrid  to 


POPULATION.  43 

give  or  sell  the  administrative  and  judicial 
places  to  the  lowest  class  of  offioe  clerks,  and 
those  of  lawyers,  who  paid  an  annual  acknow- 
ledgment to  their  patrons ;  arid  that  this  abuse 
had  extended  even  to  the  nomination  of  the  most 
insignificant  military  commands,  it  is  easy  to 
conceive  how  the  colonists  must  have  been  op- 
pressed under  such  a  system,  particularly  when- 
ever it  happened  that  the  captain  general  was 
a  rapacious  man,  desirous  to  acquire  a  fortune, 
and  return  to  Europe  to  enjoy  it. 

According  to  M.  Depons,  the  population  of 
the  five  provinces  of  Venezuela,  Varinas,  Mara- 
caybo,  Cumana,  and  Guyana,  amounted  to  only 
seven  hundred  and  twenty-eight  thousand  souk 
in  1802.  In  his  calculation  the  whites  composed 
two-tenths  of  this  population,  the  slaves  three, 
the  free  people  of  colour  four,  and  the  Indians 
one  tenth.  Agreeably  to  this  calculation,  there 
ought  to  have  been  two  hundred  and  eighteen 
thousand  four  hundred  slaves  in  those  provinces, 
whilst,  in  reality,  there  were  not  fifty-eight 
thousand.  ^ 

This  is  the  manner  in  which  M.  Depons  distri- 
butes the  population : 

Venezuela  and  Varinas  -            500,000*  souls. 

Maracaybo           -        -  -          100,000 

Cumana  and  Margarita    '  -            94,000 

Spanish  Guay  ana            -  -        84,000 


Total  728,000  souls. 


44  POPULATION. 

According  to  the  calculations  of  M .  de  Hum- 
boldt, which  correspond  with  the  documents 
that  were  furnished  to  myself,  five  years  after 
his  residence  in  Caraccas,  the  population  of  those 
provinces,  was  in  1800,  about  nine  hundred  thou- 
sand souls,  of  whom  only  fifty-four  thousand 
were  slaves.  A  well  informed  administrator  of 
Cumana,  communicated  some  statements  to  me 
in  the  month  of  May,  1807,  by  which  it  would 
appear  that  the  population  of  those  provinces 
amounted  to  more  than  nine  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  thousand  souls.  It  is  true  that  there  had 
been  comprised  in  that  table  an  enumeration  of 
several  tribes  of  Indians  not  united  in  missions ; 
for  instance,  the  Guaraouins,  who  live  in  the 
small  islands  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco, 
and  of  whom  the  number  is  supposed  to  be  about 
ten  thousand ;  some  hordes  of  Arroouaks,  who 
live  between  the  Orinoco  and  the  Rio  Esequibo, 
about  four  thousand ;  and  lastly,  the  Guahiros, 
who  live  in  the  mountains  situated  between  the 
Lake  of  Maracaybo  and  the  Rio  de  la  Hache, 
whose  number  cannot  be  less  than  fifty  thousand 
persons.  We  shall  observe,  by  the  way,  that 
M.  Depons,  after  having  said  at  page  313  of 
the  first  volume  of  his  travels,  that  this  tribe 
contains  only  thirty  thousand  individuals,  say  a, 
at  page  319,  that  they  can  muster  fourteen  thou- 
sand warriors ! 

In  the  states  of  which   I   have  just   spoken, 
there  was  to  be  found  a  table  of  the  progressive 


A    NEW   COLONY.  45 

population  of  the  rallies  of  the  Cape  de  Paria, 
where,    since  the  year  1794,    there   have  been 
established  a  considerable  number  of  cultivators 
from    various    nations,     particularly    Irish    and 
French :  the  latter  are  the  chief  part  of  the  co- 
lonists of  Grenada,  Tobago,  and  Trinidad,  who 
sought  an  asylum  there  from  oppression.     This 
new  colony,  unknown  to  the  rest  of  the  world, 
contains  about  seven  thousand  individuals  of  all 
ages,  ranks  and  colours.     Those  of  the  Punta  de 
Piedra    cultivate    cocoa    successfully;   those    of 
Guira  cotton  wool :  there  are  some  sugar  plan- 
tations, and  some  of  coffee  in  the  other  vallies. 
1  passed  some  very  agreeable  moments  among 
those  worthy  people  in  1807.     Their  manner  of 
life,   simple   and  laborious,   the   abundance  and 
comfort  in  every  necessary,  the  absence  of  all 
that  approaches  luxury  in  their  dress,  furniture, 
and  houses ;  the  good  will,  harmony,  and  hospi- 
tality  that  prevailed  among  them,    (there  was 
neither  lawyer  nor  inn-keeper,   and  very  few 
doctors)  made  me  particularly  regret  their  so- 
ciety.    I  left  in  that  infant  colony  men  who  had 
figured  in  the  most  brilliant  companies  of  Ger- 
many and  France  :  the  latter  are  Frenchmen ; 
some  who  have  been  obliged  to  fly  from  the  per- 
secutions of  two  or  three  renegados  of  their  na- 
tion, established  at  Trinidad,  and  who,  banished 
for  ever  from  France,  have  become  the  most  bit- 
ter enemies  of  their  former  countrymen  :  others 
are  Frenchmen  who  have  chosen  rather  to  aban- 


46  OPPRESSIONS. 

don  their  properties  in  the  islands  conquered  by 
the  British,  than  to  take  oaths  and  sign  declara- 
tions hostile  to  their  sovereign.  These  men, 
frank,  energetic,  laborious,  strangers  to  all  poli- 
tical intrigue,  and  who  have  no  other  wish  than 
that  of  cultivating  their  new  plantations  in  peace, 
were  yet  annoyed,  and  some  of  them  plundered 
by  a  Spanish  administrator,  at  a  time  when  the 
British  government  possessed  a  great  influence 
in  the  colonies  of  the  former  nation.  But  since 
the  independent  party  has  obtained  the  ascen- 
dency at  Caraccas  over  that  of  the  Junta,  and 
that  liberal  principles  have  succeeded  to  tyranny 
and  fanaticism,  the  colonists  of  the  French  origin 
established  in  the  state  of  Venezuela  partake 
with  the  other  citizens  the  benefit  of  the  new 
government. 

As  I  have  spoken  of  the  oppressions  commit- 
ted on  the  peaceable  French  cultivators,  at  the 
instigation  of  others,  it  will  not  be  out  of  place 
here  to  add,  that  it  was  at  the  demand  of  an 
agent  of  the  British  government,  that  several 
hundreds  of  the  unfortunate  colonists  of  St. 
Domingo,  refugees  in  the  island  of  Cuba,  were 
expelled  from  it  in  1808 :  and  what  had  these  un- 
happy colonists  done  against  that  government  ? 
The  greater  part  of  them  had  fought  under  its 
banners,  when  in  the  delirium  of  jealousy  and 
hatred,  and  in  the  beginning  of  the  French  revo- 
lution it  sent  pretended  succours  to  them,  under 
the  pretext  of  quelling  the  insurrection;  but,  in 


caraccas;  47 

reality,  to  accomplish  the  ruin  of  that  queen  of 
colonies!  Those  interesting  victims  had  con- 
veyed to  the  United  States,  and  from  thence, 
amidst  a  thousand  dangers,  to  the  Island  of  Cuba, 
their  wives,  children,  and  some  portion  of  the 
wreck  of  their  fortunes,  which  they  had  saved 
from  the  fury  of  the  negroes,  or  from  the  rapa- 
city of  the  British :  they  lived  unknown  to  the 
rest  of  mankind,  clearing  the  forests  to  plant  the 
means  of  subsistence  there ! 

Caraccas,  the  metropolis  of  the  province  of 
Venezuela  while  under  the  Spanish  yoke,  was 
founded  in  1566,  by  Diego  de  Losada  :  it  is  situa- 
ted in  the  delicious  Valley  of  Arragon.  Its  ele- 
vation above  the  level  of  the  sea  is  three  thousand 
feet,  according  to  the  observations  made  by  M. 
de  Humboldt  at  the  Trinity  church.  Although 
it  is  in  10°  30'  of  latitude,  and  67°  of  West  longi- 
tude, this  elevation,  added  to  some  other  local 
causes,  suffices  to  give  it  during  our  winter,  the 
temperature  of  our  spring,  and  in  that  season, 
the  heat  is  very  seldom  so  great  as  in  our  sum- 
mers :  this  will  be  seen  by  the  thermometrical 
observations  inserted  in  the  course  of  this  chapter* 
It  is  the  residence  of  the  captain  general ;  of  the 
intendant ;  of  the  audiencia,  or  supreme  adminis- 
trative and  judicial  tribunal ;  of  an  archbishop ; 
a  chapter  ;  a  tribunal  of  the  inquisition  (abolished 
by  the  present  government,)  and  an  university  ; 
it  has  some  what  of  a  triangular  shape,  and  is 
about  two  thousand  toises  long  on  each  of  its  sides. 


48  MODE    OF    BUILDING. 

Like  all  other  towns  in  the  new  world,  its  streets 
are  drawn  at  right  angles,  and  are  rather 
wide.  Being  built  on  an  unequal  surface,  what- 
ever Caraccas  wants  in  regularity,  it  gains  in 
picturesque  effect :  many  of  the  houses  have  ter- 
raced roofs,  others  are  covered  with  bent  tiles ; 
there  are  many  that  have  only  a  ground  floor ; 
the  rest  have  but  one  story  more  :  they  are  built 
either  of  brick  or  of  earth  well  pounded,  and 
covered  with  stucco,  of  an  architecture  sufficiently 
solid,  elegant,  and  adapted  to  the  climate.  Many 
of  them  have  gardens  in  their  rear,  which  is  the 
reason  that  this  town  has  an  extent  equal  to  an 
European  one  that  would  contain  a  hundred 
thousand  persons.  Four  beautiful  streams  that 
traverse  it,  contribute  to  its  coolness  and  clean- 
liness, and  give  it  an  air  of  animation  which  is  not 
found  in  towns  deprived  of  running  water.  As  in 
some  towns  of  the  Alps  and  Pyrenees,  each  house- 
holder in  Caraccas  has  the  invaluable  advantage 
of  having  in  his  house  a  pipe  of  running  and  lim- 
pid water,  which  does  not  prevent  all  the  squares, 
and  almost  all  the  streets  from  having  public 
fountains.  In  general  there  is  much  luxury  and 
gilding  in  the  decorations  of  the  houses  of  wealthy 
persons,  and  among  all,  more  cleanliness  and 
comfort  than  in  Spain.  This  town  does  not 
possess  any  public  edifice  remarkable  for  its  beauty 
and  size,  with  the  exception  of  the  church  of  Alta 
Gracia,  built  at  the  expense  of  the  people  of  colour 
in  Caraccas  and  its  vicinity. 


The  town  is  divided  intoiive  parishes:  that  of  the 
Cathedral,  Alta  Graoia,  Saint  Paolo,  Saint  Rosalia, 
and  La  Candelaria.  Three  other  churches  belong 
to  confraternities:  Saint  Maurice,  the  Divina 
Pastora,  and  the  Trinidad.  Though  the  archi- 
tecture of  those  churches  has  nothing  remarkable, 
they  are  solidly  built,  and  richly  ornamented  in 
the  interior.  The  cathedral  is  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  long  by  seventy-five  broad,  and  its  walls1 
are  thirty-six  feet  high ;  four  ranges  of  stone 
columns,  each  containing  six,  support  the  roof; 
the  only  public  clods:  in  the  town,  three  years 
Ago,  was  in  the  steeple  of  this  church. 

This  town  has  five  oon  vents,  of  which  three 
are  for  men,  the  Franciscans,  Dominicans,-  and 
Brothers  of  the  Order  of  Mercy.  The  church 
of  the  Dominicans  has  a  very  carious  historical 
picture :  it  represents  the  Virgin  Mary  suckling 
a  grey-bearded  Saint  Dominic.  The  following  is 
the  account  of  this  miracle,  as  recounted  by  the 
sexton  to  those  who  visit  the  church :  St.  Dominie 
having  had  a  violent  pain  in  his  breast,  and  his 
physician  having  ordered  him  woman's  milk,  the- 
Virgin  suddenly  descended  from  Heaven  and 
presented  her  breast  to  the  saint,  who,  as  it  may 
be  supposed,  was  cured  in  an  instant.  The  sexton 
finishes  his  story  by  observing  that  the  Virgin 
operated  this  miracle  in  acknowledgment  of  their 
founder's  demotion  for  the  rosary. 

The  priests  of  the  oratory  of  St.  Philip  de  Neri 

E 


i^^ 


—-  — ""- —  ■— — ■-— — ■ —       jta.i 


f  s 

60  CHURCH    REVENUES.  *  *\^ 

have  also  a  church  :  they  are  usefully  occupied  in 
the  civilization  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants. 

The  two  monasteries  of  women  are  those  of 
the  Conception  and  Carmelites.  A  more  useful 
and  respectable  association  is  the  congregation 
of  Las  Educandas :  it  is  a  community  of  young 
ladies  of  good  family  and  well  educated,  who 
though  they  do  not  make  vows  of  chastity  and 
confinement,  as  the  others  do,  observe  them  much 
better,  and  occupy  themselves  in  the  education  of 
young  females. 

The  Archbishop  of  Caraccas  has  for  suffragans 
the  Bishops  of  Merida  and  Guiana:  he  had 
previous  to  the  rupture  of  the  treaty  of  Amiens 
a  revenue  of  about  sixty  thousand  dollars  for  his 
part  of  the  tythes,  without  counting  what  accrued 
to  him  for  the  sale  of  dispensations,  indulgences, 
bulls,  &o.  articles  which  raise  his  revenue  to  more 
than  ninety  thousand.  In  general  those  bishops, 
canons,  monks,  and  nuns  are  richly  endowed,  well 
fed,  and  do  not  painfully  tread  the  paths  that  con- 
duct to  Heaven  amidst  thorns  and  briars :  it  is, 
however,  necessary  to  do  them  this  justice,  that 
they  have  neither  the  brutality  nor  intolerance  of 
their  brethren  in  Spain ;  nor  is  it  rare  to  find 
among  them  persons  of  elegant  manners,  learning 
and  virtue. 

The  reader  will  not,  perhaps,  be  a  little  surprised 
to  learn,  that  the  head  of  a  government  so  impor- 
tant, the  captain  general,  and  immediate  represen- 


UNIVERSITIES.  61 

tative  of  the  sovereign,  formerly  resided  in  a  hired 
house,  of  which  he  had  only  the  ground  floor :  the 
intendancy,  the  audiencia,  tribunals,  and  military 
hospital,  are  also  in  rented  houses.  The  conta- 
deria,  or  treasury,  a  solid  but  mean  building,  and 
the  barracks,  which  are  vast  and  well  built,  are 
the  only  edifices  that  belong  to  the  government. 

This  town  has  a  college  founded  in  1 7T8,  by 
Antonio  Gonzales  d'Acuna,  Bishop  of  Caraccas, 
and  converted  into  a  university  in  1792,  with  the 
permission  of  the  Pope !  In  this  university  read- 
ing and  writing  are  first  taught.  Three  profes- 
sors teach  enough  of  Latin  to  read  mass,  Aristotle's 
physics,  and  the  philosophy  of  Scotus,  which 
still  prevailed  at  this  school  in  1808.  A  professor 
of  medicine  demonstrates  anatomy,  explains  phy- 
siology, all  the  laws  of  animal  life,  the  art  of  cur- 
ing, &c.  on  a  skeleton  and  some  preparations 
m  wax.  If  in  this  orthodox  country  a  provision 
for  instructing  the  profane  arts  and  sciences  has 
been  neglected,  it  has  not  been  so  with  the  study 
erf  theology  and  canon  law ;  five  professors  are 
occupied  in  teaching  those  sciences.  One,  only, 
the  most  learned,  of  course,  is  employed  to  de- 
fend the  doctrine  of  Saint  Thomas  on  the  imma- 
culate conception,  against  all  heretics !  No  diplo- 
ma can  be  obtained  without  having  sworn  to  a 
sincere  belief  in  this  revered  dogma! 

The  university  has  also  a  professor  who  teaches 
the  Roman  law,  the  Castilian  laws,  the  code  of 
the  Indies,  and  all  other  laws.     In  short,  a  pro- 

e2 


52  THEATRE. 

fessor  of  vocal  church  music  forms  part  of  this 
hierarchy  of  instruction,  and  teaches  to  the  stu- 
dents of  law  and  medicine,  as  well  as  to  those  of 
theology,  to  sing  in  time  and  harmony,  the  airs 
of  the  Roman  ritual.  By  letters  I  have  lately  re- 
ceived from  that  country,  I  am  informed  that 
the  leaders  of  the  independent  party  have  intro-? 
duced  into  the  courses  of  instruction,  the  study 
of  the  philoaophy  of  Locke  and  Condillac,  the 
physics  of  Bacon  and  Newton,  pneumatic  chyv 
tnistry,  and  mathematics*  to  the  great  displeasure 
of  certain  person*,  whose  luxury  and  corpulence 
were  maintained  by  the  ignorance  of  their  coun- 
trymen. 

,  A  town  lik$  Caraccas  could  not  but.  require  a 
theatre ;  and  the  one  it  has,  is  decorated  with  the 
finest  ceiling  in  the  world,  which  is  the  sky: 
the  roof  only  covers  the  boxes,  so  that  when  it 
happens  to  rain,  which  is  seldom  the  case  in  this 
country,  those  in  the  pit  are  drenched.  Nothing 
can  be.  more  monotonous  and  contemptible  than 
the  acting  of  their  players;  yet  this  wretched 
performance  i&  frequented  by  the  inhabitants  of 
all  classes,  even  by  the  priest*  aqd  monks,  who  go 
there  in  their  religious  habits. 

The  population  of  the  town  of  Caraccas  was 
forty-seven  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty - 
eight  persons  of  all  colours,  in  1807 ;  it  amount- 
ed to  fifty  thousand  souls  in  1810;  three  hundred 
and  forty  six  thousand  seven  hundred  a*d  seventy ~ 
two  persons  of  alt  colour*  then  composed  the  popu- 


ERRORS.  53 

lation  of  the  other  towns  and  the  province  of 
Caraccas,  properly  speaking,  which  makes  a  totfcl 
of  496,772  inhabitants. 

I  ought  hfere  to  rectify  an  error  of  almost  all  geo- 
graphers in  the  political  divisions  of  the  late  cap- 
tain generalship  of  Caraccas  or  Venezuela.  The 
Spanish  collection  entitled,  Viagero  Universal, 
and  the  Geographical  and  Historical  American 
Dictionary  of  Colonel  Alcedo,  do  not  present 
the  most  sure  and  exact  notions  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  this  part  of  the  country.  The  late  M. 
Depons  is  not  only  the  first  Frenchman,  but  the 
first  European,  who  has  made  a  good  statistical 
table  of  this  country :  still  his  work  is  not  with- 
out errors  and  negligences,  some  of  which  I  shall 
notice. 

Almost  all  European  geographers  confound  the 
general  government  of  Caraccas  or  Venezuela, 
with  the  province,  of  which  the  town  of  Saint 
Leon  de  Caraccas  is  the  capital.  This  town  was 
the  residence  of  the  president,*  captain  general, 
intendant,  and  an  Audiencia  (a  supreme  adminis- 
trative and  judicial  court,)  on  which  depended 
the  respective  governors  of  the  provinces  of  Cu- 
mana  and  New  Andalusia,  Maracaybo,  Varinas> 
Guiana,  and  the  Island  of  Trinidad. 

It  is  not  possible  to  be  too  clear  and  precise 

*  The  oaptain-general  used  to  be  president  ex  officio  of  the 
Audiencia.  The  title  of  President  was  considered  as  superior  to 
that  of  Captain  General  or  Governor. 


54  INDIAN  V*LJLAG£». 

in  the  description  of  a  country,  as  yet  so  little* 
known,  and  respecting  which  there  are  confused 
and  contradictory  accounts.  I  shall  therefore  re- 
peat what  I  have  already  stated,  that  when  the 
Spaniards  discovered  this  country,  they  found 
near  the  Lake  of  Maracaybo,  a  great  number  of 
Indian  villages  built  on  piles,  which  made  them 
give  it  the  name  of  Venezuela,  in  comparing 
it  with  Venice.  This  name  soon  extended  to  all 
the  province,  of  which  Goro  became  the  capital. 
The  town  of  Caraccas  being  subsequently  made 
the  metropolis  of  all  the  country  that  formed  the 
captain-generalship  of  that  name,  the  district  of 
that  town  took  the  name  of  Province  of  Vene- 
zuela ;  which,  though  it  be  not,  by  its  extent, 
the  most  considerable  of  the  five  that  compose 
the  general  government  of  the  Caraccas,  now 
gives  its  name  to  the  republic  of  the  seven  pro- 
vinces that  have  so  wisely  shaken  off  the  yoke 
of  the  regency  of  Cadiz. 

When  the  district  of  Caraccas  had  taken  the 
name  of  Venezuela,  the  country  situated  round 
the  lake  received  that  of  Province  of  Maracaybo : 
the  two  provinces  which  were  successively  dis- 
membered from  those  of  Venezuela  and  Mara- 
caybo, were  called  Varinas  and  Guiana.  A  por- 
tion of  the  country  known  by  the  name  of  New 
Andalusia,  as  also  the  Island  of  Margarita, 
formed  part  of  the  separate  government  of  Cu- 
mana.  The  island  of  Trinidad  was  a  sixth  pro- 
vince or  distinct  government,  depending  on  the 


COMMERCIAL    PORT.  55 

captain-generalship  of  Caraccas,  until  the  En- 
glish conquered  it  in  February,  1797, 

Venezuela  is  the  national  name  adopted  at  pre- 
sent by  the  confederated  provinces,  and  Caraccas 
is  their  metropolis:  the  province  of  Venezuela 
has  taken  the  name  of  Province  of  Caraccas. 
This  province  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  sea, 
on  the  north-west  by  that  of  Maracaybo,  on  the  . 
north  by  that  of  Cumana,  and  to  the  east  and 
south-east  by  that  of  Varinas. 

The  commercial  port  of  the  province  of  Ca- 
raccas is  La  Guyra :  it  is  a  bay  open  to  all  winds, 
and  an  unsafe  anchorage  in  stormy  weather ;  but 
this  port  has  the  advantage  of  being  only  five 
leagues  from  Caraccas.  La  Guyra  is  built  on  the 
side  of  a  mountain,  which,  in  this  climate,  adds 
to  the  heat  of  the  atmosphere :  from  the  beginning 
of  April,  to  the  month  of  November,  Farenheit's 
thermometer  is  usually  at  ninety  degrees;  and 
from  the  beginning  of  November  to  the  end  of 
March,  it  is  generally  at  eighty-five  or  eighty-six. 
The  humidity  of  the  climate,  added  to  the  heat, 
produce  annually  inflammatory  fevers,  which 
degenerate,  in  twenty-four  or  thirty-six  hours, 
into  putrid  fevers,  that  are  chiefly  detrimental 
to  those  who  are  newly  arrived  from  Europe  and 
the  cold  regions  of  America ;  for  those  who  are 
seasoned  to  the  climate,  are  seldom  attacked, 
though  they  do  not  enjoy  a  good  state  of  health 
there. 

This  town  is  badly  built,  but  tolerably  well 


&&  5f£RC£UUT&~ 

fortified ;  it  bad  a  population  of  seven  thousand 
soul*,  in  1807,  comprising  a  garrison  of  eight 
hundred  men.  There  is  but  one  church  in  it,  and 
the  rector  is  also  chaplain  of  the  garrison.  La 
Guyra  had  not  a  municipal  administration  or  Ca- 
bildo,  before  the  revolution,  like  the  greater 
part  of  the  other  towns  in  this  country ;  it  was 
governed  by  the  commander  of  the  fortress,  who 
united  in  his  person  the  civil  and  military  autho- 
rity, but  there  was  an  appeal  from  his  sentences 
to  the  Royal  Audiencia  of  Caraccas. 

The  greater  part  of  the  merchants  of  La  Guyra 
ere  only  the  agents  of  those  of  Caraccas,  of  which 
the  former  is  but  the  wharf;  for  scarcely  are  the 
goods  landed,  than  they  are  transported  to  Ca- 
raccas on  the  backs  of  mules.  The  two  towns 
are  situated  at  about  five  leagues  from  each  other ; 
to  go  from  La  Guyra  to  Caraccas,  the  mountain 
of  the  Venta,  above  four  thousand  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  is  ascended  on  mules ;  travellers 
rest  on  the  plain  at  its  summit,  where  there  is  a 
bad  inn,  but  where  it  is  always  very  cool,  I  found 
Farenheit's  thermometer  at  seven  degrees  above 
the  freezing  point  there  on  the  28th  January, 
There  is  a  very  agreeable  sensation  experienced 
on  this  delightful  summit,  after  leaving  the  burn* 
ing  atmosphere  of  La  Guyra.  The  mountain  ia 
afterwards  descended  to  go  to  Caraccas,  situated 
considerably  below  the  inn  of  the  Venta:  two 
hours  are  generally  requisite  to  ascend,  and  one 
hour  to  descend  the  mountain. 


TEMPEUATORE.  67 

To  givQ  an  idea  of  the  temperature  of  the  town 
of  Caraccas,  and  of  the  fluctuations  of  the  ther- 
mometer in  this  place,  I  shall  tjuote  one  day's 
observations  of  M.  de  Humboldt,  for  which  I  am 
indebted  to  his  kindness. 


16    / 

is  r 

14  y 


Si  hours  in  the  morning  14rV 

H  -        -        -  " 

I  afternoon  17£  T  between  70°  and  78* 
%±           -        -        -  18    f    Farenheit. 
7  15^ 

II  . 


In  the  month  of  January  of  the  same  year 
Reaumur's  thermometer  was  at  Caraccas  generally 
between  seven  and  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning 
at  13°  and  14° ;  between  twelve  o'clock  and  two, 
at  17°  and  19° ;  and  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night  usually 
at  13°,  and  on  certain  days  at  15°  at  the  utmost. 
During  this  season  it  descends  commonly  to  12° 
and  even  11°:  it  has  sometimes  been  seen  even 
below  10°  half  an  hour  before  sunrise. 

Porto  Cavello  is  situated  at  a  league  to  the 
west  of  Borburata,  which  was,  for  some  time, 
the  principal  port  of  the  colony  :  but  it  has  been 
pnly  a  village  since  the  maritime  commerce  was 
chiefly  directed  to  La  Guyra,  and  that  the  naval 
arsenals  have  been  established  at  Porto  Cavello. 
It  is  but  an  unhealthy  place,  yet  one  which  any 
other  government  than  the  Spanish  would  have 
easily  rendered  healthy.  There  is,  however,  con- 
siderable trade  carried  on   there,  and  although 


68  CORRUPTION   OF    NAME*. 

it  was  the  principal  port  in  the  government  of 
Caraccas  for  the  Spanish  navy,  in  no  other  part 
was  there  so  much  contraband  trade.  More  than 
half  the  produce  of  the  province  of  Caraccas 
was  carried  there,  and  sold  to  the  smugglers  of 
Curagoa  and  Jamaica,  who  paid  for  all  that  pro* 
duce  in  Dutch  and  British  merchandize,  besides 
selling  annually  to  the  amount  of  one  million 
three  hundred  thousand,  to  one  million  four  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  of  those  merchandizes,  for 
which  they  were  paid  in  specie.  Porto  Cavello 
is  twenty-four  leagues  from  La  Guyra,  and  in 
10°  28'  N.  latitude,  and  69°  10'  W.  longitude. 

The  town  of  Valencia  was  founded  in  1555, 
under  the  government  of  Villacinda :  this  place 
is  situated  at  half  a  league  from  the  magnificent 
Lake  of  Tacarigua,  to  which  it  has  in  vain  en- 
deavoured to  give  its  European  name,  that  is  much 
less  sonorous  than  the  Caribbean.  It  is  worthy 
of  remark,  that  the  indigenous  names  of  the 
mountains,  lakes,  rivers,  <&c.  are  much  more  har- 
monious than  those  which  the  Europeans  have 
wished  to  substitute  for  them :  a  few  of  those 
words,  as  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  pronounce 
them,  will  prove  the  assertion ;  Tacarigoa,  Mara- 
caybo,  Nik-karagoa,  Ibirinocco*,  Naiagara,  On- 
tario, Amana,  &c. 


*  Of  which  the  Spaniards  have  made  Orinoco.  Ibirinocco 
was  also  the  name  of  the  mountains  where  they  supposed  the 
sources  of  this  river  were. 


POPULATION.  59 

The  population  of  Valencia,  which  was  only 
about  six  thousand  five  hundred  persons  in 
1801,  was  more  than  ten  thousand  in  1810.  The 
inhabitants  are  nearly  all  Creoles,  the  offspring  of 
ancient  Biscayan  and  Canary  families.  There  is 
great  industry  and  comfort  in  this  town.  It 
is  as  large  as  an  European  town  of  twenty- 
four  to  twenty-five  thousand  souls,  because  the 
greater  part  of  the  houses  have  only  a  ground 
floor,  and  many  of  them  have  gardens.  Fifty 
years  ago,  its  inhabitants  passed  for  the  most 
indolent  in  the  country :  they  all  pretended  to 
descend  from  the  ancient  conquerors,  and  could 
not  conceive  how  it  was  possible  for  them  to  exer- 
cise any  other  function  than  the  military  profes- 
sion, or  cultivate  the  land,  without  degrading 
themselves.  Thus  they  lived  in  the  most  abject 
misery,  on  a  singularly  fertile  soil.  Their  ideas 
have  since  completely  changed ;  they  have  applied 
themselves  to  agriculture  and  commerce,  and 
the  grounds  in  the  neighbourhood  are  now  well 
cultivated.  Valencia  is  the  centre  of  a  consider- 
able commerce  with  Caraccas  and  Porto  Cavello.  . 

The  town  of  Maracay,  situated  at  the  other 
extremity  of  the  lake,  was  inhabited  by  a  race  of 
men.,  whose  minds  were  never  deranged  by  the 
frivolous  and  noxious  pride  of  birth :  almost  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  and  of  the  neigh- 
bouring country,  are  of  Biscayan  origin,  and  there- 
fore industry,  comfort,  cleanliness,  and  good 
morals  are   to  be   found   generally   throughout 


60  VJTTOKIA. 

this  district.  The  grounds  that  encompass  Mara- 
cay,  are  covered  with  numerous  plantations  of 
cotton,  indigo,  coffee  and  maize,  and  the  heights 
with  fields  of  wheat :  in  a  radius  of  two  leagues 
the  vegetables  of  the  temperate  climes  of  Europe 
are  cultivated  as  well  as  those  of  the  tropics. 
Though  Maracay  had  not  the  name  of  a  city 
under  the  ancient  Spanish  government,  because 
it  had  not  a  Cabildo,  it  contained  nevertheless 
a  population  of  nearly  ten  thousand  persons. 

Tulmaro  is  another  town  situated  in  one  of  the 
vallies  which  communicates  with  the  valley  of 
Aragoa:  it  is  two  leagues  from  Maracay,  and 
is  the  residence  of  the  administrators  of  the  to- 
bacco contract.  This  town  is  very  well  built ; 
eight  thousand  inhabitants  were  calculated  as  its 
population  in  1807 :  its  district  was  then  covered 
with  plantations  of  tobacco,  which  was  culti- 
vated there  on  account  of  the  government. 

In  going  from  Caraccas  to  Tulmaro,  there  is 
a  town  called  Vittoria,  which  was  once  only  a 
village  of  Caraccas  Indians,  whom  the  Spanish 
missionaries  had  converted  to  Christianity  and 
civilization;  but,  for  a  century  past,  a  great 
many  Europeans  have  established  themselves 
there,  who,  by  their  lawful  or  clandestine  con* 
nections  with  the  native  women,  have  produced 
a  numerous  and  mongrel  population.  There  are, 
however,  many  families,  that  deem  themselves 
descended  from  European  blood,  without  any 
mixture  of  that  of  Africans  or.  of  Indians,  and 


CORO.  61 

who  place  great  importance  on  this  absurd  pre- 
tension- The  town  had,  in  1807,  a  population 
of  eight  thousand  persons.  There  are  several 
other  towns  or  villages  in  the  vallies  of  Arragon, 
where  the  inhabitants  cultivate  all  the  tropical 
productions,  as  well  as  the  wheat  and  fruits  of 
Europe. 

In  1807,  this  population  was  distributed  on 
two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  plantations,  and 
nearly  two  thousand  houses  in  towns  or  villages : 
it  consisted  of, 

24,000  whites. 

18>000  mixed  blood. 

6,500  Indians. 

4,000  slaves. 


Total     52,500  persons. 


CORO. 


The  fortunate  situation  of  Coro  for  trading 
with  the  neighbouring  islands,  and  particularly 
with  Porto  Rico  and  St.  Domingo,  and  not 
chance,  as  M.  Depons  has  asserted,  caused  its 
scite  to  be  chosen  for  the  first  settlement  which 
the  Spaniards  founded  on  this  part  of  terra 
firma.  The  tribe  of  Indians  that  inhabited  it, 
were  called  Coriana.  The  Audiencia  of  St.  Do- 
mingo sent  Juan  de  Ampues  there  in  1629,  in 
the  capacity  of  governor,  and  principally  with 
the  view  of  restraining  the  robberies  and  cruel- 
ties of  the  Spanish  traders  who  infested  those 


62  POPULATION. 

coasts.  Scarcely  had  the  country  begun  to  re- 
cover under  the  administration  that  excellent  of 
governor,  than  it  fell  under  the  tyranny  of  the 
Welsers. 

There  had  been  a  bishopric  and  chapter  esta- 
blished at  Coro  in  1532 :  the  seat  of  government 
having  been  transferred  to  Caraccas  in  1576, 
the  bishop  and  his  chapter  were  removed,  there 
in  1636.  The  chronicles  of  the  country  relate, 
that  the  canons  of  Coro  hunted  the  Indians,  to 
sell  them  for  slaves,  while  others  engaged  in  the 
profession  of  corsairs. 

The  environs  of  Coro  are  barren,  but  at  three 
leagues  from  the  town  are  hills,  vallies  and  plains 
of  some  fertility.  This  town  is  situated  on  the 
Isthmus  of  Paragoana,  whose  inhabitants  lead  a 
pastoral  life,  occupying  themselves  entirely  with 
the  care  of  their  flocks.  Ten  thousand  persons 
of  all  colours,  among  whom  there  are  scarcely 
two  hundred  slaves,  form  the  population  of  the 
town.  They  still  hold  a  considerable  trade  with 
Curacjoa  in  cattle,  hides,  and  indigo,  and  even 
in  cochineal,  which  last  article  comes  from  the 
district  of  Carora.  According  to  the  Deposito, 
the  town  of  Coro  is  in  11°  9'  North  latitude, 
and  69°  35'  West  longitude. 

The  town  of  Caroro  and  its  district  contain  a 
population  of  about  ten  thousand  persons.  This 
town  appears  under  the  name  of  San  Juan 
Bautista  del  Portillo  de  Coropa,  in  the  Diction- 
ary of  Alcedo.     Carora,   its  real  appellation,  is 


MANUFACTURES.  63 

an  Indian  name.  Formerly  the  inhabitants  were 
entirely  occupied  in  the  care  of  a  kind  of  wild 
cochineal,  as  fine  as  the  Misteca.  Though  its 
soil  is  arid,  there  are  numerous  herds  of  oxen, 
horses,  asses,  mules,  sheep,  and  goats;  the  dwarf 
deer  of  South  America  is  also  very  common. 
The  inhabitants  breed  cattle  chiefly  for  the  pur- 
pose of  tanning  the  hides :  a  great  number  of 
them  are  shoemakers  and  sadlers,  others  are  wea- 
vers and  ropemakers.  They  make  very  hand- 
some hammocks  and  excellent  packthread  with 
the  fibres  of  the  agave  fatida  or  American  aloe. 
They  carry  on  a  great  trade  in  those  articles 
with  Maracaybo  and  Carthagena,  from  whence 
they  are  exported  to  the  neighbouring  colonies. 

The  inhabitants  of  Carora  were  very  poor  for- 
merly, but  they  have  become  rich  since  under- 
taking the  plan  of  grazing,  and  the  tanning 
trade.  Its  sandy  soil  is  covered  with  the  cactus 
opuntia  (Indian  fig,)  and  other  thorny  plants ; 
as  also  trees  that  produce  aromatic  gums  and 
odoriferous  balsams,  to  which  they  attribute  great 
virtues ;  and  of  which  many  have  not  as  yet  been 
described  by  any  botanist. 

The  little  river  of  Mo'rere,  which,  in  the  dry 
season,  is  scarcely  sufficient  for  the  necessities  of 
the  inhabitants,  is  the  only  one  that  waters  this 
salubrious  district.  The  government  of  the  town 
is  merely  municipal,  another  cause  of  the  indus- 
try of  its  inhabitants. 


64  BARQUfSIMETO. 

Carora  is  situated,  according  to  the  Spanish 
geographers,  at  fifteen  leagues  east  of  the  Lake 
Maracaybo,  and  at  ninety  leagues  west  of  Ca- 
raccas,  and  in  the  tenth  degree  of  N.  latitude. 
The  town  is  well  built,  every  thing  indicating 
order  and  opulence.  There  are  three  handsome 
churched :  the  parish  church,  that  of  St.  Denis 
the  Areopagite,  and  the  Franciscans,  who  have 
a  convent  there. 

In  going  from  Carora  to  Caraccas,  is  the  town 
of  Barquisimeto,  situated  on  a  plain  :  though  in 
9°  45'  of  N.  latitude,  it  enjoys  a  very  mild  cli- 
mate. T  have  been  assured  that  when  there  is  no 
wind,  Reaumur's  thermometer   rises  to  28°  and 
29°;  which  I  am  inclined  to  doubt,  on  account 
of  the  elevation    of  its  scite ;    besides,   wheat 
grows  in  the  vicinity  of  Barquisimeto.     All  the 
tropical  productions  are  cultivated  in  the  vai- 
lies  which  surround  it,  and  they  grow  excellent 
coffee  there.     The  town  is  well  built,  and  has, 
with  its  district,  a  population  of  about  fifteen 
thousand  inhabitants.     There    is  a  fine   parish 
church  there,  that  contains  a  crucifix  which  has 
worked  a  great  many  miracles,  and  is  at  the 
same  time  an  object  of  devotion  with  the  peo- 
ple, and  an  abundant  source  of  revenue  to  the 
clergy  of  the  church.     In  the  same  town  is  a 
convent  of  rich  Franciscan  friars,   who  are  es- 
teemed great  lovers  of  good  cheer,  also  an  hos- 
pital, where  the  poor  are  badly  lodged  and  scan- 


SAN    FELIPE.  65 

tily  fed.  This  town  is  ninety  leagues  west  from 
Caraccas,  and  one  hundred  north  of  Santa  Fe 
de  Bogota. 

San  Felipe,  a  century  ago,  was  only  a  village, 
known  by  the  name  of  Cocorote  ;  a  great  number 
of  Canarians  and  natives  of  the  neighbouring 
districts,  attracted  by  the  fertility  of  its  soil,  hav- 
ing settled  there,  the  company  of  Guipuscoa, 
some  time  before  its  dissolution,  established  stores 
for  the  purpose  of  trading  with  the  interior. 
From  that  time  this  place  gained  a  new  aspect : 
handsome  houses,  streets  regularly  built,  took 
the  place  of  huts  huddled  together  without  order. 
The  inhabitants  of  this  district  are  reputed  labo- 
rious and  industrious :  they  have  only  priests,  and 
no  monks  or  miraculous  images,  as  seen  in  the 
surrounding  countries.  They  grow  excellent  co- 
<coa,  coffee,  maize,  rice,  and  a  little  cotton.  This 
district  is  watered  by  the  rivers  Jarani  and  Arva, 
and  by  numerous  rivulets;  copper  mines  are  also 
worked  there. 

Tocuyo  is  built  in  a  valley  more  elevated  than 
the  plain  of  Barquisimeto :  its  climate  is  cool, 
^ven  cold,  from  the  month  of  November  to  April 
whilst  the  wind  blows  from  the  north.  Its  ter- 
ritory is  adapted  to  all  kinds  x>f  agriculture,  and 
a  great  quantity  of  wheat  is  grown  there,  which 
is  8eiit  to  different  parts  of  the  province.  The 
'wool  of  the  Tocuyo  sheep,  has  a  high  reputation 
among  the  natives ;  I  have  seen  very  fine  blankets 
and  kerseymeres  made  of  this  wool.    There  are 


66  GUANARE. 

also  many  tanneries  where  they  tan  leather  toler- 
ably well,  and  it  forms  a  considerable  branch  of 
their  commerce. 

The  inhabitants  of  Tocuyo  are  reputed  very 
industrious ;  they  bring  salt  from  the  salt  works 
of  Coro,  to  sell  to  the  inhabitants  of  other  parts  of 
the  province.  It  is  said  that  they  are  very  much 
given  to  suicide.  This  town  is  ninety  leagues 
south-west  of  Caraccas,  twenty  north  of  Trux- 
illo,  and  twenty-two  from  Coro ;  and  according 
to  the  Spanish  geographers,  in  9°  35'  N.  latitude 
and  ?0°  30-  West  longitude. 

Forty  leagues  further  inland,  on  the  borders  of 
the  province  of  Caraccas,  towards  that  of  Va- 
rinas,  in  a  magnificent  plain,  is  the  handsome 
town  of  Guarare,  founded  in  1593  :  it  is  situated 
on  the  banks  of  a  river  of  the  same  name,  and 
between  this  and  the  Portuguese  river,  which  is 
navigable,  and  falls  into  the  Apure. 

The  district  of  Guanare  is  as  well  cultivated 
as  a  country  can  be,  whose  population  is  so  scanty ; 
for  there  are  scarcely  twenty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. The  cultivation  of  tobacco  was  formerly 
an  abundant  source  of  riches  to  them;  but  since 
it  has  been  permitted  only  in  certain  cantons,  and 
for  the  account  of  government,  the  inhabitants 
have  applied  to  the  culture  of  maize  and  alimen- 
tary roots,  such  as  the  potatoe,  solanum  tube- 
rosum ;  the  sweet  potatoe,  convolvolus  batata ; 
the  yam,  discorea  alata,  &o.  They  cultivate 
only  as  much  sugar,  coffee,  and  cocoa,  as  is  ne- 


ARAURE.  67 

cessary  for  their  own  consumption,  their  flocks 
being  their  chief  wealth. 

There  is  another  branch  of  revenue  for  the 
priests  of  Guanare :  it  is  the  Madona  de  Co- 
moroto,  which  on  the  3d  February,  1746,  per- 
formed miracles,  the  particulars  of  which  pious 
persons  will  find  in  the  work  of  M.  Depons. 
Guanare  is  ninety-three  leagues  south-west  of 
Caraccas,  in  8*  14'  N.  latitude,  and  72°  6'  West 
longitude,  according  to .  the  Spanish  geogra- 
phers. 

The  town  of  Araure,  twenty  leagues  west- 
ward of  Guanare,  is  built  between  two  branches 
of  the  river  Aricagua ;  the  right  branch  is  navi- 
gable, its  territory  is  watered  by  numerous  rivu- 
lets, which  would  be  deemed  rivers  in  Europe. 
This  little  town  is  well  built,  and  has  a  very 
handsome  church,  the  temple  of  a  miraculous 
Madonna,  which,  according  to  the  tradition  of 
the  country,  was  found  in  1702,  under  the  bark 
of  a  tree,  by  a  female  mulatto  named  Margaret, 
who  bartered  it  with  the  Capuchin  Miguel  de  Pa- 
lencia,  for  small  images  of  the  Virgin,  reliqua- 
ries, &c.  It  appears,  however,  that  it  had  not 
begun  to  work  miracles,  and  ent^r  into  competi- 
tion with  the  Virgin  of  Guanare,  until  1757.  The 
priests  of  Guanare  declare  that  the  Madona  of 
Araure  is  only  a  Capuchin  fraud,  and  has  never 
performed  a  miracle:  more  charitably  inclined 
than  my  friends  of  either  places,  I  believe  that 

f  2 


68  RAN  LUIS  DE    CUUA. 

the  two  Madonas  are  equally  worthy  of  the  vene 
ration  of  the  faithful ! 

The  inhabitants  of  Araure,  as  well  as  those  of 
Guanare,  are  considered  indolent,  lazy,  and  much 
addicted  to  pleasure,  which  appears  to  be  the 
distinguishing  characteristics  of  the  inhabitants 
of  every  country  in  the  world,  where  miracles 
and  superstition  possess  much  influence.  The 
town  and  its  district  have  a  population  of  about 
eleven  thousand  persons :  the  property  of  its  in- 
habitants consists  in  flocks :  they  cultivate  a  little 
cotton,  coffee  and  cocoa.  Araure  is,  according  to 
the  Spanish  geographers,  in  latitude  9°  15'  North, 
70°  20'  West  longitude. 

San  Luis  de  Cura  is  situated  in  a  fertile  valley, 
and  yet  but  little  cultivated ;  its  inhabitants  occu- 
pying themselves  entirely  with  the  care  of  their 
flocks.  The  mountains  surrounding  it  have  a 
very  picturesque  appearance.  The  soil  is  clayey, 
and  the  water  which  the  inhabitants  drink,  is 
reddish  in  rainy  weather,  but  wholesome,  at  least 
they  do  not  find  any  bad  effects  from  it. 

The  church  of  San  Luis  has  also  a  miraculous 
Madona,  known  by  the  name  of  Nuestra  Senora 
de  Los  Valencianos,  for  having  been  found,  as  the 
priests  say,  in  1771,  by  an  Indian,  in  the  ravine 
of  los  Valencianos.  This  Madona  has  been  the 
cause  of  a  suit  that  made  great  noise  in  this 
part  of  the  world,  between  the  rector  of  San 
Luis,  and  that  of  San  Sebastian  de  los  Reyes. 
The  latter  pretended  that  the  Madona  belonged 


/ 


LAW-SUIT.  69 

to  him,  because  the  ravine  in  which  it  was  found 
is  situated  in  his  parish;  and  the  rector  of  San 
Luis  alledged  that  he  had  bought  the  Madona 
of  the  Indian  who  discovered  it.     During  thirty 
years  that'  this  strange  law-suit    continued,  and 
which  was  contested  on  each  side  with  all  the 
venom  of   superstition,   the  poor  Madona  was 
abandoned  in  the  garret  of  the  episcopal  palace 
of  Cataccas,  where  she  was  so  impotent  as  hot  to 
be  able  to  prevent  the  vermin  from  corroding 
her,  so  as  not  to  be  distinguishable  when  the 
Archbishop  of  Caraccas,  Don  Francisco  de  Ibarra, 
a  virtuous  and  benevolent  prelate,  reconciled  the 
two  rectors,  and  delivered  her 'to  him  of  San  Luis 
de  Cura;  who,  after  having  had  her  repaired  by 
a  painter  and  gilder,  in  which  she  was  outraged 
by  the  worms^  and  purchased  a  magnificent  ward- 
robe for  the  much  injured  relic,  conducted  her  in 
triumph  to  his  church,  where  she  has  not  ceased 
to  grant  numerous  miracles  to  the  prayers  of  the 
faithful,  especially  that  of  removing  sterility  iii 
females.     As  the  rector  of  San  Luis  did  not  feel 
himself  alone  sufficient  for  the  duties  of  his  new 
office,  he  has  been  obliged  to  take  some  young 
clergymen  of  the  neighbourhood   as  associates, 
whose  ardent  zeal  is  continually  employed  in  giv- 
ing to  barren  husbands  and  wives  proofs  of  the 
miraculous  power  of  their  Madona. 

San  Luis  de  Cura  is  eight  leagues  south-west 
from  the  Lake  Tacarigua,  and  twenty-two 
leagues  south-west   of    Caraccas.      San    Sebas- 


70  MRGOA. 

tian  de  los  Reyes  is  a  little  town  on  the  banks  of 
the  Rio  Guarica,  about  seven  leagues  from  San 
Luis,  and  eighteen  from  Caraccas.  The  territory 
of  this  district  is  fertile,  yet  thete  is*  only  maize 
cultivated  ther3:  its  pasturage,  however,  feeds 
many  cattle. 

Nirgoa  is  built  on  the  ruins  of  the  fortified 
village  of  Palmas,  which  was  founded  in  1553, 
by  Diego  Montesqui,  to  protect  the  works  of  the 
copper  mines  that  he  had  discovered  in  the  moun- 
tains, among  which  Nirgoa,  is  now  situated,  at 
ten  leagues  from  the  Lake  Tacarigua.  The  In- 
dian Giraharas  who  were  cruelly  annoyed  by  Mon- 
tesqui, burnt  and  destroyed  those  establishments. 
The  following  year  the  government  ordered 
another  officer,  Diego  Paradas,  to  rebuild  that 
village,  under  the  name  of  Nirgoa.  The  latter, 
instead  of  pacifying  the  Indians,  and  treating 
them  with  justice  and  humanity,  hunted  them, 
in  order  to  procure  slaves  for  working  the  mines. 
But  the  Indians  having  vanquished  their  oppres- 
sors, forced  them,  in  1556,  to  evacuate  this  post. 
A  person  named  Romera  was  sent  there  some 
months  afterwards,  and  employed  negroes  to 
work  the  mines :  the  Indians  drove  him  away  also, 
as  they  had  done  his  predecessors. 

The  licenciate  Bernades  was  forced  to  evacuate 
Nirgoa  in  1657.  Francisco  Faxardo  caused  a 
great  number  of  houses  to  be  built,  and  fortified 
this  town  in  1560;  but  the  Spaniards  still  con- 
tinuing to  hunt  the  Indians,  to  procure  slaves 


ZAMBOER.  71 

and  women,  the  latter  never  omitted  to  attack 
their  oppressors,  whenever  they  thought  them- 
selves sufficiently  strong  to  carry  on  the  war, 
which  ended  in  1628,  by  the  total  extermination 
of  the  tribe  of  Giraharas* 

The  town  and  district  of  Nirgoa  are  inha- 
bited by  Zamboes,*  a  race  produced  by  the 
union  of  the  negro  and  Indian.  Though  in  the 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  colonies,  persons  tainted 
with  African  blood,  (I  beg  pardon  for  this  Ame- 
rican expression,)  were  not  despised,  as  in  those  of 
other  European  nations,  still  they  were  not  held 
in  that  degree  of  estimation  in  which  families 
were,  ,who  had  the  reputation  of  springing  from 
the  union  of  European  and  Indian  blood.  The 
individuals  of  this  race,  the  Mestizos,  were,  it  is 
true,  declared  competent  to  occupy  civil  and 
military  employments,  but  they  were  but  rarely 
promoted  to  them.  Even  the  Creoles,  who  deemed  * 
themselves  descended  from  European  families, 
without  any  mixture  of  indigenous  or  African 
blood,  were  seldom  elevated  to  important  posts, 
and  were  treated  by  the  Spaniards  born  in  Europe 
with  great  haughtiness,  and  as  an  inferior  class  : 
almost  all  the  honourable  and  lucrative  situations 
in  the  civil  and  military  departments,  were  reserved 
for  Europeans.  But  the  kings  of  Spain  gave  diplomas 
of  whites  (a  kind  of  scandalous  whitewashing) 

*■  The  word  Zambo  in  Spanish  means  a  man  who  has  bowed 
legs:  a  marked  characteristic  in  the  formation  of  most  negro  tribes. 


72  PREJUDICE. 

to  certain  persons  who  hod  rendered,  or  were  sup- 
posed to  have  rendered  important  services  to  the 
state.  It  is  about  fifty  years  since  King  Charles 
III.  whitewashed  by  wholesale,  in  an  edict,  his 
loyal  and  faithful  subjects,  the  Zamboes  of  the 
town  of  Nirgoa. 

Nirgoa  enjoying  the  privileges  of  a  city,  has  in 
consequence,  an  elective  municipal  council,  as 
other  Spanish  cities.  It  may  be  readily  supposed 
that  the  first  use  the  Zamboes  made  of  those  privi- 
leges was,  to  elect  people  of  colour  to  the  muni- 
cipal places.  This  favour  or  justice  of  the  sove- 
reign so  inflated  the  minds  of  the  Zamboes,  they 
became  so  haughty  and  arrogant  to  the  whites, 
that  the  latter  have  deserted  this  district,  which 
is  no  longer  inhabited  than  by  tallow-coloured 
whites ;  who  according  to  the  assertions  of  the 
citizens  of  Caraccas,  are  the  most  vicious  of  man- 
kind. In  this  metropolis,  the  word  Zambo  is 
synonymous  with  worthless,  idler,  liar,  impious, 
thief,  villain,  assassin,  <&c.  Of  ten  crimes  that 
may  be  committed  in  the  province,  eight  are 
said  to  be  done  by  the  Zamboes.  M .  Depons, 
who  resided  a  long  time  at  the  town  of  Caraccas, 
coincides  in  the  unfavourable  opinion  of  its  inhabi- 
tants towards  the  Zamboes,  and  I  confess  that  I  can- 
not recollect  the  name  of  one  honest  man,  when 
I  think  of  the  numerous  individuals  of  this  crossed 
breed  whom  I  had  occasion  to  know  and  employ, 
either  during  my  residence  at  Trinidad,  or  in  the 
course  of  my  travels.     Still  this  afflicting  pheno- 


CONTRASTS.  73 

menon  may  be  explained.     These  individuals  are 
born  of  clandestine    and  adulterous  unions,    of 
natives  who  have  contracted  only  the  vices  of 
civilization,  and  of  African  slaves :  what  can  be 
expected  of  children  born  of  such  parents,  whose 
minds  are  totally  neglected,  and  in  a  climate  that 
invites  to  sloth  and  indolence  ?    But  there  is  ano- 
ther observation,  which,  I  think,  should  fix  the 
attention  of  learned  zoologists,  and  excite  them 
to  research:    why  is  it  that  individuals  proceed- 
ing from  a  mixture  of  African  and  indigenous 
American  blood,   have  a  bodily  strength,  finer 
forms,    more  intellectual    faculties,   and   moral 
energy,    than   the    Negro   or  Indian  ?     Why, 
although  the  white  be,  in  general,  superior  in 
strength  of  body,  mental  powers,  and  in  moral 
force,   to  the  aboriginal   American  and  to  the 
negro;  why,  I  ask,  are  the  individuals  born  of 
the  union  of  a  white  with  an  Indian  woman  (the 
Mestizos,  for  instance,)inferior  in  mental  and  cor- 
poreal qualities  to  the  Zamboes  ?     Why  are  the 
Mestizos  generally  distinguished  by  fine  figures, 
agreeable  countenances, and  the  mildness,and  doci- 
lity of  their  dispositions  ?  Why  is  the  mulatto  sou  of 
a  white  and  a  negress,  superior  to  the  Zambo  in 
intellectual  faculties,  but  his  inferior  in  physical  ? 
Why  is  it,  that  when  those  races  are  mixed,  their , 
progeny    is    remarkable    for    a    more    healthy 
and    vigorous  constitution*  and   for  more  vital 
energy,    than  the  individuals  born  in  the  same 
climate,    of    indigenous    European    or   African 


74  SAN    CARLOS. 

blood,  without  mixture  ?  These  are  facts  by  no 
means  unworthy  of  the  physiological  researches 
of  Cuvier,  Gall,  Blumenbach,  Soemmering  and 
Humboldt. 

San  Juan  Bautista  del  Poa,  is  situated  at  fifty 
leagues  south-west  of  Caraccas.  It  is  the  princi- 
pal town  of  a  district  which  is  inhabited  only  by 
shepherds  and  their  flocks.  The  population  of  the 
town  and  its  territory,  is  about  ten  thousand  per- 
sons. The  river  Pao,  which  runs  south  of  the 
town,  formerly  discharged  itself  into  the  Lake 
Tacarigua;  but  an  earthquake  and  inundation 
have  altered  its  course :  it  now  flows  into  the 
Apure.  If  a  canal  were  to  be  cut  from  the  Lake 
Tacarigua  to  the  Pao,  it  would  be  easy  to  establish 
a  communication  from  Caraccas  to  Guiana,  and 
even  as  far  as  the  Brazils.  Trade  will,  hereafter, 
derive  great  advantages  from  those  internal  com- 
munications. 

San  Carlos  is  a  little  town  founded  by  the 
first  missionaries  in  Venezuela.  It  is  situated  on 
the  border  of  the  small  river  Aguare,  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  Spanish  geographers,  is  in  9°  20' 
N.  latitude.  The  river  runs  into  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  Apure.  The  inhabitants  of  this 
district  originate  chiefly  from  the  Canary  Islands, 
and  are  considered  laborious  and  industrious. 
They  cultivate  all  that  is  necessary  for  their 
maintenance,  which  is  maize  and  the  roots  of 
the  country,  as  also  coffee  and  indigo  ;  but  their 
principal  wealth  consists  in  their  flocks.     It  is  a 


CALABOSO.  «  7& 

very  handsome  town,  and  contained  more  than 
fifteen  thousand  inhabitants  in  180?.  San  Car- 
los is  sixty  leagues  south-wast  of  Caraccas,  and 
twenty-five  from  Lake  Tacarigua. 

Baria  is  the  name  of  a  little  town  placed  at 
five  leagues  to  the  east  of  San  Carlos,  on  the 
bank  of  the  river  Sarare,  which  communicates 
with  the  river  Apure  by  the  Portuguese  river. 
It  is  a  canton  of  pasturage  and  flocks,  and  con- 
tains six  thousand  inhabitants. 

Calaboso  was  formerly  a  village  of  Indians, 
but  the  Guipuscoa  company  having  deemed  it 
expedient  to  establish  a  staple  there,  towards  the 
middle  of  the  last  century,  the  village  became 
changed  into  a  well-built  town.  Its  territory  is 
covered  with  flocks.  This  country  was  infested, 
in  1802,  by  a  band  of  robbers,  who  employed 
themselves  in  hunting  the  horses,  oxen,  mules, 
&c.  for  their  hides,  which  they  took  to  Trinidad 
for  sale.  It  was  the  only  instance  that  I  had 
ever  heard  of  a  band  of  plunderers  in  the  Spanish 
colonies.  It  is  situated  in  8°  40'  N.  latitude,  is 
fifty-two  leagues  from  Caraccas,  and  on  the  bor- 
der of  the  Guarico,  a  fine  navigable  river  that 
runs  into  the  Apure.  Fifteen  thousand  indivi- 
duals, of  all  casts,  compose  the  population  of  its 
territory. 

Such  is  the  description  of  the  principal  towns 
in  the  province  of  Caraccas  (formerly  the  pro- 
vince of  Venezuela,  properly  speaking)  and  of 
their  territories.   The  population  of  those  towns  is 


76  NATIVES. 

not  composed,  as  those  of  the  greater  part  of 
Europe,  which  are  not  essentially  commercial  or 
manufacturing,  of  proprietors  and  annuitants, 
who  do  nothing  more  than  spend  their  revenues, 
and  of  traders.  The  inhabitants  of  those  towns 
and  villages  of  Venezuela  are  generally  farmers, 
who  cultivate  their  lands,  or  keep  numerous 
flocks  and  herds  in  the  surrounding  countries. 
Priests,  physicians,  escrivanos  (lawyers,  who  are, 
at  the  same  time,  barristers,  notaries,  attornies, 
and  even  bailiffs,)  and  a  few  shopkeepers  form 
the  remainder  of  the  population.  There  are  no- 
thing but  forests  and  natural  meadows  (savanas) 
in  the  intervals  that  separate  the  territory  of  a 
town  or  village  from  the  neighbouring  towns  or 
villages,  which  are.  generally  ten  or  fifteen 
leagues  from  each  other.  There  are  also  found 
occasionally,  usually  at  ten  leagues  distance,  mis* 
sions  or  villages  of  half  civilized  Indians. 

A  statement  of  the  agricultural  productions, 
flocks,  &c„  of  Caraccas,  arid  the  other  confedera- 
ted provinces  or  states,  will  be  found  in  another 
chapter.  It  has  been  already  stated  that  the 
population  of  the  province  of  Caraccas  in  the 
year  1810,  was  496,772.  • 


VftMANA.  77 


CHAP.  II. 


Cum  ana.— Historical  and  Geographical  Sketch  of  the  Province—Privi- 
leges granted  by  Pope  Alexander  VI. — Conduct  of  the  first  Spanish 
Invaders.— Retaliation  of  the  Indians. — tiartheleray  de  Las  Casas.— 
Ocampo. — Biographical  Sketch  of  Las  Casas.— Extract  from  his 
History. — City  of  Cumana. — Its  Prosperity  under  Emparan.— Its 
Population. — Public  Amusements.— .Anecdote  of  M.  de  Humboldt. 
— System  of  Education. — Price  of  Provisions.— Manners.— Trade. — 
Defences  and  Fortifications.— Gulph  of  Caricao.— Marine  Birds- 
Singular  Mode  of  catching  them.— Carupana.— Valley  of  Yaguaca- 
paro. — Cumanacoa. — Grotto  of  Guacharo. — Indian  Superstitions.— 
New  Barcelona. — Its  Productions  and  Trade. — Conception  del 
Pas. — Remarks. — Guiana. — Derivations. — San  Tome  de  Augus- 
tura.— ^State  of  the  Indian  Tribes.— Mode  of  recognizing  Flocks. — 
Wild  Horses,  Mules,  &c.— Curious  Account  of  them. — Province 
of  Varinas— Account  of  the  Inhabitants. — Maracaybo. — Popula- 
tion.—bland  of  Margarita— An  Original. — Decoration  of  the  Vir- 
gin and  Anecdote.— rPompatar.— A  Sermon. — Theological  Disputa- 
tion.— Bulls  and  Indulgences.— Faxardo.— Margarita  described.— 
Assoncion.— Fisheries.— Departure. 

I  have  already  said  that  Alfonso  Qjeda  recon- 
noitred the  Lake  of  Maracaybo  in  1499.  In  the 
month  of  July  of  the  preceding  year,  Christo- 
pher Columbus,  in  his  third  voyage  to  the  new 
world,  discovered  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  and 
the  countries  now  known  by  the  name  of  Gui- 
ana, Cape  de  Paria,  Cumana,  &c.  His  design  was 
to  proceed  as  far  as  the  Equator;  but  frequent  calms 


78  COLUMBUS. 

prevented  its  execution,  and  the  currents  carried 
him  as  far  as  that  mouth  of  the  Orinoco,  or  ra- 
ther the  Gulf  of  Paria,  situated  between  the 
Island  of  Trinidad  and  the  continent,  and  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  Las  Bocas  del  Drago, 
or  Dragon's  Mouths ;  it  was  in  this  place  that  the 
above  great  man  was  convinced,  for  the  first  time, 
of  the  existence  of  that  continent  which  ought  to 
bear  his  name.  "  Such  a  prodigious  quantity  of 
fresh  water"  (the  waters  of  the  Orinoco,)  said 
Columbus  to  his  men,  "  can  be  discharged  only 
by  a  river  of  very  long  course  ;  the  land  which 
possesses  so  much  water,  must  be  a  continent, 
and  not  an  island."  Ferdinando  Columbus  informs 
us  that  his  father  coasted  the  continent  as  far  as 
to  the  west  of  the  Testigos  islands,  and  then  re- 
turned to  San  Domingo. 

Scarcely  had  the  news  of  this  discovery  reached 
Spain,  than  the  crafty  adventurers  Americo 
Vespucci,  Alfonso  Ojeda,  Christopher  Guerra, 
&o.  obtained  permission  to  trade  on  those 
coasts.  I  have  already  mentioned  the  two  for- 
mer. Christopher  Guerra  traded  with  the  na- 
tives of  Cape  de  Paria,  Margarita,  Cubagua,  and 
Cumanagoto.  He  bartered  trifles  for  pearls, 
gold,  dying  woods,  balsams,  &c.  From  Bar- 
celona, Guerra  went  to  Coro,  where  he  found 
the  natives  hostile,  and  they  refused  to  treat 
with  him. 

Guerra  having  returned  to  Spain  with  a  rich 
cargo,  the  rumour  of  his  success  incited  the  mer- 


PAPAL    POWER.  79 

chants  of  all  the  ports  to  make  speculations  to 
those  countries ;  but  Charles  V,  having  given 
permission,  by  an  edict,  to  take,  as  slaves,  all 
the  Indians  who  should  embarrass  the  trade,  or 
oppose  the  taking  possession  of  the  countries  dis- 
covered by  Columbus,  this  traffic  soon  changed 
into  a  horrible  piracy. 

It  is  well  known  that  Pope  Alexander  VI, 
who,  owing  to  the  besotted  prejudices  of  those 
times,  was  king  of  kings,  had  divided,  in  1493, 
the  discoveries  made,  or  to  be  made  in  the  new 
world,  between  the  Kings  of  Spain  and  Portu- 
gal. Gunpowder,  tortures,  and  slavery,  were 
the  means  employed,  at  first,  to  force  the  abori- 
ginal inhabitants  to  enter  the  church  of  the  sove- 
reign pontiffs:  who,  at  that  period,  tyrannized 
over  monarchs  and  their  ignorant  people,  disho- 
noured the  name  of  Christian  by  their  infamous 
conduct,  and  disfigured  the  benevolent  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  by  introducing  into  his  worship  the 
superstitions  of  paganism,  the  absurdities  of  their 
own  imagination,  and  the  intolerance  of  the  first 
disciples  of  Mahomet.  Consuming  with  a  thirst 
of  gold,  inflamed  by  an  ignoble  ambition,  and 
misled  by  a  sanguinary  fanaticism,  the  war  which 
those  adventurers  waged  in  the  new  world  ac- 
quired the  superstitious  character  of  the  crusades 
without  possessing  their  heroism. 

Columbus  had  taken  out  missionaries  on  his 
second  voyage  of  discovery.  That  extraordinary 
man,   whose  virtues  have  not  been  sufficiently 


80  PIRATES. 

Celebrated,  hod  chosen  for  converting  the  na- 
tives to  Christianity  and  civilization,  not  fero- 
cious fanatics,  but  enlightened  and  benevolent 
ecclesiastics.  A  short  time  afterwards,  Cordova, 
whom  the  history  of  the  Spanish  missions  re- 
presents as  a  man  endowed  with  every  virtue, 
obtained  permission  from  Charles  V.  to  preach 
the  gospel  in  the  country  of  Cumana.  His 
health  not  allowing  him  to  undertake  that  voy- 
age, he  sent  his  brother  there,  Francisco  de 
Cordova,  and  Juan  Garcias;  those  two  mis- 
sionaries arrived  at  Cumana  in  1612.  The  mild- 
ftess  of  their  manners  gained  them  the  confidence 
of  the  Indians,  who  considered  them  divine 
beings. 

Pirates  continually  sailed  from  the  islands  of 
San  Domingo  and  Porto  Rico,  under  the  name 
of  conquerors.  One  of  those  vessels  arrived  at 
Cumana,  whilst  the  Fathers  Cordova  and  Garcias 
were  occupied  with  the  conversion  of  the  Indians. 
The  captain  of  the  pirates  landed  under  pretence 
of  trading  with  the  natives,  whom  the  humanity 
of  the  missionaries  had  reconciled  to  the  Spanish 
name.  The  chief  pirate  invited  the  cacique  with 
his  family,  to  dine  aboard  his  vessel,  they  went 
according  to  the  invitation,  accompanied  by  agreat 
number  of  Indians :  scarcely  had  they  reached  the 
ship,  than  the  pirate  set  sail  for  San  Domingo. 

This  act  of  villainy  raised  all  the  Indians  of  the 
country :  they  resolved  to  massacre  the  missiona- 
ries, whom  they  accused  of  being  accomplices  of  the 


MT&SIONARTES   BUTCHERED.  81 

pirates.  The  missionaries,  after  having  declared 
their  innocence,  promised  to  despatch  a  boat  im- 
mediately to  San  Domingo,  to  demand  their  chief 
and  countrymen:  on  this  condition  their  lives  were 
spared ;  but  with  the  assurance,  that  they  should 
be  put  to  death,  if  in  four  months  the  captives 
were  not  set  at  liberty.  The  pirates,  however, 
haying  refused  to  deliver  them  up,  the  fathers 
Cordova  and  Garcias  were  killed.  Las  Casas  re- 
lates, that  many  more  missionaries  were  murdered 
in  the  island  of  Trinidad,  and  other  parts  of  the 
province  of  Cumana,  because  the  Spanish  pirates 
had  carried  off  the  natives.  In  that  age  of  pro- 
sely tism,  those  terrible  examples  made  no  impres- 
sion on  men  who  sighed  with  ardour  for  the  crown 
of  martyrdom.  New  missionaries  went  to  Cumana, 
and  the  pirates  not  desisting  from  their  incursions 
on  the  coasts,  to  make  captives  of  the  Indians, 
the  latter  regularly  made  reprisals  on  the  mission- 
aries, and  put  them  to  death.  In  1519,  all  the 
Spaniards,  who  were  settled  in  that  country, 
were  destroyed. 

It  was  then  about  six  years  since  the  worthy 
Las  Casas  had  travelled  over  the  colonies  to 
preach  humanity  to  his  ferocious  countrymen.  It 
is  impossible  to  read  without  shuddering,  the  re- 
citals made  by  the  virtuous  Bishop  of  Chiapa,  of 
the  cruelties  committed  in  those  regions,  the  mas- 
sacres of  millions  of  Indians,  immolated  by  fana- 
ticism and  avarice. 

Las  Casas  had  gone  to  the  new  world  at  the 


82  LA8    CASAS. 

age  of  thirteen  years,  with  his  father,  at  the 
very  time  of  its  discovery.  Interested  by  the 
mildness  of  the  Indians,  he  entered  into  holy 
orders,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  their  con- 
version; but  as  he  was  naturally  endowed  with 
a  generous  and  feeling  heart,  he  thought  that  his 
time  would  be  better  employed  in  pleading  the 
cause  of  those  unfortunate  beings  at  the  court 
of  his  sovereign,  which  drew  from  his  criminal 
cotemporaries  those  absurd  calumnies,  that  all 
who  have  seriously  studied  the  history  of  those 
times,  are  disgusted  in  finding  so  flippantly  re- 
peated by  historians,  otherwise  respectable.  "  He 
was,"  says  Raynal,  "  continually  seen  flying  from 
one  hemisphere  to  the  other,  to  console  the  peo- 
ple, and  humanize  their  tyrants.  The  inutility 
of  his  efforts  at  length  convinced  him  that  he 
could  never  obtain  any  thing  for  the  settlements 
already  formed,  and  he  therefore  proposed  to 
establish  a  colony  on  a  new  basis." 

In  1519,  he  arrived  at  Porto  Rico  with  three 
hundred  Castilian  labourers,  and  a  few  days  after- 
wards departed  for  Cumana,  to  found  his  new  co- 
lony there.  Charles  V.  had  then  given  him  the 
title  of  governor  of  Cumana :  knowing  that  his 
countrymen  were  held  in  horror  by  the  natives, 
he  contrived  to  distinguish  his  colonists  by  a  parti- 
cular dress,  decorated  with  a  cross,  in  order  that 
the  Indians  might  make  a  distinction  between 
them  and  other  Spaniards. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Las  Casasat  Cumana, 


OCAMPO.  83 

Gonzalo  Ocampo  was  sent  there  by  the  audienoia 
of  St.  Domingo,  in  the  capacity  of  military  com- 
mander, and  to  revenge  the  massacres  which  the 
Indians  had  committed  on  his  countrymen.  When 
Ocampo  appeared  on  the  coast  at  the  entrance  of 
the  Gulf  of  Cariaco,  he  received  the  visits  of  seve- 
ral Indians,  and  after  having  caressed  them  for 
some  moments,  that  he  might  attract  a  greater 
number  on  board  his  ships^he  had  them  hung 
up  to  the  yards,  after  which  he  landed  with  his 
artillery,  and  shot  all  the  natives  who  fell  into 
his  power.  He  refused  to  deliver  the  government 
of  the  country  to  Las  Casas:  the  latter,  after 
having  lodged  his  colonists  in  a  kind  of  fort  sur- 
rounded with  palisades,  embarked  for  St.  Do- 
mingo, in  order  to  inform  the  audiencia  of  the. 
conduct  and  rebellion  of  Ocampo,  who  soon  fol- 
lowed him,  leaving  all  his  people  in  the  small  is- 
land of  Cubagua.  The  Indians,  who  could  not 
conceive  that  there  were  honest  men  among  the 
Spaniards,  attacked  the  colonists  of  Las  Casas  by 
night,  and  massacred  all  those  who  were  not 
able  to  save  themselves  by  escaping  to  Cuba- 
gua;  after  which  they  exterminated  the  other. 
Spaniards  who  were  scattered  through  the  pro- 
vince. 

The  audiencia  of  St.  Domingo  sent,  in  1523, 
Diego  Castillon  to  Cumana,  as  governor,  and 
with  a  force  sufficient  to  protect  him  from  the 
vengeance  of  the  Indians.  The  Spanish  histo- 
rians represent  him  as  a  chief  equally  prudent, 

g  2 


84  WANTON    AGGRESSIONS. 

resolute  and  humane  ;  who  was  capable,  at  once 
of  restraining  the  disposition  which  his  country- 
men had  for  plunder,  and  that  of  the  natives  to 
revenge  themselves  for  so  many  cruelties.  How- 
ever, it  appears  from  the  accounts  of  cotempo- 
rary  writers,  that,  as  before,  the  Spaniards  were 
always  in  a  state  of  war  with  the  original  inhabi- 
tants. Now,  those  who  have  had  the  means  of 
studying  the  character  of  the  latter,  know  that 
they  are  never  the  aggressors,  and  that  the  Indians 
have  on  no  occasion  taken  arms  against  the  whites, 
except  when  forced  to  do  so  by  some  great 
outrage,  or  enormous  oppressions.* 

I  have  long  resided  in  the  neighbourhood  of 


*  I  hope  I  shall  not  be  accused  of  inconsistency  on  the  reader's 
perusing  what  I  bring  forward  in  a  future  chapter  relative  to  the 
Caribs  of  St  Vincent's  massacre  of  the  white  inhabitants  of  that 
island,  of  whom  they  had  no  reason  to  complain.  But  those  pre- 
tended Caribs  were  Zamboes,  men  half  civilized,  who  had  been 
seduced  by  interested  whites  to  commit  those  hostilities.  And  if 
the  detractors  of  the  Indians  should  oppose  to  me  the  frequent 
incursions  of  the  savages  of  North  America  against  the  citizens  of' 
the  United  States,  I  would  answer,  that  the  attacks  of  those  Indians, 
are  always  reprisals  for  cruelty  or  injustice  committed  by  some 
dastardly  American,  f 

t  The  recent  conduct  of  the  American  Government,  and  of  its 
blood-thirsty  general,  which  mark  both  with  a  character  of  in- 
delible infamy,  fully  proves  the  exact  justice  of  the  author's  re- 
mark. But  it  is  hoped  Great  Britain  is  fast  approaching  that 
period,  when  such  a  monster  as  Mr.  Jackson  will  not  be  able  to 
hang  Englishmen  with  impunity ! ! — Ed. 


LAS  CAS  AS.  85 

savages,  have  had  daily  intercourse  with  them, 
and  I  declare  that  I  have  never  known  a  single 
instance  wherein  an  Indian  was  the  aggressor  in 
a  quarrel  with  a  white  man,  or  that  he  had 
acted  unjustly  towards  one,  without  having  been 
driven  to  it,  or  led  on  by  a  white,  mulatto,  or  • 
a  negro. 

But  to  return  to  the  situation  of  the  province 
of  Cumana  during  the  government  of  Diego  Cas- 
tillon,  it  appears,  that  there  was  less  anarchy 
and  pillage  under  this  governor  than  during  the 
administrations  of  his  predecessors. 

The  virtuous  Las  Casas,  who  has  left  us*  a 
hideous  portrait  of  the  history  of  those  times, 
would  certainly  not  have  omitted  to  mention  Cas- 
tilloh  with  respect,  if  he  had  been  the  protector 
of  the  Indians.  The  Bishop  of  Chiapa  has  not 
transmitted  to  us  the  names  of  the  execrable 
beings  whose  crimes  he  recounts,  and  the  dates 
are  too  negligently  placed  in  his  history  to  serve 
as  guides.  As  I  believe  that  his  account  of  the 
injustice  and  crimes  committed  against  the  In- 
dians on  the  pearl  coast  (the  coast  of  Cumana,) 
may  be  placed  as  well  to  the  time  of  Castillon, 
as  to  that  of  his  predecessors,  I  hope  to  gratify 
my  readers  by  the  following  extract  from  the 
celebrated  bishop's  history. 

"  The  Spaniards  carried  off  from  those  coasts 
(the  provinces  of  Cumana  and  Venezuela)  more 
than  two  millions  of  men,  to  transport  them  to 


86  SPANISH   BARBARITY. 

the  Islands  of  San  Domingo  and  Porto  Rico ; 
where  the  greater  part  of  them  perished  in  the 
mines,  or  from  the  hardships  to  which  they  were 
otherwise  subjected.  It  is  a  circumstance  deserv- 
ing compassion,  and  capable  of  affecting  the 
greatest  barbarians,  that  this  coast,  which  was 
once  so  populous,  is  now  absolutely  deserted.  It 
has  been  remarked,  by  intelligent  persons,  that 
p  third  of  the  slaves  taken  by  the  Spaniards  on 
board  their  ships,  die  during  the  voyage,  with- 
out speaking  of  those  whom  they  kill  when  they 
break  into  the  houses,  to  carry  off  those  unhappy 
beings.  The  object  of  the  Spaniards  in  com- 
mitting those  violences,  is  to  enrich  themselves 
by  any  means :  they  require  a  great  number  of 
slaves  in  order  to  amass  a  large  sum  of  money : 
they  lay  in  a  very  small  stock  of  provisions  and 
water  for  all  those  persons  in  their  vessels,  to 
avoid  being  at  too  much  expence  for  the  subsis- 
tence of  those  poor  Indians :  scarcely  is  there 
sufficient  to  maintain  the  Spaniards  who  work 
the  ships ;  wherefore,  it  happens  that  the  Indians 
worn  out  with  hunger  and  thirst,  die  miserably, 
and  a  great  portion  of  them  is  thrown  into  the  sea, 
in  order  to  save  the  remainder.  A  pilot  of  a  ves- 
sel informed  me,  that  in  sailing  from  the  Island 
of  Lucayos  to  St.  Domingo,  the  passage  being 
about  seventy  leagues,  he  had  no  occasion  to  use 
a  compass,  or  observe  the  stars,  for  steering  his 
vessel,  as  be  assured  me  that  the  dead  bodies  of 


SPANISH    &ARBARITY.  87 

Indians  served  to  track  his  course,  and  that  he 
thereby  arrived  in  due  time  without  missing  his 
destined  port. 

"  When  the  Indians  arrive  at  the  island  where 
they  are  destined  to  be  sold,  no  one  can  look  at 
them  without  feelings  of  pity,  unless  a  mere  bar- 
barian ;  men,  women,  and  children  are  seen  quite 
naked,  wasted  by  hunger  and  fatigue,  scarcely 
able  to  support  themselves,  and  fainting  from  lan- 
guor and  debility:  they  are  formed  into  flocks 
like  sheep,  the  husband  separated  from  his  wife, 
the  children  from  their  fathers  and  mothers :  they 
are  parcelled  into  gangs  of  tens  and  twenties, 
and  lots  are  drawn  to  decide  to  whom  they  shall 
belong  in  the  division.  Thus  it  is  that  the  pirates 
behave,  who  arm  and  equip  vessels  to  ravish  the 
unhappy  Indians  from  their  native  homes,  to 
enrich  themselves  at  their  cost,  by  reducing  them 
to  slavery.  When  the  lot  falls  on  a  gang  in 
which  there  is  an  old  or  sick  person,  he  to  whom 
it  is  destined,  generally  speaks  thus  :  why  do  you 
give  me  that  old  fellow  who  is  good  for  nothing, 
and  a  dead  loss  to  me  ?  what  shall  I  do  with  this 
sick  man,  who  will  be  only  an  expence  to  me,  and 
whose  disease  makes  him  completely  useless? 
By  this  it  may  be  seea  what  little  value  the 
Spaniards  place  on  the  Indians,  and  how  badly 
they  fulfil  the  precepts  of.  Christian  charity ; 
since  they  love  neither  God  nor  their  neighbour ; 
on  which,  however,  depend  the  law  and  the 
prophets. 


88  PEARL    FISHERY, 

"  Nothing  more  cruel  or  detestable  can  be 
imagined  than  the  tyranny  which  the  Spani- 
ards exercise  in  collecting  and  entrapping  those 
poor  Indians,  when  they  go  in-  quest  of  slaves, 
to  employ  them  in  the  pearl  fishery :  the  pains 
of  Hell  can  alone  be  compared  to  what  they 
inflict  on  the  sufferers:  those  experienced  in 
the  mines  from  whence  gold  is  extracted, 
are  much  less  agonizing,  though  they  are  also 
horrible.  They  force  them  to  dive  in  the  sea 
in  the  depth  of  five  or  six  fathoms ;  there 
they  swim  about  to  collect  the  oysters  in  which 
pearls  are  found ;  they  come  up  to  the  surface 
of  the  water  with  nets  full  of  those  oysters, 
to  breathe  and  avoid  suffocation : .  if  they  hap- 
pen to  stay  there  a  little  too  long,  an  inexo- 
rable Spaniard,  who  is  near  them  in  a  small 
boat,  flogs  them  dreadfully  and  loads  them  with 
stripes :  he  seizes  them  by  the  hair  to  force  them 
to  plunge  into  the  water  again  and  renew  the 
fishery.  They  are  fed  with  a  morsel  of  fish  and 
bread  that  is  dry  and  without  nourishment ;  even 
of  this,  they  do  not  receive  enough  to  satisfy  their 
hunger.  They  have  no  other  bed  than  the  hard 
ground,  on  which  they  sleep  in  chains,  to  pre- 
vent  their  escape.  They  frequently  drown  them- 
selves at  this  fishery,  or  are  devoured  by  sea 
monsters,  insomuch  that  there  is  nothing  more 
heard  of  them. 

"  It  is  easy  to  perceive  by  what  I  have  said, 
that  the  precept  of  charity  is  badly  observed  in  the 


PEARL   FISHERY.  89 

pearl  fishery,  since  those  unhappy  slaves  are 
exposed  to  such  imminent  danger  of  perishing ; 
the  avarice  of  the  Spaniards,  whose  sole  object 
is  gain,  is  the  reason  that  they  never  take  the 
trouble  to  instruct  their  slaves,  or  administer 
the  sacrament  to  them :  they  tax  them  with  so 
much  labour  that  they  die  in  a  short  time ;  for  it 
is  impossible  for  men  to  continue  long  under 
water,  and  bear  the  hardships  which  they  suffer. 
The  intensity  of  the  cold  is  such,  that  it  causes 
them  to  vomit  blood,  and  they  often  die  of  it,, 
because  they  have  their  stomachs  too  much  op- 
pressed, being  obliged  to  retain  their  breath  so 
long  under  water ;  besides  that  the  excessive  cold 
they  endure,  causes  a  flux  of  blood.  They  have 
naturally  black  hair,  but  their  fatigues  cause  its 
colour  to  change,  and  it  becomes  similar  to  that 
of  the  sea- wolf.  The  foam  of  the  sea  coagulates 
and  so  attaches  to  their  shoulders,  that  they 
resemble  monsters  more  than  men.  The  Spani- 
ards have  destroyed  by  the  labours  of  this  fishery, 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Lucayas,  who  were  the 
most  expert  and  accustomed  to  this  occupation. 
That  is  the  reason  why  they  sold  Indians  of  the 
country,  at  fifty  or  a  hundred  crowns  each.  The 
Lucayans  have  an  astonishing  facility  in  swimming 
and  diving :  such  of  the  natives  of  other  provinces 
also,  as  could*  be  caught,  were  employed  in  this 
fishery,  and  an  infinity  of  them  were  lost  in  H."* 

*  Vide  the  Discovery  of  the  West  Indies  by  B.  de  Las  Casas, 


90  LAS    CASAS. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  conduct  of  the 
governor  Castillou  towards  the  Indians,  he  was 
the  real  founder  of  the  town  and  colony  of  Cu- 
mana.  Gonzales  Ocampo,  it  is  true,  is  the  reput- 


Bishop  of  Chiapa,  &c.  Having  had  occasion  to  mention  this 
celebrated  man  so  frequently,  I  hope  my  readers  will  be  grati- 
fied by  a  short  sketch  of  his  valuable  life,  which  was  spent  in 
a  constant  series  of  the  most  active  benevolence  and  exalted 
humanity. 

Bartholomew  de  Las  Casas,  Bishop  of  Chiapa  in  Mexico, 
was  born  of  a  noble  family  in  Seville,  A.  D.  1469,  according  to 
some  historians,  and  in  1474,  according  to  others.  At  the  age 
of  nineteen  he  went  to  St  Domingo  with  his  father  Antonio  de 
Las  Casas,  who  accompanied  Christopher  Columbus  in  his  first 
voyage  to  the  new  world.  On  his  return  to  Spain,  he  adopted 
the  ecclesiastical  profession,  and  afterwards  entered  into  the 
fraternity  of  Dominicans,  in  order  to  become  a  missionary  for 
the  conversion  of  the  Indians.  In  1533  he  lived  at  the  convent 
of  St.  Dominic,  in  the  Island  of  St.  Domingo,  where  he  occu- 
pied himself  in  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Indians,  and  huma- 
nity to  their  insatiable  and  ferocious  tyrants.  The  most  faithful 
and  impartial  historian  of  that  period,  Oviedo  V aides,  a  Spanish 
officer,  who  passed  nearly  all  his  life  in  America,  informs  us 
that  there  was,  in  1519,  an  insurrection  of  the  Indians  caused 
by  a  Spaniard  having  violated  the  wife  of  the  Cacique  Don  Henry 
who  had  embraced  Christianity.  This  cacique  having  in  vain 
demanded  justice  on  the  ravisher  of  his  wife,  from  Peter  de  W 
dillo,  Lieutenant  of  the  Admiral  Jacomes  Columbus,  retired  with 
his  people  to  the  mountains  of  Beoruko,  from  whence  he  made 
war  against  the  Spaniards  for  nearly  fourteen  years.  Peace 
was  re-established  in  1533,  and  was  principally  the  work  of 
the  missionary  Las  Casas.  "  At  that  time/9  says  Oviedo, 
"  among  other  pious  monks  who  resided  in  the  monastery  of  St. 
Dominic,  was  Friar  B.  de  Las  Casas,  a  learned  man  of  good 
life  and  doctrine.  He  had  undertaken,  being  a  secular  priest, 
and  whilst  he  was  called  the  licentiate  B.  de  Las  Casas,  an 


LA8  CAS  A  8.  91 

ed  founder,  because,  he  had  made  a  settlement 
there  in  1620 ;  bat  that  was  destroyed  by  the 
natives,  who  were  almost  continually  at  war  with 
the  Spaniards  until  1666,    at  which  period  the 


affair  which  irritated  great  numbers  against  him,  and  of  which 
I  shall  give  an  account  in  Book  XIX.*'  It  will  soon  be  seen 
what  this  affair  was,  truly  glorious  for  Las  Casas,  who  awakened 
against  himself  the  hatred  of  the  robbers  that  devastated  the 
New  World,  and  which  furnished  a  pretence  for  their  calum- 
nies, repeated  by  some  historians.  Oviedo,  though  a  ooflquis- 
tader,  finishes  the  twelfth  chapter  of  his  sixth  book,  by  doing  jus* 
tice  to  the  virtues  and  knowledge  of  Las  Casas.  He  relates  how 
this  worthy  missionary  penetrated  into  the  forests  and  among 
the  mountains,  to  reconcile  the  Cacique  Henry  to  the  Spaniards ; 
how  he  concluded  a  peace  between  them,  which,  unfortunately, 
was  not  of  long  duration,  and  which  was  followed  by  the  exter- 
mination of  almost  all  the  natives*  This  is  the  affair  which  had 
drawn  on  Las  Casas  so  much  hatred  and  calumny.  Previous 
to  entering  the  order  of  Dominicans  he  had  presented  to  Charles 
V.  several  memorials  in  favour  of  the  unhappy  Indians.  The 
offers  he  made  for  mitigating  their  fate  having  been  useless,  he 
projected  the  founding  of  a  colony  on  principles  very  different 
from  those  which  his  countrymen  practiced.  He  obtained  leave 
from  the  emperor  to  be  seat  to  Cumana  in  the  quality  of  governor. 
Having  arrived  at  Porto  Rico  in  the  beginning  of  1519,  with 
three  hundred  Castilian  labourers,  a  short  time  afterwards  he 
went  to  Cumana,  to  establish  his  colonists  there.  Convinced 
that  his  countrymen  must  have  been  held  in  horror  by  the  natives, 
he  invented  the  mode  of  distinguishing  his  colonists  by  a  particu- 
lar dress,  decorated  with  a  white  cross*  in  order  that  they  might 
not  be  confounded  with  other  Spaniards.  Tp  gain  the  affection 
of  the  natives,  by  acting  according  to  the  benevolent  spirit  of 
the  gospel,  and  respecting  their  persons  and  properties,  was 
the  plan  of  Las  Casas  and  the  worthy  men  who  accompanied 
him.  Unfortunately,  a  short  time  before  his  arrival  at  Cumana, 
some  Spanish  pirates  who  took  the  name  of  oonquistadores,  had 


92  LAS  CASAS. 

latter  renounced  the  plan  of  converting  them 
with  muskets  and  scaffolds.  From  that  time  the 
Jesuits  and  other  missionaries,  with  only  the  arms 
of  perseverance  and  persuasion,  have  congregated 


made  incursions  on  the  coast  of  Trinidad,  Venezuela,  and  Cu- 
mana,  from  whence  they  carried  off  the  Indians,  whilst  they 
bartered  with,  and  made  feasts  for  them.  The  Indians  revenged 
themselves  by  exterminating  all  the  Spaniards  whom  they  could 
seize.  When  Las  Casas  arrived  at  Cumana  with  his  followers, 
Gonzalo  de  Ocampo,  who  had  been  sent  there  by  the  governor 
of  St.  Domingo,  in  the  capacity  of  military  commander,  refused 
to  acknowledge  his  authority.  Las  Casas,  after  having  placed 
his  men  in  a  fort  surrounded  with  palissades,  went  to  St.  Do- 
mingo, in  order  to  inform  the  governor  general  of  the  Indies, 
of  the  conduct  and  rebellion  of  Ocampo,  That  officer  caused 
the  natives  to  rise  en  masse,  by  his  exactions,  treachery  and 
cruelties;  and  as  they  could  not  believe  there  were  worthy 
men  among  the  Spaniards,  they  attacked  the  companions  of  Las 
Casas,  as  well  as  the  satellites  of  Ocampo,  and  massacred  all 
those  who  were  not  able  to  save  themselves  in  the  small  Island 
of  Cubagua.  It  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  profound  knowledge 
of  the  human  heart,  to  conceive  that  this  catastrophe  was  a  sub- 
ject of  triumph  for  those  base  and  perverse  men  who  founded 
their  fortunes  on  the  slavery  of  the  Indians.  Las  Casas  was  not 
discouraged,  he  was  seen  continually  hastening  from  one  hemi- 
sphere to  the  other,  going  from  America  to  Spain,  and  returning 
from  Spain  to  America,  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  unfortunate 
Indians:  no  wonder,  therefore,  if  so  much  zeal  and  virtue  irritated 
their  oppressors  against  him. 

There  was  another  ecclesiastic,  Sepulveda,  canon  of  Salamanca, 
the  theologian  and  historiographer  to  Charles  V.  who  composed 
a  work  entitled,  Democrates  Secundus,  seu  de  just  is  belli  eausi*, 
Sfc  or  in  other  words,  "  Democrates  the  second,  or  of  the  just 
causes  of  war;  an  inquiry  into  the  legality  of  attacking  the  In- 
dians with  armies,  to  usurp  their  lands,  properties  and  temporal 
goods,  and  even  to  kill  them  in  case  of  resistance ;  in  order  that 


LAS   CA8AS.  93 

them  in  villages  called  missions ;  they  have  given 
them  some  ideas  of  Christianity,  and  induced 
them  to  acquire  a  taste  for  architecture  and  the 
elementary  arts  of  a  social  state.  Europeans 
have  been  enabled  to  settle  among  them,  and 


being  thus  stripped  and  subjected,  they  may  be  more  easily  con- 
verted to  the  faith  by  missionaries."  Charles  V.  prohibited  this 
libel  from  being  printed;  but  it  was  circulated  at  Rome  with  the 
approbation  of  the  Pope,  and  the  monks  sent  it  to  Spain,  in  defi- 
ance of  the  sovereign  authority.  Las  Casas,  who  was  then  Bishop 
of  Chiapa,  refuted  this  odious  work  by  a  tract  which  bears  the 
noble  stamp  of  his  character ;  it  is  entitled,  Brevissima  relation 
de  la  destruicion  de  las  India*,  in  quarto,  Seville,  1552.  The  fe- 
rocious canon  did  not  deem  himself  conquered ;  he  demanded  a 
public  conference  with  Las  Casas,  and  continued  to  maintain  in 
bis  discourses  and  witings,  that  according  to  the  laws  of  nations, 
Charles  V*  might  force  the  Indians  to  acknowledge  him  for  their 
sovereign ;  and  that  according  to  the  laws  of  the  Romish  church, 
it  was  a  duty  to  exterminate  whoever  refused  to  embrace  its  re- 
ligion. Charles  V.  appointed  Domingo  de  Soto,  his  confessor,  to 
examine  this  great  process ;  but  that  monarch,  exhausted  with  care 
and  business,  never  decided  the  question :  so  that  the  Indians  con- 
tinued to  be  hunted,  exterminated,  and  orammed  into  the  mines; 
it  is  asserted  that  nearly  fifteen  millions  of  them  perished  in  less 
than  ten  years* 

There  is  an  absurd  accusation  which  has  long  weighed  heavily 
on  the  memory  of  Las  Casas,  from  the  sole  assertion  of  Herrara, 
who  has  written  the  History  of  the  New  World,  with  great  talent, 
no  doubt,  but  with  incorrectness  and  partiality :  he  accuses  Las 
Casas  himself,  of  having  advised  the  Spaniards  to  enter  into  the 
negro  slave  trade,  in  order  to  substitute  them  for  the  Indians, 
working  the  mines,  &c  The  Senator,  Gregoire,  formerly  Bishop 
of  Blois,  has  victoriously  refuted  this  calumny,  in  a  tract  entitled, 
An  Apology  for  B.  de  las  Casas,  inserted  in  the  fourth  volume  of 
theTransactions  of  the  Class  of  Moral  and  Political  Sciences  of  the 
Institute.    Like  him,  I  have  consulted  all  the  Spanish  and  Portu- 


94  LAS    CASAS. 

form  establishments  there.     History  will  record, 
that  the  missionaries  of  the  Romish  church  began 
to  have  success  among  the  natives,  only  since  it 
has  become  less  intolerant. 
The  town  of  Cumana,  now  a  commercial  place 


goalie  writers  of  that  period,  as  well  as  the  English  who  have 
written  on  commerce,  and  it  results  from  this  examination,  that 
the  accusers  of  the  Bishop  of  Chiapa,  Raynal,  de  Pauw,  Bryan 
Edwards,  &•»  and  even  the  illustrious  Robertson,  have  all  written 
on  the  faith  of  Herrera,  or  on  that  of  Father  Charlevoix,  who, 
whilst  he  wrote  on  the  subject  of  the  Spanish  colonies,  merely 
translates  Herrera  without  quoting  him.  Herrera  wrote  thirty 
years  after  the  death  of  Las  Casas,  and  he  displays  much  enmity 
to  that  great  man.  He  quotes  no  public  act,  no  document  in  fa- 
vour of  his  accusation  x  not  one  of  the  writers  who  were  cotem- 
poraries  of  Las  Casas  said  a  word  of  it,  though  many  of  them 
were  his  enemies,  and  had  endeavoured  to  render  him  odious  and 
contemptible.  Sepulveda  would  not  have  failed  to  avail  himself 
of  such  a  fact,  in  the  famous  conference  which  he  held  at  Valla- 
dolid  with  Las  Casas,  had  it  been  only  to  prove  him  inconsistent. 
Remesal,  the  author  of  the  history  of  Chiapa  and  Guatimala,  is 
also  silent  on  this  matter.  Lopez  de  Gomara,  in  his  Historia 
general  de  las  India*,  defames  the  Bishop  of  Chiapa ;  but  though 
Gomara  speaks  of  the  Negroes,  be  does  not  impute  to  Las  Casas 
the  crime  of  having  advised  the  trade  in  them.  Don  Juan  Lopes, 
Bishop  of  Monopoli,  and  a  Dominican,  who  has  written  a  history 
of  his  order,  eulogizes  Las  Casas,  and  says  not  a  word  of  Ne- 
groes* The  Abbe*  Racine,  who  is  deemed  a  severe  critic,  speaks 
in  the  highest  praise  of  him,  in  his  Ecclesiastical  History ;  nor  does 
he  mention  the  story  of  the  slave  trade,  any  more  than  the  pre- 
ceding authors. 

In  short,  there  exist  of  Las  Casas,  in  the  library  of  Mexico, 
three  volumes_of  manuscripts  in  folio,  of  which  there  is  a  copy  in 
the  library  of  the  Academy  of  Madrid  These  are  his  memoirs, 
his  official  and  familiar  letters,  and  other  political  and  theological 


LAS   CASAS.  95 

of  the  first  rank  in  the  new  world,  was,  forty 
years  ago,  only  a  miserable  village,  which  receiv- 
ed annually  two  or  three  small  vessels  from  Spain, 
that  divided  the  trade  of  the  country  with  the 


works.  So  far  from  finding,  in  all  those  writings,  a  word  from 
whence  it  might  be  inferred,  that  be  had  recommended  the  slavery 
of  the  negroes  to  be  substituted  for  that  of  the  Indians,  it  is  seen 
that  in  three  or  four  places  where  he  had  occasion  to  mention  the 
negro  stores,  he  commiserated  their  sufferings  as  he  did  those  of 
the  Indians. 

How  is  it  that  the  historians,  who  have  repeated  and  trans- 
mitted the  calumny  of  Herrera,  have  been  ignorant  that  many 
years  before  the  birth  of  Las  Casas,  and  the  discovery  of  the 
New  World,  the  Portuguese  navigators  were  accustomed  to  pur- 
chase and  steal  black  slaves  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  to  sell  them  to 
their  countrymen  and  to  the  Spaniards  ? 

Oviedo,  book  IV.  chap.  IV.  mentions  a  revolt  of  the  Iolof 
negroes,  which  took  place  at  St.  Domingo  in  1522,  and  which 
began  on  the  plantation  of  the  Admiral  Jacomo  Columbus.  This 
exact  and  even  triflingly  minute  writer,  does  not  mention  when 
and  how  those  negroes  had  been  introduced ;  and  the  cause  of  his 
silence  is  easily  explained :  it  was,  that  the  Spaniards  having 
been  accustomed  to  the  services  of  Negro  slaves,  previous  to  the 
discovery  of  the  new  world,  took  them  there  along  with  them- 
selves. In  this  they  merely  followed  the  bad  example  of  the  an- 
cients, the  nations  of  India,  the  Greeks,  the  Macedonians  of 
the  time  of  Alexander,  and  the  Romans. 

(  To  judge  therefore  from  the  above  facts,  it  is  evident  that  Las 
Casas  never  advised  the  slave  trade ;  and  that  thus  his  memory 
should  be  handed  down  to  posterity,  pure  and  without  stain ;  that 
we  should  look  upon  him  as  one  of  those  extraordinary  men,  who 
received  from  nature  a  superior  mind,  undaunted  courage,  and  a 
gift  still  more  rare,  that  of  sympathising  in  the  misfortunes  of  his 
fellow  creatures :  privileged  and  beneficent  beings,  who  appear 
occasionally  on  earth  to  console  men  of  worth  for  partaking  the 
F  man  with  rogues  who  cheat,  cowards  who  dishonour, 


96  LAS   CASAS. 

Dntch  and  English  smugglers.  When  the  edict  of 
King  Charles  III.  dated  the  12th  November,  1778, 
vulgarly  called  that  of  free  trade,  and  which  put 
an  end  to  the  monopoly  of  the  Guipuscoa  Com- 


and  the  wicked  who  oppress  it ;  true  philanthropists,  who  no  more 
resemble  certain  mountebanks  and  hypocrites,  who  have  in  our 
days  usurped  that  name,  than  copper  resembles  gold ! 

Las  Casas  was  a  theologian,  publicist  and  distinguished  histo- 
rian; he  has  been  accused  of  exaggeration  in  the  recitals  he 
made  of  the  crimes  committed  by  the  conquerors  of  the  New 
World.  The  Abbe*  Clavigero,  at  the  end  of  (he  second  volume  of 
his  History  of  Mexico,  seems  to  be  astonished  that  unreserved 
credit  is  given  to  the  relation  of  Las  Casas ;  and  yet  he  did  not 
abstain  from  retracing,  throughout  his  whole  history,  the  cruel- 
ties and  injustice  of  Cortes,  Alvaredo,  and  the  other  Spanish 
chiefs.  He  represents  Mexico,  Tlascala,  and  the  neighbouring 
states,  as  very  populous  at  the  time  of  the  conquest.  Clavigero 
agrees  on  this  point  with  Cortes,  who  wrote  to  Charles  V.  that 
he  Dad  subjected  to  his  arms,  and  united  to  his  crown,  states  more 
populous,  and  larger  cities,  than  his  states  and  cities  in  Spain ; 
which  has  caused  the  learned  and  judicious  Count  Carli  to  say  in 
his  American  Letters,  that  nothing  more  fully  proves  the  fidelity 
of  Las  Casas*s  recitals,  than  those  of  Cortes,  the  other  Spanish 
commanders,  and  of  Clavigero  hinelf;  since  the  indigenous 
population  was  reduced  to  such  a  small  number  of  individuals, 
fifty  years  after  the  conquest,  and  that  it  is  almost  extinct  in  the 
Antilles. 

Las  Casas  after  having  passed  fifty  years  in  the  New  World, 
and  traversed  the  ocean  twelve  or  thirteen  times,  to  plead  the 
cause  of  the  Indians,  in  Spain,  renounced  his  Bishopric,  and  re- 
turned in  1551,  to  his  native  country,  where  he  died,  after  having 
immortalized  himself  by  his  beneficence,  and  the  practice  of  every 
virtue. 

Such  a  noble  character  as  that  of  Las  Casas,  is  always  wor- 
thy of  being  claimed  by  a  country  to  which  he  belongs;  and 
this  induces  me  to  mention  his  French  origin.     Remesal,  in  his 


COUNT    DE    LAS    CABAS.  97 

pany,  revived  the  languishing  agriculture  and 
commerce :  the  population  of  this  province  more 
than  doubled  in  twenty  years,  and  the  riches  of 
the  country  augmented  in  a  progression  still  more 
considerable. 


History  of  the  Diocese  of  Chiapa,  says,  that  B.  de  las  Casas  was 
descended  from  a  noble  and  distinguished  family  in  France,  whose 
ancestors  had  gone  to  settle  in  Spain,  about  the  time,  of  St.  Fer- 
dinand. The  Bibliotheca  Mexicana,  a  biographical  work,  pub- 
lished at  Mexico,  in  1755,  also  observes,  in  speaking  of  Father 
B.  de  las  Casas :  Parentetn  clarissiqid  stirpe  virum  e  Gallic 
ductd,  Sfc.  This  "circumstance  is  found  confirmed  and  detailed  in 
an  old  chronicle  in  the  possession  of  a  branch  of  this  family, 
which  still  exists  under  the  name  of  Las  Casas,  lord  of  Belveze 
in  Languedoc.  The  head  of  the  Las  Casas  of  Belveze,  passed 
from  Spain  to  France,  in  1200,  with  Blanche,  mother  of  St. 
.  Louis. t 

t  The  immortal  bishop's  descendant,  Count,  Emmanuel  de  Las 
Casas,  already  well  known  to  the  British  public,  is  every  way 
worthy  of  his  glorioud  ancestor,  whether  viewed  in  the  amiable 
privacy  of  domestic  life,  or  in  the  more  distinguished  sphere  of 
politics  and  literature.  If  any  difference  of  opinion  can  exist, 
as  to  the  policy  adopted  by  the  minister*  of  England  towards 
Napoleon,  or  the  ignominious  treatment  our  once  formidable 
enemy  has  experienced  from  those  in  whose  power  he  placed 
himself  when  the  hour  of  misfortune  arrived,  no  one  can  be  in- 
sensible to  the  heroic  constancy  which  has  uniformly  actuated  the 
Count's  conduct  towards  his  fallen  master.  The  impartial  of 
our  own  days,  and  future  historians,  will  record  to  the  unfad- 
ing honour  of  this  truly  virtuous  man,  that  living  in  a  period 
of  almost  unprecedented  political  profligacy,  wtyen  disinterested- 
ness and  consistency  in  statesmen,  had  nearly  ceased  to  be  con- 
sidered as  virtues,  Count  de  Las  Casas  was  amongst  the  soli- 
tary few  who  redeemed  the  degraded  character  of  the  times,  by 
his  unshaken  attachment  to  the  sovereign  whom  he  had  acknow- 

H 


^ 


98  COUNT   DE    LAS   CA8A8. 

This  province,  its  capital  and  other  towns,  are 
honourable  monuments  of  the  prodigious  influence 
of  an  enlightened,  prudent,  and  disinterested 
governor  on  the  prosperity  of  a  colony.  During 
nearly  eleven  years  (from  1793  to  1804)  that 
Don  Vincente  de  Emparan  was  governor  of 
the  colony,    the    liberal    protection   which   he 


ledged  from  principle,  and  which,  instead  of  diminishing,  ad- 
versity only  tended  to  increase ! ! 

Driven  from  St  Helena  by  the  system  of  persecution  establish- 
ed there,  the  Count,  though  emaciated  in  health  and  broken  in 
spirit,  continues  to  advocate  the  cause  of  humanity,  violated  in 
the  person  of  Napoleon  and  his  meritorious  followers  in  exile. 
In  addition  to  his  u  Letters,19  and  petition  to  the  British  par- 
liament, published  by  Mr.  Ridgway,  appeals,  no  less  unanswer- 
able than  eloquent,  the  Count  has  in  a  series  of  letters  addressed 
to  the  sovereigns  lately  assembled  at  Aix  la  Chapelle,  vainly 
endeavoured  to  convince  those  august  personages  that  the  man 
whose  alliance  they  once  courted  with  so  much  avidity,  and  to 
whose  clemency  some  were  indebted  for  the  preservation  of  their 
thrones,  has  strong  claims  on  their  magnanimity,  and  is  entitled  to 
less  harsh  treatment. 

Besides  several  memoirs  presented  to  the  Emperor,  while  em* 
ployed  on  various  important  missions,  all  of  which  related  to  the 
improvement  of  some  branch  4>f  the  legislature,  public  works,  or 
institutions  of  beneficenoe,  Europe  is  indebted  to  Count  de  Las 
Casas  for  the  Atlis  Historique,  <&c.  a  work  unequalled  in 
the  annals  of  literature,  either  as  to  the  extent,  variety,  or  im- 
portance of  its  multifarious  contents.  This  stupendous  production 
was  the  fruit  of  his  emigration,  and  partly  written  in  the  United 
Kingdom.  As  it  continues  to  be  published  under  the  name  of 
A.  Le  Sage,  many  are  unacquainted  with  the  real  author;  but 
the  editor  promises  himself  the  pleasure  of  making  the  Historical 
Atlas  more  generally  known  and  appreciated  amongst  his  ooun 
trymen  on  a  future  day. 


DON    VINCENTE    DE   EMPARAN.  99 

granted  to  agriculture  and  commerce,  had  aug- 
mented, in  1805,  the  colonial  produce  to  double 
the  quantity  that  it  was  in  1799 ;  every  class  of 
society  was  in  good  circumstances,  and  many  per- 
sons had  acquired  considerable  fortunes.  The  town 
of  Cumana,  situated  at  half  a  league  from  the  sea, 
and  on  the  shores  of  the  gulf  of  Cariaco,  increased 
to  triple  its  former  size ;  houses  elegantly  built, 
and  with  Italian  roofs,  replaced  hovels  and  huts ; 
and  a  new  quarter  or  suburb,  that  rivals  the  ancient 
town,  took  the  venerated  name  of  Emparan. 

When  Don  Vincente  de  Emparan  was  governor 
of  Cumana,  he  took  upon  himself  to  permit  the 
ships  of  friendly  and  neutral  powers  to  trade  with 
certain  restrictions  in  the  ports  of  his  government* 
This  wise  measure  disseminated  plenty  and  hap- 
piness in  his  province,  whilst  misery  and  despera- 
tion produced  revolts  in  the  neighbouring  colonies. 
His  sovereign,  far  from  reprimanding  him  for 
having  mitigated  the  gteverity  of  the  prohibitory 
laws,  in  consequence  of  the  urgency  of  the  case, 
praised  and  granted  him  especial  marks  of  favour. 

Formerly  (in  the  time  of  the  Welsers,)  the 
province  or  district  of  New  Barcelona,  formed  a 
part  of  the  country  ceded  to  them ;  but  there 
was  no  settlement  made  on  it  then.  At  that 
period  the  governor  of  Cumana  was  independent 
of  Venezuela.  In  1579,  Juan  Pimontel,  gover- 
nor of  the  last  named  province,  sent  Garcia  Gon- 
.zales,  at  the  head  of  one  hundred  Spaniards,  and 
four  hundred   natives  in  the  pay  of  Spain,  to 

h2 


100  GAfcCIA    GONZALES, 

repress  the  Cumanagotes  or  Quiriquirei  Indian*, 
enemies  of  the  Spaniards.  Though  Gonzales 
gained  several  advantages  over  various  tribes  of 
this  country ;  and  although,  if  we  can  give  credit 
to  Oviedo  y  Banos,  the  historian  of  Venezuela, 
he  could  temper  the  rigours  of  war  and  victory 
by  moderation  and  humanity,  which  caused  him 
to  be  surnamed  the  glorious,  by  his  contempora- 
ries; it  is  no  less  true,  that  the  Indians  were  very 
far  from  being  subjugated  and  pacified  in  1585. 
It  was  in  that  year  that  the  audienciaof*  St.  Do- 
mingo, in  which  the  supreme  government  of  the 
colonies  was  concentered  at  that  period,  ordered 
Christopher  Cobos  to  go  and  wage  war  at  his  own 
expence  against  the  Indians  of  Cumana  and  Vene- 
zuela, to  expiate  the  crime  of  his  father  Alonzo 
Cobos,  governor  of  Cumana,  who  had  caused  the 
assassination  of  Francisco  Faxardo,  celebrated  in 
the  annals  of  Venezuela. 

Luis  de  Roseas,  governor  of  Venezuela,  gave 
Christoper  Cobos  only  a  corps,  composed  of  a 
hundred  and  seventy  Spaniards,  and  three  hun- 
dred natives  to  execute  this  duty,  although  he  had 
been  commanded  by  the  audiencia  to  place  under 
his  orders  all  the  troops  at  his  disposal.  Animated 
by  the  necessity  of  effacing  the  stigma  attached  to 
his  name,  the  young  Cobos  did  not  hesitate  to  take 
the  field  with  this  handful  of  troops :  perform- 
ing prodigies  of  valour,  he  subjected  the  Indians 
who  ,  dwelt  near  the  river  Tuy,  Unare  and 
Neveri,   and  built  near  the  mouth  of  the  Salt 


CHRISTOPHER    COB08.  101 

River,  the  town  of  San  Christoval  (the  name  of 
his  patron,)  which  no  longer  exists,  its  inhabi- 
tants having  emigrated  to  Barcelona,  founded  by 
Joan  Urpin  in  1634. 

In  those  times  of  conquest  and  anarchy,  the 
Spanish  generals,  who  fought  at  two  thousand 
leagues  distance  from  their  sovereign,  acknow- 
ledged no  other  law  than  that  suggested  by  their 
strength  and  caprice.  Christopher  Cobos  en- 
raged at  the  scanty  force  Roxas  had  put  under 
his  command,  and  at  his  private  intrigues  to 
counteract  his  success,  did  homage  for  his  con- 
quest to  Rodrigo  Nunes  Lobo,  governor  of 
Cumana,  and  the  metropolitan  government 
approved  of  the  union  of  the  country  of  „the 
Cumanagotos  (the  district  of  Barcelona)  with  the 
government  of  Cumana.  From  thence  it  arises, 
that  the  governors  of  Cumana  style  themselves 
also  governors  of  Barcelona. 

According  to  M.  Depons,  the  population  of 
the  town  of  Cumana  was  twenty-four  thousand 
persons  in  1802.  When  I  was  there  in  1807, 
it  amounted  to  twenty-eight  thousand  and  up- 
wards; and  at  the  end  of  1810,  it  had  increased 
to  thirty  thousand  inhabitants,  almost  all  indus- 
trious and  laborious.  M.  Depons  also  states 
that  the  population  of  the  united  provinces  of 
Cumana,  or  New  Andalusia,  and  of  New  Barce- 
lona, was  then  only  eighty  thousand  souls,  in- 
cluding that  of  the  capital.     But  the  statements 


102  CUMANA. 

I  read  on  the  spot,  in  1807,  declared  this  popu- 
lation to  be  ninety-six  thousand  persons. 

The  town  of  Cumana  has  two  parish  churches 
and  two  convents  for  men ;  one  belonging  to  the 
Dominicans,  and  the  other  to  the  Franciscans. 
I  had  occasion  to  be  acquainted  with  the  friars  of 
those  two  convents  during  my  stay  there  in  1807, 
and  I  found  them  very  worthy  characters,  liberal 
and  enlightened  men,  strangers  to  all  ideas  of 
intolerance  and  persecution. 

There  is  no  edifice  in  Cumana  which  strikes 
you  by  its  magnificence.  This  town  has  a  theatre 
.much  smaller  than  that  of  Caraccas,  and  con- 
structed on  the  same  plan :  it  would  be  suffoca- 
ting to  be  in  a  theatre  built  in  the  European 
fashion;  besides,  it  rains  still  more  rarely  at 
Cumana  than  at  Caraccas.  The  actors  of  Cumana 
are  people  of  colour,  who  do  not  declaim  in  their 
parts,  but  merely  recite  them  with  a  most  tiresome 
monotony. 

Bull-feasts,  cock-fighting,  and  rope-dancing,  are 
the  amusements  most  frequented  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  this  town  and  the  rest  of  the  province. 
There  was  no  town  clock  in  Cumana  four  years 
ago :  while  M.  de  Humboldt  was  in  this  town, 
in  1800,  he  constructed  a  very  fine  sun-dial 
there.  When  a  stranger  passes  by  this  dial,  if 
he  be  in  company  with  a  Cumanese,  the  latter 
never  fails  to  say,  "  we  owe  this  sun-dial  to  the 
learned  Baron  de  Humboldt."  The  word  sahio, 
which  they  employ  on  this  occasion,  signifies, 


M.    DE    HUMBOLDT.  103 

in  the  mouth  of  a  Creole  of  the  Spanish  colonies, 
both  wise  and  learned.  I  remarked  that  they 
never  pronounced  the  name  of  this  illustrious 
traveller,  without  adding  to  it  the  epithet  of 
sabio,«and  they  speak  of  him  with  a  mingled  sen- 
timent of  admiration  and  regard.  They  are  happy 
in  relating  the  complaisance  with  which  he  shew- 
ed them  him  his  astronomical  instruments,  and 
explained  their  use.  Those  who  had  received 
letters  or  notes  from  him,  preserved  them  care- 
fully, and  esteem  it  an  honour  to  have  had  a 
correspondence  with  him.  These  sentiments  of 
the  Cumanese  for  that  celebrated  man,  are  equally 
honourable  to  their  character,  and  that  of  the 
personage  who  is  the  object  of  them. 

The  pretty  river  Manzonares  runs  through  the 
middle  of  the  town ;  there  is  a  very  handsome 
wooden  bridge  across  it :  the  water  in  this  river 
has  only  sufficient  depth  for  very  small  vessels. 
Large  ships  anchor  at  the  Placer,  a  sand  bank  in 
the  middle  of  the  port,  which  is  well  sheltered. 

Cumana  is  in  10°  37  N.  latitude,  and  64*  10 
West  longitude :  its  climate  is  very  hot,  the  ele- 
vation of  the  town  above  the  sea  level,  being  only 
fifty-three  feet.  Farenheit's  thermometer  usually 
rises  to  90,  and  sometimes  even  to  95  degrees, 
from  the  month  of  June  until  the  end  of  Oc- 
tober. In  that  season  it  seldom  descends  to  80° 
during  the  night;  the  sea  breeze  tempers  the  heat 
of  the  climate,  which  is  otherwise  very  healthy. 
From  the  commencement  of  November,  to  the 


104  CLIMATE. 

end  of  March,  the  heats  are  not  so  great ;  the 
thermometer  is  then  between  82°  and  84%  in 
the  day-time,  and  generally  falls  to  77°  and 
even  75°  during  the  night.  There  is  scarcely 
ever  any  rain  in  the  plain  in  which  Cumana  is 
situated,  though  it  rains  frequently  in  the  adjar 
cent  mountains.  The  hygrometer  of  Deluc  is 
commonly  at  fifty  degrees  there,  during  the 
winter,  and  marks  the  utmost  dryness  from  the 
beginning  of  November  to  the  beginning  of 
June. 

Cumana  is  built  at  the  foot  of  a  volcanic  moun- 
tain, and  subject  to  earthquakes.  This  town  has 
no  public  establishment  for  the  education  of  youth : 
it  is  therefore  astonishing  to  find  any  knowledge 
among  its  inhabitants ;  yet,  there  is  some  infor- 
mation disseminated  among  many  of  the  Creoles 
of  Cumana.  They  are  but  seldom  sent  to  Eu- 
rope for  their  education ;  the  most  wealthy  re- 
ceive it  at  Caraccas,  and  the  greater  number 
under  schoolmasters,  from  whom  they  learn  the 
Spanish  grammar,  arithmetic,  the  first  elements 
of  geometry,  drawing,  a  little  Latin  and  music. 
I  have  remarked  considerable  talent,  applica- 
tion and  good  conduct  in  their  youth,  and  less 
vivacity  and  vanity  than  among  those  of  Caraccas. 
Not  being  so  rich  as  the  latter,  the  Cumanese  are 
brought  up  with  principles  of  economy  and  indus- 
try :  there  are  no  idlers  among  them  :  in  general 
they  are  inclined  to  business.  Some  apply  them- 
selves to  the  mechanical  arts,  others  to  commerce: 


PRICE    OF    PROVISIONS.  105 

they  have  also  a  great  partiality  for  navigation,  and 
trading  with  the  neighbouring  colonies  of  other 
nations,  and  by  their  activity  and  prudence  make 
considerable  profits  with  small  capitals.  Their 
articles  of  exportation  are  cattle,  smoked  meat, 
(tassajo)  and  salted  fish,  which  commodities  they 
have  in  great  abundance*  Two  pounds  of  beef 
are  sold  at  Cumana  for  twopence-halfpenny ;  and 
twenty-two  pounds  of  salt  meat,  at  from  three  shil- 
lings and  fourpence  to  four  shillings  and  twopence. 
Fish  is  never  weighed  there ;  some  days  there  is 
such  a  quantity  caught  by  the  fishermen,  that 
they  give  ten,  twelve  or  fifteen  pounds  weight 
for  fiveperice.  The  poor  go  to  the  sea-side  with 
maize,  cakes  and  eggs,  and  barter  them  for 
fish.,  Eggs  are  the  small  change  in  Cumana, 
Caraccas,  and  other  provinces  of  Venezuela, 
where  copper  coin  is  unknown ;  the  smallest  piece 
in  circulation  being  a  medio-real  in  silver,  worth 
twopence  halfpenny.  If  one  goes  into  a  shop  to 
buy  something  worth  less  than  twopence  half- 
penny, they  give  as  change,  two  or  three  eggs ; 
for  a  dozen  of  eggs  there  is  worth  only  twopence 
halfpenny.  That  is  also  the  price  of  a  measure  of 
excellent  milk,  about  a  quart.  A  sheep  is  sold 
for  a  dollar ;  a  fine  turkey  for  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  pence  ;a  fowl  for  fivepence ;  a  fat  capon  seven- 
pence  halfpenny  to  tenpence ;  a  duck,  the  same 
price ;  game  and  wild  fowl  are  frequently  sold 
cheaper  than  butcher's  meat,  and  all  those  articles 


106  CHEAP    LIVING. 

are  still  cheaper  in  the  small  towns  of  the  in- 
terior. 

I  lived  at  the  best  and  dearest  hotel  in  Cumana, 
at  a  dollar  per  day,  including  the  expences  of 
my  son  and  servant.  They  gave  us  for  breakfast 
cold  meats,  fish,  chocolate,  coffee,  tea  and  Spa- 
nish wine.  An  excellent  dinner,  with  Spanish 
and  French  wines,  coffee  and  liqueurs.  In  the 
evening,  chocolate.  I  was  well  lodged  and  lighted. 
I  should  have  expended  but  half  that  sum  if  I 
had  gone  to  board  and  lodge  in  a  family.  In 
short,  there  is  not  a  country  in  the  world,  where 
one  may  live  cheaper  than  in  the  province  of 
Cumana.  An  excellent  dinner  may  be  had  there 
fortenpence,  not  including  wine,  which  does  not 
cost  more  than  fivepence  per  bottle,  to  those 
who  buy  a  quantity  of  it.  Poor  people  drink 
punch,  which  is  at  a  very  low  rate,  for  it  does 
not  cost  above  one  penny  per  quart. 

The  inhabitants  of  Cumana  are  very  polite ;  it 
may  even  be  said  that  they  are  excessively  so* 
There  is  not  so  much  luxury  among  them  as  at 
Caraccas;  their  houses,  however,  are  tolerably 
well  furnished.  They  are  very  abstemious.  Those 
dinners  and  festivals  which  form  one  of  the  charms 
of  society  in  .Europe,  and  which,  in  the  British 
and  French  colonies  are  repeated  almost  every 
day  from  the  first  of  January  to  the  last  of  De- 
cember, are  unknown  to  the  inhabitants  of  Cu- 
mana, and  the  other  provinces  of  Venezuela. 

The  retail  trade  of  Cumana  is  almost  entirely 


NATIONAL    REFLECTIONS.  107 

in  the  bands  of  the  Catalans,  Biscayans,  and 
Canarians:  those  men  are  chiefly  sailors,  who 
have  begun  to  open  shop  with  a  few  dollars,  and 
who,  in  a  few  years,  acquire  fortunes  by  their 
frugality  and  industry.  If  a  man  of  that  coun- 
try lands  without  a  farthing,  the  first  Castalan 
he  meets  takes  him  to  his  house,  gives  him  work, 
or  recommends  him  to  some  of  his  countrymen. 
There  are  many  countries  in  which  one  brother 
would  not  do  for  another,  that  which  a  Catalan 
is  always  inclined  to  do  for  his  countrymen.  In 
this  they  resemble  the  Scotch ;  but  they  are  not, 
like  too  many  of  the  latter,  whom  we  meet  in 
the  colonies,  arrogant  to  their  inferiors,  and  ser- 
vile to  their  superiors.*    The  Catalan  preserves 


#  The  occasional  reflections  in  which  our  author  indulges  on 
national  character,  are  certainly  no  proofs  of  liberality;  and 
although  not  participated  in  by  the  Editor,  he  does  not  feel  himself 
justified  in  suppressing  them.  It  is  only  by  collecting  the  opinions 
of  foreigners,  that  nations  are  enabled  to  estimate  their  claims  to 
admiration  or  censure,  as  individuals  look  up  to  the  voice  of 
public  opinion,  and  their  friends,  for  the  regulation  of  their  con- 
duct Whether  truth  or  prejudice  has  had  most  share  in  those 
charges  which  Mr.  Lavaysse  only  makes  in  common  with  many 
other  writers,  it  is  no  more  than  just  to  contrast  what  Mr.  Curran, 
the  most  eloquent  speaker,  and  distinguished  patriot  of  his  age, 
thought  of  the  Scotch  in  their  own  country,  with  the  opinions  of 
these  who  have  only  seen  them  in  our  colonies,  or  struggling  for 
emolument  and  place  amongst  the  no  less  greedy  English  and 
Irish  competitors  who  infest  the  British  metropolis.  In  a  letter 
to  one  of  his  correspondents,  from  Loudon  Castle,  that  great  man 
represents  the  Scotch,  as  "  the  natural  enemies  of  vice,  and  folly, 


108  THE  CATALANS. 

in  all  the  situations  in  which  he  is  placed  by  for- 
tune, a  certain  air  of  haughtiness  and  dignity, 
that  gains  him  the  esteem  of  every  generous 
mind. 

It  was  the  Catalans  who  taught  the  inhabitants 
of  Cumana,  and  the  adjacent  provinces,  to  derive 
advantage  from  various  local  productions;  for  in- 
stance, from  cocoa  nuts,  they  make  oil  from  the 
pulp  they  contain ;  with  this  pulp  they  also  make 
an  emulsion  which  is  substituted  for  that  of  almonds, 
and  with  which  they  make  very  good  orgeat, 
that  is  sold  extremely  cheap  in  their  coffee  houses. 
The  Catalans  were  the  first  who  established  rope 
manufactories  at  Cumana,  where  they  make  ex- 
cellent cables  of  the  bark  of  the  mahet  (genus 
bombaz,)  also  twine  and  cords  of  the  aloe,  (agave 
foetida,)  &c. 


and  slavery ;  the  great  sowers,  but  still  greater  weeders,  of  the 
human  soil.  No  where,11  he  adds,  *  can  you  see  the  cringing  hy- 
pocrioy  of  dissembled  detestation,  so  inseparable  from  oppression  : 
and  as  little  do  you  meet  the  hard,  and  dull,  and  right  lined  angles 
of  the  southern  visage.11  And  in  his  masterly  defence  of  Ha* 
milton  Rowan,  Mr.  C.  calls  it  "  a  nation  cast  in  the  happy  me- 
dium between  the  spiritless  acquiescence  of  submissive  poverty, 
and  the  sturdy  credulity  of  pampered  wealth ;  cool  and  ardent, 
adventurous  and  persevering,  winging  her  eagle  flight  against  the 
blaze  of  every  science,  with  an  eye  that  never  winks,  and  a  wing 
that  never  tires:  crowned  as  she  is  with  the  spoils  of  every  art, 
and  decked  with  the  wreath  of  every  muse,  from  the  deep  and 
scrutinizing  researches  of  her  Hume,  to  the  sweet  and  simple,  but 
not  less  sublime  and  pathetic  morality  of  her  Burns  !" — Life  of 
Cuaiun  by  his  son,  Vol.  I.  pages  255  and  261. 


CARIACO.  109 

The  town  of  Cumana  is  defended  only  by  a 
miserable  fort,  which  commands  the  town  and 
port  To  the  north-east  is  the  Gulf  of  Cariaco, 
a  small  Mediterranean.  Opposite  to  Cumana, 
is  the  Point  of  Arraya,  on  which  there  was 
once  a  fort,  whose  ruined  walls  alone  were  stand- 
ing in  1808.  This  gulf  is  twelve  leagues  long 
from  east  to  west,  and  from  three  to  four 
leagues*  in  breadth  throughout  its  extent.  It 
would  be  a  magnificent  port  for  a  navy,  where 
large  ships  might  ride  in  safety  from  all  wea- 
thers: batteries  of  heavy  mortars,  placed  at 
each  side  of  the  entrance,  could  hinder  the 
most  formidable  fleets  from  entering,  because 
ships  of  the  line,  in  order-  to  enter  either  the 
port  of  Cumana,  or  this  gulf,  are  obliged,  after 
having  made  the  Point  of  Arraya,  to  avoid  a 
sand  bank,  which  runs  from  that  point  into  the 
sea  for  two  leagues. 

The  Gulf  of  Cariaco  offers  in  all  parts  of  its 
eoast  good  anchorage  and  natural  wharfs  con- 
venient for  shipping.  On  each  side  the  land 
presents  two  amphitheatres  ornamented  with  the 
most  beautiful  and  varied  vegetation  and  a  culti- 
vated landscape.  At  the  bottom  of  the  gulf,  to 
the  east,  is  the  fine  plain  of  Cariaco,  watered  by 
the  navigable  river  of  the  same  name.  At  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  its  mouth  is  the  town,  or  rather 
the  large  village  of  Cariaco,  which  in  the  Spanish 
official  papers,  bears  the  name  of  San  Felipe  de 
Austria. 


110  MARINE   B1RD8. 

The  population  of  the  town  was  about  seven 
thousand  persons  in  1807,  four  thousand  inhabited 
the  remainder  of  the  district.  Formerly  they 
cultivated  only  the  cotton  and  cocoa  trees;  but 
my  venerable  friend  Martin  de  Arestimuno,  of 
whom  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  hereafter, 
formed  a  superb  plantation  of  coffee  there,  and 
another  of  sugar  with  a  distillery  for  rum*  Ma- 
ny other  persons  have  planted  coffee  and  sugar 
canes ;  among  the  rest,  Messieurs  Rubio,  two 
enlightened  and  worthy  farmers.  In  1807,  the 
governor,  Manuel  de  Cagigal,  endeavoured  to 
prevent  the  distillation  of  rum,  under  the  false 
pretence  that  it  would  injure  the  trade  in  brandies 
with  Spain ;  but  the  true  reason  was,  that  the 
rum  trade,  one  of  the  English  smuggling  branches, 
brought  large  profits  to  his  excellency. 

Innumerable  swarms  of  marine  birds  frequent 
the  Gulf  of  Cariaco,  chiefly  on  the  banks  of  mud 
situated  on  the  sides  of  the  entrance  to  the  river : 
nothing  can  be  more  agreeable  than  to  see  at  sun- 
rise, all  those  birds  issuing  by  thousands  from  the 
mangrove  trees,  where  they  pass  the  night,  and 
disperse-  over  the  surface  of  the  water  to  seek 
their  food :  when  their  hunger  is  satisfied,  some 
repose  on  the  mud  and  sand  banks;  some 
swim  on  the  water  merely  for  diversion,  while 
others  cover  the  branches  of  all  the  neighbouring 
trees.  I  have  seen  a  bank  of  sand  above  three 
hundred  yards  in  length,  and  the  little  banks  or 
islands  near  it  entirely  covered  with  these  aquatic 


THEIR    VARIETIES.  HI 

birds.  Those  I  recognised  were  flamingoes  of  all 
ages  and  colours,  pelicans,  herons,  boobies,  five 
or  six  kinds  of  ducks,  of  which  one  is  larger 
than  that  of  India,  several  kinds  of  water-hens, 
a  bird  as  white  and  as  large  as  a  swan,  but  which 
has  a  long  beak,  red  and  pointed,  longer  and 
more  delicate  legs,  and  feet  formed  like  those 
of  a  swan :  it  swims  like  that  bird,  but  flies 
much  better.  I  also  saw  in  the  same  spot,  many 
other  birds  which  I  am  sure  have  never  been 
described  by  any  naturalist.  Twice  I  paid  the 
master  of  the  vessel  that  took  me  from  Cariaco 
to  Cumana,  .and  back  again,  to  remain  half  an 
hour  at  those  islets,  in  order  that  I  might  con- 
template at  my  leisure  those  myriads  of  birds, 
of  such  various  forms  and  colours.  One  of  them, 
which  I  could  not  distinguish  by  sight,  in  the 
multitude,  uttered  plaintive  and  melancholy  notes : 
at  the  time  that  it  attracted  my  attention,  I  had  just 
loaded  a  small  gun,  to  gratify  my  son,  who  re- 
quested that  he  might  be  suffered  to  fire  on  a  flock 
of  birds  that  reposed  within  twenty  paces  of  us ; 
the  plaintive  voice  of  this  obtained  mercy  for  all ; 
Samuel's  hands  were  disarmed ;  my  sentiments 
passed  rapidly  into  his  feeling  and  tender  mind, 
being  at  that  time  only  seven  years  old.  I  was 
then  a  prey  to  persecution,  and  the  distress  occa- 
sioned by  a  most  agonizing  separation.  The 
melancholy  notes  of  a  bird  which  appeared  to 
resemble  those  of  the  turtle-dove  in  the  place 


112  BIRD    CATCHERS. 

where  I  drew  my  breath,  awakened  all  the  ideas, 
the  kind  or  cruel  illusions  which  the  word  coun- 
try inspires  in  the  mind  of  the  unfortunate  and 
persecuted  who  travel  in  distant  and  hostile  re- 
gions! 

The  catching  of  docks  and  other  aquatic  birds, 
by  two  Indians  in  this  part  of  the  gulf,  was 
an  object  of  great  amusement  to  my  son,  and  an 
abstraction  to  myself.  Though  this  singular  and 
silent  chase  may  have  been  already  noticed,  I  can- 
not avoid  describing  it.  In  this  part  of  the  New 
World,  the  inhabitants  of  the  shores  of  lakes 
and  gulfs,  leave  calebashes  continually  floating 
on  the  water,  in  order  that  the  birds,  by  being 
accustomed  to  see  them,  may  not  be  alarmed  at 
the  sight.  When  the  people  wish  to  catch  any 
of  these  wild  fowl,  they  go  into  the  water  with 
their  heads  covered  each  with  a  calabash,  in  which 
they  make  two  holes  for  seeing  through.  They 
thus  swim  towards  the  birds,  throwing  a  hand- 
ful of  maize  on  the  water  from  time  to  time,  of 
which  the  grains  scatter  on  the  surface.  The 
ducks  and  other  birds  approach  to  feed  on  the 
maize,  and  at  that  moment  the  swimmer  seizes 
them  by  the  feet,  pulls  them  under  water  and 
wrings  their  necks  before  they  can  make  the  least 
movement,  or  by  their  noise  spread  an  alarm 
among  the  flock.  The  swimmer,  attaches  those 
he  has  taken  to  his  girdle,  and  he  generally  takes 
as  many  as  are  necessary  for  his  family.     Many 


SULPHUROUS   MARSH.  113 

have  no  other  profession  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
some  towns,  and  daily  take  multitudes  of  these 
birds,  which  they  sell  at  a  low  rate,  though  they 
are  very  good  food. 

At  about  a  league  and  a  half  from  the  town  of 
Cariaco,  and  near  the  road  that  leads  to  Carupano, 
is  a  lake,  or  rather  a  marsh,  of  about  half  a  league 
long,  by  nearly  the  same  breadth,  which  is  the 
resort  of  innumerable  reptiles,    toads,  serpents, 
and  crocodiles :  it  is  there  also,  according  to  the 
assertions  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighbourhood, 
where  the  tyger  cats  go  to  quench  their  thirst. 
It  was  at  ten  o'clock  at  night  when  I  first  passed 
near  this  marsh :  it  exhaled  an  hydrogen-sulphurous 
odour  extremely  nauseous,  and  phosphoric  fires 
appeared  on  its  surface.    A  preacher  of  the  Island 
of  Margarita  acknowledged  to  me  that  the  hideous 
appearance  of  this  lake,  had  furnished  him  with 
some  of  the  imagery  of  a  sermon  which  I  heard 
him  preach  at  the  beginning  of  Lent  in  1807,  and  of 
which  I  shall  give  a  fragment  in  the  description  of 
that  island.     The  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Ca- 
riaco have  told  me  of  a  frightful  animal,  which 
so  much  resembles  the  fabulous  winged  dragon, 
that  I  dare  not  repeat  the  description  they  gave 
me  of  it,  lest  I  should  incur  the  ridicule  of  natu- 
ralists.    A  great  many  persons,  however,  assured 
me  that  they  had  seen  it  on  the  borders  of  the 
marsh.      What  can  this  amphibious  animal,  be  ? 
Perhaps   an  enormous  guana,    lizard,    or  some 

i 


114  CARUPANO. 

monstrous  reptile  of  the  order  of  Sauriens.  I  col- 
lected petrolium  on  the  brink  of  this  marsh. 

The  name  of  the  town  of  Carupano  is  not  found 
in  the  work  of  M.  Depons  on  the  government  of 
Caraccas,  nor  on  the  map  which  accompanies  that 
kind  of  statistic  account,  to  which  the  name  of 
Travels  has  been  given.  This  town  and  its  district 
merit,  however,,  a  place  there;  for  it  is  the  first 
met  with  on  the  coast,  after  leaving  the  Gulf  of 
Paria,  and  when  coming  from  Europe,  North 
America,  or  me  Brazils. 

The  port  of  Carupano  is  defended  by  a  battery 
situated  on  an  eminence.  It  is  a  very  healthy 
place,  built  in  the  opening  of  two  charming  val~ 
lies,  watered  by  two  fine  rivers.  The  inhabitants 
divide  their  time  in  the  occupations  of  agriculture, 
some  trading  concerns,  and  dancing*  It  is  com- 
pletely a  dancing  town.  I  have  seen  very  fine 
youths  at  the  balls  of  Carupano,  and  many  young 
women,  who  would  be  remarkable  for  their  beauty 
even  in  our  European  cities ;  but  they  are  beauties 
entirely  strangers  to  the  arts  of  our  coquettes ; 
beauties  such  as  nature  has  made  them,  and  who 
know  no  laws  than  what  that  unsophisticated  deity 
has  given  them. 

Carupano  and  the  neighbouring  district  have  a 
population  of  about  eight  thousand  persons.  There 
is  a*considerable  trade  there  in  horses  and  mules. 
At  the  foot  of  the  neighbouring  hills  there  are 
quarries  of  gypsum  (sulphat  of  lime);  so  that  most  of 


M.   CON8TANTIN.  115 

the  houses  in  the  town  are  cieled.      In  going  by 
land  from  Carupano  to  Guiria,  and  the  Punta 
de  Piedra,  the  smiling  valley  of  Rio  Caribe  is 
crossed,  watered  by  numerous  rivulets:  it  is  the 
Tempe  and  Campagnaof  this  country.  There  was 
then  in  the  valley  of  Rio  Caribe  a  remarkable 
personage :  he  called  himself  a  Greek,  and  native 
of  Smyrna :  others  pretended  that  he  was  a  Turk  ; 
but  of  whatever  nation  he  might  be,  he  was  cer- 
tainly a  very  worthy  man :  his  name  was  Con- 
stants.    When  I  was  with  him  in  1807,  he  was 
eighty  years   of  age,  but   with  the  vigour  and 
appearance  of  a  well  formed  man  of  fifty,  and  the 
vivacity  of  one  of  thirty.     He  had  five  children 
by  his  first  marriage,  and  three  by  his  second  wife, 
who  was  young  and  amiable,  and  with  whom  he 
kept  a  very  good  house.     I  was  most  kindly  re- 
ceived by  him.      Mr.  Constantin  is  the  wealthiest 
planter  in  this  valley:    I  was  recommended  to 
him  by  a  very  respectable  man,  who  lives  retired 
in  the  solitudes  of  Cape  de  Paria,  Mr.   Closier 
d' Arcueil,  a  native  of  Paris.     This  gentleman  is 
son  of  one  of  the  first  proprietors  of  Grenada,  and 
cousin  of  the  virtuous  Closier  Sainte  Marie,  legally 
murdered  at  Grenada  in  1795. 

The  town  and  valley  of  Rio  Caribe  have  a  popu- 
lation of  4500  persons.  M.  Depons  speaks  of 
Guiria  and  of  Guinima,  two  villages  established 
by  the  French  and  Spaniards,  who  emigrat- 
ed from  Trinidad,  to  avoid  the  vexations  of 
the    British  Governor.     When  a   description  is 

i2 


116  YAGUARAPMIO. 

given  of  the  provinces  and  districts  of  a  country, 
their  chief  towns  ought  not  to  be  omitted.  Pun- 
ta  de  Piedra,  which  in  1797  was  only  a  hamlet  of 
fishermen,  has  become  the  principal  place  in  the 
district  of  Paria,  and  the  residence  of  a  lieutenant 
governor*-  Though  the  town  is  not  yet  consider- 
able, by  the  number  and  beauty  of  its  edifices,  it 
is  nevertheless  a  most  important  spot,  from  the 
prodigious  fertility  of  its  territory,  and  its  for- 
tunate position  near  the  mouths  of  the  Guara- 
piche,  Orinoco,  and  Port  Spain. 

The  town  is  situated  in  a  magnificent  plain,  and 
on  a  platform  which  commands  the  sea;  from 
whence  there  is  a  view  of  Port  Spain,  all  the  wes- 
tern part  of  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  the  gulf  of 
Paria,  and  of  all  the  vessels  that  «nter  or  go  out 
of  it. 

At  the  extremity  of  this  plain,  opens  the  beau- 
tiful and  fertile  valley  of  Yaguaraparo,  covered 
with  plantations  of  coffee  and  cocoa :  the  fertility 
of  its  soil,  and  the  mildness  of  its  climate,  particu- 
larly appropriated  to  the  latter  plant,  have  made 
the  fortunes  of  all  the  colonists  established  there. 
A  Catalan  sailor  settled  here,  in  1790,  when  the 
valley  was  almost  a  desart :  he  began,  alone,  to 
fell  the  woods  and  plant  cocoa  trees :  in  1797,  this 
man  had  twenty  negroes  on  his  plantation:  in 
1804  he  had  thirty  slaves,  and  with  this  small 
assistance  he  gathered  more  than  one  hundred 
thousand  pounds  weight  of  cocoa.  He  died  in 
1804,  intestate,  it  is  said,  and  the   government 


GUIANA.  117 

took  possession  of  his  property.  It  was  managed 
in  1807  by  the  surgeon-major  of  the  garrison  of 
Cumana,  who  deemed  himself  the  proprietor  of 
it.  This  officer  placed  a  considerable  number  of 
slaves  on  the  estate,  and  told  me  that  he  was  sure 
the  plantation  would  render  him  five  hundred 
thousand  pounds  of  cocoa  annually,  after  six  or 
seven  years ! 

We  are  now  arrived  on  the  borders  of  the 
Province  of  Cumana,  near  the  mouths  of  the 
Guarapiche  and  Orinoco.  There  also,  as  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio,  I  found  Frenchmen  and  Irish- 
men thrown  on  those  solitary  shores  by  political 
persecutions ! 

The  inhabitants  of  the  district  of  Punta  de 
Piedra  were  unanimous  in  the  praise  of  their 
Lieutenant  Governor  Don  Juan  Mayoral.  If 
physiognomy  can  be  depended  on,  I  am  sure  those 
praises  could  not  be  more  justly  merited. 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  Governor  of  Guiana 
used  to  extend  over  the  establishments  situated 
within  cannon  shot,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ori- 
noco, at  the  Paria  side. 

In  1808  the  British  Government  established 
a  post  between  the  Guarapiche  and  Orinoco, 
near  the  sea,  under  pretence  of  cutting  guiacum 
wood  for  their  navy:  they  have  since  erected 
batteries  which  command  the  navigation  of  those 
two  rivers,  and  it  will  hereafter  become  the  Gib- 
raltar of  this  part  of  the  globe,  if  the  Venezuelan 
government  should  permit  them  to  continue. 


118  CUMANACOA. 

The  v allies,  and  above  all  the  banks  of  the  rivers 
of  this  part  of  the  province  of  Cumana,  abound 
in  logwood  and  Brazil  wood :  they  cut  those 
woods  at  present,  so  necessary  to  their  manufac- 
tures, and  doubtless  find  it  very  convenient  to  have 
in  their  own  possession,  what  they  would  other- 
wise be  obliged  to  purchase  from  foreigners, 

CUMANACOA,  or  SAN  BALTAZAR  DE 
LOS-ARIAS. 

Cumahacoais  the  chief  town  of  one  of  the  most 
fertile  districts  of  this  province,  and  is  situated  in 
a  valley  of  the  same  name,  at  eighteen  leagues 
inland  to  the  south-east  of  Cumana :  the  air  is 
healthy,  and  tolerably  cool.  The  fruits  cultivated 
there,  are  reputed  the  best  in  the  province ;  but 
cocoa  is  its  principal  wealth.  The  population 
of  the  town  and  adjacent  country  is  about 
five  thousand  souls.  Until  thirty  years  ago,  the 
neighbouring  country  was  inhabited  by  uncon- 
quered  Indians,  who  made  frequent  incursions 
against  the  Spaniards  of  this  quarter;  but  the 
missionaries  have  pacified  and  united  them  in 
missions. 

There  are  springs  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Cumanacoa  which  contain  salts  similar  to  those 
of  Epsom  in  dissolution,  and  other  mineral  waters. 
It  is  very  well  calculated  to  become  a  watering 
place,  like  our  Plombieres,  Bagueres,  &c. 

M.  de  Humboldt,  who  remained  at  Cumanacoa, 


GROTTO  OF    GUACHAKO.  119 

to  make  astronomical  observations  there,  deter- 
mined its  latitude  at  10°  16'  N.  and  its  longitude 
at  64°  15'  west. 

At  twenty  leagues  further  inland,  on  entering 
the  range  of  the  Bergantin  mountains,  near  that 
©f  Turimiquiri,  is  the  famous  grotto  of  Guacharo, 
in  which  are  millions  of  a  new  species  of  Capri- 
mulgus*,  that  fill  the  cavern  with  their  plaintive 
and  dismal  cries.  In  every  country  the  same 
causes  have  produced  similar  effects  on  the  imagi- 
nation of  our  species.  The  grotto  of  Guacharo  is, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  Indians,  a  place  of  trial 
and  expiation  :  souls  when  separated  from  bodies, 
go  to  this  cavern  ;  those  of  men  who  die  without 
reproach  do  not  remain  in  it,  and  immediately 
ascend,  to  reside  with  the  great  Manitou  in  the 
dwellings  of  the  blessed:  those  of  the  wicked  are 
retained  there  eternally ;  and  such  men  as  have 
committed  but  slight  faults  of  a  venial  nature, 
are  kept  there  for  a  longer  or  shorter  period, 
according  to  the  crime. 

Immediately  after  the  death  of  their  parents 
and  friends,  the  Indians  go  to  the  entrance  of  this 
cavern,  to  listen  to  their  groans.  If  they  think 
they  hear  their  voices,  they  also  lament,  and  ad- 
dress a  prayer  to  the  great  spirit  Manitou,  and 
another  to  the  devil  Muboya;  after  which  they 
drown  their  grief  with  intoxicating  beverages. 


*  Their  fat  is  an  article  of  commerce. 


120  FUTURITY. 

But .  if  they  do  not  hear  the  wished  for  voices, 
they  express  their  joy  by  dances  and  festivals. 
In  all  this  there  is  but  one  circumstance  that 
creates  surprize,  it  is  that  the  Indian  priests  have 
not  availed  themselves  of  such  credulity  to  aug- 
ment their  revenues.  Many  Indians/  though 
otherwise  converted  to  Christianity,  have  not 
ceased  to  believe  in  Guacharo :  and  to  descend 
into  Guacharo,  is  among  them  synonymous  with 
dying. 

Thus  in  the  majestic  forests  of  South  America, 
as  in  the  ancient  civilization  of  Hindostan;  under 
the  harsh  climates  of  the  north  of  Europe  and 
Canada,  as  in  the  burning  regions  of  Africa,  in 
all  parts  the  man  of  every  colour  is  distinguished 
from  other  animals  by  this  irresistible  foreboding 
of  a  future  life,  in  which  an  Omnipotent  Being 
recompenses  the  good,  and  punishes  evil  doers. 
Whatever  may  be  the  modifications,  differences, 
or  absurdities  with  which  imagination,  ignorance, 
and  greedy  imposture  have  enveloped  this  belief, 
it  appears  to  be  one  of  the  strongest  moral  proofs 
of  the  identity  of  our  species,  and  to  be  a  natural 
consequence  of  reflection. 

If  the  gloom  of  this  cavern,  and  the  mournful 
cries  of  the  Caprimulgus,  which  it  constantly  re- 
echoes, are  adapted  for  influencing  and  intimidat- 
ing feeble  minds ;  the  clear  river  that  runs  from  its 
entrance,  at  the  feet  of  majestic  mountains  crowned 
by  the  most  beautiful  vegetation,  a  smiling  valley  y 
together  with  the  eternal  spring  of  the  climate, 


NEW  BARCELONA.  121 

would  have  taiade  an  Elysium  of  this  place,  if  it 
had  produced  a  poet. 

I  now  proceed  to  describe  the  province  or  dis- 
trict of  New  Barcelona.  This  country  is  bounded 
on  the  east  by  the  province  of  Caraccas,  on  the 
west  by  that  of  Cumana,  properly  speaking,  and 
on  the  south  by  the  Orinoco,  which  separates  it 
from  Guina.  To  the  north  is  the  chain  of  Ber- 
gantin,  which  proceeds  from  the  mountains  of 
Santa  Martha,  and  loses  itself  in  the  sea  at  Cape 
de  Paria.  It  is  thinly  inhabited  and  scantily  cul- 
tivated, but  less  mountainous  than  those  of  Caraccas 
and  Cumana.  Its  immense  meadows  feed  numerous 
herds  of  oxen,  horses,  asses  and  mules,  and  thou- 
sands of  them  are  exported  annually  to  the  neigh- 
bouring colonies.  There  is  also  a  great  quantity 
of  oxen  slaughtered  there,  of  which  the  meat  is 
smoked,  and  is  an  object  of  considerable  trade. 
The  port  of  Barcelona  exported,  during  the  peace 
of  Amiens,  and  in  one  year,  132,000  oxen,  2,100 
horses,  84,000  mules,  800  asses,  180,000  quintals  of 
tassajo  or  smoked  beef,  36,000  oxhides,  4,500  horse 
hides,  and  6,000  deer  skins.  In  the  environs  of 
Barcelona  there  are  cultivated  various  alimentary 
plants,  including  cocoa,  of  which  there  is  a  great 
consumption.  There  are  not  more  exported  from 
this  province  annually  than  200,000  quintals  of 
cocoa,  3  to  4000  quintals  of  indigo,  about  2000 
quintals  of  arnotto,  and  from  250  to  300,000  quin- 
tals of  cotton.  The  merchandize  is  packed  with 
much    care  in    ox  hides  and  deers  skins  of  a 


122  FISHERIES. 

square  form, and  those  coverings  are  an  advantage 
in  trade.  Maize  is  also  an  article  of  growth  and 
exportation  ;  but  there  is  seldom  more  of  it  ex- 
ported annually  than  150,  to  200,000  sacks,  of 
about  150  pounds  each.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
country  grow  &  little  rice  for  their  own  use,  but 
it  has  not  yet  become  an  article  of  commerce. 

Although  the  fisheries  furnish  abundantly  for 
the  consumption  of  the  inhabitants  on  the  coasts  of 
this  district,  and  they  derive  an  article  of  small 
traffic  with  the  interior  from  them,  they  are  very 
far  from  being  as  productive  as  those  of  Cumana, 
and  the  coasts  of  the  Islands  of  Margarita,  CU- 
baguft,  and  Coche.  This  district,  though  its  ex- 
tent is  so  great,  has  only  two  towns,  Barcelona 
and  Conception  del  Pao.  In  1634,  Don  Juan 
Urpin  laid  the  foundations  of  Barcelona,  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  river  Neveri,  and  at  a  league  from 
its  mouth  :  the  chief  place  »f  the  establishment  in 
this  canton  was  then  the  town  of  Cumanagoto, 
situated  at  two  leagues  higher  up  the  river,  which 
is  now  only  a  miserable  village.  Alcedo  con- 
founds Cumanagoto  with  Cumanacoa,  or  San  Bal- 
taz  de  los  Arias.  As  every  Spanish  town,  must 
have  a  saint  for  its  patron,  that  of  Cumanagoto 
was  named  San  Christoval  de  Cumanagoto. 

Previous  to  the  foundation  of  Barcelona  there 
existed  a  town  called  Maracapano,  situated  nearer 
the  sea.  Though  its  name  is  still  found  in  the 
Dictionary  of  Alcedo,  and  on  maps  which  are 
equally  incorrect,  even  the  ruins  of  it  are  not  to 


CLIMATE.  1S3 

be  found,  and  the  present  inhabitants  of  Barcelona 
are  not  quite  agreed  about  the  spot  on  which  it 
was  situated. 

Though  there  is  considerable  trade  at  Barcelona, 
and  it  contains  some  opulent  commercial  houses, 
the  town  is  badly  built ;  the  houses  are  of  mud,  and 
in  general  very  meanly  furnished.  The  streets 
are  filthy  and  miry  when  there  is  rain,  and  in  fine 
weather  the  dust  is  enough  to  blind  one,  however 
trifling  a  wind  may  blow.  Alcedo  with  his  usual 
negligence  says,  that  the  climate  of  Barcelona  is 
more  unhealthy  than  that  of  Cumana.  It  is 
exactly  the  reverse :  the  climate  of  Cumana  is 
very  healthy,  though  hot,  because  it  is  extremely 
dry,  and  that  of  the  town  of  Barcelona  unhealthy, 
from  the  opposite  causes.  This  town  had  in  1807, 
a  population  of  16,000  persons. 

Barcelona  is  in  10°  6'  N.  latitude,  67°  4'  W. 
longitude,  and  twelve  leagues  from  Cumana  in  a 
direct  line ;  but  the  windings  which  it  is  necessary 
to  make  to  avoid  bad  roads,  make  it  a  journey  of 
twenty  hours.  It  is  reckoned  ten  marine  leagues 
by  sea  from  the  port  of  Barcelona  to  that  of 
Cumana,  and  not  two  leagues,  as  M.  Depons  has 
said  :  from  the  former  to  the  latter  port  there  are 
a  great  number  of  islets,  frequented  by  fishermen, 
but  they  afford  no  shelter  for  large  vessels. 

The  town  of  Conception  del  Pao  is  built  in  a 
plain  situated  at  the  other  side  of  the  range  of 
Bergantin :  the  air  there  is  wholesome,  although 
it  is  very  hot  and  much  exposed  to  heavy  rains. 


124  HEW    AWDALLSIA. 

It  owes  this  advantage  to  the  comparative  eleva- 
tion of  its  scite,  which  does  not  permit  the  water 
to  remain  stagnant,  that  runs  into  the  Orinoco, 
and  Guarapiche.  It  is  an  uncultivated  country, 
but  abounding  in  natural  pastures  which  feed 
numerous  herds  that  are  exported  by  those  two 
rivers,  to  the  islands  of  Trinidad  and  Tobago. 
About  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  Pao  was 
only  a  village  inhabited  by  people  of  colour ;  the 
produce  of  their  cattle  having  enriched  them,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  adjacent  countries  hastened  to 
settle  themselves  there.  Ten  years  ago,  they  re- 
ceived all  possible  encouragement  from  Governor 
Emparan,  and  they  now  reckon  three  thousand 
persons  inhabiting  the  little  town  of  Pao.  About 
one  thousand  more  inhabit  the  savannas  in  the 
neighbourhood,  where  tbey  are  occupied  with 
their  cattle,  and  the  cultivation  of  as  much  cocoa, 
maize,  and  bananas  as  are  necessary  for  their  sub- 
sistence. The  rest  of  the  population  of  the  dis- 
trict of  Barcelona  is  distributed  in  six  or  seven 
villages,  and  in  the  Hales,  places  where  the  herds- 
men alone  inhabit.  The  population  of  Pao,  the 
villages  and  savannas,  is  about  twenty-eight  thou- 
sand persons,  while  the  total  population  of  the 
province  of  Curaana  or  New  Andalusia,  compre- 
hending the  district  of  Barcelona,  is  ninety-six 
thousand  souls. 

Historians  and  geographers  have  asserted  that 
New  Andalusia  is  a  province  depending  on  the 
government  of  Cumana,  a  country  which  they 


CLIMATE.  125 

did  not  know  where  to  place.  A  map  that  I 
have  before  me,  places  this  country  between 
the  Orinoco  and  the  Caroni.  Many  others  are 
equally  erroneous  on  this  country.  The  fact  is, 
that,  in  political  geography,  New  Andalusia  is 
synonymous  with  Cumana.  It  is  therefore  neces- 
sary to  say,  the  province  of  Cumana  or  New 
Andalusia.  There  are  few  countries  more  va- 
ried, fertile,  or  better  watered  than  the  different 
districts  of  this  province.  Its  mountains  on  the 
coast  form  a  magnificent  barrier  opposed  to  the 
sea,  and  appear  to  be  a  rampart  placed  by  nature 
to  secure  her  favourite  country  from  those  hurri- 
canes or  sudden  tempests  so  destructive  to  the 
Antilles.  Those  mountains  and  hills  are  crowned 
with]  gigantic  and  valuable  trees,  fine  shrubs, 
aromatic  plants,  flowers  that  have  the  brightest 
and  most  varied  tints,  and  perfume  the  atmosphere 
in  every  season. 

This  country  is,  in  general,  very  healthy,  a 
few  marshy  places  excepted :  its  climate  is  par- 
ticularly favourable  to  old  persons  and  women. 
Here  age  does  not  present  that  horrible  trtdn  of 
disease,  with  which  it  is  accompanied  in  northern 
countries :  gout,  rheumatism,  blindness,  deafness, 
and  corporeal  deformity  are  almost  unknown. 
In  that  happy  climate  persons  of  both  sexes  enjoy 
almost  to  the  last  moment  of  life,  all  their  physical 
and  intellectual  faculties :  there,  man  is  gently 
extinguished,  and  does  not,  as  in  cold  countries, 


126  GUIANA. 

perish  a  martyr  to  hereditary  disease,  or  intolerable 
seasons. 

GUIANA,  or  GUAYANA. 

This  extensive  region  which  is  included  between 
the  mouths  of  the  Orinoco  and  the  second  degree 
of  North  latitude,  contains  several  European 
settlements,  those  of  the  Spanish  portion  are  by  no 
means  the  least  fertile  or  important. 

Spanish  Guiana  has  for  its  boundaries  the  Por- 
tuguese possessions  at  San  Jose  de  Marasitanos 
to  the  south,  New  Granada  and  the  Varinas  to 
the  west ;  those  of  Cumana,  Barcelona,  and 
Caraccas  on  the  north  ;  and  French  and  Dutch 
Guiana  to  the  east.  The  maritime  bounds  of 
this  country  extend  one  hundred  and  twenty 
leagues,  from  the  river  Amazons  to  the  northern 
mouth  of  the  Orinoco. 

Previous  to  the  treaty  of  peace  concluded  in 
September  1801,  the  Portuguese  possessions  ex- 
tended from  the  mouth  of  the  Amazons  to  the 
Nortfc  Cape,  east  of  the  Island  of  Carpori :  the 
same  treaty  fixed  the  river, Carapana,  as  the  limit 
of  French  and  Portuguese  Guiana:  this  river 
runs  into  the  Amazons  in  20'  of  North  latitude, 
above  Fort  Macapa.  This  limit  or  line  of  demar- 
cation follows  the  course  of  that  river,  in  running 
to  its  source,  from  whence  it  continues  by  the 
chain  of  mountains  which  divide  the  course  of  the 


CAYENNE,  127 

rivers  as  far  as  the  head  of  the  Rio  Blanco,  supposed 
to  be  between  the  second  and  third  degrees  of 
north  latitude. 

France  has  no  other  possession  in  this  country 
than  Cayenne,  a  colony  which  has  always  been 
languishing  from  mismanagement/  and  not  by 
any  means  owing  to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  cli- 
mate. It  is  very  far  from  being  as  unwholesome 
as  some  have  described  it,  for  the  climate  is  pre- 
ferable to  that  of  the  Antilles,  and  the  soil  much 
more  fertile.  The  words  Cayenne  and  Guina  are 
evidently  derived  from  the  Indian  word  Guainia, 
the  Marsitan  name  of  the  Rio  Negro  and  surround- 
ing country.  Europeans  have  therefore  given  the 
name  of  Guiana,  or  Guayna,  to  all  the  country 
situated  between  the  rivers  Amazon  and  Orinoco. 

The  language  of  the  Marsitan  Indians  is  as  gene- 
rally disseminated  towards  the  Equator,  as  the 
Caribbean  tongue  is  from  the  banks  of  the  Esse* 
quibo  to  those  of  the  Madelaine. 

According  to  the  Spanish  historians,  Juan 
Cornepo  was  the  first  European  who  sailed  up 
the  Orinoco,  and  reconnoitred  this  country  in  1531. 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh  and  Robert  Dudley  visited 
it  afterwards.  The  chimera  of  El  Dorado  also 
attracted  a  great  number  of  Spanish  adventurers 
to  it.  Missionaries  were  sent  there  in  1676,  who 
accused:  the  Dutch  as  being  the  cause  of  their 
success  among  the  natives. 

In  1586,  Don  Antonio  Berreo  founded  a 
town,  to  which  he  gave  the  name   of  San  Tome, 


128  8AN   TOME. 

on  the  right  bank  of  the  Orinoco ;  but  the  con- 
tinual wars  be  had  with  the  Indians,  did  not  per- 
mit him  to  establish  himself  there.  This  town  has 
subsequently  been  pillaged  by  the  English,  Dutch, 
and  French.  In  1764,  it  was  transferred  further 
from  the  sea,  and  at  ninety  leagues  from  the 
mouths  of  the  Orinoco,  being  the  town  now 
known  by  the  name  of  San  Tom£  de  Angostura. 

During  the  Spanish  domination,  San  Tome  was 
the  residence  of  a  governor  depending  on  the 
captain  general  of  Caraccas  in  political  and  mili- 
tary affairs,  and  on  the  intendant  of  Caraccas  for 
those  of  finance.  It  was  also  the  residence  of  a 
bishop  and  chapter.  The  chapter  and  its  bishop 
are  the  poorest  ecclesiastics  in  America. 

There  isl>ut  one  city  and  five  towns  in  Spanish 
Guiana;  San  Tom£,  Barceloneta,  Santa  Rosa 
de  Maruente,  and  Caicara,  which  is  about  a  hun- 
dred leagues  westward  of  San  Tome,  and  San 
Antonio,  forty  leagues  distant  from  it.  There 
are,  however,  missionaries  dispersed  over  this 
province. 

The  town  of  San  Tom£  had,  in  1807,  a  popu- 
lation of  about  eight  thousand  five  hundred  per- 
sons, among  whom  were  three  hundred  black 
slaves.  This  town  is  pretty  well  built  and  paved. 
Though  it  is  situated  in  8°  8'  of  latitude,  and  in 
62°  of  longitude,  and  elevated  only  thirty  toises 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  it  still  enjoys  a  very  mild 
temperature.  It  Seldom  happens  that  Reaumur's 
thermometer  rises  above  twenty -four  degrees,  in 


CLIMATE.  129 

the  hottest  time  of  the  year ;  and  from  the  begin- 
ning of  November  to  the  end  of  April,  it  rarely 
rises  above  20°  during  the  day,  and  generally 
descends  to  17°  at  night.  The  regular  breezes,  a 
great  number  of  rivers  and  streams  which  water 
it,  and  the  immense  forests  that  surround  it  in 
almost  every  direction;  are  the  causes  which  tend 
to  diminish  the  excessive  heat  that  seems  natural 
to  its  latitude  and  trifling  elevation  above  the 
sea.  The  remarks  which  I  shall  hereafter  offer 
on  the  climate  of  Demarara,  will  apply  equally 
to  that  of  Spanish  Guiana;  but  it  appears  to 
me,  that  the  temperature  and  climate  of  Spanish 
Guiana  are  more  agreeable,  no  doubt  because 
the  waters  of  the  Aripo,  the  Caoni,  and  the 
Orinoco  have  more  declivity  than  those  of  the 
Demarara  and  Essequibo. 

It  is  very  strange  that  Spanish  Guiana,  which 
is  by  far  the  most  fertile  country  of  Venezuela, 
should  be,  notwithstanding,  the  worst  cultivated, 
the  poorest  and  least  peopled.  I  do  not  believe 
there  exists  a  country  more  wholesome,  better 
watered,  more  fertile  and  agreeable  to  inhabit  than 

that  which  is  situated  on  one  side  between  the  Esse- 

i 

quibo  and  the  Caroni,  and  on  the  other,  between 
the  Caroni  and  Orinoco :  this  tract  is  more  than 
forty-five  leagues  from  north  to  south,  and  seventy 
leagues  from  east  to  west ;  yet  in  its  whole  extent, 
it  does  not  form  a  sixth  part  of  Spanish  Guiana! 

If  the  Jesuits  had  not  founded  formerly  the 
missions  which  are   now   superintended  by  the 

K 


130  COMMERCIAL  POSITION. 

Capuchins,  it  would  still  have  been  covered  with 
forests  inhabited  by  savages  and  beasts  of  prey. 
The  manners  of  the  indigenous  inhabitants  of 
Guiana  will  be  treated  of  in  another  place.  I 
believe  their  number  is  about  thirty  thousand 
souls ;  of  whom  fifteen  thousand  are  united  in 
missions.  The  others,  such  as  the  Arrooaks  and 
Guaraouns,  are  independent,  and  have  not  em- 
braced Christianity.  Tt  is  estimated  that  there 
are  eight  thousand  whites  dispersed  in  the  vil- 
lages and  huts  in  the  remainder  of  the  province, 
about  six  thousand  Mestizos  or  free  people  of 
colour,  and  about  three  thousand  slaves.  I,  have 
already  stated  the  population  of  the  capital,  San 
Toro£,  to  be  eight  thousand  five  hundred  persons ; 
making  a  grand  total  of  fifty-two  thousand. 

The  unfavourable  commercial  position  of  the 
port  of  San  Torae  de  Angustura,  is  one  of  the 
principal  causes  of  the  languishing  state  of  agricul- 
ture and  trade  in  this  colony.  It  is  necessary  that 
there  should  be  a  commercial  town  nearer  to  the 
sea ;  for  the  swiftest  sailing  vessels  require  fifteen 
days  to  sail  from  the  mouths  of  the  river  to  Angus- 
tura. This  port  becomes  worse  every  day  from  the 
sand  banks :  there  are  rocks  in  that  part  of  the  port 
most  convenient  for  landing  merchandize,  but 
these  might  be  easily  blown  up.  The  town  of 
Barceloneta,  peopled  with  industrious  Catalans,* 
is  well  placed  for  becoming  a  situation  of  consider- 
able trade. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  poverty  of  Guiana,  M. 


POVERTY  OF    GUTANA.  131 

Depons  says,  that  the  tythes  of  it  were  farmed  out, 
in  1803,  at  only  four  thousand  dollars  per  annum. 
The  same  writer  adds,  that  the  cattle  of  the  Capu- 
chin missionaries,  of  which  he  calculated  the 
horned  beasts  only  at  160,000,  in  1803,  paid  no 
tythe,  which  is  true ;  but  that  does  not  explain 
why  the  tythe  yields  so  little  in  this  province. 
The  fact  is,  that  it  paid  very  badly  there  ;  because 
the  inhabitants  can  easily  evade  it,  placed  as  they 
are  near  large  navigable  rivers,  where  they  sell  in 
contraband  almost  all  their  produce  and  cattle. 

M.  Depons  admits,  however,  that  there  were 
exported  from  1791  to  1794,  in  objects  produced 
from  this  province  and  that  of  Varinas,  10,381 
oxen,  and  3,140  mules,  and  that  there  were  im- 
ported 200  negro  slaves  and  349,448  dollars. 

No  one  knew  better  than  M.  Depons,  that  not 
a  fifth  part  of  the  produce  of  Venezuela  was  sent 
to  Spain  ;  that  three  fifths  of  this  produce  at  least 
were  purchased  by  the  English  smugglers,  princi- 
pally by  those  of  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  and  the 
remainder  by  the  Swedish  smugglers  of  St.  Bar- 
tholomew, and  the  Danes  of  St.  Thomas's,  who, 
since  the  peace  of  1783,  have  paid  the  Spaniards 
for  what  they  bought  of  them,  in  British  manufac- 
tures. M.  Depons  may  have  had  his  reasons  for 
not  divulging  all  those  things ;  for  not  saying 
"  that,  though  in  no  country  the  fiscal  laws  have 
been  more  rigorous  than  in  the  Spanish  colonies, 
there  was  yet  no  part  of  the  world  where  there 
was  so   much  contraband  trade,  and  where  the 

k  2 


138  PLANT*. 

rights  of  the  national  commerce  were  more  vio- 
lated, owing  to  the  absurdity  of  those  laws,  which 
will  be  examined  in  a  future  chapter. 

When  by  the  effects  of  a  liberal  government 
and  wise  laws,  Guiana  arrives  at  that  pitch  of 
prosperity,  in  which  the  inhabitants  can  avail 
themselves  of  the  fertility  of  its  soil,  and  its  pecu- 
liar natural  riches,  the  numerous  navigable  rivers 
which  intersect  it  in  every  direction,  geographical 
position,  &c.  it  will  become  the  centre  and  maga- 
zine of  an  immense  trade,  of  the  importance  of 
which,  no  one  who  has  not  visited  the  country 
can  form  an  idea. 

It  is  to  the  banks  of  the  Orinoco  the  inha- 
bitants of  Santa  Fe  de  Bogota  will  go,  to  ex- 
change the  productions  of  their  soil,  for  those  of 
European  industry,  and  for  the  commodities  of 
North  America ;  while  the  first  named  country 
will  also  become  the  centreof  a  great  trade  between 
Peru  and  other  parts  of  the  world. 

Until  now,  Spanish  Guiana  has  been  a  country 
almost  wild.  The  only  object  of  cultivation  being 
a  little  sugar,  cotton,  indigo,  arnotto,  and  excels 
lent  tobacco,  very  agreeable  for  smoking,  because 
it  has  not  the  pungency  of  that  plant  in  northern 
climates.  Of  aromatic  and  medicinal  plants,  the 
lignum  quassia,  and  the  bark  of  Angostura,  to 
which  the  name  of  Bonplandia  trifoliata  has  been, 
given,  will  some  day  or  other  become  great  objects 
of  trade. 

The  oxen,  horses  and  asses,  which  were  origi- 


WILD   HORSES.  138 

nally  transported  from  Europe,  have  increased 
greatly  there,  and  form  immense  herds :  a  great 
part  of  them  are  wild  in  the  savannas  and  forests, 
and  others  are  kept  in  the  natural  pastures  inclosed 
by  the  Spaniards,  who  are  occupied  in  the  care 
of  those  animals.  There  are  some  persons,  each 
of  whom  possesses  a  tract  of  country  of  five  or  six 
leagues  square,  and  is  a  proprietor  of  thirty  or 
forty  thousand  oxen,  horses,  mules  or  asses ;  but,  as 
it  is  impossible  for  them  to  keep  and  take  proper 
care  of  such  a  great  number  of  beasts  from  the  want 
of  herdsmen,  they  merely  brand  the  flanks  of  their 
animals,  occasionally  beating  up  the  forests  to 
examine  the  cattle  \vhich  belong  to  each,  and  to 
sell  the  best. 

But  there  are  thousands  of  these  animals  which 
are  wild  in  the  forests,  and  do  not  belong  to  any 
one.  I  was  enabled  to  ascertain  a  fact  known  to 
all  who  have  travelled  in  this  country.  The  horses 
live  there  in  societies,  generally  to  the  number  of 
five  or  six  hundred,  and  even  one  thousand :  they 
occupy  immense  savannas,  where  it  is  dangerous 
to  disturb,  or  try  to  catch  them.  In  the  dry  sear 
son  they  are  sometimes  obliged  to  go  two  or  three- 
leagues,  and  even  more,  to  find  water.  They  set 
out  in  regular  ranks  of  four  abreast,  and  thus  form 
a  procession  of  an  extent  of  a  quarter  of  a  league. 
There  are  always  five  or  six  scouts  who  pre- 
cede the  troop  by  about  fifty  paces.  If  they  per- 
ceive a  man  or  jaguar  (the  American  tyger), 
they  neigh,  and  the  troop  stops :  if  avoided,  they 


134  THEIR  SAGACITY. 

continue  their  march ;  but  if  an  attempt  be  made 
to  pass  by  their  squadron,  they  leap  on  the  impru- 
dent traveller,  and  crush  him  under  their  feet. 
The  best  way  is  always  to  avoid  them,  and  let 
them  continue  their  route  :  they  have  also  a  chief 
who  marches  between  the  scouts  and  the  squadron, 
and  five  or  six  other  horses  march  on  each  side  of 
the  band ;  a  kind  of  adjutants,  whose  duty  con* 
sists  of  hindering  any  individual  from  quitting 
the  ranks.  If  any  one  attempts  to  straggle  either 
from  hunger  or  fatigue,  he  is  bitten  till  he  resumes 
his  place,  and  the  culprit  obeys  with  his  head 
hanging  down.  Three  or  four  chiefs  march  at 
the  rear  guard,  at  five  or  six  paces  from  the  troop. 
I  bad  often  heard,  at  Trinidad,  of  this  discipline 
among  the  wild  horses,  and  confess  that  I  could 
scarcely  believe  it ;  but  what  I  have  just  stated  is 
a  fact,  which  I  witnessed  twice  on  the  banks  of 
the  Guarapiche,  where  I  encamped  five  days  for 
the  express  purpose  of  seeing  those  organized 
troops  pass.  I  have  met  on  the  shores  of  the 
Orinoco,  herds  of  fifty  tola  hundred  wild  oxen  : 
a  chief  always  marched  at  the  head  and  another 
at  the  rear  of  these. 

The  people  of  the  country  have  assured  me, 
that  the  wild  asses,  when  they  travel,  observe 
the  same  discipline  as  the  horses ;  but  the  mules, 
though  they  also  live  in  troops,  are  continually 
fighting  with  each  other,  and  it  has  not  been  ob- 
served that  they  have  any  chief.  They,  however, 
unite  at  the  appearance  of  a  common  enemy,  and 


VARINA8.  135 

display  still  more  trick  and  address  than  the 
horses  in  avoiding  the  snares  which  are  laid  for 
catching  them,  and  also  for  escaping  when  taken. 
I  remember  to  have  seen  one  of  these  wild 
mules  escape  from  a  park,  where  he  had  been  kept 
at  Carupano,  by  throwing  himself  on  his  belly,  and 
feigning  to  be  dead :  suddenly  he  passed  his  head 
under  one  of  the  bars  of  the  gate,  pushed  it  open, 
and  rushed  into  the  town :  above  thirty  persons  ran 
after  him  in  every  direction,  and  after  a  pursuit  of 
two  hours,  they  were  obliged  to  give  up  the 
chase.  It  would  be  too  tedious  to  recount  all  the 
tricks  and  stratagems  employed  by  this  animal  to 
escape  us :  we  finished  the  hunt  by  laughing  at 
each  other,  for  leaving  him  at  liberty, 

PROVINCE  OF  VARINAS. 

The  town  and  territory  of  Varinas  were  de- 
tached in  1787,  from  the  government  of  Mara- 
caybo ;  when  there  was  a  portion  of  the  province 
of  Caraccas  joined  to  it,  and  it  was  made  a  sepa- 
rate government.  This  province,  which  previous 
to  this  period,  had  been  greatly  neglected  by  the 
mother  country,  has  since  increased  considerably, 
in  point  of  agriculture  and  population.  The  town 
ofVaripas  had,  in  1787,  a  population,  of  twelve 
thousand  inhabitants.  According  to  JVf .  de  Hum- 
boldt, it  is  situated  in  7°  33'  of  latitude,  and  70°  i%* 
West  longitude  from  the  meridian  of  Greenwich. 


136  PRODCCTf  OH  8. 

This  province  hasonly  three  other  towna,  which  are 
San  Jayme,  containing  seven  thousand  souls ;  San 
Fernando  d'Apure,  six  thousand  souls.  M .  de  Hum* 
boldt  places  San  Fernando  in  7°  53*  North  latitude, 
and  70°  20'  W.  longitude.  Pedraza  is  situated  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountains  which  separate  the  plains 
of  Varinas  from  the  province  of  Maracaybo :  this 
little  town  had,  in  1807,  a  population  of  three 
thousand  souls.  The  total  population  of  this 
province,  comprising  those  of  the  towns  "I  have 
Just  mentioned,  amounted  in  1807,  to  141,000 
souls. 

This  country  is  still  in  its  infancy,  though  its 
territory  is  not  inferior  in  fertility  to  any  other 
part  of  South  America.  It  is  only  since  the  last 
twenty  years  that  sugar,  coffee,  indigo  and  cot- 
ton have  been  cultivated  there.  Formerly  the 
inhabitants  grew  only  cocoa  and  the  provisions 
of  the  country  necessary  for  their  consumption. 
Their  articles  for  exportation  were  cattle  and 
tobacco,  famous  in  every  market  of  the  world. 

It  is  asserted  at  Caraceas  and  Trinidad,  that 
the  tobacco  grown  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
town  of  Varinas,  is  subject  to  be  damaged  by  a 
worm,  that  introduces  itself  into  the  roll,  and 
reduces  it  to  powder  in  a  short  time.  I  have, 
however,  bought  some  of  this  tobacco,  which  was 
in  good  condition  after  it  had  been  kept  two  years, 
and  worthy  of  its  ancient  reputation.  The  fail- 
ing attributed  to  it  for  some  years  past,  in  the 


INHABITANTS.  137 

Trinidad  and  Venezuela  markets,  no  doubt  pro- 
ceeds from  some  accidental  cause,  or  the  negli- 
gence of  those  who  prepared  it. 

The  province  of  Varinas  is  watered  by  nume- 
rous streams,  and  several  navigable  rivers  which 
flow  into  the  great  Portuguese  river,  and  the 
Apure,  the  principal  tributary  of  the  Orinoco. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  country  lead  a  pastoral 
life :  they  live  in  the  pastures,  surrounded  with  nu- 
merous herds.  Though  in  the  midst  of  abundance, 
great  natural  wealth,  and  all  the  necessaries  of  life, 
they  have  not  the  means  of  purchasing  any  thing 
belonging  to  the  luxury  of  dress,  furniture,  and 
European  liquors ;  because  they  have  no  direct 
communication  with  the  neighbouring  colonies, 
and  being  placed  in  the  interior  of  the  country, 
they  are  obliged  to  sell  their  produce  and  cattle, 
at  a  miserable  price,  to  the  smugglers  of  San  Tom6 
de  Angustura  and  of  Caracca*.  But  when  the 
present  contest  terminates,  and  freedom  of  trade 
follows,  it  will  become  one  of  the  richest  and  best 
peopled  of  this  part  of  the  world;  for  in  general 
its  climate  is  no  less  healthy  than  its  soil  is  fertile. 
There  are  few  indigenous  natives  in  this  province: 
they  are  almost  all  assembled  in  a  mission  of  the 
Andulusian  Capuchins,  situated  at  five  or  six 
leagues  from  San  Fernando  de  Apure.  I  believe 
there  may  be  about  six  hundred  of  them.  Other 
civilized  Indians  live  with  the  whites  and  mestizos, 
in  the  pastures.  There  are  scarcely  six  thousand 
slaves  in  the  population  of  the  province  of  Vari- 


138  MARACAYBO. 

nas,  and  these  are  only  slaves  in  name ;  for  they 
live  in  the  greatest  familiarity  with  their  masters, 
and  are  equally  well  fed,  lodged,  and  clothed. 

MARACAYBO. 

The  town  of  Maracaybo,  or  New  Zamora,  was, 
until  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
the  capital  of  Venezuela.  When  the  town  of  Ca- 
raccas  had  become  the  capital  of  the  general  go- 
vernment, the  town  of  Maracaybo  was  no  longer 
any  more  than  the  residence  of  the  governor  of 
this  district,  which  took  the  name  of  province. 

New  Zamora  was  founded  in  1571,  by  Alonzo 
Pacheco,  four  years  after  the  foundation  of  Ca- 
raccas.  Coro,  as  already  seen,  was  the  residence 
of  the  governors  in  the  time  of  the  Welsers ;  but 
this  town  remained  in  the  distinct  government 
of  Caraccas,  when  the  country  was  divided  into 
provinces- 

Maracaybo  is  well  built  of  stone :  its  climate 
is  healthy  though  hot.  It  was  calculated  in  1807, 
.that  it  contained  twenty-five  thousand  inhabit- 
ants, of  whom  five  thousand  were  slaves.  The 
natives  of  the  town  of  Maracaybo  have,  in  the  Spa- 
nish colonies,  the  reputation  of  being  very  witty. 

The  Jesuits  had  a  college  there,  which  pro- 

.  duced  some  distinguished  scholars,  and  it  became 

the  literary   town  of  America;    but  with  that 

order  of  clergy,  the  establishments  for  public 

.instruction  in  this  province  also  fell.    The  Creoles 


MERIEM.  139 

t>f  Maracaybo,  however,  preserve  a  decided  taste 
for  literature.  But  what  is  the  use  of  literature 
if  not  directed  towards  its  proper  object,  that  of 
promoting1  civilization  and  public  liberty  ?  The 
youth  of  Maracaybo,  who  have  received  from 
nature  great  talents  and  imagination,  place  their 
principal  glory  in  distinguishing  themselves  by 
cavilling  and  subtlety  of  argument.  Thus  the 
people  of  Maracaybo  are  reputed  among  their 
neighbours  as  deceitful  and  litigious;  but  the 
women  have  the  character  of  being  generally 
virtuous  and  much  attached  to  their  duties. 

Next  to  Maracaybo,  the  most  important  town 
of  this  province  is  Merida,  founded  in  1568  by  Juan 
Rodrigues  Suare :  this  town  is  the  seat  of  a  bishop 
and  chapter ;  it  has  also  a  seminary  for  young 
ecclesiastics,  and  a  college  which  pretends  to 
rival  the  university  of  Caraccas.  It  was,  for 
some  years,  that  of  the  provincial  government, 
towards  the  middle  of  the  last  century.  This 
town  is  situated  between  three  rivers,  which 
form  an  island  of  its  district,  and  discharge  them- 
selves into  the  lake  of  Maracaybo.  The  position 
of  this  town  near  the  mountains,  renders  its  tem- 
perature very  variable :  however,  the  inhabitants 
assert  that  by  wearing  woollen  clothes,  as  good 
health  may  be  enjoyed  there  as  any  where  else. 

Truxillo  was  founded  in  1520,  by  Diego  de  Para- 
des, and  once  considered  the  handsomest  town  in 
this  part  of  America;  but  it  was  pillaged  and  burnt 
by  the  pirate  Grammont  in  1678,  who  had  landed 


140  POPULATION. 

eighty  leagues  from  it.  All  the  inhabitants 
who  could  not  escape,  were  cut  to  pieces.  The 
ruins  of  its  buildings  are  the  monuments  of  its 
past  grandeur.  There  were  twelve  thousand 
inhabitants  in  it  in  1807.  This  town  is  situated 
among  the  mountains,  and  therefore  enjoys  a 
very  mild  temperature.  In  the  vallies  of  its  dis- 
trict are  cultivated  all  the  tropical  productions ; 
and  on  the  hills  and  elevated  situations,  wheat, 
vines,  and  other  articles  produced  in  the  tempe* 
rate  regions  of  Europe.  Gibraltar  is  another 
little  town  placed  near  the  lake,  and  on  the  shore 
opposite  to  the  town  of  Maracaybo :  it  contains 
three  thousand  inhabitants.  The  population  of 
the  province  of  Maracaybo  was  in  1807,  174,000 
persons. 

Population  of  the  Provinces  of  Venezuela,  in  1807. 

Caraccas         -        -  496,772  inhabitants 

Cumana  -        -  96,000 

Island  of  Margarita  16,200 

Spanish  Guiana       -  52,000 

Varinas  -        -  141,000 

Maracaybo    -        -  174,000 


Total    975,972  inhabitants. 


The  whites  among  this  population  are  about 
200,000,  in  which  number  there  are  scarcely 
twenty  thousand  Europeans :  the  free  people  of 


MARGARITA.  141 

colour,  the  mixtures  of  European,  indigenous  and 
African  blood,  were  to  the  number  of  436,000 ; 
the  negro  or  mulatto  slaves  58,000 ;  the  Indians 
were  about  282,000:  of  whom  210,000  were 
united  in  missions  of  practiced  trades  in  the  towns 
and  villages.  According  to  a  census  made  in  Ja- 
nuary, 1811,  the  population  exceeded  one  million 
of  souls. 

ISLAND  OF  MARGARITA. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1807,  I  departed  from 
Carupano,  on  the  coast  of  the  province  of  Cu- 
mana,  to  visit  the  Island  of  Margarita.  The 
passage  is  about  thirteen  leagues,*  Having 
sailed  at  six  oTclock  in  the  morning  in  an  open 
boat,  we  arrived  at  Pueblo  de  la  Mar  about  noon. 

On  landing  I  went  to  the  commandant  to  shew 
him  my  passport,  and  met  the  most  obliging 
reception  from  him,  as  well  as  from  his  wife,  a 
young  and  very  pretty  Spanish  Creole,  He  told 
roe  that  he  had  two  Frenchmen  established 
in  the  towns  and  that  perhaps  I  might  be  desirous 
of  seeing  them,  upon  which  he  sent  to  conduct 
me  to  their  houses.  They  were  two  Provencal 
traders,  formerly  residents  in  Martinico.  They 
received  me  with  that  pleasure  which  is  experi- 
enced by  those  who  meet  their  countrymen  at 


*  1 1  is  but  eight  leagues  from  the  island  to  the  continent 


142  AH   ORIGUfAL. 

two  thousand  leagues  from  home ;  an  enjoyment, 
of  which  a  man  who  has  never  quitted  his  native 
soil  to  travel  in  distant  countries,  cannot  form  an 
idea.  One  of  those  Provencals  had  married  a 
woman  of  the  country,  carried  on  a  little  business, 
and  seemed  to  be  in  very  easy  circumstances. 
The  other  was  a  complete  original :  by  his  dress 
he  might  be  taken  for  a  sailor ;  he  had  no  other 
clothes  than  a  pair  of  trowsers,  blue  shirt  and 
a  handkerchief  on  his  head.  Those  two  persons 
lived  in  the  same  bouse,  and  they  invited  me  to 
pass  the  day  with  them.  I  was  not  a  little  sur- 
prized to  find  a  great  deal  of  information  under 
the  rough  exterior  of  my  second  heist.  I  inquired 
howv  he  spent  his  time,  and  how,  with  so  much 
instruction,  and  a  mind  so  cultivated,  he  did  not 
die  of  ennui  in  that  wild  place,  deprived  of  the 
society  of  men  of  education.  He  answered, 
that  he  was  partly  occupied  in  teaching  a  little 
Latin  to  some  young  Creoles  who  were  destined 
for  the  church,  and  the  rest  of  his  time  he  employed 
in  learning  English  and  German.  He  added 
that  in  the  five  years  during  which  he  had  led 
this  life,  he  had  only  two  occasions  of  conversing 
with  Germans,  and  very  seldom  with  Englishmen: 
however,  by  dint  of  learning  words,  and  of  speak- 
ing from  vocabularies,  he  had  succeeded  in  learn- 
ing to  speak  those  two  languages  with  tolerable 
facility.  "  Having  lost  the  little  fortune  I  made 
at  Martinico,  when  I  have  acquired  two  thou- 
sand francs,   I  shall  return    to    Europe,   from 


THE    VIRGIN.  143 

whence  I  can  go  and  settle  in  the*  United  State* 
of  America:  with  my  knowledge  of  the  German, 
English,  Spanish  and  Italian  languages,  and  that 
of  book-keeping,  I  shall  find  the  means  of  placing 
myself  advantageously  in  some  large  commercial 
town."  Such  was  the  project  of  M.  Isnard,  the 
name  of  this  persevering  polyglott. 

My  two  countrymen  invited  me  after  dinner 
to  take  a  walk  on  the  beach  :  while  there,  I  saw 
a  number  of  persons  assembled  in  the  gallery  of 
a  house  situated  on  the  sea  shore :  we  went  into 
it,  and  I  was  presented  to  the  master,  an  old 
man  of  eighty  years  of  age,  and  very  active*  He 
was  occupied  with  some  young  girls,  in  dressing 
a  figure  of  the  Virgin,  which  was  to  make  its 
appearance  in  the  evening  (it  was  twelfth  day,) 
at  the  benediction.  "  Well,  my  friend,"  said  the 
old  Spanish  Creole  to  me,  "  Fll  lay  a  wager  you 
have  never  seen  a  Holy  Virgin  more  magnifi- 
cently and  elegantly  adorned  than  mine  ?  You 
see  on  her  dress  all  the  lace  and  the  finest  ribands 
of  these  young  ladies.  Admire  that  beautiful  crown 
of  pearls !  There  are  as  many  in  it  as  there  are  days 
in  the  year."  I  reckoned  them,  and  there  were 
really  three,  hundred  and  sixty-five  beautiful 
pearls.  I  applauded  his  zeal  highly.  "  At  last," 
said  he, "  I  am  happy  to  find  a  Frenchman  who  is 
a  good  catholic :  we  have  had  some  of  your  coun- 
trymen here  already ,sailors,  and  certainly  heretics. 
I  heard  them  say,  for  I  understand  a  little  French, 
that  it  was  a  great  pity  to  put  so  many  fine  pearls 


144  SULTANAS. 

on  a  statue :  oh  los  demonios  !  los  hereticos  !  Oh 
the  devils,  the  heretics !  Can  any  thing  be  more 
agreeable  to  God,  than  ornamenting  the  imma- 
culate Virgin,  his  mother!" 

A  moment  afterwards,  the  Holy  Virgin  was 
placed  on  a  bier,  from  whence  hung  several  rose 
coloured  ribbands,  and  each  of  the  living  virgins 
who  were  with  the  old  Spaniard,  held  one  of 
those  ribands :  the  -  figure  was  thus  carried  by 
four  churchwardens,  and  received  at  the  church 
door  by  the  priest,  the  proprietor  of  the  statue 
held  the  censer. 

When  the  ceremony  was  over,  I  returned  to 
his  house,  chatting  with  the  Creole  virgins  of  the 
procession.  The  freedom  of  their  conversation 
and  manners  surprized  me.  I  inquired  of  my 
countrymen  who  those  young  girls  were;  and 
they  informed  me  that  four  of  them  were  the 
sultanas  of  the  old  beau,  who  was  extremely 
jealous:  he  kept  them  locked  up  at  night, 
and  had  them  watched  during  the  day  by  two 
of  his  negroes ;  this  did  not,  however,  prevent 
them  from  having  lovers  and  intrigues  among 
the  travellers  who  visited  the  port;  a  system 
which  allowed  the  two  inspecting  negroes  to  live 
in  the  midst  of  luxury.  The  other  vestals  of 
the  train  followed  the  same  profession.  Those 
people  firmly  believe  that  their  devotion  to  the 
Virgin  Mary,  and  the  absolution  of  their  priest, 
expiate  all  their  sins,  even  to  robbery  and  murder: 
lull  of  these  ideas,  they  live  strangers  to  all  mora- 


A    PROJECT.  145 

lity,  and  give  themselves  up  without  constraint 
or  remorse  to  all  the  brutality  of  their  appetites. 

In  walking  along  the  beach,  I  met  those 
French  sailors,  the  heretical  despisers  of  the  Vir- 
gin's statue.  By  my  appearance,  they  also  took 
me  for  a  seaman,  and  soon  became  as  free  with 
me,  as  if  we  had  known  each  other  for  many ' 
years:  they  informed  me  of  a  truly  piratioal 
scheme  which  they  had  just  formed :  it  was  sim- 
ply that  of  carrying  off  the  Virgin's  crown  of 
pearls  during  the  night,  and  depositing  it  on 
board  the  privateer,  then  lying  at  anchor  in  the 
roadstead.  All  I  could  say  to  dissuade  them 
from  this  scheme  had  no  effect :  I  then  assumed 
an  air  of  authority,  and  made  them  believe  I  was 
a  French  officer  going  to  Caraccas  on  govern- 
ment business,  and  that  if  they  committed  such 
a  base  action,  I  would  accuse  them  to  Admiral 
Villaret,  governor  of  Martinique,  and  to  Gene- 
ral Ernouf,  governor  of  Guadaloupe.  My  me- 
nace had  the  desired  effect,  and  the  crown  of  the 
Madona  del  Pueblo  de  la  Mar  was  suffered  to  deco- 
rate the  Virgin! 

After  having  dined  with  my  countrymen,  the 
Provengals,  I  departed  for  Pompatar,  the  prin- 
cipal port  of  the  island ;  my  son,  servant,  and 
self  were  each  mounted  on  a  mule,  which  is  the 
only  mode  of  conveyance  in  this  island.  A  fourth 
mule  carried  my  baggage,  among  which  were  two 
large  flasks  full  of  old  Catalan  wine ;  but  being 
badly  tied  on,  one  of  them  fell  to  the  groiind  and 

L 


146  POMPATAR. 

broke  in  the  middle  of  the  town,  or  rather  the 
village  of  Pueblo  de  la  Mar.  I  immediately  saw 
five  or  six  Creole  women  ran  with  cowd*  to 
gather  up  the  spilt  wine,  even  what  was  on  the 
ground,  and  drinking  it  with  an  avidity  that 
induced  me  to  suppose  they  had  never  tasted 
wine  before.  The  inhabitants  of  this  place  are 
very  poor,  as  are  the  greater  part  of  those  on 
the  island :  they  are  as  fond  of  their  country  as  the 
Barbadians,  but  not  so  vicious.  As  in  Barbadoes, 
I  did  not  hear  of  those  abominable  mothers  who 
offer  their  daughters  to  strangers  for  a  pecuniary 
consideration. 

The  melancholy  ideas  which  had  constantly 
haunted  me,  since  my  departure  from  Trinidad, 
acquired  a  still  more  dismal  tint  on  viewing  the 
desolate  scene  here,  which  seemed  to  lie  under  a 
malediction.  I  saw  nothing  around  me  but  cactus 
arboresoens,  some  mimosas  covered  with  thorns, 
and  plants  whose  leaves  were  full  of  prickles  and 
points,  all  of  which  grew  on  sandy  soils.  Here 
and  there  I  met  with  a  few  goats,  some  lean  and 
sorry  mules  and  asses,  which  having  lost  their 
hoofs,  had  lamed  themselves  in  trying  to  graze 
on  the  leaves  and  flowers  of  those  vegetables ;  but 
the  humming  birds,  and  the  harmonious  notes  of 
other  tropical  birds,  diverted  my  attention  occa- 
sionally from  this  gloomy  spectacle.  At  length, 
after  a  journey  of  an  hour  and  a  half,  we  arrived  at 

*  Cups  made  of  oaieba»hes  cut  in  two. 


A  CLERICAL  GAMBLER.  14T 

Pompatar,  and  put  up  at  the  house  of  a  Corsican 
sailor,  to  whom  I  was  recommended.  I  remained 
in  this  island  until  the  first  week  of  Lent.*  One 
day  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  being 
wholly  unoccupied,  I  went  into  a  house  where 
there  were  billiards  and  games  of  hazard  :  I  saw 
an  old  Spanish  priest  brought  to  the  door  in  a 
sedan  chair*  who  had  a  gold  cross  embroidered  on 
his  cossack  on  the  left  side:  he  was  supported 
into  the  gaming  room  by  his  two  negro  bearers. 
This  old  man  could  scarcely  crawl  stlong,  in  con* 
sequence  of  a  fit  of  the  .gout.  He  took  a  place 
among  the  gamesters,  who  were  there,  as  in  all 
other  countries,  the  most  worthless  of  the  com- 
munity. Other  players  were  the  officers  of  three 
French  privateers,  and  some  English  smugglers, 
whose  vessels  were  at  anchor  in  the  roads  of  Pom- 


*  The  Editor  is  persuaded  that  the  following  passages  will  not  fail 
to  arrest  the  attention  of  every  thinking  mind;_for  surely  it  is 
impossible  to  contemplate  without  emotion,  the  striking  picture 
here  introduced,  of  the  abandoned  profligacy  and  disgusting 
hypocrisy,  which  all  who  have  visited  those  unhappy  countries 
acknowledge  to  be  the  characteristics  of  the  Spanish  and 
Hispano-American  priesthood.  Would  to  Heaven  J  that  this 
powerful  exposition  of  practices,  at  once  so  insulting  to  the 
common  sense  of  mankind,  and  so  derogatory  from  the  beautiful 
simplicity  of  True  Religion,  may  assist  the  glorious  efforts  of  a 
free  and  enlightened  press,  in  tearing  off  the  flimsy  veil  with 
which  bigotry  and  self-interest  have  contrived  to  shroud  truth 
and  reason  from  the  deluded  many  in  other  quarters  of  the  globe. 
But,  alas !  the  regions  that  are  yet  bound  by  the  chains  of  papal 
superstition,  are  not  the  only  theatres  whereon  the  religious 
Tartuffe  is  still  permitted  to  play  a  too  prominent  part. 

l  2 


148  A    SERMON. 

patar.  I  inquired  who  this  old  priest  was,  and 
heard  that  he  was  the  principal  officer  of  the 
Inquisition,  and  the  most  inveterate  gamester  of 
the  island,  who  passed  all  the  time  in  which  he 
was  not  engaged  by  the  functions  of  his  holy  office 
in  this  receptacle.  In  spite  of  the  horror  in  which' 
I  have  always  held  such  places,  T  remained  there 
until  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  for  in  travelling 
everything  should  be  seen.  The  inquisitor  having 
risen  from  his  seat  at  six  o'clock,  announced  that 
he  was  going  to  preach  his  I^ent  sermon,  and  that 
after  the  sermon  he  would  return  and  resume  bis 
place.  I  followed  this  strange  kind  of  preacher 
to  church,  to  hear  what  could  proceed  from  such 
unhallowed  lips.  The  subject  of  bis  sermon  was 
purgatory ;  and  I  give  a  specimen  of  it,  which 
merits  notice,  as  it  will  give  an  idea  of  the  religious 
opinions  and  instruction  of  the  country. 

"  When  any  of  ye,  my  brethren,  becomes  sick, 
he  hastens  to  send  for  a  physician,  and  spares  no 
expence  to  obtain  relief  from  his  sufferings  and 
effectuate  his  cure.  And  what  are  corporeal  suf- 
ferings of  the  most  painful  kind,  which  we  expe- 
rience in  this  inferior  world,  in  comparison  with 
the  dreadful  torments  by  which  souls  detained  in 
purgatory  are  afflicted  ?  Nothing,  my  brethren, 
nothing !  The  inspired  writers  of  the  holy  Roman 
church  assure  us,  that  the  torments  which  are 
suffered  in  that  place  of  expiation  and  purifica- 
tion, are,  in  every  respect,  equal  to  those  of  hell; 
with  this  sole  difference,  that  in  purgatory,  angels 


BLASPHEMY.  149 

are  the  executioners  of  divine  vengeance,  and  the 
souls  detained  there  feel  a  certainty  that  their 
sufferings  will  have  an  end.      But  that  termina- 
tion, when  does  it  take  place  ?      For  a  very  small 
number  it  is  at  the  end  of  a  few  days  ;   for  others, 
in  some  months!   others,    after  many  years:  in 
short,  it  is  prolonged  to  many  centuries,  accord- 
ing as  the  venial  sins  they  expiate,  are  removed 
from,  or  approach  to  the  nature  of  mortal  sin. 
However,  your    kind  and  tender  mother,  the 
holy  Roman  church,  august  spouse  of  Jesus  Christ, 
to  whom  alone  he  has  confided  the  care  of  your 
souls,  and  without  the  pale    of  which  there  is 
nought  but  error  and  eternal  damnation ;  this 
good  ond  tender  mother  has  conferred  on  all  her 
ministers  the  power  of  the  keys ;  that  is  to  say,  my 
brethren,  that  of  shutting  and  opening  the  gates 
of  purgatory,  and  of  paradise.     Thus  it  is,  that 
through  the  merits  of  the  indulgences  granted  by 
our  most  holy  father  the  pope,  the  bishops,  and 
by  the  blessed  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  we  can  at 
all  times  open  the  gates  of  purgatory  and  para- 
dise, and  introduce  into  the  seat  of  eternal  felicity 
souls  purified  by  the  holy  fire. 

"  Oh !  how  adorable  is  the  mercy  of  our 
Saviour!  Oh!  how  precious  is  that  power  which 
he  has  conferred  on  his  church !  but  how  ungrate- 
ful you  are  for  so  much  kindness ;  how  insensible 
to  the  soft  sentiments  of  pity  and  of  sympathy  for 
your  suffering  neighbours  and  friends ! 

"  The  church  declares  to  you  by  my  mouth, 


160  PCBGATOjnr. 

that  the  pains  of  purgatory  are  not  inferior  to 
those  of  hell,  and  that  their  duration  alone  makes 
the  difference.  I  shall  sketch  to  you,  my  brethren , 
the  picture  of  those  sufferings.  There  are  felt  at 
the  same  time  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  ; 
that  is  to  say,  that  whilst  one  has,  for  instaaoe, 
the  feet  and  hands  frozen,  the  other  parts  of  the 
body  are  a  prey  to  the  devouring  fire.  Horrible 
serpents  introduce  themselves  into  the  bowels  and 
entrails  of  some,  whilst  their  neighbours  are  cover- 
ed with  nauseous  reptiles  which  suck  their  blood,  and 
disgusting  toads  eject  their  scum  and  urine  on  the 
faces  of  others !  They  are  also  tormented  with 
the  most  excruciating  hunger  and  thirst  1 ! !  Such, 
my  brethren,  are  the  frightful  torments  experi- 
enced by  those  of  your  relations  and  friends  now 
there;  such  is  also  the  fate  that  awaits  almost 
all  of  you ;  and  I  venture  to  say  all,  unless  I  can 
suppose  that  you  possess  the  purity  and  innocence 
of  angels  at  the  moment  your  souls  shall  be  sepa- 
rated from  your  bodies. 

"  It  is,  however,  still  in  your  power  to  put  an 
end  to  these  cruel  calamities,  and  to  permit  those 
unhappy  beings  to  enjoy  the  celestial  beatitude ; 
which  is,  you  know,  my  brethren,  by  taking  indul- 
gences and  causing  masses  to  be  said  for  their 
deliverance.  And  yet,  how  negligent  you  are.  of 
this  pious  duty!  Ah,  wretches!  stony  hearts t 
the  same  fate  awaits  you !  God  grant  that  your 
children,  that  your  neighbours,  when  you  die, 
may  have  as  little  compassion  on  you,  and  forget 


HYPOCRISY.  151 

you  as  soon,  as  you  shew  lack  of  pity  and  remem- 
brance of  those  who  are  gone  before  you  P* 

At  this  pathetic  morsel  of  the  sermon,  there  was 
nothing  to  be  heard  in  the  church  but  groans  and 
blows  on  the  breast.  Four  churchwardens  were 
busily  employed,  two  carrying  about  indulgences 
for  sale ^  and  two  others  receiving  money  for  saying 
masses.  When  the  distributers  of  indulgences 
passed  me,  I  took  two  of  them,  one  for  purgatory, 
and  the  other  to  have  leave  to  eat  meat  and  eggs. 
The  latter  was  very  necessary  to  show  my  hosts, 
and  enable  me  to  eat  meat  without  reproach. 

Two  days  afterwards  1  went  to  Assoncion,  the 
capital  of  the  colony  :  there  I  saw  the  inquisitor  ? 
who  was  walking  on  a  terrace  with  another  priest ; 
he  saluted  me  kindly,  and  invited  roe  into  his 
friend's  horse.  "Well,"  said  he,  "  I  saw  you  the 
evening  before  last  at  church  ;  I  was  charmed  with 
your  attention:  you  bought  some  indulgences, 
this  was  really  edifying  in  a  Frenchman !  But 
then,  tell  me  sincerely  5  were  you  satisfied  with 
my  sermon  ?" — "  I  could  not  be  otherwise,  most 
reverend  father:  above  all  I  admired  the  fertility 
of  your  imagination^  and  the  frightful  picture  of 
purgatory.  They  must  be  heretics  or  infidels 
who  would  not  take  indulgences  and  cause  masaes 
to  be  said,  after  hearing  a  sermon  so  hideously 
pathetic  V ' 

Though  my  reply  was  pronounced  in  a  most 
serious  tone,  the  old  inquisitor  burst  into  a  fit  of 
immoderate  laughter,  and  of  the  most  malignant 


162  A    LAY    SERMON. 

kind.  "  I  venture  to  say,  that  in  your  own  mind 
you  make  a  good  jest  of  my  sermon,  and  say  to 
yourself,  oh,  the  mountebank!  the  impostor!" 
u  By  no  means:  on  the  contrary  I  have  the  greatest 
respect,  most  reverend  father,  for  all  you  utter." 
"  You  are  only  ridiculing  me ;  but  what  the  devil 
should  I  preach  to  those  ignorant  and  vulgar 
beings  who  were  my  audience  ?  The  pure  lan- 
guage of  the  gospel  would  be  as  unintelligible  as 
that  of  reason  to  their  brutish  minds.  These  dis- 
gusting and  frightful  images,  of  toads,  reptiles, 
serpents,  icy  cold,  and  devouring  flames,  can  alone 
move  their  coarse  faculties,  and  are  very  well 
adapted  to  their  limited  understandings." — "  Since 
you  speak  to  me  with  so  little  reserve,  most  reve- 
rend father,  will  you  permit  me  to  reply  to  you  in 
the  same  manner  ?"  "Most  certainly ,"  replied  the 
old  man.  "  Do  you  not  believe,  it  often  happens 
that  many  of  your  congregation,  shocked  at  the 
absurdity  of  your  purgatory,  finish  by  the  opinion 
that  the  whole  doctrine  of  Christianity  is  only  an 
imposture  ?  What  happens  then  ?  You  had 
taught  them  the  moral  duties,  founded  on  this 
belief,  which  they  despise  and  reject,  and  they 
renounce  the  practice  of  duties  prescribed  by  the 
gospel  and  reason,  the  same  day  in  which  they 
cease  to  believe  in  those  dogmas.  If  you  would 
limit  yourself  to  instructing  them  in  evangelical 
morality,  they  would  be  less  vicious,  because  they 
would  then  believe  in  principles,  which  for  from 
being  revolting  to  common  sense,  have  nothing 


A   CHARACTER.  153F 

but  what  is  agreeable  and  consoling  to  a  well  dis- 
posed  mind,  when  united  with  a  good  judgment* 
For  the  greater  part  of  those  who  persevere  in 
their  faith,  confess  freely  that  they  make  their 
religion  consist  in  outward  ceremonies  and  trifling 
observances.  You  have  given  so  much  impor- 
tance to  those  external  practices,  that  it  is  in  them 
most  of  your  flock  place  their  religion.  They 
serve  as  a  covering  to  hypocrisy,  vices,  and  even 
to  crimes  in  many  others.  I  know  a  devotee 
who  is  the  most  vain,  violent,  malignant  and 
envious  of  mankind :  he  has  passed  his  life  in 
pining  at  the  prosperity  of  his  neighbours,  slan- 
dering them,  quarrelling  with  his  wife,  and  sub- 
mitting to  all  her  caprices.  This  man  hates  his 
children,  and  obliges  them  by  every  kind  of  ill 
usage  to'abandon  their  home :  yet  this  is  a  sancti- 
fied man,  who  goes  to  church  two  or  three  times 
each  day,  and  would  believe  himself  damned  if 
he  were  to  eat  meat  on  Friday,  &c.  His  wife  was 
the  most  refined  hypocrite  from  the  age  of  twelve  : 
at  that  period  she  was  turned  out  of  a  convent 
for  a  most  perfidious  and  base  action.  She, 
too,  has  played  the  saint  all  her  life,  and  under 
that  mask  has  imposed  on  weak  minds;  and  has 
always  been  seconded  by  rogues  and  hypocrites, 
who  represent  her  as  an  angel.  It  is  true  that  she 
has  enriched  more  than  one  of  them  with  the  pro- 
perty of  her  family,  which  she  has  reduced  to 
poverty.  Her  son  happening  to  surprise  her  one 
day,  she  fearing  that  he  would  discover  it  to  his 


154  ADVICE. 

father,  employed  all  her  influence  with  her  hus- 
band, who  was  weak-minded  and  passionate,  to 
render  his  son  odious  to  him.  Oppressed  with  ill 
usage,  the  young  man  was  obliged  to  leave  his 
country.  Some  time  afterwards,  having  perceiv- 
ed that  her  daughter  was  acquainted  with  the 
same  fact,  she  did  all  in  her  power  to  turn  the 
girl's  father  against  her.  At  last,  the  daughter 
was  stabbed  by  a  maid  servant.  This  crime  was 
accompanied  with  the  most  dreadful  circum- 
stances. 

"  You  know,  reverend  father,  that  bigots  are 
generally  reputed  malignant,  egotistical  and  de- 
ceitful; yet  those,  are  the  three  vices  against 
which  Jesus  Christ  has  warned  us.  Why  do  you 
Hot  preach  continually  to  the  faithful  the  par- 
don of  injuries,  charity,  and  sincerity?  The 
practice  of  those  virtues,  I  know,  requires  grea- 
ter efforts  over  ourselves,  than  abstinence  from 
flesh-meats  in  Lent,  or  a  conformity  to  frivolous 
ceremonies.  I  see  that  you  have  a  mind  too  well 
formed,  and  too  observing,  not  to  be  aware 
that  a  grpat  number  of  believers  think  they  ex- 
piate all  their  vices,  and  render  themselves  agree- 
able to  God,  by  the  exercise  of  these  practices. 
Employ  your  eloquence  to  destroy  this  baneful 
error,  to  unmask  the  hypocrites ;  thunder  against 
them,  as  Jesus  Christ  did  against  the  Pharisees ; 
instruct  young  people,  who  are  naturally  sin- 
cere and  susceptible,  that  it  is  possible  to  become 
agreeable  to  Heaven,  and  estimable  among  men, 


INDULGENCES.  155 

only  by  the  practice  of  those  virtues,  which  con- 
sist in  rendering  our  fellow  creatures  better  and 
more  happy." 

Here  ended  my  sermon.  The  inquisitor  con- 
fessed frankly  that  he  thought  as  I  did ;  "  but," 
added  he,  "  if  I  were  to  preach  according  to  your 
principles,  what  difference  would  there  be  be- 
tween me  and  a  Protestant  preacher  ?  I  have  no 
desire  to  become  a  reformer,  I  would  lose  my  time 
in  that  vocation,  with  a  people  so  ignorant  and  de- 
praved as  my  flock.  The  most  rational  and  use- 
ful thing  I  can  do,  is  to  instruct  them  according 
to  the  principles  of  the  belief  in  which  we  have 
been  brought  up." 

As  bulls  and  indulgences  formed  a  topic  in 
the  sermon  of  the  Margarita  preacher,  I  think 
that  in  displaying  the  virtues  attributed  to  them 
in  the  Spanish  colonies,  I  shall  fulfil  the  duty  I 
have  imposed  on  myself  of  depicting  the  man- 
ners, religion,  and  intellectual  acquirements  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  countries  I  have  visited. 
I  know  that  what  I  am  about  to  relate  will 
displease  certain  persons,  who  twenty  years  ago 
would  have  thought  I  had  spoken  with  too  much 
moderation;  and  others,  whose  intentions  I  re- 
spect much  more  than  their  knowledge.  I  do 
not,  nor  do  I  wish  to  belong  to  any  party  or  fac- 
tion :  those  to  whom  I  am  well  known,  know 
how  opposite  to  my  disposition  it  is  to  insult  any 
person  whatever.  But  in  describing  a  country 
so  little  known  to  Europeans,  a  country  which 


166  BOLLi. 

is  on  the  point  of  becoming  so  conspicuous  in 
the  political  world,  I  ought  not  to  omit  any 
thing  that  may  contribute  to  complete  the  descrip- 
tion of  its  inhabitants. 

The  bulls  of  indulgences,  as  every  one  knows, 
derive  their  origin  from  the  crusades.  Pope 
Alexander  VI.  made  a  crusade  of  the  conquest  of 
America,  by  granting  indulgences  to  those  who 
engaged  in  it ;  and  though  for  a  long  time  war  has 
not  been  carried'  on  against  the  natives,  still  in- 
dulgences are  annually  sent  to  Spanish  America. 

The  titles  of  these  bulls  are  as  follows :  Bull  of 
the  living;  Bull  of the  dead ;  Bull  of  white-meat* 
and  eggs;  Bull  of  composition.* 

The  reader  will  not  perhaps  be  displeased 
to  be  informed  of  their  miraculous  properties : 
I  shall  begin  with  that  called  the  common  bull  of 
the  living. 

In  the  first  place,  all  the  grace  and  favour  of 


•  A  Spaniard  whom  I  have  met  since  this  work  was  put  to  press, 
has  told  me  I  had  forgotten  the  bull  of  the  Cruzada ;  a  bull  by 
which  the  Popes  granted  a  great  number  of  indulgences,  privileges 
and  exemptions  in  this  and  the  other  world,  to  those  who  buy 
them.  This  bull  is  sold  at  two  reals  and  a  half  (6Jd.)  to  the  com- 
mon people,  the  rich  pay  for  it  in  proportion  to  their  fortunes. 
It  renders  annually  to  the  King  of  Spain  £170,000,  of  which 
the  New  World  pays  one  half.  It  was  granted  to  the  Kings  of 
Spain  and  Portugal  to  assist  them  in  making  war  against  the 
Mahometans  of  Africa  and  Asia ;  and  as  for  a  long  time  those 
wars  have  ceased,  the  produce  of  the  bull  of  the  Cruzada  has  serv- 
ed or  was  deemed  to  serve  in  aid  of  the  expences  of  wars  against 
the  Indians  who  refused  to  embrace  the  Catholic  religion. 


BULL   OF   THE    LIYIlfG.  167 

Heaven,  that  can  be  desired,  is  attached  to  its 
possession:  with  this  bull  in  the  pocket,  and 
faith  as  to  its  power  in  the  head,  a  firm  believer 
cannot  fail  to  obtain  whatever  he  demands  from 
Heaven ;  and  if  it  should  happen  that  his  peti- . 
tions  were  not  heard,  it  is  not,  as  may  well  be 
supposed,  the  fault  of  the  bull,  but  the  insuffi- 
ciency of  his  faith.  In  such  a  case,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  buy  and  re-buy  other  copies  of  the  bull, 
until  what  is  intreated  of  Heaven  be  obtained. 
A  volume  would  not  be  sufficient  to  explain  and 
enumerate  all  its  virtues;  I  shall  limit  myself 
to  indicating  the  most  valuable. 

The  fortunate  possessor  of  the  bull  of  the  liv- 
ing, if  he  had  murdered  his  father,  mother  and 
children,  if  he  were  guilty  pf  incest  and  of  crimes 
the  most  outrageous  to  nature,  has  onfy  to  seek 
a  priest,  who,  at  the  sight  of  this  miraculous  pa- 
per, cannot  refuse  him  absolution ;  when  suddenly 
he  becomes  reconciled  to  Heaven,  and  his  con- 
science remains  as  tranquil,  as  far  removed  from 
remorse,  as  that  of  Caesar  Borgia,  when,  furnished 
with  the  previous  absolution  given  to  him  by  his 
father,  be  departed  on  an  excursion  to  assassinate 
or  poison  some  prince  of  his  time.  Blasphemies 
against  God,  atheism,  &c.  are  also  pardoned  in 
those  who  buy  this  bull.  There  is  but  one  crime 
(without  doubt,  the  worst  of  all  crimes,)  incre- 
dulity in  the  oracles  of  the  Vatican,  vulgarly 
called  heresy,  which  resists  their  power. 

He  who  buys  the  bull  of  the  living,  enjoys  the 


168  PRICES. 

inestimable  advantage  in  a  hot  climate,  of  being 
able  to  hear  the  masses  which  are  said  every  day 
in  these  countries,  one  hour  before  sunrise ;  to 
have  it  celebrated  at  his  own  home  when  the 
church  of  his  parish  is  interdicted;  to  be  buried  in 
consecrated  ground,  if  the  church-yard  is  inter- 
dicted ;  to  eat  meat  on  fast  days,  and  all  the 
meals  required  by  the  appetite  on  days  of 
abstinence,  saving  some  exceptions  which  the 
present  Pope  has  commanded  by  his  bulls  of 
January  1,  1804. 

He  who  buys  the  bull  in  Spanish  America, 
gains  certain  indulgences  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance in  the  world  to  come,  of  which  the  unhap- 
py European  Catholic  can  only  avail  himself  by 
making  a  journey  to  Rome.  But  what  appears 
most  wonderful  in  this  bull,  is,  that  notwith- 
standing all  that  is  promised  by  the  acquisition 
of  one  copy,  yet  he  who  buys  two  of  them  ob- 
tains double  advantages :  a  mysterious  virtue  of 
the  greatest  value  to  rich  believers ! 

The  tariff  of  this  bull  is  proportioned  to  the 
rank  and  wealth  of  the  faithful. 

FIRST    CLASS. 

For  viceroys,  captains  general,  their  wives,  and 
each  of  their  full-grown  children,  fifteen  dollars. 

SECOND   CLASS. 

For  bishops,  inquisitors,  abbots,  priors,  canons, 
dukes,  marquisses,  counts,  and  other  noblemen ; 


BULL  OF  THE  DEAD.  159 

for  members  of  the  audiencia,  general  officers, 
colonels,  corregidors,  alcaldes,  <&c. ;  as  also  per- 
sons having  a  capital  of  twelve  thousand  dollars ; 
even  for  persons  who  having  only  a  capital  of 
twelve  hundred  dollars,  are  yet  alcaldes  or  mayors 
of  villages,  three  dollars. 

THIRD   CLASS. 

The  bull  of  the  living  costs  one  dollar  and  a  half 
to  each  person  having  a  capital  of  six  thousand  dol- 
lars, without  any  civil  or  military  employment. 

FOURTH   CLASS. 

The  poor  who  desire  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
advantages  attached  to  this  bull,  may  obtain  it 
at  the  moderate  price  of  two  reals  and  a  half, 
about  one  shilling. 


After  the  bull  of  the  living  naturally  comes 
that  of  the  dead  :  it  is  a  real  passport,  by  virtue 
of  which  a  soul  goes  direct  to  Heaven,  without 
having  been  purified  by  the  fire,  and  other  tor- 
ments of  purgatory.  As  soon  as  a  man  dies,  a 
relation  or  friend  goes  to  a  priest  to  buy  a  bull, 
on  which  is  written  the  name  of  the  deceased, 
and  at  that  instant  his  soul  flies,  as  pure  as  that 
of  an  angel,  to  the  asylum  of  the  blessed.  The 
wealthy,  and  persons  in  easy  circumstances,  pay 
six  reals  for  this  bull,  about  half  a  crown,  and  the 
poor  two  reals  and  a  half. 

I  have  more  than  once  heard  the  poor  in  this 


160  RELIGIOUS    IMPOSTURE. 

country  lament,  and  utter  the  most  frightful 
shrieks  at  the  death  of  their  relations ;  the  grief 
for  their  loss  was  trifling  in  comparison  with  that 
felt  by  knowing  they  were  in  purgatory,  from 
the  want  of  this  trifling  sum  for  delivering  them. 
They  run  about  in  every  direction,  begging  alms 
with  tears,  in  the  hope  of  procuring  as  much 
money  as  may  enable  them  to  buy  bulls  for  re- 
leasing the  souls  of  their  relations  from  purgatory. 
I  have  more  than  once  had  the  happiness  of  calm- 
ing their  grief,  relieving  a  soul  from  that  state, 
contributing  to  the  comforts  of  a  Spanish  priest, 
and  of  attracting  to  myself  a  thousand  benedic- 
tions, for  a  quarter  of  a  dollar. 

Yet  let  it  not  be  supposed  that  these  bulls  and 
indulgences  dispense  with  the  saying  of  masses 
for  the  dead.  Alas !  there  are  many  venial  sins 
that  have  a  strong  resemblance  to  mortal  ones ! 
Masses  only,  and  masses  by  hundreds,  can,  in  this 
case,  mitigate  the  anger  of  the  great  Judge :  who, 
affected  by  these  numerous  sacrifices,  consents  to 
treat  an  equivocal  sin  as  a  venial  one.  In  all  the 
churches  of  this  country  there  are  pictures  repre- 
senting heaven  and  purgatory :  in  a  corner  of  the 
picture  is  a  priest  saying  mass;  at  the  side  are 
people  giving  money  for  the  celebration  of  mass, 
and  souls  starting  out  of  purgatory  when  masses 
have  been  said  for  them.  They  are  received  by 
the  archangel  St.  Michael,  who  is  depicted  hold- 
ing a  pair  of  scales  in  his  hand,  one  of  which  is 
full  of  the  money  for  the  masses,  and  appears  to 


BULL   OP   COMPOSITION.  161 

sink,  whilst  the  red  hot  souls,  like  boiled  lobsters, 
throw  themselves  into  the  other  scale,  from  which 
they  fly  to  Heaven ! 

THE  BULL  OF  WHITE  MEAT  AND  EQG8. 

All  the  World  knows  that  arsenic  is  not  more 
injurious  to  the  body,  than  eggs  and  milk  to  the 
soul  during  Lent:  but  as  there  are  stomachs 
which,  in  that  time  of  abstinence,  cannot  do 
without  milk  and  eggs,  the  Roman  church  dis- 
penses with  its  observance  to  persons  who  buy 
this  bull.  It  has,  in  its  kindness,  established  four 
rates,  by  which  all  the  faithful,  poor  or  rich,  may 
profit  by  this  indulgence.  The  greatest  person- 
ages pay  six  dollars  each,  the  second  class  three 
dollars,  the  third  class  one  dollar  and  a  half, 
and  the  poor  three  reals. 

THE  BULL  OF  COMPOSITION.      ~ 

Of  all  possible  bulls,  this  is  without  doubt  the 
most  wonderful,  and  that  of  which  the  moral  re- 
sults are  the  most  evident.  Pope  Alexander  VI. 
was  very  worthy  of  being  the  author  of  it ;  but 
that  which  1  cannnot  comprehend  is,  that  the  said 
pope  having  had  virtuous  and  enlightened  pon- 
tiffs for  his  successors,  they  did  not  desist  from 
sending  such  a  bull  to  America :  so  much  do  men 
stickle  for  their  authority  and  wealth,  whatever 
may  have  been  their  origin ! 

Persons  who  are  little  versed  in  these  matters, 


162  A    N1W   DOCTRINE. 

will  find  a  difficulty  in  believing  that  this  bull  has 
the  virtue  of  rendering  the  robber  or  usurper  of 
the  property  of  others,  the  legitimate  proprietor. 
The  author  of  the  bull  had  stipulated  as  a  con- 
dition in  it,  that  the  thief  should  not  know  the 
person  he  had  robbed  :  thus,  a  pickpocket  who 
in  a  crowd  steals  a  watch  or  a  purse,  he  who  robs 
on  the  highway  or  in  a  house,  becomes  legitimate 
proprietor  of  what  he  has  stolen,  provided  he 
knows  not  whom  he  has  plundered.  The  com- 
missary general  of  the  holy  crusade  published  at 
Toledo,  in  1768,  very  curious  instructions  for 
the  faithful  of  Spanish  America;  instructions 
which  singularly  extend  the  faculties  of  the  bull. 
Never  did  casuist  or  Jesuit  imagine  any  thing 
more  ingenious  for  calming  consciences  troubled 
with  remorse  :  nothing  can  be  more  lucid  and  con- 
clusive than  the  following  reasonings  of  the  casuist 
of  Toledo.  All  our  property  coming  from  God, 
who  has  a  right  to  deprive  us  of  it,  and  give  it  to 
others  by  whatever  means  he  may  deem  proper  to 
use,  it  is  evident  that  our  most  holy  father  the 
Pope,  who  represents  God  on  earth,  ought  also 
to  have  the  right  to  legitimate  the  possession  of 
such  property.  It  is  that  which  is  obtained  by 
employing  in  pious  works  a  part  of  what  has  been 
acquired  by  fraud  or  violence,  and  it  is  the  con- 
fessor who  regulates  amicably  with  bis  penitent 
the  quota  for  those  pious  works,  or  in  other  words 
the  portion  for  the  church  I"  The  bull  of  compo- 
sition costs  two  dollars  and  a  quarter  without  dis- 


LOPEZ    DE    AGUIRRE.  16S 

tinction  to  every  one ;  but  there  are  objects  stolen, 
of  which  it  is  not  possible  to  become  proprietor, 
without  buying  fifty  bulls. 

A  passage,  remarkable  for  the  generosity 
and  nobleness  of  its  sentiments,  occurs  in  the  edict 
of  the  commissary  general  of  the  holy  crusade, 
dated  -Madrid,  September  14th,  1801.  u  The 
price  (of  bulls)  is  somewhat  raised,  owing  to  the 
new  expences  of  government,  and  the  necessity 
of  redeeming  the  royal  bonds,  which  a  scarcity 
of  money  had  caused  to  be  issued  in  time  of  war !" 
A  statement  of  what  the  bulls  produce  to  the 
clergy  and  exchequer  will  be  found  in  another 
chapter. 

The  Island  of  Margarita,  which  was  disco- 
vered by  Columbus  in  1498,  was  granted  by 
the  Emperor  Charles  V.  to  Marceto  de  Villalo- 
bos  in  1524:  it  was  in  1561,  the  theatre  of  the 
robberies  and  cruelties  of  the  famous  Lopez  de 
Aguirre.*    This  island  gave  birth  to  Francisco 

v  *  Lopez  de  Aguirre,  a  Basque,  was  an  audacious  robber,  who 
spread  terror  in  South  America,  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  during  the  civil  wars  in  Peru,  between  the  parti zans  of 
Pizarro  and  Almagro.  He  had  been  sent  by  the  viceroy  Gon- 
zales Pizarro  to  explore  the  navigation  and  country  near  the 
river  Amazons,  under  the  orders  of  Don  Pedro  d'Orsua.  The 
banditti  who  composed  this  expedition,  murdered  Orsua,  because 
he  was  a  moral  man,  and  wanted  to  restrain  them  with  in  the  limits 
of  their  duty.  They  proclaimed  Lopez  d' Aguirre  their  chief,  and 
gave  him  the  title  of  king.  After  having  ravaged  the  kingdom  of 
New  Grenada,  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  and  that  of  Margarita, 
the  countries  of  Venezuela,  Santa  Martha,  &c.  Aguirre  became 
the  executioner  of  his  accomplices,  of  whom  he  daily  put  some  to 

M    2 


194  PATCARDO. 

Faxardo,  celebrated  in  the  annals  of  Venezuela, 
for  his  heroic  virtues  and  humanity.  He  was  the 
son  of  a  Spaniard  of  the  noble  family  of  Faxardo, 
and  of  Donna  Isabel,  daughter  of  Charayma, 
cacique  of  the  tribe  of  Guaiqueris,  who  inhabit 
the  vallies  of  Mayna,  in  the  province  of  Caraccas. 
The  chronicles  of  that  country,  and  Oviedo  y 
Banos,  the  historian  of  Venezuela,  represent  this 
Indian  lady,  as  one  of  those  women  whom  nature 
occasionally  produces,  to  command  men  by  the 
ascendency  of  their  genius. 

I  regret  much  that  the  limits  and  plan  of  this 
work  do  not  permit  me  to  recount  all  that  Fax- 
ardo and  his  moth'er  did  for  civilizing  the  Indians, 
and  subjecting  them  more  by  persuasion  than 
force  to  the  Castilian  government*  This  extra- 
ordinary man,  who  was  destitute  of  education, 
but  in  whom  nature  had  united  the  most  sublime 
virtues,  great  talents,  and  heroic  courage; 
after  having  rendered  the  highest  services  to  his 
countrymen  and  to  the  Castilian  monarch,  was 

death,  because  he  fancied  nothing  but  conspiracies  against  him ; 
they  all,  with  the  exception  of  one,  abandoned  him  at  the  battle  of 
Borburata,  and  went  over  to  the  royal»camp,  crying,  "  God  save 
the  king  !"  The  commandant,  Garcia  de  Parades,  granted  them 
pardon  in  the  name  of  his  sovereign.  Reduced  to  despair,  he 
addressed  these  words  to  his  only  daughter,  who  accompanied 
him  in  his  travels:  "  Commend  your  soul  to  God,  for  I  am  going 
to  take  your  life,  that  you  may  never  have  the  shame  of  being 
called  the  daughter  of  a  traitor ;"  and  a  moment  afterwards  he 
shot  her  in  the  breast  with  his  musket  While  wandering  about 
pursued  by  despair  and  remorse,  he  was  taken,  shot  and  quar- 
tered, after  having  requested  a  few  minutes  respite,  to  make 
important  discoveries  for  the  interests  of  his  sovereign. 


MARGARITA.  165 

thrown  out  of  favour  and  forgotten;  a  victim 
to  the  jealousy  of  base  and  contemptible  calum- 
niators* 

Faxardo  built  at  the  port  of  Caravellada,  near 
La  Guayra,  a  town,  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
of  Collado,  in  honour  of  the  governor  of  that 
name.  It  was  he  also  who  discovered  the  gold 
mine  of  San  Francisco,  which  gained  him  the 
hatred  of  the  inhabitants  of  Tocuyo,  who  also  had 
mines.  The  Governor  Collado,  jealous  of  the 
glory  of  Faxardo,  exiled  him  to  the  town  to 
which  he  had  given  his  name;  and  which  it 
soon  lost,  to  resume  that  of  Caravellada,  as  if  to 
punish  the  governor  for  his  mean  jealousy.  Since 
that  time  La  Guayra  has  become  the  principal 
port  of  Caraccas,  while  Caravellada  has  dwindled 
into  a  village  inhabited  by  fishermen. 

Though  the  soil  of  Margarita  is  arid  and  un- 
productive, this  island  soon  became  populous,  as 
the  pearl  fishery  attracted  numerous  navigators. 
The  Dutch,  jealous  of  its  prosperity,  burnt  and 
destroyed  Pompatar,  the  principal  town  in  1662. 

The  colony  of  Margarita  was  for  a  long  time 
only  a  district  of  the  province  of  Cumana,  and 
governed  by  a  chief  who  had  the  title  of  lieu- 
tenant governor,, under  the  orders  of  the  Gover- 
nor of  Cumana.  It  is  about  twenty-five  years 
since  the  Spanish  cabinet  made  it  a  separate  go- 
vernment, owing  to  the  importance  of  its  posi- 
tion, both  in  a  military  and  commercial  light. 
However,  the  Governor  of  Cumana,  who  was 


160  VILLAGES. 

himself  subordinate  to  the  captain  general  of  Ca- 
raccas,  preserved  the  title  of  military  inspector 
of  the  Government  of  Margarita,  which  was  the 
reason  of  its  being  considered  as  a  dependency  to 
that  of  Cumana,  before  the  late  revolution. 

The  Island  of  Margarita  has  three  ports,  the 
most  important  is  that  of  Pompatar,  situated  on 
the  south-east  coast.  It  is  a  large  and  fine 
basin,  in  which  vessels  are  defended  from  winds 
and  tempests :-  its  entrance  is  protected  on  one 
sfde  by  a  fortress,  and  on  the  other  by  batteries. 
Those  are  the  principal  fortifications  of  the  island  : 
there  is  a  considerable  contraband  trade  there 
with  the  English  and  French  colonies,  &c.  and 
also  with  Cumana. 

Pyeblo  de  la  Mar  is  another  port,  or  to  speak 
more  correctly,  an  open  roadstead ;  it  is  a  place 
of  little  trade,  and  is  situated  at  a  league  and  a 
half  westward  of  Pompatar.  Pueblo  del  Norte 
is,  as  its  name  indicates,  a  village  situated  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  island :  a  coral  reef  renders 
the  entrance  of  this  port  difficult  to  mariners 
who  are  not  accustomed  to  it.  Two  batteries 
defend  its  entrance  against  privateers.  Near  this 
port  is  a  village  inhabited  only  by  fishermen. 

The  vallies  of  San  Juan,  Santa  Margarita,  and 
Los  Robles,  have  each  a  village  which  bears  their 
name.  Assoncion  is  the  capital  of  the  island, 
and  the  residence  of  the  governor.  This  little 
town  is  pretty  well  built,  although  its  inhabitants 
are  not  wealthy ;  but  there  is  every  appearance 


PRODUCTIONS.  1 67 

of  comfort  afld  industry  there.  It  has  two  parish 
churches,  and  a  convent  of  recollets.  During 
Lent  in  1807, 1  attended  a  ball  and  festival  given 
by  the  Governor  Gaspar  Cagigal.  There  were 
two  hundred  persons  at  table,  among  whom  I 
observed  several  very  pretty  women,  well  made, 
and  dressed  with  an  elegant  simplicity.  Many 
priests  and  friars  were  also  at  the  festival:  my 
old  friend,  the  inquisitor,  was  the  most  conspicuous 
of  them  all,  and  made  himself  singularly  agree- 
able. He  was  dressed  in  a  beautiful  habit  of  black 
silk,  with  embroidery  and  green  ribbands,  and  a 
gold  cross  embroidered  on  his  mantle.  The  other 
ecclesiastics  were  also  in  cassocks  of  black  silk, 
and  the  father  guardian  of  the  recollets  had  a 
gown  of  puce-coloured  taffeta;  and  flesh  coloured 
silk  stockings.  This  friar  is  a  Creole  of  Caraccas, 
a  very  fine  man,  witty,  learned,  and  benevolent, 
but  a  great  dandy y  *  like  almost  all  the  natives  of 
Caraccas. 

The  agriculture  of  the  island  scarcely  suffices 
for  the  maintenance  of  its  inhabitants  Maize, 
cassava,  and  bananas  are  their  principal  resources : 
the  bananas  are  excellent,  but  very  small,  owing 
to  the  aridity  of  the  soil,  and  dryness  of  the  cli- 
mate. The  inhabitants  cultivate  in  small  propor- 
tions, and  for  their  own  consumption  only,  all 
the  productions  of  the  Antilles,  the  sugar  cane, 
coffee  and  cocoa  trees,  &c. ;  they  rear  a  great 
many  goats  and  sheep,  which,  though  lean,  give 
delicious  milk,  owing  to  the  .aromatic  herbs  on 


168  CLIMATE. 

which  they  feed.  They  have  all  kinds  of  fowl  at 
a  very  trifling  price,  and  have  a  little  trade  in 
them.  Living  is  still  cheaper  at  Margarita  than 
at  Cumana  or  Caraccas.  I  have  bought  a  capon 
there  for  fivepence,  a  dozen  of  eggs  for  two- 
pence halfpenny,  two  bottles  of  milk  for  the 
same,  a  fish  of  ten  or  twelve  pounds  for  the  same, 
a  turkey  for  one  shilling,  a  lamb  of  two  months, 
for  fifteen  pence,  &o.  The  fishermen  sell  or  ex- 
change their  fish  for  cakes  of  maize,  bananas, 
cassava  bread,  &c.  I  know  of  no  inn,  pro- 
perly speaking,  in  this  island ;  but  a  stranger 
is  received  in  every  house  there  when  he 
offers  to  bear  a  part  of  the  expenses.  My  coun- 
trymen would  not  conform,  in  regard  to  me, 
with  this  custom  of  the  country:  having  re* 
fused  to  receive  any  remuneration  for  the  kind 
and  generous  hospitality  with  which  they  received 
me. 

The  climate  of  Margarita  is  very  healthy,  it 
is  there  that  persons  go,  who  have  contracted 
obstructions  and  other  diseases  in  the  humid  and 
unwholesome  parts  of  the  Island  of  Trinidad  and 
the  continent.  This  island  has  only  three  ri- 
vulets, which,  however,  are  sufficiently  large  to 
turn  mills,  when  such  are  established :  their 
waters  are  limpid j  th^t  of  the  little  river  which 
runs  by  the  town  of  Assoncion,  and  which  in 
some  places  passes  over  a  bed  of  amphibolic 
schistus,  contains  sulphurated  iron,  magnesia,  £$" 
The    inhabitants   prefer    drinking  water  frqm 


FISHERY.  169 

ponds,  though  it  is  always  turbid.  The  first  time 
they  presented  this  water  to  me  at  Pompatar,  I 
refused  it  with  disgust ;  but  I  was  assured  that  it 
was  more  wholesome  than  rain  water,  and  they 
laughed  at  the  grimaces  I  made.  The  rich  have 
filtering  stones ;  others  drink  as  they  draw  it, 
and  do  not  find  any  bad  effects  from  it*  This 
water  contains  a  great  quantity  of  calcareous 
marl. 

The  fisheries  produce  the  principal  object  of 
trade  at  Margarita  :,  they  are  placed  at  the 
Islet  of  Coche,  which  belongs  to  government. 
Two  merchants  of  Margarita  had  the  privilege 
of  this  fishery  in  1807,  and  they  carried  it  on 
at  Coche:  the  men  who  were  employed  ill 
it,  were  Indians  of  Margarita.  It  was  not 
freely,  but  by  order  of  government  that  those 
natives  worked  in  the  fishery,  at  the  scanty 
pay  of  a  real  (five  pence)  per  day,  and  bread  <rf 
maize  or  cassava.  M.  Depons  is  wrong  in  say- 
ing that  they  give  them  only  maize  bread  for 
their  entire  food*  I  have  been  twice  at  the 
fishery  of  the  brothers  Maneyro,  the  most  con- 
siderable of  the  two,  and  they  ate  as  much  fresh 
or  salt  fish  as  they  chose;  more  than  three 
hundred  Indians  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages*  were 
employed  there  in  1807.  ~ 

The  quantities  of  fish  caught  are  incredible. 
Twice  a  day  they  draw  a  seine  of  two  hundred 
feet  long,  and  it  seldom  happens  that  at  each  drag 
they  have  not  at  least  ten  to  twelve  quintals  of 


170  SALT   WORKS. 

fish.  This  net  sometimes  contains  so  many,  that 
they  are  obliged  to  cut  the  meshes,  in  order  to  let 
some  of  the  fish  escape  which  they  are  unable  to 
haul  on  shore.  It  would  be  too  tedious  to  de- 
scribe the  different  kinds  which  are  taken  :  the 
most  common  is  the  mullet  of  the  Caribbean  Is- 
lands, which  the  Spaniards  call  lissas :  this  fish  has 
not  been  well  described ;  it  resembles  a  herring. 

I  have  always  been  surprized  that  the  contirou, 
and  balahou,  another  non-descript  fish,  are  never 
caught  on  this  coast,  nor  on  those  of  Trinidad 
and  Tobago.  It  is  not  the  centriscus  scopolax, 
or  the  blower,  as  some  writers  have  believed. 
The  balahou  has  certainly  the  same  snout,  but 
its  body  is  much  longer.  Those  fish  are  com- 
mon at  the  Antilles  and  even  at  Grenada,  which 
is  only  thirty  leagues  distance  from  Trinidad. 
They  are  sometimes  caught,  but  very  rarely,  out- 
side the  Dragon's  mouths. 

•  On  the  coast  of  Trinidad,  Tobago,  and  those 
of  South  America,  are  found  many  kinds  of  fish 
which  do  not  exist  at  the  Antilles.  It  is  also  re- 
markable that  the  Antilles  are  deficient  in  a  great 
number  of  species  of  vegetables  and  animals  that 
are  found  in  Trinidad,  Guiana,  and  the  adjacent 
provinces.  The  observing  naturalist  is  struck 
with  this  difference  in  countries  so  near  each 
other,  and  of  which  the  climate  is  almost  the 
same. 

The  salt  works  would  be  lucrative  objects  for 
Margarita,  if  salt  were  not  so  very  cheap  in  all 


POPULATION*  171 

those  countries.  A  barrel  of  salt,  not  purified, 
weighing  about  three  hundred  pounds,  is  sold 
for  about  twelvepence  halfpenny  at  Margarita* 
Poultry,  wild  fowl,  goats  or  kids,  sheep  ham- 
mocks, and  beautiful  cotton  stockings  are  arti- 
cles of  exportation. 

This  island  is  divided  into  two  parts,  which 
communicate  with  each  other  by  an  isthmus  or 
natural  causeway,  that  is  scarcely  more  than 
from  eighty  to  one  hundred  paces  broad,  and  in 
some  parts,  from  ten  to  twelve  feet  only  above 
the  level  of  the  sea. 

The  mountain  of  Macanou  is  the  most  elevated 
of  this  island :  it  is  above  two  thousand  feet  high, 
according  to  M.  de  Humboldt,  who  measured 
it  trigonometrically,  and  is  composed  of  mica- 
ceous schistus.  It  is  an  important  point  for 
navigators  to  make,  who  go  from  Europe  or  , 
from  North  or  South  America  to  Cumana,  Bar- 
celona and  La  Guayra:  as  they  are  obliged  to  sail 
between  Margarita  and  the  Islet  of  Coche,  to 
avoid  running  the  risk  of  being  carried  to  leeward 
by  the  currents. 

Margarita  had,  in  1807,  a  population  of  eight 
thousand  whites,  five  thousand  five  hundred  mix- 
ed blood,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  Indians, 
and  about  nine  hundred  slaves,  making  a  total  of 
16,200  persons.  This  island  is  sixteen  marine 
leagues  in  its  greatest  length,  six  in  its  greatest 
breadth,  in  some  parts  only  two  or  three  leagues 
broad,  and  its  surface  is  thirty-one  square  leagues. 


173  COTTON   PLANTATION. 

After  remaining  six  weeks  at  Margarita,  I 
Vas  necessitated  to  freight  a  vessel,  for  which  I 
paid  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  to  take  us  to 
Guadaloupe :  it  was  a  small  decked  bark  of  eight 
tons  burden  :  contrary  winds  drove  us  to  a  desert 
island,  called  Blanquilla,  situated  at  eighteen 
leagues  north  west  of  Margarita,  where  we 
anchored  and  remained  three  days.  This  island 
is  nearly  three  leagues  in  length,  and  a  league 
and  a  half  broad ;  though  it  is  represented  as  much 
smaller  on  the  maps.  Its  soil  is  a  white  tufa  (de- 
composed pumice)  sandy  and  sterile.  It  has,  on 
the  northern  side,  some  rocks  of  little  elevation, 
of  gneiss  or  flaky  granite.  Its  vegetation  con- 
sists of  cactus,  mimosas,  and  thorny  shrubs :  there 
are  no  vegetables  but  such  as  grow  on  the  sea 
coast  and. the  most  arid  parts  of  the  province  of 
Cumana.  Its  surface  is  undulated,  and  towards 
the  center  is  a  platform  elevated  about  two  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  sea.  This  island  contains  wild 
cattle,  which  are  very  savage  ;  probably  because 
they  are  incessantly  hunted.  In  order  to  kill 
them,  the  hunters  gain  a  small  eminence  that 
commands  a  pond  of  water  to  which  they  resort 
to  drink.  There  are  also  a  great  number  of  wild 
dogs :  in  the  day-time  they  avoid  a  man ;  they 
do  not  bark,  but  at  night  howl  dismally.  These 
animals  feed  on  lizards  and  other  reptiles. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  French  revolution,  a 
planter  of  Guadaloupe  went  to  settle  in  this 
island  with  a  scare  of  negroes,  to  form  a  cotton 


DEPARTURE*  173 

plantation  there ;  but  the  Spanish  government, 
who  would  not  permit  any  one  to  fix  himself  there, 
drove  him  away.  There  are  a  great  many  parts 
of  this  little  island  very  proper  for  cultivating 
cotton. 

Having  sailed  early  on  the  morning  of  the 
third  day  after  our  arrival  at  this  dreary  spot, 
a  vessel  hove  in  sight  and  gave  chace  to  us :  in 
consequence  of  which  we  determined  to  return 
to  Margarita,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty this  object  could  be  effected  •  Unwilling 
to  run  the  risk  of  capture  a  second  time,  and 
by  no  means  satisfied  with  the  character  of  the 
master  whose  vessel  I  had  hired,  I  formed  the 
resolution  of  quitting  her,  and  returning  to  Cu- 
inana,  where  I  fortunately  found  a  ship  bound 
to  Guadaloupe :  we  accordingly  embarked  and 
reached  that  island  after  a  passage  of  four  days. 


174  MANNERS    AND   CUSTOMS. 


CHAP.  HI. 


Manners  and  Customs.— Various  Casts. — Conquistadores. — Creoles. 
—Idea  of  Nobility. — Refutation  of  De  Paw's  doctrines. — Mental 
Qualifications  of  the  Creoles. — Reflections  on  Concubinage. — 
Parental  Affection  of  the  Creoles^-Account  of  the  Guahiros.— 
Quadrupeds. — Traits  of  Manners. — Dress,  &c.  at  Caraccas.— -Singular 
Fashion  at  Cumana. — Anecdote  of  an  Indian  Female. — Remarks  on 
several  Animals. — Paca. — Pecary. — Catalogue  of  Birds. — Insects. — 
Trees  and  Shrubs. — Anecdotes  of  the  Boa  Stridor. — Remarks.— 
Vegetable  Worlp. — M.  de  la  Barrel**  Herbal. — Reflections. — 
Geological  Attributes  of  Trinidad. — The  Sugar  Cane. — Introduction 
and  Mode  of  cultivating  the  Otaheite  Cane. — Fattening  Qualities  of 
the  Cane. — Suggestions. — Proposed  Improvements  in  Sugar  Planta- 
tions.—The  Cocoa  Tree.— Nutritious  Virtues  of  Cocoa.— The  Tree 
described. — Epidendrum  Vanilla. — Coffee.— Thoughts  on  its  cul- 
tivation— Mode  of  planting  Coffee. — And  various  Hints  on  the  Sub- 
ject— Podocarpus. — A  Reflection. — Geological  Observations. 

Four  casts  compose  the  population  of  this 
country,  like  those  of  the  other  Spanish  colonies: 
the  whites,  Indians,  negroes,  and  people  of  colour 
or  mixed  race.  These  casts  are  subdivided 
into  whites  born  in  Europe,  vulgarly  called  Ga- 
chupines;  white  Creoles,  descendants  of  Euro- 
peans ;  Mestizos,  a  mixture  of  whites  and  Indians ; 
Zamboes,  a  mixture  of  Indian  and  negroes ;  and 
of  mulattos,  a  mixture  of  whites  and  negroes. 

The  Spaniards  born  in  Europe  consider  them- 


CREOLES;  176 

selves  as  a  superior  class  to  other  whites:  to  hare 
been  bora  in  Europe  is  a  kind  of  nobility  in  the 
Spanish  colonies.  Not  that  the  whites  born  in  the 
new  world  have  pretensions  to  illustrious  birth. 
In  the  government  of  Caraccas,  as  in  the  other 
Spanish  colonies,  almost  all  the  whites  pretend  to 
be  descended  from  the  ancient  Conquistadores; 
but  whatever  importance  they,  may  attach  to  this 
origin,  they  are  not  the  less  considered  by  the 
other  casts  as  inferior  to  the  Europeans,  for  this 
plain  reason,  that  the  latter  are  appointed  by  the 
sovereign  to  nearly  all  the  lucrative  and  impor- 
tant places. 

The  Creoles  of  the  French  colonies  were  much 
better  treated ;  they  not  only  enjoyed  the  pri- 
,  vileges  of  th^- Europeans,  but  it  was  sufficient  to 
be  born  of  a  white  family  to  enjoy  all  the  pri- 
vileges of  persons  born  of  noble  families. 

The  colonial  institutions  founded  by  the 
ancient  Spanish  government,  were  only  calcu- 
lated for  disseminating  and  maintaining  distrust 
and  hatred  among  the  different  casts  which  di- 
vided, rather  than  composed,  the  population  of 
those  countries.  To  divide  for  the  purpose  of 
governing,  was  the  moral  resource  employed  by 
the  ancient  Spanish  government  for  retaining  its 
colonies  in  the  yoke.  Thus,  you  looked  in  vain  for 
that  frank,  generous,  hospitable,  and  heroic  cha- 
racter in  the  Spanish  Creole,  which  so  eminently 
distinguishes  the  Creoles  of  the  British  and  French 
colonies  from  other  modern  nations. 


178  CREOLBS. 

It  is  not  tbat  nature  has  refused  to  the  Creoles 
of  the  Spanish  colonies  the  gifts  of  the  head  and 
heart :  they  have,  in  general,  a  great  deal  of  wit 
and  penetration,  and  foreigners  acknowledge  their 
integrity  in  commercial  affairs ;  but  among  them- 
selves there  reigns  a  spirit  of  suspicion,  jealousy 
and  etiquette,  which  banishes  cordiality  from 
their  societies.  They  scarcely  speak  of  any  thing 
but  law  suits,  while  the  colonies  swarm  with 
barristers  and  attornies.  These  two  professions  are 
almost  the  only  career  left  open  to  the  ambition  of 
the  Creole  youth,  who  show  too  great  a  propen- 
sity for  the  subtleties  of  legal  chicanery.  A  great 
number  become  priests  or  monks :  a  white  family 
in  which  there  are  three  or  four  sons,  would  think 
itself  dishonoured,  if  one  of  them  did  not  embrace 
an  ecclesiastical  life.  Formerly  a  great  many 
nuns  were  professed ;  but  from  the  irregularities 
which  have  occurred  in  convents,  and  the  perver- 
sion of  morals  that  has  taken  place  in  them,  the 
monks,  for  some  years  past,  have  found  great 
difficulty  in  recruiting  them  from  young  women 
of  respectable  families. 

The  army  has  been  opened  for  some  years  to 
tiie  youth  of  the  Spanish  colonies.  Charles  III. 
established  colonial  regiments  on  the  plan  of  those 
of  France.  Boldness  and  activity  are.  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  Spanish  as  well  as  the  British  and 
French  Creole.  The  institution  of  colonial  regi- 
ments and  of  militia  in  the  Spanish  colonies,  wasre- 
oeived  therefore  with  transport :  an  epaulette  and  a 


fukjubices.  1T7 

presnble  charm  for  all  Creoles :  the  sight  of  those 
decorations  make  the  heart  palpitate  in  a  young 
Creole  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  /of  age ;  he 
scarcely  breathes,  and  sighs  only  fotf  the  moment 
when  he  may  put  them  on ! 

The  Spanish  government,  in  forming  colonial 
regiments,  did  not  imitate  the  unjust  and  absurd 
regulation  of  our  ancient  monarchs,  by  which  no 
man  of  colour  could  arrive  at  the  rank  of  an  officer ; 
it  had  the  good  sense  not  to  insult  and  stigmatize 
collectively  a  numerous  class,  degraded  in  the 
British  and  French  colonies,  by  prejudices  and 
laws  as  unreasonable  as  they  are  unjust  and  im- 
politic In  the  Spanish  colonies,  for  some  years 
past,  officers  have  been  selected  from  among  the 
people  of  colour. 

In  no  place,  however,  have  the  prejudices  of 
birth  and  the  word  nobility,  so  much  influence  as 
in  the  Spanish  colonies :  three  fourths  of  the  white 
families  call  themselves  noble.  Almost  all  pre- 
tend to  be  descended  from  the  ancient  Conquis- 
tadores,  or  officers  employed  in  the  conquest  of 
those  regions.  The  province  of  Caraccas  reckons 
among  its  inhabitants,  six  titled  personages  (Ti- 
talos  de  Gastilla,)  three  counts  and  three  mar- 
quesses. 

The  high  notions  which  the  Spanish  Creoles  have 
of  the  nobility  of  their  extraction,  does  not  pre- 
vent the  family  of  a  young  Creole  lady,  rich  and 
well  educated,  from  thinking  itself  honoured  in 
having  an  European  Spaniard  for  a  son-in-law, 


17t8  PRIVILEGE!. 

although  unknown,  pennyless,  and  frequently 
without  education.  This  prejudice  began  to 
diminish  some  years  past,  and  it  changed  into  a 
commencement  of  aversion  to  Spain.  Somo* 
Americanos  yno  Gachupines;*  "  we  are  Ameri- 
cans, and  not  Spaniards,"  the  Creoles  of  Venezuela 
and  other  Spanish  possessions  will  frequently  ex- 
claim in  a  tone  of  ill-humoured  haughtiness. 

There  is  not  a  single  instance  of  a  white  Creole 
of  the  provinces  of  Venezuela,  having  been  guilty 
of  assassination :  I  have  been  assured  that  this 
crime  has  never  been  committed  there,  excepting 
by  Andalusians,  or  the  Zamboes. 
-  The  slaves  in  Venezuela,  and  the  other  Spanish 
possessions,  enjoy  a  privilege  unknown  in  the 
French  and  English  colonies :  it  is  that  of  oblig- 
ing their  masters  to  liberate  them,  on  their  paying 
the  sum  of  three  hundred  dollars.  The  slave 
treated  with  injustice  or  cruelty  by  his  master, 
has  a  right  t6  carry  his  complaint  to  the  judge, 
who  may  order  that  he  be  sold  to  some  other  mas- 
ter of  known  humanity. 

No  well  informed  man  now  believes  in  the 
ridiculous  paradox  of  De  Pauw,  who  asserts  that 
all  the  American  races  are  of  a  degenerated  and 
inferior  order;  it  would  result  from  his  ex- 
travagant system,  that  man  and  animals  are  as 


*  They  have  given  to  Europe  the  nickname  of  Gachupina,  and 
to  Europeans  that  of  Oaohuptnes :  they  also  call  Europeans  Cha- 
petones. 


COMPARISONS.  179- 

Douch  subjected  to  the  influence  of  soil  and  climate, 
as  the  plants  which  vegetate  there,  and  have  no 
organs  of  loco-motion.  The  picture  he  gives  of- 
the  physical  and  mental  imbecility  of  the  Ameri- 
can species,  is  only  a  folse  and  coarse  caricature.* 
In  the  temperate  and  cold  climates  of  America, 
man  has  in  no  respect  degenerated  from  his  Euro- 
pean ancestor.  In  some  parts  of  that  continent, 
he  is,  perhaps,  physically  and  morally  superior. 


•  A  French  writer,  M.  de  Bercy.  who  has  lately  published  his 
opinion  on  the  comparative  virtues  of  Europeans  and  Americans, 
observes,  "  Those  whom  we  are  accustomed  to  call  barbarians  and 
savages,  are  infinitely  less  entitled  to  these  epithets  than  ourselves, 
notwithstanding  the  refinement  and  civilization  we  boast.  Equally 
if  not  more  exempted  from  prejudice,  the  inhabitants  of  America 
neither  create  factitious  wants,  or  seek  imaginary  sources  of  hap- 
piness ;  they  do  not  encourage  either  spies  or  informers ;  in  that 
country,  you  are  not  shocked  with  the  sight  of  magistrates,  who 
ought  to  be  the  guardians  of  religion  and  morality,  stimulating  the 
vile  and  wicked  to  betray  innocence,  or  hurry  into  crime.  There, 
the  oath  of  a  perjured  miscreant,  is  insufficient  to  consign  a 
respectable  character  to  the  walls  of  a  prison,  much  less  ensure 
his  ultimate  condemnation.  Their  tranquillity  is  not  disturbed  by 
the  incessant  calls  of  the  tax-gatherer,  or  their  feelings  mortified 
by  the  inequality  of  conditions. 

u  More  just  than  the  Europeans,  the  people  of  America  only 
arm  to  repel  aggressions,  and  not  to  forge  fetters  for  their  fellow- 
men,  to  immolate  by  crusades  and  assassinations,  like  those  of 
the  fifteenth  century,  and  the  day  of  Saint  Bartholomew,  or  in 
ju$l  and  nesestary  wars,  such  as  those  which  have  so  often  desolat- 
ed Europe,  either  for  the  aggrandizement  of  some  families  and 
their  factious  adherents,  or  with  a  view  of  suppressing  liberal 
principles,  and  imprescriptible  right."-  -Ed. 

x  2 


180  MEM   OF   GEHIUS. 

If  ever  the  American  can  pat  all  his  faculties 
in  motion,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  predict  that  he  will 
surpass  the  European.  He  is,  in  fact,  a  new  man, 
and  a  new  character,  like  the  great  country  in 
which  he  is  born. 

Partial  or  ignorant  writers  have  said  that  the 
American  Islands  have  never  produced  a  man 
distinguished  in  literature  and  the  fine  arts ;  but 
Martinico,  for  instance,  did  it  not  give  birth  to 
the  late  M.  du  Buc  ?  Could  he  have  been  an 
ordinary  person,  I  allude  to  Blanchetiere  Bel- 
levue,  who,  never  having  left  that  colony  before, 
nor  received  a  literary  education,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-six,  appeared  like  a  meteor  in  the  con- 
stituent assembly,  where  he  was  admired  for 
his  captivating  eloquence,  and  the  variety  of  his 
knowledge?  The  celebrated  physician  Lamure 
was  a  Creole.  France,  Spain,  and  Great  Britain, 
reckon  among  their  celebrated  existing  characters 
a  great  number  of  Creoles ;  and  yet  those  countries 
aren  a  manner  but  newly  born. 

Those  who  have  had  the  means  of  observing 
the  youth  from  these  regions,  who  are  sent  to 
Europe  for  their  education,  have  had  the  justice 
to  declare,  that  they  are  eminently  adapted  for 
all  the  sciences  and  arts ;  and  that,  in  general, 
they  surpass  the  common  run  of  Europeans  in 
the  justness  and  clearness  of  their  ideas ;  which  is 
the  principal  indication  of  good  taste,  afcd  the 
characteristic  of  true  genius.  It  is  true,  the 
greater  part  of  them  neglect  to  cultivate  their 


MORAL*.  181 

talents,  when  they  return  home :  I  well  know 
that  the  beat  of  the  climate  inclines  them  U>  indo- 
lence ;  bat  it  must  also  be  acknowledged  that 

there  is  no  institution  in  those  colonies  which  sti- 
mulates men  to  improve  their  intellectual  facul- 
ties. The  wealthy  live  in  pleasures  and  indolence, 
whilst  those  who  wish  to  augment  their  fortunes, 
have  their  minds  continually  bent  on  that  object. 
Add  to  these  causes,  the  excessive  tendency 
which  is  felt  in  this  climate  for  sensual  plea- 
sures ;  the  necessity  of  commanding  the  negroes, 
beings  who  are  usually  stupid  and  stubborn,  the 
management  of  a  gang  of  whom  absorbs  the 
attention  of  the  most  active  and  intelligent  man ; 
it  may  then  be  conceived  why,  in  the  present 
state  of  things,  it  is  so  difficult  to  be  occupied 
with  success,  in  cultivating  the  arts  and  sciences, 
which,  of  all  other  occupations,  require  so  much 
time,  tranquillity,  retirement  and  independence. 
In  Europe  the  Americans  are  constantly  ac- 
cused of  possessing  bad  morals;  but  what  is  it 
that  hypocrisy  and  prudery  would  have  us  under- 
stand by  good  and  bad  morals  ?  In  my  opinion 
good  morals  consist  principally  in  a  benevolent 
disposition,  in  the  practice  of  that  virtue,  which, 
according  to  the  expression  of  the  divine  author 
of  the  gospel,  expiates  a  multitude  of  sins.  To 
have  good  morals,  or  to  be  virtuous,  which  appear 
to  me  synonymous,  is  to  perform  our  duties  well, 
by.  contributing  as  much  as  lies  in  our  power  to 
render  our  fellow  creatures  good  and  happy,     A 


182  .      CONCUBINAGE, 

good  father  or  mother,  whose  whole  conduct 
tends  to  render  their  children  happy ;  a  good  ion, 
husband  or  neighbour,  those  who  relieve  the  ca- 
lamities of  others  by  all  their  means,  are,  I  think. 
Virtuous  beings,  and  entitled  to  the  praise  of  pos- 
sessing good  morals. 

But  by  good  morals,  a  certain  class  of  men 
understand  exclusively  the  abstinence  from  sen- 
sual enjoyments ;  or,  at  least,  that  they  should 
be  carefully  concealed ;  for  according  to  those 
modern  Pharisees,  to  sin  in  secret  is  not  to  sin* 
at  all! 

Heaven  forbid  that  I  should  declare  myself  an 
apologist  for  concubinage!  And  where  is  the  iron- 
hearted  man  who  can  contemplate  without  agoniz- 
ing emotion,  the  hospitals  in  which  deserted  chil- 
dren 'swarm;  those  interesting  and  unfortunate 
victims,  who  should  cry  vengeance  against  the 
brutal  insensibility  of  the  parents  who  brought 
them  into  existence!  But  it  must  also  -be  con- 
fessed, to  the  honour  of  the  prudent  Europeans, 
that  their  libertinism  is  conducted  with  great 
mystery  :  among  them,  the  grand  point  is  not  to 
be  virtuous,  but  to  conceal  their  vices,  and  above 
all  things  that  it  should  not  injure  their  fortune* 
Concubinage,  it  is  true,  is  common  in  the  colo- 
nies ;  but  what  is  such  a  fault,  when  compared 
with  adultery  ?  That  indeed  is  the  vice,  which 
when  not  sufficiently  stigmatized  by  public 
opinion,  is  most  degrading  to  a  people.  Where- 
ever  it  is  frequent,  none  of  those  fine  family  affec- 


ADULTERY. 


183 


tions  can  exist,  which  are  the  sources  of  happiness 
and  the  social  virtues.  The  cohabitation  of  a 
colonist  with  his  housekeeper,  is  a  kind  of  left- 
handed  marriage ;  and  even  when  it  happeni 
that  he  dissolves  that  connection,  he  preserves 
a  great  regard  for  his  children  and  makes  their 
happiness  one  of  his  chief  objects. 

Adultery*  is  very  rare  among  them,  and  there- 
fore the  Creole  wives  are  the  best  of  mothers. 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  asserting  with  all  impar- 
tial persons  who  have  inhabited  the  colonies,  that 
the  colonists  far  surpass  the  inhabitants  of  the  most 
primitive  countries  of  the  old  world,  in  conjugal 
and  paternal  affection,  and  consequently  in  filial 
piety,  generosity,  beneficence,  courage  in  adver- 
sity, sincerity,  good  nature  and  hospitality  :  all 
these  virtues  generally  disseminated  among  them, 

*  The  original  legislators  who  created  the  morals  of  nations, 
did  not  omit  to  class  aduhery  among  the  most  odious  crimes : 
4i  thou  sha  It  not  commit  adultery,"  the  divine  legislator  has  expressly 
said  in  the  decalogue.  It  is  remarkable  that  he  has  not  placed 
on  the  scale  of  prohibition  the  sexual  sins  among  unmarried 
persons.  In  a  less  solemn  injunction,  incontinent)  is,  it  is  true, 
prohibited  among  them  as  a  fault ;  but  the  God  of  Israel  signalize* 
and  stigmatizes  adultery  as  an  excessively  odious  crime*  It  was 
held  in  great  horror  by  the  ancient  nations,  especially  the  Roman*, 
in  the  best  times  of  the  Republic.  The  elder  Cato  seeing  young 
men  going  to  visit  courtezans,  said  to  them,  '^Courage,  my  friends ; 
go  and  sec  the  girls,  but  do  not  corrupt  married  women  !,T  In  Eng. 
land  a  man  is  at  liberty  either  to  sell  his  wife,  if  guilty  of  a  faux 
pas^  or  be  may  sue  for  pecuniary  damages  in  a  court  of  justice; 
as  if  domestic  happiness  and  personal  honour  were  also  legitimate 
objects  of  commercial  speculation ! !  I 


184  PATERNAL   TENDERNESS. 

have  in  the  free  and  cordial  disposition  of  these  peo- 
ple, an  antique  tint,  which,  since  the  latter  years  of 
theageof  Louis  XlV.and  the  shameful  times  of  the 
Regency,  have  quite  vanished  from  our  manners. 

If  the  Creole  women  are  the  best  of  mothers, 
their  husbands  are  generally  good  fathers.  We 
do  not  see  among  them  such  egotistical  and  heart- 
leas  fathers  and  mothers,  as  are  but  too  frequent- 
ly met  with  in  Europe ;  people  who  think  they 
do  enough  for  their  children,  in  bequeathing 
them  what  they  have  not  been  able  to  dissipate 
in  this  world,  and  cannot  carry  with  them  to  the 
other.  Such  monsters  are  unknown  to  the  New 
World ;  and  therefore  filial  piety  is  there  equal 
to  paternal  tenderness. 

The  Creole  father  thinks,  with  reason,  that  he 
has  a  great  duty  to  fulfil  to  his  children;  that  his 
first  care  should  be  to  place  them  in  society,  in  a 
situation  at  least  as  fortunate  as  that  in  which  he 
was  placed  by  his  own  father :  in  a  sphere  as  re- 
spectable as  that  in  which  he  finds  himself.  There 
is  nothing  more  admirable  in  social  order,  than 
the  ardour  with  which  a  Creole  father  exercises 
his  industry  to  increase  his  fortune.  u  I  have  a 
necessity  to  work,  in  order  to  augment  my  pro- 
perty ;  I  have  a  host  of  children,  who  did  not 
ask  me  to  bring  them  into  the  world :"  an  ex- 
pression trivial  in  appearance,  but  full  of  sense 
and  affection,  and  which  is  -well  placed  in  the 
mouth  of  an  American  father.  In  those  coun- 
tries there  are  found  even  bachelor  uncles  who 


MATRIMONY.  185 

are  animated  with  the  same  kind  affection  for 
their  nephews.  Thus  the  Creole  enjoys  the 
pleasures  of  life,  as  soon  as  he  becomes  capable 
of  it,  whilst  a  great  number  of  Europeans,  to  use 
a  vulgar  expression,  obtain  bread  only  whettthey 
lose  their  teeth ;  thanks  to  the  hard-hearted 
stupidity  of  their  parents ! 

Creoles  generally  consult  only  their  taste,  and 
seldom  think  of  fortune,  in  forming  a  matri- 
monial union:  it  is  common  among  them  for 
a  wealthy  man  to  marry  a  woman  without  for- 
tune ;  it  is  still  more  so,  to  see  a  rich  heiress 
choose  for  her  husband  a  man  who  is  pennyless ; 
and  it  is  also  very  common  to  see  a  young  couple 
marry  without  any  other  property  than  mutual 
love.  They  are  young,  and  can  make  a  fortune, 
say  their  worthy  parents.  In  those  countries 
where  labour  and  industry  are  not  disgraceful, 
and  where  every  active  and  industrious  person  is 
sure  to  succeed,  it  often  happens  that  such  persoM 
acquire  independent  fortunes.  The  Creoles  think 
with  reason,  that  in  the  choice  of  an  union  thai 
ought  to  last  for  life,  on  which  depends  the  hap- , 
piness  or  misfortune  of  two  individuals,  and  of 
thope  whom  they  may  bring  into  the  world,  it  is 
the  affections  of  the  parties  which,  above  all, 
should  be  consulted.  Thus  it  happens  very  seldom 
that  parents  are  seen  to  oppose  the  inclination 
of  their  children,  provided  there  be  nothing  dis- 
honourable in  their  choice.  It  is  due  to  the 
Creoles,  to  say  they  are  particularly  delicate  on 


186  GUA1IIH08. 

this  point,  and  the  women  quite  as  much  as  the 
-men.      Nothing,   for  instance,  would  induce  a 
young   Creole  lady  to  marry  a  man   deemed  a 
liar  or  a  coward. 

I  shall  terminate  this  sketch  of  the  manners 
of  the  different  tribes  and  casts  which  inhabit  the 
Caraccas,  by  a  few  remarks  on  the  Guahiros,  of 
whom  I  have  already  spoken,  and  who  inhabit  the 
mountains  of  Merida,  and  the  banks  of  the  Riode 
la  Hache.  The  Spanish  writers  of  this  age,  as  well 
as  the  English  and  French  who  have  copied  them, 
speak  of  them  as  of  a  horde  of  ferocious  robbers, 
who  have  resisted  all  the  efforts  made  for  civilizing 
them.  The  Spanish  geographers  rank  them  among 
the  Indios  bravos>  a  name  which  they  give  to  all 
the  tribes  they  have  not  been  able  to  subject. 
The  Spanish  historians  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
relate  that  the  Guahiros  were*  at  that  period, 
the  friends  of  the  Spanish  inhabitants  of  Trux- 
illo ;  that  the  missionaries  had  converted  almost 
all  of  them  to  Christianity;  that  they  shewed 
more  capacity  and  taste  than  the  other  Indians  for 
the  arts  of  civilization,  in  which  they  had  made 
a  rapid  progress  in  a  few  years.  But  the  liber- 
tinism of  the  inhabitants  of  Truxillo  caused 
bloody  quarrels  between  them  and  the  Guahiros. 
The  former  did  not  desist  from  debauching  their 
wives.  One  day  a  gang  of  Spaniards  had  the 
audacity  even  to  go  and  carry  them  off  by  force 
from  one  of  their  villages.  The  nation  or  the 
tribe  of  Guahiros  rose  unanimously  to  revenge 


«t/ADRCP£D8.  187 

this  outrage:  the  warriors  entered  Truxillo, 
sword  in  hand,  and  made  great  slaughter  among 
the  inhabitants.  They  declared  solemnly  that 
they  renounced  the  religion  of  men  so  corrupt, 
for  that  nothing  was  sacred  to  them.  All  the 
efforts  made  by  the  Spanish  missionaries,  since 
that  period,  to  reconcile  them  to  their  nation, 
have  proved  fruitless  ;  and  they  have  remained 
implacable  enemies  to  the  Spanish  name.  Every 
time  in  which  Spain  and  Great  Britain  have  been 
at  war,  the  British  government  has  profited  of 
this  antipathy,  to  excite  the  Guahiros  to  commit 
hostilities  against  the  colonists  of  the  province  of 
Maracaybo,  which  is  the  cause  of  its  depopula- 
tion. The  Guahiros,  however,  are  more  civiliz- 
ed than  the  other  Indians,  their  neighbours ;  they 
cultivate  their  land,  weave  stuffs  of  cotton  and 
wool  for  their  clothing:  they  also  rear  herds 
of  cattle,  which  form  objects  of  a  very  consider- 
able trade  between  them  and  the  English  in 
Jamaica;  they  receive  in  payment  spirituous 
liquors,  fire-arms,  and  gun-powder.  All  their 
warriors  are  mounted.  They  are  the  true  Caribs, 
possessing  their  tall  stature,  manly,  haughty  and 
independent  character. 

Almost  every  species  of  European  quadruped 
which  has  been  transported  into  those  countries 
have  become  wild,  and  multiplied  excessively  in 
the  forests  which  abound  in  the  necessary  means 
for  their  subsistence.  The  horned  cattle  and  the 
horse  have  not  preserved  the  beauty  of  the  Spa- 


188  HORSES   AND   DOGS. 

nidi  oxen  and  the  blood  horse,  no  doubt  from  the 
little  care  that  is  taken  of  them ;  but  the  ass  has 
become  larger  and  more  handsome* 

The  horses  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  Chili,  however, 
rival  those  of  the  finest  breeds  in  Europe.  The 
goat  is  smaller  than  the  European,  but  its  flesh  is 
better,  and  it  yields  an  abundance  of  delicious 
milk.  The  sheep  when  taken  care  of,  equals  the 
finest  species  in  Spain.  At  Margarita  I  have  seen 
sheep  and  wethers  whose  wool  was  excellent,  as 
is  also  the  meat  of  the  latter.  Swine  are  not  so 
large  as  in  Europe,  but  are  more  prolific ;  and 
their  fresh  meat  is  more  delicate  and  easy  of  di- 
gestion than  that  of  the  European  hog. 

It  seems  certain  that  the  dog  did  not  exist  here 
previous  to  the  arrival  of  Europeans,  and  it  is  a. 
remarkable  circumstance,  that  those  which  in- 
habit the  forests  with  the  savages,  who  are  exces- 
sively fond  of  them,  have  lost  the  faculty  of  bark- 
ing :  they  make  a  plaintive  howling  like  wolves. 
I  have  had  dogs  of  the  breed  of  the  shepherd's  dog 
and  of  the  mastiff,  of  which  the  sire  and  dam  were 
littered  in  Europe,  and  yet  tbey  did  not  bark,  but 
howled.  It  is  true  that  I  then  lived  almost  en* 
tirely  in  the  midst  of  forests.  Yet  the  dogs  in 
the  towns  and  villages  bark  like  the  dogs  in 
Europe.  The  shepherd's  dog  in  this  country 
becomes  a  very  good  sporting  dog. 

In  a  country  so  vast  as  the  Caraccas,  one  so  re* 
cently  civilized,  and  in  which  some  parts  present 
only  the  first  rudiments  of  oivilisstioa,  it  must  he 


LUXURIES.  189 

expected  that  there  exists  a  great  difference  be- 
tween the  manner*  and  custom*  of  the  inhabitants 
of  towns  and  those  of  the  country  parts,  and  even 
those  of  the  town  of  Caraocas,  for  instance,  and 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  smaller  towns  and  vil- 
lages. The  luxury  of  European  capitals  is  found 
in  the  town  of  Caraccas,  and  a  refinement  or 
exaggeration  in  their  politeness,  which  partakes 
of  the  Spanish  gravity,  and  the  voluptuous  man- 
ners of  the  Creoles.  It  may  be  said  that  their 
manners  are  a  mixture  of  those  of  Paris,  and  the 
large  towns  in  Italy ;  the  same  taste  for  dress, 
sumptuous  furniture,  ceremonious  visits,  balls, 
shows,  music,  and  even  for  painting,  which  is 
in  its  infancy*  The  inhabitants  of  Caraccas  and 
the  other  towns,  however,  seldom  dine  with  each 
other,  and  are  very  temperate;  but  they  fre- 
quently give  collations,  in  which  meat  is  never 
introduced,  but  chocolate,  coffee,  tea,  cakes,  sweet- 
meats and  Spanish  wines*  It  is  on  such  occasions 
that  they  display  their  porcelain  and  fine  glass* 
The  women,  both  old  and  young,  appear  at  them 
m  all  their  finery ;  and  the  men  seem  to  rival  the 
ladies  in  the  brilliancy  of  their  dresses  and  gallan- 
try»    This  is  peculiar  to  the  town  of  Caraccas*. 

I  remarked  a  very  odd  custom  among  the  wo- 
men of  Cumapa;  they  wear  neither  veils  nor 
gloves :  thus,  with  the  most  agreeable  and  expres- 
sive shapes  and  countenances,  they  have  a  copper 
colour.  While  at  Cumana,  I  offered  several  pairs 
of  gloves  for  herself  and  daughters,  to  a  lady,  to 


190  ANECD6TK. 

whom  I  was  under  some  obligations.  She  accept- 
ed them,  but  mentioned  that  neither  she  nor  her 
daughters  could  wear  them;  that  it  was  not  the 
custom  in  Cumana  ;  that  any  young  lady  seen 
with  gloves  and  a  veil,  would  be  deemed  a  fantas- 
tical coquette,  whom  no  one  would  marry,  and 
that  such  fooleries  were  only  fit  for  the  belles  and 
fops  of  Caraccas !  Whilst  speaking  of  the  Carac- 
cas  fops,  I  should  not  omit  to  mention,  that  it  is 
not  unusual  to  see  the  portraits  of  their  mistresses 
suspended  from  their  necks  by  gold  chains,  in 
about  the  same  manner^as  a  Parisian  or  London 
beau  wears  a  glass  to  assist  his  sight,  injured  no 
doubt  by  the  study  of  novels  and  late  hours ! 

I  cannot  conclude  the  subject  of  Indian  man- 
ners without  relating  an  anecdote,  which  will 
give  an  idea  of  their  modesty.  It  is  known  that 
those  of  the  warm  climates  of  South  America, 
among  whom  civilization  has  not  made  any  pro- 
gress, have  no  other  dress  than  a  small  apron,  or 
kind  of  bandage,  to  hide  their  nakedness.  A 
lady  of  my  acquaintance  had  contracted  a  kind- 
ness for  a  young  Paria  Indian  woman,  who  was 
extremely  handsome.  We  had  given  her  the 
name  of  Grace:  she  was  sixteen  years  old,  and 
had  lately  been  married  to  a  young  Indian  of 
twenty-five,  who  was  our  sportsman.  This  lady 
took  a  pleasure  in  teaching  her  to  sew  and  em- 
broider :  we  said  to  her  one  day,  "  Grace,  you  are 
extremely  pretty,  speak  French  well,  and  are 
always  with  us :  you  ought  not,  therefore,  to  live 


CAVIA  PACA.  191 

like  the  other  native  women,  and  we  shall  give 
you  some  clothes.  Does  not  your  husband  wear 
trowsers  and  a  shirt?"  upon  this  she  consented 
to  be  dressed.  The  lady  lost  no  time  in  arranging 
her  dress,  a  ceremony  at  which  I  had  the  honour 
of  assisting.  We  put  on  a  shift,  petticoats,  stock- 
ings, shoes,  and  a  Madras  handkerchief  on  her 
head.  She  looked  quite  enchanting,  and  saw  her- 
self in  the.  looking-glass  with  great  complacency. 
Suddenly  her  husband  returned  from  shooting  with 
three  or  four  Indians,  when  the  whole  party  burst 
into  a  loud  fit  of  laughter  at  her, and  began  to  joke 
about  her  new  habiliments;  Grace  was  quite  abash- 
ed, blushed,  wept,  and  ran  to  hide  herself  in  the 
bed-chamber  of  the  lady,  where  she  stript  herself  of 
the  clothes,  went  out  of  the  window,  and  returned 
naked  into  the  room !  A  proof  that  when  her  hus- 
band saw  her  dressed  for  the  first  time,  she  felt 
a  sensation  somewhat  similar  to  that  which  an 
European  woman  might  experience  who  was  sur- 
prised without  her  usual  drapery. 

There  remains  but  little  to  say  on  the  quadru- 
peds of  this  country,  which  have  been  almost 
all  described  by  naturalists,  especially  the  late 
M •  Sonnini,  and  latterly  by  M.  de  Humboldt. 
Buffon,  who  had  endeavoured  to  couple  the.  fe- 
male cavia  paca  with  the  hare,  was  not  well  ac- 
quainted with  its  organization.  The  paca  is 
called  lapo  in  the  Island  of  Trinidad  and  Spa- 
nish Guiana.  I  had  remarked  the  singularity 
of  the  several  parts  of   the  male,  and  describ* 


198  •ojwwi. 


ed  them  m  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  in  1797, 
not  being  aware  that  M.  Sonnini  had  pnblkhed 
observations  oo  the  suae  subject.  He  says,  that 
the  member  of  the  paca  is  armed  with  two  carti- 
laginous books,  like  that  of  the  agovtt:  I  bare 
seen  four  of  them,  and  his  observation  is  only 
true  m  regard  to  the  latter.  The  paca  is  a  very 
handsome  animal,  and  easily  domesticated :  it  is 
also  very  cleanly.  It  is  rather  larger  than  a  hare, 
has  a  thick  body,  and  is  generally  fat,  the  flesh 
of  it  is  good  food.  From  its  birth  to  the  age  of 
four  or  six  months,  the  hair,  naturally  of  a  deep 
red,  is  spotted  with  white,  but  after  six  months 
those  spots  disappear. 

I  am  surprised  that  Sonnini,  who  lived  four 
years  in  Guiana,  and  who  aarerts  he  had  often 
hunted  there,  did  not  remark  that  the  paca  is 
amphibious ;  or,  at  least,  that  when  pursued 
by  the  hunters  he  dives  under  water,  where  he 
remains  several  minutes  without  rising  to  the  sur- 
face, which  I  have  frequently  witnessed ;  its  lungs 
also  resemble  those  of  the  otter.  M.  Sonnini  is 
wrong  when  he  denies  that  there  are  several  spe- 
cies of  pacas,  as  the  physician  Laborde  wrote  to 
Bufibn :  I  have  seen  at  Trinidad,  and  San  Tome 
de  Angostura,  two  of  those  animals  perfectly  re- 
sembling the  paca,  but  much  larger  and  more 
rugged :  they  were  as  large  as  pointer  dogs,  and 
had  been  caught,  one  in  the  Orinoco,  and  the 
other  on  the  banks  of  the  Guarapiche.  Those 
animals  have  a  strong  inclination  for  frequenting 


QUADRUPEDS.  193 

water,  and  do  not  live  long  in  a  domestic  state : 
they  feed  on  fish,  and  the  plants  which  grow 
on  the  borders  of  the  sea  and  rivers.  Their  hair 
is  of  a  deeper  red  than  that  of  the  paca  cavia  of 
Linnaeus,  which  feeds  only  on  grain  and  roots* 

In  this  country  there  are  found  six  species  of 
opossum,  vulgarly  called  manicous,  though  that 
to  which  naturalists  have  given  this  name,  does 
not  exist  in  South  but  North  America. 

The  opossums  of  Venezuela  are,  first,  the  di- 
delphis  opossum;  second,  the  crab  opossum,  or 
didelphis  mursupialis ;  third,  the  marmoset,  di- 
delphis  marina;  fourth,  the  touan,  didelphis 
brachiura;  fifth,  the  cayopollin,  didelphis  dor- 
sigera,  or  philander  of  Surinam,  didelphis  coy  - 
ollia ;  sixth,  the  yapoch,  or  little  otter  of  Guiana, 
of  Buffon. 

The  females  of  all  these  opossums,  excepting 
that  of  the  didelphis  murina,  or  marmoset,  have 
under  the  belly  a  membraneous  pouch,  where  they 
deposit  their  young  as  soon  as  they  are  littered ; 
but  I  am  very  much  surprised  at  not  finding  in 
Buffon  and  his  editors,  as  well  as  other  writers, 
any  mention  of  an  extraordinary  circumstance 
in  the  organization  of  the  opossum ;  which  is,  that 
they  have  the  member  turned  towards  the  tail. 

Trinidad  and  the  provinces  of  Venezuela  have  the 
Agouti,  known  to  all  persons  who  have  been  at  the  Antilles. 
Two  species  of  small  deer,  the  Cervus  Americanu*,  and 
the  mangrove  stag,  which  lives  in  marshy  places.  They 
are  as  common  in  Trinidad  as  on  the  continent,  but  they 
do  not  exist  in  the  Island  of  Tobago. 


104  QUADRUPLETS. 

A  specie*  of  Porcupine,  called  Couandou  by  the  Map- 
sitan  Indians ;  this  is  the  Hystrix  prehensilis  of  Linneus. 

Two  species  of  lizards,  known  in  the  country  by  the 
names  of  Dragon  and  Guana. 

Armadillos,  remarkable  for  their  lamellated  shell,  Genus 
Dasypus. 

Two  species  of  Ant-bears. 

Tie  water-dog,  or  dog  of  the  woods  :  A  Didelphis  ; 
The  Didelphis  Philander  is  common  at  Trinidad. 

The  Tiger-cat,  or  Jaguar  of  New  Spain  :  Ledru  says 
that  he  never  attacks  man ;  he  is  wrong,  and  confounds 
the  Tiger-cat  with  the  Jaguar.  The  same  writer  is  also 
mistaken  when  he  says  that  there  are  numerous  herds  of 
wild  swine  in  the  forests  of  Trinidad :  the  European  hog  has 
not  become  wild  at  Trinidad  as  in  the  Antilles,  perhaps  be- 
cause it  has  encountered  the  Pecary  in  the  woods,  vulgarly- 
called  the  wild  American  hog.  These  wage  a  cruel  war 
against  tb&  former.  The  Pecary  must  certainly  be  a  differ- 
ent species  from  swine,  as  they  do  not  breed  with  (hem. 
From  various  experiments  I  have  seen  made,  I  can  assert 
this  fact  without  fear  of  contradiction.  Externally  the 
Pecary  resembles  the  swine,  but  there  exist  differences  in 
their  organization  as  observed  by  many,  naturalists. 

The  external  difference,  most  characteristic  of  the  Pe- 
cary, is  a  gland  on  the  dorsal  spine,  between  the  flesh 
and  the  skin:  it  is  nearly  an  inch  in  diameter;  above 
this  gland  there  is  in  the  skin  a  little  hole  of  about  two  or 
three  lines  diameter,  from  which  exudes  a  yellowish 
matter  which  has  the  smell  of  musk.  Though  this  animal 
defends  itself  with  a  great  deal  of  courage  when  attacked 
by  the  hunters,  it  is  easily  tamed  ;  it  caresses  a  man,  and 
follows  him  like  a  dog :  it  is  very  cleanly,  and  prefers 
elevated  situations. 

The  Mapurito ;  when  disturbed  it  emits  an  insupportable 
stench. 


QUADRUPEDS.  195 

The  Mvsk  Rat,  or  Piloris  of  the  Antilles  ;  Mm  Pile- 
rides,  Gm,  • 

The  Swalloweror  Crab  Rat;  Ursuscancrivorus*  Cuvie'r. 
The  lazy  Sloth  ;  Bradypus  Didactylus. 

Amphibious  Mammiferes. 

The  Lamantin  or  Sea-cow  ;  Trichedu*  manaius  Austra- 
lia. Gm. ;  the  Saricorian  Otter,  and  the  Brazilian  Tor- 
toise. 

M.  de  Humboldt  has  lately  published  the  natural  his- 
tory of  the  monkiesofthis  country,  in  his  Observations  on 
Zoology  andComp  as  alive  Anatomy. 

Birds  of  the  Sea  Coast. 

The  brown  Pelican  ;  Pelicanusfuscus.     Gm. 

The  lesser  American  Vulture,  or  the  scald-necked  Vul- 
ture ;  it  feeds  on  carrion,  flies  in  flocks,  which  are  gene- 
rally led  by  the  King  Vulture,  Vultur  Papa  ;  the  little 
American  Vulture  has  been  improperly  classed  among  sea 
fowls:  it  is  true  that  they  are  sometimes  found  on  the 
shore,  in  search  of  carrion;  but  far  greater  numbers  of 
them  are  seen  in  the  interior,  and  always  in  flocks. 

The  King  of  the  Vultures,  Vultur  Papa,  is  always  at 
the  head  of  flocks  of  birds  commonly  called  Ravens, 
which  pretended  raven  is  the  naked  breasted  vulture, 
the  Uruba  (Vultur  aura)  of  South  America.  This  bird 
feeds  on  carrion.  It  is  remarkable,  that  when  the  Vultur 
Papa  arrives  at  the  head  of  his  troop,  near  a  carrion,  all 
the  vultures  make  a  circle  round  the  banquet,  except  two 
or  three  that  place  themselves  as  sentries  on  trees  and 
trunks  of  trees.  When  the  king  has  satisfied  his  hunger, 
he  flies  away,  uttering  a  cry,  and  goes  to  place  himself  as 
a  sentinel.    Then  all  the  troop,  not  excepting  the  sen- 

o  2 


106  QUADRUPEDS. 

tries,  fall  on  tbe  carrion,  which  they  devour  with  great 
voracity ;  after  which  they  repose  and  sleep,  until  their 
chief  gives  them  the  signal  for  departure. 

There  is  in  the  more  elevated  situations  of  the  province 
of  Caraccas  a  bird  which  partakes  of  the  eagle  and  the 
vulture,  but  it  is  larger  than  either.  I  believe  this  bird 
has  never  been  described  by  any  naturalist  Its  legs  and 
wings  are  very  long :  it  is  handsome,  but  extremely 
rare.  It  has,  as  well  as  I  can  recollect,  a  tuft  of  red  fea- 
thers on  the  head,  and  a  stately  gait,  though  somewhat 
heavy.  Its  plumage  is  red,  bluish,  green  and  yellow.  I 
never  saw  more  than  two  of  them  at  Trinidad,  one  living, 
the  other  stuffed,  they  were  brought  from  the  mountains  of 
Cumana.  When  I  was  in  that  province,  in  1807, 1  offered 
in  vain  two  hundred  dollars  to  procure  one  of  them  alive, 
and  four  hundred  dollars  if  a  male  and  female  were 
brought  to  me.  The  French  Creoles  settled  io  the  country, 
have  given  it  tbe  name  of  King  of  the  Vultures,  to  distin- 
guish it  from  the  bird  they  call  King  of  the  Ravens,  and 
which  naturalists  term  King  of  the  Vulture,  or  Vultur 
Papa. 

The  first  bird  that  attracted  my  attention  at  arriving  on 
tbe  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Paria,  was  the  Pelican,  the  Pele- 
canus  Fuscus  of  naturalists.  It  often  rests  its  extended 
wings  on  the  branches  or  trunks  of  trees  which  float  on  tbe 
coast,  and  when  it  is  seen  in  that  situation  at  a  distance 
of  half  a  league,  and  even  sometimes  at  a  league,  an 
illusion  in  optics  causes  it  to  be  mistaken  fo*a  boat  under 
sail.  I  have  at  other  times  thought  it  was  a  sentry  on  the 
shore,  when  distant  about  a  quarter  of  a  league. 

Those  birds  feed  on  fish  ;  they  pass  a  part  of  their  time 
in  flocks  on  rocks  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  and  the  re- 
mainder in  the  water.  When  they  see  fish  they  fly  at 
an  elevation  of  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet,  the 
fish  then  approach  the  surface  to  feed  on  their  excre- 


THE  VAMPIRE.  197 

meats,  when  those  voracious  birds  pounce  on  them  like  fal- 
cons on  their  prey.  It  is  a  wonderful  thing  to  observe  with 
what  dexterity  this  bird,  apparently  so  unwieldy,  swallows 
a  great  number  of  fish;  he  fills  a  large  bag,  which  forms 
a  part  of  his  throat,  from  whence  he  swallows  them  when 
hungry. 

The  Lancet  Bat  or  Vampire,  genus  Philostome,  has  been 
very  well  described  by  M.  de  St.  Hilaire,  member  of  the 
French  Institute,  and  professor  of  zoology.  Buffon,  wishing 
to  explain  bow  the  Vampires  suck  blood,  without  causing 
to  persons  asleep  that  degree  of  pain  which  could  awaken 
them,  suspects  that  it  is  with  the  tongue,  and  not  the  teeth, 
that  they  make  the  incision ;  and  he  is  right     I  think 
Azzara,  otherwise  so  exact,  is  incorrect,  when  be  says, 
they  wound  in  biting,  and  not  in  pricking.    I  have  been 
pierced  more  than  once  by  these  animals  whilst  sleeping, 
without  feeling  the  least  pain,  and  their  pricking  perfectly 
Resembled  that  of  a  lancet,  which  has  given  rise  to  their 
name  in  Trinidad.     I  cannot  do   better  than  copy  the 
description  of  this  organ  given  by  the  learned  zoologist 
St  Hilaire.    "  Its  tongue,  whose  breadth  is  to  its  lepgth  as 
one  is  to  six,  is  partly  flat  above  and  rounded  below.  In 
comparison  by  its  length  and  narrowness,  with  the  tongue 
of  the  ant-bear,  it  also  resembles  the  latter  in  the  faculty 
the  phyllostomos  have  of  thrusting  it  out  entirely :  its  sur- 
face is  slightly  and  regularly  shagrined.  There  is  seen  quite 
near  its  extremity  an  organ  of  suction :  it  is  a  cavity  of 
which  the  center  is  filled  with  a  raised  point,  whose  bor- 
ders are  formed  by  eight  protuberances  of  a  less  elevation 
than  that  of  the  center."* 

The  frigate :  Pelecanue  aquilus.    Gm. 

The  common  booby :  Pelecanus  aula.    Gm. 

The  diver,  or  castagneuse:  Colymbus  dominion.  Gm. 

*  It  is  not  improbable  that  this  singular  organ  may  have  sag- 
gested  the  ingenious  instrument  used  for  cupping. — Ed. 


198  BIRDS. 

The  teal :  Anas  dominie  a.    Gm. 

The  great  water-ben  of  Cayenne :  FuUca  Cayenne*- 
sis.    Gm. 

The  egret :  Ardea  gazetta.    Gm. 

The  gold  plover :  Charadrius  Pluvialis.  .  Gm. 

The  flamingo :  Phaenicopterus. 

A  species  of  caprimulgus  which  lives  in  the  caverns  of 
rocks  washed  by  the  sea. 

Land  Birds. 

The  little  red  ara :  Psittacus  uracanga.    Gm. 

The  great  ara.   (Macaw.) 

The  green  and  red  parrot  of  Cayenne:  Psittacus  ochro- 
cephalus.    Gm. 

The  courow  parrot :  Psittacus  cestivus.  Gm. 

The  collared  parrot :  Psittacus  Alexander.  Daud. 

The  red  banded  parrot:  Psittacus  Dominicensis. 
Daud. 

The  black  headed  maipouri  parroquet :  Psittacus  me- 
lahocephalus.     Gm. 
;    The  tufted  green  pecker. 

The  variegated  or  Jamaica  pecker  :  Picus  Carolinus. 
Lath. 

The  red-breasted  couroucou :  Trogon  curucui.    Gm. 

The  humming  bird  of  Tobago:  Trochilus  Tabaci. 
Gm. 

The  green  and  gold  humming  bird  :  Trochilus  viridis- 
simus.    Gm. 

The  brown  and  yellow  blackbird :  Turdus  aurantius* 
Gm. 

The  toucan,  with  yellow  breast  and  black  beak;  another' 
toucan  with  yellow  breast  and  beak. 
The  screech  owl:  Strix flammea.    Buffon. 
The  white  collared  swallow  :    Hirundo  Cayennmsi*. 
Buffon. 


BIRDS  AWD  INSECTS.  \99 

,  Three  species  of  wild  pigeons,  called  also  in  the  couqtrj 
Paouy.  These  birds  live  in  pairs,  in  a  state  of  inarrjage 
like  the  turtle  doves:  they  only  lay  two  eggs  for  each 
hatching.     They  also. fly  in  flocks,  and  are  easily  tamed. 

The  katraca  and  the  parraka  are  very  common  in  those 
forests.  The  first  is  also  as  plentiful  in  the  island  of  Tobago 
as  on  the  continent,  but  there  are  none  of  them  in  Trinidad ; 
though  frequently  taken  there  tjiey  have  never  bred. 

The  ring  dove. 

Three  varieties  of  turtle  doves. 

The  white  woodcock. 

Three  varieties  of  wild  ducks. 

The  following  insects  were  collected  by  the  naturalists 
of  the  expedition  commanded  by  Captain  Baudin. 

The  bull  cassida:  Cassida  taurus.     Fab. 

A  variety  of  the  rustic  may-bug ;  Melolontha  rustica. 
Fab. 

An  insect  which  seems  to  be  the  Longimanus  of  Fabri- 
cius ;  reddish  brown,  humpy  body,  coppery  and  spiny, 
wings  striped  with  six  yellow  transverse  bands,  thighs 
armed  with  one  hook;  cylindrical  head,  excepting  at  the 
base,  where  the  eyes  are  placed. 

The  spotted  fisher :  Horia  metadata.     Fab. 

The  hemorrhoidal  bee :  Apis  hemorrhoidals.    Fa|>. 

The  eordiform  bee :  Apis  cordate.    L. 

The  dentated  bee :  Apis  demtata*    L. 

The  variegated  bug :  LygcBus  varfcqlor.     Fab, 

Th$  tuberculated  ant :  Formica  tuberculata.  Encyc. 
41. 

The  American  wasp  :  Vespa  Americana.     Fab. 

The  phosphoric  fire-fly:  Fulgora  phosphorea.    L. 

Turtles  are  rather  abundant  on  the  northern  ccfurt; 
they  0omeon  shore  from  April  to  September. 

La  the  forefits,  Vijph  have  $wcji  ,au  uppo^pg  aspect,  - 
iter*  4re  ,<6ua4  (he  grqater  p^r  t  of  the  {regs  4bftt  ^/nbeUisb 


200  PLANTS. 

those  of  the  Antilles,  the  borders  of  the  Orinoco,  and  Terra 
Firma. 

Botanists  also  specify  in  the  island  of  Trinidad, 

The  Aspen  rush :  Cyperua  haspan.    Rottb. 

The  hexandric  commeline:  CommeUna  hcxandra. 
Aubl. 

The  yellow  leaf  ginseng :  Panax  chrysophylla. 

Viiex  capitata.     Vabl. 

Justicia  eecunda.    Vahl. 

Solatium  kirtum.    Vahl. 

Ceetrum  latifolium.    Vahl. 
*  AUamanda  cathartica.     L. 

Macrocneum  coccineum.     Vahl. 

Frcelichia  paniculata.    Willd. 

Spathodea  corymbosa.     Vent. 

Robinia  rubiginosa.     Poiret. 

Lupinus  villosus.    Willd. 

Glycine  picta.    Willd. 

Begonia  humilis.     Dry. 

Tabemoemontana  ondulata.     Vahl. 

Tapogomea  tomentosa.    Aubl. 

Croton  goeeypifolium*    Vahl. 

Tragia  corniculata.    Vabl. 

Tontalea  scan  dens.    Aubl. 

All  the  trees  mentioned  in  the  description  of  Tobago, 
are  to  be  found  in  Trinidad. 

The  above  list  contains  the  result  of  my  obser- 
vations on  those  departments  of  the  natural  his- 
tory of  Venezuela,  and  the  Island  of  Trinidad. 
There  are  in  the  last  named  island  many  kinds  of 
serpents,  some  of  which  are  exceedingly  large, 
but  not  dangerous  to  man :  two  species  of  vipers, 
but  so  scarce  and  timid,  that  I  never  heard  of  any 
accident  from  them:  it  is,  however,   said  that 


BOA    MTRICTOR.  201 

the  serpent  called  mapipi,  is  dangerous ;  but  it 
must  be  very  rare  ;  for  I  who  have  been  much  in 
the  woods,  never  saw  it. 

There  are  three  species  of  Boa :  I  saw  one  of 
fifteen  to  nineteen  feet  in  length,  and  some  have 
been  seen  on  the  continent  of  forty-five  feet  long. 
That  which  is  most  remarkable  in  this  gigantic 
reptile,  is  the  manner  in  which  it  devours  the  fowls 
and  quadrupeds  that  fall,  as  it  may  be  said,  into, 
his  sphere  of  enchantment.  When  a  hen,  pintada, 
paca,  or  fawn  passes  near  the  Boa,  the  bird  or 
animal  is  immediately  seized  with  convulsions ; 
it  ruffles  its  feathers  or  bristles  its  hair,  and  stands 
still,  without  attempting  to  fly,  until  this  slow 
and  enormous  reptile  seizes  it  by  the  head.  The 
serpent  then  emits  a  whitish  and  viscous  slime 
on  the  body  of  its  victim,  and  swallows  it  slow- 
ly at  its  leisure*  If  the  prey  be  somewhat 
large,  the  monster  doubles  itself  up,  contracts  its 
length,  and  becomes  the  thicker  as  it  is  full.  It 
is  then  obliged  to  repose  to  digest  the  food,  or 
rather  because  it  is  too  full  to  be  able  to  move  or 
crawl.  When  in  this  state,  a  child  who  was  not 
frightened  at  its  hideous  appearance,  might  kill 
it  with  a  stick,  or  cut  it  in  pieces  with  a  sword,  as 
I  have  seen  done  by  the  young  Indians  and  ne- 
groes, who  would  on  such  occasions  appear 
delighted  at  vanquishing  the  monster. 

It  should  be  mentioned  here,  that  Dominica 
is  the  only  island  of  the  Antilles  (not  including 


202  NOXIOUS    ANIMALS. 

Trinidad  and  Tobago)  in  which  the  Boa  is  found, 
bat  they  are  not  so  large  as  those  of  Trinidad  and 
continent :  it  is  also  worthy  of  remark,  that  the 
quadrupeds,  reptiles,  and  even  the  birds  of  the 
Island  of  Trinidad,  are  smaller  than  those  which 
belong  to  the  same  species  on  the  neighbouring 
continent. 

Innumerable  multitudes  of  toads  spread  over 
the  country  at  night,  which  break  its  stillness  with 
their  croaking.  Myriads  of  fire-flies  appear  soon 
after  night-fall,  and  glitter  in  every  direction. 
Those  who  write  the  natural  history  of  this  island 
ought  not  to  forget  the  industry  of  the  parasol  ant, 
or  omit  describing  the  bold  habits  of  its  magnifi- 
cent birds,  and  their  nests  suspended  from  the 
branches  of  trees ;  which  probably  gave  to  the 
American  savage  the  idea  of  hammocks ;  a  wide 
field  will  also  be  opened  for  describing  the  ele- 
gant and  endless  variety  of  its  butterflies. 

All  those  insects  and  reptiles,  some  disgusting, 
others  brilliant,  concur,  each  according  to  its 
organization,  in  the  great  designs  of  nature.  All 
aid  in  purifying  the  atmosphere  by  absorbing  the 
hydrogen  and  azotic  gas,  of  which  the  Super- 
abundance would  injure  the  health  of  theaobter 
species.  The  whole  coast  of  Venezuela  shines 
with  the  white,  blue,  dfcarlet,  purple  and  orange 
enamels  of  the  most  brilliant  shells.  They  fere 
the  same  species  I  have  observed  in  the  islands  of 
Tobago  and  Trinidad. 


VEGETATION.  203 

Vegetable  World* 
The  kind  of  varied  life  which  my  destiny  oblig- 
ed me  to  lead  in  the  colonies,  the  civil  wars  and 
frequent  sea  voyages,  required  by  the  nature  of 
my  business,  added  to  my  decided  taste  for 
travelling,  long  and  painful  sickness,  caused  more 
by  moral  affections  and  bodily  fatigue,  than  by 
the  climate ;  the  want  of  books  and  communi- 
cations with  learned  men,  in  a  country  where 
they  are  very  scarce,  and  where  there  are  no 
occupations  but  the  accumulation  of  wealth, 
and  the  enjoyment  of  physical  pleasures :  all  these 
causes  united,  have  prevented  me  from  devoting 
myself  to  the  study  of  botany,  as  much  as  my  in- 
clination would  lead  me.  I  led>  however,  rather 
a  Sedentary  life  during  the  four  last  years  of  my 
residence  in  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  in  which  I 
was  principally  occupied  with  agriculture.  From 
the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  I  have  been 
connected  with  two  botanists  of  the  first  eminence: 
M.  de  la  Barrere,  a  distinguished  officer  of  engi- 
neers, who  had  gone  to  settle  m  Trinidad,  whilst 
it  belonged  to  Spain,  and  who  still  resides  ther* ; 
and  the  worthy  and  learned  Mr.  Alexander  An- 
derson, founder  of  the  magnificent  botanical  gar- 
den in  the  Island  of  Saint  Vincent,  the  richest 
garden  of  America  and  Asria ;  where  he  has  assem- 
bled all  the  plants  of  the  equinoxial  regions*,  and 
tfven  those  of  the  regions  vulgarly  termed  tenl- 
perate ;  such  as  tea,  See.  With  these  estimable 
men   I  made  many  excursions    in    the   forests 


204  M.    DB    BARHERE. 

of  Trinidad,  occupying  myself  with  opening  com- 
munications and  paths,  studying  the  rocks  and 
physical  geography  of  the  country,  whilst  they 
botanized. 

M.  de  la  Barrere,  in  1793,  and  after  a  year's 
residence  in  Trinidad,  had  discovered  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  plants  that  do  not  exist  in  the 
Antilles,  which  he  visited,  and  of  which  he  has 
formed  three  new  species,  according  to  the  Genera 
Pfantarum  of  our  celebrated  De  Jussieu.  It  is  a 
great  loss  to  botany  that  other  occupations  have 
withheld  him  from  that  science,  which  he  would 
have  enriched  with  numerous  discoveries,  if  he 
had  been  able  to  attend  to  it  alone.  M.  de  la 
Barrere  has,  however,  formed  a  magnificent  her- 
bal of  the  Antilles  and  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  in 
duplicate.  Why  does  he  not  send  it  to  Europe?  M. 
de  Jussieu,  and  other  learned  men,  who  have  not 
forgotten  him,  and  who  preserve  their  old  attach- 
ment for  him,  request,  through  me,  that  he  will 
send  his  duplicates  to  the  learned  and  generous 
Mecaenas  of  natural  history,  Sir  Joseph  Banks ; 
it  will  be  as  usefully  placed  for  the  sciences  with 
him,  as  if  it  were  in  the  Museum  of  the  Garden 
of  Plants  pt  Paris.  The  study  of  the  sciences, 
and  the  learned  societies,  have  this  noble  advan- 
tage over  other  human  institutions,  that  instead 
of  the  misfortunes  of  War  diminishing  the  atten- 
tion and  respect  which  the  truly  learned  of  dif- 
ferent nations  entertain  for  each  other,  they  even 
inspire  those  sentiments  with  more  energy  and 


VEGETATION.  200 

vivacity,  by  the  mutual  desire  and  necessity  for 
communicating  their  ideas,  projects  and  disco- 
veries to  each  other,  in  order  to  accelerate  the 
progress  of  scientific  researches. 

The  Island  of  Trinidad  presents,  in  some  de- 
gree, to  the  geologist  and  botanist  an  abridg- 
ment of  Guiana,  and  the  countries  comprised 
in  the  various  provinces  of  Venezuela  ;  such  as 
those  situated  on  one  side  between  a  part 
of  the  Cordilleras,  of  the  Andes,  and  other 
ranges  of  mountains  which  proceed  from  them, 
and  on  the  sea  coast,  between  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Amazons  and  that  of  the  Madalena.  Plu- 
nder, Jaquin,  Margraf,  Aublet,  Sonnini,  and  other 
naturalists  have  given  descriptions  of  the  animals 
and  vegetables  of  this  region ;  and  the  most  learn- 
ed of  modern  travellers,  Baron  de  Humboldt,  in 
the  relation  of  his  travels,  where  all  is  novel, 
where  he  has  gone  through  the  whole  circle  of 
the  sciences,  from  astronomy  down  to  zoophites, 
has,  during  almost  five  years  in  which  he  travel- 
led over  different  countries  of  America,  extracted 
more  of  the  secrets  of  nature,  and  made  more 
discoveries,  I  believe,  than  all  the  men  of  sci- 
ence who  had  visited  those  regions  before  him. 
It  is  principally  to  these  works  I  refer  those 
who  are  desirous  of  becoming  more  minutely 
acquainted  with  the  natural  history  of  the 
temperate  and  equatorial  climates  of  America, 
and  particularly  of  the  vegetable  world.  They 
will  see,  that  whilst  this  extraordinary  man  cal- 


206  VEGETATION. 

culated  the  movements  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 
observed  the  physical  structure  of  the  globe, 
noted  meteorological  observations,  dissected  birds, 
quadrupeds,  reptiles,  figh,  studying  the  remains 
of  Mexican  and  Peruvian  antiquities,  languages 
unknown  to  the  ancient  world,  the  history 
and  manners  of  the  indigenous  natives,  and 
made  a  statistical  work  on  those  countries,  which 
alone  would  suffice  for  acquiring  the  highest  re- 
putation, they  will  see,  that  those  prodigious 
labours  which  he  has  executed  in  such  a  short 
space  of  time,  and  as  if  he  had  merely  flown 
over  the  surface  of  the  New  World,  yet  left  suffi- 
cient time  to  this  Leibnitz  of  his  day,  to  discover 
and  describe  about  two  thousand  two  hundred  new 
plants  !*  And  it  is  a  most  honourable  circumstance 
for  the  French  language,  that  this  illustrious  fo- 
reigner has  adopted  it  in  publishing  his  works. 

My  affairs  in  the  colonies  not  having  permitted 
me  to  attend  to  vegetables,  excepting  in  their 
connexions  with  agriculture,  arts  and  commerce, 
I  shall  limit  myself  to  speaking  of  those  of  which 
the  cultivation  is  an  object  of  industry  with  the 
inhabitants  of  Trinidad,  and  the  otherp  rovinces 
of  Venezuela.  It  is  natural,  in  the  first  place,  to 
speajk  of  the  sugar  cane,  which  is  the  principal 
source  of  colonial  wealth. 

The  aboriginal  inhabitants  did  not  cultivate  it 


*  He  formed  a  herbal,  during  his  travels,   of  six  thousand 
plants. 


SUGAR  CANB.  207 

when  Columbus  discovered  the  New  World.  It 
even  seems  to  be  proved  that  it  did  not  exist 
there  at  that  period.  The  Mexicans  had  no 
knowledge  of  sugar;  but  they  made  a  syrup 
from  the  juice  of  the  agave,  a  species  of  pine- 
apple, also  from  that  of  the  maize  stalk,  and  of 
the  honey  of  bees.  Yet  the  culture  of  the  sugar 
cane  has  been  practised  from. the  most  remote 
antiquity  in  the  East  Indies  and  China.  From 
Africa,  it  passed  into  Spain,  and  from  the  Ca- 
nary Islands  to  San  Domingo,  from  whence  it 
was  transplanted  to  the  other  colonies.  Accord- 
ing to  Oviedo  Valdes,  the  first  sugar  plantation 
was  established  at  San  Domingo  in  1520,  and  in 
1535,  there  were  already  thirty  of  them  there. 
The  Canary  sugar  cane  was  still  exclusively  culti- 
vated in  the  colonies  in  1791,  under  the  name  of 
the  Creole  cane.  It  was  to  the  discovery  of  the 
Islands  of  Otaheite,  in  1759,  by  the  celebrated 
Bougainville,  that  we  owe  the  cane  now  culti- 
vated in  the  colonies,  and  to  which  has  been 
given  the  name  of  Otaheite  cane.  This  navi- 
gator transported  it  to  the  Isle  of  France,  in  re- 
turning from  his  voyage  round  the  world:  it 
was  cultivated  in  the  botanical  garden  of  that 
island,  from  whence  it  was  brought,  in  1788,  to 
that  of  Cayenne,  \>y  Mr.  Martin,  a  French  bo- 
tanist, who  also  sent  some  of  it  to  Martinico, 
where  it  was  kept  as  an  object  of  curiosity  in  the 
public  garden,  at  the  town  of  St.  Pierre,  and  in 
that  of  a  French  officer,  M.  Passerat  de  la  Cha- 


208  SUGAR    CANE. 

pelle.  These  are  facts  which  have  come  to  my  par* 
ticular  knowledge,  because  I  arrived  at  Martinico 
at  the  end  of  the  year  1791.  The  following  is  a 
note  supplied  to  me  by  a  person  whose  testi- 
mony ia  unexceptionable.* 

"  With  respect  to  the  Otaheite  canes,"  (says 
M.  du  Buc,)  "  In.  1790,  there  was  a  tuft  or  two 
of  them  in  the  Government  Gardens  at  St. 
Pierre :  I  believe  the  plant  had  come  from  the 
botanical  garden  of  Cayenne.  A  M.  de  la  Cha- 
pelle,  planter,  of  Fort  Royal,  was  the  first  who 
cultivated  it  in  his  grounds,  and  he  praised  it 
excessively;  but  as  his  experiments  were  on  a 
very  small  scale,  and  he  was  known  to  be  in  the 
habit  of  exaggerating,  his  assertions  were  not 
much  credited.  However,  in  the  month  of  June, 
1790,  when  M.  de  Damas,  then  at  the  head  of  the 
colonists,  went  to  pacify  the  town  of  St.  Pierre, 
after  the  massacre  of  the  men  of  colour  which 
took  place  on  the  day  of  Corpus  Christi,  many 
of  the  planters  took  specimens  of  this  plant  from 
the  government  garden,  and  planted  it  in  their 
own  grounds.  In  the  years  1791  and  1792,  it 
increased  exceedingly.  In  1793,  the  .disturb- 
ances and  emigration  of  the  planters  suspended 
its  progress,  but  in  1794,  it  became  the  more 
rapid,  as  each  having  to  plant  his  plantation  anew 


*  M.  L.  A.  Du  Bdc,  deputy  from  Martinico  to  the  Emperor 
Napoleon,  and  son  of  the  celebrated  M.  Du  Buc,  formerly 
intendant  of  the  colonies. 


OTAHE1TE    CANES.  209 

made  use  of  these  canes,  the  superiority  of  which 
was  confirmed,  and  they  procured  it  from  those 
who  had  already  a  few  beds  of  it.  From  this 
moment  it  was  an  object  of  trade :  a  mule's  load 
of  it  being  sold  for  two  and  three  dollars.  The 
propagation  was  so  rapid,  that  in  1798,  it  might 
be  said,  there  were  none  of  the  old  canes  remain- 
9  ing  in  the  island. 

"  I  need  not  inform  you  how  we  manage  to 
accelerate  the  increase  of  the  Otaheite  canes :  with 
a  few  loads,  I  planted  the  tenth  of  a  square  bed  ; 
this  was  cut  in  four  or  five  months,  and  each  cut- 
ting gave  as  much  cane  as  would  plant  five  or  six 
beds.  This  second  nursery  at  the  end  of  four  or 
five  months  more,  multiplied  six  fold  in  cutting, 
without  prejudice  to  the  first,  which  still  produced : 
thus  you  will  perceive  that  three  or  four  squares 
would  be  soon  planted,  and  continue  so  to  an 
indefinite  extent." 

For  two  years  past  there  have  been  no  other 
canes  cultivated  in  the  colonies  than  those  I  have 
described,  because  they  are  longer,  thicker,  and 
give  more  juice  than  the  Creole  cane.  They  have 
a  great  advantage  over  the  latter,  which  is,  that 
they  may  be  cut  in  ten  months  after  they  have 
been  planted.  The  planters  in  easy  circumstances, 
however,  cut  them  only  every  fourteen  months, 
and  they  then  give  a  third  more  produce  than 
the  Creole  cane  of  the  same  age. 

Various  persons,  and  Depons  among  others, 
have  stated  that  the  above  cane  degenerates  in 


210  OTAHEITE    CANES. 

s 

America ;  that  the  sugar  extracted  from  it  is  not 
of  such  a  good  quality  as  that  of  the  Creole  cane; 
that  it  liquefies  partially  on  the  voyage,  &c.  These 
are  errors  now  acknowledged  by  all  the  colonists. 
There  are  in  the  colonies,  as  f  very  where  else,  a 
set  of  plodding  men,  who  oppose  useful  disco- 
veries with  all  'the  weight  of  their  prejudices, 
vanity  and  ignorance :  these  men  refused  to  culti- 
vate the  Otaheite  canes  for  four  or  five  years ;  but 
at  present,  when  they  see  them  yield  a  third 
more  sugar  than  the  Creole  cane,  their  interest 
has  forced  them  into  its  cultivation.  It  has 
also  the  advantage  of  the  refuse  giving  more  fuel, 
of  giving  very  considerable  produce  during  ten 
years,  in  grounds  of  ordinary  fertility,  and  for 
fifteen  or  sixteen  years  in  a  fertile  soil ;  whilst  it 
is  necessary  to  replant  the  Creole  cane  every  two 
years  in  middling  ground,  and  every  four  or  five 
years  in  the  best  land :  this  is  an  inestimable  ad- 
vantage in  a  country  where  labour  is  so  dear. 

But  what  renders  this  vegetable  still  more 
precious,  is  the  flexibility  of  its  organization ;  or 
in  other  words,  the  property  it  has  of  accommo- 
dating itself  to  various  temperatures,  much  more 
than  the  Creole  cane.  It  is  known  that  the  latter 
scarcely  gives  any  sugar,  and  that  it  is  necessary 
to.  replant  it  every  year,  if  it  be  required  to  de- 
rive any  produce  from  it  in  countries  where  Reau- 
mur's thermometer  descends,  for  some  months 
only,  below  15°.  It  isnotso  with  the  Otaheite  cane. 
In  Louisiana  the  cultivation  of  the  sugar-cane 


PRODUCTION  OP  SUGAR.  '211 

had  been  almost  abandoned,  previous  to  the 
French  revolution,  because  the  Creole  cane  gave 
scarcely  any  sugar.  The  emigrants  from  San 
Domingo  introduced  that  of  the  South  Sea  island, 
and  although  it  does  not  produce  as  much  there  as 
in  the  Antilles,  still  its  cultivation  is  much  more 
profitable  than  that  of  the  Creole  cane.  Now 
the  climate  of  Louisiana  is  not  much  warmer  than 
that  of  Provence,  Lower  Languedoc,  and  a  part 
of  Spain ;  it  is  not  so  hot  as  in  the  kingdom  of 
Naples :  it  is  certainly  more  humid,  and  the  sugar 
cane  requires  moisture  ;  but  is  it  not  possible,  in 
the  south  of  Europe,  to  supply  the  want  of  at- 
mospheric humidity  by  irrigations?  These  are, 
I  may  venture  to  say,  reflections  worthy  of  the 
attention  of  government.  It  has  been  proved 
that  the  sugar  cane  of  Otaheite  may  be  advan- 
tageously cultivated  in  the  southern  countries  of 
Europe  which  I  have  mentioned,  in  every  part 
where  the  grounds  may  be  watered  in  dry  seasons. 
I  ought  not  to  omit  mentioning,  that  the  sugar  of 
Louisiana  is  not  inferior  to  that  of  the  Antilles : 
there  is  no  other  used  in  the  United  States,  where 
it  does  not  cost,  when  refined,  more  than  seven- 
pence  halfpenny  per  pound. 

In  Lower  Louisiana  it  is  reckoned  that  an  acre 
of  land  gives  in  an  average  one  thousand  pounds 
of  sugar  yearly,  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  of 
cotton,  two  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco,  thirty 
bushels  of  maize,  or  twenty  bushels  of  wheat*  It 
is  not  surprising  that  such  an  enormous  difference 

p  2 


212  M.  Dl  COS8IGNY. 

in  the  value  of  the  crops  has  made  the  planters 
in  Louisiana  prefer  the  cultivation  of  sugar  to  all 
other  produce,  in  that  part  of  their  province 
which  is  fit  for  it.  It  is  the  same  in  Mexico  and 
various  parts  of  Venezuela,  where  previous  to  the 
French  Revolution  this  culture  was  unknown. 
It  is  to  the  ruin  of  San  Domingo,  and  the  misfor- 
tunes of  our  other  colonies  that  it  has  been  intro- 
duced there,  and  even  that  of  coffee,  which  before 
the  above  event  had  been  grown  only  for  domes- 
tic use  and  in  very  few  places.  Thus,  in  a  few 
years,  and  when  peace  is  re-established,  sugar,  the 
most  agreeable  and  the  most  wholsome*  of  vege- 
table productions,  will  also  become  one  of  those 
which  may  be  procured  on  cheaper  terms. 

Mr.  de  Cossigny,  a  landed  proprietor  in  the 
Isle  of  France,  presented  in  1799,  to  the  Agricul- 
tural Society  of  Paris,  a  memorial,  and  has  since 
presented  others,  on  the  means  to  be  employed  for 
naturalizing  in  the  south  of  France,  the  sugar 


•  Those  who  have  been  in  the  colonies  know  that  the  negroes 
belonging  to  sugar  plantations,  grow  fat  daring  the  time  of  mak- 
ing the  sugar,  although  they  then  work  harder  and  sleep  less  than 
in  any  other  time  of  the  year.  It  is  because  they  eat  a  great 
deal  of  sugar,  and  drink  plenty  of  syrup ;  they  are  seen  to  dip 
their  salt  fish,  meat,  and  all  their  food  in  the  hot  syrup.  The 
mules  and  other  animals  employed  on  those  sugar  plantations  also 
fatten  in  the  sugar  harvest,  for  the  skimmings  of  the  sugar  pans  are 
given  to  them ;  and  yet  they  are  made  to  work  hard  at  that  time  ; 
whereas  during  the  remainder  of  the  year  they  are  allowed  to 
graze  at  liberty  m  the  savannas. 


COMPARISONS.  213 

rane,  indigo,  and  cotton.     If  the  results  have  not 
corresponded  with  the  expectations  of  this  learned 
colonist,  so  zealous  for  the  interests  of  his  country, 
it  is,  I  believe,  because  he  was  not  furnished  with 
the  means  of  making  his  experiments  on  a  scale 
sufficiently  extensive.      Besides,  at  that  period 
the  Otaheite  cane  was  scarcely  known  in  France. 
I  believe  it  is  even  still  unknown  in  Europe,  that 
it  yields  a  third  more  of  sugar  than  the  Creole 
cane,  and  that  it   produces  abundantly  in  places 
and   climates   where   the   Creole  cane   scarcely 
yields  any  thing.     Chance  having  enabled  me  to 
discover  in  1803,  at  Trinidad,  an   Otaheite   cane 
on  a  mountain  elevated    nearly  eighteen   hun- 
dred feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  I  cut  it  in 
pieces  and  took  it  home :    it  was  rather  more 
than  twelve  feet  long  and  two  inches  in  diameter ; 
that  is  to  say,  it  was  as  well  grown  as  those  that 
are  produced  in  the  warmest  parts  of  the  island ; 
although  it  had  sprung  up,  I  know  not  how,  in 
the  middle    of  mountain  weeds.     I  pressed   the 
juice  from  it,  and  it  gave  me  nine  ounces  of  very 
good    raw    sugar.      I   felt  convinced,   on  that 
occasion,  the  Creole  canes  would  scarcely  grow 
in  this  place,  or  that  they  would  be  very  stunt- 
ed, and  contain  either  very  little,  or  very  bad 
sugar ;  for  it  is  well  known  in  the  colonies  that 
this  plant  does  not  thrive  in  cool  situations,  ele- 
vated more  than  sixteen  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea,  where  the  thermometer  seldom  rises  above 
17%  and  is  generally  at   14°  or  15°   of  Reamur. 


214  NATURALIZING  PRODUCTION*. 

Some  days  afterwards  I  returned  to  the  same 
mountain,  and  planted  eight  Creole  and  as  many 
South  Sea  canes ;  thirteen  months  afterwards  I 
went  to  cut  them  ;  three  of  the  Creole  canes  had 
but  seven  joints,  the  others  only  four  or  five ;  they 
had  scarcely  eight  or  nine  lines  of  diameter  in 
their  thickest  joints.  I  had  their  juice  boiled,  and 
by  dint  of  ashes  and  lime,  I  extracted  four  ounces 
of  raw  sugar  from  them,  of  the  most  inferior 
quality.  The  Otaheite  canes  yielded  as  much 
and  as  good  sugar  as  those  which  grew  in  the 
warmest  districts  of  the  island.  I  kept  my  experi- 
ment secret,  as  well  as  some  others  which  I  made 
on  tropical  productions,  as  it  was  my  intention 
not  to  make  them  public  until  my  return  to 
France.  I  then  concluded  that  the  South  Sea  cane 
is  endowed  like  the  Creoles  with  great  flexibility, 
and  that  it  may  be  advantageously  cultivated  in 
climates  less  hot  than  those  situated  between  the 
tropics. 

It  was  then  also  that.  I  conceived  the  idea  of 
communicating  to  various  persons  in  the  United 
States  and  France,  the  scheme  of  naturalizing 
in  the  southern  countries  of  Europe  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  tropics,  by  transporting  them,  at 
first  to  the  Azores,  or  the  Canary  Islands,  where 
the  climate  is  in  the  mean  between  that  of  the 
torrid  zone  and  the  south  of  France,  Italy  and  a 
part  of  Spain.  I  was  desirous  that  they  should  be 
cultivated  in  those  intermediate  regions  with  care 
during  three  or  four  years,  and  that  from  thence 


COUNT   DE    BOUGAINVILLE.  2lfr 

they  might  be  transplanted  into  Provence.  I  am 
convinced  that  by  this  means  the  Otaheite  cane 
may  be  naturalized  with  us,  and  also  other  pro- 
ductions of  the  equinoctial  regions ;  which  for  our 
agriculture  and  commerce  would  be  an  advantage 
on  which  it  is  useless  for  me  to  dilate,  while  it 
must  greatly  diminish  the  profits  of  our  rivals. 

One  day  when  the  late  Count  de  Bougainville  was 
walking  about  the  Garden  of  Plants  at  Paris,  in 
1807,  he  saw  the  Otaheite  canes  in  the  hot-houses : 
"thesearesome  of  my  breed,"  said  he  to  M.  Thouin, 
the  professor ;  "  pray  give  me  one  to  plant  in  my 
garden."  The  cane  was  accordingly  sent,  but  his 
gardener  forgot  to  place  it  in  a  hot-house  during 
the  winter,  nor  did  the  Count  even  tell  him 
what  plant  it  was.  The  gardener  supposed  it  to 
be  some  curious  reed,  and  merely  stuck  it  in  a  heap 
of  manure  by  the  side  of  a  wall.  The  Count  walk- 
ing in  his  garden  in  the  beginning  of  the  summer 
of  1808,  recognized  his  Otaheite  cane  very  healthy 
and  large.  Convinced  by  this  experiment  that  it 
can  endure  the  winter,  even  in  the  climate  of 
Paris,  he  had  several  joints  of  it  cut  and  planted, 
all  of  which  produced  very  fine  tufts  of  canes. 

I  shall  not  enter  on  the  details  of  the  cultivation 
of  this  important  plant,  or  on  the  process  of  ex- 
tracting the  sugar :  a  great  many  treatises  have 
been  written  on  the  subject.  The  best  is,  un* 
doubtedly,  that  of  M.  Duthrone,  a  physician  and 
planter  of  St.  Domingo :  he  was,  I  believe,  the 
first  who  had  sugar  pans  made  of  copper,  broader 


216  IMPROVEMENTS   SUGGESTED. 

and  shallower  than  the  iron  caldrons  which  are 
chiefly  used  in  the  sugar  plantations:  by  their 
width  and  shallowness,  they  save  both  fuel  and 
time,  because  the  syrup  boils  and  changes  sooner 
into  sugar  in  those  boilers  than  in  the  former  ones 
which  are  much  deeper.  In  them  the  syrup  is 
stirred  and  skimmed  more  easily,  which  diminishes 
the  labour  of  the  refiner.  It  is  also  remarked 
that  the  sugar  made  in  those  pans  has  a  lighter 
and  more  agreeable  colour,  than  that  which  has 
been  boiled  in  iron.  When  an  iron  caldron 
breaks,  or  becomes  perforated,  it  is  necessary  to 
destroy  the  masonry  of  the  furnace  to  replace  it 
with  another,  which  wastes  much  .time,  and  some- 
times spoils  several  quintals  of  syrup ;  but  when 
a  copper  caldron  meets  this  accident,  there  is  no 
further  trouble  than  in  soldering  a  patch  on  it, 
which  can  be  done  in  half  an  hour.  These  and 
many  other  reasons  might  be  cited  to  induce  the 
Spanish  cultivators  to  abandon  the  use  of  iron 
caldrons  as  the  English  planters  have  both  at 
Jamaica  and  in  almost  all  their  other  colonies. 

There  might  be  many  other  improvements  made 
in  the  cultivation  and  boiling  of  sugar.  The  cogs 
of  the  mill  wheels,  for  instance,  which  are  now  used 
frequently  break,  and  it  is  necessary  to  unhang 
them,  in  order  to  put  new  ones  in ;  causing  a  con- 
siderable loss  of  time  and  money.  In  1803, 1  pro- 
posed to  Mr.  Robley,  of  Tobago,  to  substitute  iron 
ones  welded  into  a  rim  of  the  same  metal ;  if  the 
cog  should  be  broken,  it  would  be  sufficient  to 


COCOA    TREE.  217 

take  off  the  rim,  and  introduce  a  new  one  ;  which 
might  be  the  work  of  half  an  hour,  or  of  an 
hour  at  the  utmost.  When  I  left  my  plantation 
in  Trinidad,  I  intended  to  have  made  rims  with 
cogs  on  this  plan. 

The  tree  which  produces  cocoa,  (theobroma 
cacao),  is  the  principal  object  of  cultivation  in 
those  of  the  Spanish  colonies  which  are  situated 
in  hot  climates,  and  particularly  in  the  provinces  of 
Venezuela,  where  it  is  of  a  superior  quality.  "  The 
extreme  fertility  of  the  soil,"  says  M.  de  Hum- 
boldt, "  and  the  insalubrity  of  the  air,  are  in 
Southern  America  and  Asia,  two  inseparable  cir- 
cumstances. It  is  observed  that  the  more  the 
agriculture  of  a  country  increases,  the  more  the 
forests  diminish ;  and  that  the  more  the  soil  and 
climate  become  dry,  the  less  the  plantations  of 
cocoa  succeed."  The  observation  of  M.  de  Hum- 
boldt is  strictly  true :  still  it  must  be  said,  that  there 
are  districts  in  the  provinces  of  Venezuela,  and  the 
island  of  Trinidad,  which  though  not  unhealthy, 
produce  very  good  crops  of  cocoa.  The  vallies 
of  Arragoa  in  the  province  of  Caraccas,  those 
of  Cariaco,  Carupano,  of  Rio  Caribe,  and  the 
banks  of  the  river  Caroni  in  Spanish  Guiana, 
produce  excellent  cocoa  in  abundance  :  and  those 
countries  are  not  unwholesome,  for  their  inhabi- 
tants enjoy  good  health,  and  are  subject  to  fewer 
diseases  than  aged  persons  in  Europe,  or  the  in- 
habitants of  Barbadoes,  Antigua,  Sainte  Croix, 


218  SINGULAR    DISEASE. 

and  some  of  the  Caribbean  islands  which  have 
no  rivers,  and  are  subject  to  much  drought.  In 
the  continental  regions  I  am  describing,  and  which 
are  watered  by  many  streams,  a  great  number  of 
navigable  rivers,  and  a  multitude  of  rivulets  which 
would  be  termed  rivers  in  France,  the  atmosphere 
is  continually  refreshed  by  the  evaporation  of 
those  running  waters,  which  at  the  same  time  that 
they  invigorate  and  fertilize  vegetation,  preserve 
the  inhabitants  from  certain  disorders,  to  which 
those  residing  in  countries  where  the  climate  is  too 
hot  and  dry  for  the  European  race  are  subject. 
The  inhabitants  of  Barbadoes,  Tobago,  and  other 
islands,  where,  in  some  years  there  is  scarcely  any 
rain,  are  subject  to  a  disease  in  the  alimentary 
canal,  which  finishes  by  paralizing  that  organ. 
The  patient  loses  the  faculty  of  digestion ;  and 
sees  himself  consuming  away  without  a  remedy. 
This  disease  is  incurable  when  it  has  made  some 
progress,  and  the  only  mode  of  curing  it  at  its 
commencement,  is  to  send  the  patient  to  a  cold 
climate.  The  English  physicians  attribute  this 
malady  to  the  extreme  dryness  and  heat  of  the 
climate.  Perhaps  they  might  also  add  to  the 
spices,  brandied  wines,  the  rum  and  other  spiritu- 
ous liquors,  which  their  countrymen  often  use  to 
such  an  inordinate  excess.  The  unhealthy  parts 
of  the  new  world  are,  as  every  where  else,  marshy 
places,  and  where  water  has  not  a  sufficiently  rapid 
.course:  such  countries  are,  it  is  true,  generally 


COCOA    TREE.  219 

very  fertile ;  but  there  are  also  in  those  some 
places  which  are,  at  the  same  time,  well  watered, 
fertile,  and  very  healthy. 

The  cocoa  tree  is  the  favourite  object  of  agri- 
culture in  the  ci-devant  Spanish  colonies.  Their 
neighbours,  the  English  and  French  colonists, 
assert  that  they  prefer  the  cultivation  of  this  plant 
to  that  of  all  others,  because  it  requires  scarcely 
any  labour,  and  that  an  agreeable  nap  may  be 
taken  under  its  shade.  This  consideration  may 
have  its  weight  with  many,  in  the  preference 
which  the  Spanish  colonists  give  in  growing  the 
cocoa  tree. 

Cocoa  was  unknown  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
old  world,  until  the  discovery  of  the  new.  It 
was  the  favourite  nourishment  of  the  indige- 
nous inhabitants :  the  coeoa  bean  served  for  small 
money  in  Mexico,  as  eggs  and  cocoa  nuts  are  now 
passed  in  Caraccas  and  Cumana.  At  first,  and 
after  the  conquest,  the.  taste  for  cocoa  or  chocolate 
passed  from  America  to  Spain,  where  the  opulent 
would  sooner  do  withput  bread  than  chocolate. 
We  owe  the  introduction  of  this  luxury,  as  agree- 
able as  it  is  wholesome,  to  the  monks,  who  were 
great  admirers  of  good  things ;  it  was  they  who 
first  brought  it  into  use  in  France.  Could  it  have 
been  that  Linneeus  coincided  in  opinion  with 
them,  when  he  gave  it  the  religious  name  of 
Theobroma,  divine  beverage  ? 

The  cocoa  tree  bears  fruit  in  four  years  after  it 
has  been  planted,   the  following  year  still  more, 


120  COFFEE. 

and  increases  in  fecundity  until  the  ninth  or 
tenth  year,  when  it  is  in  full  bearing.  Its  fruit 
resembles  somewhat  the  pine  tops ;  but  it  never 
grows  higher  than  twelve  or  fifteen  feet.  It  is 
useless  for  me  to  describe  its  botanical  character-* 
istics,  which  are  well  known  to  all  persons  conver- 
sant in  that  science.  Those  who  wish  to  be 
informed  as  to  the  mode  of  cultivating  it,  can 
satisfy  their  curiosity  by  reference  to  the  second 
volume  of  M .  Depons'  Travels  in  the  Eastern 
Part  of  Terra  Firma. 

It  is  impossible  to  speak  of  cocoa  without  think- 
ing of  vanilla,  the  epindendrum  vanilla,  of  which 
the  odoriferous  fruit  is  used  for  giving  the  former  a 
delicious  perfume.  This  parasitical  plant  is  culti- 
vated in  the  hot  countries  of  Mexico ;  but  it  is 
collected  wild  in  the  provinces  of  Venezuela  and 
Trinidad,  where  it  would  produce  considerable 
gain  to  the  inhabitants,  if  they  gave  themselves 
the  trouble  of  cultivating  it.  M.  de  Humboldt 
has  very  properly  ridiculed  the  opinion  of  certain 
grave  and  ignorant  persons,  who  pretend  that 
vanilla  injures  the  nerves.  It  is  with  this  opinion 
as  with  that  of  certain  parents,  who  tell  their  ohil- 
'  dren  that  they  should  not  eat  too  much  sugar, 
because  it  spoils  the  teeth!  It  is  known  that 
vanilla  is  a  stimulant  equally  wholesome  and 
agreeable. 

Previous  to  the  French  revolution,  coffee  was 
not  cultivated  in  the  Spanish  colonies  as  an  article 
of  commerce.      The    American   and  European 


EPICT    OF    CHARLES    III.  221 

Spaniards  scarcely  ever  used  that  article,  which  is 
so  deservedly  esteemed   among  us  :  when   they 
are   asked  a  reason  for  it,  they  reply  gravely, 
that  it  heats  the  blood :  the  British  and  French 
colonists  assert  that  it  is  from  indolence  the  Span- 
ish colonists  do  not  grow  the  coffee  tree ;  and  cer- 
tainly there  is  no  colonial  agriculture  that  requires 
so  much  pains,  and  such  assiduous  care  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  the  year,  as  this  plant ; 
which  would  never  have  agreed  with  the  slothful 
habits  of  the  Spanish  colonists,  as  they  were  thirty 
years  ago.      However,  the   edict  of  free   trade 
issued  by  Charles  III.  at  Madrid,  in  1778,  deve- 
loped the  moral  faculties  of  the  colonial  Spaniards 
in  all  their  activity  and  energy,  which  until  then 
had  laid  dormant.     It  is  from  that  period  we  may 
date  the  efforts  they  havd  made  for  adopting  the 
agriculture  of   the   British,  French,  and   Dutch 
colonies.     Venezuela  owes  to   Don  Bartholomeo 
Blandin  the  first  example  of  this  branch  of  culti- 
vation, with  which  the  perseverance  of  a  French- 
man enriched    Martinico    and    other    parts    of 
America,  at  the  commencement  of  the  last  cen- 
tury.    In  1784,  Blandin  devoted  his  capital  and 
plantations  at  Chacao,  situated  at  a  league  from 
the  town  of  Caraccas,  to  the  cultivation  of  coffee. 
The  soil  on  which  he  formed  his  plantations  is  not 
well  adapted  for  this  plant :  however,  by  dint  of 
attention  and  industry  he  succeeded  in  forcing 
nature  to  a  certain  degree.     A  priest  of  the  Ora- 
tory, named  Sojo,  established  coffee  plantations  in 


222  CULTIVATION    OF    COFFEE. 

the  neighbourhood  of  those  of  M.  Bland  in.  The 
ruin  of  St.  Domingo,  consummated  by  the  insur- 
rection which  topk  place  in  1790,  leaving  a  great 
void  in  the  markets  of  the  old  world,  was  the 
principal  cause  that  induced  the  colonists  of 
Venezuela  to  apply  themselves  to  its  cultivation; 
and  from  1793  until  the  peace  of  Amiens,  there 
have  been  a  great  number  of  large  plantations  of 
coffee  formed  in  various  parts  of  Venezuela,  as 
also  in  the  islands  of  Porto  Rico  and  Jamaica. 
It  was  the  French  who  emigrated  from  St.  Do- 
mingo that  introduced  the  culture  of  it  into  those 
islands. 

This  plant  cannot  be  advantageously  cultivated 
in  countries  situated  beyond  twenty-five  degrees 
of  latitude ;  as  the  climate  of  the.  Bermudas, 
though  in  32°  35'  is  to6  cold  for  it  during  the 
winter.  For  the  same  reason,  it  is  wrong  to 
persist  in  cultivating  it  in  those  parts  of  Vene- 
zuela, which  by  their  elevation  above  the  sea,  have 
a  temperature  of  12°  or  10°  of  Reaumur's  thermo- 
meter: that  which  agrees  best  with  the  coffee 
tree,  seldom  rises  above  20°,  and  never  descends 
below  10°.  Under  this  degree  of  heat,  it  will 
cease  to  produce ;  which  is  the  reason  why  it  is 
useless  to  think  of  introducing  it  even  into  the 
warmest  parts  of  Europe.  This  plant  thrives 
best  in  a  mild  and  rather  moist  temperature:  the 
excessive  heat  of  the  sun  does  not  agree  with  it, 
and  it  flourishes  in  the  vicinity  of  forests  and 
rivulets.     In  St.  Domingo,  M artinico  and  Guada- 


CULTIVATION  OF  COFFEE.  223 

loupe,  it  is  only  cultivated  on  the  hills;  but  ex- 
perience has  proved  in  Venezuela,  Trinidad, 
Demerara,  Berbice  and  Essequibo,  that  it  thrives 
equally  well  in  the  plains,  when  placed  in  a  pro- 
per soil. 

Cold  and  hard  argillaceous  earths,  and  also  the 
sandy  clay  that  lies  on  a  bed  of  marl,  are  not  fit 
for  coffee  plantations ;  for  at  the  end  of  twelve 
or  fifteen  years  the  tree  would  no  longer  produce, 
and  would  perish  on  such  soils.  It  is  best  placed 
in  black  deep  arable  ground  which  retains  the 
humidity  well.  If  there  be  a  quantity  of  small 
stones  in  such  ground,  the  tree  becomes  still  more 
productive.  In  Venezuela,  the  proper  mode  of 
cultivating  coffee  was  not  well  known  in  1807: 
the  above  is  the  manner  adopted  by  the  most  in- 
telligent French  planters. 

The  plantations  of  coffee  trees  succeeded  only  in 
places  where  the  woods  have  been  felled:  the 
grounds  called  savannas  in  those  countries  (natural 
meadows),  or  those  which  have  been  planted  with 
sugar,  cotton,  or  indigo,  are  not  fit  for  the  coffee 
tree,  as  they  have  been  too  much  dried  by  the  sun. 

Formerly  coffee  trees  were  planted  too  closely  in 
the  French  colonies  at  the  distance  of  only  four 
feet,  so  that  their  branches  intermingled  and 
injured  eacfh  other.  The  influence  of  light  and 
air  on  vegetation  was  not  well  understood  then. 
Mr.  Bruley,  of  St.  Domingo,  has  written  a  sen- 
sible treatise  on  their  cultivation,  of  which  I  shall 
give  an  extract  in  this  place. 


224  CULTIVATION    OF    COFFEE. 

"  To  procure  the  coffee  plant,  they  went 
under  the  whole  trees,  and  dug  up  the  young 
plants  produced  by  the  fall  of  the  ripe  fruit,  which 
were  transported  from  one  plantation  to  another : 
after  having  cut  off  a  part  of  their  roots,  they 
were  placed  in  holes"  dug  purposely  for  them. 
This  method  is  defective;  a  great  part  of  the* 
plants  obtained  in  such  a  manner,  independently  of 
the  mal-conformation  that  might  have  occurred  in 
them,  under  the  old  coffee  tree,  had,  besides,  the 
defect  of  never  having  been  exposed  to  the  sun's 
rays  ;  therefore  the  planter  had  not  a  certainty 
of  success  in  their  growth.  It  was  frequently 
found  that  planters  had  to  renew  their  planta- 
tions for  several  successive  years,  before  they 
became  regular. 

"  I  avoided  this  inconvenience  by  a  practice 
which  many  planters  have  adopted  since.  I  sowed 
at  a  distance  of  six  inches,  in  regular  rows,  and  in 
ground  prepared  for  that  purpose,  certain  grains 
of  coffee.:  this  became  a  nursery,  which  I  watered 
and  took  great  care  of ;  and  from  thence  I  took 
the  young  coffee  plants  necessary  for  making 
my  plantations.  When  it  was  necessary  to  remove 
them  from  the  nursery,  care  was  taken  to  moisten 
the  earth  well,  and  then  with  a  single  cut  of  the 
spade,  the  youpg  coffee  tree  was  raised,  with 
the  mass  of  clay  that  surrounded  its  roots. 

"  It  may  be  easily  imagined  that  the  coffee 
plants  thus  transplanted  from  the  nursery  to  the 
holes  destined  to  receive  them,  suffered.no  alter- 


CULTIVATION   OT    COFFEE.  226 

ation  or  hindrance  in  their  vegetation,  and  con- 
sequently the  plantations  were  regular.  Very 
few  plants  required  to  be  replaced;  none  were 
defective  in  their  structure' ;  while  all  were  ac- 
customed to  a  scorching  sun:  I  mitigated  its 
effects  on  the  earth  in  which  those  young  trees 
were  planted,  by  placing  heaps  of  pebbles  close 
to  them,  which  preserved  the  moisture  of  the 
ground  even  in  the  driest  time  of  the  year.  All 
those  coffee  trees  had  the  advantage  of  being 
more  flourishing,  stronger,  and  bearing  sooner  than 
those  of  my  neighbours,  planted  at  the  same  time, 
according  to  the  old  method.  I  am  assured  that 
these  plantations,  though  neglected  like  all  those 
of  St.  Domingo,  are  still  fine." 

I  have  already  said  that  the  coffee  trees  were 
planted  too  closely  together  in  the  French  colo- 
nies :  they  were  placed  at  four  feet  asunder,  and 
in  all  kinds  of  ground.  This  circumstance  was 
the  cause  that  good  crops  were  obtained  only  in 
poor  land.  It  is  now  understood  that  they 
should  be  planted  at  distances  of  seven  or  eight 
feet  in  a  good  soil.  They  are  also  planted  in 
triangle  or  in  quincunx,  by  which  a  sixth  part 
of  the  ground  is  saved.  The  deeper  the  vegeta- 
tive mould  is,  the  deeper  the  holes  should  be  dug ; 
but  if  the  good  soil  be  shallow,  care  must  be 
taken  that  the  boles  be  not  too  deep,  because  the 
plant  will  die  when  the  roots  reach  the  volcanic 
ashes  or  tufa. 


226  ORINOCO    NUTMEG. 

Coffee  trees  produce  but  little  unless  their 
growth  be  impeded  by  cutting  :  they  are  cut  at 
two  feet  and  a  half  on  middling  soils,  and  at  four 
and  a  half  or  five  feet  on  very  fertile  grounds.  This 
plant  produces  some  fruit  in  two  years  after  it 
has  been  planted :  it  produces  still  more  in  the 
third  year;  in  .seven  years  it  is  in  full  bearing, 
and  lives  to  seventy  and  eighty  years,  when  in  a 
proper  soil  and  well  cultivated.  I  shall  not  enter 
into  further  details  on  its  cultivation,  which 
would  be  no  novelty  to  the  inhabitants  of  our 
colonies,  and  totally  unnecessary  to  an  Euro- 
pean reader.  There  is,  however,  in  what  I  have 
said,  and  in  that  which  I  have  quoted  from  M. 
Bruly,  information  which  will  not  be  useless  to 
many  planters  in  the  Spanish  colonies  where  this 
subject  is  not  yet  well  understood.  I  also  wish 
to  recommend  them  to  plant  their  nurseries  of 
coffee  plants  under  the  shade  of  bananas,  and  to 
transplant  them,  as  they  practise  with  their 
cocoa  trees,  to  the  shade  of  the  erythrina,  which 
they  call-  la  madre  del  cacao,  mother  of  cocoa. 
I  shall  say  nothing  of  the  plants  that  produce 
cotton,  arnotto,  indigo,  which  are  all  cultivated 
in  Venezuela,  and  yield  superior  qualities  there. 

They  have  in  their  exportable  commodities, 
a  grain  of  two  lobes,  which  the  people  of  the 
country  call  puchery,  or  pichurim,  and  to  which 
the  French  Creoles  have  given  the  name  of  the 
Orinoco  nutmeg,  because  it  has  an  aromatic 
odour  very  similar  to  that  of  the  oriental  nutmeg. 


A    MEDICINE.  227 

I  have  never  been  able  to  see  the  tree  that  pro- 
duces this  grain,  which  grows  near  the  banks  of 
the  Rio  Negro,  and  is  sold  at  a  very  low  price  in 
the  country.     It  belongs  to  a  species  of  laurel. 

Mr*  Richard  told  me  he  had  found  one  in  French 
Guiana,  the  fruit  of  which,  as  described  by  him, 
appeared  not  to  differ  from  that  used  in  com- 
merce. Why  do  not  the  inhabitants  of  Vene- 
zuela cultivate  it  at  home  ?  Since  the  flavour  of 
its  fruit  is  such  an  agreeable  aromatic  when  wild, 
it  is  presumed  that  it  would  acquire  a  more  supe- 
rior quality  if  domesticated.  I  have  found  that 
a  decoction  of  it  mixed  with  sugar  and  magnesia, 
is  a  powerful  remedy  in  the  disease  known  by 
the  name  of  dry  cholic,  which  makes  such  havoc 
among  the  negroes,  and  even  sometimes  among 
the  whitesin  the  Antilles.  Combined  with  sugar 
and  a  small  quantity  of  opium,  it  is  an  excellent 
remedy  for  tenesmus  and  dysentery.  The  Swed- 
ish and  Danish  physicians  tell  wonderful  things 
of  it* 

One  day  when  I  was  going  from  my  plantation, 
situated  on  the  north  side  of  Trinidad,  to  Port  Spain, 
accompanied  by  M.  de  la  Barrere,  and  when  ex- 
hausted with  fatigue,  sickness,  and  vexation,  I 
rested  near  a  cascade  which  rushes  from  the  moun- 
tain of  Las  Cuevas,  my  indefatigable  companion 
was  collecting  plants  above   me;   I  heard  him 


*  This  is  a  very  common  spice  in  tbe  Brazils  and  Portugal, 
where  it  is  called  Noz  Nosgada,  and  sold  very  cheap. — Ed. 

Q  2 


JS8  *     YEW   TREE. 

suddenly  exclaim,  "  what  do  T  see !  is  that  a  yew 
tree?  pray  come  and  look  at  it.  I  have  tra- 
versed/9 said  M.  de  la  Barrere,  "  the  woods  and 
mountains  of  this  island  a  hundred  times,  and 
never  met  with  a  tree  that  had  the  appearance  of 
this  one :"  it  was  in  full  bloom. 

We  had  some  Indians  with  us,  who  climbed 
like  squirrels :  one  was  sent  up  to  gather  some 
of  the  fruit  and  blossoms:  he  soon  threw  down 
plenty  of  them.  The  berry  of  this  tree  is  larger 
than  that  of  the  yew,  Taxus  baccata,  and  of  a 
taste  at  once  rough  and  sweet ;  its  flowers  do  not 
differ  from  those  of  the  yew  baccata,  otherwise 
than  in  being  larger  and  purplish ;  but  its  leaves 
narrow  and  thick,  are  rather  lancet  shaped  than 
blunt,  which  is  the  reason  that  M.  de  Jussieu 
considers  it  to  be  a  PodQcarpusy  or  species  ap- 
proaching the  yew.  The  yew,  or  Podocarpus  of 
Las  Cuevas,  is  taller  and  thicker  than  that  of 
Europe :  we  saw  one  of  about  sixty  feet  high, 
and  four  or  five  others  appeared  to  be  from  forty 
to  fifty  feet  in  height.  The  thermometer,  in  the 
shade,  is  generally  between  sixteen  and  eighteen 
degrees  on  the  mountain  of  Las  Cuevas  :  there  is 
scarcely  sufficient  coolness  there  to  keep  alive 
some  arborescent  fern,  which  have  neither  the 
height  nor  thickness  of  those  which  grow 
in  Guadaloupe  on  the  tops  and  sides  of  the 
Souffriere,  Matouba,  and  Mont  d'Or.  Still  it  is 
an  interesting  circumstance  for  the  geography 
of  plants,  to  see  a  yew,  or  a  species  so  nearly 


CASCADES*  239 

allied  to  it,  which  exists  in  ten  degrees  of  latitude, 
at  about  two  thousand  feet  only  above  the  level 
of  the  sea. 

This  phenomenon  can  only  be  explained  by 
the  numerous  rivulets  which  meander  in  the 
range  of  Las  Cuevad,  and  by  the  breezes  of  the 
north  wind  that  come  from  the  direction  of  North 
America,  and* which,  from  the  month  of  No- 
vember to  the  beginning  of  April,  produce  such 
a  coolness  in  the  more  elevated  parts  of  this 
island,  that  it  is  not  uncommon  for  Reaumur's 
thermometer  to  descend  to  12°,  an  hour  after 
the  sun's  setting :  I  have  seen  it  at  11°  half  an 
hour  before  sun-rise. 

While  surveying  the  surrounding  scenery,  1 
recollected  an  expression  made  to  me  six  years 
before,  by  the  learned  Walker*,  when  I  spoke  to 
him  of  the  forests  of  South  America : "  Ob  !  what  a 
fine  sermon  those  forests  are!"  said  he.  On  this  spot 
all  conduced  to  grave  and  melancholy  meditation. 
From  the  point  on  which  we  stood,  I  saw  five 
cascades  precipitating  their  waters  over  each 
other. 

To  the  east,  I  saw  and  heard  the  sea  rushing 
with  fury  into  the  caverns  of  Las  Cuevas ;  it  was 
calm  to  the  west,  and  in  the  Gulf  of  Paria :  what 
a  true  emblem  of  human  life!  It  is  in  this 
vast  silence  of  the  forests,  this  calm  of  nature, 

*  Professor  of  natural  history  at  Edinburgh. 


230  GEOLOGICAL   OBSERVATIONS* 

that  the  virtuous  man  whose  mind  is  wounded 
by  persecution  and  misfortune,  should  go  to 
meditate  and  soothe  his  soul.  It  is  there,  that  in 
the  innocent  society  of  the  vegetable  world,  and 
by  observing  its  mysterious  laws,  he  may  con- 
template on  one  summit,  bananas,  balisiers,  ma- 
hogany, cedar,  the  fern,  and  yew,  which,  though 
natives  of  different  sites  and  temperatures,  vege- 
tate on  the  same  point  of  our  planet,  without 
hot  houses,  or  other  stimulus  from  human  aid, 
whilst  man  often  exists  only  to  torment  his  fellow 
creature ! 

Geological  Observations. 

The  great  range  of  mountains  in  Guiana  and 
Venezuela,  which  runs  east  and  west,  is  com- 
posed of  gneiss  and  micaceous  schistus,  in  which 
are  found  chrystals  of  quartz.  The  micaceous 
schistus  (jglinwnerschiefer  of  Werner)  makes,  a 
transition  sometimes  into  talcous  schistus,  and 
the  decomposition  of  this  latter  substance  gives 
a  greasy  appearance  to  the  soil.  There  is  also 
found  in  the  ridge  of  mountains  on  the  coast, 
between  Punta  de  Piedra  and  Guiria,  near  Cape 
de  Paria,  at  a  league  from  the  sea,  a  blueish 
calcareous  stone,  similar  to  that  which  M.  da 
Humboldt  designates  under  the  term  of  the  Alpine 
calcareous  stone  (cUpenkalkstein.)  This  rock  is 
rather  hard,  and  veined  with  white  calcareous 
carbonate  chrystallized :  it  rests  on  coagulated 


GEOLOGICAL    OBSERVATIONS.  231 

day  with  pebbles  of  the  primitive  rocks.  I  found 
near  Carupano,  outside  the  Gulf  of  Paria,  and  in 
thevalliesof  the  coast  mountains,  lame  Hated  gyp- 
sum near  the  beds  of  rivers,  and  in  places  they 
bad  abandoned. 

On  leaving  the  foot  of  those  mountains  and 
the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco,  to  coast  the  sea  shore  to 
the  river  of  Amazons,  there  seems  to  be  no  other 
substance  than  a  vegetative  argillaceous  earth, 
deep  and  fertile,  without  rocks  or  pebbles.  All 
the  coasts  of  this  country,  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Orinoco,  to  the  Lake  of  Maracaybo,  are 
primitive.  The  part  of  that  country  which  is 
low,  and  almost  every  where  on  the  same  level, 
has  been  formed  evidently  by  the  ruins  of  moun- 
tains, and  the  sediment  of  the  waters  of  the  Ori- 
noco, which  are  thrown  back  on  the  coast  by 
the  force  of  the  waves  and  currents.  Those 
alluvial  and  marshy  earths  are  every  day  more 
and  more  covered  with  mangroves  (rhizophora 
mangle,)  which  thrive  in  the  sea,  or  on  its 
shores,  in  those  climates.  It  is  evident  that  in 
this  part  of  the  world,  the  land  encroaches  con- 
tinually on  the  sea,  and  thus  marine  shells  are 
found  at  some  distance  from  the  coast,  and  in 
places  that  the  sea  has  recently  abandoned.  Such 
is  the  coast  south-west  of  the  Island  of  Trinidad, 
and  that  situated  towards  the  right  bank  of  the 
Orinoco. 

Near  the  mouths  of  the  Orinoco  there  are  only 
grounds  inundated  and  covered  with  mangroves, 


232  VOLCANIC    ERUPTIONS. 

and  other  trees  natural  to  the  sea  shore,  and  not 
a  single  rock  in  that  multitude  of  islets  covered 
with  various  kinds  of  palms,  and  inhabited  by 
the  Guaraouns.  But  on  the  borders  of  the  sea, 
between  the  Guarapiche  and  the  Orinoco,  there 
are  found  fragments  of  quartz,  rounded  quartzose 
pebbles,  and  shingle  of  rocks  composed  of  various 
colours,  such' as  green,  yellow,  red,  blue,  &c.  The 
magnetic  needle  indicates  the  presence  of  iron  in 
almost  all  those  pebbles  and  rocks. 

In  short,  the  Amazons,  the  rivers  of  Cayenne 
and  Surinam,  the  Demarara,  Essequibo,  and  all 
the  other  streams  that  discharge  themselves  on 
this  coast,  enable  it  to  advance  continually  on 
the  sea,  and  imperceptibly  augment  the  territory 
of  Trinidad ;  so  that  it  may  be  predicted  that 
the  Gulf  of  Paria  will  some  day  be  no  more  than 
a  channel  through  which  the  waters  of  the  Ori- 
noco and  Guarapiche  will  be  conveyed  to  the 
ocean.  The  course  of  the  currents  which  con- 
tinually form  and  increase  this  coast,  is  from 
south-east  to  north-west,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Amazons  to  beyond  Cape  de  Paria. 

This  country  has  been  almost  every  where 
convulsed  by  volcanoes ;  but  the  volcanic  effects 
there  do  not  resemble  those  of  Europe,  owing 
to  the  difference  of  geological  constitution.  Here 
is  found  gypsum,  which  abounds  in  sulphur ; 
elsewhere  pyrites  mingled  with  all  kinds  of 
rocks,  even  with  the  granitic  rooks ;  bituminous 
muriatic  argile,  petrolium  or  asphaltum.     The 


MINKS.  %$$ 

rains  of  sea  water  which  frequently  fall  on  this 
soil  heated  by  a*  burning  sun,  and  which  are  de- 
composed in  it,  nourish  the  volcanoes,  that  send 
forth  eruptions  of  argillaceous  mud,  and  sulphu- 
rated hydrogen. 

The  gold  mines  in  this  country  are  so  unpro- 
ductive that  they  have  been  abandoned.  There 
are  no  other  mines  now  worked  there,  than 
those  of  copper  at  San  Felipe  de  Aroa.  I  have 
never  heard,  and  M.  de  Humboldt  has  no  know- 
ledge of  tin  mines  in  Venezuela,  which  a  public 
paper  mentioned  some  time  ago. 


234  INDUSTRY   AND  COMMERCE, 


CHAP.   IV. 


Industry  and  Commerce  of  the  ci-devant  Spanish  Colonies  compared 
with  those  of  England,  France,  Holland,  &c — Lord  Chatham's 
opinion  of  Colonial  Manufactures. — Impolicy  of  encouraging  them, 
—Most  adviseable  System  for  Governments  to  pursue.— Barbarous 
PoRcy  of  the  Spanish  Cabinet  with  regard  to  the  Colonies^— Juice  of 
the  Agave.— Absurd  and  oppressive  Mode  of  Taxation. — Reflections. 
— Guipuscoa  Company. — Edict  of  Free  Trade. — Prohibitions  of  the 
Spanish  Government— Remarks  on  the  Work  of  M.  Depons. — Con- 
traband Trade  of  English  Merchants. — Facts  and  Observations  re- 
lative thereto. — Panegyric  on  the  Custom  House,  and  Revenue 
Laws  of  Great  Britain.— Remarks  on  the  Colonial  System  of  France, 
and  Consequences  of  the  prohibitory  Regulations  of  Spain. — List  of 
various  Duties,  Imposts,  &c. — Privileges  accorded  to  French  Set- 
tlers in  the  Spanish  Colonies  by  the  Family  Compact— Annual 
Amount  of  Exports  from  Venezuela;— Concluding  Remarks. 


Whilst  the  British,  French  and  Dutch  colonies 
in  America  had  arrived  at  the  highest  degree  of 
prosperity  which  each  of  them  could  attain,  re- 
latively to  the  degree  of  prosperity  enjoyed  by 
their  respective  parent  states,  the  Spanish  colo- 
nies, which  are  so  superior  to  them  in  extent  and 
beauty,  in  the  salubrity  and  variety  of  their  cli- 
mates, and  by  all  the  riches  which  are  lavished 
there  m  the  three  great  departments  of  natural  his- 
tory, languished,  in  a  state  of  misery  and  stagna- 
tion, bordering  on  the  barbarity  in  which  the 


LORD  CHATHAM.  230 

semi-civilized  nations  of  Asia  and  Africa  are  still 
plunged.  The  original  cause  of  this  state  of 
things  is  found  in  the  exclusive  system  of  com- 
mercial companies,  to  which  they  had  long  been 
sacrificed  ;  and  since  the  abolition  of  those  com- 
panies, in  the  impossibility  Spain  found  herself 
with  the  absurd  laws  which  oppressed  her  com- 
merce, to  export  the  raw  materials  of  her  co- 
lonies, or  manufacture  them,  at  the  same  time 
that  she  prohibited  their  being  manufactured  by 
the  colonists  at  home,  or  to  sell  them  in  their 
crude  state  to  the  neighbouring  nations. 

All  nations  have  had  more  or  less  of  this 
jealousy;  but  other  states  have  possessed  the 
necessary  means  or  industry  for  supplying  the 
wants  of  their  colonies.  Previous  to  the  great 
revolution  which  liberated  North  America, 
Lord  Chatham  declared  in  Parliament,  that 
it  ought  to  be  prohibited  to  the  colonists,  under 
the  most  severe  penalties,  to  spin  a  single 
thread  or  forge  a  nail.  By  this  hyperbolic  ex- 
pression he  meant  to  prove,  that  commerce  and 
navigation  would  experience  a  great  check,  if  the 
Americans  were  permitted  to  work  their  raw 
materials ;  which  a  great  number  of  English 
vessels  were  employed  in  bringing  from  those 
colonies,  the  profits  of  which  maintained  a  multi- 
tude of  seamen,  the  nursery  of  the  navy,  at  the 
same  time  that  they  caused  their  manufacturing 
towns  to  flourish,  whose  wealth  was  disseminated 


236  m.  vv  buc. 

by  all  the  channels  of  industry  among  every  class 
of  citizens. 

And  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  chief  part  of 
the  colonies  have  been,  or  are  still  in  a  state 
in  which  it  would  be  injurious  to  subtract  a 
portion  of  their  population,  to  be  employed  in 
the  refinements  of  manufacturing  industry ;  be- 
cause those  very  objects  may  be  furnished  to 
them  on  much  better  terms  from  the  East 
Indies  and  Europe ;  countries  where,  on  account 
of  their  great  population,  workmanship  is  at  a  very 
low  price.  Thus  it  was  seen,  about  thirty  years 
ago,  at  Martinico,  that  M.  du  Buc,  a  man  of  other- 
wise good  sense  and  considerable  talents,  lost  in 
a  short  time  more  than  two  millions  of  francs 
(eighty  thousand  pounds),  by  having  attempted 
to  establish  sugar  refineries  in  that  island.  Since 
the  Americans  of  the  United  States  have  become 
an  independent  people,  they  have  had  the  wisdom 
to  avoid  diverting  their  population  from  agricul- 
ture to  manufactures :  they  find  it  more  profit- 
able to  carry  the  raw  produce  of  their  soil  to  Eu- 
rope and  to  India  in  their  own  vessels ;  by  which 
their  merchants  and  mariners  gain  considerable 
freight;  which  bring  home  to  them  in  exchange 
the  manufactured  merchandizes  of  the  old  world, 
and  which  do  not  cost  them  so  dear  as  if  they  had 
been  wrought  among  themselves,  notwithstand- 
ing the  duties  established  by  congress  on  all  kinds 
of  merchandize  imported  from   foreign  nations, 


) 


SPANISH  POLICY.  23? 

duties  which  form   nearly   nine  tenths    of  the 
revenue  of  this  economical  government,* 

It  should  not  be   concluded  from  the  above, 
that  certain  branches  of  industry  ought  to  be  in- 
terdicted to  the  colonists :  such  prohibitions  are 
calculated  only  to  render  governments  odious.     A 
wise  administration  leaves  trade  to  find  its  own 
level,  and  does  not  imitate  the  ancient  Spanish 
ministry,  who,  although  their  nation  had  neither 
the  means  nor  industry  to  consume,  nor  to  trans- 
port to  other  countries  the  productions  of  those 
beautiful  and  immense  colonies,  still  less  to  pro- 
vide for  their  wants,  yet  would  not  permit  them 
to  establish  manufactories  there,  or  to  procure  a 
great  number  of  the  most  necessary  and  agree- 
able objects  sought  for  by  wealthy  people  from 
their  neighbours ;  such  as  stuffs,  furniture,  jewels, 
liquors  of  India  and  Europe,  nor  even  the  uten- 
sils for  agriculture  and  the  mechanical  arts."    All 
those  conveniences  have  long  been  interdicted  to 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Spanish  colonies,  who  had 
the  vexation  and  shame  to  see  themselves  wretched, 
ragged,  and  almost  as  naked  as  savages,  whilst 
their  neighbours,  the   English,   French,  Dutch, 


*  This  assertion  of  the  author  is  not  borne  out  by  late  com- 
munications, from  which  it  appears  that  both  the  American  peo- 
ple and  government  have  seriously  turned  their  attention  to  the 
establishment  of  manufactories,  which,  according  to  the  old 
system  of  transatlantic  bombast,  are  to  rival  those  of  Europe, 
particularly  England,  in  the  course  of  a  very  short  period,  if 
they  do  not  already  realize  that  pleasing  dream.— Ed. 


238  OBSTACLES   TO   COMMERCE. 

and  even  the  Portuguese,  though  in  a  country  far 
less  abundant  in  natural  and  metallic  riches, 
lived  in  the  midst  of  comforts,  enjoyments,  and 
luxury. 

Volumes  might  be  filled  in  recounting  the 
absurd  acts  of  the  ancient  Spanish  govern- 
ment, which  had  for  their  object  those  fine 
but^  unfortunate  colonies.  It  is  known  that  all 
the  productions  of  Europe  and  Asia  grow  ad- 
mirably well  in  Mexico,  Peru  and  Caraccas, 
according  as  the  ground  is  elevated  above  the  sea, 
or  approximating  to  it.  The  inhabitants  of  those 
countries  have  been  able  and  willing  to  cultivate 
the  productions  of  Europe,  and  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  last  century,  the  olive  and  vine. 
The  government  of  the  mother  country  put  ob- 
stacles in  the  way  of  such  cultivation,  even  so  far 
as  to  prohibit  it.  The  Peruvians  and  Mexicans 
paid  very  little  attention  to  those  prohibitions,  and 
the  government  not  feeling  itself  sufficiently  strong 
to  enforce  such  iniquitous  measures,  shut  its  eyes 
on  their  disobedience.  However,  in  1802,  on 
the  representations  of  the  merchants  of  Cadiz, 
who  informed  His  Catholic  Majesty  that  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  vine  and  olive  tree  in  Mexico, 
injured  the  interests  of  his  good  city  of  Cadiz, 
an  order  was  sent  to  the  viceroy,  Don  Joseph  de 
Yturrigarray,  to  cause  all  the  vines  and  olive 
trees  there  to  be  extirpated.  That  prudent  gover- 
nor took  upon  himself  to  avoid  putting  such  a 
barbarous  order  into  execution,  the  consequences 


COMMERCIAL  MONOPOLY.  239 

of  which  might  have  led  to  the  immediate  inde- 
pendence of  Mexico.  The  rapacity  of  a^ompany 
of  traders  knows  neither  shame  nor  limits,  when 
they  acquire  too  much  influence  with  a  govern- 
ment, as  may  be  seen  in  the  conduct  of  the  Bri- 
tish and  Dutch  East  India  Companies. 

The  reader  has  just  seen  that  the  merchants  of 
Cadiz  would  have  caused  the  destruction  of  the 
vine  and  olive  in  America ;  but  there  is  also  ano- 
ther indigenous  plant,  the  juice  of  which  ferment- 
ed, has  been  the  favourite  beverage  of  the  Mex- 
icans from  the  earliest  antiquity.  The  maguay, 
or  agave,  a  species  of  the  pine-apple,  produces  a 
kind  of  wine  called  pulque.  The  said  Cadiz 
traders  requested  of  the  government  to  order  the 
destruction  of  all  the  plantations  of  it ;  and  this 
order,  which  is  not  unique  of  the  kind  in  the 
annals  of  commercial  tyranny,  was  sent,  it  is 
asserted,  to  the  viceroy,  Count  de  Revillagigedo, 
in  1791.*  It  might  be  said  that  at  the  breaking 
out  of  the  French  revolution,  a  kind  of  vertigo 
infested  the  councils  of  Europe.  The  Count  of 
Revillagigedo  not  only  took  care  not  to  put  such 
an  order  into  execution,  but  he  even  concealed  it 
from  the  officers  of  the  government.  It  was  this 
viceroy  who  rendered  such  great  services  to  the 


*  All  those  who  have  studied  history,  from  the  time  of  the 
Tyrians  and  Carthaginians,  to  our  own  days,  need  not  be  told 
that  no  tyranny  ever  equalled  that  of  trading  governments  towards 
foreign  countries  subject  to  their  domination. 


240  SOURCE  OF  REVENUE, 

sciences,  arts,  agriculture  and  navigation,  and 
who,  I  believe,  was  the  first  that  attempted  to 
compose  a  statistical  account  of  Mexico ;  a  work 
which  it  was  reserved  for  M.  de  Humboldt  to 
complete,  with  that  superiority  of  genius  which 
characterizes  all  his  productions. 

The  fermented  juice  of  the  agave  is  thus  for 
the  Mexicans,  that  which  wine  is  for  the  people 
of  the  south,  and  cider  or  beer  for  those  of  the 
north  of  Europe.  They  extract  from  this  wine 
a  spirit  that  they  call  mexical,  or  aqua  ardiente 
de  maguey.  This  spirit  was  prohibited  for  a 
long  time,  because  it  injured  the  trade  in  Spanish 
brandies.  But  in  those  distant  countries,  they 
eluded  such  a  tyrannical  order,  and  the  govern- 
ment at  length  permitted  the  inhabitants  of  the 
internal  provinces,  and  those  of  Tuspan,  a  dis- 
trict in  the  intendency  of  Gaudalaxara,  to  sell 
their  pulque  brandy  publicly,  merely  imposing 
a  slight  duty  on  it.  From  that  time  the  com- 
plaints ceased,  and  the  people  paid  the  tax  with- 
out murmuring.  The  cultivation  of  the  maguey, 
says  M.  de  Humboldt,  is  become  such  an  impor- 
tant object  for  the  exchequer,  that  the  duties 
of  entry  paid  in  the  three  towns  of  Mexico,  Pue- 
bla  and  Toluca  (the  first  of  those  towns  had,  in 
1808,  140,000,  the  second  68,000,  and  the  third 
50,000  inhabitants,)  amounted  in  1793,  to  the 
sum  of  817,739  dollars ;  the  expences  of  collecting 
it  then  were  56,608  dollars ;  so  that  the  govern- 
ment derived  from  those  three  towns  only,  from 


>\ 


TAXM.  841 

from  the  juice  of  the  agave,  a  net  profit  of  761,131 
dollars.  M.  de  Humboldt  adds  that  the  immo- 
derate deaire  of  augmenting  the  royal  revenue? 
latterly,  induced  them  to  overburthen  the  manu- 
factory of  pulque  in  a  vexatious  and  inconsiderate 
manner;  and  that  if  the  government  did  not 
change  the  system  in  this  respect,  it  may  be 
expected  that  this  branch  of  cultivation,  one  of 
the  most  ancient  and  lucrative,  will  gradually 
decline,  in  spite  of  the  decided  predilection  of 
the  Mexicans  for  the  maguey  wine. 

The  blind  and  impolitic  mode  in  which  taxes 
were  imposed  by  the  Spanish  government,  proves 
that  it  was  ignorant  of  the  first  elements  of  finan- 
cial legislation ;  the  great  art  of  which  is  to  ex- 
tend the  imposts  on  the  greatest  possible  num- 
ber of  objects,  and  to  render  them  light  on  each 
object  that  can  best  support  them :  their  produce  is 
then  immense,  it  arrives  continually  at  the  trea- 
sury, and  neither  alarms  nor  oppresses  any  one  ; 
they  are  not  exposed  to  evasion,  and  always  easy 
of  collection.    Thus  received^  the  direct  or  in- 
direct taxes  enrich  the  state,  provided  they  do 
not  impede  industry.       But  what  the  ancient 
Spanish   government    could    not    comprehend, 
though  a  very  obvious  case,  was  that  the  more 
it  augmented  the  rates  of  imposts,  the  less  pro- 
ductive they  were  found  to  be:     When  it  is  only 
the  superfluous,  that  is  affected  by   the  duties, 
iwo  and  two  make  four  for  a  long  time  in  finance 
as  in  arithmetic ;  but  when  the  exaction  is  made 


242  MANUFACTURES. 

too  deeply,  the  consumption,  which  decreases, 
limits  the  indirect  impost ;  labour,  which  also 
decreases  as  much,  abridges  the  direct  impost; 
so  that  in  a  short  time  the  old  axiom  so  often 
referred  to  in  fiscal  concerns,  no  longer  holds 
good.* 

Peru  and  the  provinces  on  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
have  not  been  so  ill-treated  by  the  Spanish  laws, 
owing  to  the  great  distance  of  those  provinces/which 
must  be  reached  by  doubling  Cape  Horn,  or  the  im- 
mense voyage  by  the  East  Indies.  It  was  there- 
fore necessary  to  grant  them  permission  to  sow 
corn,  and  other  articles  for  their  subsistence,  and 
also  to  plant  vines  and  olives.  Not  being  able  to 
send  the  stuffs  requisite  for  clothing  them,  or  other 
instruments  and  utensils  necessary  for  civilized 
man  so  far,  they  have  been  permitted  for  a  long 
time  past,  to  manufacture  those  articles  at  home. 

Thus,  though  the  provinces  of  Mexico,  New 
Granada,  Caraccas,  the  Islands  of  Cuba,  Porto 
Rico,  Trinidad,  and  the  Spanish  part  of  St.  Do- 
mingo, all  those  colonies,  in  fact,  whose  shores 
are  washed  by  the  northern  ocean,  though  they 
are  much  better  situated  than  Peru  for  trading 


•  In  1794,  Mr.  Pitt  doubled  the  duties  on  Portugal  wines. 
In  one  year  the  receipt  diminished  £100,000,  the  duty  was  re- 
established on  the  former  scale,  and  the  reoeipt  augmented  to 
the  amount  that  it  had  previously  been.f 

t  What  a  lesson  for  the  present  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer ! 
and  how  truly  he  stands  in  need  of  it,  many  of  his  late  taxes 
prove ! — Ed. 


MINING.  343 

with  Europe,  have  for  a  long  time  presented 
only  a  picture  of  poverty  and  decrepitude,  unit- 
ed to  that  of  the  very  infancy  of  social  order. 
In  those  countries  the  proprietors  of  mines  alone 
were  wealthy;  and  the  rage  for  discovering  them, 
which  can  only  be  compared  to  the  passion  for 
gaming,  was  daily  the  cause  of  ruining  a  great 
number  of  families,  and  a  source  of  immorality 
peculiar  to  those  countries.    The  more  the  Spa- 
nish government  encouraged  this  species  of  gam- 
ing, the  more  it  impeded  agriculture  and  colo- 
nial industry.     It  seemed  as  if  all  that  was  not 
mines,  interested  it  very  little;  that  it  desired  to 
have  no  more  subjects  in  the  new  world  than 
were  necessary    for    working  them ;   and  that 
above  all,  it  feared  that  they  would  become  too 
rich  and  too  well  informed ;  for  all  the  colonial 
institutions  tend  to  preserve  them  in  ignorance 
and  misery. 

Still,  after  having  drawn  this  dismal  picture 
of  the  Spanish  colonies,  it  is  but  proper  to  say, 
that  in  spite  of  the  unjust  and  barbarous  orders 
deceitfully  obtained  from  the  sovereigns  of  the 
last  dynasty,  by  insatiable  traders,  and  corrupt 
ministers,  those  kings  have  done  more  for  the 
prosperity  of  their  colonies,  than  Charles  V.  and 
his  descendants;  witness  the  treaty  by  which 
that  monarch,  after  having  depopulated  his 
states,  and  exhausted  his  finances,  sold,  in 
1628,  the  country  of  Venezuela  to  the  Wel- 
sen,  who  made  that  fine  country  a  scene    of 

r  2 


244  .  guipuscoa  xompany. 

pillage,  devastation,  and  all  the  crimes  which 
exclusive  commercial  companies  alone  can  in- 
vent, when  they  are  permitted  to  exercise  sove- 
reign authority.  The  descendants  of  Charles  V. 
constantly  sacrificed  the  interests  of  Spain  to 
those  of  their  German  possessions,  or  to  other 
political  considerations,  as  may  be  seen  in  the 
ruinous  treaties  made  with  the  Hanse  Towns  in 
1647 ;  with  Holland,  in  1648 ;  and  with  Eng- 
land in  1667.  And  while  the  Spanish  commerce 
was  abandoned  to  the  neighbouring  nations,  dur- 
ing the  fifteenth,  sixteenth,  and  the  beginning 
of  the  seventeenth  centuries,  from  the  abolition 
of  the  privilege  of  the  Welsers,  which  took  place 
in  1547,  the  port  of  Seville  alone  had  for  a  long 
time,  the  privilege  of  trading  with  the  colonies. 
This  privilege  passed  to  Cadiz  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  so  con- 
tinued exclusively  until  1728,  when  the  Guipus- 
coa  Company"  was  established. 

The  charter  of  concession  declared  that  the 
province  of  Guipuscoa  was  authorized  to  form 
a  commercial  company,  which  should  have  its 
agents  at  Cadiz,  the  port  from  whence  its  vessels 
should  sail,  and  to  which  they  should  return  to 
discharge  their  homeward  bound  cargoes.  The 
number  of  ships  was  limited  to  two,  "and  the 
countries  to  which  they  were  permitted  to  trade, 
were  those  Which  composed  the  captain  general- 
ship of  Caraccas.  Those  vessels,  armed  with  from 
forty  to  fifty  guns, .  were  authorized  to  cruize 


FIRST    OPERATIONS.  245 

between  the  great  mouth  of  the  Orinoco  and  that 
of  the  Rio  de  la  Hache,  from  the  time  they  dis- 
charged their  cargoes,  until  their  departure  for 
Europe,  in  order  to  capture  interlopers.  In  1734, 
the  company  obtained  new  privileges,  the  king 
haying  declared  that  shares  might  be  held  in 
it,  directly  or  indirectly,  without  derogating 
from  nobility,  and  without  loss  of  honour,  rank, 
or  reputation.  It  is  certainly  not  astonishing  that 
commerce,  the  vivifying  principle  of  states, 
should  languish,  and  that  ignorance  and  barba- 
rity should  triumph  in  a  country,  and  among 
a  people  where  such  a  declaration  was  necessary. 
Here  a  new  era  begins;  more  liberal  princi- 
ples begin  to  influence  the  cabinet  of  Madrid : 
the  company  obtained  by  that  charter  permis- 
sion to  arm  as  many  vessels  as  it  thought  pro- 
per, and  to  equip  them  in  the  ports  of  San  Sebas- 
tian and  Passage ;  but  the  returns  were  to  be 
made  to  the  port  of  Cadiz. 

The  first  operations  of  the  company  were  bril- 
liant, and  the  colonists  had  no  cause  to  complain 
of  them  ;  but  by  the  charters  dated  in  1742  and 
1752,  it  so  extended  and  abused  its  privileges, 
that  the  complaints  of  the  colonists  forced  the 
government  to  suppress  it  by  the  famous  edict  of 
the  12th  of  October,  1778,  known  by  the  name 
.  of  that  of  free  trade. 

At  the  above  period,  North  America  had  given 
a  great  lesson  to  parent  states :  it  would  seem  that 
this  was  not  totally  lost  to  the  court, of  Madrid ;  and 


246  COLONIZATION. 

the  monopolizing  merchants  of  Cadiz  ought  to 
have  been  convinced,  that  their  commerce  in- 
creased instead  of  having  diminished,  according  as 
the  government  relaxed  the  chains  in  which  the 
agriculture  and  industry  of  the  colonies  languished. 
This  order  of  things  is,  no  doubt,  by  far  pre- 
ferable to  that  which  existed  before ;  but  still 
this  last  system  adopted  by  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment was  as  much  behind  that  which  existed  in 
the  French  colonies,  as  the  administration  in  the 
latter  was  inferior  to  the  excellent  regulations  by 
which  the  British  colonies  in  the  West  Indies 
were  governed. 

If  Spain,  instead  of  occupying  herself  almost 
exclusively  with  metals,  when  she  made  the  con- 
quest of  America,  and  during  the  two  centuries 
which  succeeded  it,  had  excited  the  industry  of 
her  subjects  to  colonial  agriculture,  that  is  to  say, 
the  cultivation  of  sugar,  coffee,  cocoa,  cotton, 
indigo,  cochineal,  and  all  the  other  productions 
so  valuable  in  the  European  markets,  she  would 
have  rendered  Europe  a  tributary  of  her  com- 
merce. 

But  to  arrive  at  that  object,  it  would  have  been 
necessary  to  have  attracted  the  subjects  of  foreign 
states  to  settle  in  her  colonies.  Far  from  adopting 
such  a  wise  measure,  she  would  not,  at  first,  per- 
mit any  other  nation  to  establish  itself  in  Ame- 
rica. Posterity  will  scarcely  believe  that  it  is  on 
a  papal  bull  that  this  power  founds  its  rights  to 
that  part  of  the  world.      The  other  European 


COLONIAL    SYSTEM.  247 

nations  which  wished  to  make  establishments 
there  after  the  Spaniards,  had  to  defend  them- 
selves from  them  still  more  than  from  the  Indians. 
This  absurd  and  unjust  conduct  gave  birth  to  the 
famous  buccaneers,  a  set  of  heroical  robbers  who 
long  retarded  the  progress  of  the  Spanish  colo- 
nies. 

Let.  us  now  glance  at  the  ancient  colonial  sys- 
tem of  Spain  and  her  custom-house  regulations. 
M.  Depons  compares  the  Spanish  colonial  system 
to  that  which  formerly  existed  in  the  French 
colonies ;  he  eulogizes  both,  and  according  to  him 
the  latter  was  a  master-piece  of  human  wisdom. 

In  truth,  it  cannot  be  conceived  from  whence 
M.  Depons  has  derived  his  documents.  The 
mode  of  praising,  is  at  least  as*  dangerous  as  that 
of  blaming  every  thing  ;  and  it  appears  that  M. 
Depons,  when  he  undertook  his  work,  was  deter- 
mined to  find  all  that  had  been  done  by  the  an- 
cient Spanish  government,  excellent  as  well  as 
that  which  had  been  effected  by  the  ancient 
French  government.  I  believe  that  he  might, 
without  failing  in  the  gratitude  which  he  owed 
to  the  former  government,  draw  a  very  striking 
picture  of  the  imperfections  and  vices  of  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  Spanish  colonies*.  He  says,  for 
instance,  in  the  second  volume,  (see  Statistics  of 
Caraccas,)  that  the  fiscal  theory  of  local  imposts 
introduced  into  America,  serves  by  its  produce 
to  maintain  an  infinite  number  of  revenue  officers 
employed   by  the  Spanish  government ;   places, 


248  .M.  DE  TALLEYRAND. 

he  says,  that  are  solicited  with  urgency,    and 
occupied  with  dignity.      Surely    this   must  be 
intended  as  a  satire;  for  I  cannot  comprehend 
what  that  dignity  can  be  in  all  those  custom- 
house officers  or   Spanish   gabelous,  who  were 
always  ready  to  hold  out  their  hands  to  the  first 
.  smuggler  who  has  occasion  to  bribe  them !    The 
Spanish  colonies  comprised  in  the  captain  general- 
ship of  Caraocas,    would  have  remained  much 
longer  in  their  infancy,  if  they  bad  not  had  for 
neighbours  the  Dutch  of  Cura?oa,  who  have  made 
great  advances  to  them  since  1634,  and  received 
in  payment  hides,  cotton,  and  cocoa.     Now  it 
was  the  vicious  system  of  the  Spanish  custom- 
house laws,   that    gave    such   an   advantage  to 
strangers  over  their  own  subjects,  as  I  shall  ex- 
plain ;    though  M.  Depons  says,  that  it  was  the 
ill-conceived  system  of  the  French  custom-house 
laws,    previous  to  the  revolution,    which  gave 
such  great  advantages  to  the  English  in  the  trade 
of  colonial  produce,  especially  those  adapted  for 
manufactories.     Whatever  may   be  said  by  the 
defenders  of  those  absurd  systems,  the  facts  speak 
more  clearly  than  arguments;   for,  to  use  the 
expression  of  a  celebrated  statesman  in  political 
economy,  facts  become  the  very  proofs  of  science, 
after  having  been  its  materials.* 
Why  then,  if  the  commercial  laws  and  custom- 


*  M.  de  Talleyrand's  Treatise  on  the  Commercial  Relations  of 
North  America* 


PRIVILEGES,  349 

house  regulations  of  France  and  Spain  were  more 
ably  arranged  than  those  of  the  English  and 
Dutch,  as  M.  Depons  asserts,  could  those  na- 
tions sell  their  colonial  produce  at  as  low  prices 
as  ours,  in  the  European  markets,  though  our 
colonies  were  larger  and  more  fertile  than  theirs  ? 
Why  could  they  sell  our  own  raw  colonial  pro- 
duce there,  and  even  the  manufactured,  in  certain 
circumstances  cheaper?  The  contraband  trade  of 
the  Virgin  Islands,  small  and  barren  colonies  of 
the  English,  will  explain  this  fact  in  the  course  of 
the  present  chapter. 

To  return  to  the  Spanish  colonies.:  from  the 
abolition  of  the  Guipuscoa  Company,  which  took 
place  in  1780,  the  port  of  Cadiz  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  trading  with  Spanish  America 
until  1785;  but  that  liberty  has  been  since 
extended  to  the  ports  of  Sevilla,  Malaga,  Alme- 
ria,  Alicant,  Carthagena,  Valencia,  Barcelona, 
Alfagues,  Tortosa,  Santandero,  Gijon,  Vigo  and 
Majorca ;  as  also  to  those  of  Santa  Cruz,  Palma, 
and  Santa  Cruz  in  Teneriffe  in  the  Canary  Islands. 
Still  it  was  prohibited  to  those  islands  to  trade 
with  America  in  any  other  articles  than  those  of 
their  own  soil.  It  is  remarkable  that  this  prohibi- 
tion, as  well  as  their  position,  were  the  causes  of 
there  being  more  contraband  trade  carried  on  there 
than  elsewhere  :  several  rich  commercial  English 
houses  were  engaged  in  that  trade  under  the  mask 
of  the  Irish  Catholics.  It  happened  in  those  islands, 
as  it  occurs  every  where,  when  a  government 
establishes  regulations,  too  severe,  without-  hav- 


250      ENGLISH  AND  DUTCH  TRADERS. 

ing  the  means  of  making  them  respected  ;  that 
of  their  being  only  an  additional  incitement  to 
fraud  :  in  short,  the  Spanish  governors  and  admi- 
nistrators having  much  more  to  gain  by  tolerating 
smuggling  than  by  suppressing  it,  divided  the 
profits  of  that  trade  with  the  agents  of  the  British 
commercial  houses  established  in  those  islands. 
Wise  regulations,  which  instead  of  embarrassing 
and  discouraging  national  commerce,  might 
favour  and  protect  it,  could  alone  restrain  the  con- 
traband trade.  It  was  the  fluctuations  still  more 
than  the  rigour  of  the  Spanish  and  French  custom- 
house laws,  which  gave  to  the  English  such  great 
advantages  over  their  competitors. 

Many  causes  contributed  to  their  success,  and 
they  owed  much  of  it,  more  to  the  negligence  and 
thoughtlessness  of  the  ancient  European  govern- 
ments, and  the  corruption  of  some  of  their  minis- 
ters, than  to  the  ability  of  their  manufacturers. 
There  must,  however,  be  this  justice  done  to  the 
English,  that  with  the  exception  of  the  Dutch, 
they  possess  and  know  better  than  any  other  nation 
in  Europe,  the  principles  of  commercial  companies; 
and  great  companies,  as  well  as  great  commercial 
houses,  will  always  have  incalculable  advantages 
over  individual  merchants,  who  can  employ  only 
moderate  capitals :  the  English  have  also  better 
known  and  appreciated  the  value  and  distribution 
of  time  and  labour,  than  any  other  European 
nation ;  which  caused  them  to  invent  so  many 
admirably  useful  machines;  and  adopt  various 
other  measures  to  facilitate  commerce. 


BRITISH    ANTILLES.  251 

But  even  though  I  should  be  accused  of  repeti- 
tion, I  can  prove,  by  many  examples,  that  it  is  to 
their  revenue  laws,  the  good  regulation  of  their 
custom-houses,  to  their  bounties  and  drawbacks^ 
that  they  principally  owe  the  advantage  of  being 
able  to  sell  at  a  lower  price  than  other  nations  in 
the  European  markets. 

The  British  Antilles  had  become  the  staple  of 
the  French  and  Spanish  colonies,  which,  no  doubt, 
derived  some  advantages  from  it;. but  to  the 
great  detriment  of  French  commerce,  and,  conse- 
quently, of  French  agriculture  and  manufactures. 
By  a  proclamation  of  the  1st  November,  1766,  the 
King  of  Great  Britain  opened,  for  the  transit  of 
merchandize,  the  Ports  of  Prince  Rupert  and 
Roseau  in  the  Island  of  Dominica,  and  those  of 
Kingston,  Savanna  la  Mar,  Montego  Bay,  and 
Santa  Lucia  in  the  Island  of  Jamaica.  Various 
acts  or  proclamations,  dated  in  1774  and  1775, 
have  extended  or  modified  those  privileges  accord- 
ing to  circumstances;  subsequent  proclamations  by 
the  British  Government,  have  granted  the  same 
favour  to  the  Islands  of  Grenada,  Providence,  and 
in  1797,  to  that  of  Trinidad. 

Those  acts,  or  proclamations,  are  simply  invita- 
tions which  the  king  of  Great  Britain  addresses  to 
merchants  in  the  French  and  Spanish  colonies  to 
carry  on  contraband  trade  with  his  subjects. 
I  shall  first  mention  the  Virgin  Islands,  as  an 
instance  of  the  immense  trade  of  that  nature, 
which  England  maintained  therewith  some  of 


252  VIRGIN     ISLANDS. 

the  Spanish  colonies,  and  with  the  French  colo- 
nies of  the  Lesser  Antilles.  In  1788,  Great  Britain 
exported  from  those  barren  islets,  to  the  amount 
of  £1,450,000  of  colonial  produce,  which  im- 
mense value  she  paid  for  in  her  manufactures ; 
for  this  opulent  nation  scarcely  ever  uses  gold  or 
silver  in  her  commerce,  and  never  takes  specie 
into  her  colonies,  from  whence,  if  she  extracts  it, 
it  is  in  Spanish  or  Portuguese  money. 

The  Virgin  Islands  are  a  chain  of  islets 
almost  sterile,  situated  between  St.  Kitt's  and 
Porto  Rico,  and  which  with  difficulty  maintain 
fifteen  hundred  whites  or  free  people  of  co- 
lour, and  nine  thousand  negroes  occupied  in 
the  cultivation  of  cotton,  working  .three  or  four 
miserable  sugar  plantations,  and  in  growing  the 
provisions  of  the  country  for  their  subsistence. 
From  the  particular  knowledge  I  have  of  those 
little  islands,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  assert,  that  the 
value  of  their  annual  natural  exports  or  produc- 
tions of  their  soil,  scarcely  amounts  to  £42,000 ; 
from  whence  it  results  that  the  contraband  trade 
which  they  carried  on  in  1788,  with  Martinico, 
Gaudaloupe,  Mariegalante,  and  the  Spanish  Island 
of  Porto  Rico,  amounted  to  £1,408,000.  Sup- 
posing that  the  Island  of  Puerto  Rico  furnished 
as  much  as  £250,000  of  this  illicit  commerce,  which 
is  a  great  deal,  considering  the  languishing  state 
in  which  its  agriculture  then  was,  and  the  smug- 
gling trade  its  inhabitants  had  also  with  the  Dutch 
of  Saint  Eustacia  and  of  Curagoa,  it  would  be 


CONTRABAND  TRADE.  253 

demonstrated  tbat  in  1188  the  English  obtained 
from  Martinico,  Guadaloupe,  and  Mariegalante 
to  the  value  of  more  than  £1,100,000  of  sugar, 
coffee,  and  cotton. 

Other  islands  served  also  as  deposits  for  this 
fraudulent  trade  :  such  as  the  Danish  Islands  of  St. 
Thomas  and  St.  Croix,  and  the  little  Swedish 
Island  of  St.  Bartholomew,  nearly  all  the  trade 
there  was  carried  on  for  the  benefit  of  Great  Britain, 
by  Englishmen,  naturalized  Danes  or  Swedes. 
The  British  Islands  of  Saint  Vincent  and  Grenada 
absorbed  almost  all  the  trade  of  St.  Lucie  :  three- 
fourths  of  the  produce  of  this  island  went  to  Eng- 
land. British  merchandize  only  was  consumed 
there,  excepting  some  wines  and  provisions  from 
France.  Our  old  colony  of  Tobago,  of  which  all 
the  inhabitants  were  English,  was  less  mysterious 
in  its  smuggling :  English  vessels  naturalized  at 
Dunkirk,  brought  British  merchandize  to  it,  and 
took  a  great  portion  of  its  produce  to  England. 

It  was  the  vices  of  our  ancient  revenue  system, 
and  that  of  the  Spaniards,  still  more  vicious,  which 
gave  the  British  commerce  such  an  advantage 
over  ours,  and  especially  over  that  of  the  Spani- 
ards, in  spite  of  their  rigorous  restrictions. 

By  virtue  of  the  twenty-fifth  article  of  the 
decree  of  the  council  of  state,  of  April,  1717,  all 
the  production  of  our  colonies  paid  an  import  of 
three  percent.;  the  produce  of  foreign  colonies, 
which  might  be  transmitted  from  thence,  (an 
absurd    regulation,    whereby    the  neighbouring 


254  DUTIES, 

colonies  sent  nothing  to  be  sold  in  ours),  were 
subject  to  the  same  duty,  previous  to  their 
being  sent  to  Europe.  It  was  that  which  was 
termed  the  duty  of  the  western  dominions.  By 
the  nineteenth  article  of  the  same  decree,  they 
were  subjected  on  their  entry  into  France  to 
duties  whose  quota  was  relative  to  each  of  the 
commodities.  Cotton,  for  instance,  was  at  first 
taxed  at  one  franc,  ten  sous,  per  quintal ;  subse- 
quent edicts  raised  this  tariff  eight  sous  additional 
per  franc :  at  length  cotton  paid,  on  exportation 
from  the  colonies,  a  duty  of  nearly  five  per  cent. 
At  the  period  of  which  I  speak,  cotton  did  not 
pay  any  duty  whatever  in  England  •  which  was 
the  reason  that  the  British,  who  possessed  no 
cotton  colonies,  was  still  on  a  par  with  ours  by 
buying  it  at  ten,  and  ten  and  a  quarter  per  cent, 
higher  than  our  merchants  could  afford,  which  is 
easily  demonstrated.  We  shall  suppose  cotton  at 
two  hundred  francs  per  quintal,  ancient  weight. 

francs,  cento. 
The  fifteenth  article  of  the  decree  of 

1717,  established  a  duty  of  three 

percent  6      0 

There  was  added  another  duty-  of 
thirty  sous  per  quintal,  article 
'nineteen  of  the  same  decree 1     50 

By  subsequent  edicts,  an  additional 

duty  of  eight  sous  per  franc...  8      0 

Export  duty  in  the  colonies,  4&  per 

cent 9    60 

Total     20    0 
Could  any  thing  be  more  absurd  than  to  tax 


ST.  DOMINGO,   &C.  255 

cotton,  indigo,  arnotto,  raw  articles  for  our 
manufacturers,  on  an  equality  with  sugar  and 
coffee,  objects  of  daily  use ;  to  tax  raw  sugar  as 
high  as  clayed  sugar,  &c.  ?  yet  such  was  the  policy 
of  the  ancient  French  government  !* 


*  I  do  not  include  coffee  in  these  remarks,  because  St.  Domingo 
produced  an  immense  quantity  of  it  previous  to  the  French  revo- 
lution, and  had  it  not  been  for  the  destruction  of  that  queen  of 
colonies,  this  culture  would  have  so  progressively  increased  there, 
that  in  1794,  or  1795,  coffee  might  have  been  sold  at  ten  sons 
per  pound,  in  the  French  markets :  thus  the  government  could 
have  placed  a  heavy  duty  on  that  article  without  injury  to  its 
cultivation  or  to  our  commerce;  for  Jamaica  and  the  other 
British  colonies  produced  so  little  then,  that  it  could  not  even  be 
rated  as  an  article  of  trade. 

But  things  have  since  changed  very  much.  The  colonists  of 
St.  Domingo  who  took  refuge  in  Jamaica,  introduced  the  practice 
of  this  cultivation  there,  until  then  so. much  neglected  by  the 
English.  The  colonies  of  Demarara,  Essequibo,  and  Berbice, 
on  the  continent,  which  may  be  said  to  be  identified  with  Suri- 
nam, and  Cayenne,  as  they  are  only  separated  from  them  by 
rivers;  these  establishments  are  become  so  considerable,  that 
they  will  soon  fill  up,  in  the  European  markets,  the  void  occasioned 
by  the  disturbances  in  St.  Domingo,  which  they  equal,  at  least, 
in  fertility.  Those  colonies  were  so  insignificant  during  the 
revolutionary  war  of  the  United  States,  that  a  British  detachment 
made  a  conquest  of  them,  and  M.  de  Kersaint,  with  a  frigate  and 
two  hundred  soldiers,  drove  them  out  9ome  time  afterwards. 
Never  did  a  country  offer  to  the  world,  and  in  such  a  short  time, 
such  a  proof  of  the  surprising  effects  of  an  enterprising  commercial 
spirit  when  properly  directed.  These  colonies  (Demerara,  Esse- 
quibo, and  Berbice,)  were  restored  to  Holland  by  the  peace  of 
Versailles,  in  1783.  There  were  then  scarcely  two  hundred 
whites  there,  proprietors  of  some  new  plantations,  cultivated  by 
about  two  thousand  negroes.  This  country  is  flat,  and  it  was  for- 
merly marshy,  and  shockingly  unhealthy :  it  was,  in  fact,  the  grave 


256  DEMBRARA,  &C. 

How  then  did  it  happen  that  the  public  treasury 
of  Great  Britain,  which  received  no  duties  on  the 
importation^  cotton,  lost  nothing  by  it  ?  Here  is 


of  Europeans:  of  a  hundred  individuals  who  might  arrive  there  at 
the  beginning  of  the  year,  scarcely  ten  remained  alive  at  the  end 
of  it  Patience,  hydraulics,  and  Dutch  prudence  have  overcome 
all  those  obstacles.  I  visited  that  country  in  1792 ;  it  was  then 
flourishing  and  drained.  Its  population  at  that  time  amounted  to 
nearly  thirty-five  thousand  souls.  More  than  half  of  this  popu- 
lation consisted  of  English,  who  had  deserted  their  barren 
colonies,  to  cultivate  one  of  the  most  fertile  soils  in  the  world. 
The  Dutch  merchants  advanced  considerable  sums,  at  four  and  a 
half  per  cent,  to  persons  of  all  nations,  who  went  to  establish 
themselves  in  those  new  colonies.  The  interest  of  the  first  year 
was  paid  along  with  that  of  the  second,  when  the  latter  became 
due.  A  sugar  plantation  could  be  established  in  eighteen  months, 
and  rendered  twenty  per  cent,  in  that  country ;  therefore,  an  indus- 
trious and  prudent  colonist  might  have  cleared  himself  and  grown 
rich  in  six  years !  The  system  of  mortgage,  which  could  not  yet 
be  introduced  into  the  French  colonies,  was  the  source  of  that 
prosperity.  He,  to  whom  the  money  was  lent,  knew  that  he 
would  be  ejected,  if  he  was  not  punctual  in  his  payments,  and  the 
lender  did  not  fear  to  risk  his  capital,  because  in  default  of  pay- 
ment he  took  possession  of  the  plantation,  which  was  generally 
worth  much  more  than  the  sum  he  had  lent.  In  1806,  the  popu- 
lation of  Demerara,  Essequibo,  and  Berbice,  was  more  than 
sixty  thousand  persons  without  including  the  Indians. 

What  a  glorious  event  for  the  spirit  of  commerce,  is  not  the 
contrast  formed  by  the  brilliant  situation  to  which  these  colonies 
were  raised  in  such  a  short  time,  in  comparison  with  the  Spanish 
colonies,  from  which  they  are  separated  only  by  the  Orinoco,  and 
to  which  nature  has  lavished  still  more  varied  advantages !  On 
one  side  is  seen  fine  agriculture,  rich  commerce,  an  industrious 
population,  that  increased  in  an  almost  incredible  progression ;  and 
on  theother,  misery  in  the  midst  of  natural  riches,  filth,  superstition, 
and  laziness ! ! ! 


ENGLISH    TRADE.  257 

where  the  artifice  and  science  of  custom  houses 
are  found.  Those  duties  were  replaced  by  that 
which  the  same  cotton  paid,  when  manufactured 
into  cloth,  on  its  exportation  from  England ;  and 
it  was  paid  by  the  foreign  consumer.  The  British 
manufacturer  expended  ten  per  cent,  less  than  the 
French  manufacturer.  This  is  not  the  place  to 
speak  of  those  machines,  by  means  of  which,  he 
worked  cheaper  than  our  manufacturers  of  that 
period.  It  is  principally  by  the  simple  but  able 
mode  in  which  the  revenue  laws  are  regulated 
in  Great  Britain,  that  their  exchequer  was  re- 
plenished, and  that  individuals  enriched  them- 
selves, as  much  as  by  the  negligence,  ignorance, 
and  want  of  patriotism  in  the  ancient  governments 
of  France  and  Spain. 

M.  Depons  says,  that  the  English,  the  only, 
competitors  whom  we  had  to  fear,  received  their 
sugar  charged  with  eighteen  per  cent,  more  than 
that  which  we  receive  from  our  colonies ;  and  he 
therefore  concludes  that  they  must  have  traded  to 
a  disadvantage  in  foreign  ports,  when  the  French 
merchant  was  contented  with  moderate  profits. 
He  then  adds,  that  it  was  owing  to  the  wise  com- 
binations of  our  ancient  legislation,  that  the 
preponderance  which,  our  trade  had  obtained  was 
due. 

Formerly,  Barbadoes  was  the  only  one  of  the 
British  colonies  whose  produce  paid  a  duty  on 
exportation  of  five  and  a  half  per  cent. :  the  other 
colonies  paid  no  duty  whatever  on  exports.  Sugar, 


258  DRAWBACK    AND    BOUNTIES. 

it  is  true,  was  charged  with  duties  on  importation 
into  Great  Britain  to  the  amount  of  eighteen  per 
cent. ;  but  M.  Depons  ought  to  have  known  that 
on  being  sent  from  England  to  foreign  countries, 
those  duties  were  returned  to  the  merchant,  and 
that  is  what  is  termed  the  drawback.  As  to  the 
other  articles  of  colonial  produce,  if  they  were 
charged  with  duties,  not  only  were  those  duties 
returned  on  exporting  them  to  foreign  states,  but 
even  in  certain  cases  the  government  paid  to  the 
exporter  a  premium  of  encouragement,  and  this 
is  what  they  call  a  bounty.  Far  from  enjoying 
similar  advantages,  the  productions  of  the  French 
colonies,  previous  to  the  revolution,  were  loaded 
indiscriminately  with  accumulated  duties,  which 
amounted,  as  I  have  proved,  to  more  than  twenty 
per  cent. 

Though  our  sugars  and  coffees  were  charged 
with  such  duties,  it  is  possible  that  we  might  still 
have  maintained  a  competition  with  the  British 
trade  in  those  commodities  in  the  European  mar- 
kets, because  our  colonies  produced  a  much  greater 
quantity  of  them  than  the  English  colonies,  and 
because  those  colonies  were  much  less  fertile,  than 
ours ;  for  though  I  cannot  admit  the  enormous 
disproportion  that  Mr.    Page*  would  make  be- 


#  Mr.  Page  considers  that  the  net  produce  of  the  labour  of  a 
negro  on  a  sugar  plantation  in  Jamaica,  is  north  only  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety  two  francs  (£8)  annually.  (See  his  Political 
Economy  and  Commerce  of  the  Colonies,  Vol.  I.  page  19,  et 


SPANISH  CUSTOM-HOUSES.  259 

tween  the  produce  of  a  sugar  plantation  in 
Jamaica  and  in  St.  Domingo,  still  it  is  acknow- 
ledged by  all  persons  who  are  well  acquainted 
with  those  colonies,  that  a  sugar  plantation  in  St. 
Domingo,  of  an  equal  quantity  of  land  and  num- 
ber of  negroes,  generally  produced  a  fourth  more 
than  one  dn  Jamaica,  owing  to  the  superior  ferti- 
lity of  the  former  island. 

The  administration  of  the  custom  houses  in  the 
Spanish  colonies,  was  founded  on  a  still  more 
vicious  system  than  in  ours.  The  tariffs  were 
more  uncertain,  vague  and  arbitrary.  It  was  a 
most  obscure  and  ambiguous  chaos,  known  only 
to  the  officers  of  customs,  and  consequently  offer- 
ing great  temptations  to  the  contraband  trade, 
and  to  the  venality  of  the  administrators.  All 
who  have  frequented  those  colonies  know  that 
the  trifling  trade  carried  on  there,  was  monopo- 


seq.)  I  cannot  admit  such  a  calculation  ;  I  think  it  ought  not  to  be 
estimated  at  less  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  francs.  Mr.  Page 
values  the  produce  of  a  negro  in  the  French  Antilles  in  general, 
at  333  francs,  and  still  more  in  St.  Domingo.  I  believe  his  cal- 
culations to  be  tolerably  exact,  in  regard  to  the  French  colonies ; 
but  I  am  sure  he  has  judged  too  unfavourably  of  the  soil  and  cul- 
tivation of  Jamaica,  when  he  said  that  a  given  surface  of  land 
employed  in  a  sugar  plantation  there,  and  an  equal  extent  of 
ground  occupied  for  the  same  purpose  in  St  Domingo,  is  as 
eight  hundred  and  sixteen  to  two  thousand!  In  general  the 
sugar  plantations  of  Sl  Domingo,  Cuba,  and  Trinidad,  produced 
more  than  those  of  Jamaica,  owing  to  the  superior  fertility  of  the 
soil  of  those  islands ;  but  I  believe  I  may  safely  assert  that  this 
difference  is  not  more  than  a  fourth  or  fifth. 
Si 


260  CONTRABAND  TRADE. 

lized  by  the  viceroys,  captains-general,  intendants, 
comptrollers,  &c.  who  had  commercial  connexions 
with  the  merchants  in  the  British  colonies,  and, 
for  some  years  past,  with  the  United  States  of 
America,  In  1805  or  1806,  an  Anglo-Portuguese 
house  established  in  Philadelphia,  had, for  instance, 
the  exclusive  supply  of  flour  for  the  Island  of 
Cuba :  others  have  had  exclusive  privileges  for 
the  sale  of  negroes,  &c.  &c. 

It  was  not  quite  the  same  in  our  colonies :  if 
the  French  administrators  have  not  always  dis- 
dained to  engage  in  contraband  speculations  with 
our  neighbours  and  even  our  enemies,  at  least  this 
justice  must  be  rendered  to  them,  that  they  did 
not  ill-treat  those  who  were  in  the  habits  of  such 
illegal  speculations ;  whilst  the  bashaws  of  the 
Spanish  colonies  used  the  utmost  rigour  towards 
the  unfortunate  persons  whQ  were  captured  by 
the  guardacostas,  going  to  sell  their  commodities 
in  the  neighbouring  colonies,  for  the  purpose  of 
procuring  some  of  the  most  necessary  articles ; 
and  that  whilst  the  government  of  the  mother 
country  did  nothing  to  promote  their  agriculture 
and  commerce ;  so  that  the  colonists  lived  in  indi- 
gence, while  they  were  overburdened  with  natu- 
ral riches. 

As  to  the  contraband  trade  in  the  French  colo- 
nies, if  prejudicial  to  France,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  it  was  advantageous  to  the  colonists;  so  that 
it  was  not  a  total  loss  to  the  mother  country. 
But  the  administration  of  the  British  colonies  is 


SPANISH    LAWS.  261 

so  regulated,  that  though  they  hare  no  contraband 
trade  in  the  produce  of  their  soil,  and  that,  in 
this  respect,  there  is  no  trade  in  the  world  less  free 
than  theirs ;  yet  affairs  were  so  ably  regulated,  and 
the  interests  of  all  so  justly  balanced,  that  colonists, 
manufacturers  and  merchants  flourished  equally, 

It  has  been  said  at  the  beginning  of  this  chap- 
ter, that  though  Spain,  with  absurd  laws  and  re- 
gulations, and  the  numerous  imposts  which  em- 
barrassed and  ruined  her  colonial  commerce,  could 
neither  export  nor  manufacture  the  produce  of 
her  immense  colonies,  still  she  would  neither  per- 
mit them  to  be  exported  or  manufactured  by 
themselves,  nor  suffer  foreigners  to  export  them, 
and  give  in  exchange  to  the  colonists  those 
articles  that  they  most  needed.  From  thence 
resulted  a  contraband  trade,  by  which  that  blind 
and  oppressive  government  was  defrauded  of  its 
duties ;  a  trade  which  kept  the  produce  of  those 
colonies  at  a  wretched  price,  as  their  sale  depend- 
ed on  the  uncertain  arrival  of  a  greater  or  less 
number  of  smuggling  vessels,  which  were  exposed 
to  the  caprices  and  fluctuating  interests  of  the 
officers  of  the  Spanish  government,  whose  con- 
nivance they  were  obliged  to  purchase.  From 
this  proceeded  the  languishing  state  of  Spanish 
colonial  agriculture  and  commerce;  from  this  also 
sprung  the  colossal  fortunes  acquired  in  two  or 
three  years,  by  generals,  intendants  and  commis- 
sioners of  customs. 

Spain  had  not  imposed  any  land  tax  on  her 


262  FREE    TRADE. 

colonies  :  the  tythes  which  the  king  shared  with 
the  clergy,  served  in  place  of  it.  The  Indians 
alone,  paid  "a  personal  tax,  or  capitation.  The 
revenues  of  the  crown  were  composed  of  the 
local  duties,  collected  on  sales  in  the  custom- 
houses, and  on  the  transfer  of  lands,  &c.  There 
were  also  municipal  customs,  which  were  exacted 
on  some  of  those  objects,  and  served  to  defray 
the  expences  of  the  towns  and  commercial  courts 
of  justice,  or  consolados.  The  puertos  may  ores 
paid  both  kinds  of  duties ;  in  the  puertos  minores, 
the  municipal  duties  only  were  paid.  The  duties 
which  had  been  collected  in  a  principal  port  were 
returned  when  the  merchandize  on  which  it  was 
levied,  was  despatched  to  a  minor  port ;  and  vice 
versdy  when  from  a  minor  port  an  exportation 
Was  made  to  a  superior  one,  it  was  necessary 
previously,  to  pay  the  duty  which  should  be 
levied  at  such  principal  port,  had  the  merchan- 
dize been  sent  there  direct. 

After  the  abolition  of  exclusive  commercial 
companies,  and  the  no  less  odious  privileges  of 
Seville  and  Cadiz,  the  distinguishing  the  Ame- 
rican into  major  and  minor  ports,  is  one  of  the 
most  wise  and  beneficent  regulations  of  the  cedula 
of  1778,  commonly  called  that  of  free  trade. 
The  spirit  of  this  regulation  was  to  establish  a 
balance  between  the  most  frequented  ports,  and 
those  which  were  least  so,  in  order  to  induce  the 
exporters  of  the  mother  country  to  send  con- 
signments to  the  latter.     This  measure  bad  the 


DUTifes.  263 

most  beneficial  results  for  the  colonial  agricul- 
ture and  commerce  of  Spain. 

The  major  ports  in  the  captain  generalship  of 
Caraocas,  were  La  Guayra,  Porto  Cavello  and 
Maracaybo:  Cumana,  Barcelona,  the  Island  of 
Margarita  and  the-  Orinoco  were  the  minor 
ports.  Port  Spain  was  a  free  port  for  a  limited 
time  ;  that  is,  all  nations  were  permitted  to  trade 
there:  this  privilege,  granted  to  that  colony  in 
1783,  had  given  it,  in  1797,  an  augmentation  of 
population  and  prosperity,  and  an  importance 
it  could  not  otherwise  have  attained  in  a  whole 
century. 

The  edict  of  the  28th  February,  1784,  esta- 
blished a  proper  distinction  between  the  duties 
which  the  various  commodities  should  pay  on 
importation  from  Spain  into  the  colonies ;  first, 
free  goods,  or  productions  of  the  soil  and  manu- 
factures of  Spain  :  the  quota  of  duties  on  impor- 
tation we  have  enumerated,  amounted  to  ten  per 
cent,  and  only  affected  the  merchandize  pro- 
ceeding from  the  soil  and  manufactures  of  Spain ; 
such  goods  were  termed  free  articles.  There 
was,  secondly,  another  tariff  for  the  produce  of 
foreign  countries,  manufactured  in  Spain,  these 
were  called  contributable  articles,  and  which 
paid  twelve  and  a  half  per  cent.  Thirdly,  goods 
purely  foreign,  paid  only  seven  per  cent,  on  im- 
portation at  American  ports;  but  as  they  had 
paid  fifteen  per  cent,  on  entering  Spain,  and  seven 
on  departure. for  America,  without  reckoning  the 


264  DCTIKS. 

duties  I  have  enumerated,  and  those  of  interna* 
cion,  indulto,  &c.  it  will  be  seen  that  these  duties 
amounted  to  more  than  forty-three  per  cent,  on 
foreign  merchandize. 

It  is  now  time  that  I  should  present  the  nomen- 
clature of  imposts  levied  in  the  Spanish  colonies, 
by  the  exchequer  and  the  custom-houses. 

The  bulls,  whose  annual  sale  was  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  revenue  of  the  crown,  and  of  the 
clergy,  stand  first. 

Then  come  the  taxes  of  alcavala,  almoxari- 
fazgo,  armada  and  armadilla,  of  internacion, 
indulto,  corso,  aprovechamientos ;  the  licences 
of  pulperias  or  taverns,  on  the  tafia  and  the  gua- 
rapo,  duties  of  aduanas,  laguna,  composition 
for  lands,  on  letting  lands,  of  lances,  of  the  half 
annatas ;  in  some  provinces,  a  part  of  the  ty  thes, 
in  others,  the  whole  tythe;  the  ecclesiastical 
mesadas,  and  royal  ninths,  the  tax  levied  on  the 
sale  or  change  of  public  employments,  and  that  on 
the  profits  on  annual  income  of  those  places  or 
employments ;  the  tribute  or  capitation  tax  on 
the  Indians;  stamped  paper,  the  right  of  passage, 
the  fifths  of  mines,  the  hospitalities,  the  salt  works, 
confiscations,  restitutions,  vacant  successions,  va- 
cant majorities  and  minorities,  the  exclusive  sale 
of  tobacco,  cock-fightings,  the  passage- boats  on 
the  river  Apure :  this  last  tax  was  peculiar  to  the 
government  of  Caraccas. 

Then  follow  the  municipal  duties  of  consulado 
and  avaria,  of  cabildo  and  offiel  executor. 


DUTIES.  266 

Those  of  my  readers  who  may  be  curious  to  be 
informed  of  the  particulars  of  thfe  host  of  taxes, 
may  consult  the  work  of  M.  Depons;  my  prin- 
cipal object  being  to  give  a  knowledge  of  the 
duties  levied  on  commerce,  and  the  mode  of 
exacting  them  on  importation  and  exportation. 

Those  duties  are : 

1st.  Alcavala  de  la  Mar.  This  duty  was  in 
the  Captain  Generalship  of  Venezuela,  four 
per  cent.*  on  all  kinds  of  merchandize,  in- 
discriminately, which  entered  the  ports.  Jfc 
was  paid  on  entry,  and  not  on  the  depar- 
ture of  merchandize.  At  Cartbagena  de  las 
Indias,  it  was.  two  per  cent;  at  Guayaquil, 
three ;  at  Lima,  six ;  and  at  Vera  Cruz, 
four.  M.  Deports  says,  that  it  produced  in 
the  provinces  of  Venezuela,  in  1798,  150,862 


#  The'Alcavala  de  la  Mar  is  the  offspring  of  the  Alcavala  de 
Tierra.  The  Cortes  had  granted  to  the  kings  of  Spain  a  tax  on  trans- 
fers and  sales,  to  assist  them  to  maintain  the  war  against  the  Moors ; 
this  tax  was  called  Alcavala :  those  monarchs  afterwards  esta- 
blished this  impost  in  their  possessions  in  America,  towards  the 
end  of  the  sixteenth  century.  It  was  only  two  per  cent  at  first, 
but  it  was  raised  to  five  per  cent,  towards  the  middle  of  last 
century.  It  was  levied  on  every  thing  that  was  sold,  moveable  or 
immoveable.  All  the  productions  of  the  soil,  as  well  as  those  of 
industry,  eggs,  pulse,  forage,  &c.  &c.  paid  the  Alcavala  on  enter- 
ing the  towns.  Shopkeepers  paid  this  tax  by  subscription.  This 
would  have  produced  enormous  sums,  if  in  the  Spanish  possessions 
there  had  been  more  activity  in  commercial  affairs  and  lesd  con- 
traband trade.  The  Alcavala  de  Tierra  produced  to  the  revenue 
on  an  average,  in  the  provinces  of  Venezuela,  400,000  hard 
dollars. 


266  DUTIES. 

Dollar*. 

dollars ;  in  1794/151,408 ;  in  1795, 105,851 ;  * 
in  1796, 180,644;  and  in  1797,  only  10,248 
dollars ;  because,  according  to  that  writer, 
maritime  commerce  was  in  the  last  named 
year,  almost  entirely  suspended.  The  true 
cause  of  the  diminution  of  this  duty  was  from 
the  English  having  taken  possession  of  Trini- 
dad in  the  commencement  of  1797,  that 
island  became  the  staple  of  almost  all  the 
trade  of  Venezuela;  a  commerce  which  was 
carried  on  with  as  little  concealment  as  if 
Spain  and  Great  Britain  had  been  in  the  most 
strict  alliance.  Before  the  English  had  pos- 
sessed themselves  of  all  the  commerce  of  the 
country  it  produced  annually 150,000 

2d.  Duty  of  Almoxarifazgo.  It  was  levied  also 
on  all  that  was  imported  and  exported ;  it 
had  been  fixed  at  fifteen  per  cent,  on  all  that 
was  imported  from  Spain,  at  the  time  of  the 
discovery  of  America.  But  it  was  reduced 
about  a  century  ago,  to  three  per  cent,  on 
Spanish  merchandize,  and  fixed  at  seven  per 
cent,  on  foreign  merchandize,  imported  in 
Spanish  ships.  The  Almoxarifazgo  on  ex- 
portation, is  two  per  cent,  on  home  produce, 
and  three  on  foreign.  Its  usual  annual  pro- 
duce in  the  Captain  Generalship  of  Caraccas, 
was \ 200,000 

3d.  The  duty  of  Armada  and  Ar  mad  ilia,  or 
tax  for    the  royal  navy   and  the    flotilla. 
This   tax   was   established  for  aiding   the 
expences  of  the    navy,  when   it    was   oc- 
cupied  in   protecting  the   colonies  against 

.  pirates ;  and  though  those  coasts  have  not 


DUTIES.  267 

Dollart. 

been  infested  for  more  than  a  century,  the 
duty  continues  to  be  levied;  it  is  two  per 
cent  and  rendered  annually  on  an  average, 

from  eighty  to 90,000 

4th.  The  duty  of  Corso  was  instituted  for  pay-' 
ing  the  maintenance  of  guardacostas,  (reve- 
nue cruizers,)  for  preventing  contraband 
trade :  it  was  three  per  cent,  and  rendered. .     150,000 


Total  of  the  royal  duties  on  the  imports  and)      ^qq  qqq 
exports  of  merchandize y  __!_. 


I  shall  not  particularize  the  proceeds  of  the 
other  royal  duties  and  imposts  paid  in  the 
interior  of  the  country,  and  enumerated  in 
another  [chapter,  and  which  amounted  to, 
including  the  bulls* 1,210,000 

Total  amount  of  the  royal  duties  and  imposts 
in  the  general  government  of  Venezuela,  not 
including  the  expenses  of  government  and 
of  collection 1,800,000 

Civic  Duties. 

The  united  duties  of  Consulado  and  Average, 
were  levied  in  the  maritime  custom-houses, 
and  paid  to  the  cashier  of  the  consulado  or 
chamber  of  commerce,  to  bear  the  expenses 


*  The  sale  of  bulls  and  indulgences  amounted  annually  on  an 
average  in  the  provinces  of  Venezuela,  to  180,000  dollars;  of 
which,  one  third  belonged  to  the  crown,  and  the  other  two  thirds 
to  the  clergy. 


268  DUTIES. 

Dollar*. 

of  that  court ;  it  was  one  per  cent,  on  all  that 
was  exported  to  Spain,  or  to  the  other  Spanish 
colonies,  and  three  per  cent,  on  all  that  was 
exported  to  foreign  colonies,  or  which  came 
from  them.  Beasts  of  burden  were  subject 
to  a  particular  tariff.  Horses  and  mules  ex* 
ported  paid  one  dollar  each :  oxen  one  per 
cent,  according  to  the  valuation  made  of  them 
by  the  custom-house  officers.  New  negroes 
brought  by  the  British  contractors,  were  ex- 
empted   from    all  duties:    they    produced 

about 100,000 

The  duty  of  fiel  executor 70,000 

That  of  the  cabildo 80,000 

Total  of  the  civic  duties 250,000 


All  those  royal  and  munificent  duties,  which 
amounted,  as  specified,  to  2,050,000  dollars,  were 
not  sufficient  for  paying  the  expences  of  govern- 
ment in  the  captain  generalship  of  Venezuela. 
The  Intendant  received  annually  about  1,200,000 
dollars  from  the  treasuries  of  Mexico  and  the 
kingdom  of  New  Grenada.  Thus  the  expences 
of  that  government  amounted  annually  to  nearly 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds ;  for  of 
all  the  imposts  levied  in  that  country,  not  a  far- 
thing passed  into  the  royal  treasury  of  Spain. 

The  natural  consequence  of  so  many  prohibi- 
tions and  duties  was  to  retard  the  prosperity  of 
the  Spanish  colonies,  to  leave  them  to  the  mercy 
of  smugglers,  and  to  hinder  the  extension  of  com- 


COMMERCE.  269 

merce  and  national  industry.  The  two  last  kings 
of  the  late  dynasty  had  made,  it  is  true,  some 
useful  regulations  for  encouraging  national  indus- 
try, in  placing  considerable  duties  on  foreign 
manufactures:  but  experience  has  proved  that 
if  they  were  dictated  by  patriotism,  the  influ- 
ence of  the  cabinet  of  St,  James  at  the  court  of 
Madrid,  rendered  those  regulations  null,  as  far  as 
regarded  British  commerce ;  but  they  were  exe- 
cuted with  the  utmost  severity,  to  exclude  from 
Spanish  commerce  the  productions  of  the  industry 
of  other  nations,  and  particularly  those  of  the 
French  manufactories. 

In  vain  had  Philip  V.  issued  several  edicts,  as  fa- 
vourable to  French  commerce,  as  they  were  useful 
to  that  of  Spain  :  it  was  in  vain  that  this  monarch, 
in  ratifying,  on  the  13th  March,  1713,  the  sixth 
article  of  the  treaty  of  the  Pyrenees,  and  the 
cedulas  of  Charles  II.  of  the  months  of  March 
and  December,  1670,  ordered  that  France  should 
not  only  be  treated  among  the  most  favoured  na- 
tions, but  that  she  should  be  distinguished  en 
todo  lo  quefuera  mas  favorabile :  it  was  not  long 
before  those  intentions  were  eluded  by  the  most 
strict  perseverance.  At  length,  by  an  edict 
issued  at  Madrid,  in  December,  1760,  foreigners, 
and  particulaYly  the  French,  lost  all  tlie  privileges 
in  Spain :  from  the  above  period  may  be  dated 
the  influence  of  the  cabinet  of  St.  James  in  that 
country.  The  Duke  de  Choiseul  endeavoured  in 
vain  to  mitigate  the  severity  of  that   edict,  by 


270  PRIVILEGES. 

stipulating  in  the  sixth  article  of  the  family  com- 
pact that  the  subjects  of  each  of  the  two  monarch* 
should  be  treated  in  the  territory  of  the  other  as 
their  own  subjects;  that  they  should  enjoy  the 
same  facilities  of  commerce,  &c.  there.  Never 
did  the  Spanish  government  put  this  in  practice 
with  French  subjects,  except  in  circumstances 
when  such  a  concession  would  be  burthensome  to 
them. 

The  following  were  the  privileges  to  which  the 
French  were  entitled  by  the  family  compact. 

First,  Though  established  and  domiciled  in 
Spain,  the  French  never  lost  the  rights  and  pre- 
rogatives of  French  citizens  and  subjects  of  His 
Most  Catholic  Majesty. 

Second,  They  were  not  subjected  in  any  thing, 
or  in  any  case,  to  Spanish  jurisdiction;  in  com- 
mercial affairs  they  acknowledged  no  other  judges 
than  the  consul  or  the  commissary  of  commer- 
cial affairs  of  France. 

Third,  They  enjoyed  every  possible  immunity 
in  regard  to  all  things  necessary  for  the  subsistence 
and  use  of  their  families. 

Fourth,  They  were  exempted  from  all  services, 
whether  patrimonial  or  personal,  from  all  tributes 
ordinary  or  extraordinary,  and  from  all  military 
service*. 

Fifth,  Their  houses,  shops  or  stores  could  not 
be  searched  by  any  Spanish  judge  or  magistrate, 
of  whatsoever  rank,  excepting  in  case  of  a  criminal 
taken  in  the  fact :  even  then  it  was  necessary 


PAHA  MA.  271 

that  the  search  should  be  made  by  the  authority 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  French  consul. 

Sixth,  They  had  the  liberty  to  keep  their  com- 
mercial accounts  in  any  language  they  pleased, 
and  those  books  could  not  be  searched  in  any 
case. 

Seventh,  The  merchandize  which  they  had  im- 
ported into  Spain,  and  on  which  they  had  once 
paid  the  custom-house  duties,  might  be  transported 
into  any  of  the  provinces  of  the  interior,  and  even 
be  exported,  without  paying  any  other  duties. 

All  these  fine  privileges  granted  to  the  French 
merchants,  existed  only  on  paper ! 

Their  independence  once  established,  the  Spa- 
nish colonies  will  not,  it  is  hoped,  delay  opening 
a  trade  with  Japan,  China  and  India :  their  coasts 
bordering  on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  give  them  great 
advantages  in  such  a  trade,  over  European 
nations.  Nine  easy  communications  between  the 
South  Sea  and  the  Atlantic  ocean,  are  pointed 
out  by  M.  de  Humboldt  in  his  Political  Essay  on 
New  Spain.  Since  1788,  boats  have  sailed  up 
through  the  Ravine  of  la  Raspadura  to  Choco,  by 
which  they  have  passed  from  the  Pacific  Ocean 
into  the  Sea  of  the  Antilles.* 
■  — ^i    i  ■  ■>— ^— 

•  The  Editor  has  been  informed  that  Mr.  Arrowsmith  is  occu- 
pied in  drawing  the  plan  of  a  projected  canal  and  commnnication 
between  the  South  Pacific  and  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  execution  of 
this  work  will  most  probably  be  one  of  the  first  objects  of  a 
regularly  established  independent  government  in  New  Granada, 
and  opens  a  field  of  highly  interesting  speculation  both  to  the 
politicians  and  merchants  of  Europe. 


272  AGRICULTURAL    PRODUCE. 

Porto  Bello  and  Nicaragua  will  be,  in  some 
years,  the  staples  where  all  America  bordering  on 
the  Atlantic,  and  probably  Europe  itself  will  go 
to  purchase  Indian  merchandize.  This  change  in 
that  great  trade,  will  produce  one  as  considerable 
in  the  relative  wealth  and  power  of  states,  as  that 
of  the  discovery  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The 
Americans  themselves  will  take  to  Bengal  and 
China  the  metals  which  they  furnish  to  Europe 
for  maintaining  this  trade.  The  day  when  com- 
merce shall  take  this  new  direction,  and  that  day 
is  not  so  distant  as  many  suppose,  will  be  that 
of  the  independence  of  the  nations  in  Asia  and 
America,  not  to  mention  those  innumerable 
advantages  which  necessarily  result  from  un- 
shackled commerce.* 

According  to  the  informations  I  obtained  from 
official  statements  in  Venezuela,  during  the  year 
1807,  the  value  of  the  agricultural  produce  ex- 
ported from  the  provinces  which  composed  this 
fine  country,  exclusive  of  Trinidad,  from  1794 
until  1806,  amounted  to  about  four  millions  of 
dollars  annually;  but  according  to  the  docu- 
ments taken  from  the  custom  houses  of  Port 
Spain  in  Trinidad,  and  from  those  of  the  Islands 


*To  those  who  foresee  this  great  change  I  shall  merely  observe 
that  the  Americans  of  the  United  States  have  carried  on  the  East 
India  trade,  for  more  than  fifteen  years  past,  with  grtater  relative 
profits  than  the  English ;  those  of  Spanish  America  will  have 
only  a  third  of  the  distance  to  sail,  and  will  navigate  on  cheaper 
terms. 


IMPORTATION**  $73 

Grenada,  Tobago,  Curagoa*  St.  Thomas',  and  Mar- 
tinioo,  which  carried  on  the  contraband  trade 
with  the  provinces  of  Venezuela.  I  am  sure  the 
smugglers  carried  off  annually,  on  an  average, 
more  than  2,500,000  dollars  in  produce  ;  consist* 
ing  of  cocoa,  cotton,  indigo,  a  little  cochineal, 
arnotto,  woods  for  dying  and  cabinet  makers, 
copper,  hides,  maize,  salted  and  smoked  meat  and 
fish,  oxen,  horses,  mules,  a&es,  monkeys,  parrots, 
&c.  and  about  six  or  seven  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars in  specie,  and  since  1801,  a  small  quantity  of 
sugar*  and  coffee.  There  were  annually  export- 
ed from  these  provinces  to  Spain  and  Mexico,^ 
about  2,000,000  dollars  in  colonial  produce ; 
which  increases  the  exportations  to  about  5,200,000 
dollars. 

The  official  statements  of  the  intendancy  of 
Caraccas  specified  the  importations  into  this 
country,  including  contraband  trade,  at  only 
5,500,000  dollars,  at  the  same  period ;  but  those 
statements  are  below  the  truth.  On  an  average 
from  1789,  to  1807,  the  annual  importations 
amounted  to  nearly  6,500,000  dollars,  including 


*  Ten  years  ago  there  was  scarcely  as  much  sugar  made  as 
sufficed  the  local  consumption.  I  believe  I  do  not  exaggerate 
when  I  say  that,  on  an  average,  every  .individual  poor  or  rich 
consumes  at  least  one  pound  of  it  per  day.  It  is  mixed  with 
almost  all  kinds  of  food  and  drink: ;  and  is  indispensable  for  cho- 
colate, which  is  taken  three  or  four  times  each  day. 

t  A    great  quantity    of  Venezuela  cocoa,   commonly  called 
Caracca,  is  exported  to  Vera  Cruz. 


274  A    BISHOP    A    SLAVE    DEALER* 

smuggling.  Previous  to  the  French  revolution, 
we  heid  half  of  this  trade.  The  French  mer- 
chants of  Martinico,  the  Dutch  of  St.  Eustacia 
and  Cunujoa,  the  Danish  of  St.  Thomas',  and  the 
Swedish  of  St.  Bartholomew,  had  their  share  in 
this  commerce  ;  but  since  the  Island  of  Trinidad 
was  taken  by  the  British,  in  1797,  they  have 
obtained  aU  the  trade  of  that  country,  where 
they  have  established  commercial  connexions, 
even  as  far  as  the  central  point  of  South  America, 
in  Santa  Fe  de  Bogota,  capital  of  the  kingdom 
of  New  Grenada,  whose  bishop,  a  dealer  in  hu- 
man flesh,  carried  on,  in  1788  and  1789,  the 
negro  trade,  in  conjunction  with  the  English 
house  of  Ch — t  and  B — u  of  Dominica. 


TRINIDAD.  275 


CHAP.  V. 


Trinidad.— Geographical  Description  of  the  Island.— Guaraouns.—- 
Their  singular  Mode  of  Living,  Trade,  and  Habitations — Mouths 
of  the  Ohinoco.— -Guarapiche.— -Gulph  of  Paria.— Scenery.— -Port 
Spain.— Rivera  of  Trinidad. — Its  Bays  and  Harbours. — Natural 
Canals. — Fish. — Mangrove  Trees. — Birds.— The  Asphaltum  Lake. 
Its  Peculiarities.— -Volcanic  Remains. — Mountains. — Conjectures. 
— Las  Cuevas.— Nature  of  the  Soil' — Excavations  at  Guadaloupe. — 
Crater  of  Erin. — A  new  Metal. 


There  is  perhaps  no  part  of  the  new  world, 
which  offers  to  the  navigator,  fatigued  with  the 
monotony  of  a  sea  voyage,  a  view  at  once  so 
picturesque  and  imposing  as  the  approach  to  Tri- 
nidad ,  placed  almost  at  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco, 
as  a  kind  of  barrier  to  restrain  the  impetuosity  of 
its  tide  and  currents. 

This  island  has  the  form  of  an  irregular  square. 
The  Spanish  geographers  compare  it  to  an  ox 
hide :  it  is  sixty  British  miles  from  east  to  west, 
and  forty-five  from  north  to  south ;  which  makes 
a  surface  of  about  forty-two  thousand  two  hundred 
square  miles  British.  Trinidad  is  separated  from 
the  continent  by  the  Gulf  Qf  Paria.  The  length 
of  this  gulf  is  about  thirty  marine  leagues,  while 
its  greatest    breadth,   from  north    to  south,    is 

t2 


276  Orinoco. 

about  fifteen.  The  second  mouth  of  the  Orinoco, 
called  the  Canal  of  Pedernalos,  and  a  great  num- 
ber of  other  channels  formed  by  a  multitude  of 
islets,  almost  level  with  the  water,  all  in  a  nor- 
thern direction,  continually  discharge  the  waters 
of  that  fine  river  into  this  gulf.  Those  waters  flow 
into  the  ocean  by  two  great  channels,  commonly 
called  the  Mouths  of  the  Orinoco. 

Those  isles  are  evidently  formed  by  the  de- 
posits of  the  river :  although  inundated  during 
the  rainy  season,  yet  they  are  covered  -with  palms 
and  cocoas,  which,  at  the  same  time,  supply  the 
islanders  with  food,  drink,  a  bark  which  they 
weave,  and  wood  for  their  furniture  and  canoes. 
The  exisfreface  of  the  tribe  of  Guaraouns  appears 
to  be  connected  with  that  of  the  family  of  palms, 
as  the  fate  of  certain  birds  and  butterflies  depends 
on  that  of  particular  trees  and  flowers. 

The  Guaraouns  have  contrived  means  of  fix- 
ing their  habitations  on  the  palm  trees:  they 
choose  a  group  of  them,  where  the  trees  grow 
nearest  to  each  other:  at  fifteen  or  twenty  feet 
above  high  water  mark  they  twist  and  weave  their 
boughs  to  form  a  floor,  which  is  then  covered 
with  the  broad  leaves.  The  roofs  of  those  aerial 
huts  are  also  covered  with  the  leaves  of  the  same 
tree,  to  whieh  their  canoes  are  fastened.  Those 
Indians  are  in  number  about  ten  thousand  :  they 
are  strong,  tall  and  well  made,  less  indolent  than 
the  other  savages  of  South  America,  passionately 
fond  of    dancing,    gay,  social,  and   hospitable. 


GUARAOUNS.  2T7 

They  are  not  so  reserved  as  the  other  savages  their 
neighbours.  Their  soft  and  harmonious  language  is 
rich,  when  compared  with  those  in  their  vicinity. 
The  Guaraouns  are  expert  fishers,  and  have  dogs 
like  those  of  the  European  shepherds,  which  they 
employ  to  catch  fish  in  shallow  water ;  they  caress 
those  animals  continually,  and  treat  them  with  the 
greatest  kindness.  Their  trade  consists  in  fish, 
nets,  hammocks,  and  baskets :  they  are  at  peace 
with  all  the  world,  even  with  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment, which  has,  for  a  long  time  past,  renounced 
the  project  of  subjugating  them.  I  had  frequent 
means  of  observing  this  little  nation:  while  among 
them  I  often  thought  myself  existing  in-  the  days 
of  Astrea:  their  society  is  a  continual  scene  of 
peace,  abundance,  gaiety,  and  concord.  I  some- 
times regretted  that  old  recollections,  and  social 
habits,  did  not  permit  me  to  settle  among  them, 
and  they  are  the  only  savage  tribe  who  ever  in- 
spired me  with  that  desire. 

The  Eastern  mouth  of  the  Orinoco  was  named 
the  Serpent's  Mouth  by  the  great  Columbus:  it 
is  about  three  leagues  wide.  In  the  middle,  be- 
tween the  island  and  the  continent,  is  an  islet  of 
the  most  wild  appearance,  called  the  Soldier ;  it 
is  the  resort  of  sea  birds,  of  which  innumerable 
swarms  obscure  the  horizon  at  sunrise  and  sunset. 
The  northern  mouths  or  channels,  called  the 
Dragon's  Mouths,  are  formed  by  four  Islets, 
which  are  placed  at  almost  equal  distances  be- 
■  tween  the  island  and  the  continent.     The  Islet 


278  COINCIDENCE. 

of  Chacachacarreo  forms  the  principal  mouth, 
with  Cape  de  Paria  opposite.  Such  is  the  name 
which  Columbus  found  given  to  this  tongue  of 
land,  where  the  province  of  Guiana  or  of  the 
Orinoco  begins:  this  is  separated  from  that  of 
Cumana  or  New  Andalusia,  by  the  Guarapiche, 
which  is  not  a  branch  of  the  Orinoco,  as  was  for- 
merly supposed.  This  river  is  formed  of  different 
streams  which  have  their  sources  in  the  mountains 
of  Bergantin,  and  in  the  Mesas  (small  plains,  some- 
what elevated)  of  Amana,  Guanipa,  and  Tororo, 
only  a  few  leagues  in  a  direct  line  from  the  coast 
of  the  gulf.  At  the  place  of  its  confluence 
with  the  Arco,  this  river  is  from  forty  to  sixty 
fathoms  deep.  The  Horquetta  (the  confluence  of 
two  rivers  in  Spanish),  where  the  Guarapiche 
is  so  deep,  is  five  leagues  from,  the  sea.  The  Arco 
is  sixteen  fathoms  deep  at  Puerto  San  Juan,  which 
is  at  twenty-five  leagues  from  the  ocean. 

Antiquaries  and  oriental  scholars  are,  without 
doubt,  surprised  to  find  in  those  savage  forests  the 
word  Cumana,  and  other  words  of  Greek  origin, 
before  the  arrival  of  Europeans;  also  the  Indian 
word  Paria,  which  designates  in  the  new  world 
as  well  a*  Hindostan,  a  cast  of  people  despised 
and  persecuted  by  their  neighbours. 

There  are  few  places  so  salubrious,  and  yet  so 
fertile  in  Southern  America,  as  the  vallies  of  Cape 
de  Paria.  Many  tribes  of  Indians  inhabit  its 
coasts.  Some  French  families  took  refuge  there 
during  the  first  storms  of  the  revolution :  a  con- 


las  euEVA*.  279 

siderable  number  of  French  colonists  from  Trini- 
dad, Tobago  and  Grenada,  have  also  settled  in  the 
same  neighbourhood.  At  first  the  Spanish  govern- 
ment gave  them  a  good  reception ;  but  the  beau- 
tiful plantations  of  cocoa,  coffee,  cotton,  and  even 
sugar  manufactories  which  they  soon  formed, 
tempted  the  jealous  avarice  of  some  local  officers 
of  the  government.  From  1802,  various  pre- 
tences were  invented  for  getting  rid  of,  and 
plundering  them.  Some  were  driven  out  and  sent 
away  from  the  most  contemptible  motives.* 

Ships  arriving  at  Trinidad  from  the  windward 
islands,  excepting  those  which  go  from  the  colonies 
situated  to  the  west  and  south  of  the  Orinoco,  to 
avoid  being  carried  to  leeward,  first  make  the 
northern  coast  of  the  island  towards  the  port  of 
Las  Cuevas,  so  named  from  its  caves,  where  the 
sea  breaks  witlKgreat  fury. 

The  entry  of  this  gulf  presents  scenes  both 
varied  and  magnificent:  to  the  east  is  that  ma- 
jestic river,  compared  to  which  those  of  Europe 
are  but  as  rivulets !  Its  waves  meeting  those  of  the 
sea,  and  incessantly  disputing  the  empire  of  the 
gulf:  to  the  west  appear  rising  from  thq,  bosom  of 
the  horizon  the  mountains  of  Cumana ;  and  by  de- 
grees, on  approaching  the  western  coast  of  Tri- 
nidad, you  discover  numerous  vallies  and  plains 
enamelled  with  eternal  verdure.     On  nearing  the 


•  Among  others  M.  Isnardi,  a  native  of  Piedmont;  the  same, 
I  believe,  who  is  now  secretary  to  the  Congress  of  Venezuela. 


280  MONKEYS, 

* 

coast,  the  navigator's  view  is  charmed  by  aland- 
scape  covered  with  various  plantations,  and  diversi- 
fied by  meandering  rivers  and  rivulets  which  water 
it.  A  strange  and  sometimes  grotesque  medley 
of  white,  copper  colour  and  black  men,  animate 
this  scene.  Whilst  the  numerous  canoes  of  Caribs 
and  Guaraouns  skim  the  gulf  in  every  direction, 
the  traveller  sees  and  hears  the  negroes  working 
and  singing  in  cadence :  troops  of  monkeys 
jumping  from  tree  to  tree,  and  swinging  them- 
selves while  suspended  from  the  branches  by  their 
tails:*  innumerable  flocks  of  magnificent  birds 
enliven  the  scene,  by  the  beauty  and  variety  of 
their  colours.     The    shores  continually   resound 


*  Travellers  have  not  exaggerated,  when  they  asserted  that  a 
particular  class  of  apes,  who  hfcve  a  great  dread  of  the  water, 
when  obliged  to  cross  a  stream,  climb  up  the  nearest  tree  to  the 
bank,  and  form  a  chain  by  hanging  from  the  tails  of  each 
other.  If  the  river  is  not  wide,  the  whole  string  of  animals  swing 
backward  and  forwards  until  the  lowest  alights  on  the  opposite 
bank,  when  he  who  is  uppermost  slides  down  the  tree,  and  they 
are  immediately  pulled  over  by  the  one  to  whom  the  post  of  honour 
had  been  assigned.  It  should  be  remarked  that  as  fast  as  the  lat- 
ter's  companions  are  drawn  to  land,  they  assist  him  in  dragging 
the  others  to  the  bank.  This  very  singular  practice,  which  has 
frequently  amused  me,  is  accompanied  with  howlings,  cries,  and 
grimaces,  sufficient  to  frighten  any  one  not  accustomed  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  those  living  caricatures  of  our  species. 

It  is  equally  true  that  this  most  mischievous  tribe  invariably 
place  centinels  whenever  they  halt,  particularly  when  employed 
on  a  foraging  excursion :  this  fact  I  have  ascertained  to  my  cost, 
having  often  surprized  bodies  of  them  pillaging  my  fields  of  maize 
in  Trinidad. 


HARBOURS.  281 

with  the  songs  of  some  and  the  screeching  of 
others :  at  the  end  of  this  smiling  plain,  rises  the 
northern  mountains,  like  an  amphitheatre,  their 
summits  crowned  with  the  noble  trees  of  the 
tropics,  above  which  the  palm,  waving  its  lofty 
head,  attracts  the  thunder,  and  forces  the  clouds 
to  depose  their  waters  at  its  feet,  from  whence 
precipitating  in  cascades  and  torrents,  they  form 
rivulet?  and  streams.* 

Thus  the  Gulf  of  Paria  is  formed  by  the  wes- 
tern shore  of  Trinidad,  and  the  opposite  coast  of 
Cumana.  Ships  may  anchor  all  over  the  gulf, 
in  from  three  to  six  fathom  water,  and  on  ground 
of  gravel  and  mud. 

The  principal  ports  of  the  island  are,  the  Har- 
bour of  Chagaramus,  situated  at  the  entrance 
of  the  northern  mouths,  three  leagues  west  of 
Port  Spain.  It  is  capable  of  receiving  the  largest . 
ships  of  war,  having  from  four  to  forty  fathoms 
depth,  and  a  bottom  of  gravel  and  mud :  its 
shores  are  bold  and  steep.  It  was  in  this  port,  the 
best  and  safest  of  the  colony,  that  Rear-admiral 
Apodaca  burnt  his  squadron,  when  that  under 
Admiral  Harvey  conveying  the  military  force 
commanded  by  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie  appeared 
off  the  island  in  1797. 

The  Carenage  is  not  so  good  a  port,  not  hav- 
ing more  than  from  two  to  four  fathoms,  ren- 


*  It  is  well  known  that  these  palms  serve  as  eleotrical  conduc- 
tors. 


282  PORT    SPAIN. 

dering  it  only  fit  for  small  vessels  of  war  and 
merchantmen. 

Gaspard  Grande,  is  an  islet  within  the  mouths, 
where  the  Spanish  ships  of  war  anchored  some- 
times under  the  useless  protection  of  a  battery, 
placed  there  to  defend  the  entrance  of  the 
mouths,  and  which,  by  its  bad  position,  is  not 
calculated  for  defence. 

Port  Spain  is  situated  in  the  western  part  of 
the  island,  and  gives  its  name  to  the  capital. 
Besides  several  quays  which  belong  to  individuals, 
this  town  has  a  very  fine  one  of  stone,  which 
runs  several  hundred  yards  into  the  sea,  and  is 
defended  by  a  battery.  The  hills  which  com- 
mand the  town  have  been  fortified  by  the  pre- 
sent possessors  of  the  island.  Next  to  Chaga- 
ramus,  it  is  the  best  port  in  Trinidad,  and  oite 
of  the  most  safe  and  extensive  bays  in  the  world. 

All  the  western  coast  of  the  island  is  a  series 
of  bays,  where  vessels  may  anchor  in  safety  at 
all  times.  The  most  important  place,  after  Port 
Spain,  is  that  of  Annaparima.  On  this  ground, 
which  in  1791,  presented  only  a  marsh  and  fish- 
ing hamlet,  the  English  have  built  a  fine  town, 
where  a  considerable  trade  is  carried  on. 

The  principal  rivers,  and  which  are  navigable 
in  the  western  part  of  the  island,  are  the  Caroni, 
Chagtianas,  Barrancones,  Couva,  Guaracara,  and 
Siparia. 

The  Caroni  is  navigable  from  its  mouth  in  the 
gulf,  to  its  junction  with  the  Aripo,  which  makes 


RIVERS.  283 

a  distance  of  about  six  leagues.  The  Oripo  is 
also  navigable.  If  a  canal  were  cut  between  this 
river  and  the  Oropuche,  which  discharges  itself 
on  the  eastern  coast,  where  navigation  and 
anchorage  are  very  difficult,  whenever  the  winds 
are  northerly  or  eastwardly,  a  safe  communica- 
tion might  be  established  between  that  interest- 
ing part  of  the  island,  and  the  gulf.  The  fertile 
grounds  which  lie  between  those  two  rivers  will 
remain  uncultivated  until  this  work  is  executed. 

The  Guanaba,  another  river  that  flows  into 
the  Caroni,  is  navigable,  but  has  less  water  than 
the  Aripo.  There  are  several  other  streams  in 
the  western  part  of  the  island,  which  being  na- 
vigable for  canoes  and  wherries,  afford  to  the 
colonists  established  there,  great  facilities  for  the 
cultivation  of  their  lands  and  the  transport  of 
their  produce :  they  are  also  very  abundant  in 
fish.  Though  the  northern  and  eastern  coasts 
a^e  well  furnished  with  rivers,  they  are  not 
equally  so  with  ports  and  roadsteads. 

There  are  numerous  shoals  on  the  northern 
coast  from  Maqueribe  to  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Ellebranche :  it  is  almost  every  where  perpendi- 
cular, excepting  at  the  openings  of  numerous  lit- 
tle vallies  which  are  irrigated  by  fine  rivers,  or 
rivulets  of  pure  and  crystalline  water.  If  it  be 
considered  that  the  winds  blow  three  fourths  of 
the  year  from  the  east  and  north,  it  may  be 
readily  imagined  how  very  precarious  and  diffi- 
cult the  coasting  trade  is  on  those  shores*     But 


284  ports. 

this  is  an  inconvenience  to  which  Trinidad  is 
subject,  in  common  with  all  the  islands  of  the 
American  archipelago.  To  the  northward,  the 
principal  ports  are  Maqueribe  and  Las  Cuevas, 
where  Fort  Abercrombie  is  situated.  This  fort, 
and  that  of  Maqueribe,  were  defended  in  1807, 
by  batteries  of  twelve  and  twenty-four  pounders, 
for  the  purpose  of  protecting  British  merchant- 
men against  the  depredations  of  French  priva- 
teers. To  the  north-east  are  the  ports  of  Rio 
Grande,  Toco,  and  Cumana.  At  the  east  is  Ba- 
landra  Bay,  or  Boat  Island ;  where  safe  anchor- 
age may  be  found  at  all  times  for  coasters  that 
draw  no  more  than  five  or  six  feet  water.  Fur- 
ther eastward  are  Guias  Creek  and  Mayaro  Bay. 

Guaiguaire  is  the  safest  port  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  island,  because  it  is  sheltered  by  a  point  of 
land  against  the  easterly  wind,  and  its  entrance 
is  only  exposed  to  the  south  winds,  which  are 
neither  frequent  nor  violent  on  those  coasts.        •* 

This  part  of  the  island  has  very  fine  rivers 
which  are  navigable  for  small  craft;  the  principal 
are,  Rio  Grande,  Oropuche,  and  Nariva,  or  Mi  tan, 
as  it  is  called  by  the  Creoles,  because  it  runs 
through  a  plain  of  cocoa  trees,  forming  a  forest 
which  is  one  of  the  natural  beauties  of  the 
island  :  it  really  presents  an  enchanting  spectacle 
to  the  navigator  who  arrives  from  Europe,  and 
has  not  yet  witnessed  the  majestic  state  of  vegeta- 
tion in  the  equinoctial  regions.  In  running  down 
the  coast  this  forest  presents  the  form  of  a  crescent. 


ERRONLOUS   GEOGRAPHY.  J83 

During  the  revolutionary  war  of  the  United 
States,  the  Count  d'Estaing,  who  always  acted  as 
the  father  of  his  seamen  and  soldiers,  employed 
a  boat  constantly  on  this  coast  for  collecting 
cocoa  nuts,  which  were  distributed  among  the 
ship's  companies  of  his  squadron :  this  wise  mea- 
sure preserved  them  from  the  ravages  of  scurvy. 
The  chronicles  of  the  country  state,  that  in  the 
year  1730,  a  boat  laden  with  cocoa  nuts  from  the 
Guaraouns'  islets  was  wrecked  on  this  coast,  and 
that  the  waves  having  thrown  them  on  shore  they 
gradually  multiplied. 

Guatavo,  which  the  French,  who  always  man- 
gle the  names  of  places,  have  called  Ortoir  river, 
has  been  improperly  deemed  the  most  consider- 
able of  those  to  windward  of  the  island,  on  the 
report  of  an  ignorant  French  emigrant  land  sur- 
veyor, who,  whilst  he  lived,  enjoyed  the  reputation 
of  an  able  engineer.  He  made  a  bad  copy  of  the 
beautiful  map  of  this  island,  by  the  unfortunate 

Cosmo   de  Churucca.     The  map  of    M ,   of 

which  that  of  Faden  is  only  a  copy,  still  more 
incorrect,  places  hills  where  there  are  marshes, 
&c.  Some  of  his  errors  were  voluntary,  if  we 
may  believe  many  who  were  deceived  by  them. 
As  it  is  rather  frequent  for  British  speculators  to 
purchase  land  in  the  new  world  on  the  faith  of 
maps  and  plans,  and  that  grounds  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  navigable  rivers  are  of  a  considerable 
comparative  value,  some  of  those  speculators, 
called  land  jobbers,  charmed  with  the  beauty  of 


286  GUATAVO. 

the  river  Guatavo  as  represented  by  M and 

Faden,  bought  considerable  lots  of  it. 

I  am  certain  that  excepting  for  a  few  hundred 
yards  from  its  mouth,  the  Guatavo  is  not  navigable, 
unless  for  small  boats ;  yet  M in  the  explana- 
tion of  his  map,  positively  says  that  it  is  navigable 
as  far  as  Morne  Rouge,  which  would  be  almost 
to  its  source,   thus  making    a  distance  of   six 


According  to  the  observations  of  Captain  Co- 
lumbine, one  of  the  best  hydrographers  in  the 
British  navy,  this  river  ceases  to  be  navigable  for 
vessels  that  draw  more  than  five  feet  water  four 
miles  from  the  entrance.  When  that  able  officer 
surveyed  the  northern  and  eastern  coasts  of  this 
island,  he  observed  another  error  of  a  contrary 
kind  by  the  land  surveyor  already  noticed,  and 
who  had  made  the  river  Nariva  much  smaller  than 
the  Guatavo.  Captain  Columbine  sailed  up  to  its 
source,  for  seven  leagues  and  a  half  inland,  and 
found  it  navigable  as  far  as  three  quarters  of  a 
league  from  its  source,  for  vessels  of  two  and  three 

hundred  tons.     M has  marked  two  natural 

canals  between  the  rivers  Nariva  and  Guatavo  in 
his  map,  whilst  in  reality  there  exists  but  one. 
The  cause  of  this  error  is,  that  during  the  heavy 
rains  in  winter,  the  floods  create  several  communis 
cations  between  these  two  rivers,  which  are  on  the 
same  level. 

This  is  one  of  those  effects  that  Trinidad  pos- 
sesses in  common  with  the  neighbouring  continent. 


NATURAL    CANALS.  287 

The  most  able  geographers  had  treated  the  natu- 
ral canals  which  establish  a  communication  be- 
tween the  Orinoco  and  Amazons  as  a  chimera. 
At  present  no  one  will  attempt  to  deny  the  asser- 
tion, since  M.  de  Humboldt  has  sailed  from  one 
of  those  rivers  into  the  other.  Before  the  repu- 
tation of  that  learned  traveller  had  placed  this 
important  fact  of  physical  geography  beyond  all 
doubt,  boats  were  often  seen  to  go  from  San 
Carlos  on  the  Rio  Negro,  to  San  Thom£  de  An- 
gostura. The  coast  and  plain  of  Mayarb  are  low 
and  unhealthy;  but  to  the  south,  those  of  Guai- 
quaire,  present  a  magnificent  amphitheatre,  and  a 
landscape  at  once  smiling,  fertile,  and  salubrious. ' 
Further  south  is  the  fine  river  Moruga,  the 
banks  and  vicinity  of  which  abound  in  logwood* 
The  shores  and  mouths  of  those  rivers  are  full 
of  rounded  pebbles,  whilst  they  are  very  rare 
near  those  on  the  western  coast.  Nevertheless, 
in  the  interior,  the  same  rivers  that  discharge 
themselves  on  the  western  coast,  have  many  and 
very  handsome  pebbles.  I  found  one  of  them, 
among  others,  which  embarrassed  me  extremely: 
it  was  red,  having  the  colour  of  burnt  brick,  and 
is  sometimes  as  hard.  Those  rivers  on  the 
eastern  coast,  especially  that  of  Moruga,  produce 
abundance  of  excellent  oysters,  which  attach 
themselves  to  the  stems  and  branches  of  mangrove 
trees.  There  is  not  another  island  of  the  new 
world,  Which,  in  proportion  to  its  size,  possesses 
so  many  navigable  rivers  as  Trinidad.     Amongst 


288  sea  cow. 

the  variety  of  fish  on  this  coast,  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  is  the  Squalus  Zygaena :  it  is  about 
twelve  feet  long  and  thick  in  proportion.  Its 
eyes  are  large  and  terrifying,  the  head  has  the 
shape  of  a  hammer ;  its  mouth  and  the  three  rows 
of  teeth  are  still  better  adapted  for  biting  than 
those  of  the  common  shark,  which  it  greatly 
resembles  in  other  respects. 

Another,  very  like  the  codfish,  is  also  common, 
and  as  dangerous  as  the  former.  One  day  when 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Oropicbe  with  two  engi- 
neers,  our  Indian  fishermen  took  one  which  had 
the  head  of  a  negro  in  its  maw.  I  need  scarcely 
say  that  we  declined  tasting  this  prize,  the  Indians 
showed  the  same  repugnance ;  but  some  of  the 
negroes  who  accompanied  us,  regaled  themselves 
with  it,  and  salted  what  they  could  not  devour. 
It  is,  however,  well  flavoured,  and  there  is  a  great 
consumption  of  it  in  the  colony. 

The  sea  cow  (trichecus  manati)  is  amphibious, 
and  often  found  in  pairs,  with  their  young,  browz- 
ing  out  of  the  water  on  the  marine  plants  in  the 
plain  of  cocoa  trees.  They  usually  weigh  from 
one  thousand  to  eleven  hundred  pounds.  It  is 
asserted  that  they  are  found  in  the  Orinoco  of 
eighteen  hundred  pounds  weight.  Its  flesh  re- 
sembles that  of  the  hog,  is  good  for  eating  either 
fresh  or  salted,  while  its  grease  is  used  like  lard. 

Trinidad  has  marshes  which  the  Spaniards  call 
lagunas,  and  the  Creoles  lagons,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  principal  rivers.     They  produce  abundance 


A8PHALTUM    LAKE.  289 

of  mangrove  trees :  this  is  the  rhizophora  mangle 
of  Jaquin,  the  wood  of  which  is  excellent  for  build* 
ings.  In  the  dry  season  these  marshes  become 
aavanas,  on  which  cattle  are  turned  out,  and 
where  great  quantities  of  game  are  found.  There 
are  also  an  abundance  of  land  tortoises  of  various 
kinds,  whose  flesh  is  both  delicate  and  nourishing. 
Those  savanas  abound  in  marine  birds,  grey  par- 
tridges, water  hens,  flamingoes,  and  white  wood- 
cocks, the  flesh  of  which  is  as  delicate  as  that  of 
the  European  woodcock.  It  is  difficult  to  form  an 
idea  of  the  innumerable  quantities  of  wild  ducks 
that  frequent  the  rivers:  they  are  sometimes 
taken  in  such  numbers,  as  to  be  sold  for  fivepence 
each  at  Port  Spain.  I  know  of  three  species  of 
them,  without  including  teal.  The  largest  re- 
semble the  Indian  duck,  the  second  our  common 
duck,  and  the  third  is  very  small  with  a  beauti- 
ful plumage,  including  blue,  rose  coloured,  yel- 
low and  white,  also  a  brilliant  gold-coloured  star 
in  the  forehead  of  about  an  inch  in  diameter :  it  is 
called  Ouikiki. 

The  most  remarkable  of  those  marshes  is  the 
asphaltum  lake,  which  has  no  communication 
with  the  great  lagoon  as  marked  on  some  maps, 
This  singular  lake,  vulgarly  called  the  pitch  lake, 
is  about  half  a  league  in  length,  and  the  same  in 
breadth.  It  is  situated  near  the  sea,  and  elevated 
eighty  feet  above  its  level. 

Here  the  coast  presents  a  confused  mixture  of 
marly  earths,  (which  marl  is  argillaceous,)  im- 


190  PHENOMENA. 

pregnated  with  asphaltum.  An  excellent  lim- 
pid and  running  water  is  found  in  the  crevices 
of  the  asphaltum,  as  far  as  six  feet  deep,  in 
which  there  is  a  great  quantity  of  small  fish.  All 
these  crevices  called  funnels,  incline  to  a  conic 
form.  The  bottoms  of  some  are  so  liquid,  that, 
when  poles  are  thrust  in  to  them  they  disappear. 
The  people  who  inhabit  the  neighbourhood  assured 
me,  that  having  put  marks  on  the  pieces  of  wood 
thrust  into  the  funnels,  they  found  them  again, 
a  few  days  afterwards  on  the  sea  shore.  I  saw 
several  pieces  of  wood  in  the  lake  completely 
changed  into  bitumen:  in  one  of  the  funnels  I 
found  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree,  which  perfectly 
retained  its  round  shape.  I  caused  it  to  be  sawed ; 
when  it  was  observed  to  be  completely  impreg- 
nated with  petroleum. 

I  have  also  seen  the  same  phenomenon  in  the 
provinces  of  New  Barcelona  and  Cumana,  near 
the  Lake  of  Cariaco ;  and  various  parts  of  those 
regions  where  the  currents  of  the  sea  have  formed 
large  masses  of  vegetable  substances. 

There  is  no  phenomenon  which  offers  more 
variety  and  mobility  than  the  surface  of  the  as- 
phaltum lake.  Here  are  seen  groups  of  shrubs ; 
there  tufts  of  wild  pine-apples  and  aloes.  Among 
those  shrubs  and  flowers,  swarms  of  magnificent 
butterflies,  and  brilliant  humming  birds  seek  their 
food,  enlivening  a  scene  which,  if  it  were  de- 
prived of  animals  and  vegetables,  would  present 
an  exact  image  of  Tartarus.    Where  an  islet  of 


VOLCANOES.  291 

several  feet  diameter  had  been  seen  in  the  even- 
ing, there  is  often  nothing  to  be  found  the  next 
morning  but  a  gulf  m  which  it  has  been  swallowed 
up ;  whilst  on  the  side  of  it  has  arisen  another 
island,  that  will  soon  be  covered  with  vegeta- 
tion! 

Not  far  from  the  borders  of  the  laker,  among 
the  beautiful  plantations  and  fine  forests  that  sur- 
round it,  is  found  petroleum  mixed  with  the 
earth,  which  it  tends  greatly  to  fertilize.  The  best 
and  finest  fruits  of  the  colony  come  from  that 
district ;  its  pine-apples,  in  particular,  are  less 
fibrous,  larger,  more  aromatic,  and  of  a  deeper 
golden  colour  than  any  where  else.  South  of  Cape 
delaBrea,is  a  pit  or  submarine  volcano,  which  the 
sea  causes  to  boil  up,  and  discharge  a  considerable 
quantity  of  petroleum. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  island,  and  Bay  of 
M  ayaro,  is  another  volcano,  which  in  the  months 
of  March  and  June  every  year,  produces  some 
detonations,  with  a  noise  resembling  that  of  a 
cannon  or  thunder.  This  noise  is  succeeded  by 
flames  and  smoke  which  rise  from  the  abyss,  and 
some  minutes  afterwards  the  waves  throw  on 
shore  pieces  of  bitumen,  aa  black  and  brilliantas 
jet*  By  mixing  this  asphaltum  in  proper  pro- 
portions with  tallow  and  linseed  oil,  a  kind  of 
tar  is  made  fit  for  caulking  ships,  and  which  has 
the  inestimable  property  of  preserving  them  from 
the  corrosions  of  the  sea-worm*  Since  1805,  the 
English  have  employed  it  very  successfully  for 

u  2 


293  CALCAREOUS    ROCK*, 

that  purpose.    The  island  produces  sufficient  to 
caulk  thousands  of  ships  every  year. 

An  inhabitant  of  the  south  informed  me,  in 
1799,  that  some  sportsmen,  who  lost  their  way  in 
the  forests  of  Point  Icacos,  assured  him  they  had 
discovered  a  volcano  behind  the  Renusson  Planta- 
tion, in  the  midst  of  the  lake  which  is  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. I  employed  one  of  those  sportsmen 
to  conduct  me  to  the  place,  where  we  arrived 
after  a  journey  of  three  hours. 

At  length,  we  reached  the  summit  of  a  hill 
of  argillaceous  clay :  at  the  top,  and  around  this, 
are  a  great  number  of  little  mounds,  one  or  two 
feet  high :  the  tops  of  those  cones  are  truncated 
and  open ;  they  are  so  many  vents  which  exhale 
a  gas,  smelling  like  sulphurated  hydrogen.  On 
the  most  elevated  part  of  this  hill  is  a  cone  of 
about  six  feet  high,  pierced  from  the  summit  to 
its  base  like  the  others,  which  continually  dis- 
charges a  whitish  matter  that  has  the  taste  of  alum. 
Although  a  sound  is  heard,  which  indicates  that 
the  fluid  is  in  a  state  of  agitation,  and  it  continu- 
ally evaporates  globules  of  an  elastic  fluid,  the 
scum  at  the  orifice  of  the  cone  is  cold.  I  could 
not  touch  the  bottom  of  this  pit  with  four  poles 
tied  together  strongly  at  the  ends,  and  which 
measured  sixty  feet ;  having  let  them  go  suddenly, 
they  disappeared. 

Though  there  is  neither  stone  nor  sand  in  the 
circumference  of  a  league  from  it,  I  found  plenty 
round  the  hill,  as  also  handsome  rounded  pebbles 


YOLCANIC  CRATER.  293 

and  small  calcareous  stones,  to  which  sulphurous 
particles  of  a  prismatic  form  adhered. 

After  having  visited  this  species  of  Solfatara,  I 
passed  over  another  marsh  of  mangroves,  conti- 
guous to  the  former.  Near  this  second  marsh  is 
another  hillock  :  it  has  not  so  many  vents  as  the 
preceding,  but  its  top  presents  a  circular  cavity, 
somewhat  shallow,  and  full  of  a  boiling  liquid, 
having  the  taste  of  alum.  A  dull  and  subterra- 
neous sound  is  heard,  and  while  on  the  spot  the 
earth  trembled  under  our  feet.  Two  poles  which 
I  drove  forcibly  into  the  crater,  disappeared  in  an 
instant. 

Recovered  from*  my  weariness,  I  again  visited 
very  attentively  the  second  hillock.  Near  its 
vents,  and  among  the  sand,  I  found  some  fine 
crystals  of  sulphate  of  copper,  incfusted  in  the 
alum :  not  far  from  thence,  returning  to  the 
shore,  I  found  in  the  sand  some  laminated  gyp- 
sum, the  fraueneis  of  Werner. 

The  colonists  who  inhabit  the  neighbourhood  of 
this  pretended  volcanic  crater,  assured  me  unani- 
mously, that  every  year,  in  the  month  of  March, 
they  hear  several  detonations,  the  noise  of  which 
resembles  that  of  a  cannon  at  a  distance.  This 
crater  is  encompassed  with  marshes  of  mangroves 
which  communicate  with  the  sea.* 

*  Near  Carlhagena,  there  are  little  cones  which  have  openings 
on  their  tops.  Those  openings  are  full  of  water,  through  which 
pass  bubbles  of  azotic  gas. 


294  MOTOTA1KS. 

In  1801  I  discovered  schistous  plumbago.; 
which  is  a  mine  of  sea-coal,  from  whence  petro- 
leum exudes  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  occupied  by 
the  Mission  of  Monserrat,  at  a  distance  of  about 
two  leagues  from  the  sea* 

Mountains. 

The  Island  of  Trinidad  has  a  range  of  moun- 
tains to  the  north,  a  group  of  hills  to  the  south, 
and  another  in  the  centre,  of  which  the  most  ele- 
vated point  is  called  Mount  Tamana,  supposed  to 
be  the  highest  in  the  island*  It  is  very  difficult 
to  penetrate  through  those  of  the  centre  and 
south,  owing  to  the  prickly  palms  (Mattricia 
aculeate,)  thorns  and  points  of  other  trees.  There 
is  a  small  lake  near  the  top  of  Tamana.  A  sports- 
man assured  me  that  its  water  is  salt,  but  I  do  not 
warrant  the  truth  of  his  account. 

During  the  time  I  resided  in  this  island,  I  was 
never  able  to  procure  good  instruments  for  mea- 
suring the  heights  of  its  mountains :  yet  accord- 
ing to  some  barometrical  observations,  which  I  am 
far  from  considering  exact,  I  believe  that  the 
most  elevated  of  the  northern  mountains  is  about 
three  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

The  highest  summits  of  the  northern  range  are 
near  the  sea.  Those  mountains,  as  well  as  the 
coast  range  of  Cumana,  differ  from  the  Caribbean 
Islands  or  Lesser  Antilles,  in  many  respects,  par- 


MOUNTAINS.  296 

ticularly  their  form,  position,  the  openings  of  their 
vallies,  and  constitutive  principles. 

The  mountains  of  Grenada,  St.  Lucia,  Marti- 
nico,  Dominica,  Guadaloupe,  St.  Christopher, 
and  other  Caribbean  Islands,  which  I  have  visited, 
are  all  situated  in  the  centre  of  those  islands,  and 
their  chain  declines,  as  they  approach  the  sea. 
Those  islands  and  their  mountains  affect  a  direc- 
tion of  east  and  west,  whilst  the  Apalachian  run 
from  N.  N.  W.  to  S.  S.  W.  The  nucleus  of  the 
Caribbean  mountains,  wherever  I  have  been  Able 
to  judge  from  their  sides  when  washed  bare  by  the 
sea,  .has  appeared  to  be  granite  surmounted  with 
prismatic  basalt.  The  basalts  of  Grenada  are  the 
best  characterized.  There,  as  every  where  else, 
this  rock  rises  in  twin  mountains,  of  which  the 
tops  are  truncated.  Those  mountains  are  of  an 
order  equally  superior  to  those  of  Trinidad,  by 
their  constituent  principles  and  elevations.  All 
these  islands  have  volcanoes,  either  in  activity  or 
extinguished. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  earthquakes 
which  i^ere  felt  so  violently  in  Guadaloupe  and 
Antilles,  on  the  night  between  the  26th  and  27th 
of  September,  1797,  were  not  perceived  either  at 
Trinidad  or  in  the  province  of  Cumana ;  but 
when,  sometime  afterwards,  violent  earthquakes 
desolated  that  province,  they  were  felt,  though 
slightly,  at  Trinidad,  but  not  in  the  Antilles. 

When,  in  1799  and  1800, 1  formed  geological 
comparisons  between  Trinidad  and  the  Caribbean 


296  M.  DE  HUMBOLDT. 

Islands,  I  merely  intended  to  have  ascertained  tire 
facts  according  to  the  ingenious  theory  of  Doctor 
Hutton,  so  ably  defended  by  the  learned  Playfair. 
But  when  I  began  to  reflect  independently  of  all 
system,  the  Antilles  appeared  to  me  as  being  vol- 
canic, whilst  Trinidad  and  Tobago,  on  the  con- 
trary, seemed  Neptunian,  and  more  recently  risen 
from  the  waters,  as  well  as  the  coast  mountains  of 
Cumana,  of  which  they  are  only  a  continuation. 

A  treatise  of  M.  de  Humboldt,  entitled  "  Frag- 
ments of  a  Geological  Table  of  South  America," 
inserted  in  a  French  periodical  journal,  came  into 
my  possession  at  Trinidad,  about  the  end  of  1806. 
I  soon  after  undertook  a  voyage  to  the  provinces 
of  the  Orinoco,  New  Andalusia  and  Cumana ;  and 
having  traversed  those  countries  with  M.  Hum- 
boldt's treatise  in  my  band,  the  greater  part  of  my 
ideas  were  changed. 

Every  thing  denotes  that  Trinidad  and  Tobago 
are  merely  an  amputation  of  the  left  bank  of  the 
Orinoco,  and  that  this  separation  has  been  caused 
by  an  irruption  of  the  sea.  The  same  strata  of 
earth,  the  same  rocks,  fossils,  vegetables  and  ani- 
mals are  peculiar  to  both  regions* 

The  chain  of  mountains  in  the  north  of  Trini- 
dad runs  east  and  west ;  which  is  the  direction  of 
the  mountains  on  the  coast  of  Cumana.  I  have 
already  said  that  the  most  elevated  summits  are 
those  of  the  mountains  nearest  the  sea:  their 
nucleus  is  a  very  dense  argillaceous  schistus. 

This  schirtus  becomes  lamellated,  and  the  mora 


SCHISTOUS  CHAIN.  297 

friable  as  it  is  exposed  to  the  air.  I  observed  that 
the  inferior  layers,  and  those  near  the  beds  of 
rivers,  change  to  micaceous  schistus.  The  rivers 
which  have  their  sources  in  the  northern  chain, 
and  that  run  towards  the  north,  pass  over  beds 
of  this  schistus,  in  the  interstices  of_  which  are 
found  a  great  quantity  of  sulphureous  pyrites  in 
cubic  chrystals. 

The  schistous  chain  of  Paria  and  Cumana, 
parallel  to  the  granitic  chain  of  the  Caribbean 
Islands,  is  thus  co-ordinate  to  the  system  of  Pal- 
las, who  believed  he  had  observed  that  granitic 
are  always  bordered  with  schistous  mountains. 
M.  de  Humboldt  had  observed  long  since,  that 
there  exists  a  certain  regularity  in  the  inclination 
and  direction  of  the  strata,  that  this  inclination 
never  depends  on  the  exterior  inequalities  of  the 
soil,  and  that  the  layers  are  oftenest  parallel  to  a 
very  distant  chain  of  mountains. 

The  observations  of  this  learned  man  oa  the 
Andes,  on  the  schistous  mountains  of  Cumana, 
Cuba,  St.  Domingo  and  Jamaica,  when  compared 
to  the  direction  of  the  Caribbean  islands,  properly 
so  called,  and  the  Apalachian,  show  that  he  saw 
through  a  most  curious  law  of  nature. 

The  mountain  of  Las  Cuevas  is  the  place  where 
the  geological  constitution  of  Trinidad  can  best 
be  studied.  On  one  of  the  first  steps  of  the  am- 
phitheatre, upon  which  Fort  Abercrombieis  situat- 
ed, the  waves  have  hollowed  out  a  kind  of  cavern. 
The  stone  which  I  detached  from  it  at  the  water's 


206  LAS  CUEVAS. 

edge,  is  amphibolic  scbistus,  very  pure  and  hand- 
some, similar  to  that  with  which  the  streets  of 
San  Thome  de  Angostura  are  paved.  On  this 
basis  repose  the  strata  of  argillaceous  schistus  on 
which  is  superimposed  a  layer  of  more  than  twenty 
feet  of  quart zose  gravel,  and  at  last  the  vegetative 
earth. 

I  have  often  been  in  canoes  the  whole  length 
of  the  coast,  from  Point  Galera  as  far  as  Port 
Spain,  but  I  never  observed  the  hornblende  schis- 
tus, except  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  of  Las 
CJuevas  and  on  a  level  with  the  sea.  In  other 
places  there  was  only  to  be  seen  at  the  entrances 
*  of  the  valiies  a  quartzose  free  stone  in  strata, 
broken  and  heaped  up  in  those  spots  most  battered 
by  the  waves.  Many  of  these  pieces  of  quartz 
contain  magnetic  iron.  Though  the  sea  throws 
a  great  many  madrepores  on  the  shore,  they  have 
not  formed  banks,  at  least  so  far  as  I  could  dis- 
cover. I  do  not  think  the  true  coral  exists  oh 
this  part  of  the  South  American  coast. 

Las  Cuevas  with  its  two  summits  form  four 
delightful  vallies,  watered  by  numerous  rivulets. 
The  valley  at  the  north-east  bears  the  name  of  Las 
Cuevas.  Between  the  two  tops  is  a  noble  plat- 
form, and  the  most  singular  position  in  the 
island.  When  you  reach  the  summit  the  sea  is 
wen  both  to  the  east  and  west.  Prom  this  plat- 
form there  are  descents  to  the  vallies  of  St. 
Joseph  and  Santa  Cruz  to  the  south-west,  and 
into  those  of  Las  Cuevas  and  Maraccas  to  the 


GRANITE*  299 

north-east.  In  those  four  vallies,  and  their 
mountains,  the  geological  composition  of  the 
country  may  be  observed  with  precision,  because 
their  sides  are  in  many  instances  washed  bare  by 
cascades  and  torrents.  It  was  on  the  above  plat- 
form, ornamented  with  shrubby  heather,  that 
M.  de  la  Barrere  and  myself  found  the  yew  tree 
described  in  a  former  chapter. 

The  precipitous  sides  of  the  mountains,  washed 
by  those  torrents,  present  in  certain  places  layers 
of  a  coarse  argile,  mixed  with  ferruginous-sand. 

•  Though  granite  is  never  seen  in  any  part  of 
this  island,  Tobago,  or  in  the  interior  of  the 
continent,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco  to 
Cape  de  Paria,  there  is  not  a  hundred  paces  of 
the  spaces  between  the  bottom  of  the  vallies  to 
the  summit  of  the  mountains,  in  which  may  not 
be  found  blocks  of  milky  quartz,  of  different 
sizes,  and  in  the  cracks  of  which  beautiful  pieces 
of  rock  chrystal  are  not  seen  :  indeed  I  never 
saw  so  much  of  it,  in  an  equal  space  as  at  this 
place.  Those  scattered  quartz  may  derive  their 
origin  either  from  the  veins  of  quartz,  which  in 
all  countries  traverse  the  argillaceous  schistus, 
or  the  destroyed  granitic  mountains.  I  have 
often  made  excavations  under  those  blocks  of 
quartz,  when  they  were  too  large  to  be  moved, 
and  I  frequently  found  that  they  concealed  a 
light  layer  of  sulphate  of  lime.  No  doubt  that 
at  Trinidad,  Tobago,  and  the  coast  of  Paria,  the 
granite  is  hidden  by  the  sea,  and  that  it  serves 


300  SAINT    FOND. 

for  a  basis,  as  in  the  rest  of  South  America,  to 
sohistus  and  other  more  recent  formations.  It 
is  found  at  various  distances  on  the  coast,  in 
isolated  rocks,  between  the  mouth  of  the'  Ori- 
noco and  that  of  the  Amazons. 

In  passing  along  the  sea  coast,  going  from 
Cedar  Point  to  the  asphaltum  lake,  considerable 
masses  of  pulverating  feldspar  are  found  on  a 
rising  ground,  washed  by  the  rains,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Guapo,  and  on  its  left  bank. 
This  feldspar  appears  to  be  similar  to  that  which 
M.  Faujas  de  Saint  Fond  shows  in  his  lectures, 
and  which  was  found  in  the  environs  of  Mans,  on 
the  AlenQon  road. 

I  have  already  said  that  gypsum  and  limestone 
are  very  rare  in  Trinidad  and  Tobago,  though 
the  great  chain  of  the  Bergantin  and  Guacharo 
is  all  calcareous.  In  Trinidad  I  know  of  only 
one  quarry  of  calcareous  carbonate,  situated  at 
the  foot  of  a  hill  near  Port  Spain,  on  leaving 
the  town  to  go  to  St.  Joseph's ;  but  that  rock  is 
mixed  with  heterogeneous  substances,  among 
which  I  found  veins  of  silex. 

Some  quarries  of  pure  calcareous  carbonate  are 
found  in  the  vallies  of  the  coast  chain  at  Guyra, 
within  the  gulf,  and  sulphate  of  lime  at  Rio 
Carupano,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  copper 
jmines.  I  believe  there  are  some  also  in  the  hills 
which  command  the  town  of  Cumana.  It  is  pro- 
bable the  soil  may  conceal  others  in  places  where 
I  have  not  been  able  to  discover  them. 


VOLCANOES.  301 

Reiterated  and  laborious  researches  which  I 
made  in  the  mountains  of  the  north,  and  in  the 
hills  of  the  south  and  center,  have  not  enabled  me 
to  discover  any  vestiges  of  organic  bodies ;  but  I 
t  have  found  them  in  its  plains,  a§  well  as  in  those 
of  Tobago  and  in  the  vallies  of  the  maritime  range 
of  Cumana.  There,  sea  shells  are  intermingled 
and  confounded  with  those  of  fresh  water,  and 
many  are  of  unknown  and  extinct  species. 

This  absence  of  calcareous  mountains,  and  even 
of  considerable  masses  of  that  substance,  is  one  of 
the  geological  characteristics  by  which  Trinidad, 
Tobago,  and  the  chain  of  Cumana  differ  essentially 
from  the  Antilles  or  Caribbean  Islands  which  have 
calcareous  rocks,  and  even  mountains  in  strata,  in 
which  are  found  various  kkinds  of  agglomerated 
and  petrified  shells. 

Of  all  those  calcareous  rocks,  the  most  remark- 
able and  worthy  of  fixing  the  attention  of  natura- 
lists, is  a  bank  of  carbonate  of  lime,  rather  hard, 
on  the  sea  shore,  in  the  district  of  Moule  in  Gua- 
daloupe. 

This  calcareous  bank  is  on  a  level  with  the 
sea,  and  covered  at  high  water.  General  Ernouf 
having  heard  that  it  contained  human  skeletons, 
sent  towards  the  end  of  1804,  M.  Gerard,  a  natu- 
ralist of  Brussels,  to  make  excavations  there.  He 
extracted  a  block  from  it,  in  which  was  found  a 
human  skeleton  perfectly  encrusted  in  the  stone, 
and  completely  identified  with  it.  I  was  in 
Guadaloupe  at  that  period,  and  ordered  workmen 


802  PETRIFACTIONS.  F3 

to  dig  there  for  my  own  account:  I  could  not 
obtain  an  entire  skeleton,  but  heads,  arms,  legs, 
and  fragments  of  the  dorsal  spine.  With  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  workmen,  I  might  have  ob- 
tained complete*  skeletons,  and  more  accurately 
delineated  than  that  of  M.  Gerard.*  There  are 
several  parts  of  his  skeleton,  of  which  the  linea- 
ments cannot  be  clearly  distinguished  without  the 
assistance  of  a  magnifying  glass.  I  remarked  that 
all  those  anthopolites  are  placed  east  and  west, 
according  to  the  ancient  custom  of  the  Asiatics 
and  Americans.  By  the  side  of  the  skeletons  were 
found  pestles,  mortars,  hatchets,  clubs  of  a  basaltic 
or  porphyritic  stone,  and  instruments  similar  to 
those  which  the  savages  still  use.  Those  instru- 
ments are  petrified.  But  I  found  no  trace  nor 
the  smallest  vestige  of  organic  bodies,  though 
there  are  banks  of  madrepores  quite  near  them. 

The  reader  will  not,  I  hope,  accuse  me  of  devi- 
ating from  my  subject,  to  notice  this  calcareous 
rock  in  Guadeloupe.  My  principal  object  in  de- 
scribing the  maritime  range  of  Cumana,  has  been 
to  point  out  the  difference  which  exists  between 
the  geological  constitution   of  that  chain,  and 


*  One  of  these  skeletons  has  been  lately  deposited  in  the  British 
Museum,  which  begins  to  assume  a  degree  of  importance,  that 
renders  it  worthy  of  a  great  nation ;  and  with  the  exception  of  the 
few  facilities  afforded  to  those  who  may  be  desirous  of  profiting 
by  the  library,  it  is  certainly  conducted  upon  a  very  liberal  prin- 
ciple—- Ed. 


GRANITE.  303 

those  of  the  Antilles.  If  I  have  not  accomplished 
my  purpose  so  ahly  as  might  have  been  done  by 
learned  geologists,  it  will  not,  I  trust,  be  denied 
that  I  am  the  first  who  observed  and  attempted 
to  explain  this  difference. 

I  have  said  that  no  granite  is  found  in  Trinidad, 
or  the  neighbouring  countries.  On  the  surface  of 
the  soil  of  this  island,  pebbles  rounded  in  the 
rivers  which  run  in  the  vallies  are  found ;  but, 
arriving  in  the  plain,  there  are  no  more  of  them 
to  be  seen-.  Those  rivers  have  scarcely  any  de- 
scent, and  run  slowly  across  large  plains  of  argil- 
laceous and  vegetative  earth.  All  that  immense 
plain  situated  between  the  Amazons  and  Orinoco, 
known  by  the  name  of  Lower  Guiana,  is  equally 
destitute  of  stones  and  rounded  pebbles,  though  it 
is  watered  by  very  large  rivers,  such  as  the  Suri- 
nam, Essequibo,  Demerara,  &c.  The  modest, 
learned,  and  too  little  known  Alexander  Ander- 
son, of  St.  Vincent's,  told  me  that  he  had  ascended 
the  Demerara  two  hundred  English  miles,  with- 
out meeting  a  single  rock  or  rounded  pebble  on 
its  banks.  The  first  stone  which  offered  itself  to 
his  observation  was  an  immense  pier  of  granite, 
that  forms  one  of  the  cataracts  of  that  river. 

I  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  island 
has  no  mines  of  precious  metals ;  but  the  sight  and 
the  magnet  discover  iron  in  the  greater  part  of 
its  rocks  and  pebbles.  All  the  colonists  consider 
the  gold  dust  mentioned  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh 
as  a  fable.     In  spite  of  all  the  pains  I  took  for 


304  CRATER    OF    ERIN. 

ascertaining  that  fact,  I  oould  not  discover  one 
atom  of  gold,  silver,  orplatina,  and  the  Spanish 
government  searched  in  vain  for  them  during  two 
centuries. 

An  inhabitant  of  Port  Spain  once  brought  me  a 
piece  of  very  heavy  stone,  which  he  said  he  had 
found  in  the  river  when  collecting  pebbles  for 
building.  It  was  not  necessary  to  examine  it  long 
to  discover  that  it  was  arsenic  with  sulphurated 
bary tes  for  matrix.  I  went  the  next  day  to  where 
it  was  found,  but  all  the  searches  I  made  did  not 
procure  me  a  bit  of  that  metal. 

Though  my  taste  for  natural  history  induced 
me  to  make  many  excursions  near  the  crater  of 
Erin,  the  most  painful  and  persevering  researches 
there,  did  not  enable  me  to  discover  any  other 
metallic  substance  than  some  crystals  of  sulphate 
of  copper,  encrusted  with  alum  and  among  flints. 
Yet  a  person  in  the  service  of  government  showed 
me  a  metal  that  he  pretended  to  have  found  there, 
and  which  he  supposed  to  be  silver.  I  did  not 
see  this  specimen  in  its  matrix :  with  great  diffi- 
culty I  obtained  a  piece  that  weighed  rather  more 
than  two  ounces.  This  metal  is  of  a  very  brilliant 
white:  its  specific  gravity  is  ten:  melted  with 
gold,  it  deprives  it  of  malleability  and  ductility, 
and  produces  the  same  effect  on  silver ;  at  least 
unless  there  be  three  parts  of  silver  for  one  of  this 
metal.  It  appeared  to  a  goldsmith  who  made 
experiments  on  it  with  me,  that  in  this  proportion 
it  did  not  diminish  the  malleability  of  silver.  It  is 


NEW  METAL.  305 

not,  however,  very  brittle.  According  to  the 
pyrometer  of  Wedgwood,  it  requires  two  or 
three  degrees  more  of  heat  to  melt  this  substance 
than  silver. 

M •  Vauquelin,  'with  whom  I  communicated  on 
this  subject,  thinks  it  either  a  new  metal  or  one 
composed  of  several  others. 


306  CLIMATE. 


CHAP.  VI. 


CuMATE.-S«ason8.— Wind*.— Rain.— Rarity  of  Storms  and  Hurri- 
-  canes.— State  of  the  Thermometer.— An  Experiment— Quantity  of 
Rain-Jnundation  of  the  Orinoco.- Tidrs.— Effects  of  increased 
Cultivation—Various  Degrees  of  Heat.-Observationson  the  Effects 
of  fclimate,  and  Precautions  recommended.- Spring  or  fine  Season. 
—Remarks.— Dews. 

Countries  situated  between  the  tropics  have 
only  two  seasons:   the  dry  and  rainy;    or  the 
spring  and  winter.     These  two  seasons  are  still 
more  distinct  at  Trinidad  than  in  the  Antilles; 
for  whatever  may  be  the  winds  that  prevail  in 
that  island,  there  scarcely  ever  falls  a  drop  of  rain 
during  the  spring.  This  is  the  name  given  in  those 
regions  to  that  part  of  the  year  which  commences 
with  the  month  of  November,  and  concludes  with 
that  of  April  or  the  beginning  of  May.    From 
the  end  of  April  the  heat  increases  gradually ;  the 
east,  north-east  and  northerly  winds  become  less 
cool;  at  the  end  of  June  the  heat  is  greatest ;  the 
storms  commence,  and  increase  in  frequency  until 
the  months  of  August,  September,  and  the  be- 
ginning of  October,  when  they  occur  daily,  and 
are  accompanied  with  torrents  of  ram.  Nothing  is 


WINDS    AND    RAIN.  307 

more  curious  for  an  European,  than  the  manner 
in  which  a  storm  forms  in  this  climate.  The  air 
is  calm,  not  a  zephyr  agitates  it ;  Reaumur's  ther- 
mometer is  in  the  shade,  at  twenty-three,  twenty- 
four,  or  twenty-five  degrees,  ascending  as  the 
atmosphere  is  more  calm.  The  sky  is  clear, 
azure,  and  without  a  cloud.  Suddenly  there  is 
seen  forming  in  one  part  of  the  heavens  a  small 
grey  point,  which,  in  four  or  five  minutes  increases 
and  becomes  a  large  black  cloud ;  at  first  lightnings 
issue  from  this  cloud;  those  soon  become  more 
considerable ;  a  minute  afterwards  the  barometer 
descends  suddenly  one  or  two  lines  ;  the  thunder 
rolls,  and  in  an  instant  a  torrent  of  rain  falls  in 
large  drops.  Those  showers  generally  last  only 
a  few  minutes,  seldom  half  an  hour ;  scarcely  has 
the  rain  ceased,  than  the  atmosphere  remains  as 
calm,  and  the  sky  as  serene  as  before.  It  rains 
thus  fifteen  or  twenty  times  a  day  during  the 
winter,  and  a  moment  afterwards,  it  scarcely 
seems  that  there  had  been  rain.  There  is  seldom 
any  fall  of  rain  in  the  night,  but  a  heavy  shower 
without  wind  usually  precedes  sunrise  by  half  an 
hour,  during  the  season. 

I  have  very  rarely  observed  in  the  atmosphere  of 
Trinidad,and  the  countries  of  the  sea-coast,  between 
the  left  bank  of  the  Orinoco  and  the  vallies  of 
Comana  and  Caraccas,  that  conflict  of  winds  and 
clouds  so  remarkable  in  the  turbulent  climate  of 
the  Antilles  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  when,  during 

x  2 


308  HEAT. 

the  winter,  the  westerly  winds  chacing  and  over- 
turning the  inferior  clouds,  against  their  usual 
course,  producing  those  gusts  of  wind  which  have 
so  often  desolated  that  archipelago.  Hurricanes 
are  unknown  in  Trinidad,  Tobago,  and  the  adja- 
cent continent. 

It  is  very  remarkable  that  Grenada,  the  most 
southward  of  the  Antilles,  and  only  thirty  leagues 
from  the  continent,  is  as  much  subject  to  squalls 
of  wind  as  the  other  Antilles.  It  is  equally  sin- 
gular that  the  island  of  Tobago,  which,  like 
Trinidad,  is  situated  to  the  east  of  the  coast  range, 
has  never  experienced  a  hurricane. 

The  barometer  varies,  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  island,  from  twenty-seven  inches  ten  lines  to 
twenty-eight  inches ;  and  in  the  western  part, 
where  the  atmosphere  is  still  more  regular,  these 
variations  are  not  sure  indications  of  fine  or  bad 
weather.  However,  a  violent  storm  coming 
from  the  south  or  south-west,  is  generally  an- 
nounced by  a  sudden  fall  of  several  lines.  I  have 
already  said  that  the  heat  constantly  increases 
from  the  end  of  April  to  the  month  of  June, 
and  that  it  remains  almost  stationary  from  that 
month  until  the  middle  of  October,  also  that 
it  begins  to  diminish  simultaneously  with  the 
storms  and  rains. 

I  made  use  of  Farenheit's  thermometer:  it 
stood  usually  during  that  season,  at  Port  Spain, 
in  the  morning  before  sunrise,  at  78°  to  80° ;  from 


RAINY   SEASON.  309 

sunrise  to  sunset  at  84°  to  86° ;  in  the  evening  it 
generally  fell  to  82° ;  sometimes,  when  the  wea- 
ther was  very  stormy  in  the  months  of  August  and 
September,  and  the  air  was  saturated  with  humi- 
dity, it  rose  as  high  as  90°.  In  the  space  of  nine 
years  I  have  seen  it  only  twice  at  93%  which 
was  the  2d  of  September,  1798,  and  the  21st  of 
October,  1799,  days  on  which  earthquakes  were 
felt. 

When  during  winter  there  is  wind  with  the 
rain  during  the  night,  the  mornings  are  less  hot, 
and  whenever  the  rain  is  preceded  by  violent 
claps  of  thunder  during  the  day,  which  is  gene- 
rally the  case  in  that  season,  the  evenings  are 
not  so  hot.  When  the  rain  is  neither  preceded 
by  thunder  nor  followed  by  wind,  the  atmo- 
sphere is  heavy  and  the  heat  violent.  Finally,  in 
a  few  leagues  circumference,  the  heat  varies  seve- 
ral degrees,  according  to  the  elevation  of  the 
place  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  its  exposure : 
this  difference  is  especially  perceptible  in  the 
spring. 

The  hygrometrical  constitution  of  Trinidad 
experiences  great  variations  from  one  season  to 
another.  During  the  rainy  season,  the  hygro- 
meter is  usually  between  85°  and  90° ;  but  in  the 
spring  it  remains  generally  between  36°  and  38° 
in  the  day  time,  and  60°  at  night. 

There  falls  at  Trinidad  annually  on  an  average 
about  sixty-two  inches  of  water  during  the  win- 
ter, and  about  eight  or  nine  inches* in  the  spring, 


310  DEW*, 

including  the  dews*;  for  it  scarcely  ever  rains  from 
the  end  of  December  until  the  end  of  May.  Hav- 
ing said  that  the  rains  diminish  with  the  storms 
and  the  heat,  from  the  end  of  October,  I  should  add 
that  those  October  rains  are  very  gentle ;  in  No- 
vember, when  the  cool  season  begins,  they  become 
every  day  less  frequent  and  more  slight.  From 
the  end  of  December  until  the  beginning  of  June, 
of  some  years,  there  does  not  fall  a  drop  of  water 
during  the  day. 

The  old  people  in  Trinidad  assert  that  it  rained 
much  more  previous  to  the  year  1783,  in  which 
the  draining  and  clearing  the  lands  commenced. 
It  is  certain-  that  the  river  San  Joseph,  which 
runs  into  the  Caroni,  was  navigable  thirty  years 
ago,  as  far  as  below  the  town.  And  I,  who 
frequented  or  inhabited  the  island  for  about  fif- 
teen years,  have  remarked  that  the  rivers  which 
run  towards  the  west,  had  much  less  water  in 
1806  than  in  1791,  whilst  those  of  the  east  and 


*  Struck  with  the  quantity  of  dew  that  falls  every  night  at 
Trinidad,  in  December,  1799,  I  placed  on  a  plank,  in  my  sa- 
vanna, fifty  sponges  each  night,  from  the  2d  of  December  to  the 
1st  of  May,  1800;  every  morning  I  wrung  out  the  water  which 
had  been  absorbed  by  the  sponges,  and  I  caused  to  be  evaporated 
in  a  oucurbite  what  might  have  remained  in  them.  I  put  this 
water  in  large  bottles,  and  emptied  it  from  time  to  time  into  the 
bucket  which  served  for  measuring  the  rain ;  and  I  believe,  as 
did  also  a  person  who  assisted  me  to  make  this  experiment,  how- 
ever clumsy  it  was,  that  the  dew  which  had  fallen  in  those  five 
months,  was  equal  to  six  inches  of  rain. 


MOUNTAINS.  311 

north  appear  not  to  be  diminished;  no  doubt 
because  the  clearing  and  cultivation  have  not 
destroyed  the  forests  there,  as  in  the  western 
parts. 

The  vicinity  of  the  humid  continent  of  Gui- 
ana explains  why  the  falls  of  rain  are  as  great 
at  Trinidad  as  in  Martinico,  Guadaloupe,  and 
the  greater  part  of  the  Antilles,  which  have  rar 
ther  large  mountains  in  all  their  length,  the  di- 
rection of  which  seems  to  have  been  regulated 
according  to  the  predominant  winds,  and  whose 
pointed  summits  act  as  conductors  to  the  atmo- 
spheric electricity  attracting  its  vapours.  Trini- 
dad, on  the  contrary,  has  a  chain  of  mountains 
but  little  elevated,  on  its  northern  coast,  a  group 
of  hills  towards  the  center,  and  a  chain  of  downs 
on  the  south-west  coast.  The  tops  of  those  hills 
are  flat  or  rounded,  though  generally  their  sides 
are  more  steep  than  those  of  the  mountains  of 
Martinico  and  the  Caribbean  Islands. 

With  the  rainy  season  begins  the  inundation  of 
the  Orinoco,  which  continues  increasing  from  the 
end  of  April  to  the  end  of  August.  In  Septem- 
ber its  waters  are  at  their  greatest  height :  it  has 
then  risen  from  thirty-nine  to  forty-one  feet  above 
its  level  when  the  waters  are  lowest.  Its  banks 
are  covered,  and  the  chief  part  of  the  Guaraouns 
islets  are  immersed.  In  October  the  river  begins 
to  decrease  regularly,  until  the  month  of  March, 
when  its  waters  are  at  the  lowest  ebb ;  those  fluc- 
tuations are  regular  and  invariable. 


312  ORINOCO* 

"  During  the  five  months  in  which  the  increase 
of  the  river  continues,"  says  Raynal,  "  the  hemi- 
sphere of  the  new  world  presents  seas  only,  and 
scarcely  any  land  to  the  perpendicular  action  of 
the  sun's  rays :  during  the  six  months  following 
the  decrease  of  the  river,  the  immense  continent 
of  America  alone  presents  itself  to  the  same  action ; 
the  sea  is  then  less  subject  to  the  active  influence 
of  the  sun,  or  its  movement  to  the  eastern  side 
is  counter-balanced  and  interrupted  in  a  greater 
degree  by  the  land;  it  ought,  in  consequence,  to 
leave  a  greater  liberty  to  the  course  of  rivers, 
which  in  that  case,  not  being  so  much  counter- 
acted by  the  sea,  can  be  increased  only  by  the 
melting  of  the  snow  on  the  Southern  Cordilleras, 
or  by  the  rains.  It  is,  perhaps,  also  the  increase 
of  the  rains  which  determines  that  of  the  Orinoco, 
as  Gumila,  who  seems  to  have  observed  this  phe- 
nomenon, attentively  supposes.  When  an  en- 
lightened nation,"  continues  Raynal,  "  shall  have 
studied  the  shores  of  the  Orinoco,  the  phenome- 
non of  its  increase  will  be  investigated  as  it  de- 
serves to  be." 

It  appears  to  me  that  this  phenomenon  might 
be  explained  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner.  The 
rains  are  not  the  first  and  only  cause  of  the  in- 
crease of  the  Orinoco  ;  it  increases  obviously 
before  the  commencement  of  the  rains,  and  the 
melting  of  the  snows  in  the  Cordilleras  of  Bo- 
gota, and  the  ranges  of  mountains  proceeding  from 
them,  is  no  doubt  the  principal  cause. 


DRY  SEASON.  313 

Tides. 

The  tides  are  neither  very  perceptible  or  re- 
gular on  the  coast  from  Cape  de  Paria,  outside 
the  gulf  which  bears  that  name,  to  Cape  de  la 
Vela*  This  is  not  the  case  in  going  from  Cape  de 
Paria  towards  the  mouth  of  the  Amazons.  I 
have  not  been  able  to  make  observations  suffici- 
ently exact  and  minute,  to  determine  the  height 
of  the  tides  and  their  periods.  Still  the  configura- 
tion of  the  coasts,  and  the  resistance  which  they 
oppose  to  the  sea*  and  the  waters  which  run  in 
the  immense  rivers  of  South  America,  greatly  mo- 
dify the  action  of  the  tides.  They  rise  to  six  or 
seven  feet  in  the  Gulf  of  Paria  during  the  equi- 
noxes; and  in  the  same  times,  the  Guarapiche 
may  be  ascended  from  the  Horquetta  as  far  as 
San  Bonifacio,  by  aid  of  a  tide  that  raises  the 
water  as  much  as  six  feet.  But  at  San  Thome 
de  Angostura,  on  the  Orinoco,  the  tide  scarcely 
rises  ten  inches. 

M •  de  Humboldt  depicts  the  dry  season  as  a 
horrible  time  in  Guiana,  and  the  commencement 
of  the  rainy  season  as  the  regeneration  of  nature. 
His  "  Pictures  of  Nature,"  written  with  energy 
and  eloquence,  should  be  read  in  order  to  form 
an  idea  of  the  return  of  vegetable  nature  on  the 
recurrence  of  the  rains ;  when  a  kind  of  resurrec- 
tion of  crocodiles  and  monstrous  reptiles  seems 
to  take  place.  The  anxiety  and  ardour  with  which 
multitudes  of  horses,  oxen,  wild  asses  and  fero- 
cious animals  come  panting  from  the  burning 


14  NOXIOUS    INSECTS. 

desart,  to  quench  their  thirst  on  the  return  of  the 
rains  is  truly  singular.  I  have  seen  those  animals 
bound  and  plunge  into  the  marshes  with  so  much 
avidity,  and  drink  such  a  quantity  of  water,  that 
from  an  appearance  of  extreme  leanness,  they 
seemed  to  become  as  it  were  dropsical,  and  died 
floating  on  the  water  in  a  few  hours. 

The  effect  is,  however,  different  in  some  parts 
of  Guiana :  in  those  which  are  fanned  and  refreshed 
by  the  sea  breezes,  the  dry  season  or  spring  is  a 
delightful  period,  while,  on  the  contrary,  the 
rainy  season  is  hotter  and  less  healthy.  Such  is  the 
climate  of  Cayenne,  Surinam,  Berbice,  Demerara, 
Essequibo,  of  the  countries  situated  between  this 
river  and  the  Orinoco,  and  from  the  Orinoco,  con- 
tinuing along  the  coast,  as  far  as  the  lake  or  Medi- 
terranean of  Maracaybo.  Before  Dutch  Guiana, 
and  Demerara  were  cleared,  says  Bolingbroke, 
who  has  given  a  very  interesting  description  of 
those  places,  torrents  of  rain  used  to  fall.  Since 
cultivation  has  increased  the  seasons  are  more 
regular,  and  the  rains  less  abundant.  They  have 
two  wet  and  two  dry  seasons.  The  first  take  place 
during  December,  January  and  February,  after-, 
wards  in  June,  July,  and  August.  The  rest  of  the 
year  composes  the  dry  seasons.  In  the  rainy 
season  the  thermometer  is  in  general  lower  than 
in  the  others.  The  land  winds  prevail,  and  are 
deemed  unwholesome;  musquitos  fill  the  apart- 
ments and  are  very  annoying  ;  to  such  a  degree, 
indeed,  that  the  planter  who  clears  a  new  planta- 


HURRICANES.  316 

tion,  is  obliged  to  live  in  smoke,  in  order  to  obtain 
some  repese  at  night :  the  sting  of  those  insects 
and  their  buzzing  are  insupportable,  while  the 
remedy  of  the  smoke  is  no  less  so.  It  is  known  that 
by  burning  camphor  most  insects  are  destroyed: 
it  was  in  Sweden  this  t  experiment  was  first  tried* 
Perhaps  that  drug  ought  to  be  substituted,  or  some 
other  vapour  equally  destructive.  The  dry  sea- 
son, says  the  same  writer,  in  speaking  of  the  colo- 
nies of  Demerara  and  Essequibo,  is  most  beau- 
tiful ;  an  azure  sky  continues  the  whole  day,  and 
at  the  east  even  from  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
occasioned  by  a  slow  and  gradual  twilight.  In 
the  evening  at  six  o'clock  the  sun  sets  in  an  in- 
stant, and  leaves  the  whole  country  in  sudden 
darkness.  This  difference,  which  is  very  striking, 
proceeds  probably  from  the  sun  rising  over  the 
sea,  where  its  rays  traverse  a  humid  and  very 
cooling  atmosphere,  whilst,  on  the  contrary,  it 
sets  behind  high  mountains,  the  shadow  of  which 
has  defined  limits.  The  greatest  heat,  which  is 
from  seven  to  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  can 
hardly  be  borne :  at  ten  o'clock  the  sea  breeze 
commences,  and  restores  nature  to  life:  it  in- 
creases until  evening,  and  diminishes  towards  ten 
o'clock  at  night. 

It  is  in  the  month  of  August  that  the  hurricanes 
begin  in  the  West  Indies,  but  Guiana  is  little 
exposed  to  that  scourge;  it  is  there  limited  to  a 
few  gusts  of  wind,  which  merely  overthrow  some 
fields  of  plantains  or  bananas.  Clouds  accumulate 


316  INSALUBRITY. 

to  the  south,  thunder  roars,  and  towards  the  close 
of  the  day  some  lightnings  flash  in  the  horizon 
to  the  south  or  south-westward. 

The  length  of  the  days  is  thirteen  hours,  and 
increases  to  fourteen.  Little  variation  is  observed 
during  the  year ;  otherwise  the  climate  presents 
more  variety  than  might  be  supposed.  During 
the  dry  season,  which  is  considered  the  warmest, 
the  thermometer,  near  the  sea,  varies  from  84°  to 
90°  of  Farenheit.  Twenty  miles  in  the  interior, 
at  the  hottest  time  of  the  year,  it  seldom  passes  80°, 
and  at  night  it  descends  to  50°  or  60°. 

The  mornings  are  extremely  cool,  and  accom- 
panied with  very  heavy  dews.  This  circumstance, 
joined  to  the  stagnant  waters  and  marshy  plains, 
renders  the  interior  of  the  country  very  insalu- 
brious to  Europeans.  The  natives,  on  the  con- 
trary, by  the  effect  of  habit,  enjoy  very  good 
health,  and  are  subject  to  few  diseases.  This 
climate  has  often  been  called  unhealthy,  but  I  have 
not  found  it  so.  In  the  excursions  that  I  made 
by  water  to  Essequibo  and  Berbice,  where  business 
required  my  presence,  I  hate  been  frequently 
wetted  through,  even  three  times  in  twenty-four 
hours,  and  have  suffered  my  clothes  to  dry  on  me, 
without  experiencing  any  injury.  It  is  not  that 
I  would  advise  new  comers  to  repeat  this  experi- 
ment; necessity  alone  obliged  me  to  expose  my- 
self to  it,  but  temperance  is  the  best  preservative. 
It  is  indispensable,  and  ought  to  be  recommended 
to  all  those  who  arrive  in  the  West  Indies,  to  take 


PRECAUTIONS.  317 

i 

some  cooling  medicines,  also  to  avoid  carefully  the 
fogs,  the  night  air,  and  above  all  the  sun,  which 
gives  a  fever  to  those  who  expose  themselves  to  it 
incautiously. 

Such  are  the  climate  and  temperature  of  Gui- 
ana, or  that  immense  tract  of  country  situated 
between  the  Orinoco  and  Amazons.  Prom  the 
left  bank  of  the  Orinoco,  as  far  as  Cape  de  la  Vela, 
(a  rugged  and  mountainous  country,)  the  climate 
is  more  varied,  and  more  or  less  cool,  according 
.to  the  elevation  of  the  places;  damp,  hot  and  un- 
healthy in  the  narrow  vallies,  where  there  are  stag- 
nant waters;  hot,  dry  and  very  salubrious  in  plains 
watered  by  rapid  rivers :  such  is,  in  general,  the 
climate  of  Cumana,  the  Egypt  of  South  America. 

The  climate  of  Trinidad  differs  from  that  of 
those  two  countries,  to  which  it  serves  as  a  kind 
of  limit,  inasmuch  as  it  is  less  moist  than  Guiana, 
and  not  so  dry  as  Cumana.  Being  an  island,  the 
winds  are  more  constant,  and  renew  its  atmosphere 
continually. 

The  winter  or  rainy  season  begins  there,  as 
already  stated,  in  June,  and  ends  in  October  as  in 
all  the  islands  of  the  Caribbean  sea.  But  there 
is  very  little  rain,  sometimes  none,  in  June,  though 
the  return  of  the  heat  is  invariable  from  the  end 
of  May.  With  November  begins  the  delight- 
ful season:  it  is  then  that  the  east  and  north- 
easterly winds  blow  :  those  currents  of  air  come 
from  the  cold  regions  of  North  America,  probably 
because  the  laws  of  equilibrium  require  that  the 


318  RAINY     SEASON. 

cold  and  dense  air  of  the  north  should  fill  the 
place  left  for  it  by  the  dilation  of  the  hot  and 
light  air  of  the  tropics.  During  this  spring 
the  thermometer  is  usually,  in  the  day  time,  at 
80  degrees  of  Farenheit,  and  during  the  night 
it  falls  to  60%  and  sometimes  even  to  60°  in  toler- 
ably elevated  spots.  There  are  many  charming 
situations  at  Trinidad,  where  even  during  win- 
ter, the  thermometer  seldom  rises  in  the  day 
higher  than  82°,  falling  to  70°  in  the  night.  Such 
are  the  hills  or  elevations  situated  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  vallies  watered  by  rapid  rivers,  and 
where  there  is  constantly  a  current  of  fresh  air. 
The  vallies  of  Santa  Anna,  of  Maraval,  Diego 
Martin,  Aricagua,  and  the  heights  of  St.  Joseph 
to  the  north-west,  as  also  the  vallies  on  the  north- 
ern coast,  enjoy  a  very  mild  temperature.  Those 
who  have  the  advantage  of  inhabiting  houses  built 
on  the  hills,  at  the  opening  of  a  valley,  breathe 
during  almost  the  whole  year  a  fresh,  pure,  and 
very  elastic  air. 

The  effects  produced  by  the  simultaneous  action 
of  the  evaporation  of  rains,  dews  and  winds,  is 
the  great  source  of  this  coolness;  the  animal 
body  which  perspires,  and  the  body  surrounded 
with  aqueous  vapours,  whether  naturally  or  arti* 
ficially,  experiences  a  lesser  degree  of  heat  than 
the  thermometer  which  neither  transpires  nor 
evaporates. 

For  instance,  when  the  thermometer  marks  80° 
and  even  84°  of  Farenheit,  let  dinner  be  served  in 


HEALTHINESS.  319 

a  room  well  aired,  the  meat  will  be  cool  in  an 
instant:  when,  at  the  same  moment,  if  the  ther- 
mometer be  surrounded  by  gas  imbibed  with  water, 
it  will  in  some  minutes  after  descend  two,  three, 
and  four  degrees,  according  to  the  proportion  of 
coolness  in  the  prevailing  wind. 

It  is  according  to  this  principle  that  very  cold 

liquids  are  obtained  by  suspending  the  bottles  in 

bags  saturated  with  water,  in  a  current  of  air,  also 

by  putting  water  into  small  vessels  of  half  baked 

lay.  .  ^ 

It  should  not  therefore  be  supposed  that  in  thfe 
tropical  climates,  bodies  experience  the  same 
degree  of  heat  as  in  Europe,  in  an  equal  degree  to 
what  the  thermometer  marks.  In  those  climates 
bodies  transpire  more  freely  from  the  above- 
mentioned  causes,  and  consequently  disengage  a 
greater  quantity  of  animal  heat.  I  have  perceiv- 
ed in  my  own  person  that  I  felt  much  less  heat, 
after  I  had  adopted  the  custom  of  wearing  flannel 
waistcoats  next  my  skin.  The  gradual  perspira- 
tion they  maintain,  and  the  coolness  produced  by 
that  perspiration,  are  some  of  the  surest  means  of 
preserving  health  in  a  climate,  of  which  Euro- 
peans who  have  not  resided  in  it  form  very  false 
notions. 

There  is  no  country  in  the  world  which  presents 
a  more  healthy  old  age  than  the  Antilles,  or  any 
that  is  more  exempt  from  gout,  sciatica,  loss  of 
senses  or  the  faculties,  together  with  the  dismal 
train  of  physical  evils  incident  to  cold  climates. 


390  THE  STARS. 

Dews. 

The  abundant  dews  which  fall  every  night  in 
Trinidad,  are  the  pri  ncipal  cause  of  the  great 
variations  in  the  hygrometer.  A  part  of  them 
is,  no  doubt,  produced  by  the  waters  of  the 
island  and  the  surrounding  sea ;  but  it  is  the  adja- 
cent continent  of  Guiana,  its  marshes,  and  great 
rivers,  which  refresh  the  island  with  these  abun- 
dant dews.  Trinidad  is  generally  without  rain* 
from  December  until  the  end  of  June.  Still, 
during  that  season,  the  vegetables  are  every  morn- 
ing soaked  with  water,  as  if  there  had  been  re- 
freshing rain.  Without  this  beneficent  dew,  the 
island  would  be  sterile,  and  its  climate  excessively 
hot.  The  ground,  which  is  found  in  constant 
effervescence,  communicates  a  vigour  to  vegeta- 
tion, raises  large  trees  to  a  great  height,  and  gives 
them  a  luxuriancy  of  which  no  description  can 
afford  a  just  idea  to  the  European  who  has  not 
visited  those  regions. 

The  most  beautiful  part  of  the  southern  celes- 
tial hemisphere,  which  comprehends  the  Centaur, 
Argo,  and  Gross,  is  always  hidden  from  the  in- 
habitants of  Europe.  It  is  only  under  the  equator 
that  the  magnificent  spectacle  is  to  be  enjoyed, 
of  seeing  at  the  same  time  all  the  stars  of  the  two 
celestial  hemispheres.  Some  of  our  northern 
constellations,  such  as  the  Great  and  Little  Bear, 
on  account  of  their  depth  in  the  horizon,  appear 
of  an  astonishing  size. 


SKETCH   OF    TRINIDAD.  321 


CHAP.  VII. 


Historical  Sketch  of  Trinidad. — Its  Discovery. — First  Establishment 
of  the  Spaniards. — Sir  Walter  Raleigh's  Visit  to  the  Island. — His 
Treaty  with  the  Indians,  and  Attack  on  San  Joseph. — Eulogiura  on 
the  Soil  and  Climate  of  Venezuela. — Blind  Policy  of  Spain. — Pro- 
ject of  M.  de  Saint  Laurent. — Change  in  the  Island's  Condition.— 
Rapid  Increase  of  its  Population. — Don  Joseph  Chacon. — His  Po- 
licy.— Port  Spain.— French  Refugees. — Inhabitants  in  1797. — First 
Sugar  Plantation.— Capture  of  the  Island  by  Sir  Ralph  Abercrom-  ' 
bie. — Progressive  State  of  Population,  Agriculture,  and  Commerce 
between  1783  and  1807. 


The  Island  of  Trinidad  was  discovered  by 
Christopher  Columbus,  on  the  31st  July,  1498, 
and  during  his  third  voyage  to  the  new  world. 
According  to  some  historians  he  gave  it  the 
name  of  Trinidad,  whilst  he  was  yet  distant  thir- 
teen leagues  ■  to  the  south-east  of  it,  from  the 
three  tops  of  mountains  which  are  seen  in  that 
situation  at  sea?  and  according  to  Herrera  he 
named  it  thus  in  honour  of  the  Holy  Trinity. 

Nevertheless  this  island  did  not  fix  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Spaniards  until  the  close  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  if  an  historical  monument  pre- 
served in  the  church  of  St.  Josef  de  Orufia  may 
be  believed.  According  to  this  chronicle,  it  ap- 
pears that  they  preceded  their  establishment  in  the 


322  RALBIOH. 

commencement  of  the  year  1688,  by  the  almost 
general  destruction  of  the  Indians.  Most  of 
those  who  escaped  the  proscription,  found  a 
slower  and  more  horrible  fate  in  the  works  of 
the  mines.  Some,  however,  owed  their  lives  to 
the  paternal  and  courageous  care  of  the  apostle 
of  the  new  world,  the  virtuous  Las  Casas. 

The  labours  of  the  Indians  soon  fertilized  the 
land  of  which  they  had  been  masters  for  the 
benefit  of  their  conquerors.  Some  negroes  were 
afterwards  taken  there,  and  united  in  the  work 
.of  the  natives. 

Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  who  visited  Trinidad  when- 
attracted  by  the  chimera  of  El  Dorado  in  1593, 
relates  that  the  inhabitants  then  cultivated  excel- 
lent tobacco  and  the  sugar  cane.  The  Spaniards 
assured  him,  that  the  rivers  were  full  of  gold  dust.* 


*  It  seems  that  Raleigh,  who  in  common  with  all  the  histo- 
rians of  his  day  was  fond  of  the  marvellous,  believed  in  the  absurd 
fable  of  El  Dorado,  and  perhaps  ashamed  of  being  laughed  at  on  his 
return,  he  was  determined  to  present  the  government  and  people 
of  England  with  some  story,  which  should  give  a  colour  of  pro- 
bability to  the  existence  of  such  a  place,  hence  the  wonders 
related  about  the  capital  of  Guyana. 

"  The  empire  of  Guyana,1'  observes  Sir  Walter, c4  is  directly 
to  the  eastward  of  Peru  towards  the  sea :  it  is  situated  under  the 
equinoctial  line,  and  possesses  more  gold  than  any  part  of  Peru. 
It  has  more  great  cities  than  Peru  ever  had  in  its  most  flourish- 
ing state.  This  country  is  governed  by  the  same  laws:  the 
emperor  and  the  people  profess  the  same  religion;  the  same 
police  and  form  of  government  which  were  .observed  in  Peru, 
without  any  difference  whatever.    Such  of  the  Spaniards  as  have 


CAPTAIN    DUDLEY.  323 

On  his  return  to  Trinidad  from  exploring  the 
Orinoco,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  made  a  treaty  with 
the  savages,  who  were  then  mortal  enemies  of  the 


seen  Manoa,  the  capital  city  of  Guyana,  which  the  Spaniards 
call  £1  Dorado,  assert  that,  by  size,  riches  and  admirable 
situation,  it  surpasses  all  the  cities  in  the  world,  known  to 
the  Spanish  nation.  It  is  built  in  a  lake  of  salt-water,  of  about 
two  hundred  leagues  in  length,  very  similar  to  the  Caspian  sea : 
if  we  compare  this  capital  to  that  of  Peru,  and  refer,  in  regard 
to  the  latter,  to  the  accounts  of  Francisco  Lopez  and  others,  this 
recital  appears  to  us  very  probable." 

The  picture  drawn  by  Captain  Dudley,  who  asoended  the 
Orinoco  still  higher  than  his  companions,  is  no  less  flattering, 
though  perhaps  infinitely  nearer  the  truth.  "  On  climbing  the 
hills  nearest  the  banks,11  says  he,  "  we  contemplated  that  asto- 
nishing mass  of  waters  which  falls  into  the  Caroni,  and  observed 
how  it  divides  itself  into  three  portions  at  more  than  twenty  miles 
distance.  Ten  or  twelve  falls  presented  themselves  one  above 
the  other,  eaoh  the  height  of  a  steeple,  dashing  and  dispersing, 
by  the  breaking  of  the  waters,  a  thin  rain  around,  which  we  at 
first  mistook  for  the  smoke  of  a  great  city. 

"  I  have  never  seen  a  more  beautiful  country,  or  views  so 
picturesque:  hills  rose  from  the  bosoms  of  rallies;  the  river 
meandered  over  the  plain  in  many  branches.  There  were  to  be 
seen  vast  plains  free  from  woods,  a  green  and  thick  grass,  a* soil 
of  firm  sand  convenient  for  walking  on  foot,  or  riding ;  deer  run- 
ning along  the  paths  under  our  eyes ;  the  birds  towards  evening 
filling  the  air  with  their  various  warblings ;  scorks  and  herons, 
some  white,  and  others  crimson  or  scarlet,  wandered  over  the 
banks  of  the  river ;  the  air  was  refreshed  by  the  blowing  of  the 
easterly  wind.  Every  pebble  that  we  picked  up,  appeared  to 
promise  us,  by  its  colour,  mines  of  gold  and  silver.11  (See  Hak- 
luyt's  Collection,  Vol.  III.  Quarto  Edition.)  The  foregoing 
picture  is  by  no  means  exaggerated,  according  to  all  the  accounts 
received  from  those  who  have  lately  proceeded  to  San  Thome  de 
Angostura  by  water. — Ed. 

y  2 


324  BEAUTY    OF   CLIMATE. 

Spaniards,  and  marched  with  them  against  the 
town  of  St.  Josef,  which  was  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment. He  took  the  fort  by  assault,  put  the  gar- 
rison of  thirty  men  to  the  sword,  and  made  a 
prisoner  of  Berreo,  the  governor,  who  he  repre- 
sents as  a  man  of  noble  birth,  but  detested  by 
the  Indians. 

But  that  which  is  neither  fabulous  or  romantic, 
is  the  beauty  of  the  climate,  its  fine  rivers,  and 
enchanting  situations  ;  a  gigantic  and  magnifi- 
cent vegetation,  compared  to  which  the  largest 
trees  in  Europe  would  appear  stunted  shrubs,  and 
our  most  beautiful  flowers  seem  languishing  and 
faded  ;  that  earth  so  fruitful,  where  the  children 
of  nature  gather  without  labour  the  most  succu- 
lent and  nourishing  roots  and  exquisite  fruits, 
whilst  the  forests,  rivers  and  sea  present  them  with 
abundant  and  solid  food.  Such  is  the  true  natural 
riches  of  nearly  all  the  country  situated  between 
the  Amazons  and  Orinoco,  also  of  Trinidad,  which 
•is  the  same  in  miniature. 

•The  Jesuit  Gumilla  pretends,  it  is  true,  that  the 
land  had  become  sterile,  since  the  inhabitants 
refused  to  pay  tythes.  But,  fortunately,  that 
sterility  never  existed,  except  in  the  imagination 
of  the  Jesuit ;  and  those  who  have  written  on 
this  island  after  him,  speak  with  delight  of  the 
fertility  of  its  soil,  its  forests  of  palm,  cocoa-nut 
and  cocoa  trees,  of  its  hedges  of  citrons  and 
lemons.  Its  beautiful  sky,  added  to  the  fecun- 
dity of  the  soil,  has  justly  obtained  for  it  the  name 
of  the  Indian  Paradise. 


SAINT    LAURENT.  325 

*  The  neglect  of  the  mother  country  was  more 
fatal  to  the  colony  than  the  anger  of  the  monks. 
Either  the  Spanish  government  did  not  know  the 
value  of  this  possession,  or  affairs  of  greater 
importance  occupied  its  attention,  for  it  paid 
none  whatever  to  this  island.  Its  population  and 
trade  were  almost  extinguished.  In  short,  about 
thirty  year*  ago,  the  colony  only  contained  a  few 
hundred  inhabitants,  Creoles,  Mulattos,  and  In- 
dians. All  its  trade  consisted  in  barters  of  cocoa 
and  indigo  for  coarse  cloths  and  implements  of 
agriculture,  which  were  brought  to  it  by  the 
smugglers  of  St.  Eustatia.  When  circumstances 
caused  it  to  rise  from  this  state  of  languor,  in 
1783,  a  planter  named  Saint  Laurent,  who  re- 
sided in  Grenada,  visited  [Trinidad  from  a  taste 
for  natural  history,  and  perhaps  also  from  his 
restless  and  enterprizing  disposition.  If  the  fer- 
tility of  the  soil,  the  abundance  and  variety  of 
the  vegetables  of  the  island  charmed  him,  he 
was  no  less  struck  with  the  political  importance 
of  its  situation,  which,  by  means  of  a  few  troops 
might  secure  to  its  possessor  the  exclusive  trade 
of  the  vast  territory  bordering  on  the  Orinoco. 

Full  of  this  idea,  and  of  the  hope  of  making 
a  large  fortune,  Saint  Laurent  resolved  to  en- 
lighten the  Spanish  government  as  to  its  true 
interests.  He  went  to  Madrid  in  consequence, 
saw  the  ministers,  and  succeeded  in  fixing  their 
attention  on  Trinidad.  It  must,  however,  be 
allowed,  that  the  political  events  of  which  the 


326  WISE    REGULATIONS. 

new  world  had  recently  been  the  theatre,  contri- 
buted not  a  little  to  the  success  of  his  project. 

The  revolution  in  North  America,  terminating 
in  a  glorious  peace,  had  given  a  dreadful  lesson 
to  parent  states.  They  feared  that  other  colo- 
nies would  imitate  that  example  ;  and  those  fears 
were  felt,  above  all,  by  the  court  of  Madrid, 
whose  colonial  system  was  a  masterpiece  of 
tyranny  and  oppression. 

However  it  might  have  been,  the  Council  of 
Indies  occupied  itself  seriously  with  the  plans 
of  Saint  Laurent ;  it  relieved  the  colonies  from 
several  obstacles  which  embarrassed  their  agri- 
culture and  commerce;  and  Trinidad,  so  long 
neglected  by  the  government,  was  treated  like  a 
favourite  child. 

An  edict  issued  from  that  council  in  1783,  per- 
mitted all  foreigners  professing  the  Roman  Ca- 
tholic religion,  to  establish  themselves  in  this 
colony.  It  protected  at  the  same  time,  for  a 
period  of  five  years,  those  new  inhabitants  from 
debts  contracted  in  the  countries  they  had  quit- 
ted. It  invited,  in  short,  all  the  traders  and  navi- 
gators of  the  nations  which  were  at  peace  with 
Spain,  to  frequent  the  island,  placing  but  a  few 
restrictions  on  its  commerce,  which  could  be 
easily  eluded. 

Saint  Laurent  visited  the  principal  commercial 
cities  of  France  and  Spain  at  his  own  expence, 
to  induce  the  merchants  to  make  advances  to  the 
colonists  of  Trinidad.     He  even  persuaded  many 


POPULATION.  327 

persons  who  led  the  most  inactive  lives  at  Bour- 
deaux  and  Paris,  to  emigrate  to  that  island  with 
their  property,  and  nearly  all  those  who  followed 
his  advice,  have  become  wealthy  proprietors. 

Spain  was  not  long  in  reaping  the  fruits  of  this 
wise  measure.  Crowds  of  new  colonists  were  soon 
seen  coming  from  Europe  and  the  British  and 
French  possessions,  thus  bringing  their  industry 
and  capitals,  also  a  great  number  of  agents,  who, 
after  having  dilapidated  the  plantations  they  had 
directed,  came  to  enjoy  in  this  island  the  fruits  of 
their  rapine,  by  favour  of  the  edict  which  guaran- 
teed them  against  any  process  for  five  years.  It 
should  be  remarked  that  this  decree,  contrary  to 
the  laws  of  nations,  was  religiously  maintained 
by  the  court  of  Madrid,  in  spite  of  the  remon- 
strances and  complaints  of  the  British  government 
in  1791. 

The  inhabitants  increased  so  rapidly,  that  six 
years  after  the  publication  of  the  above  edict, 
there  were  reckoned  in  this  colony  two  thousand 
one  hundred  and  fifty-one  whites,  four  thousand 
four  hundred  and  sixty-seven  people  of  colour,  ten 
thousand  one  hundred  negroes,  and  two  thousand 
two  hundred  Indians,  which  form  a  total  of 
eighteen  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
inhabitants,  an  unexampled  instance  of  such  a  pro- 
digious increase  in  so  short  a  space  of  time  in 
America. 

Still  it  may  be  easily  conceived  that  this  mix- 
ture of  people  of  all  nations  and  colours,  contain- 


928  A   GOVBBAOB. 

ed  the  germs  of  the  vilest  pawjooi,  It 
highly  necessary  that  there  should  he  a  firm  and 
enlightened  government  to  repress  so  many  im- 
moral beings,  and  oblige  them  to  contribute  to 
the  prosperity  of  the  colony.  Spain  found  a  fit 
person  in  Don  Josef  Chacon,  a  naval  captain, 
who  was  appointed  governor  of  the  island,  a 
short  time  after  the  edict  was  issued,  from  which 
its  colonization  may  be  dated. 

Endowed  with  more  cunning  and  prudence, 
than  firmness,  he  joined  experience  to  a  complete 
knowledge  of  government,  and  a  refined  taste 
for  the  arts  and  sciences.  The  new  governor 
employed  his  talents  with  success  to  fulfil  the 
duties  of  his  office,  giving  a  political  and  commer- 
cial importance  to  this  country,  worthy  of  its  geo- 
graphical position. 

Having  succeeded  in  preventing  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Inquisition  in  his  colony,  and  sending 
the  monks  out  of  it,  in  consequence  of  their  disso- 
lute manners  and  intolerant  spirit,  which  had  hin- 
dered great  numbers  from  settling  in  the  island, 
Chacon  placed  Don  Josef  Angeles,  at  the  head  of 
his  clergy,  an  enlightened  and  liberal  ecclesiastic, 
who  died  of  grief,  in  1807,  a  victim  to  the  re- 
venge of  his  enemies. 

Foreigners  who  visited  Trinidad,  met  the  most 
flattering  reception  from  Chacon :  he  even  took 
upon  himself  to  give  more  liberty  to  commerce 
than  was  granted  in  the  edict;  and  the  merchants 
found  both  freedom  and  safety  for  their  specula- 


INGRATITUDE.  329 

tions  under  his  government.  The  new  colonists 
received  grants  of  fertile  lands,  and  the  governor 
made  them  advances  from  the  royal  treasure  to 
purchase  cattle  and  implements  of  husbandry. 

This  distinguished  character,  the  founder  of  a 
colony,  was  lately  a  memorable  instance  of  the 
ingratitude  of  mankind.  He  lived  in  poverty, 
and  on  the  benefactions  of  a  friend,  at  an  obscure 
village  in  Spain ;  and,  strange  fatality !  sacrificed 
to  the  fanatical  hatred  of  some  French  anarchists, 
whom  he  had  formerly  enriched  by  his  bounty !! 
*  The  encouragements  granted  to  commerce  and 
agriculture,  soon  changed  the  face  of  the  island  ; 
and  where  a  short  time  before  only  some  miser- 
able huts  of  fishermen,  covered  with  palm  leaves 
were  seen,  there  arose  in  the  short  space  of  four 
years,  a  town  regularly  built,  which  by  the  size 
and  convenience  of  its  port,  and  the  industry  of 
its  inhabitants,  became  one  of  the  most  com- 
mercial in  the  new  world,  justly  meriting  the 
name  of  Port  Spain  from  the  mother  country. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  disturbances  which 
broke  out  in  the  French  colonies,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  revolution,  and  the  violence  of  various 
parties,  alternately  conquerors  and  conquered, 
brought  a  great  number  of  proprietors  from  Mar- 
tinico,  Guadaloupe  and  Saint  Lucia  to  this  island, 
as  also  many  of  the  ancient  French  inhabitants  of 
Grenada  and  Tobago. 

Don  Josef  Chacon  took  advantage  of  those 
events  to  people  his  colony:  he  received  with 


330  SUGAR   PLANTATION. 

equal  attention  all  those  who  brought  either 
capital  or  industry,  without  troubling  himself 
about  their  opinions.  Thus,  in  1796  and  1797,  in 
consequence  of  those  revolutions  which  faction 
alone  can  explain,  this  colony  presented  a  mixture 
of  persons  of  all  parties,  whose  exaggerated  prin- 
ciples had  clashed  reciprocally,  and  caused  their 
ruin.  He  who  sees  with  contempt  and  pity  the 
chimeras  for  which  men  destroy  each  other,  will 
contemplate  with  satisfaction  this  community  of 
persons,  once  ready  for  mutual  immolation,  living 
peaceably  under  a  government  that  protected 
them  all  equally ;  cementing  their  union  by  socie- 
ties of  agriculture  or  commerce,  intermarriages, 
and  giving  themselves  up  with  ardour  to  every 
branch  of  industry.  All  those  causes  combined, 
soon  carried  the  colony  to  the  highest  degree  of 
prosperity. 

In  1787,  M.  de  la  Perouse  established  the  first 
sugar  plantation,  which  was  the  source  of  a  bril- 
liant fortune  for  hinL  and  a  laudable  object  of 
emulation  to  the  other  colonists.  In  1797,  there 
were  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  sugar  plantations; 
of  which  three  had  water-mills,  one  with  a  wind- 
mill, and  a  hundred  and  fifty-five  with  mills 
worked  by  mules,  a  hundred  and  thirty  coffee 
farms,  a  hundred  of  cotton,  and  about  sixty  with 
cocoa:  Therer  were,  besides,  some  small  plantations, 
the  masters  of  which  being  poor,  but  active,  occu- 
pied themselves  in  the  cultivation  of  bananas, 
manioc,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  maize,  Ac.  articles 


A    BRAVE    ADMIRAL.  331 

of  great  consumption  for  the  country,  and  the 
people  employed  by  the  great  planters,  who  were 
wholly  engaged  in  the  growth  of  those  commo- 
dities destined  for  the  European  markets. 

Such  was  the  prosperous  state  of  this  island,  in 
1795 ;  when  the  contentions  in  Europe,  so  disas- 
trous for  the  French  colonies,  where  they  were 
felt  more  or  less  calamitously,  occasioned  an 
augmentation  of  prosperity  to  Trinidad. 

On  the  16th  of  February,  1797,  a  British  squa- 
dron of  four  sail  of  the  line,  under  the  orders  of 
Admiral  Harvey  appeared  off  the  island.  The 
Spanish  Rear-admiral  Apodaca  was  anchored  at 
Chagaramus  with  three  superb  ships  of  the  line, 
(one  of  which  was  a  three-decker,)  and  a  forty  gun 
frigate.  As  soon  as  he  saw  the  British  ships,  he 
set  fire  to  his  own,  and  gallantly  retreated  to  Port 
Spain,  reciting  his  rosary,  and  accompanied  by  a 
band  of  priests  who  followed  his  example.  Arrived 
at  the  governor's  with  his  chaplet  of  beads  in  his 
hand :  "  well,  admiral,  all  is  lost,  as  you  have  burnt 
your  ships,"  said  Chacon  to  him.  "  No,  all  is  not 
lost,"  replied  the  noble  admiral ;  "  I  have  .saved 
the  image  of  San  Jago  of  Campostella,  the  patron 
of  my  ship  and  myself,"  taking  from  his  pocket 
an  image  of  that  saint ! 

General  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie  landed  with 
four  thousand  men,  marched  to  Port  Spain,  fired 
<a  few  discharges  of  cannon,  and  after  a  short  con- 
ference the  governor  capitulated. 


332  population.  &c. 

Progressive  State  of  the  Papulation,  Agrieulinre^ 
and  Commerce  of  Trinidad,  from  1783  to  1807. 

I  have  said  in  another  page  of  this  chapter, 
that  previous  to  the  decree  of  1783,  the  island 
only  contained  a  few  hundred  inhabitants,  Cre- 
ole*, Mulattos,  Indians,  and  Negroes,  This  popu- 
lation was  no  more  in  1783,  than  If 6  whites, 
295  of  colour,  free,  310  slaves,  and  2032  Indians 
of  all  ages,     Total,  2,763. 

Seven  years  after  the  edict,  in  1790,  a  new 
population  had  formed,  of  fraudulent  bankrupts, 
and  dishonest  agents,  as  well  as  a  small  number 
of  estimable  families  from  the  French  and  Eng- 
lish colonies,  and  even  European  French  fami- 
lies, some  of  whom  were  of  distinguished  birth. 

The  troubles  which  at  this  period,  1790,  began 
to  desolate  the  French  colonies,  contributed  to 
the  prosperity  of  Trinidad,  and  soon  gave  it  a 
respectable  population.  It  is  principally  com- 
posed of  French  colonists,  ruined  by  those  trou- 
bles, the  chief  part  of  them  having  brought  no- 
thing* but  their  industry,  and  a  very  small  num- 
ber some  wreck  of  their  property.  From  1790 
to  1797,  they  increased  the  population  from 
10,422  to  18,627  inhabitants.*  In  the  year  pre- 


*  The  official  statements  of  t lie  population  published  by  the 
British  government,  in  179FT  amount  only  to  J 7,7 1 8  inhabitants; 
because  they  were  made  immediately  after  an  emigration  caused 
by  the  conquest  of  the  island. 


AGRICULTURE.  333 

ceding  its  capture,  the  following  produce  was 
collected : 


On  159  sugar  plantations,  7,800  hogsheads. 
On  130  coffee  plantations,  330,000  pounds. 
On  60  cocoa  plantations,  96,000  pounds. 
On  103  cotton  plantations,  224,000  pounds. 

The  tonnage  of  the  shipping  employed  in  this 
trade,  as  also  in  the  contraband  which  the  adja- 
cent continent  carried  on  with  the  island,  had 
been,  on  an  average,  from  1784  to  1797,  from 
7,500  to  8,000  tons. 

If  it  be  considered  that  previous  to  1783,  the 
population  was  only  2,763  individuals,  of  whom 
2,032  were  Indians,  who  never  work,  except  to 
provide  for  their  greatest  wants ;  that  the  obsta- 
cles and  absurd  regulations  before  the  epoch  of 
the  edict  paralized  the  commerce  of  the  Spanish 
colonies ;  that  before  the  year  1783,  a  Dutch  house 
of  St.  Eustatia  carried  on  all  the  commerce  of  the 
colony,  with  a  vessel  of  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
tons,  that  it  sent  there  two  or  three  times  in  the 
year,  and  which  was  sufficient  for  taking  all  the 
articles  they  required  to  the  inhabitants,  and  for 
which  they  gave  in  payment  a  small  portion  of 
cocoa,  vanilla,  indigo,  arnotto,  cotton  and  maize. 
When  it  is  also  recollected  that  the  first  sugar 
plantation  was  established  there  in  1787,  an  idea 
may  be  formed  of  the  prodigious  increase  of  this 
colony,  under  the  prudent  government  of  Don 


334  COMMERCE. 

Joseph  Chacon,  in  the  short  space  of  time  com- 
prised between  1783  and  1797,  when  all  the 
new  colonists  had  made  fortunes  more  or  less 
considerable. 

From  the  conquest  of  the  island,  in  February, 
1797,  until  the  peace  of  Amiens,  in  1802,  the 
population  had  increased  from  18,627  to  24,239 
inhabitants,  and  the  cultivation  as  follows : 

On  192  sugar  plantations,  15,461  hogsheads. 
On  128  coffee  plantations,  358,660  pounds* 
On  57  cocoa  plantations,  97,000  pounds. 
On  101  cotton  plantations,  263,000  pounds. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  in  the  space  of  five  years 
the  cultivation  of  sugar  had  almost  doubled. 
There  may  also  be  observed  a  small  augmenta- 
tion in  the  produce  of  coffee,  cocoa,  and  cotton, 
but  two  coffee,  three  cocoa  and  two  cotton  plan- 
tations less:  it  was  because  the  proprietors  of 
those  plantations  had  found  it  more  profitable  to 
change  them  into  sugar  plantations. 

In  1802,  the  tonnage  of  sixty  vessels  employed 
in  the  commerce  of  Trinidad,  was  about  fifteen 
thousand  tons.  I  suspect  that  the  contraband 
trade  formed  about  two  thirds  of  this  commerce ; 
leaving  a  third  of  the  whole  tonnage  employed 
in  the  trade  of  the  island,  five  thousand  tons. 

Now,  the  tonnage  in  1783,  being  only  one 
hundred  and  fifty  tons,  and  having  increased  in 
1802,  to  five  thousand  tons,  it  is  evident  that  the 
produce  and  resources  of  the  colony  had  increased 


PRODUCTIONS.  336 

in  the  proportion  of  1  to  33i ;  and  that  the  popu- 
lation in  the  same  time  was  augmented  in  the 
proportion  of  1  to  8£. 

The  emigration  which  took  place  from  St.  Do- 
mingo and  the  British  colonies  to  Trinidad,  after 
the  peace  of  Amiens,  had  increased  its  population, 
in  1807,  to  thirty-one  thousand  inhabitants, 
amongst  whom  were  reckoned  twenty-one  thou- 
sand slaves.  There  were  then  two  hundred  and 
fourteen  sugar  plantations,  of  which  nearly  one 
half  made  scarcely  fifty  thousand  pounds  of  sugar 
each,  from  want  of  hands ;  but  there  were  many 
that  made  from  two  to  three  hundred  thousand 
pounds  each.  The  total  quantity  of  sugar  ex- 
ported that  year  from  the  colony  to  England, 
Nova  Scotia,  Canada,  and  the  United  States, 
amounted  to  18,235  hogsheads,  or  21,234,600 
pounds. 

There  were  made  besides,  in  the  same  year, 
1807,  460,000  gallons  of  rum,  100,000  gallons  of 
syrup;f  500,000  pounds  of  coffee,  355,000  pounds 
of  cocoa,  and  800,000  pounds  of  cotton.  Previous 
to  the  rupture  of  the  treaty  of  Amiens,  there  were 
grown  annually,  on  an  average,  from  1,500,000 
to  1,600,000  pounds  of  cotton.  But  the  ruin  of  the 


*  The  hogsheads  whioh  were  used  in  1802,  weighed  only  about 
1200  lbs.  each  ;  since  then  they  have  been  made  to  contain  from 
1400  to  1500  each. 

t  Those  syrups  are  exported  to  the  United  States  and  Canada 
where  they  are  distilled  into  nun. 


936  COMMERCE. 

British  manufactures  having  lowered  two  thirds, 
and  even  three  fourths,  the  price  of  this  article, 
a  great  number  of  colonists  abandoned  the  cultiva- 
tion of  it,  so  much  so  that  in  1810,  there  were 
scarcely  642,000  pounds  gathered. 

In  1809,  there  were  only  8,000,000  pounds 
of  sugar  made,  and  in  1810,  only  4,690,000 
pounds.  If  it  be  observed,  that  this  article  is 
worth  only  twelve  shillings  and  sixpence  per  quin- 
tal of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  in  the  British 
colonies,  and  that  the  colonist  buys  all  articles 
which  are  taken  to  him  from  Europe  or  the 
United  States,  at  double  the  price  he  could  before 
the  peace  of  Amiens,  some  notion  may  be  formed 
of  the  deplorable  state  to  which  a  mistaken  policy 
has  reduced  the  proprietors. 

Between  the  years  1797  and  1802,  the  British 
merchants  of  Trinidad  sold  annually  on  an  ave- 
rage, to  the  amount  of  a  million  sterling  of  their 
merchandize,  to  the  smugglers  of  Venezuela,  for 
which  the  latter  paid  partly  in  dollars,  and  partly 
in  articles  on  which  the  English  trader  gained 
cent,  per  cent. 

I  cannot  pass  by  in  silence  an  extract  from  the 
Voyage  of  M°  Cullum,  which  I  have  lately  read 
in  a  compilation  by  Malte  Brun,  and  another 
work,  the  Voyage  of  M.  Ledru.  The  statements 
of  the  population  and  produce  of  Trinidad,  are 
extremely  incorrect.  They  say,  for  instance,  that 
in  1799,  there  were  2,672,800  pounds  of  sugar 
made  in  Trinidad  ;  whilst  there  were  really  made 


GENERAL    PICTON.  337 

in  that  year  nearly  19,000,000  lbs.  The  state- 
ments of  M'  Cullum  are  equally  incorrect  in  , 
regard  to  the  other  articles,  but  those  of  the  popu- 
lation less  so :  he  has,  however,  omitted  the  In- 
dians in  his  statement  of  population  for  the  year 
1797. 

The  work  which  bears  the  title  of  the  Voyage 
of  Mc  Cullum,  is  merely  a  severe  philippic  against 
General  Picton;  but  he  had  enough  to  say,  with- 
out imputing  to  him,  as  he  has  done,  imaginary 
crimes.  He  ought  not,  above  all,  to  have  slan- 
dered estimable  and  peaceable  men,  who  respected 
the  authority  of  the  governor ;  nor  represent  as 
innocent  victims  some  disturbers  of  the  public 
peace,  and  rascally  scribes,  of  whom  Picton  purged 
the  colony. 

The  Indian  population  has  been  constantly  de- 
creasing since  the  conquest  of  the  island  by  the 
British  government.  In  1797  there  were  reckoned 
2,200  indigenous  natives,  and  scarcely  1467  in 
1807.  Some  had  died  of  drunkenness  and  vexation, 
others  had  fled  to  the  Spanish  continent,  to  with- 
draw themselves  and  their  wives  from  the  bruta- 
lity of  the  infamous  W.  T.  the  commandant  at 
Toco. 

Though  the  population  in  Trinidad  had  in- 
creased above  600,  from  1802  to  1807,  only  nine 
new  sugar  plantations  were  formed  in  that  time. 
This  increase  of  the  population  has  been  chiefly 
in  negroes,  who  have  augmented  the  hands 
employed  in  cultivation.    That  of  cocoa  has  re- 


338  COFFEE    TREES. 

mained  stationary,  while  coffee  has  retrograded 
from  two  causes:  first,  the  want  of  sale  in  the 
British  markets;  secondly,  because  the  coffee 
plant  has  not  succeeded  in  Trinidad,  the  tree 
giving  but  little  fruit,  and  perishing  at  the  end  of 
ten  or  twelve  years,  though  the  article  is  always 
of  a  superior  quality,  and  has  the  advantage  over 
that  of  Martinico  and  the  other  Antilles  of  not 
requiring  age  to  produce  an  agreeable  bever- 
age. It  is  from  the  fault,  and  obstinate  attach- 
ment to  old  habits  of  the  planters,  that  this  culti- 
vation has  not  been  more  successful  in  Trinidad. 
Because  coffee  trees  thrive  in  St.  Domingo,  Gua- 
daloupe,  Dominica,  St.  Lucia  and  Martinico,  on 
the  hills,  they  had  concluded  that  it  would  be  the 
same  in  Trinidad  ;  without  noticing  that  the  hills 
of  this  island  are  composed  only  of  schistus  covered 
with  gravel,  on  which  lies  a  light  layer  of  vegeta- 
tive earth,  that  the  rain  washes  away  after  some 
years  of  cultivation  ;  whilst  the  hills  of  the  Antil- 
les, much  more  high  and  cool,  are  covered  with 
a  deep  bed  of  earth,  which  is  retained  by  enormous 
blocks  of  stone,  that  at  the  same  time  maintain 
humidity  and  freshness. 

Messrs.  Beaubrun  of  Tacarigua,  worthy  and 
intelligent  planters,  some  years  ago  invented  the 
plan  of  planting  coffee  trees  on  the  plain,  in  the 
manner  cocoa  trees  are  planted,  that  is,  in  the 
shade  of  the  ery thrina ;  and  this  mode  of  cultiva- 
tion has  perfectly  succeeded.  My  venerable 
friend,  Don  Juan  Martin  de  Arestimuno  of  Ca- 


JITEAM-SKaiN*.  SS9 

riaco,  adopted  this  mode  also,  and  was  equally  for- 
tunate. It  is  to  be  hoped  .that  their  success  will  en- 
courage the  cultivation  of  this  valuable  plant  in  the 
united  provinces  of  Venezuela  and  in  those  parts 
of  Trinidad,  which  were  deemed  unfavourable 
to  it,  from  the  too  great  dryness  of  the  climate. 
Those  expert  agriculturalists  conceived  the  same 
idea,  without  having  bad  any  communication 
respecting  it. 

The  mountainous  portion  of  Trinidad,  which 
cannot  be  cultivated,  forms  only  a  thirtieth  part 
of  the  island;  an  advantage  it  possesses  over 
all  the  Antilles,  of  which  the  chief  part  consists  in 
precipitous  mountains,  defiles,  and  passes,  where 
the  labour  and  cartage  would  absorb  the  produce 
of  cultivation.  It  results  from  the  measurement 
made  in  1799,  in  Trinidad,  by  order  of  the  British 
government,  that  there  may  be  formed  on  its  ter- 
ritory, 1,313  sugar,  946  coffee,  304  cocoa,  and  158 
cotton  plantations  of  100  squares,  or  320  English 
acres  each.  If  it  should  ever  arrive  to  that  high 
degree  of  cultivation,  its  soil  being  at  least  as  fertile 
as  that  of  Saint  Domingo,  it  will  produce  more 
than  the  French  part  of  that  island  previous  to  the 
revolution ! 

I  ought  not  to  omit  here  that  the  use  of  the  steam 
engine,  by  Messrs.  Bolton  and  Watts,  of  Birming- 
ham, was  introduced  into  Trinidad,  in  1804.  It 
has  replaced  the  cattle  mills  on  some  plantation?. 
This  machine  is  preferable  to  windmills,  which 
cannot  work  at  all  times,  and  it  is  less  expensive ; 

z2 


340  Sift    ft*    tUSHTNOTON. 

the  water  mills  alone  being  preferable  to  it*  Hie 
engine  alluded  to,  is  sgid  to  have  the  power  of 
sixteen  horses,  and  performs,  in  a  given  time,  the 
work  of  three  oxen  or  mule  mills  on  a  sugar  planta- 
tion. It  is  well  known  what  an  immense  number 
of  those  animals  are  destroyed  annually  in  the 
colonies  ;  the  introduction  of  this  machine  in  the 
-manufactory  of  sugar,  is  therefore  a  very  great 
improvement,  as  well  as  saving  in  colonial  agricul- 
ture. Sir  Stephen  Lushington,  who  has  a  very 
large  property  in  this  island,  had  the  honour  of 
being  the  first  to  employ  it  there,  in  contempt 
of  the  outcry  raised  against  it  by  the  vulgar  pre- 
judices of  others. 


TOBAGO.  *3H 


CHAP.  VIII. 


Tobago.— Historical  Sketch  of  the  Island— Its  Discovery  and  original 
Inhabitants.— First  Establishment  of  the  Dutch  there.— The  Lamp- 
sins — Ceded  to  the  Duke  of  Courland  by  James  L — Manifesto  of 
Charles  I.  in  favour  of  the  Duke.— The  Island  is  attacked  by  Sir 

-  Tobias  Bridges,  and  the  French  Admiral  d'Estrees.— Captain  Pointz* 
— Tobago  is  ceded  to  Great  Britain. — Treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle. — 
State  of  the  Island  in  1765. — Messrs.  Franklyn  and  Robley. — Taken 
by  the  French,  in  1781.— Reflections,— Recaptured  by  General  Cuy- 
ler  in  1793.— Present  State  of  Cultivation.— Mr.  Robley's  Plantation 
and  Establishment. — His  numerous  Improvements  and  Character.— 
Scotch  Emigrants — Reflections. — Natural  Productions  of  the  Island. 
Plants.— Birds.—  Fish —  Quadrupeds —  Scarborough.  —  Currents, 
&c. 

« 

Whbn  Columbus  discovered  the  new  world,  the 
Island  of  Tobago,  of  which  I  am  not  aware  that 
the  Carib  title  has  been  transmitted  to  us  by  any 
historian,  received  the  above  name  from  him,  or 
that  of  Tobacco ;  which  the  islanders  gave  to  the 
pipe  they  used  for  smoking  the  herb,  so  well 
known  in  after  times,  but  then  called  kohiba. 
This  herb  and  the  pipe  bore  the  same  name  at 
the  other  extremity  of  the  Carib  Archipelago, 
in  Hayti  or  St.  Domingo.  Tobago  was  inhabited 
by  a  people  who  were  generally  at  war  with  the 
Arrooaks*     Contemporary  historians  call  them 


342  FIRST    SETTLORS. 

Caribs;  but  I  am  inclined  to  doubt  whether 
they  belong  to  that  nation,  because  the  Arrooaks, 
with  whom  they  were  at  war,  are  real  Caribs : 
it  appears  also  that  the  writers  of  those  days, 
from  being  badly  informed,  confounded  all  the 
insular  aboriginal  inhabitants  under  the  name  of 
Caribs.  However  it  may  have  been,  those  who 
inhabited  the  island  first  named  Tobago,  and 
some  years  afterwards  New  Walcheren,  not  be- 
ing able  to  resist  the  Arrooaks,  retired  to  that 
of  St.  Vincent,  then  inhabited  by  Indians  with 
whom  they  lived  in  peace. 

Tobago  having  become  desart  by  the  emigra- 
tion of  the  savages,  some  Dutch  navigators,  who 
had  visited  it  on  their  return  from  the  Brazil*, 
delighted  with  the  beauty  of  its  climate,  richness 
of  soil,  and  its  convenient  neighbourhood  to  the 
continent,  induced  a  company  of  Flushing  traders 
to  form  an  establishment  there.  In  that  age  of 
enterprise,  1632,  they  had  no  difficulty  in  finding 
two  hundred  persons,  whom  they  conveyed  there^ 
to  lay  the  foundations  of  the  colony.  Those  adven- 
turers gave  it  the  name  of  New  Walcheren,  in 
honour  of  an  island  in  the  province  of  Zealand, 
on  which  the  town  of  Flushing  is  situated. 

The  Indians  of  Trinidad,  in  alliance  with  the 
Spanish  colonists  of  that  island,  attacked  this 
establishment,  in  1634,  before  the  settlers  had 
time  to  finish  a  fort  they  had  begun.  All  who 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors  were  mas- 
sacred at  the  beginning  of  the  invasion:    after 


THK     LAMP8I1C&.  343 

which  they  demolished  the  fortress,  carried  off 
the  canon,  destroyed  the  plantations,  and  con- 
ducted all  the  colonists  whom  they  could  seize 
as  prisoners  to  Trinidad. 

Those  of  the  settlers  who  escaped  death  or 
captivity,  retired  to  Holland,  after  which  Tobago 
remained  cfesart  during  more  than  twenty  years, 
being  in  all  that  time  merely  frequented  by  some 
seamen  from  Martinique  and  Guadaloupe,  who 
resorted  there  to  fish  for  turtle;  also  by  the 
Indians  of  St.  Vincent,  and  the  other  Antilles, 
who  touched  there  when  they  went  on  expeditions 
against  their  perpetual  enemies,  the  Arrooaks  of 
the  Orinoco. 

In  1654,  some  merchants  of  Flushing,  named 
Lampsins,  obtained  a  charter  from  the  States  of 
the  United  Provinces,  by  which  they  were  permit- 
ted to  take  possession  of  the  island,  and  cultivate 
it  for  their;  own  advantage.  This  charter  conferred 
on  them  the  privilege  of  appointing  the  magistrates 
and  governor  of  the,  colony,  with  the  sole  restric- 
tion that  the  nomination  of  the  latter  should  be 
submitted  for  approval  to  the  States  General. 

Those  celebrated  merchants  did  not  confine 
their  operations  to  the  forming  of  agricultural 
establishments;  they  constructed  stores  at  New 
Walcheren,  which  were  provided  with  every  kind 
of  European  merchandize ;  and  as  at  that  time  the 
English  and  French  were  not  so  much  devoted 
to  commerce  as  they  hare  since  been,  it  became 
a  depository  where  the  colonists  of  the  neighbour- 


344  DUKE    OF     COURLAND. 

ing  islands  belonging  to  those  two  nations,  even 
the  Spaniards  of  Trinidad  and  the  southern  con- 
tinent, went  to  furnish  themselves  with  the  mer- 
chandize they  required.  The  first  colonial  estab- 
lishment at  St.  Martin's,  one  of  the  Virgin  Islands, 
was  also  established  by  the  Lampsins. 

James  I.  of  England  by  what  right  ifc  unknown, 
conceded  this  island  to  his  godson  James  Duke  of 
Courland. 

A  vessel  carrying  out  Courland  colonists,  ar- 
rived there  some  months  afterwards.  The  cap- 
tain landed  his  people  at  a  place  known  at  this 
day  by  the  name  of  Courland  Bay,  which  -is  the 
chief  settlement  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  parts 
of  the  island.  The  Dutch  did  not  at  first  oppose 
the  establishment  of  their  rivals,  who,  according 
to  the  English  historians,  were  to  the  number  of 
a  hundred  families,  and  of  only  a  hundred  persons 
according  to  the  Dutch  accounts.  But  a  few  days 
after  the  arrival  of  the  new  colonists,  there  was  a 
skirmish  between  the  two  parties,  which  was 
followed  by  a  treaty,  in  which  they  agreed  to  live 
peaceably,  until  their  respective  sovereigns  should 
agree  on  their  rights  to  the  possession  of  the 
island.  But  the  Courlanders  not  receiving  either 
recruits,  or  any  of  those  succours  so  necessary  for 
a  young  colony,  and  the  Dutch  portion  of  the 
island  being  considerably  increased  by  fresh 
settlers  and  assistance  of  every  kind,  which  the 
Lampsins  continually  sent  out,  together  with  the 
latter  having  learned,  in  1659,  that  the  Duke  of 


TOBAGO  INVADED.  345 

Courland  had  been  dispossessed  of  his  territories 
by  the  King  of  Sweden,  and  imprisoned,  they 
forced  the  Courlanders  to  deliver  Fort  James  to 
them  which  they  bad  built  in  Courland  Bay. 

Having  recovered  his  states  by  the  treaty  of 
Oliva,  the  Duke  of  Courland  demanded  the 
restitution  of  his  establishment  in  Tobago  from 
the  States  General ;  and  on  their  refusal,  he  ap- 
plied to  Charles  II.  who,  being  on  the  point  of 
declaring  war  against  Holland,  published  a  mani- 
festo in  favour  of  the  Duke,  dated  November 
17th,  1664. 

The  States  General  paid  very  little  attention 
to  the  King  of  England's  *  declaration,  and  war 
having  commenced  soon  afterwards  between 
those  two  powers,  the  Duke  deferred  to  a  more 
convenient  opportunity,  his  projects  on  the 
island. 

There  was  no  mention  of  Tobago  at  the  treaty 
of  Breda,  and  Cornelius  Lampsins  still  remained 
for  some  years  peaceable  possessor.  In  the  inter- 
val betwen  the  first  and  second  war  between 
England  and  Holland,  the  Governor,  Hubert  de 
Beveren,  placed  the  Forts  of  Lampsinsberg  and 
James,  as  well  as  those  of  Beveren  and  Belviste 
in  a  respectable  state.  The  population  being 
augmented  to  twelve  hundred  inhabitants,  the 
colonists  prospered,  and  believed  themselves 
in  safety,  when  Sir  Tobias  Bridges,  the  com- 
mander of  the  Barbadian  privateers,  attack- 
ed   them    unawares,    pillaged    and    sacked  the 


346  d'ustrees. 

colony,  carrying  off  a  great  number  of  ne- 
groes. 

A  separate  peace  having  been  concluded  in 
1676,  between  Great  Britain  and  the  States 
General,  these  two  powers  mutually  restored  the 
conquests  made  from  each  other ;  the  Dutch  hav- 
ing declared  war  against  France,  and  committed 
hostilities  against  the  colony  of  Cayenne,  the  Duke 
d'Estr&s  went  to  attack  the  squadron  of  the 
Dutch  Admiral  Binkes,  which  was  at  anchor  in 
Scarborough  Bay,  and  a  severe  actioh  terminated 
by  the  French  obtaining  a  complete  victory. 
Pursuant  to  the  example  of  Bridges,  the  French 
admiral  plundered  the  island  and  then  returned 
to  Europe,  where  he  was  most  graciously  re- 
ceived by  Louis  XIV.  The  Duke  d'Estr&s 
re-appeared  off  the  island  four  months  after,  and 
landing  at  the  head  of  his  infantry,  he  attacked 
Admiral  Binkes  in  Fort  Lampsins,  where  the 
latter  had  taken  refuge.  But  the  Duke  finding 
a  greater  resistance  from  the  garrison  than  he 
expected,  ordered  a  bombardment,  and  the  third 
bomb  having  fallen  on  a  powder  magazine, 
a  great  part  of  the  fort  blew  up  ;  which  catas- 
trophe caused  the  death  of  Admiral  Binkes, 
together  with  a  great  number  of  the  garrison,  so 
that  the  Dutch  were  under  the  necessity  of  quit- 
ting an  establishment  commenced  under  the  most 
fortunate  auspices  in  1654,  This  event  took  place 
December  24,1677. 

When  peace  was   re-established  between  the 


TOBAGO  CEDED  TO  ENGLAND.        347 

belligerents  in  1678,  the  Duke  of  Courland  re- 
newed his  old  pretensions  to  this  island,  and  for 
that  purpose  he  sent  an  agent  named  Pointz,  te 
London,  to  offer  grants  of  land  to  Englishmen 
who  might  be  inclined  to  settle  there. 

In  1693,  France  being  again  at  war  with  Great 
Britain  and  Holland,  Captain  Pointz  made  fresh 
attempts  in  England  to  lead  colonists  to  Tobago, 
under  the  protection  of  William  III.  But  this 
new  project  of  colonization  was  not  more  fortu- 
nate than  the  two  former.  At  last,  the  house  of  Ket- 
tler,  sovereigns  of  the  duchy  of  Courland,  being 
extinct  in  1737,  by  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  son  of 
James,  the  British  government  claimed  the  re- 
version of  the  island. 

In  consequence  of  the  altercations  which  inces- 
santly prevailed  between  Great  Britain  and  France, 
after  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  on  the  subject  of  possess- 
ing Saint  Lucia,  Grenada,  Saint  Vincent  and  Do- 
minica, it  was  stipulated  by  that  of  Aix  la  Chapelle, 
in  1748,  that  Saint  Lucia  should  remain  to  France, 
and  the  other  three  islands,  as  also  that  of  Tobago, 
be  considered  as  neutral ;  and  that  the  subjects  of 
all  European  powers  should  have  the  right  to  esta- 
blish themselves  and  carry  on  their  commerce  in 
those  islands ;  but  that  none  of  the  contracting 
parties  should  place  garrisons  in  them. 

It  was  not  till  the  peace  of  1763,  that  Louis  XV. 
ceded  Tobago  in  perpetuity  to  England.  Ac- 
cordingly on  the  20th  of  May,  1765,  the  Kin£  of 


348  IMPORTANCE    OF    TOBACO. 

Great  Britain  appointed  a  commission  for  grant- 
ing lands  on  the  island. 

Although  previous  to  1765,  the  population 
of  the  island  was  scarcely  fifteen  hundred  inha- 
bitants, it  was  increased  to  twelve  thousand 
in  1777  :  of  those  twelve  thousand  persons,  there 
were  nine  thousand  slaves,  two  thousand  one  hun- 
dred people  of  colour,  about  two  hundred 
Indians,  and  seven  hundred  whites. 

The  colonial  importance  of  Tobago  commences 
at  this  period*  The  British  employed  large  capi- 
tals there,  for  improving  the  cultivation  of  cot  top, 
which  is  of  superior,  quality,  by  its  extreme  white- 
ness, the  softness  and  length  of  its  grain.  It  was 
then  calculated  that  the  expences  occasioned  by 
the  establishment  of  a  sugar  plantation  were  at 
the  rate  of  £60  sterling  per  acre,  and  that  the  net 
produce  of  the  property  was  twenty  per  cdnt.  on 
a  plantation  prudently  managed. 

In  1776,  this  colony  produced  ten  thousand 
hogsheads  of  raw  sugar.  In  the  same  year  thirty- 
three  thousand  pounds  weight  of  cotton  were  ga- 
thered :  some  planters  also  applied  themselves  to 
the  culture  of  spices,  such  as  the  pimento  or  allspice, 
myrtus  pimenta,  cinnamon,  ginger,  cloves,  &c. 

Messrs*  Franklyn  and  Robley,  were  those  of 
the  colonists  who  most  encouraged  and  practised 
the  cultivation  of  spices  and  cotton.  It  is  a  great 
satisfaction  to  publish  the  names  of  men,  of  what- 
soever nation  they  may  be,  who  have  introduced 


TAKEN  BY   VHB  .FRENCH.  &49 

a  new  branch  of  agriculture,  or  who  may  have 
encouraged  it  by  their  capitals:  such  men  are  the 
true  friends  of  humanity :  why  are  not  monuments 
and  medals  also  dedicated  to  their  memory  ? 

During  the  contest  with  her  North  American 
colonies,  so  fatal  to  England,  Tobago  was  taken 
by  the  Marquis  de  Bouille  in  1781,  and  subse- 
quently ceded  to  France  by  the  treaty  of  Versail- 
les in  1783.  From  the  date  of  that  treaty  until 
the  French  revolution,  in  1789,  this  colony  had 
for  its  Governor,  {general  Arthur  Dillon,  m 
whose  administration  no  remarkable  event  oc- 
curred :  a  few  Frenchmen  settled  there  either  as 
planters  or  traders.  The  old  government  com- 
mitted a  great  error  in  omitting  to  encourage 
the  establishment  of  a  numerous  French  popula- 
tion in  this  island.  The  preference  granted  by 
the  government  to  the  English  over  its  own  sub- 
jects, to  gain  the  attachment  of  the  former,  were 
received  by  them  with  disdain-  This  policy  of 
the  ministers  of  Louis  XVI.  shews  how  little 
they  were  acquainted  with  the  individual  charac- 
ter of  the  British  nation.  5Vhen  conquests  of 
distant  colonies  are  effected,  it  is  frequently  only 
for  the  purpose  of  making  them  objects  of  com- 
pensation at  a  peace ;  and  in  such  cases  it  is  use- 
less to  incur  expenses  for  establishing  a  national 
population  in  them ;  but  when  they  are  obtained 
by  treaty,  it  is  to  preserve  them  as  long  as  cir- 
cumstances will  permit.  Now,  in  such  establish- 
ments, the  physical  strength  of  governments  is 


-T"  *"  -    '**"'    "        *  . .  ~  '     .   —    -.T-^./"     S*r-* 


v350  MR.    ROB  LET. 

almost  nothing,  and  it  lis  only  by  a  moral  influence 
that  the  attachment  of  the  colonists  can  be  secur- 
ed. This  is  a  truth  which  cannot  be  too  firmly 
rooted  in  the  minds  of  governments  which  found 
colonies :  the  best  and  most  secure  ties  that  hold 
them  attached  to  the  mother  country,  are  the 
identity  of  origin,  language  and  manners :  these 
ties  will  be  found  sufficient  to  retain  them  under 
the  government  of  the'parent  state,  so  long  as  they 
cannot  find  much  to  gain  by  a  change  of  masters, 
and  until  by  a  lapse  of  many  ages,  they  acquire 
a  sufficient  population  to  admit  of  their  becom- 
ing independent. 

War  having  commenced  between  Great  Britain 
and  France,  in  March,  1793,  General  Cuyler,  at 
the  head  of  two  thousand  men,  proceeded  to  this 
island,  and  made  the  French  garrison  surrender. 

The  cultivated  part  of  the  island  is  in  a  most 
flourishing  state.  I  have  never  seen  better  farming 
or  finer  negroes*.  The  principal  plantation  which 
belonged  to  the  late  Mr.  Joseph  Robley,  at  Sandy 
Point,  is,  perhaps,  the  best  colonial  establishment 
in  the  Antilles.  It  consists  of  six  windmills  for 
bruising  the  canes,  and  three  for  grinding  maize. 
This  property  is  divided  into  three  sugar  planta- 
tions, each  having  a  double  set  of  boilers.  The 
negroes  inhabit  three  streets,  near  the  plantation 
to  which  they  are  attached  :  their  huts  are  built 
of  stone,  and  covered  with  slates.  In  1803,  they 
amounted  to  a  thousand,  of  all  ages,  and  both 
sexes.     Every  tfring  about  this  plantation  has  the 


SIR    W.    YOUNG.  351 

appearance  of  order  and  abundance*  I  went  there 
several  times  during  the  peace  of  Amiens,  and 
never  did  I  hear  the  sound  of  the  driver's  whip. 
Next  to  the  plantation  of  Sir  William  Young,  at 
Saint  Vincent's,  I  do  not  believe  that  there  were 
any  men  in  existence,  employed  in  cultivation, 
more  happy  than  the  negroes  on  the  Robley 
plantations,  in  1803. 

This  great  proprietor  had  all  the  tradesmen 
necessary  for  such  establishments  on  his  property, 
such  as  masons,  carpenters,  wheelwrights,  smiths, 
farriers,  &c.  Once  while  I  was  at  his  house,  the 
wind  broke  a  vane  of  one  of  the  windmills,  and 
we  heard  a  moment  afterwards,  that  a  similar 
accident  had  happened  to  a  neighbour.  "  Come," 
said  he,  "  and.  you  shall  see  how  soon  I  can 
repair  the  damage."  A  conque  shell  was  blown, 
and  I  immediately  saw  a  hundred  negroes  appear, 
some  with  pulleys,  others  dragging  a  capstan, 
and  the  rest  an  enormous  triangular  ladder ;  at  last 
a  large  waggon  drawn  by  six  fine  mules  brought  a 
mill-vane,  always  kept  ready  in  case  of  accidents : 
it  was  put  up  in  half  an  hour,  and  they  then  fitted 
the  sail  to  it :  in  short,  four  hours  after  the  acci- 
dent, the  mill  worked  as  well  as  ever.  Mr. 
Robley  then  observed,  "  this  is  one  of  the  many 
advantages  a  large  proprietor  possesses,  in  having 
his  workmen  at  home:  I  have  a  double  set  of 
every  thing  necessary  for  sugar  works  on  those 
three  sugar  plantations,  which  are  on  the  same 
estate,  and  may  be  called  six,  as  there  are  six  mills, 


352  MR.  ROBLEY, 

and  three  double  sets  of  cauldrons,  and  their  ap- 
pendages, mill  works,  boilers,  Ac.  All  are  numbered 
and  ready  in  my  stores ;  so  that  if  any   accident 
happens  it  may  be  repaired  in  a  few  hours,  with- 
out interrupting  the  manufactory  of  sugar.      My 
neighbour,  who  has  just  experienced  the  same 
accident,  has  neither  workmen  nor  materials  of 
his  own  :  so  that  while  he  goes  to  town  to  pur- 
chase  those  articles,  for  which  he  will  be  obliged 
to  pay  fifty  per  cent,  more  than  they  have  cost  me 
in  England ;   and  while  his  overseers  are  running 
about  to  seek  workmen,  and  three  or  four  days 
may  be  lost  in  procuring  them,  there   are  no 
longer  any  signs  of  the  accident  on.  my  premises. 
My  neighbour's  canes,  already  cut,  will  ferment, 
and  perhaps  he  will  lose  four  or  five  hogsheads  of 
sugar,  without  calculating  the  time  of  his  ne- 
groes."    I  believe  no  man  ever  felt  more  happy 
than  Mr.  Robley,  whilst  he  explained  the  above 
details,  and  others  relative  to  the  management  of 
his  plantation.     This  gentleman  was  the  creator 
of  his  own  fortune ;  he  was  born  of  a  respectable 
family  in  Cornwall,  and  had  gone  to  the  West 
Indies  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  employed  as  a  clerk 
in  the  navy  office.     He  first  established  himself  in 
Tobago,  in  1768,  and  began  to  cultivate  the  cotton 
plant  with  a  capital  of  about  £1700  sterling: 
already  in    1789,   which  was  only  twenty-two 
years  afterwards,  besides  the  magnificent  esta- 
blishment at  Sandy  Point,  he  possessed  another 
sugar  plantation  with  a  water-mill  of  great  value, 


ROBLEY    ESTATE.  353 

which  he  had  presented  to  one  of  his  nephews.* 
He  had,  besides,  at  the  peace  of  Amiens,  a  large 
sum  in  the  public  funds.  This  fortune  he  owed 
entirely  to  his  activity,  prudence,  and  the  fertile 
soil  on  which  he  had  fixed  his  establishmdhts. 

This  great  cultivator  had  besides  two  vessels 
which  were  his  own  property :  the  first  time  T 
saw  them  lying  at  anchor  before  his  house,  I  mis- 
took one  for  a  ship  of  the  line,  and  the  other  for 
a  frigate.  They  came  twice  a  year  and  lay  in 
front  of  his  residence  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
his  produce  to  Europe,  and  of  bringing  not  only 
all  that  was  necessary  for  himself  and  his  negroes, 
but  also  merchandize  which  he  sold  to  the  mer- 
chants of  Tobago,  and  on  which  he  gained  con- 
siderable profits.  No  man  in  any  country  ever 
obtained  more  respect  and  authority  than  Mr. 
Robley  in  his  limited  sphere  :  he  was  president 
of  the  colonial  council,  and  consequently  gover- 
nor when  the  other  was  absent. 

Joseph  Robley  was  the  first  inhabitant  of  this 
island,  and  perhaps  of  all  the  West  Indies,  who 
went  to  the  expense  of  constructing  water  and 
wind  mills  expressly  with  a  view  of  grinding 
maize  for  his  negroes,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
his  example  was  imitated  by  his  neighbours. 
Before  his  time,  and  even  at  present  in  the  other 
colonies,  the   negroes  are   obliged  to   grind  the 

*  Mr.  J.  Robley,  the  present  liberal  and  intelligent  proprietor  of 
this  interesting  establishment. 

A    A 


354  INHABITANTS, 

maize  with  small  iron  mills,  which  fatigues  them 
extremely,  causing  a  great  loss  of  time  when  they 
return  from  work  at  mid-day  or  in  the  evening. 
On  those  plantations  they  have  not  even  sieves 
for  separating  the  bran  ;  but  on  the  Robley  estate 
they  receive  their  rations  of  maize  flour  well 
sifted,  and  all  the  grain  which  they  bring  to  the 
mill  is  ground  gratis.  Mr.  Robley  neglected 
nothing  that  would  induce  them  to  prefer  this 
food  :  from  its  stimulating  qualities  he  thought  it 
the,  best  vegetable  nourishment  for  men  who 
cultivate  the  ground  in  hot  climates.  He  had 
also  made  considerable  plantations  of  the  bread- 
fruit tree  of  Otaheite,  and  other  plants  brought 
from  the  South  Seas  by  Captain  Bligh,  as  well  as 
those  which  are  cultivated  in  the  magnificent 
garden  of  Saint  Vincent,  by  Mr.  Anderson. 

Mr.  Robley  returned  to  England  after  the 
peace  of  Amiens,  and  was  then  about  sixty  years 
of  age.  He  had  not  seen  his  native  land  from 
the  age  of  eighteen :  but  be  did  not  long  enjoy 
the  fruits  of  his  industry  having  died  in  a  year 
after  his  arrival.  He  bequeathed  several  legacies, 
among  others,  one  to  a  Frenchman  who  had 
rendered  him  soine  services.  The  first  instance 
1  ever  heard  in  the  colonies  of  any  other  English-* 
man  who  had  left  a  legacy  to  a  Frenchman  1 

The  present  inhabitants  of  Tobago  are  nearly  all 
Scotch.  I  have  known  even  some  Barbadians  there 
who  are  very  worthy  people,and  treat  their  negroes 
with  humanity ;  for  according  to  an  old  Norman 


NATIONAL    PREJUDICES.  356 

proverb,  there  are  worthy  people  every  where, 
even  in  Barbadoes,  and  the  piratical  towns  on 
the  coast  of  Barbary!  But  at  Tobago,  as  at 
Grenada  and  Barbadoes,  it  is  the  piratical  portion 
that  gives  the  law. 

It  is  really  a  most  astonishing  circumstance 
how  those  thirty-six  months  Scotch*  have  found 
means  to  make  considerable  fortunes  in  many  of 
the  West  India  islands,  and  to  monopolize  all 
the  lucrative  places.  On  the  European  continent 
the  name  of  English  is  given  to  all  subjects  of 
his  Britannic  Majesty;  and  yet  the  English, 
Welsh,  Scotch,  and  Irish  are  by  their  prejudices, 
customs,  and  even  their  local  laws,  four  distinct 
nations :  the  Irish,  a  people  eminently  frank  and 
generous,  say,  and  not  without  reason,  that  the 
Scotch  are  the  best  servants  and  the  worst  mas- 
ters in  the  world !  Bands  of  those  poor  devils 
which  continually  arrive  in  the  colonies,  always 
land  in  tatters  1 

These  men  are  soon  placed  with  the  planters 
in  the  situation  of  negro  drivers,  or  as  clerks 
with  merchants :  they  are  laborious,  parsimonious, 
and  sober  when  they  have  to  maintain  themselves 
at  their  own  expence :  they  accumulate  gradually 
and  by  pennies,  lend  their  money  at  usurious  in- 
terest, and  finish  by  amassing  considerable  capi- 


•  The  author  says  that  this  is  the  period  for  which  Scotch  emi- 
grants are  in  the  habit  of  selling  themselves  to  West  India  propria 
etors:  hence  the  singular  appellation  they  have  acquired. — Ed. 

aa2 


356        CHARITY  BEGINS  AT  HOME. 

tals.  At  length,  some  become  partners  in  com- 
mercial houses,  when  they  distinguish  themselves 
in  business  by  their  artifice,  a  word  which,  in 
mercantile  language,  is  synonymous  with  roguery. 
Others  become  agents  for  great  plantations  for 
proprietors;  and  these  are  metamorphosed  into 
implacable  tyrants  over  their  slaves.  Both  the 
one  and  the  other  then  affect  an  insolent  haugh- 
tiness, which  renders  them  truly  burlesque. 

The  Scotch  support  and  assist  each  other;  and 
this  principle  would  be  very  laudable,  if  it  did  not 
proceed  from  a  repulsive  and  hostile  spirit  to 
other  people,  without  excepting  even  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  other  British  provinces.  It  has  often 
happened  that  Scotch  merchants  and  planters 
have  dismissed  their  English  and  Irish  clerks  and 
overseers  without  giving  them  any  other  reason, 
and  without  having  really  any  other,  but  that  of 
replacing  them  by  a  Scotch  clerk  or  overseer.  It 
is  not  surprising  then  that  such  men,  with  such 
dispositions,  resembling  parasite  and  noxious 
plants,  should  finish  by  making  themselves 
masters  in  every  country  where  they  have  beeii 
suffered  to  take  root.  An  Irishman  alluding  to 
this  disposition,  regarding  the  Lords  Bute,  Mans- 
field, Melville  and  others,  as  well  as  the  Scotch 
mobility,  observed  to  me  one  day,  "  that  if  ever  a 
Scotch  plebeian  succeeded  in  acquiring  a  fortune 
in  China,  he  would  end  by  becoming  prime 
minister  there;  and  if  the  Chinese  Emperor  would 
let  him  go  on,  there  would  not  be  a  single  eccle- 


BNGLIftH  PLANTERS.  35 T 

biastical  civil  or  military  situation  in  the  whole 
empire,  that  in  the  course  of  ten  years  would  not 
be  filled  by  Scotchmen  !"* 

The  first  English  planters  in  Tobago,  Young, 
Melvill,  Franklyn,  Robley,  Robertson,  &c.  were 
persons  of  respectability ;  but  the  clouds  of  Scotch 
boors,  and  barbarous  Barbadians  who  became  the 
majority  there,  have  corrupted  the  manners  of  the 
colony,  and  rendered  it  almost  as  uninhabitable 
for  an  honest  man  as  that  of  Botany  Bay. 

As  there  is  nothing  more  absurd,  and  at  the 
same  time  so  unjust  as  to  insult  a  nation  indis- 
criminately, I  should  declare  that  nothing  is 
more  distant  from  my  thoughts  and  intentions 
than  the  idea  of  rendering  the  Scotch  nation 
odious  to  my  readers.  Having  had  occasion  to 
observe  it  in  Europe  as  well  as  the  colonies,  hav- 
ing resided  at  Edinburgh,  and  travelled  in  Scot- 
land, I  owe  it  to  truth  and  impartiality  to  say, 


*  However  illiberal  these  opinions  of  M.  Lavaysse  may  be 
thought  by~  some,  the  Editor,  without  becoming  in  any  manner  a 
party,  has  already  given  his  reasons  for  not  suppressing  them.  Bat 
if  the  concluding  comparison  applied  to  our  important  settlement  in 
New  South  Wales  has  been  hitherto  justified,  it  is  most  devoutly 
to  be  hoped  that  ministers  will  lose  no  time  in  making  that  stupen- 
dous appendage  to  the  British  crown  more  worthy  of  the  sovereign 
who  rules  and  the  subjects  that  now  so  unwillingly  obey  them.  The  ' 
question  has  been  taken  up,  but  if  a  system  of  half  measures  is 
merely  the  result  of  inquiry,  the  colony  might  as  well  be  lejt  in  its 
present  wretched  condition.  For  an  excellent  account  of  the 
manifold  evils  under  which  the  colonists  suffer,  see  Mr.  Went- 
worth's  Statistical  and  Political  Description. 


358  LEARNED    SCOTCHMEN. 

that  I  firmly  believe  there  does  not  exist  a  peo- 
ple among  which  there  is,  in  the  higher  classes, 
more  virtue,  benevolence,  and  hospitality.  I  can- 
not think  of  the  venerated  names  of  Maitland,* 
Whyte,t  Duncan, J  Munro,§,  Gregory,  Lind,  Blair, 
Read,  Beattie,  Dugald  Stewart,  Sir  Ralph  Aber- 
crombie,  the  Duke  of  Buccleugh,  and  other  persons 
with  whom  I  had  the  happiness  to  be  acquainted, 
without  recalling  to  mind  families  in  which  the 
patriarchal  and  social  virtues  are  hereditary. 

No  country  has  had,  and  still  possesses  a  grea- 
ter number  of  illustrious  learned  and  scientific  men 
of  the  first  order,  than  Scotland ;  and  a  circum- 
stance worthy  of  remark,  but  of  which  all  na- 
tions unfortunately  cannot  boast,  is  that  the  bio- 
graphy of  those  literary  characters,  one  only 
perhaps  excepted,  proves  that  they  were  also 
honest  men!  The  present  men  of  learning  in 
Edinburgh  are  worthy  of  their  predecessors. 
Do  not  those  honourable  principles  prove  that 
they  have  been  always  estranged  from  factious 
and  sectarian  rage  ?  || 
■'       '    '       '■  !■  ■  i  i  — ■— — — — — — ^— 

*  Maitland  of  Markgill,  related  to  the  Earls  of  Lauderdale. 

t  Alexander  Whyte,  a  barrister  of  the  greatest  merit 

X  Andrew  Duncan,  professor  of  medicine,  a  man  of  worth 
and  science. 

§  Matthew  Munro,  a  great  merchant  in  Grenada ;  who  pro- 
tected, with  all  his  influence,  the  persecuted  FrenoL  He  died 
at  Bath  in  1795.  The  other  names  are  known  to  all  persons  of 
information. 

II  The  Editor  feels  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  having  an  opportunity 


AROMATIC    PLANTS.  359 

It  is  for  the  moralists  of  Scotland  to  explain 
why  in  a  nation  where  there  is  so  much  virtue 
and  knowledge  in  the  first  classes  of  society, 
there  should  be  found  more  servility  and  mean- 
ness in  the  lower,  than  among  the  chief  part  of 
the  other  European  nations ;  and  why,  in  spite 
of  his  dress  and  grimaces,  a  Scottish  courtier  so 
much  resembles  a  rich  upstart ! 

I  hope  the  reader  will  pardon  me  this  digres- 
sion, which  I  have  thought  necessary  to  prove 
my  impartiality,  and  I  can  truly  assert  that  no 
national  prejudice  has  influenced  my  description 
of  manfters.  I  now  return  to  the  subject  of 
Tobago. 

It  is  said  in  this  colony  that  the  Lampsins  had 
introduced  the  nutmeg  and  other  aromatic  plants 
of  the  East  Indies,  and  that  they  are  still  found 
in  the  woods  growing  wild.  I  have  read  in  an 
English  treatise,  explanatory  of  the  map  of  this 
island,  by  Jefieries,  that  the  nutmeg,  cinnamon, 
and  myrtus  pimenta,  which  produces  the  berry 
known  by  the  name  of  allspice,  grow  there  spon- 
taneously in  the  gravelly  soils.  I  took  a  great 
deal  of  pains  in  1803,  to  discover  the  nutmeg 


of  confirming  the  author's  sentiments  on  this  subject,  and  whatever 
prejudice  or  passion  may  suggest,  with  respect  to  that  class  which 
-seertii  to  have  excited  the  wrath  of  If.  L&vaysse*  there  can 
be  but  owe  opaaion  entertained  as  to  the  unshaken  integrity  and 
honourable  principles  whioh  distinguish  that  part  of  the  Scottish 
community  he  has  so  properly  complimented. 


360  FRUIT    TREES, 

tree,  and  I  am  conyinced  it  does  not  exist  there. 
I  know  that  some  individuals,  conversant  in 
botany,  have  made  researches  as  fruitless  as  mine, 
for  the  same  object.  But  the  cinnamon  tree  has 
become  wild  in  the  island,  and  I  know  not  why 
they  do  not  cultivate  it*  The  myrtus  pimenta 
produces  a  very  agreeable  spice,  which  is  an  ex- 
cellent tonic,  and  an  indigenous  plant*  The  late 
Mr.  Franklyn  had  made  a  considerable  planta- 
tion of  it ;  but  this  was  abandoned  by  his  sons, 
in  order  that  they  might  attend  exclusively  to 
the  culture  of  the  sugar  cane.  This  forest  of 
pimento  is  become,  the  haunt  of  innumerable 
flocks  of  parrots,  which  are  excessively  greedy 
of  the  grain,  and  so  jealous  of  their  property, 
that  they  exterminate,  without  mercy,  any  other 
birds  they  find  there. 

I  believe  Tobago  possesses  almost  every  kind 
of  plant  that  grows  in  the  Antilles ;  and  besides, 
like  Trinidad,  the  greater  part  of  those  which 
are  peculiar  to  Spanish  Guiana  and  Cape  de  Paria. 
The  most  valuable,  as  fruit  trees  and  alimentary ' 
plants,  are  the  orange,  lemon,  pomegranate,  fig, 
and  guava  trees. 

The  culinary  plants  of  Europe,  excepting  the 
cauliflower,  thrive  very  well  in  the  gardens  of 
this  island.  The  figs  and  grapes  are  also  of  a 
very  fine  flavour,  and  produce  twice  a  year, 
if  care  be  taken  to  prune  the  trees  and  vines  in 
a  fortnight  or  three  weeks  after  the  fruit  has  been 


BIRDS-  361 

gathered.  All  those  useful  and  nourishing  pro- 
ductions of  the  Island  of  Tobago,  it  possesses  in 
common  with  that  of  Trinidad. 

It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  Tobago 
having  the  same  vegetable  productions  with 
Trinidad,  quadrupeds  and  birds  are  found  in  the 
latter  which  do  not  exist  in  Tobago;  and  in 
Tobago  some  birds  that  belong  to  the  continent 
are  not  found  in  Trinidad ;  .the  katraka,  for  in- 
stance. It  is  equally  singular,  that  although  a  great 
number  of  them  have  been  taken  to  Trinidad,  and 
fiown  to  the  woods,  they  never  multiplied  there. 
Feuillee  and  M.  Sonnini  have  given  a  good  de- 
scription of  this  singular  bird,  which  they  rank 
in  the  family  of  pheasants. 

The  Hoccos,  those  magnificent  birds  so  well 
known  in  Trinidad,  are  not  found  at  Tobago. 
The  other  indigenous  birds,  or  which  frequent 
the  coasts  of  this  island,  are  wild  ducks,  water- 
hens,  wood  pigeons,  turtle  and  Virginian  doves. 

Three  varieties  of  humming  birds ;  blackbirds 
of  yellow  and  black  colours ;  thrushes ;  white 
woodcocks.  A  small  bird  of  the  size  of  a  sparrow 
with  magnificent  plumage ;  it  has  the  head,  neck, 
and  the  upper  part  of  the  body  of  the  most  bril- 
liant red ;  the  feathers  of  the  wings  and  tail  of  a 
beautiful  purple  colour  above,  and  of  sky  blue 
underneath;  its  belly  is  also  sky  blue.  I  have 
never  seen  a  more  beautiful  plumage  than  this 
little  bird  exhibits.    Herons,  the  pouched  pelican, 


362  ANIMALS. 

eagles  of  the  Orinoco  and  flamingoes  frequent 
the  coasts  of  this  island. 

Though  nearly  all  the  quadrupeds  of  the  im- 
mense region  contained  between  the  Amazons  and 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  are  found  at  Trinidad, 
very  few  of  them  are  to  be  seen  in  Tobago.  The 
small  deer  of  Guiana,  so  common  at  Trinidad, 
does  not  exist  at  Tobago. 

The  amphibious  animals  which  frequent  those 
coasts,  are  turtles  and  the  sea  cow. 

On  the  shores  of  Tobago  are  found  a  great 
variety  of  shell  fish,  such  as  starry,  greenish, 
striped,  red,  and  of  all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow 
that  have  not  been  described,  and  of  which  more 
than  one  new  genus  might  perhaps  be  found. 

Those  I  have  more  particularly  observed  ap- 
proach the  genus  that  the  most  modern  natura- 
lists have  described  under  the  heads  of  Venus,  Bue- 
trinum,  Turrilita,  Turritela,  Helmet,  Stromba, 
Tellina,  Voluta,  Cene,  the  oyster,  &c  Formerly 
great  quantities  of  oysters  were  attached  to  the 
mangrove  trees  in  Tobago ;  but  the  destruction 
of  those  trees  has  occasioned  their  disappearance. 

The  surface  of  this  island  is  more  elevated  in 
the  eastern  than  the  western  part,  which  oon tarns 
very  beautiful  savannas  or  natural  meadows. 
The  interior  is  composed  of  rounded  hills  and 
delightful  vallies.  The  rotatory  and  undulatory 
motions  of  the  currents  are  every  where  seen. 

The  soil  of  Tobago  is  generally  rich,  and  the 


soil.  363 

vegetative  earth  more  or  less  deep :  none  have 
stone  on  the  mountains  nor  in  the  vallies ;  you 
never  see  those  large  blocks  of  hyaline  quartz 
that  are  met  almost  every  where  in  Trinidad,  on 
the  summits  of  mountains  as  well  as  the  plains. 
The  rounded  pebbles  seen   in  small  quantities  at 
Tobago  in  the   beds  of  rivers,  are  of  quartzose 
freestone,  some  of  hyaline  quartz,  others  of  am- 
phibolic schistus,  and  of  the  red  pebbles  noticed 
in  a  former  chapter.    The  different  excursions  I 
made  in  the  interior  of  this  island  have  never 
enabled  me  to  discover  either  sulphur  or  carbonate 
of  lime.     Tobago  resembles  the  eastern  part  of 
Trinidad,  with  this  difference,  that  the  vegeta- 
tive soil  in  the  first  named  island,  is  deeper  on 
the  hills  than  on  those  of  Trinidad.    The  hills 
of  both  islands  have  not,  like  the  mountains  in  the 
Antilles,  those  sharp  peaks,  and  uncovered  sides* 
that  denote  great  volcanic  convulsions*     Every 
thing  seems  to  indicate  that  Trinidad  and  Tobago 
were  separated  from  the  continent  by  a  sudden 
retiring  of  the  sea ;  the  Carribean  Islands  were 
apparently  detached  at  the  same  time ;  but  the 
volcanoes  acted,  and  still  act  a  more  important 
part  in  their  granitic  and  basaltic  mountains.    At 
the  Caribbeatis,  the    spectator's  imagination   is 
moved,  attracted  and  transported  by  the  fearful, 
sublime  and  stupendous :  while  the  pictures  pre- 
vented in  Tobago  and  Trinidad  are  of  a  calm, 
regular,  and  magnificent  description. 


364  SCARBOROUGH. 

A  very  well  informed  man,  though. not  a  natu- 
ralist, has  been  struck  with  this  difference  in  the 
geognostio  physiognomy  of  Tobago  from  the 
Antilles.  "  Nature,"  says  Sir  William  Young, 
"  is  on  a  more  extensive  plan  than  at  the  Antilles, 
and  gives  rather  the  idea  of  a  continent  than  of 
an  island.  It  is  not  merely  its  neighbourhood  to 
South  America  that  suggests  this  idea.  If  the 
appearance  of  the  island  (which  I  term  its  phy- 
siognomy) authorises  us  to  believe  that  it  formed 
a  part  of  that  continent,  its  vicinity  indicates  still 
more  clearly  that  it  was  separated  violently,  and 
that  it  was,  at  a  remote  period,  the  southern  boun- 
dary or  a  bold  promontory  of  Mexico." 

Scarborough,  the  capital  of  this  colony,  is  situ- 
ated in  11°  8  North  latitude,  and  63°  30'  West 
longitude.  The  island  is  twenty-four  miles  in 
length,  from  north-east  to  south-west,  and  twelve 
miles  in  its  greatest  breadth. 

In  1803,  no  more  than  three  families  of  the 
aboriginal  inhabitants,  forming  in  the  whole 
twenty-six  individuals,  remained  at  Tobago.  This 
unhappy  race  is  annihilated  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
white  people,  wherever  they  have  not  been  civi- 
lized by  religious  institutions. 

The  currents  near  Tobago  are  very  uncertain, 
especially  in  the  channel  that  separates  it  from 
Trinidad.  At  the  new  and  full  moon,  the  tide 
rises  four  feet.  The  north-easterly  trade  wind 
blows- all  the  year  about  the  island. 


BAYS.  366 

The  bays  called  Man  of  War,  Courland,  Sandy 
Point,  and  King's  Bay,  are  calculated  for  vessels 
of  the  largest  size. 

Tyrrel's  Bay,  Bloody  Bay,  Mangrove  Bay, 
Englishman's  Bay,  Castera's  Bay,  and  La  Guira's 
Bay,  have  good  anchorage  for  vessels  of  a  hundred 
and  fifty  tons  and  under.  Halifax  Bay  is  fit  for 
ships  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  tons ;  but  there  is  a 
shoal  at  the  entrance  of  it  which  requires  a  pilot. 

If  Tobago  is  seen  towards  evening,  and  the 
navigator  fears  to  approach  it,  much  sail  should 
not  be  carried,  but  he  ought  to  stretch  to  the 
southward  under  easy  sail;  otherwise,  the  cur- 
rent, which  always  runs  to  the  north-west  or 
north-east,  would  make  the  ship  lose  sight  of 
the  island ;  and  if  carried  northward,  must  take 
her  so  far  to  leeward,  that  it  would  be  impossible 
to  regain  the  island. 

On  entering  any  of  the  bays  to  leeward,  ships 
may  approach  quite  close  to  Saint  Giles's  Rock. 
Vessels  that  come  from  the  eastward,  and  which 
steer  for  the  south  coast  of  the  island,  ought 
always  to  keep  well  to  the  southward,  other- 
wise the  current  which  is  round  the  lesser  Tobago, 
and  which  always  sets  to  the  north-west,  would 
carry  them  too  far  north.  There  is  nothing  to 
fear  at  the  south-west,  to  the  Bay  of  Courland, 
but  rocks  above,  water,  except  that  called  Ches- 
terfield Rock. 


366  NEGROES. 


CHAP.  IX. 


Inquiries  concerning  the  Negroes. — Their  intellectual  Capabilities.— 
M.  Lilet. — Opinion  of  Camper  and  BLUMEMBACH^Differeaoe 
between  Negro  Tribes. — How  they  are  improved*— Blanchbtterk 
Bellbvue. — Cause  of  Crime  and  Degeneracy  in  the  Negroes. — 
Instances  of  Fortitude  and  Generosity  among  them. — Anecdote. — 
Allusion  to  the  Cruelties  exercised  at  Surinam.— Singular  Instance 
of  Resolution  in  Suffering. — Heroic  Speech  of  a  Negro.— Anecdotes. 
—Pride  and  Vanity  of  Negroes. — Affection  for  their  Children- 
Causes  of  Infanticide  amongst  them. — Poisoning  prevalent — Mode 
of  punishing  the  Delinquents. — Objections  answered. — Reflections. 
—Advantages  of  Freedom— Effects  of  the  Slave  Trade.— Sir  Wil* 
liam  Young's  Plantation-— Treatment  and  Management  of  the  Slaves 
there. — Mulattpes.— Their  harsh  Treatment  by  Europeans,  and 
Condition  in  the  Colonies. 

A  great  deal  has  been  written  on  the  negroes, 
and  very  learned  men  have  published  many  false- 
hoods and  absurdities  on  the  subject.  As  if  it 
were  not  enough  that  the  institutions  of  their 
country  and  those  of  Europeans  condemn  them 
to  slavery,  it  is  also  necessary  to  represent  them 
as  monsters  in  the  physical  and  moral  world! 
The  celebrated  Camper  quotes  the  opinion  of 
different  writers  who  have  discussed  this  point 
from  the  times  of  Herodotus,  Strabo  and  Pliny, 
down  to  our  own  days.  Will  it  be  believed  that 
there  have  been  amongst  those,  men,  who  were 


THEIR    ORGANIZATION.  367 

so  ignorant  of  the  first  principles  of  zoology, 
as  to  suppose  negroes  to  be  a  race  produced  be- 
tween man  and  the  ourang  outang?  Buffon, 
Dtfubenton,  Camper,  Soemmerring,  the  Munroes, 
Hunter,  Blumenbach,  Cuvier,  Gall,  Lacepede, 
and  Humboldt,  have  made  researches  into  their 
organization.  Some  of  those  learned  men  have 
considered  them  as  a  species,  though  they  have 
employed  the  word  race ;  others  deem  them  a 
variety ;  these  think  the  difference  of  their 
colour,  hair,  features,  and  some  slight  change 
in  the  bones,  are  only  the  effect  of  climate, 
food,  certain  habits  and  local  causes,  during  the 
long  succession  of  ages.  One  opinion  rather 
generally  entertained  is,  that  the  negroes  are  a 
race  of  men  very  inferior  in  their  intellectual 
faculties  to  Europeans,  the  savages  of  America, 
and  even  other  Africans  with  straight  hair, 
known  by  the  name  of  Moors.  I  would  ask 
of  those  who  are  so  little  informed  on  the  noblest 
part  of  natural  history,  comparative  anatomy, 
as  to  suppose  organization  to  have  no  relation 
with  intelligence,  if  it  be  astonishing  that  men, 
such  as  the  negroes,  born  in  countries  destitute 
of  every  institution  for  intellectual  culture, 
should  not  have  made  any  progress  in  the  liberal 
arts  and  sciences  ? 

It  has  been  proved*  by  numerous  examples, 


*  See  "  Literature  of  the  Negroes,  or  Inquiries  into  their  intel- 


368  M.    MLET. 

that  whenever  negroes  had  the  means  of  receiving 
education,  they  have  profited  by  it,  like  the  rest 
of  mankind.  And  even  while  this  sheet  goes  to 
the  press  has  not  the  Institute  of  France  received 
astronomical  observations  on  the  comet  of  1811, 
made  in  the  Mauritius,  by  M.  Lilet,  a  negro  born 
in  Madagascar,  and  who  has  arrived  at  a  know- 
ledge of  the  superior  sciences,  without  education, 
and  by  the  mere  force  of  genius? 

The  illustrious  naturalists  I  have  alluded  to, 
though  they  admit  that  the  negroes  are  of  our 
species,  (which,  I  believe,  no  person  of  common 
sense  now  doubts),  still  consider  them  as  inferior 
to  the  rest  of  mankind,  as  to  their  intellectual 
faculties.  Camper,  Soemmerring,  and  Blumen- 
bach,  who  have  attended  particularly  to  the 
anatomy  of  the  various  forms  of  heads,  thought 
they  found  in  this  organ,  or  assemblage  of  organs, 
the  cause  of  the  inferiority  in  negroes.  There  are 
to  be  seen  in  the  anatomical  plates  of  Camper, 
and  Blumenbach,  heads  of  negroes,  of  which  the 
facial  angle  approaches  to  that  of  the  ape.  But 
besides  them  are  the  heads  of  Calmucks,  whose 


lectaal  Faculties,  <&&"  by  H.  Gregoire,  formerly  Bishop  of  Blois, 
and  a  member  of  the  French  Institute,  <&c  1  vol.  octavo,  Paris, 
1803. 

*  He  has  made  the  best  map  we  possess  of  the  Isles  of  France 
and  Bourbon,  and  written  very  interesting,  geological  and  botani- 
cal tracts  on  Madagascar.  Mons.  L.  is  also  a  correspondent  of 
the  ancient  Academy  of  Sciences. 


negroes/  36ft- 

inverted  forehead,  and  the  rest  .of  the  shape  do 
not  announce  more  intelligence.  I  am  far 
from  denying  the  principles  of  those  excellent 
investigators;  but  with  all  the  respect  I  enter- 
tain for  their  knowledge,  I  believe,  and  I  hope 
to  be  able  at  some  period  to  demonstrate  that 
they  have  hastily  decided  on  this  question,  from 
too  few  examples.  What,  in  fact,  would  be  said 
of  an  African  or  Asiatic  philosopher,  if  such 
there  are,  as  there  have  been,  in  those  countries, 
who,  seeing  sQme  ill-shapen  sculls  of  Europeans, 
would  decide  that  the  Europeans  are  necessarily 
a  stupid  race  of  men  ?  - 

Since  I  have  undertaken  to  descant  on  this  sub- 
ject, I  ought  to  tell  the  truth.  No  prejudice  or 
other  earthly  consideration,  no  fear  of  displeas- 
ing a  class  of  men,  otherwise  respectable,  but 
whose  minds  are  embittered  by  misfortunes  in 
which  I  also  participate,  nothing  shall  induce  me 
to  speak  otherwise  than  I  think :  happy  if  my 
feeble  but  impartial  voice  should  at  some  future 
day  enlighten  governments  on  the  localities 
and  reciprocal  interests  of  colonies  and  mother 
countries. 

I  shall  therefore  candidly  declare  what  a  re- 
sidence of  sixteen  years,  the  possession  of  estates  in 
the  colonies,  and  along  habit  of  governing  negroes 
have  enabled  me  to  observe.  In  the  first  place  a 
Moco  or  Ibo  neg;ro  differs  as  much  by  the.  inferio- 
rity of  his  cerebral  organization  and  intellectual 
powers  from  a  Coromantyn  or  Gold  Coast  negro, 

B    B 


370     '  BRYAN  EDWARDS. 

Mandingo*  Congo, -and  ^spedially  a  Mozambique, 
as  the  Calmucks  and  some  tribes  which  live  not 
far  from  them,  are  inferior  to  Europeans:  I  pledge 
myself  for  the  correctness  of  this  assertion,  which 
though  not  sufficiently  developed  now,  will  be  so 
at  some  future  period,  by  facts  and  a  more  learned 
pen  than  mine.* 

The  inferior  races  of  negroes  improve  in  the 
colonies,  in  respect  to  intellect,  either  by  their 
mixture  with  the  superior  ones,  or  by  a  better 
climate  than  that  of  Guinea.  There  is  no  doubt 
also  that  their  communications  with  Europeans 
and  their  descendants  contribute  to  the  develope- 
ment  of  their  intellectual  faculties.  All  the 
colonists  who  possess  a  spirit  of  observation,  agree 
that  the  Creole  negroes  are  in  general  more 
intelligent  than  the  greater  part  of  the  Euro- 
pean peasants,  and  that  they  are  in  no  respect 
inferior,    in    this    point    of  view,  to  the  white 


*  It  is  not  the  history  of  negroes  that  I  pretend  to  write  ;  I 
merely  wish  to  dispel  the  prejudices  that  are  unfavourable  to  them. 
Bryan  Edwards,  though  a  defender  of  the  coloniul  system,  ex- 
presses himself  thus,  in  speaking  of  the  negroes  of  Whydah  or 
Fida,  commonly  called  Papos  in  the  colonies :  "  they  are  docile, 
and  when  they  have  been  transported  into  the  colonies  it  is  not 
necessary  to  employ  violence  to  make  them  work  in  agriculture, 
because  their  own  country  is  very  well  cultivated.  Bosnian,  who 
travelled  jn  that  country,  speaks  with  delight  of  the  manner  in 
which  they  cultivated  their  lands,  of  their  industry,  wealth  and 
the  mildness  of  their  manners."  History  of  the  West  Indies, 
Vol.  II.  Book  4. 


KT.  DOMINGO.  371 

Creoles  who  have  not  received  an  education. 
I  have  known  men  of  great  wit  and  sound 
sense  among  them.  I  remarked,  however,  that 
though  the  Creole  negroes  have  generally  a  more 
intelligent  countenance  than  the  Africans,  they 
have  not  in  their  look,  and  especially  their  smile, 
either  the  mildness  or  benevolence  of  many  of 
the  latter.  The  Coromantyns  are  distinguished 
by  the  haughtiness  of  their  gait  and  looks,  without 
any  indication  of  ferocity;  the  Mandingoes,  Foul- 
has,  and  Mozambiques,  by  great  mildness  in  their 
lopk  and  smile ;  the  Mokos  and  Ibos  by  a  narrow 
and  low  forehead,  small  heads,  projecting  teeth, 
eyes  without  expression ;  and  the  Creoles  gene- 
rally by  traits  of  trick  and  cunning,  which  they 
no  doubt  acquire  in  flattering  the  young  whites 
from  their  earliest  infancy.  But  I  have  known 
many  estimable  persons  in  all  these  tribes.  A 
Creole  of  Martinico,  Mr.  Blanchetiere  Bellevue, 
who  was  advantageously  known  to  the  Consti- 
tuent Assembly  by  the  brilliancy  and  vigour  of 
his  talents,  made  a  collection  of  their  proverbs, 
maxims,  and  songs.  It  contains  some  articles  wor- 
thy of  being  placed  beside  the  Manual  of  Epic- 
tetus,  Aphorisms  of  Cervantes  and  of  our  most 
witty  songs.  And  who  have  been  the  authors  of 
them  ?  Negroes  and  Mulattoes,  who  are  rigidly 
prohibited  from  learning  to  read  or  write  !* 


*  These  opinions  of  the  author  are  fully  borne  out  by  the  asto- 
nishing spectacle  of  a  black  dynasty  in  St  Domingo,  unquestinably 

B    B    2 


372  CIVILIZATION   OF    ST.    DOMINGO. 

I  think  I  already  hear  some  of  my  readers  speak 
of    their  vices,   their  libertinism,  knavery,  and 


the  most  extraordinary  event    to  which  the  French  revolution 
has  as  yet  given  rife.    When  we  reflect  on  the  abject  state  of  that 
fine  island  in   J  789,  and  view  the  richest  portion  of  it  in  1819, 
governed  by  a  legitimate  monarch,  who  is  not  ashamed  of  his 
origin,  will  any  one  deny  that  the  age  of  revolutions  has  not  at 
length  arrived  ?  Leaving  this  part  of  the  wonder  to  its  own  merits, 
we  have  only  to  contemplate  the  able  organization  of  the  new  king- 
dom, and  the  talents  displayed  by  the  members  of  its  administra- 
tion, and  fresh   sources  of  amazement  burst    upon  the  mind ! 
Parochial  and  primary  schools,  on  the  Madras  system,  in  every 
part  of  King  Henry's  dominions ;  a  royal  college,  with  annual 
prizes  given  to  the  most  distinguished  students.     Academies  for 
music  and  painting,  a  regular  national  theatre,  and  royal  resi- 
dence, which,  for  elegance  and  chasteness  of  design  is  not  inferior 
to  many  of  the  palaces  of  Europe,  a  numerous  clergy,  and  a  long 
train  of  nobles,  are  but  a  few  of  the  wonders  to  which  our  attention 
is  now  so  irresistibly  excited  in  that  interesting  quarter  of  the  globe. 
The  reflections  of  a  native  and  subjeot  of  Henry  I.  the  Baron 
de    Vastey,  in  reply  to  observations  contained  #  in  the   French 
Journals,  deserve  to  be  recorded,  while  they  prove  how  capable 
a  black  writer  is  of  emulating  his  white  brethren,  even  on  the 
score  of  literature.     "  Five  and  twenty  years  ago,91  says  the  en- 
lightened baron,  "  we  were  plunged  in  the  deepest  ignorance,  we 
had  no  notion  of  society,  no  distinct  ideas  of  happiness,  no  power- 
ful feelings ;  our  faculties,  both  physical  and  moral,  were  so  over- 
whelmed under  the  load  of  slavery,  that  I  myself  who  am  writing 
this,  thought  the  world  finished  at  the  horizon  whioh  bounded  my 
sight ;  my  ideas  were  so  limited  that  things  the  most  simple  were 
incomprehensible  to  me ;  and  all  my  countrymen  were  as  ignorant, 
and,  if  possible,  even  more  so  than  myself!     1  have  known  many 
of  them,  who  learned  to  read  and  write  themselves  without  the 
help  of  a  master;  I  have  seen  them  walking  with  their  books  in 
their  hands,  inquiring  of  the  passengers^  and  begging  them  to  ex- 
plain the  signification  of  such  a  character  or  such  a  word,  and  in 
this  way,  have  many,  already  advanced  in  years,  become  able  to 


KING    HENRY    t.  373 

propensity  to  thieving,  &o.  My  reply  is,  that  in 
all  times,  those  vices  were  and  ever  will  be  the 
inseparable  companions  of  slavery. 


read  and  write  without  the  benefit  of  education.  Such  men  have 
become  notaries,  attornies,  advocates,  and  judges,  astonishing  the 
world  by  the  sagacity  of  their  judgment ;  others  have  become 
painters  and  sculptors  from  their  own  exertions,  and  have  also 
surprized  strangers  by  their  productions!" 

That  his  Haytian  Majesty  is  determined  to  preserve  the  struc- 
ture his  talents  has  enabled  him  to  raise,  may  be  inferred  from  the 
following  extract  from  his  manifesto  in  assuming  the  regal  dignity. 
"  The  last  of  the  Haitians,"  says  this  eloquent  state  paper,  "  will 
breathe  out  his  last  sigh  sooner  than  renounce  his  independence. 
Free  by  right,  and  independent  in  fact,  we  will  never  relinquish 
these  blessings ;  nor  witness  the  subversion  of  the  edifice  which  we 
have  raised  and  cemented  with  our  blood.  Faithful  to  our  oath, 
we  will  rather  bury  ourselves  beneath  the  ruins  of  oar  country, 
than  suffer  the  smallest  infringement  of  our  political  rights,"  In 
addition  to  his  military  talents,  Henry  is  represented  by  those  who 
know  him,  as  humane  and  benevolent,  eminently  distinguished  in 
the  exeroise  of  social  virtue,  both  as  a  kind  parent,  good  husband, 
and  steady  friend — strict  in  the  observance  of  all  the  duties  of 
religion  and  mobility!  Contrary  to  the  too  prevalent  custom 
both  in  Europe  and  Hayti,  he  attached  himself  in  early  life  to  one 
woman,  whom  he  never  forsook.  That  woman  is  now  Queen  of 
Hayti,  beloved  by  all  ranks  and  conditions  of  his  subjects^  The 
King  is  said  to  possess  a  propriety  and  dignity  of  manner  seldom 
attained  by  the  best  educated  man ;  and  his  proclamations,  gene- 
rally dictated  by  himself,  are  compositions  of  which  the  most 
civilized  cabinets  of  Europe  need  not  be  ashamed !  Since  this 
extraordinary  man,  and  honour  to  his  species,  has  chosen  the 
kingly  government  as  best  suited  to  the  genius  and  disposition  of 
his  people,  God  grant,  that  in  holding  out  an  example  of  private 
worth,  so  justly  meriting  imitation  by  many  white  contemporaries, 
his  public  conduct  may  be  exempt  from  those  vices  which  render 
©me  of  the  latter  unpopular  at  home  and  contemptible  abroad  !-Ed. 


374  REVOLT  OF  NEGROES. 

The  cruelties  and  ferocity  which  they  exercised 
on  the  whites  in  Surinam,  St.  Domingo,  and  the 
British  colonies,  where  they  have  revolted,  will 
nevertheless  be  remembered  with  horror,  although 
there  can  be  no  difficulty  in  tracing  the  original 
cause. 

Read  the  dismal  history  of  revolutions,  in  all 
times  and  amongst  all  nations,  and  you  will  every 
where  see  that  whenever  slaves  have  succeeded 
in  breaking  their  chains,  they  have  forged  arms 
from  them  to  exterminate  their  masters.  But 
since  we  are  on  the  subject  of  the  character  of 
negroes,  let  us  consider  them  in  respect  to  forti- 
tude and  generosity,  the  first  qualities  in  human 
nature.  I  shall  select  some  examples,  extracted 
from  two  respectable  writers,  Bryan  Edwards, 
and  Mr.  Stedman. 

There  was  a  revolt  at  Jamaica,  in  1760,  The 
principal  chief  of  the  insurgents  was  named 
Tacky,  a  Coromantyn  negro:  he  had  been  a 
chieftain  in  his  own  country,  and  was  killed 
about  the  commencement  of  the  insurrection. 
When  government  had  quelled  the  revolt,  it  con- 
demned one  of  the  chiefs  to  be  burnt  alive,  and 
the  two  others  to  be  hung  up  in  iron  cages,  and 
there  starved  to  death,  in  the  public  square  of 
Kingston.  The  wretched  being  destined  to  be 
burnt,  was  placed  sitting  on  the  ground,  his  body 
chained  to  a  post,  when  the  fire  was  placed  at  his 
feet.  He  did  not  utter  a  sigh,  and  saw  his  legs 
/  burnt  to  cinders  with  a  calm  firmnesi ;   but  the 


FORTITUDE.  375 

chain  that  confined  one  of  his  hands,  being  loosen- 
ed, he  seized  one  ofahe  firebrands  that  consumed 
him  and  threw  it  in  the  face  of  his  executioner. 

The  two  others  requested  to  have  a  good  meal 
before  they  were  suspended  in  their  cages,  which 
was  granted.  From  that  day,  says  the  histo- 
rian of  the  British  colonies,  until  the  one  on 
which  they  expired,  they  never  complained,  ex- 
cept of  the  cold  during  the  night ;  but  in  the 
day  time,  they  conversed  gaily  with  their  coun- 
trymen assembled  round  the  gibbet.  On  the 
seventh  day  it  was  rumoured  amongst  the  spec- 
tators, that  one  of  them*  wished  to  communicate 
an  important  secret  to  his  master,  "  my  near  rela- 
tion," says  Mr.  Edwards :  "being  absent  in  the  pa- 
rish of  St.  Mary,  the  commanding  officer  sent  me 
to  hear  it.  I  endeavoured,  by  means  of  an  interpre- 
ter, to  extract  the  promised  information,  but  we 
could  not  hear  his  reply.  I  recollect  that  he  and 
his  companion  in  misery  laughed  immoderately 
at  something  that  happened ;  though  I  do  not 
remember  what  it  was.  On  the  following  morning 
one  of  them  expired  without  uttering  a  word, 
and  the  other  died  the  next  day,  the  ninth  of  his 
punishment."* 

Stedman,  after  having  given  a  picture  of  the 
cruelties  practised  on  the  negroes  at  Surinarri, 
relates  that  on  his  arrival  in  that  colony,  a  white 


*  History  of  the  British  Colonies  in  the  West  Indies.  Vol.  II. 
Book  4. 


376  HORRIBLE    TOIttURES. 

man  was  flogged  by  a  black  executioner,  for  having 
stolen  some  money  from  the  town-house ;  and  he 
remarked  that  this  negro  inflicted  the  punishment 
with  great  signs  of  commiseration.  A  negro 
was  broken  on  the  wheel  for  the  same  crime,  and 
he  bore  that  horrible  punishment  without  a  sigh. 
A  moment  afterwards,  they  prepared  to  hang 
another,  and  whilst  the  hangman  was  tying  the 
cord  round  his  neck  to  launch  him  into  eternity 
he  looked  stedfastly,  with  a  smile  of  contempt, 
at  his  judges  who  were  amongst  the  spectators  of 
the  execution.  "  Having  expressed  to  the  per- 
sons who  were  near  me,  (says  Captain  Stedman) 
how  much  I  was  shocked  with  the  injustice  and 
cruelty  of  those  executions,  and  surprised  at  the 
intrepidity  of  the  negroes  during  the  punishment, 
a  very  decent  looking  man  thus  addressed  me : 
"  Sir,  you  are  newly  arrived  from  Europe ;  but  if 
you  were  better  acquainted  with  negro  slaves, 
what  you  now  see  would  neither  excite  your  sur- 
prise nor  your  pity.  It  is  not  long  since  I  saw  a 
negro  suspended  from  that  very  gibbet  by  the 
ribs.  The  following  is  the  manner  in  which  it 
was  done :  two  incisions  were  made  in  his  side, 
in  which  was  passed  an  iron  hook  attached  to  a 
chain.  He  lived  three  days  suspended  in  that  man- 
ner, his  head'  and  feet  hanging  down,  licking  from 
his  bleeding  breast  the  drops  of  water  that  fell  on 
it,  for  it  rained  at  the  time.  The  sufferer  did 
not,  however,  utter  a  groan,  and  never  once  com- 
plained.    On  the  third  day,  another  negro  was 


Contempt  of  death.  37f 

flogged  under  the  gallows,  and  having  cried  from 
pain,  the  former  reproached  him  for  his  want  of 
courage :  Do  gayfasy  ?  "  Are  you  a  man  ?"  said 
he  to  him,  "  you  behave  like  a  child  Vm  A  moment 
afterwards  the  soldier  who  was  sentry  on  the  spot 
taking  pity  on  him,  dashed  out  his  brains  with 
the  butt  end  of  his  musquet.  I  saw  another  negro 
quartered,''  the  narrator  continued:  "after  his  arms 
and  legs  were  tied  to  four  very  strong  horses,  an 
iron  nail  was  driven  under  each  nail  of  his  hands 
and  feet.  He  suffered  that  without  complaining, 
requested  a  glass  of  rum,  and  ordered  the  execu- 
tioners to  let  loose  the  horses.  But  that  which 
amused  us  most,"  continued  this  monster, "  was  the 
humour  of  the  fellow,  who,  when  the  hangman 
presented  the  glass  of  rum  to  him  that  he  had 
asked  for,  told  him  to  drink  first,  as  he  was  very 
much  afraid  of  being  poisoned,  and  desired  him 
to  take  care  that  his  horses  should  not  kick  him. 
As  for  old  negroes  being  broken  on  the  wheel, 
and  young  women  burnt  alive,  nothing  is  more 
common  in  this  colony ! !  !"* 


*  Narrative  of  a  fire  Years  Expedition  against  the  revolted 
Negroes  of  Surinam,  by  Captain  I.  G.  S  ted  man.  f 

f  The  process  of  suspending  human  beings  by  their  ribs,  has 
always  been  a  favourite  mode  of  punishment,  amongst  many 
others  equally  repulsive  in  the  Dutch  colonies.  It  is  even  con- 
fidently asserted  that  the  system  of  legislation  by  which  these 
horrible  cruelties  are  sanctioned  is  still  in  force  at  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope :  if  so,  God  forbid  that  any  individuals  disposed  to  emi- 
grate from  this  country,  however  great  their  sufferings  may  be  at 


378  A    SPEECH. 

Stedman's  work  is  full  of  instances  of  the 
cruelty  of  Europeans,  and  the  heroism  of  the 
martyred  negroes.  The  noble  speech  of  one  of 
those  negroes,  which  I  extract  from  the  same 
work,  will  not  be  misplaced  here.  One  of  the 
fugitive,  or  revolted  slaves^  being  brought  before 
his  judges,  who  had  condemned  him  previous  to 
hearing  what  he  had  to  say  in  his  defence,  re- 
quested to  be  heard  for  a  few  minutes  before  he 
was  sent  to  execution ;  when  leave  being  granted, 
he  spoke  to  the  following  effect : 

"  I  was  born  in  Africa :  while  defending  the 
person  of  my  prince  in  battle,  I  was  taken  pri- 
soner and  sold  as  a  slave  on  the  coast  of  Guinea. 
One  of  your  countrymen,  who  sits  amongst  my 
judges,  purchased  me.  Having  been  cruelly 
treated  by  his  overseer,  I  deserted  and  went  to 
join  the  rebels  in  the  woods.  There  also,  I  was 
condemned  to  become  the  slave  of  their  chief 
Bonnay,  who-  treated  me  with  still  more  cruelty 
than  the  whites,  which  obliged  me  to  desert  a 
second  time,  determined  to  fly  from  the  human 
species  for  ever,  and  to  pass  the  rest  of  my  life 


home,  should  be  induced  to  select  the  Cape,  while  so  many  less 
exceptionable  and  more  fertile  regions  are  open  to  them.  Let  us 
also  hope  that  the  meeting  of  parliament  will  be  marked  by  a  strict 
inquiry  into  the  causes  of  that  war  of  desolation  and  bloodshed, 
which  is  now  waging  between  the  poor  Caffres,  and  those 
whom  they  consider,  no  matter  how  erroneously  in  our  opinion,  as 
usurper;  and  invaders.— Ed. 


HEROISM.  379 

innocently  and  alone  in  the  woods.  I  had  lived 
two  years  in  this  manner,  a  prey  to  the  greatest 
hardships  and  the  most  dreadful  anxiety,  merely 
attached  to  life  by  the  hope  of  once  more  seeing 
my  beloved  family,  who  are,  perhaps,  starving 
owing  to  my  absence.  Two  years  of  misery 
had  thus  passed,  when  I  was  discovered  by  the 
rangers,  taken  and  brought  before  this  tribunal, 
which  now  knows  the  wretched  history  of  my 
life,  and  of  which  the  only  favour  I  request  is, 
to  be  executed  on  Saturday  next,  or  as  soon  as 
it  may  be  convenient." 

This  speech  was  pronounced  with  the  greatest 
moderation,  and  by  one  of  the  finest  negroes  the 
author  had  ever  seen.  His  master,  who,  as.  he 
had  remarked,  was  one  of  his  judges,  made  him 
this  atrociously  laconic  reply :  "  Rascal !  it  is 
of  little  consequence  to  us  to  know  what  you 
have  been  saying;  but  the  torture  shall  make 
you  confess  crimes  as  black  as  yourself  as  well 
as  those  of  your  detestable  accomplices."  At 
these  words,  the  negro,  whose  veins  seemed  to 
swell  with  indignation  and  contempt,  retorted  in 
showing  him  his  hands;  "  Master,  these  hands 
have  made  tigers  tremble ;  yet  you  dare 
to  threaten  me  with  that  despicable  instru- 
ment! No,  I  despise  all  the  torments  which 
you  can  now  invent,  as  well  as  the  wretch  who 
is  about  to  inflict  them."  On  saying  these  words, 
,he  threw  himself  on  the  instrument,  where  he 
suffered  the  most  dreadful  tortures  without  utter- 


380  FIDELITY   OF    NfeGROES. 

ing  a  syllable.  Nor  was  he  heard  to  say  another 
word  till  the  moment  of  ending  his  unhappy  life 
on  the  gallows.* 

Does  the  history  of  the  heroic  times  contain  in- 
cidents more  worthy  than  those  of  exciting  the 
admiration  and  sympathy  of  generous  minds,  and 
what  do  they  require  to  reach  the  remotest 
posterity  ? 

The  interesting  history  of  Stedman  is  replete 
with  traits  of  generosity  and  fidelity  of  the  negroes 
to  their  good  masters.  He  mentions,  amongst 
others,  a  chief  of  the  rebels,  who  had  been  treated 
in  the  most  cruel  and  insulting  manner.  Having 
surrounded  his  master's  plantation  several  times 
at  night,  in  the  hope  of  finding  the  tyrant  in  it, 
and  of  exercising  his  vengeance  'on  him ;  the 
wife  of  the  latter  had  remained  in  the  house,  and 
each  time  that  the  negro  chief  came,  she  threw 
herself  at  his  feet,  in  tears,  accompanied  by  her 
little  children.  The  negro  raised  her,  caressed 
his  little  masters  (as  he  called  them,)  shed  tears 
of  affection  over  them,  and  retired,  without  doing 
the  least  injury  to  the  plantation.  He  concluded 
by  promising  his  mistress,  of  whose  conduct  he 
could  not  complain,  that  he  would  return  no 
more  to  trouble  her. 

Still  there  are  those  who  assert  that  the  negroes 
are  a  race  of  degenerated  men,  inaccessible  to 


*  See  Vol.  II.  of  the  same  work,  page  208. 


author's  impartiality.  381 

every  noble  and  generous  sentiment !  Amongst 
the  Europeans,  could  we  find,  in  such  circum- 
stances, many  whites  who  would  display  more 
greatness  of  sou],  and  as  feeling  a  heart,  as 
this  negro  of  Surinam  and  his  companions  in 
arms  ? 

Bryan  Edwards  states  in  his  account  of  the 
insurrection  at  Jamaica,  in  1760,  that  the  rebels 
spared  Abraham  Fletcher,  the  overseer  of  his 
uncle,  because  the  negroes  on  that  plantation 
assured  the  insurgents  he  had  always  treated 
them  with  humanity :  he  adds  very  properly, 
that  this  ought  to  be  a  lesson  for  overseers ! 

In  order  to  reply,  by  facts,  to  the  interested  or 
ignorant  writers  who  wish  to  make  negroes  pass 
for  a  depraved  and  ferocious  race  of  men,  un- 
worthy of  participating  in  the  advantages  of 
civilization,  and  liberty,  I  have  chosen  rather  to 
quote  two  well  known  authors,  Bryan  Edwards, 
proprietor  of  a  plantation  in  Jamaica,  where  he 
had  four  hundred  negroes,  and  who  certainly  was 
not  a  nigrophttu&9  and  Stedman,  an  officer  in  the 
Dutch  service,  whose  interesting  voyage  bears  the 
stamp  of  sincerity  and  the  most  generous  feeling. 
I  have  preferred,  in  speaking  of  the  character  of  the 
negroes,  also  to  quote  foreign  authors,  whose  repu- 
tation is  established,  than  to  relate  a  great  num- 
ber of  facts  witnessed  by  myself,  and  which  are 
highly  honourable  to  the  character  of  negroes 
and  people  of  colour.  Some  of  these  will  not, 
however,  I  trust,  be  unacceptable  to  my  readers. 


382  "         escape. 

During  the  civil  wars  in  Martinico,  I  wandered 
one  day  to  the  outposts  of  our  camp,  and  I  found 
myself  surrounded  in  the  bottom  of  a  ravine  by  a 
patrole  of  negroes  and  men  of  mixed  blood.  I 
thought  myself  lost,  because  the  'two  parties 
waged  a  war  of  extermination.  Whilst  they 
were  deliberating  whether  they  should  shoot  me 
immediately,  or  conduct  me  to  head-quarters, 
one  of  the  negroes  approached,  and  said :  "  It 
was  you  who,  on  such  a  day,  asked  forgiveness 
for  me,  when  Mr.  A.  P.  my  master,  would  have 
picketted  me  for  a  robbery,  of  which  I  was  inno- 
cent, and  which  was  committed  by  that  comrade 
you  see  there !  Vous  bon  bequ6>  vous  tent  enco 
coeur  mouton  France  !  Be  tranquil,  no  harm  shall 
be  done  to  you."  After  this  address  they  no 
longer  thought  of  shooting  me,  but  offered  me" 
some  rum ;  upon  which  I  drank  their  healths, 
and  they  drank  to  mine.  They  next  proposed 
that  I  should  join  their  party,  and  promised  to 
appoint  me  as  one  of  their  officers.  I  answered 
that  if  I  were,  to  accept  their  generous  offers,  it 
would  be  said  by  my  party,  that  I  had  deserted,  and 
was  a  traitor.  Upon  this  they  unanimously  ap- 
proved my  view  of  the  subject,  and  permitted 
me  to  teturn  to  my  camp,  merely  requiring  my 
word  of  honour  that  I  would  not  mention  what 
had  occurred  to  any  one,  adding,  that  if  their 
general  (which  general  was  a  white)  heard  they 
had  spared  me,  they  might  readily  lose  their 
lives  for  it. 


PRIDE    OF  NEGROES.  383 

Afterwards,  during  the  civil  war  in  Saint  Lucia, 
one  day  when  I  carried  an  order  to  a  post  half  a 
league  from  our  camp,  I  was  aimed  at  by  a  detach- 
ment of  mulattoes  and  negroes   concealed  in  a 
thicket.     Five  or  six   shots  were  fired,  none  of 
which  reached  me.     A  man  of  colour  seized  the 
bridle  of  my   horse,  and  whilst  I  was  drawing 
my  sabre  to  rid  myself  of  him,  he  shouted  to  his 
comrades,  "  Stop  firing,  do  not  injure  this  white 
man;"     and  I   remained    motionless,   with  my 
sabre   lifted   over  his  head.     I  was  immediately 
surrounded,  he  who  held  my  bridle  was  told  that 
I  must   dismount  to    be  shot.     "  You  shall  not 
shoot  this  white  man,  or  if  you  persist  in  it,  I  will 
die  with   him!"   was  the  reply  of  Belfond,   in- 
a  voice  of  thunder.     "  This  white-man  has  never 
despised   people  of  colour :  when   he   speaks  to 

us  he  always   says  Sir I   went  to  his  house 

some  time  ago  on  business,  he  was  at  breakfast 
and  made  me  sit  at  table  with  him.  Are  there 
many  fellows  of  that  cast  ?" 

Here  I  ought  to  mention  what  I  have  observed, 
in  common  with  all  persons  who  have  had  the 
means  of  studying  the  character  of  negroes  and 
people  of  colour  ;  it  is,  that  there  are  no  men  in 
the  world  more  susceptible  of  contempt*.     I  have 

*  The  negroes  have  naturally  a  great  deal  of  pride  in  their 
character  ;  but  it  degenerates  into  vanity  in  the  state  of  slavery. 
With  respect  to  negro  vanity,  the  following  circumstance  hap- 
pened at  Blois  last  year.      Some  catholics  and  protectants  exhort- 


384  PRIDE. 

seen  negroes  become  furious  by  a  contemptible 
or  ironical  look  from  their  master  or  overseer, 
though  not  accompanied  by  any  offensive  ex- 
pression in  language  :  I  have  seen  them  com- 
plain of  it  in  the  most  audacious  tone,  and  at 
the  hazard  of  being  knocked  down.  One  day 
when  a  negro  annoyed  me  with  his  com- 
plaints against  a  sorcerer,  who,  he  said,  had  ren- 
dered his  cocks  and  hens  barren,  and  given  his 
pigs  the  cholic,  I  shrugged  up  my  shoulders  in 
looking  at  him  with  an  air  of  compassion  ;  whilst 
he,  with  eyes  sparkling  with  rage,  exclaimed; 
"  strike  me,  if  you  please ;  but  do  not  look  at  me 
awry  !"  To  make  amends  for  this  involuntary 
offence,  I  told  him  that  if  he  had  taken  better 
notice  of  me,  he  would  have  seen  I  did  not 
look  at  him  with  contempt,-  but  that  it  was 
an  involuntary  movement  of  pity,  in  seeing  a 


ed  a  young  negro  to  be  baptized.  He  was  on  the  point  of  deciding 
in  favour  of  the  protestant  faith.  M.  de  M. . . .  undertook  the 
conversion  of  the  sable  candidate,  and  gained  a  victory  over  the 
children  of  Calvin,  for  he  was  baptized  by  a  parish  priest. 
M.  de  M. . . .  gave  him  twelve  francs  (ten  shillings)  as  a  present 
on  the  day  of  his  baptism.  In  what  does  the  reader  suppose 
that  he  employed  this  money  ?  He  inquired  if  there  was  not  a 
sedan  chair  in  Bio  is,  and  found  there  was  one.  Upon  which 
our  young  proselyte  gave  the  twelve  francs  to  two  chairmen,  to 
carry  bim  through  ail  the  streets.  At  every  moment  he  put  his 
head  out  of  the  windows,  to  show  his  beautiful  hair  highly  pow- 
dered !  But  what  most  flattered  his  self-love,  on  this  occasion,  was 
doubtless  to  see  himself  thus  carried  by  two  whites ! 


AFFECTION  FOR  CHILDREN.  385 

sensible  negro  like  him,  esteemed  as  he  was  by 
all  the  whites/  believe  in  such  nonsense.  This 
little  compliment  composed  him :  I  saw  a  smile 
on  his  lips,  and  satisfaction  in  his  eyes ;  but  he 
did  not  believe  a  whit  the  less  in  the  influence  of 
sorcerers. 

The  negroes,  in  general,  show  the  greatest 
fondness  for  their  children,  and  do  not  refuse 
them  any  thing.  It  is,  however,  but  truth  to 
say9  that  when  they  deserve  chastisement,  they 
perform  it  with  violence ;  but  their  children  are 
the  most  obstinate  weepers  in  the  world,  and  the 
father  or  mother  after  having  beaten  them  several 
times,  generally  finish  by  giving  them  playthings 
or  cakes  to  pacify  them. 

All  I  can  say  of  the  religion  of  the  negroes 
is,  that  some  are  idolaters,  and  others  Maho- 
metans ;  but  the  greater  part  of  them  are  cir- 
cumcised* It  appears  certain  that  they  practised 
circumcision  before  Mahometanism  was  known  to 
them.  The  idolatrous  negroes  are  of  milder 
manners  than  the  Mahometans,  probably  because 
their  religion  is  not  intolerant. 

The  two  crimes  most  revolting  to  nature,  abor- 
tion and  infanticide,  ought  to  be  very  rare  amongst 
men  who  have  so  much  affection  for  their  chil- 
dren ;  yet  there  are  frequent  instances  of  them : 
but  it  is  only  on  plantations  where  negroes  are 
treated  with  injustice  and  cruelty.  In  such  cases  it 
is  not  uncommon  for  a  negro  and  his  wife  to  resolve 
on  poisoning  themselves  and  their  children,  to 

cc 


386  mode  or  POISONING. 

to  be  freed  from  misfortunes  without  a  remedy. 
They  always  begin  by  poisoning  their  children, 
then  some  of  the  slaves  who  are  most  useful  to 
their  masters,  such  as  the  refiners,  carpenters,  or 
masons.  Thus  they  have  before  they  die  the  plea- 
sure of  seeing  their  masters  exasperated  and  ruined 
by  the  loss  of  their  slaves.  They  usually  employ 
slow  poisons,  the  effects  of  which  endure  for 
several  months ;  thereby  enjoying  for  a  long  time 
the  only  revenge  they  can  practise  on  their  op- 
pressors; because,  for  themselves,  they  consider 
death  as  a  benefit,  and  passage  to  a  better  life. 
It  is  very  remarkable  that  when  a  negro  has  taken 
a  resolution  to  ruin  his  master,  by  poisoning  his 
gang,  he  is  never  informed  against  by  his  com- 
rades, though  they  generally  know  who  the 
poisoner  is,  and  that  each  expects  to  perish  by 
the  effects  of  his  vengeance :  they  preserve  his 
secret  inviolably,  which  is  often  difficult  to  learn 
from  them  *  even  in  the  midst  of  punishments ! 
Then  the  proprietor,  who  sees  his  fortune  ruined 
by  the  daily  deaths  of  his  slaves,  demands  from 
government  the  appointment  of  a  commission  for 
trying  the  poisoners.  Those  commissions  bear, 
in  the  French  colonies,  the  name  of  burning 
chambers,  and  they  are  well  termed.  The  pro- 
prietor or  his  overseer  fills  the  offices  of  accuser 
and  judge  at  the  same  time  :  in  this  simulation  of 
a  trial,  where  sentence  is  always  pronounced  at 
the  will  of  the  proprietor,  who  is  at  once  accuser, 
witness,  reporter,  and  judge,  pretended  sorcerers 


SLAVE    TRADE.  387 

are  often  employed  to  find  out  the  guilty,  who 
have  great  influence  on  the  minds  of  the  negroes, 
and  who  are  themselves  poisoners  by  profession. 
It  happens  even  at  times  that  great  proprietors  con- 
sider themselves  sufficiently  powerful,  to  do  what 
they  call  justice,  in  their  blind  fury  at  home,  and 
which  consists  in  burning,by  their  private  authority, 
the  negroes  they  believe  to  have  been  guilty  of 
poisoning,  I  expect  already  that  certain  persons 
who  cannot  be  cured  of  their  prejudices  by  any 
revolution,  and  whom  no  misfortune  can  render 
reasonable,  will  term  me  a  nigrophilus.  I  shall 
not  reply  to  such  an  accusation  ;  but  merely  say 
that  the  colonial  system  in  the  American  islands 
is  a  monstrous  anomaly.  The  slave  trade  makes 
every  European  shudder,  who  has  human  feelings, 
when  he  sees  herds  of  negroes  landed,  who  are 
sold  like  beasts  of  burden.  I  appeal  to  the  recol- 
lection of  all  those  who  have  been  present  at  sales 
from  slave  ships.  What  sensations  did  they  ex- 
perience, when,  for  the.  first  time  they  saw  those 
bargains  for  human  flesh,  before  the  interest  of 
the  moment  and  custom  had  familiarized  them  to 
this  abuse?  The  same,  I  suppose,  that  a  man 
feels,  who  for  the  first  time  is  present  at  a  scene 
of  carnage,  or  who.  commits  his  first  bad  action. 
In  favour  of  the  actual  colonial  system,  it  will  be 
asserted  that  St.  Domingo  and  our  other  colonies 
enlivened  our  commerce,  caused  our  manufactures 
to  flourish,  and  enriched  France.  I  agree  to  all 
that;  but  the  cause  and  the  source  of  those  riches 

cc2 


388  8LAVE    TRADE. 

was  neither  less  odious  nor  unjust.  The  Bri- 
tish East  India  Company  might  employ  those 
very  arguments  to  justify  all  the  crimes  of  which 
its  agents  have  been  guilty.  I  believe  it  is  proved 
to  every  dispassionate  mind  and  every  honest 
heart,  that  colonies  would  have  been  more  popu- 
lous, and  rendered  much  more  wealth  to  parent 
states,  if,  in  their  origin,  they  had  been  peopled 
with  freemen.  In  fact,  is  it  not  known  to  all 
those  who  have  occupied  themselves  with  this 
matter,  that  it  was  necessary  to  renew  the 
slave  population  of  our  colonies  every  twenty 
years,  or,  which  amounts  to  the  same  thing,  that 
they  annually  lost  the  twentieth  part  of  their  po- 
pulation  ?  Yet  the  colonies  of  freemen,  situated 
on  the  continent  of  North  America,  doubled 
theirs  every  twenty-five  years,  and  have  doubled 
it  every  sixteen  years  since  their  independence. 
The  means  of  subsistence  are  much  less  abundant, 
and  require  more  labour  from  man,  in  those  co- 
lonies, than  in  the  Antilles;  and  it  is  known  that 
when  all  other  matters  are  equal,  population  in- 
creases in  proportion  to  the  means  of  subsistence. 
These  facts,  which  cannot  be  denied  by  the  apo- 
logists for  negro  slavery,  without  modification,* 
prove  how  bad  this  system  is  in  respect  to  interest, 


*  I  have  put  the  expression  without  modification  in  italics, 
because  whoever  proposes  to  ameliorate  the  situation  of  the  people 
of  colour  and  negroes,  is  pointed  out  as  an  anarchist,  by  a  class  of 
men  whose  prejudices  are  incurable. 


SLAVES    UNPROFITABLE.  389 

independently  of  its  immorality.     Mr.  Edwards 
has  proved  that  the  capital  invested  in  the  British 
colonies,  in  agricultural  establishments,  does  not 
render  five  per  cent,  during  twenty  years,  on  the 
greater  part  of  the  plantations.     M.  de  Humboldt 
has  proved,  in  his  Statistics  of  Mexico,  that  the 
labour  of  slaves  costs  more  than  that  of  freemen. 
Is  it  then  worth  the  trouble  of  emigrating,  re- 
mitting property  so  far,  and  committing  so  much 
injustice  and  cruelty,  for  such  small  profits  ?  It  is 
generally  believed  in  Europe,  that   the  money 
employed  in  purchasing  a  good  plantation  in  the 
colonies,  produces  fifteen  per  cent,  and  sometimes 
more.    This  is  true,  when  the  plantation  is  well 
and  humanely  regulated.     That  which  ruins  the 
greater  part  of  the  proprietors,  is  the  mortality 
of  the  negroes  :  of  a  thousand  transported  from 
Africa,  grief  or    ill-usage    destroys   one   third, 
in  the  first  three  months  after  their  arrival ;  and 
at  the  end  of  six  or  seven  years,  seven  or  eight 
tenths  of  the  others  are  dead !     In  Trinidad,  To- 
bago, and  Grenada,  it  is  considered  very  fortunate 
when  of  thirty  young   negroes  bought    in  the 
course  of  a  year,  there  may  be  six  in  good  health 
five  years  afterwards.      On  the  greater  part  of 
the  plantations  the  negroes  have  few  children ; 
a  third  of  those  children  do  not  reach  the    age 
of  one  year,  and  the  half  of  another  third  never 
arrive   at  the  age  of  four,  the  period  at  which 
they  are  considered  as  escaped,  according  to  the 
expression  of  the  country. 


390  si tt  wiluam  yockg, 

But  I  ought  to  state  that  there  are  plantation* 
in  the  British  and  French  colonies,   where  the 
population  augments,   as  in  the   best  regulated 
countries.     It  increases  almost  equally  with  the 
white  population  in  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
colonies,  because  the  negroes  there  are  treated 
with  great  humanity.    Of  all  the  British,  French, 
and  Spanish  plantations  I  have  known,  the  one 
on  which  the  most  admirable  order  is  preserved, 
is  undoubtedly  that  of  Sir  William  Young  at  St. 
Vincent's.     This  plantation,  delightfully  situated 
partly  on  the  declivity  of  a  hill  and  partly  in  the 
plain,  on  the  sea  coast,  is  watered  by  a  fine  river. 
The  negroes  are  as  well  lodged  as  the  substantial 
peasantry  in  the  finest  countries  of  Europe,  while 
their  properties  are  inviolable.     The  father  of  the 
present  proprietor  always  took  care  that,  in  his 
absence  the  plantation  should  be  managed  by  a 
man  of  known  humanity,  and  his  worthy  son 
follows  the  example.    There,  neither  the  manager 
or  his  deputies  have  the  privilege  of  flogging  the 
negroes.    When  a  negro  has  committed  a  fault, 
the  manager  or  overseer  gives  an  account  of  it  to 
the  attorney,  who  pronounces  sentence,  after  hav- 
ing heard  the  accused  and  the  witnesses  he  produces 
in  his  defence.     It  is  well  known  at  St.  Vincent's  * 
that  this  plantation  is  that  of  the  whole  island  on 
which  the  fewest  crimes  are  committed,  and  a  whole 
year  sometimes  passes  without  the  necessity  of  pu- 
nishing a  negro  on  it,  whilst  a  day  seldom  occurs 
but  some  negro  is  flogged  on  the  adjacent  estates. 


HUMANE    REGULATIONS.  391 

Amongst  other  excellent  regulations  made  by 
Sir  William,  one  deserves  to  be  particularly 
noticed:  as  soon  as  the  physician  has  declared 
a  negress  with  child,  she  is  dispensed  from  all 
work,  and  not  required  to  labour  until  one  month 
after  child-birth.  As  long  as  she  suckles  her 
infant,  she  is  allowed  two  hours  more  repose 
every  day  than  the  other  negroes,  and  on  Saturday 
she  is  not  permitted  to  work.  If  she  has  two  chil- 
dren, she  has  two  free  days,  without  reckoning 
Sunday,  which  all  the  others  have.  Should  she 
have  three,  she  is  allowed  three  days :  in  short, 
she  has  a  day  free  for  each  child  of  which  she  is 
the  mother,  so  that  the  negress  who  has  six  chil- 
dren is  exempted  from  all  work  at  the  plantation. 
So  that  her  whole  time  is  free  for  the  duties  of 
housewifery,  and  she  does  not.the  less  receive  her 
rations  of  seven  pots  of  meal  and  four  pounds  of 
salt  meat  and  fish,  as  well  as  a  similar  ration  for 
each  of  her  children.  There  are  on  this  planta- 
tion a  chaplain  and  physician,  who  take  the  great- 
est care  of  the  negroes ;  for  Sir  William  Young 
has  never  employed  any  but  men  of  probity.  The 
population  is  so  increased  on  the  estate,  that  not 
only  has  there  been  no  necessity  for  a  long  time 
past  to  purchase  any  negroes,  but  there  were  in  1806 
more  than  the  number  necessary  for  cultivating  it ; 
and  yet  the  proprietor  has  had  the  good  sense  and 
humanity  not  to  sell  any  of  his  slaves,  by  whom  he 
is  adored.  When  his  father  died  at  St.  Vincent's, 
the  negroes  presented  a  petition  praying  that  the 


392  INSTANCE   OF    AFFECTION. 

remains  of  their  dear  master  might  be  interred  in 
the  plantation :  thus  it  fras  that  they  still  called 
him  in  1804 ;  and  I  have  seen  those  of  them  who 
wept  in  pronouncing  his  name,  though  it  was 
then  more  than  twenty  years  since  his  death! 
When  the  body  of  Sir  William  was  conveyed  on 
board  a  vessel  anchored  off  the  wharf  of  the  plan- 
tation, to  be  sent  to  England,  for  the  purpose  of 
being  deposited  in  the  vault  of  his  ancestors,  the 
negroes  who  could  not  obtain  boats  to  accompany 
it  on  board,  swam  after  it  as  far  as  the  ship ;  and 
respectable  persons  in  the  island  have  assured  me, 
that  some  who  were  not  good  swimmers,  drown- 
ed themselves  in  this  pious  enterprize ! 

The  negro  population  increases  on  all  the  plan- 
tations that  are  administered  with  humanity. 
Amongst  the  establishments  which  I  can  men- 
tion most  favourably  are,  in  the  first  place  those 
of  the  religious  missionaries  of  Martinioo  and 
Guadaloupe,  where  the  negroes  were  treated  m 
a  patriarchal  manner,  and  instructed  on  princi- 
ples of  religion,  and  in  which  neither  concubin- 
age nor  adultery  are  permitted.  Many  othqr 
estates  are  managed  with  great  humanity :  those 
which  I  have  most  known,  are  the  planta- 
tions of  Fortier,  Du  Buc,  at  the  Grand  Fond 
and  Gallion,  of  Lucy,  Fossarieu,  &c. ;  in  Marti- 
nico  and  Guadaloupe  the  plantations  of  Poyen, 
Gondrecourt,  Desislets,  and  Decressoniera,  Bel* 
legarde,  &c.  I  believe  that  on  the  greater  part 
of  the  plantations  in  the  British  and  French  co- 


REVOLUTIONARY    DELIRIUM.  393 

lonies,  the  negroes  are  humanely  treated,  and 
merely  name  those  more  particularly  known  to 
me  for  good  administration. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  from  what  I  have  said 
above,  that  I  approve  of  the  opinions  of  those 
who,  in  the  revolutionary  delirium,  liberated 
the  slaves  without  modification,  and  raised  them 
to  the  rank  of  citizens.  Though  a  victim,  like 
a  great  number  of  the  colonists,  to  the  conse- 
quences of  that  measure,  I  have  not  less  esteem 
and  regard  for  some  of  its  promoters.  Their 
sincere  zeal  for  the  cause  of  humanity,  and  the 
exaggerated  opinions  of  that  period,  which  mis- 
led them,  form  their  excuse.  I  can  distinguish 
between  some  worthy  men,  whose  sensibility  and 
imagination  were  inflamed  by  fictitious  represen- 
tations of  the  cruelties  of  the  colonists,  and  the 
mountebanks  of  philanthropy,  such  as  Raynal* 
and  some  of  his  disciples,  who,  whilst  they  en- 
riched themselves  in  the  negro  trade,  did  not 
cease  to  represent  the  colonists  as  tyrants.  We 
now  know  how  to  appreciate  the  false  zeal  and 
hypocrisy  of  those  pretended  friends  of  huma- 
nity, impostors  who,  if  born  in  another  age, 
would  have  been  fanatical  monks. 

Now  that  I  have  concluded  this  very  imper- 
fect sketch  of  the  colonial  system,   and  freely 


*  It  is  well  known  that  Raynal  held  shares  in  the  slave  ships 

of  the  house  of  D of  Nantes,  and  in  those  of  the  firm  of 

Sollier,  of  Marseilles. 


394  OBSEBTATIOHS. 

expressed  my  opinions  on  the  condition  and  cha- 
racter of  the  negroes,  many  of  the  colonists  and 
apostles  of  the  liberty  of  the  negroes  will  doubt- 
less be  greatly  offended.  For  if  the  least  im- 
provement in  the  situation  of  the  slaves,  or  small- 
est shock  on  their  authority  be  merely  hinted,  they 
instantly  exclaim,  "  he  is  a  nigrophilus!"  a  term 
of  reproach  which,  in  their  language,  is  a  gross 
insult.  But  the  past  ought  to  serve  as  a  lesson 
for  the  future.  The  organization  of  the  colonies 
that  are  restored  at  a  general  peace,  or  those 
which  may  be  founded,  in  future  times,  ought 
seriously  to  occupy  the  attention  of  government. 
I  shall  make  an  observation  in  this  place  which 
may  appear  paradoxical  to  many:  it  is,  that 
there  is  a  much  greater  distance  from  the  savage 
to  the  pastoral  state,  than  from  the  latter  to  one 
of  the  highest  civilization.  Accordingly  it  would 
be  much  more  easy  to  give  a  horde  of  Tartars, 
Hottentots,  or  negroes  a  taste  for  our  manners, 
customs  and  sciences,  than  it  has  been  hitherto 
found  to  persuade  the  American  savages  to  rear 
flocks  and  herds,  or  make  them  feel  the  advan- 
tages of  the  most  simple  agriculture.  But  when 
the  negroes  succeed  in  obtaining  their  liberty, 
they  are  generally  found  to  form  new  planta- 
tions, and  some  of  them,  by  dint  of  labour  and 
economy,  become  great  proprietors  in  the  end. 
Others  act  as  extensive  traders,  and  such  are  seen 
in  all  the  colonies,  especially  at  Trinidad,  where 
they  often  become  considerable  merchants.     I 


mulattoes;  399 

have  thought  it  necessary  to  make  this  remark* 
in  order  to  point  out  a  marked  difference 
between  the  character  and  dispositions  of  the 
negroes  and  savages.  £uch  a  form  of  govern- 
ment, and  law,  as  may  be  good  for  the  one,  is 
not  fit  for  the  others:  this  then  is  what  those 
who  undertake  to  superintend  their  civilization 
ought  to  be  convinced  of;  for  if  they  do  vio- 
lence to  nature,  they  will  cause  her  to  retro- 
grade instead  of  advancing. 

This  would  be  the  proper  place  to  speak  of 
people  of  mixed  blood,  who,  in  the  European 
languages  are  stigmatised  with  the  insulting  deno- 
mination of  Mulatto.  And  who  are  the  men 
that  have  given  them  this  epithet  ?  Even  those 
who  begot  them  in  their  brutality !  The  fate  of 
those  unfortunate  people  is  at  least  as  much  to  be 
pitied  as  that  of  the  negroes.  They  know  that 
they  are  the  children  of  whites,  and  yet  they  are 
treated  by  their  fathers  and  brothers  as  an  abject 
and  proscribed  cast !  There  are  none,  even  to 
the  negroes,  who  do  not  arrogate  to  themselves 
the  privilege  of  despising  them  ;  and  the  hatred 
which  is  continually  fomented  between  these  two 
classes,  is  one  of  the  great  pivots  of  colonial  po- 
licy. A  white  man  forms  a  connection  with  a 
negress  or  a  mulatto  woman;  he  has  children 
by  her ';  the  mother  rears  them'  with  tender- 
ness ;  the  father  caresses  and  takes  care  of  them, 
though,  in  the  greater  part  of  the  colonies  they 
are  prohibited  from  giving  him  the  fond  appella- 


396  INHUMANITY. 

tion  of  father.*  This  class  is  so  degraded,  that 
a  woman  of  colour  considers  it  an  honour  to  be 
the  concubine  of  a  white  man ;  but  she  regards 
herself  as  his  wife,  and  generally  maintains  an 
inviolable  fidelity  to  him,  though  she  knows  that 
her  keeper  will  abandon  her  as  soon  as  he  may 
take  a  fancy  to  marry  a  white  woman. 

Whatever  education  a  man  or  woman  of  colour 
may  have  received,  whatever  may  be  their  vir- 
tues, however  considerable  their  fortunes,  no- 
thing can  raise  them  to  a  level  with  the  meanest 
white,  who  is  authorized  by  the  prejudices  of 
the  country  to  treat  them  with '  insolence.  And 
yet  those  men  and  women  of  colour  are  daily 
seen  to  practise  the  kindest  hospitality  towards 
unfortunate  whites  abandoned  by  every  one  else. 
I  could  fill  a  volume  with  instances  of  gene- 
rosity and  humanity  in  the  negroes  and  people 
of  colour,  and  shall  conclude  this  chapter  by  the 
following. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Solger  was  born  in  Grenada,  the 
offspring  of  a  French  officer  and  a  negress.  His 
father  never  noticed  him,  nor  ever  took  any  care 


*  One  of  the  most  grave,  rich  and  immoral  magistrates  in 
Martinico,  had  a  child  by  a  woman  of  colour  in  1798.  In  1802 
this  child,  of  whom  it  was  positively  asserted  that  the  said  magis- 
trate was  the  father,  ran  after  him  crying  "  papa,  papa  f  whilst  he 
was  riding  in  Lamentin.  The  wretch  made  his  horse  trample  on 
the  poor  child,  and  struck  it  with  his  horsewhip  ;  saying  to  the 
unhappy  mother,  "  this  will  teach  you  how  to  make  that  little 
serpent  call  me  father  again." 


FILIAL    AFFECTION.  397 

either  of  the  son  or  his  mother.  Thanks  to  his 
talents  and  industry,  Mr.  Solger  has  become  one 
of  the  greatest  proprietors  in  Trinidad ;  and  this 
fortune  he  owes  entirely  to  his  own  activity  and 
prudence.  His  father,  on  the  other  hand,  lost  his 
property  and  profession,  during  the  troubles 
which  agitated  Martinico,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  French  revolution.  Upon  this  his  neglected 
son  allowed  the  unworthy  parent  a  large  pension 
from  the  moment  he  was  informed  of  the  loss  of 
his  fortune,  until  the  day  of  his  death ! 


398  INDIANS. 


CHAP.  X. 


Indians. — Classed  into  Caribs  and  Farias. — Opinion  of  Rochefort — 
Contradictory  Accounts  of  that  Writer. — Analogies. — Religion  of 
the  early  Tribes. — Sorcery. — Sylvester. — Anecdote. — Curious  Dia- 
logue.— First  Establishment  of  Missions. — Comparison. — Reflec- 
tions.— Jesuits. — Mission  of  St.  Joseph. — Mass  of  the  Indians. — 
A  Review — Indians  op  Guiana. — Anecdote. — Degraded  State  of 
some  Tribes. — Custom  of  selling  their  Wives  and  Children- — 
Indians  of  Trinidad. — Their  uncivilised  State. — Nefarious  Conduct 
of  some  English  Proprietors. — The  Arrouages. — Their  Trade. — Ac- 
couchement of  the  Indian  Mothers. — Conjectures. — Account  of  the 
Black  Can bs  of  St*  Vincent's. — Visit  to  Grand  Sabltt  and  curious 
Description  of  a  Carib  Chief. — Concluding  Remarks,         B 


I  distinguish  the  natives  of  the  South  Ameri- 
can coast,  comprised  between  the  mouth  of  the 
Amazons  and  that  of  the  Orinoco,  and  from  that 
river  as  far  as  Cape  de  Vela,  including  those  who 
formerly  inhabited  the  Antilles,  in  two  great 
classes  or  principal  casts,  the  Caribs  and  the  Farias. 
The  Arrouages,  Arrouakans,  or  Arroouaks  (ac- 
cording as  those  words  arc  pronounced  by  the 
Spaniards,  British,  or  French),  Gal  ibis  or  Calibites, 
Guaraouns  andGuahiros,  appear  to  he  tribes  of  the 
fine  race  of  Caribs*  A  great  number  of  tribes  are 
treated  with  much  contempt  by  the  Caribs  and 


CLASSES.  -         399 

Arroouaks,.the  two  principal  nations  and  rivals  of 
this  part  of  South  America,  It  is  very  remark- 
able that  Paria  should  be  that  cast  of  all  others 
which  they  most  despise. 

It  appears  that  the  primordial  nation  was  sub- 
divided previous  to  the  conquest  by  the  Euro- 
peans, into  a  great  number  of  tribes  which  were 
different  from  each  other  in  distinct  customs  and 
languages,  the  effects  of  local  causes  and  national 
antipathies. 

Previous  to  my  hazarding  some  conjectures  on 
the  origin  of  those  nations,  it  will  not  be  impro- 
per to  insert  what  is  said  of  them  by  a  traveller 
who  visited  the  Antilles  about  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  Rochefort,  in  his  Natural 
and  Moral  History  of  the^  Antilles,  says  that  the 
Caribs  of  his  tribe  were  as  ignorant  of  their  own 
origin,  as  of  monuments  of  antiquity,  and  as  little 
curious  of  the  present,  as  of  the  future;  that  the 
chief  part  of  them  believed  themselves  descended 
from  the  G  alibis,  their  allies  and  great  friends, 
and  neighbours  of  the  Arroouaks,  in  the  country 
known  by  the  name  of  Guiana. 

Some  of  the  traditions  relative  to  the  origin  of 
the  Indians  have,  it  must  be  confessed,  quite  the 
appearance  of  being  fabricated  by  the  European 
writers  of  the  seventeenth  century,  who  were 
anxious  to  make  a  figure  amongst  their  contem- 
poraries, as  persons  occupied  in  learned  researches. 
Their  writings  bear  an  appearance  both  of  cre- 
dulity   and    enthusiasm.     Rochefort,    who  col- 


400  RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP. 

lected  the  stories  of  that  time  to  give  them  a  very 
clumsy  historical  form,  is  full  of  glaring  contra- 
dictions in  his  reasoning.  For  instance,  after  hav- 
ing said  that  the  Caribs  of  the  continent  peopled 
the  desert  Antilles,  he  says,  a  moment  afterwards, 
that  they  exterminated  a  race  of  Arroouaks,  who 
were  the  inhabitants  of  them.  Still  there  are 
found  both  in  his  relation,  and  that  of  Bistok, 
whom  he  quotes  with  great  praise,  some  inte- 
resting facts  for  the  learned,  who  are  fond  of  in* 
quiring  into  the  origin  and  history  of  barbarous 
nations.  Some  things  may  excite  their  curiosity 
and  inquiries,  such  as  the  words  Carib  and  Amana, 
common  to  the  people  of  Florida  and  of  South 
America,  and  to  the  platforms  or  elevated  plains 
of  those  two  countries  so  distant  from  each  other. 
It  also  appears  by  these  writers  that  the  Floridans 
adore  the  sun ;  and  that  the  men  did  not  give  it 
the  same  name  that  the  women  did.  The  for* 
mer  calling  it  hayeyou,  and  the.  latter  kachi ;  the 
sun  was  the  good  principle  with  those  people, 
and  they  acknowleged  a  bad  principle,  which 
they  named  mabouya ;  a  name  which  they  gave 
to  mushrooms,  and  poisonous  plants  in  general. 
There  are  in  the  Antilles,  at  St.  Lucia,  for  in- 
stance, mountains  which  still  bear  the  name  of 
Maybouya.  They  offered  sacrifices  of  deer  to 
the  good  spirit,  on  elevated  places,  and  made 
offerings  to  Mabouya  in  caverns.  They  called 
those  offerings  cmacri.  The  Caribs  worshipped 
beneficent  deities,  subordinate  to  the  Great  Being ; 


RELIGIOUS    RITES.  401 

According  to  the  person^  who  collected  these  tra- 
ditions during  the  seventeenth  century,  the  wo* 
men  did  not  give  to  the  inferior  beneficent  deities 
the  same  names  as  the  men ;  they  called  them 
tchemum,  and  in  the  plural  tchemimim;  while 
the  men  called  the  spirits  of  an  inferior  order  je- 
heiri  in  both  numbers.  These  names  are  still  foUnd 
in  the  superstitions  of  the  savages  who  live  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  Orinoco,  and  in  the  vallies 
of  the  coast  range  of  Cumana,  even  amongst 
many  of  those  who  frequent  the  missions.  I 
have  never  perceived  that  they  worshipped  the 
good  spirit  or  great  being  during  the  many  years 
I  lived  amongst  them,  with  the  authority  of  a 
chieftain,  and  enjoying  as  much  of  their  confi- 
dence as  they  could  well  grant  to  a  white.  But, 
they  make  many  offerings  to  Mabouya,  the  bad 
principle;  or  to  speak  more  correctly,  to  his 
priests  or  sorcerers,  who  unite  in  their  persons 
all  authority  and  science,  the  same  individual  ex- 
ercising  generally  the  functions  of  civil  cuqtd  mili- 
tary chief,  priest  and  physician,  until  a  more 
clever  or  a  bolder  impostor  supplants  him.  Yet ' 
these  changes  never  produce  any  tumult  or  san- 
guinary scenes.  The  various  tribes  of  Indians 
were  independent  previous  to  the  arrival  of  the 
Europeans ;  they  waged  war  against  ejach  other, 
and  then,  no  doubt,  it  was  those  who  possessed 
most  cunning  or  courage,  that  obtained  authority. 
But  since  these  tribes  have  been  subjected  or  re- 
strained by  the  descendants  of  the  Europeans,  ijt 

DD 


402  A    SORCERER. 

is  only  by  trick  and  knavery  that  an  Indian  suc- 
ceeds in  exercising  some  authority  amongst  his 
people.  I  was  enabled  to  observe  a  curious  in- 
stance of  it  in  Trinidad.  An  old  Indian,  named 
Sylvester,  who  was  still  living  when  I  quitted  the 
island,  although  blind,  exercised  an  authority 
almost  absolute  over  the  Indians  of  the  north  part 
of  the  island ;  he  was  about  sixty  years  old  in  1806: 
he  lost  his  sight  in  the  following  curious  manner: 
having  had  a  species  of  ophthalmia  in  1792,  another 
sorcerer  persuaded  him  that  he  had  an  infallible 
specific  for  curing  him.  On  this  occasion  Syl- 
vester allowed  himself  to  be  deceived  by  the  other 
cheat ;  who  blew  some  powder  into  his  eyes,  and 
scratched  them  with  a  thorn  of  the  mauritia  acu- 
leate. When  he  was  convinced,  some  days  after- 
wards, that  he  had  become  blind  from  the  malice 
of  his  physician,  he  ordered  him  to  be  brought 
into  his  presence,  and  after  having  reproached 
him  before  the  rest  of  his  tribe  with  the  crime, 
which  he  attributed  to  an  ambition  of  succeeding 
him,  he  predicted*  that  his  rival  should  die  in 
torments  in  a  few  days,  as  a  punishment  for  the 
offence.  In  fact,  he  did  die  in  the  manner  Syl- 
vester had  foretold.  In  pronouncing  his  male- 
diction, the  impostor  added  that  this  outrage,  far 
from  destroying  his  authority  and  influence, 
would  consolidate  them  still  more,  and  there  is 
no  doubt  that  the  prophecy  was  fully  accom- 
plished. Though  execrated  and  despised  by 
the  Indians,    he  maintained    an  absolute  sway 


A    PROPOSITION.  403 

merely  from  the  fear  with  which  his  malignant 
practices  inspired  them.  When  this  abominable 
old  man  hears  of  a  pretty  Indian'  girl,  he  orders 
that  she  shall  be  brought  to  him,  and  as  jealous 
as  the  Indians  are  of  their  wives  and  daughters, 
still  none  dare  oppose  his  desires.  An  Indian  would 
believe  himself  damned  if  he  consented  to  serve  a 
white  man  as  hunter,  fisher  or  servant,  without 
having  obtained  permission  of  Captain  Sylvester, 
(for  that  is  the  title  he  has  chosen),  and  this  per- 
mission is  only  to  be  obtained  by  making  him  pre* 
sents.  While  I  held  the  office  of  corregidor  in  his 
neighbourhood,  which  gave  me  authority  over 
him,  I  employed  the  means  of  persuasion,  rather 
successfully  to  dissipate  the  fascination  and  fears 
of  the  Indians.  When  be  found  his  authority 
nearly  extinct,  he  caused  himself  to  be  conducted 
to  my  house  one  day,  and  requested  a  private 
conference,  which  I  granted,  he  then  without 
further  preamble,  proposed  to  divide  his  autho- 
rity with  me.  I  appeared  to  enter  into  his  views, 
on  condition  that  he  would  initiate  me  into  his 
magical  secrets ;  to  which  he  readily  consented. 
This  first  interview  took  place  in  the  morning  : 
I  invited  him  to  dine  with  me,  on  condition  that 
he  was  to  reveal  his  secrets  after  dinner.  Whilst 
waiting  for  the  hour  of  dinner,^  I  went  to  the 
village  to  propose  to  some  of  the  most  superstitious 
amongst  the  Indians,  and  some  others  of  those 
who  were  the  least  so,  to  come  and  be  witnesses  of 
what  was  to  pass  between  us.     They  agreed  to  it, 

i>d2 


! 


404  CONVERSATIONS. 

even  to  his  brother  Antonio,  who  has  as  much  good 
nature  and  frankness  in  his  disposition,  as  Syl- 
vester has  cruelty  and  perfidy.  I  recommended 
them  to  maintain  a  profound  silence,  and  placed 
them  in  a  room,  from  whence  they  could  see  and 
hear  all  that  passed  between  the  sorcerer  and 
myself.  After  having  enlivened  him  with  a  good 
dinner,  and  a  few  glasses  of  claret  and  Madeira, 
our  conversation  turned  on  his  knowledge  of 
magic.  He  supposed  himself  alone  with  me.  "  Is 
it  not  true,  Sylvester,"  said  I, "  that  you  would  not 
pass  for  so  great  a  magician  if  your  followers  were 
not  such  silly  creatures  ?  It  is  not  to  reproach 
you  that  I  say  this ;  you  are  very  right  in  taking 
advantage  of  the  superiority  of  your  genius.  It 
is  the  same  amongst  us — men  of  talents  live  at  the 
expence  of  fools." 

"  Let  me  have  another  glass  of  Madeira,  and  a 
cigar/'  replied  Sylvester,  with  the  usual  smile  of 
deceit  upon  his  countenance,  "  and  I  shall  then  in- 
struct you  in  all  I  know  about  it."  He  now  made 
a  pompous  display  of  his  knowledge  of  plants,  and 
of  his  talent  at  employ  ing  them  in  the  cure  of  dis- 
eases, wounds,  ulcers,  &c.  "  Is  that  all  your  witch- 
craft, Sylvester?" — "  It  is  indeed,  master ."— "  How 
then  have  you  been  able  to  persuade  the  Indians 
that  you  knew  so  much,  that  you  can  find  out 
every  thing,  and  that  by  your  connection  with 
the  great  Mabouya,  you  could  load  them  with 
calamities,  and  even  make  them  die  ?"  Sylvester 
continued  to  smoke  his  cigar,  and  did  not  reply. 


SECRETS.  406 

"  How  did  you  manage  to  destroy  the  Indian,  who 
under  the  pretence  of  curing  blinded  you?"-*"  And 
pray,  Mr.  Corregidor,  if  any  one  had  put  out  your 
eyes,  would  you  not  kill  him  if  you  could  I"— 
''That  is  not  to  the  point :  I  ask  how  you  who  are 
blind  could  contrive  to  kill  the  fellow  who  blind- 
ed you?—"  Then  you  believe  he  was  a  wicked 
wretch  ?"—r"  Most  certainly  I  do,  Sylvester." — 
"  I  hcid  him  poisoned."—"  iSo  then  it  was  neither 
the  Devil  nor  the  great  Mabouya  that  killed  him:" 
— "  It  is  I  who  am  the  Devil  and  the  great  Ma- 
bouya," exclaimed  Sylvester  with  a  loud  laugh. 
"  Thus,  Sylvester,  all  your  magic  consists  in  the 
knowledge  of  plants,  especially  of  those  which 
are  fit  for  poisoning  your  enemies."—"  I  know 
also  how  to  make  grimaces  which  frighten  the 
Indians." — "  Do  me  the  favour  to  inform  me, 
Sylvester,  who  it  was  taught  you  all  those  fine 
things." — "He  who  was  chieftain  before  me, 
taught  me  a  part,  but  I  have  invented  much  more 
of  them  than  he  ever  told  me." 

"I  know,  Sylvester,  that  it  was  you  who  hin- 
dered the  Indians  from  becoming  christians ;  that 
it  was  you  who  tore  down  the  cross  which  the 
missionaries  had  placed  here  some  years  ago ; 
tell  me  sincerely :  I  will  give  you  an  anker  of 
rum,  a  hat,  shirt,  and  pair  of  shoes,  if  you  say 
the  truth/'—"  The  missionaries  are  more  expert 
magicians  than  myself.  I  should  no  longer  have 
any  influence  if  there  was  a  priest  here :  those 
priests  are  great  rascals;  Messrs*  ***  have  told 


406  A    DISCOVERT. 

me. so." — "  Sylvester,  those  you  mention  are  very 
bad  people,  and  libertines ;  they  could  not  debauch 
the  Indian  women,  and  cheat  the  men,  if  there 
were  a  priest  in  the  village. " — "  Gossip  Conregi- 
dor,  for  my  own  part  I  don't  like  priests !" 

Here  the  dialogue  raided ;  when,  addressing 
myself  to  the  Indians,  I  observed,"  this  is  the  man 
in  whom  yon  blindly  believed,  and  who: makes  you 
do  either  good  or  evil,  according  to  his  interest  or 
caprice,  and  who  has  made  you  bear  false  witness." 
Upon  this  nearly  all  the  Indians,  not  Excepting 
his  brother,  overwhelmed  him  with  reproaches, 
abuse  and  curses.  A  moment  before,  he  believed 
himself  alone  with  me ;  he  was  now  petrified,  and 
had  not  a  word  to  say :  immediately  afterwards, 
he  requested  a  glass  of  spirits,  in  a  violent  tremor, 
and  returned  home  amidst  the  hootings  of  his  for- 
mer admirers,  conducted  by  an  orphan  girl  of  fif- 
teen years  old,  who  he  had  instructed  to  be  the 
minister  of  his  infamy.  I  never  saw  a  countenance 
exhibit  a  more  guilty  expression  than  that  of  this 
wretch,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  above  scene. 

At  the  commencement  of  the. seventeenth 
century,  the  Jesuits  established  several  missions 
about  this  part  of  South  America,  and  the  Ca- 
ribs  advanced  towards  civilization  as  rapidly  as 
could  be  expected  from  their  indolence  and 
that  carelessness  produced  by  a  mild  climate, 
where  the  earth  produces  spontaneously  and 
without  labour,  a  great  quantity  of  roots  and 
fruits  fit  for  the  sustenance  of  man ;  where  the 


MODS   OF    LIFE.  407 

forests  abound  in  game,  and  the  rivers  and  coasts 
in  fish.  To  these  natural  advantages  the  Caribs 
add  the  cultivation  of  some  plants,  such  as  the 
banana,  yam,  sweet  potatoe,  the  manioc  or  mani- 
hot,  maize,  &c.  The  fruitfulness  of  the  soil  is  such, 
that  seven  or  eight  days  of  moderate  labour  in 
the  course  of  the  year,  will  furnish  a  Carib  abun- 
dantly with  all  the  vegetable  part  of  his  food. 
The  chase  and  the  fisheries,  which  for  him  are 
not  labour,  but  exercise  and  amusement,  supply 
the  remainder.  A  day  of  hunting  or  fishing  ge- 
nerally yields  subsistence  for  a  family  for  a 
fortnight:  what  is  not  eaten  fresh,  is  salted  or 
smoke  dried. 

But  how  much  the  situation  of  the  South  Ame- 
rican Indian  differs  from  that  of  him  who  inhabits 
the  northern  regions !  The  latter  neither  plants 
nor  sows :  some  wild  fruits,  not  very  nourishing, 
compose  his  vegetable  diet ;  it  is  true  that  for 
seven  or  eight  months,  during  which  his  spring, 
summer  and  autumn  last,  the  forests  supply  him 
with  game,  and  the  lakes  and  rivers  with  fish  ; 
but  how  deplorable  is  his  fate  during  a  severe, 
winter  of  four  or  five  months !  Then,  torment- 
ed and  excited  by  hunger,  like  the  wild  beasts 
that  dispute  the  empire  of  the  deserts  with  him, 
he  penetrates  the  forest  with  his  family,  to  give 
chace  to  bears  and  deer.  He  is  sometimes  weeks, 
nay,  whole  moons  without  finding  any  means  of 
subsistence,  on  a  ground  covered  with  snow,  or 
fish  in  those  rivers  and  lakes  indurated  with  ice. 


408  PROSPECT  OF  CIVILIZATION. 

Yet  the  child  of  nature  is  passionately  attached 
to  this  poor,  and  wandering  bat  free  life :  be 
speaks  with  contempt  of  our  riches,  dress  and 
palaces,  and  he  holds  our  social  institutions  in 
horror.  Still,  however,  if  a  germ  of  civilization 
should  be  introduced  amongst  these  people,  it 
will  make  rapid  and  durable  progress.  •  There  is 
in  the  physical  and  moral  constitution  of  the  in- 
digenous inhabitants  of  America,  situated  in  the 
same  latitudes  as  Europe,  an  energy  of  charac- 
ter, an  apitude  for  the  abstract  combinations  of 
the  mind,  and  a  taste  for  eloquence,  as  well  as  a 
beauty  and  strength  of  body,  which  render  them 
very  superior  to  the  indolent  and  apathetic  abo- 
riginal of  the  hot  countries  of  the  same  conti- 
nent. Some  tribes  of  the  United  States  already 
give  the  most  brilliant  hopes,  particularly  the 
Illinois,  Creeks,  and  Cherokees.  They  have,  in 
fact,  made  the  most  difficult  step  towards  civiliza- 
tion. The  great  Washington  had  the  happiness 
and  glory  of  introducing  the  use  of  the  plough 
amongst  them  ;  a  glory,  in  my  opinion,  equal  lo 
that  of  having  been  the  hero  of  his  country's 
independence.* 


*  Whatever  the  policy  of  General  Washington  may  have  been, 
towards  the  poor  Indian  tribes,  all  his  successors  have  not  justi- 
fied the  praises  of  M.  Lavaysse,  as  most  amply  proved  by  the 
recent  war  of  extermination,  carried  on  against  the  ill-rated 
Seminole  and  Creek  Indians*  The  whole  conduct  of  that  war, 
including  its  origin,  progress  and  sanguinary  climax,  the  murder 
of  Arbuthnot  and   Ambrister,  furnish  materials  for  history,  by 


JESUITS*  409 

Amongst  those  who  have  laboured  to  propa- 
gate Christianity  in  South  America,  the  Jesuits, 
no  doubt,  met  with  great  success ;  they  devoted 
themselves  with  admirable  skill  and  perseverance 
to  give  savages  a  taste  for  agriculture  and  the  arts 
which  are  indispensable  to  it ;  and  though  the  in- 
stitutions which  have  succeeded  them,  be  not  as 
ably  organized  and  administered  as  theirs,  yet  it 
is  but  justice  to  say,  that  there*are  in  South  Ame- 
rica missions  in  which  the  greatest  order  reigns, 
and  where  the  Indians  live  as  happily  as  our  na- 
ture permits.  I  have  been  enabled  to  observe 
those  of  the  Island  of  Trinidad,  and  the  provinces 
of  Venezuela.  One  of  the  most  interesting  is 
that  of  Saint  Joseph,  situated  almost  at  the  foot 
of  the  mounts  Ithamaques.  This  is  on  the  bank 
of  a  small  stream  which  flows  into  the  Caroni,  and 
not  far  from  the  junction  of  that  river  with  the 
Orinoco.     It  is  really  an  enchanting  scene,  and 


which  the  American  character  will  be  judged  in  future  times.  It 
has  already  produced  its  full  moral  effect  on  the  people  of  Europe, 
for  notwithstanding  their  boasted  freedom,  and  affected  love 
of  independence,  every  impartial  and  honest  man  declares  that 
where  such  bloody  deeds  are  suffered  to  pass  not  only  unpunished, 
but  with  approbation,  there,  must  in iquify  and  corruption  dwell ! 
But  let  the  American  executive  continue  to  sanction  the  persecu- 
tion of  the  weak  and  helpless  Indians  whose  soil  they  have 
usurped :  while  such  a  system  is  marked  by  the  just  detestation  of 
present  times,  and  the  execrations  of  posterity,  the  same  retri- 
butive power  which  visits  the  sins  of  the  fathers  on  their  dhildren 
in  Europe,  will  also  remember  the  unworthy  descendants  of  a 
Penn,  a  Franklin,  and  a  Washington ! — Ed. 


410  SAINT    IGNATIUS. 

truly  worthy  of  having  been  the  residence  of  the 
Jesuits,  who  were  the  original  founders.  When  I 
visited  it,  there  were  some  portraits  of  those 
fathers  there,  which  the  Capuchins,  their  succes- 
sors, had  respected:  these,  though  taken  by 
bad  painters,  are,  as  are  all  those  of  the  Jesuits 
which  I  have  seen,  the  representations  of  men 
more  .or  less  talented,  except  what  appears  incom- 
prehensible, that  of  their  founder,  Saint  Ignatius, 
which  represents  the  physiognomy  of  a  madman ! 
It  is  not  one  of  the  least  amusing  and  inexpli- 
cable anomalies  in  the  history  of  the  human  mind, 
that  a  society,  of  which  cunning  and  policy  were 
the  principal  characteristics,  had  for  its  founder, 
the  knight-errant,  or  Don  Quixote  of  the  Virgin 
Mary.  But  every  one  does  not  know,  that  the 
true  founder  and  author  of  the  institutions  of  this 
society,  was  neither  a  madman  or  enthusiast,  his 
name  was  James  Laines.  It  was  he  who  made 
the  statutes  by  which  the  society  was  to  be  com- 
posed of  politicians,  learned  men  and  saints.  They 
were  accused  of  having  been  opponents  to  the 
progress  of  knowledge ;  but  this  is  an  error. 
They  merely  wanted  to  modify  and  direct  its  pro- 
gress, according  to  their  own  views  and  principles. 
At  the  period  when  this  society  was  destroyed, 
it  was  preparing  to  direct  the  course  of  philoso- 
phical learning,  as  it  had  regulated  literary  edu- 
cation :  this  piay  be  seen  from  the  fine  and  able 
discourse  of  Guinard,  that  gained  the  prize  at 
the  French  Academy,  in  1767  ;  one  of  the  best, 


MISSIONARIES.  411 

according  to  the  opinion  of  many  persons,  which 
had  ever  received  a  premium  from  that  body. 

The  mission  of  Saint  Joseph  belongs  at  present 
to  the  Catalan  Capuchins;  it  has  several  chapels 
of  ease  in  this  province.  The  church  and  house 
of  the  missionaries  are  large  and  handsome,  but 
very  simple.  The  village  of  the  Indians  is  of 
a  square  form,  where  each  Indian  family  has 
a  house  built  of  mud,  or  unburnt  bricks  well 
beaten,  the  roof  of  which  is  covered  with  the 
magnificent  foliage  of  palm  trees.  Each  has  a 
little  gallery  in  front,  which  contributes  to  its 
coolness.  This  situation,  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains, on  the  banks  of  a  chrystal  stream  which 
loses  itself  in  the  majestic  Orinoco ;  the  contrast 
of  the  beautiful  church,  the  European  architec- 
ture of  the  convent,  with  the  cottages  of  the 
Indians  covered  with  foliage,  are  truly  interesting 
to  the  European  visitor. 

Recovered  from  the  involuntary  train  of 
thought  inspired  by  this  novel  scene,  I  was  desi- 
rous of  examining  the  details  and  administrative 
economy  of  the  mission,  when  my  reason  was  as 
much  satisfied,  as  my  imagination  had  been 
exalted.  I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  do  justice  to 
those  worthy  Spanish  missionaries,  and  it  is  a  very 
agreeable  duty  for  me  to  refute  the  calumnies  of 
which  they  have  been  the  object  both  in  America 
and  Europe.  To  stigmatize  such  men,  it  is 
necessary  to  be  possessed  of  the  very  genius  of 
evil ;  and  it  is  to  have  an  apathetic  soul,  inacces- 


412  MAGISTRATES. 

sible  to  every  virtue,  not  to  love  and  venerate 
them.  I  shall  endeavour  to  give  the  reader  an 
idea  of  what  a  mission  is  in  the  Spanish  colonies : 
it  is  a  place  where  from  four  or  five  hundred,  as 
far  as  one  thousand  Indians  are  assembled  in  a 
village  built  very  regularly,  and  always  on  the 
banks  of  a  river.  The  head  of  this  society  has 
the  title  of  corregidor,  and  is  a  kind  of  governor* 
or  rather  a  magistrate,  who  unites,  in  those  coun- 
tries, the  authority  of  a  justice  of  peace  and 
mayor.  The  corregidors  of  the  Indians  were 
appointed  by  the  viceroys  and  captains-general. 
They  are  not  lucrative  employments,  but  those 
which  are  most  respected  in  the  Spanish  colonies. 
The  corregidor  has  many  alcaldes  or  municipal 
officers  under  his  orders,  who  are  also  justices  of 
peace :  the  corregidor  and  alcaldes  are  white 
men,  chosen  from  amongst  the  most  respectable 
and  enlightened  proprietors  of  the  country.  There 
is  also  in  each  mission  a  certain  number  of  Indian 
alcaldes,  subordinate  to  the  corregidor  and  white 
alcaldes*  Those  copper-coloured  magistrates  are 
extremely  proud  of  their  places ;  their  costume 
and  staves  of  office,  af e  in  every  thing  similar  to 
those  of  the  white  magistrates:  the  hierarchy  ends 
with  the  alguazils  or  bailiffs. 

The  agriculture  and  industry  of  the  Indians 
united  in  missions,  consists  at  first  in  growing  the 
provisions  already  mentioned :  such  as  the  banana, 
sweet  potatoe,  manihot,  maize,  yam,  &o.  and  of 
some  other  objects  in  which  they  carry  on  a  little 


CAPUCHINS.  413 

trade,  such  as  cotton,  indigo,  arnotto,  hammocks 
and  baskets.  There  is  no  instance  known  of  an 
Indian  who  has  had  the  industry  to  become  a 
regular  trader.  They  sell  those  objects  to  the 
publicans  who  settle  in  the  missions,  and  who 
are  qt  the  same  time  dealers  in  hardware,  linens, 
groceries,  &c.  All  that  the  Indians  earn>  is  swal- 
lowed up  by  those  traders,  as  the  natives  are 
strangers  to  economy. 

The  pastor  of  the  mission  is  a  monk.  I  believe 
that  almost  all  those  in  the  province  of  Caraccas 
belong  to  the  capuchins,  recollets,  or  some  other 
branch  of  the  order  of  St.  Francis.  There  are 
some  missions  whence  several  missionaries  go 
every  Sunday  to  perform  divine  service  for  the 
neighbouring  hamlets,  and  catechise  them.  I 
visited'that  of  the  Arragonian  Capuchins,  twice  ip 
1807 :  it  is  situated  between  Cariaco  and  Carupano 
in  the  province  of  Cumana.  The  first  time  I  went 
there  I  alighted  at  the  house  of  the  corregidor, 
a  native  of  the  country,  and  son  of  a  Biscay  an,  an 
old  officer  of  artillery.  I  was  struck  with  the 
fine  figure,  polite  manners  and  natural  eloquence 
of  this  elegant  young  man :  to  fair  hair,  the  com- 
plexion of  a  Fleming  or  an  Englishman,  he  united 
the  slender  person  of  a  Basque,  and  the  muscles  of 
a  Hercules,  I  was  recommended  to  him  by  three 
of  his  friends,  Don  Juan  Mayoral,  commandant 
of  Cape  de  Paria,  Don  Miguel  de  Alcala,  comp- 
troller of  Carupano,  and  Don  Juan  Martin  de 
Arestimuno,  one  of  the  principal  proprietors  of 


414  RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP. 

the  province  of  Cumana,  the  most  virtuous  and 
benevolent  men  I  have  met  in  my  travels.  I  was 
perfectly  well  received  by  the  corregidor  :  it  be- 
ing Sunday,  he  proposed  that  we  should  go  to 
the  Indians'  mass,  where  I  accompanied  him.  I 
was  surprized  to  find  in  that  wild  place  a  large  and 
beautiful  church,  the  choir  of  which  was  very  well 
gilt ;  this  was  also  the  work  of  the  Jesuits.  The 
mass  had  begun,  the  Indians  were  all  kneeling, 
and  in  two  lines :  they  had  large  rosaries  in  their 
hands :  when  the  priest  elevated  the  host,  they 
prostrated  themselves  with  their  faces  to  the  earth, 
and  when  they  rose,  the  females  chaunted  a  psalm, 
in  which  some  of  the  men  sang  the  chorus.  At 
the  communion,  in  which  very  few  of  them  were 
allowed  to  participate,  they  struck  their  breasts 
violently.  I  observed  that  the  young  people, 
male  and  female,  appeared' more  devout  than  the 
old  ones :  this  is  a  remark  that  I  have  made  more 
than  once. 

On  leaving  the  church,  my  young  corregidor 
invited  me  in  the  kindest  and  most  obliging 
manner  to  pass  a  day  with  him  on  his  cocoa  plan- 
tation, at  about  a  league  from  the  Indian  village. 
My  business  not  permitting  me  to  accept  his 
invitation,  he  ordered  breakfast  in  his  Indian 
cottage.  Our  repast  was  composed  of  milk,  choco- 
late, white  bread  and  cakes  of  maize  for  the  first 
course ;  for  the  second,  fresh  eggs,  an  omelet  with 
ripe  bananas,  very  large  and  delicate  cray  fish  of 
the  river,  smoked  fish,  wild  boar's  Kam,  sweet- 


INDIAN    SOLDIERS.  415 

meats,  Spanish  and  Madeira  wine,  and  lastly, 
coffee. 

When  we  had  done  breakfast,  the  negro  and 
Indian  maid  servant  of  the  corregidor,  took  away- 
all  that  we  had  left,  placed  it  on  a  table  which 
was  in  the  gallery  or  portico,  and  regaled 
themselves  together  with  my  negro  and  the 
three  Indian  guides.  They  furnished  me  with  a 
new  opportunity  of  remarking  what  I  had  often 
observed,  that  the  negroes  and  the  Indians,  though 
habitually  sober  at  home,  eat  voraciously  when 
they  can  get  food  that  pleases  their  palates. 

The  amiable  corregidor  next  told  me  that  it 
was  necessary  I  should  decide  on  staying  with 
him  that  evening,  as  my  Indian  swine  (puercos 
cPIndios)  were  incapable  of  attending  me.  To 
make  my  stay  in  his  village  the  more  agree- 
able, he  ordered  a  review  and  exercise  of  his 
battalion  of  Indians.  General  Miranda  having 
formerly  made  a  descent  at  Ciro,  the  captain 
general  of  Caraccas  had  formed  a  kind  of  batta- 
lion of  Indians  in  various  parts  of  the  province. 
Each  soldier  had  a  straw  hat,  shirt  and  trowsers 
of  gingham;  their  arms  consisted  of  a  bow,  a 
quiver  of  sixty  arrows,  a  large  knife,  and  cutlass 
suspended  to  the  girdle  by  a  string.  The  officers 
were  distinguished  by  a  musquet  instead  of  the 
bow  and  arrows,  a  round  black  hat  ornamented 
with  feathers,  and  by  their  shoes,  which  they  wear 
only  on  parade  days.  Their  exercise  consisted  in 
turning  to  the  right  or  left,  and  of  separating  into 


416  DANGERS. 

platoons  of  five,  ten,  fifteen,  and  of  twenty :  three 
platoons  of  twenty  form  a  company,  which  has 
for  its  officers  a  captain,  lieutenant,  sergeant,  and 
three  corporals.  They  shoot  from  their  bows 
standing  and  kneeling,  with  admirable  quickness 
and  precision. 

As  I  was  desirous  not  leave  this  place  without 
becoming  acquainted  with  the  missionaries,  I 
requested  the  corregidor  to  conduct  me  to  them, 
but  their  servant  informed  us  that  two  of  the 
reverend  fathers  were  taking  their  mid-day  nap, 
or  siesta,  and  that  the  third  had  gone  to  catechise 
in  the  neighbourhood.  It  was  five  o'clock,  and 
therefore  necessary  to  decide  on  departing  from 
this  romantic  spot,  provided  my  Indians  were  in 
a  travelling  state.  I  awoke  them  and  made  them 
smoke  a  cigar,  after  which  they  went  to  bathe,  and 
we  took  leave  of  our  excellent  host. 

I  visited  this  mission  again,  a  month  afterwards. 
I  had  left  the  worthy  Arestimunoat  Cariaco,  in 
the  morning,  to  go  to  Carupano,  from  whence  I 
was  to  embark  for  Guadaloupe.  It  is  about  ten 
post  leagues,  across  deserts  and  forests,  from 
Carupano  to  Cariaco.  We  travelled  with  rather 
a  numerous  caravan ;  for  in  this  country  travel- 
ling is  performed  in  caravans  as  in  the  deserts 
of  Africa  and  Asia.  It  is  not  bands  of  robbers 
which  are  feared,  but  jaguars  and  venomous 
reptiles.  Without  a  guide,  one  might  be  easily 
lost  in  the  paths  which  intersect  those  forests  in 
various  directions.     The  chief  of  our  caravan  was 


AttRAGONIAN    CAPUCHIN8.  417 

a  merchant  of  Guadaloupe,  who  conducted  a 
number  of  wild  mules,  which  he  had  bought  in  the 
province  of  Cumana.  Tired  with  the  slowness  of 
the  march,  caused  by  the  tricks  of  the  mules  to 
escape  from  their  keepers,  I  determined  on  sepa- 
rating from  the  caravan,  so  as  not  to  pass  the 
night  in  the  woods.  I  had  hired  a  Spanish  mulatto 
and  two  Indians :  the  mulatto  was  mounted  on 
a  horse,  the  negro  rode  a  mule,  which  was  also 
laden  with  my  portmanteau :  one  Indian  carried 
the  remainder  of  my  luggage,  and  the  other  some 
provisions,  and  a  case  containing  wine,  lemonade 
and  rum.  To  arrive  at  the  mission  of  the  Arra- 
gonian  Capuchins,  it  is  necessary  to  ascend  and 
descend  a  mountain :  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing we  were  on  its  summit.  It  was  intensely  hot ;  a 
thermometer  of  Farenheit  that  I  carried  with  me, 
stood  at  84° :  however,  I  felt  it  more  hot  than  in 
a  similar  degree  of  thermometrical  heat  in  Trini- 
dad or  Martinico,  because  there  was  no  wind. 

After  suffering  excessively  from  thirst  owing  to 
there  being  no  water  at  hand,  we  arrived  at  the 
mission  about  noon. 

The  Indians  of  Guiana  live  on  the  banks  of  the 
different  rivers  which  flow  between  the  moUth  of 
the  Amazons  and  those  of  the  Orinoco.  The 
Arrooauks  and  Caribs  are  the  most  remarkable 
nations ;  then  follow  the  Accaouas,  Worrows  or 
Ouaraous,  the  Tairas,  Salibas,  Pinnacotaous  and 
Paria  tribe.  Stedman,  in  his  voyage  to  Surinam, 
mentions  the  Worrows  as  an  extremely  depraved 

£     B 


418  VARIETIES   OF    NATIONS. 

tribe,  being  lazy,  filthy  and  brutal*  The  word 
Worrows,  as  the  English  pronounce  it,  resem- 
bles Gouaraoun  or  Ouaraoun,  the  name  of  the 
islanders  who  inhabit  the  islets  situated  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Orinoco.  If,  as  Stedman  asserts, 
there  are  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Dutch 
possessions,  natives  who  bear  this  name,  it  is  pro- 
bable that  they  belong  to  the  same  tribe  as  those 
settled  at  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco,  as  the  Caribs 
of  the  Antilles,  now  almost  extinct,  are  identi- 
fied with  the  Caribs  of  the  continent.  If  the 
remark  of  Stedman  be  true,  as  to  the  depravity 
of  the  Ouaraous  of  Dutch  Guiana,  it  is  in  my 
opinion  merely  the  effect  produced  by  the  vicinity 
of  Europeans,  and  the  contagion  of  their  vices ; 
for  my  friends  the  Gouaraouns  are,  as  I  have 
already  said,  a  people  strikingly  amiable  from 
the  mildness  and  vivacity  of  their  manners.  I 
cannot  refrain  from  relating  the  following  anec- 
dote, which  is  highly  honourable  to  their  cha- 
racter ;  and  as  in  Europe  there  is  a  propensity, 
not  without  reason,  to  accuse  travellers  of  orna- 
menting their  descriptions  with  fabulous  episodes, 
to  amuse  the  reader  at  the  expence  of  truth, 
I  shall  mention  by  his  name  the  European,  well 
known  at  Martinico  and  Trinidad,  who  is  the 
hero  of  the  tale. 

M.  Lazare,  a  native  of  Provence,  and  trader 
of  Martinico,  in  the  beginning  of  the  French  re- 
volution, but  since  residing  at  Port  Spain,  em- 
barked on  board  a  Spanish  launch  of  the  Orinoco, 


PIRACY.  419 

which  was  to  take  him  to  San  Thome  de  Angos- 
tura. He  carried  a  very  considerable  venture 
with  him,  and  had  a  young  negro  of  fourteen 
years  old  as  his  servant. 

When  the  boat  arrived  at  the  islets  of  the  Ori- 
noco, a  Spanish  sailor  proposed  to  his  comrades  to 
murder  Lazare  and  his  negro  and  seize  on  the 
cargo.  As  all  the  rest  were  not  so  ferocious  as 
the  author  of  the  proposal,  it  was  decided  that 
Lazare  should  be  left  on  one  of  those  desert  islets ; 
and  fearing  that  he  might  escape  by  swimming 
to  some  adjacent  one  inhabited  by  the  Gouara- 
ouns,  they  bound  him  to  a  cocea  tree,  thus  con- 
demning him  to  die  of  hunger.  When  those 
monsters  returned  on  board  the  boat,  they  delibe- 
rated on  what  they  could  do  with  the  young  negro, 
and  it  was  decided  that  he  should  be  drowned. 
He  was  therefore  thrown  into  the  river;  they 
also  gave  him  some  blows  on  the  head  with  an 
oar,  but  these  did  not  prevent  him  from  diving  and 
swimming  to  the  islet  on  which  his  master  had 
been  left :  fortunately  the  darkness  of  the  night 
hindered  them  from  seeing  him  when  he  reached 
the  shore.  At  day-break  the  little  negro  roved 
about  the  island,  and  at  length  discovered  his 
master,  whom  he  supposed  to  be  dead,  fastened  to 
the  tree.  Lazare's  joy  and  surprize  on  this  un- 
expected sight  of  his  servant  may  be  readily 
imagined :  the  cord  which  bound  him  having 
been  untied,  his  first  expression  of  gratitude  was 
a  positive  promise  of  liberty  to  his  slave.     They 

e  e  2 


420  A    FRIGHT. 

next  went  in  search  of  some  food  to  satisfy  their 
hunger ;  hat  perceiving  traces  of  human  footsteps, 
Lazare,  shivering  with  fear,  spoke  to  his  negro  of 
people  who  roast  and  eat  men.  After  mature 
deliberation,  they  determined  that  from  the  cer- 
tainty in  which  they  were  of  starving,  or  of  not 
being  able  to  escape,  they  might  just  as  well  go  and 
meet  the  men-eaters.  Following  the  track  they 
soon  heard  human  voices ;  and  a  little  after  saw 
men  perched  on  the  trees,  in  a  species  of  nest 
proportioned  to  their  sizes:  com£y  comS*  said  a 
Gouaraoun  to  Lazare,  looking  at  him  from  his  roost. 
•'  Heavens  I"  cried  the  Proven$al,  who  understood 
Spanish,  "they  want  to  eat  us."  "No,  Massa," 
replied  the  little  negro,  who  had  some  know- 
ledge of  the  English  language,  "  they  are  only 
calling  us  to  them."  The  Gouaraoun  soon  put  an 
end  to  their  anxiety  by  showing  them  two  large 
pieces  of  fish,  and  inviting  them  by  signs  to  climb 
up  the  tree,  and  partake  of  his  meal.  The  little  ne- 
gro soon  reached  his  host,  but  the  lubberly  Lazare 
not  being  able  to  climb  they  threw  down  several 
pieces  of  fish,  some  raw  and  others  dressed  which  b» 
devoured  most  voraciously .*f  At  length  the  Goua- 
raouns  descended  from  their  trees,  to  talk  with 
him.  He  that  had  cried,  "  com6,  com£,"  spoke  a 
little  Spanish,  and  supposed  Lazare  to  be  a  man 


•  Comer  in  Spanish  signifies  to  eat ,  but  the  Indian  intended  it 
as  English, 
f  Smoked  or  baked  fish,  jssnbstitated  for  bread,  with  the  raw  fish. 


GRATITUDE.  421 

who,  disgusted  with  the  slavery  of  sooial  life,  had 
come  peacefully  to  enjoy  the  advantages  of  liberty 
amongst  them.  This  Gouaraoun,  who  was  a  man 
of  importance  amongst  his  tribe,  extolled  the  pro- 
ject highly,  told  Lazare  he  would  give  him  a  wife, 
dog  and  canoe,  and  that  he  would  also  teach  him 
to  shoot  with  a  bow.  But  when  the  trader  related 
his  disastrous  adventure,  they  testified  a  consi- 
derable degree  of  contempt  for  him.  Having  next 
requested  them,  to  convey  him  to  Trinidad,  and 
made  them  the  most  magnificent  promises,  the 
Gouaraoun  told  him,  in  bad  Spanish,  that  he 
could  not  conceive  why  he  did  not  prefer  living 
with  them,  happy,  tranquil  and  without  masters, 
rather  than  to  return  to  those  villainous  white 
people ! 

When  they  saw  that  he  was  determined  -to 
return  to  Trinidad,  they  equipped  a  pirogue  to 
carry  him  there,  without  its  ever  occurring  to 
them  to  stipulate  for  the  price  of  his  passage. 
At  length,  Lazare  having  arrived  at  Port  Spain, 
gave  the  Gouaraouns  some  knives,  hatchets,  and  a 
small  cask  of  rum,  and  they  departed  satisfied. 
The  reader  will  be  impatient  to  know  how  he  re- 
compensed the  slave  who  had  saved  his  life :  he 
will  naturally  follow  him  in  his  mind's  eye,  con- 
ducting the  faithful  negro  before  a  magistrate,  to 
establish  his  freedom.  Vain  illusion  !  the  infamous 
Lazare  being  in  want  of  money,  a  short  time  after- 
wards sold  this  very  negro!! 

The  other  tribes  are  very  far  from  being  so 


422  DRUftEENNESg, 

estimable  as  the  Gouaraouns.  What  were  the 
manners  of  those  islanders  at  the  time  of  their  con- 
quest by  the  Europeans  ?  The  writers  of  that 
time  represent  them  as  anthropophagi,  and  exces- 
sively depraved.  But  can  men  be  believed  who  had 
an  interest  in  vilifying  those  whom  they  exter- 
minated, because  they  would  not  permit  them- 
selves to  be  reduced  to  slavery  ?  Still  it  is  but 
too  true,  that  the  present  tribes  who  live  along  the 
sea  coasts,  or  on  the  banks  of  large  rivers,  are 
composed  of  very  immoral  and  despicable  men. 
The  AccaouQs,  Worrows,  Tuitas,  Pinnacotuaus, 
Salives  and  P arias,  present  a  picture  of  the  human 
species  in  its  last  stage  of  degradation :  we  may 
therefore  be  well  ashamed  to  partake  the  name  of 
men  with  such  beings.  The  first  four  of  the  six 
nations  I  have  named,  live  on  the  extremity  of 
the  territories  of  Surinam  and  Demerara.  When 
made  drunk,  they  sell  their  wives  and  children. 
Their  passion  for  spirituous  liquors  is  generally  so 
violent,  that  it  is  sometimes  merely  necessary  to 
show  them  a  bottle  of  it,  and  they  become  tran- 
sported with  joy  and  fury.  They  then  seek  their 
wives  and  children,  and  deliver  them  to  thto 
traders,  who  make  slaves  of  them,  or  to  libertine* 
who  thus  recruit  their  seraglios.  I  was  a  witness 
to  it  at  Demerara,  in  1793,  In  this  view  the 
Indians  are  much  beneath  the  negroes,  who  not- 
withstanding the  state  of  ignorance  and  debase- 
ment to  which  they  are  reduced,  nevertheless 
preserve,  the  most  tender   attachment  to    their 


SALE    OF    CHILDREN,  429 

wives,  and  especially  for  tbeir  children.  But  the 
greater  part  of  the  negroes  have  a  vital  energy 
and  sentiment,  far  superior  to  the  indolent  abori- 
ginal native  of  South  America.  To  return  to  this 
unnatural  custom  of  selling  their  own  children, 
which  is  the  most  culpable,  what  shall  we  say  of 
the  Europeans,  who  having  received  an  education, 
and  been  reared  in  the  bosom  of  Christianity, 
instigate  through  drunkenness  to  the  commission 
of  such  a  crime? 

The  Indians  who  inhabit  the  countries  north  of  the 
Orinoco,  and  in  the  northern  part  of  Trinidad,  have 
not  been  united  in  missions,  so  that  civilization  has 
made  but  little  progress  amongst  them.  They 
live  by  the  ehace  and  fishings  scarcely  cultivating 
what  is  sufficient  to  prevent  them  from  starv- 
ing. Unfortunately  I  have  been  but  too  well  able 
to  ascertain  how  much  the  neighbourhood  of  some 
worthless  Europeans  and  swindlers  from  Barba* 
does,  who  had  sejtled  in  their  vicinity,  at  the  peace 
of  Amiens,  had  contributed  to  corrupt  those 
savages,  who  previous  to  their  arrival,  were 
neither  vicious  nor  wicked.  I  well  know  it  was 
in  vain  that  some  of  those  robbers  endeavoured*  in 
1803,  to  procure  women,  by  the  means  employed 
at  Demerara ;  that  one  of  them,  assisted  by  his 
negro,  having  attempted  to  force  an  Indian  female 
into  his  house,  was  obliged  to  let  her  go,  when  he 
saw  an  Indian  aiming  his  arrow  at  him  ;  and  that 
all  the  bottles  of  rum  he  offered  to  the  offended 
savage,  to  permit  him  to  carry  off  his  weeping 


424  A    MONSTER,   &CC< 

prey,  made  no  impression  on  the  former.  The 
command  of  this  part  of  the  island  (Toco  and 
Cumana)  being  afterwards  given  by  Governor 
Hislop,  to  W.  T.  a  runaway  surgeon  from  Barba- 
does,  Grenada  and  Tobago,  for  forgeries  and 
swindling,  that  contemptible  little  tyrant  forced 
a  great  many  of  .those  Indians  to  settle  on  a  plan- 
tation which  he  obtained  by  the  most  dishonest 
means,  and  where  he  made  them  work  as  his 
slaves,  in  1806  and  1807.  Those  who  pleaded 
the  cause  of  the  Indians,  were  not  only  persecuted,  - 
but  the  crime  having  remained  unpunished,  others 
imitated  his  base  example,  particularly  the  swin- 
dler H }  who,  when  I  left  Trinidad,  had  a 

considerable  number  of  Indians,  slaves  in  fact,  on 
his  plantation. 

This  treatment  has  so  exasperated  the  Indians, 
that  many  have  sought  refuge  in  the  woods  of  the 
interior,  where  they  live  in  the  manner  of  Maroon 
negroes,  others  escaped  in  their  canoes  to  the 
continent,  where  they  have  become  the  implacable 
enemies  of  the  British  name.  -  But  historical  im- 
partiality requires  me'  to  add,  that  this  atrocious 
conduct  towards  the  Indians,  excited  the  indig- 
nation of  the  respectable  part  of  the  British  popu- 
lation of  this  island. 

This  subject  giv.es  me  an  opportunity  of  saying 
a  few  words  on  the  relations  of  the  British  with 
the  indigenous  inhabitants,  in  all  parts  of  Ame- 
rica where  the  former  have  effected  establish- 
ments.    In  general,  the  natives  detest  them',  not 


ARROOUAKS*  426 

because  they  are  more  oppressed  by  them  than 
any  other  European  nation,  but  owing  to  the 
disdainful  contempt  with  which  they  are  treated 
by  them.  Now,  no  one  feels  contempt  more  keenly 
than  a  savage ;  so  that  a  man  must  be  saturated 
with  pride,  to  behave  so  asto  make  a  poor  Indian 
feel  his  inferiority.  For  a  long  time  past,  the  Spa- 
niards used  to  protect  and  treat  them  with  justice ; 
as  for  the  French,  we  treat  them  like  children, 
playing  and  joking  with  them :  and,  in  spite  of 
their  nudity  and  strange  costume,  we  admit  them 
to  our  tables ;  they  are  allowed  to  speak  to  us 
with  familiarity,  we  call  each  other  gossip,  con- 
sequently they  prefer  us  to  all  other  nations. 

The  Arrouagas  or  Arroouaks  are  considered 
the  handsomest  nation  of  Guiana :  they  are  less 
copper  coloured  than  their  neighbours ;  which  may 
result  from  their  not  tattooing  themselves  with 
arnotto.  Their  manners  are  social,  and  they  have 
the  reputation  of  keepingtheir  promises  faithfully: 
they  are  friendly  to  Europeans,  and  very  humane ; 
butthis  does  not  prevent  them  from  taking  their 
neighbours  as  slaves,  and  selling  them.  The 
Arrouagas  carry  on  a  considerable  trade  with  the 
Spaniards  and  Dutch,  in  balsam  of  copaiva,  arnotto, 
sarsaparilla,  sassafras,  hiarie  roots,  vanilla,  dye- 
stuffs,  a  kind  of  ebony,  wax  and  honey,  ham- 
mocks, baskets,  monkeys,  parrots  and  other 
birds;  they  take  in  exchange  fire-arms,  some 
light  stuffs,  combs,  looking-glasses,  toys,  hatchets, 
knives,  saws,  nails,  &c. 

The  insular  Caribs  are  almost  extinct ;  there 


436  CALIFOCBJMMS. 

are  not  more  than  a  score  of  their  families  in 
the  Island  of  St.  Vincent ;  three  families  in  that 
of  Tobago,  and  seven  or  eight  families  in  Trini- 
dad, where  they  had  retired,  when  they  aban- 
doned the  island  of  Dominica,  daring  the  Ame- 
rican war,  which  terminated  in  1783.     These  last 
call  themselves  Califournans :  and  though  I  have 
had  many  of  them   in   my  service    as  hunters, 
fishers  and  servants,*     I  never  could  learn  the 
etymology  of  Califonrnan :  all  they  could  inform 
me  about  it  was,  that  they  came  from  a  country 
far,  far,  far !  I  give  their  own  expression.     They 
are  in  general  a  very  handsome  race  of  men,  and 
both  active  and  intelligent.  Some  of  their  women 
are  also  very  pretty,  and  in  general  all  are  well 
made.     These  Califournans  are  polygamists,  like 
the  chief  part  of  the  Indians;  and  they  have  this 
in  particular,  that  when  one  of  them  marries  the 
eldest   daughter  of  a  family,  he  has  a  right  to 
espouse  the  younger  sisters,  according  as  they 
arrive  at  the  age  of  puberty.     Many  travellers 
have  been  fond  of  describing  a  very  singular  cus- 
tom of  the  Caribs  ;  stating  that  when  a  woman 
is  delivered,  she  makes  caudle  for  her  husband, 
who,  they  say,  places  himself  in  his  hammock, 
groans,  and,   in  short,  acts  the  lying-in  person. 
The  fact  is,  that  when  a  female  Carib  finds  the 
pains  of  labour  coming  on,  she  goes  to  the  nearest 
stream,  accompanied  by  another  woman :  here 
she  is  delivered,  regulates  her  child,  and  bathes 

#  I  brought  s  young  individual  of  this  tribe  to  Europe. 


THE    C A  RIBS.  427 

with  it  in  the  stream.,  When  returned  to  her 
hut,  after  placing  the  infant  in  a  hammock,  she 
makes  some  broil  l  During  this  time,  the  hus- 
band swings  and  jolts  in  his  hammock  as  usual, 
and  takes  some  of  the  broth  which  she  has  made  ; 
but  it  is  not  true  that  they  groan  and  ape  the  act 
of  child-birth.  The  Caribs  know  that  the  whites 
have  invented  this  tale,  and  therefore  consider 
them  notorious  liars ! 

The  difference  which  exists  between  the  Caribs 
and  the  other  tribes  of  the  united  provinces  of  Ve- 
nezuela; the  great  physical  and  intellectual  supe- 
riority of  the  former,  appears  to  prove  that  they 
have  had  a  different  and  more  noble  origin. 
Though  they  were  as  far  removed  from  civilization 
as  the  Parias,  when  the  Kuropeans  first  arrived, 
still  the  Caribs  considered,  and  to  this  day  think 
themselves  a  privileged  race.  They  speak  of 
the  other  savages  with  as  much  contempt  and 
disdain,  as  the  ignorant  and  illiberal  part  of  a 
certain  msular  nation  speak  of  all  other  people. 
However  unjust  the  pretensions  of  the  Caribs  are, 
however  ridiculous  savages  may  be  who  pretend 
to  exercise  a  paramount  right  over  other  savages 
like  themselves,  it  is  neverthele&i  true  that  the 
hereditary  habits  of  command  on  one  side,  and  of 
servitude  and  fear  on  the  other,  have  produced 
amongst  the  inhabitants  of  the  forests  the  same 
effects  as  between  civilized  nations.  Among  the 
first,  they  have  engendered  frankness,  courage 
and  generosity,   rjualities  which  result  from  the 


428  BLACK    CARIM. 

cooMcioamem  of  strength  and  power,  with  the 
abuse  of  them  which  men  are  liable  to  make,  who 
have  naturally  a  bad  disposition;  and  amongst 
the  persecuted  and  degraded  tribes,  perfidy  and 
cowardice,  flattery,  and  egotism. 

According  to  the  principle  I  venture  to  adopt, 
the  Arroouaks,  Ouaraouns  and  Guahiros  of  the 
Rio  de  la  Hache,  must  be  considered  as  descen- 
dant* of  the  Carib  nation.  Every  thing  induces 
a  belief  that  those  are  remains  of  the  conquering 
race ;  and  that  the  Salives,  Chaymas,  Ottomaques 
and  Parias,  belong  to  an  indigenous  and  con- 
quered race.  It  is  a  circumstance  well  worth  the 
most  serious  meditations  of  those  who  study  the 
philosophical  history  of  the  human  species,  to  see 
savage  tribes  living  in  the  same  climate,  using 
nearly  the  same  food,  each  as  little  influenced  at 
present  by  European  civilization,  yet  completely 
distinguished  physically  and  morally  by  features 
as  opposite  as  those  which  separate  the  Caucasian 
race  from  the  Mogul,  and  the  latter  from  the 
European,  named  by  zoologists  the  Arab  Caucau- 
sian  race. 

Much  has  been  said  of  the  Black  Caribs  of  St. 
Vincent's,  and  they  have  been  the  subject  of  many 
stories  and  fables.  I  have  bad  the  means  of  becom- 
ing acquainted  with  them,  having  passed  some 
months  in  that  island,  during  the  civil  wars  in 
the  French  colonies.  It  appears  that  the  English 
established  themselves  there  in  1672;  and  that 
they  had  sent  negroes  to  it  in  1675.     According 


io  Sir  William  Young,  a  slave  ship  coming  from 
the  coast  of  Benin,  laden  with  Moco  negroes,  was 
wrecked  that  very  year  on  Be  quia,  an  islet  situated 
two  leagues  from  St.  Vincent's,  where  the  ship- 
wrecked negroes  retired,  and  were  subsequently 
joined  by  a  great  number  of  Maroon  negroes  from 
the  adjacent  islands.  It  is  related  in  the  French 
colonies,  that  though  those  negroes  had  been  hos- 
pitably received  by  the  Caribs,  they  exterminated 
their  hosts  at  night,  to  possess  themselves  of 
their  wives  and  the  country.  But  according  to 
the  respectable  authority  of  Sir  William  Young, 
this  fact  is  controverted.  I  have  myself  heard  the 
baronet  give  a  very  different  account  of  that 
event,  as  he  had  heard  it  from  his  father,  formerly 
governor  of  the  island,  where  his  virtues  and 
those  of  his  son  are  proverbial-  According  to  Sir 
William  Young,  the  Caribs  made  slaves  of  the 
negroes ;  but  finding  they  were  becoming  more 
numerous  than  themselves,  they  resolved  to  put 
all  the  male  children  to  death.  The  commence- 
ment of  this  barbarity  caused  a  revolt  amongst  the 
negroes,  who  conquered  in  the  conflict. 

The  first  use  made  of  their  success  was  to  exter- 
minate a  great  number  of  their  masters,  and  seize 
on  their  wives  and  daughters,  from  whom  proceeds 
the  mixed  breed  known  by  the  name  of  Black 
Caribs,  There  still  exists  in  the  island  of  Saint 
Vincent  some  families  of  red  Caribs,  who  have 
never  contracted  an  alliance  with  their  black 
brethren,  from  whom  they  keep  at  a  distance,  and 


430  VISIT    TO    THE    BLACK    CARIBS. 

who  did  not  interfere  in  the  war  between  the 
latter  and  the  British,  in  1795  :  they  live  there  under 
their  protection  to  this  day,  whilst  the  blacks  have 
been  transported  to  the  Island  of  Rattan,  in  the 
Bay  of  Honduras. 

The  reader  will  not  perhaps  be  displeased  with 
the  account  of  a  visit  I  paid  to  the  Black  Caribs. 
In  January,  1793, 1  embarked  at  the  east  end  of 
Saint  Lucia,  in  a  canoe  eighteen  feet  long,  and 
two  and  a  half  in  its  greatest  breadth :  it  was 
navigated  by  three  Caribs.  The  friend  who  had 
procured  this  frail  conveyance  for  me,  had  warned 
me  that  the  Caribs  would  inquire  if  I  could  swim, 
and  that  it  was  necessary  I  should  reply  in  the 
negative ;  in  which  case  I  might  be  tranquil,  as 
they  would  save  me  if  the  canoe  was  upset  or 
wrecked.  Having  left  St.  Lucia,  at  midnight,  we 
arrived  at  the  Grand  Sable,  the  principal  wharf  of 
the  Caribs,  on  the  following  morning  about  eleven 
o'clock. 

The  sea  is  always  agitated  by  the  north  winds 
during  this  season,  in  the  Antilles,  and  breaks 
with  fury  on  the  eastern  coasts  of  those  islands. 
Though  the  weather  was  otherwise  very  fine,  I 
was  so  wetted  by  the  waves  which  had  broken 
over  me,  that  I  resembled  a  statue  of  salt.  How- 
ever, our  passage  was  made  without  any  accident. 
When  the  canoe  was  about  one  hundred  yards 
from  the  shore,  on  which  is  a  reef  of  coral,  I 
saw  a  multitude  of  savages  plunge  into  the  sea 
and  swim  towards  us.     There  was  a  frightful  surf, 


FRIENDLY    RECEPTION,  431 

the  sea  was  all  foara;  I  saw  nothing  but  the 
heads  of  the  Caribs,  men  and  women,  who  ap- 
peared like  so  many  Tritons  and  Nereids.  A 
painter  or  poet  might  have  made  fine  pictures 
from  this  scene:  on  the  shore  were  seen  groups 
of  Caribs,  men,  women  and  children  ;  behind  them 
a  smiling  plain,  and  two  limpid  streams  which  wa- 
tered it,  terminated  by  a  chain  of  mountains,  the 
chief  part  of  them  pointed,  and  covered  with  the 
beautiful  vegetation  of  the  climate.  The  savages 
pressed  round  the  pirogue,  seized  it  on  both  sides, 
rttma  with  their  right,  others  with  their  left  hand, 
while  my  three  travelling  companions  jumped  into 
the  water,  their  favourite  element,  dived  and  re- 
appeared; while  I  alone  in  the  canoe,  only  wanted 
a  ti  ideut  to  have  all  the  air  of  a  Neptune  borne  on 
the  waves  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  ocean  !  At 
length,  thanks  to  those  able  and  intrepid  swim- 
mers,  the  canoe  thus  raised  above  the  waves, 
cleared  the  coral  bank  without  touching  it,  and  on 
gaining  the  beach  I  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  a 
great  crowd,  the  colour  of  the  men  was  copper, 
inclining  to  black:  nearly  all  were  armed  with 
bows  and  musquets,  they  pressed  around  me,  to 
look  at  a  white  man,  dressed  in  a  light  coloured 
surtout,  and  whose  hair  was  for  the  moment  whiten- 
ed, at  the  age  of  nineteen,  by  a  quantity  of  sea  salt 
that  had  formed  on  it  during  the  passage.  I  saw  a 
Carib  who  had  a  small  looking-glass  hanging  about 
his  neck,  and  requested  him  to  permit  me  to  look 
at   myself:    on   seeing  the  little  chrystals  that 


432  hospitality 

whitened  my  hair,  I  could  not  refrain  from  laugh- 
ing heartily,  and  was  joined  in  it  by  the  savages, 
that  accompanied  me  to  the  owner  of  the  canoe, 
who  expressed  a  wish  to  be  my  host.  It  being 
necessary  to  cross  the  fine  river  I  had  seen  from 
the  canoe,  I  stripped  myself  to  bathe ; .  some 
young  and  handsome  female  Caribs,  and  a  troop 
of  young  males  threw  water  on  me,  and  we 
began  to  chat  as  if  we  had  known  each  other  for 
years.  The  pleasure  of  having  escaped  from  a 
gang  of  robbers,  in  Saint  Lucia,  who  had  con- 
spired to  murder  me,  the  bath,  sprightliness  of 
my  hosts,  the  view  of  a  beautiful  country,  and 
an  air  perfumed  with  the  odoriferous  plants  of  the 
Caribs'  gardens,  situated  on  both  banks  of  this  re- 
freshing stream,  soon  restored  my  strength,  which 
had  been  exhausted  w  jth  vexation,  and  by  more  than 
one  bad  night's  rest.  I  soon  arrived  at  the  house 
of  Larose,  the  name  of  my  host.  It  was  only  a 
short  time  before  I  had  seen  the  Indians  of  Trini- 
dad, almost  strangers  to  agriculture ;  but  here  the 
properties  of  the  Caribs  were  divided  by  hedges 
of  orange  trees,  perfectly  well  kept,  and  their 
gardens  filled  with  all  the  beautiful  plants  of  the 
country.  Their  bouses  had  an  appearance  of  ele- 
gant simplicity,  and  were  provided  with  all  that 
could  be  necessary  for  comfort  and  convenience ; 
that  of  Tjarose  was  the  handsomest  of  this  village ; 
it  was  built  of  squared  timber,  and  covered 
with  shingles ;  a  gallery  ran  in  front,  and  it  was 
divided  into  three  rooms,  of  which  that  in  the 


A  RENCONTRE.  433 

middle  served  as  a  saloon.  Here  a  hammock  was 
slung  for  mo,  and  after  we  entered  Larose,  shak- 
ing my  hand  in  the  English  style,  said,  "  you 
are  now  at  home,  therefore  make  yourself  as  easy 
and  comfortable  as  you  can.''  After  this  compli- 
ment he  introduced  to  me  one  of  his  wives,  who 
was  very  well  dressed,  like  the  women  of  colour 
in  our  colonies.  "  Bonjou  moucM,  good  morning 
to  you  sir,"  said  she,  making  a  low  curtesy,  "  bon 
jou,  ma  chie  ;  et  bon  Dii  !  qui  ce  qui  menk  vow 
dans  pays  cy  t  Si  moute  pat  trompi,  vous  mila- 
tresse  la  Martineq  ?"  "  Good  morning,  my  dear ; 
and  in  God's  name !  what  has  brought  you  to  this 
place !  If  I  am  not  mistaken  you  are  a  mulatto 
of  Martinico?" — Et  oui,  chi  metre ;  "  So  I  am, 
my  dear  sir,"  she  replied  with  a  melancholy  and 
languishing  look. 

"  I  am  going  out  for  some  moments  to  settle 
some  business,"  said  Larose  to  me, "  and  shall  leave 
this  prattler  to  attend  you  during  my  absence." 
I  then  prevailed  on  the  lady  to  sit  beside  my 
hammock,  and  relate  her  adventures  amongst  the 
Caribs.  The  history  of  poor  Marguerite  is  not 
long.  Ten  years  ago,  when  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
she  was  then  very  pretty,  and  had  not  much  pre- 
dilection for  black  lovers.  Larose,  who  traded 
with  Saint  Lucia  and  Martinico,  paid  his  addresses 
to  her,  and  proposed  taking  her  with  him  to 
Saint  Vincent's,  where  she  would  be  a  great  lady 
amongst  the  Caribs.  ^    She  suffered  herself  to  be 

F  f 


434  A  GRAMS  WIDOW. 

persuaded  :  but,  alas !  the  chaste  Helen  was  not 
aware  that  there  are  Caribs  who  have  as  many  as 
three  or  four  wives!  "How  do  they  manage,  my 
friend/'  said  I,  with  a  significant  smile,  "  to  make 
you  all  happy?  "  Ah, my  dear  youth,"  she  replied, 
.  with  tears  in  her  eyes, "  look  out  at  the  window, 
and  you  will  see  three  huts  in  the  garden  there." — 
u  So  that  in  every  three  weeks  you  are  a  widow  for 
a  fortnight  ?"  "  Yes,"  said  she,  pressing  my  hand 
and  rolling  her  eyes  affectionately :  "  it  was  so  at 
first ;  but  it  is  long  since  Larose  lias  ceased  to 
think  of  me !" 

Looking  out  I  saw  the  black  bashaw  in  the 
gallery  with  his  two  favourites,  who  were  laugh- 
ing heartily  at  our  dialogue :  happily  poor  Mar- 
guerite, whose  back  was  turned  to  the  door,  did 
not  see  them.  Entering  soon  after,  "  come,  come, 
carrion"  said  he,  "  instead  of  prating  with  this 
white,  and  making  love  to  him,  you  would  do 
much  better  to  prepare  our  dinner:  There  is  a 
fowl  I  have  just  killed,  and  some  fish :  make  us  also 
a  crab  soup."  1  endeavoured  to  prevail  on  Larose 
to  treat  his  old  favourite  with  less  severity,  but 
his  only  reply  was  a  loud  laugh.  He  next  intro- 
duced to  me  his  two  young  sultanas,  one  of  whom 
was  about  seventeen ;  both  were  handsome,  and 
formed  like  nymphs,  the  whole  of  their  dress 
consisted  of  chintz  petticoats,  and  Madras  yellow, 
green,  and  red  hankerchiefs  on  their  heads,  which 
seemed  very  well  suited  to  their  bronze  complexions. 


A    CAR1B   DINNER  435 

They  nbw  began  to  prepare  a  salad,  rince  the  hand- 
some cut  glasses,  and'  make  punch.  During  this 
time  M.  Larose  smoked  his  cigar  and  swang  in  his 
hammock ;  looking  somewhat  maliciously  at  me, 
he  gave  warning  that  those  two,  pointing  to  his 
young  protegees,  u  were  forbidden  fruit !"  A  great 
many  Caribs  now  arrived,  and  I  had  to  shake 
hands  with  each  of  them,  according  as  they  came 
in  to  see  me :  they  sat  down  round  the  room,  while 
Larose  and  myself  placed  ourselves  at  table,  at- 
tended by  his  three  concubines.  In  addition  to  the 
crab  soup,  we  had  stewed  and  fried  fish,  a  roasted 
fowl  with  salad ;  bananas,  cassava,  and  potatoes, 
were  substituted  for  bread  :  excellent  fruits,  wine, 
rum  and  beer,  covered  the  table  after  the  repast. 
Such  was  the  dinner  of  a  Carib  trader ;  it  was 
served  on  very  fine  white  table  linen,  and  in  dishes 
and  plates  of  Wedgewood's  ware,  with  silver 
forks,  spoons,  &c. 

We  had  just  finished  our  meal,  when  I  saw  a 
Carib  enter,  of  about  six  feet  high ;  his  dress  con- 
sisted of  a  blue  check  shirt,  and  a  round  hat  orna- 
mented with  a  plume  of  variegated  feathers.  He 
carried  a  musquet  in  his  hand,  had  a  large  sabre  by 
his  side,  while  a  silver  case  hung  to  his  belt.  The 
stranger  had  the  look  and  air  of  one  accustomed 
to  command.  Larose  rising  mysteriously,  whis- 
pered, "  this  is  Captain  Lavalle,  our  king." 

I  rose  to  salute  his  majesty:  he  advanced  and  offer- 
ed me  his  hand,  complimenting  me  on  my  arrival  in 
f  f  2 


436 

his  states,  which  had  an  extent  of  five  leagues  long 
by  three  in  breadth !  "My  residence  is  some  distance 
from  hence/'  said  he :  "  I  was  hunting  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, when  I  heard  of  your  arrival :  if  I  had 
not  been  so  far  from  home,  I  would  have  put  on 
my  red  breeches  and  uniform  of  a  French  marshal, 
which  the  king  of  France  sent  me  with  the  order  of 
Saint  Louis,  during  the  American  war."  He  now 
invited  me  to  be  seated,  and  took  the  place  of  his 
lieutenant  general,  Larose,  who  remained  standing 
respectfully,  without  uttering  a  word.  The  other 
Caribs,  however,  did  not  rise  on  the  entrance  of 
their  chief,  nor  did  they  show  him  any  kind  of 
honour.  But  Larose  was  half-civilized,  and  a 
courtier.  "  Be  seated,"  said  the  prince  to  him ;  "  I 
am  going  to  assist  in  finishing  your  mess."  When 
he  had  satisfied  his  appetite,  we  toasted  and  drank 
together;  after  which  he  recounted  his  feats 
during  the  American  war  :  it  was  then  that  M. 
de  Bouilte  had  sent  him  the  uniform,  cross,  and 
decorations  of  a  French  marshal,  with  a  letter 
from  Louis  XVI.  After  repeating  the  above 
circumstance,  he  took  the  silver  box  which  hung 
by  his  side,  opened  it,  and  showed  me  a  letter  from 
the  king,  written,  I  have  no  doubt,  at  Martinico,  in 
which  that  monarch  thanked  gossip  Lavalle  for 
the  good  and  agreeable  services  which  he  had  ren- 
dered him :  the  monarch  next  insisted  that  I  should 
sleep  at  his  house.  By  this  time  I  saw  clearly  he 
was  tormented  with  an  anxiety  to  display  himself 


AND    PORTRAIT.  437 

to  me  in  all  his  pomp ;  I  therefore  acceded  to  his 
request.  Presented  to  his  family  as  the  aid  de 
camp  of  a  general,  I  was  received  with  great 
honours.  His  house  was  built  like  that  of  Larose, 
but  larger ;  he  had  five  or  six  negro  slaves,  who 
cultivated  coffee,  cotton,  arnotto,  cocoa  and  pro- 
visions. Three  women,  by  whom  he  had  ten 
children,  of  different  ages,  composed  his  family. 
Whilst  I  was  chatting  with  his  sons,  who  spoke 
French  and  Creole-English,  lo  and  behold  his 
majesty  re-enter,  resplendent  in  magnificence! 
On  his  bronzed  front  was  a  large  cocked  hat, 
with  a  white  feather,  a  cockade  of  the  same  co- 
lour, surmounted  with  a  button  of  German  pebble 
as  large  as  a  coffee  cup,  ordered  to  be  made  ex- 
pressly for  him  by  Louis  XVT.  and  which  had 
cost  one  hundred  thousand  crowns !  His  coat  was 
that  of  a  general  officer,  with  enormous  epau- 
lettes, and  laced  on  every  seam :  from  one  of  the 
button-holes  of  this  dress,  a  gold  cross  was  sus- 
pended by  a  red  ribband,  it  was  the  insignia  of 
St.  Louis ;  a  large  star  of  gold  and  silver  on  the 
breast,  convinced  me  that  he  was  also  a  knight 
of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire !  His  majesty  wore 
two  other  orders,  of  which  I  could  not  ascertain 
the  names ;  a  red  waistcoat  bedaubed  with  gold  ; 
scarlet  breeches  laced  on  the  seams ;  boots  wjth 
red  morocco  tops,  and  ornamented  with  an  enor- 
mous pair  pf  copper  spurs,  which  bad  once  been 
gilt ,  completed  this  singular  costume  ;  be  wore  no 


438  A    REGAL   SUPPER. 

stockings ;  but  collars  with  little  bells,  such  as  are 
put  on  lap-dogs,  ornamented  his  ancles ! 

I  really  believe  that  there  never  was  a  happier 
sovereign  than  Lavalle  thought  himself  at  this  mo- 
ment :  he  paraded  about  the  gallery  :  directing  his 
piercing  sight  towards  the  sea,  he  saw  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye,  the  extent  of  his  territories  from  east 
to  west,  and  from  north  to  south*  Supper  was 
announced  by  a  discharge  of  artillery,  which  con- 
sisted of  two  swivels.  He  constantly  took  out  his 
snuff-box  to  offer  me  a  pinch,  and  provoked  at  my 
not  admiring  that  beautiful  trinket,  he  desired  me 
to  examine  it  well.  It  was  of  an  enormous  size  and 
silver  gilt,  ornamented  with  a  bad  portrait  of 
Louis  XVI.  set  with  German  pebbles,  another 
article  made  expressly  for  him,  and  which  he  also 
believed  to  have  cost  one  hundred  thousand  crowns. 
But  he  shewed  me  some  arms  that  were  really 
magnificent,  and  from  the  Versailles  manu- 
factory. 

After  having  passed  a  good  night  in  a  royal 
hammock,  I  received,  in  the  morning,  a  visit  from 
my  friend  L$rose,  who  came  to  conduct  me  to 
M.  Augier,  a  French  proprietor  in  the  environs  of 
Kingston.  All  Lavalle's  cavalry  consisted  of  a  mule 
and  an  ass,  which  he  offered  to  escort  me  in  the 
most  gracious  manner ;  but  I  preferred  performing 
the  journey  on  foot,  as  far  as  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Clapham,  the  nearest  proprietor  to  the  Carifas,  and 
whose  good  nature  was  so  highly  praised  by  Larose 


MB.    CLAPHAM.  439 

that  I  took  my  chance,  stranger  and  unknown  as 
I  was,  to  request  the  loan  of  a  horse.  Though  I 
was  not  very  genteelly  dressed,  I  was  received  in 
the  kindest  manner  by  Mr,  CJapham,  who  not 
only  invited  me  to  breakfast  with  him,  but  lent 
me  ahorse  to  take  me  to  my  destination.  I  was 
then  far  from  suspecting  that  this  unfortunate 
gentleman,  who  was  so  eulogized  by  the  Caribs, 
should  be,  two  years  afterwards,  the  first  victim 
immolated  by  those  very  men  J  It  does  not  form 
a  part  of  my  plan  to  give  the  history  of  this  war 
of  the  Caribs  against  the  inhabitants  of  St.  Via* 
cent's,  I  must,  however,  do  the  latter  the  justice 
to  say,  that  they  had  done  nothing  to  provoke 
the  aggressions  of  the  savages.  This  colony  is 
not  like  some  others,  peopled  with  the  refuse 
and  scum  of  the  British  nation.  Though  it  has 
belonged  to  Great  Britain  for  a  long  time,  it 
is  only  since  the  American  war  it  has  acquired 
its  actual  colonial  importance.  The  gqyemors, 
Sir  William  Young,  and  Mr,  Melville,  who  have 
made  so  many  improvements  there,  were  men 
of  rare  virtue  and  merit :  such  characters  have 
always  a  great  influence  on  the  manners  of  a  new 
society ;  *q  that  this  baa  been  composed  of  re- 
spectable persons  who  went  from  Europe,  Anti- 
gua, and  St.  Christopher's,  colonies  composed  of 
people  of  good  dispositions. 

General  Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie  put  an  end, 
in  1797,  to  this  cruel  war,  which  had  been  com- 


440  crrroM*. 

menced  in  1795,  when,  as  already  observed,  all  the 
Black  Caribs  of  St.  Vincent's  who  remained  alive, 
were  transported,  in  British  vessels,  to  the  Island 
of  Rattan. 

Those  Caribs  have  adopted  many  customs  of 
the  Red  Caribs,  amongst  others  that  of  flattening 
the  foreheads  of  new-born  infants.*  But  they 
are  not  indolent  like  them,  and  they  surpass  the 
Indians  on  the  score  of  intellect.  "Each  family  has 
its  territorial  property,  which  is  inplosed  with 
hedges,  and  carefully  cultivated.  The  men  apply 
themselves  as  much  to  agriculture  as  the  women. 
They  do  not  like  to  be  called  negroes,  and  con- 
sider this  term  as  a  gross  insult,  no  doubt  because 
the  negroes,  their  neighbours,  are  in  slavery.  It 
is  flattering  to  them  to  be  called  Caribs,  and  it  is 


*  This  singular  process  is  performed  in  the  following  manner  : 
when  a  Carib  mother  feels  the  pains  of  child-birth  she  proceeds,  as 
before  described,  to  the  nearest  river ;  for  all  their  Tillages  that  I 
have  seen,  are  either  on  the  banks  or  very  contigaoas  to  a  stream 
of  running  water.  After  the  ceremony  of  bathiag  is  over,  and 
the  parties  reach  their  hut,  they  place  the  head  of  the  child 
between  two  very  smooth  boards,  as  far  as  the  root  of  the  nose ; 
these  boards  are  about  eight  inches  long,  and  fastened  together 
with  cords  applied  at  each  end ;  they  are  not  removed  from  the 
infant's  head  for  nine  days,  which  is  perhaps  one  reason  why  so 
many  children  die  of  lock  jaw  and  convulsions  at  this  tender  age. 
After  the  tenth  day  the  boards  are  only  applied  daring  the  night, 
but  they  are  not  totally  discontinued  till  the  period  of  weaning, 
which  usually  takes  place  at  the  age  of  fifteen  or  eighteen  months. 
Nearly  all  the  Caribs  who  have  embraced  Christianity  have  re- 
nounced this  strange  custom. 


CONCLUSION.  441 

probably  for  the  purpose  of  resembling  the  latter 
still  more,  that  besides  the  flattening  of  the  fore- 
head, they  have  also  adopted  the  custom  of  tattoo- 
ing themselves  with  arnotto. 

The  Black  Caribs  have  not  embraced  Christi- 
anity: the  few  religious  ideas  they  have,  are 
a  mixture  of  the  Fetishism  of  the  negroes, 
and  the  superstitions  of  the  ancient  Caribs  :- 
like  the  latter,  they  believe  in  a  good  and  a 
bad  principle. 


END   OF    DESCRIPTION,   &C. 


APPENDIX. 


i 


■ 

APPENDIX. 

— 

OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS,  &c. 

A  Hurled  to  in  the  Introduction,  illustrative  of  the  fore- 
going lVork\  and  to  which  the  attention  of  the  Public 
is  particularly  requested* 


No,  I. 

Proclamation  of  General  Sir  Thomas  Ptcton,  Governor 
of  Trinidad,  first  circulated  amongst  the  Spanish  Co* 
Ion \m  near  thnt  Island,  in  1797,  and  which  has  been 
already  quoted  in  the  Introduction.* 

By  virtue  of  an  official  paper,  which  I,  the  governor  of 
this  island  of  Trinidad,  have  received  from  the  Right 
Honourable  Henry  Dundas,  minister  of  His  Britannic 
Majesty,  for  Foreign  Affairs,  dated  April  7,  1797,  which 
I  here  publish,  in  obedience  to  orders,  and  for  the  use 
which  your  Excellencies  may  draw  from  its  publication, 
in  order  that  you  may  communicate  its  tenour,  which  is 
literally  as  follows.  *c  The  object  which,  at  present,  I 
desire  most  particularly  to  recommend  to  your  attention, 
is,  the  means  which  might  be  most  adapted  to  liberate 
the  people  of  the  continent  near  to  the  Island  of  Trinidad, 

*  These  important  papers,  with  the  exception  of  the  extracts  from 
the  Supreme  Chief's  Speech,  are  reprinted  from  the  Expos£,  and  ano- 
ther book,  containing  public  documents,  published  by  Mr,  William 
Walton,  who  has  done  much  towards  elucidating  the  past  and  present 
condition  of  Spanish  America. 


446  APPENDIX. 

from  the  oppressive  and  tyrannic  system,  which  rapports, 
with  so  much  rigour,  the  monopoly  of  commerce,  under 
the  title  of  exclusive  registers,  which  their  government 
licences  demand ;  also  to  draw  the  greatest  advantages 
possible,  and  which  the  local  situation  of  the  island  pre- 
sents, by  opening  a  direct  and  free  communication  with 
the  other  parts  of  the  world,  without  prejudice  to  the 
commerce  of  the  British  nation.  In  order  to  fulfil  this 
intention  with  greater  facility,  it  will  be  prudent  for  your 
Excellency  to  animate  the  inhabitants  of  Trinidad,  in 
keeping  up  the  communication  which  they  had  with  those 
of  Terra  Firma,  previous  to  the  reduction  of  that  island, 
under  the  assurance,  that  they  will  find  there  an  entrepot, 
or  general  magazine  of  every  sort  of  goods  whatever.  To 
this  end,  His  Britannic  Majesty  has  determined,  in  coun- 
cil, to  grant  .freedom  to  the  port  of  Trinidad,  with  a  direct 
trade  to  Great  Britain. 

With  regard  to  the  hopes  you  entertain  of  raising  the 
spirits  of  those  persons,  with  whom  you  are  in  corre- 
spondence, towards  animating  the  inhabitants,  iq  resist 
the  oppressive  authority  of  their  government,  I  have  little 
more  to  say,  than  that  they  may  be  certain,  that  whenever 
they  are  in  that  disposition,  they  may  receive  at  your 
hands,  all  the  succours  to  be  expected  from  H.  B.  Ma- 
jesty ;  be  it  with  forces,  or  with  arms  and  ammunition  to 
any  extent ;  with  the  assurance,  that  the  views  of  H.  B. 
Majesty,  go  no  further  than  to  secure  to  them  their  inde- 
pendence, without  pretending  to  any  sovereignty  over 
their  country,  nor  even  to  interfere  in  the  privileges  of  the 
people,  nor  m  their  political,  civil,  or  religions  tights. 

(Signed)        THOMAS  PICTON. 

Port  Spain,  Trtokiad, 
June  26, 1797. 


APPENDIX.  447 


No.  II. 


It  is  the  opinion  of  onr  immortal  countryman  Locke, 
"  that  all  legitimate  government  is  derived  from  the  con- 
sent of  the  people,  that  men  are  naturally  equal,  and  that 
no  one  has  a  right  to  injure  another  in  his  life,  health, 
liberty,  or  possessions,  and'  that  no  man,  in  civil  society, 
ought  to  be  subject  to  the  arbitrary  will  of  others,  but 
only  to  known  and  established  laws,  made  by  general  con** 
sent,  for  the  common  benefit  That  no  taxes  are  to  be 
lewd  on  the  people,  without  the  consent  of  the  majority, 
given  by  themselves,  or  by  their  deputies.  That  the  ruling 
power  ought  to  govern  By  declared  and  received  laws, 
and  not  by  extemporary  dictates,  and  undetermined  reso- 
lutions. That  kings  and  princes,  magistrates,  and  niters 
of  every  class,  have  no  just  authority  but  what  is  dele* 
gated  to  them  by  the  people ;  and  which  when  not  em- 
ployed for  their  benefit,  the  people  have  always  a  right  to 
resume  in  whatever  hands  it  may  be  placed. 

"  That  revolutions  happen  not  upon  every  little  mis- 
management of  public  affairs.  Great  mistakes  in  the 
ruling  part,  many  wrong  and  inconvenient  laws,  and  all 
the  slips  of  human  frailty,  will  be  borne  by  the  people 
without  mutiny  or. murmur.  But  if  a  long  train  of  abuses, 
prevarioations,  and  artifices,  all  tending  the  same  way, 
make  the  design  visible  to  the  people,  and  they  cannot 
but  feel  what  they  lie  under,  and  see  whither  they  are 
going,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered,  that  they  should  then 
rouze  themselves,  and  endeavour  to  put  the  rale  into  such 
hands  which  may  secure  to  them  the  ends  for  which  go- 
vernment was  at  first  erected;  and  without  which,  ancient 
names  and  specious  forms,  are  so  far  from  being  better, 
that  they  are  much  worse  than  the  state  of  nature,  or  pure 
anarchy,  the  inconveniencies  being  as  great,  and  as  near, 
but  the  remedy  further  off,  and  more  difficult." 


448  APPENDIX. 

No.  III. 
ACT  OF  INDEPENDENCE. 

In  the  Name  of  the  AU-powerful  God, 

We  the  Representatives  of  the  United  Provinces  of 
Caracas,  Cumana,  Varinas,  Margarita,  Barcelona,  Merida, 
and  Truxillo,  forming  the  American  Confederation  of 
Venezuela,  in  the  South  Continent,  in  Congress  assembled, 
considering  the  full  and  absolute  possession  of  our  Rights, 
which  we  recovered  justly  and  legally  from  the  1 9th  of 
April,  1810,  in  consequence  of  the  occurrences  in  Bayonne, 
and  the  occupation  of  the  Spanish  Throne  by  conquest, 
and  the  succession  of  a  new  Dynasty,  constituted  without 
.  our  consent ;  are  desirous,  before  we  make  use  of  those 
Rights,  of  which  we  have  been  deprive^  by  force  for  more 
than  three  centuries,  but  now  restored  to  us  by  the  poli- 
tical order  of  human  events,  to  make  known  to  the  world 
the  reasons  which  have  emanated  from  these  same  occur- 
rences, and  which  authorise  us  in  the  free  use  we  are  now 
about  to  make  of  our  own  Sovereignty. 

We  do  not  wish,  nevertheless,  to  begin  by  ailedging  the 
rights  inherent  in  every  conquered  country,  to  recover  its 
state  of  property  and  independence ;  we  generously  for- 
get the  Long  series  of  ills,  injuries,  and  privations,  which 
the  sad  right  of  conquest  has  indistinctly  caused,  to  all  the 
descendants  of  the  Discoverers,  Conquerors,  and  Settlers 
of  these  Countries,  plunged  into  a  worse  state  by  the  very 
same  cause  that  ought  to  have  favoured  them ;  and,  draw- 
ing a  veil  over  the  three  hundred  years  of  Spanish  dominion 
in  America,  we  will  now  only  present  to  view  the  authentic 
and  well-known  facts,  which  ought  to  have  wrested 
from  one  world,  the  right  over  the  other,  by  the  inver- 
sion, disorder,  and  conquest,  that  have  already  dissolved 
the  Spanish  Nation. 

This  disorder  has  increased  the  ills  of  America,  by 


APPENDIX.  449 

i 

rendering  void  its  elaims  and  remonstrances,  enabling  the 
Governors  of  Spain  to  insult  and  oppress*  this  part  of  the 
Nation,  thus  leaving  it  without  the  succour  and  guarantee 
of  the  laws. 

It  is  contrary  to  order,  impossible  to  the  Government 
of  Spain,  and  fetal  to,  the  welfare  of  America,  that  the a 
latter,  possessed  of  a  range  of  country  infinitely  more  ex- 
tensive, and  a  population  incomparably  more  numerous, 
should  depend  and  be  subject  to  a  peninsular  corner 
of  the  European  continent 

The  cessions  and  abdications  at  Bayonne,  the  Revolu- 
tions of  the  Escorial  and  Aranjuez,  and  the  Orders  of  the 
Royal  Substitute,  the  Duke  of  Berg,  sent  to  America, 
suffice  to  give  virtue  to  the  rights',  which  till  then  the 
Americans  had  sacrificed  to  the  unity  and  integrity  of  the 
Spanish  Nation. 

Venezuela  was  the  first  to  acknowledge,  and  gene- 
rously to  preserve,  this  integrity;  not  to  abandon  the 
cause  of  its  brothers,  as  long  as  the  same  retained  the 
least  hope  of  salvation. 

America  was  called  into  a  new  existence,  since  she 
could,  and  ought,  to  take  upon  herself  the  charge  of  her 
own  fate  and  preservation ;  as  Spain  might  acknowledge, 
or  not,  the  rights  of  a  King,  who  had  preferred  his  own 
existence  to  the  dignity  of  the  Nation  over  which  he 
governed. 

All  the  Bourbons  concurred  to  the  invalid  stipula- 
tions of  Bayonne,  abandoning  Spain,  against  the  will 
of  the  People; — they  violated,  disdained,  and  tram- 
pled on  the  sacred  duty  they  bad  contracted  with  the 
Spaniards  of  both  Worlds,  when  with  their  blood  and 
treasure  they  had  placed  them  on  the  Throne,  in  despite 
of  the  House  of  Austria.  By  such  a  conduct,  they  were 
left  disqualified  and  incapable  of  governing  a  Free  Peo- 
ple, whom  they  delivered  up  like  a  flock  of  slaves. 

Notwithstanding  our  protests,  our  moderation,  gene- 
rosity, and  the  inviolability  of  our  principles,  contrary  to 
the  wishes  of  our  brethren  in  Europe,  we  were  declared 

G  G 


450  APPENDIX. 

in  a  state  of  rebellion ;  we  were  blockaded ;  war  was  de- 
clared against  us ;  agents  were  sent  amongst  us,  to  excite 
us  oiie  against  tbe  other,  endeavouring  to  take  away  oar 
credit  with  the  other  Nations  of  Europe,  by  imploring 
their  assistance  to  oppress  us. 

Without  taking  the  least  notice  of  our  reasons,  without 
presenting  them  to  the  impartial  judgment  of  the  world, 
and  without  any  other  judges  than  our  own  enemies,  we 
are  condemned  to  a  mournful  inco  mm  on  1  cation  with  our 
brethren :  and,  to  add  contempt  to  calumny,  empowered 
agents  are  named  for  us,  against  bur  own  express  will, 
that  in  their  Cortes  they  may  arbitrarily  dispose  of  our 
interests,  under  tbe  influence  and  force  of  our  enemies. 

In  order  to  crush  and  suppress  the  effects  of  our  Repre- 
sentation, when  they  were  obliged  to  grant  it  to  us,  we 
were  submitted  to  a  paltry  and  diminutive  scale;  and  the 
form  of  election  was  subjected  to  the  passive  voice  of  the 
Municipal  Bodies,  degraded  by  the  despotism  of  the  Go- 
vernors: which  amounted  to  an  insult  on  our  plain  dealing 
and  good  faith,  more  than  to  a  consideration  of  our  incon- 
testible  political  importance. 

Always  deaf  to  the  cries  of  justice  on  our  part,  the 
Governments  of  Spain  have  endeavoured  to  discredit  all 
our  efforts,  by  declaring  as  criminal,  and  stamping  with 
infamy,  and  rewarding  with  the  scaffold  and  confiscation, 
every  attempt,  which  at  different  periods  some  Americans 
have  made,  for  the  felicity  of  their  country  :  as  was  that 
which  lately  our  own  security  dictated  to  us,  that  we 
might  not  be  driven  into  a  state  of  disorder  which  we 
foresaw,  and  hurried  to  that  horrid-  fate  which  we  are 
about  to  remove  for  ever  from  before  us.  By  means  of 
such  atrocious  policy,  they  have  succeeded  in  making  our 
brethren  insensible  to  our  misfortunes;  in  arming  them 
against  us;  in  erasing  from. their  bosoms  the  tender  im- 
pressions of  friendship,  of  consanguinity ;  and  converting 
into  enemies  a  part  of  our  own  great  family. 

In  this  mournful  alternative  we  have  remained  three 
years,  in  a  state  of  political  indecision  and  ambiguity,  so 


v    APPENDIX.  451 

fatal  and  dangerous,  that  this  alone  would  suffice  to  au- 
thorise the  resolution,  which  the  faith  of  our  promises  and 
the  bonds  of  fraternity  had  caused  us  to  defer,  till  neces- 
sity has  obliged  us  to  go  beyond  what  we  at  first  pro- 
posed, impelled  by  the  hostile  and  unnatural  conduct  of 
the  Governments  of  Spain,  which  have  disburdened  us  of 
our  conditional  oath,  by  which  circumstance,  we  are 
called  to  the  august  representation  we  now  exercise. 

But  we,  who  glory  in  grounding  our  proceedings  on 
better  principles,  and  not  wishing  to  establish  our  felicity 
on  the  misfortunes  of  our  fellow-beings,  do  consider  and 
declare,  as  friends,  companions  of  our  fate,  and  participa- 
tor? of  our  felicity,  those  who,  united,  to  us  by  the  ties  of 
blood,  language,  and  religion,  have  suffered  the  same 
evils  in  [the  anterior  order  of  things,  provided  they  ac- 
knowledge our  absolute  independence  of  the  same,  and  of 
any  other  foreign  power  whatever ;  that  they  aid  us  to 
sustain]  it  with  their  lives,  fortune,  and  sentiments ;  de- 
claring and  acknowledging  them  (as  well  as  to  every  other 
nation),  in  war  enemies,  and  in  peace  friends,  brothers, 
and  co-patriots. 

In  consequence  of  all  these-  solid,  public,  and  incontes- 
table reasons  of  policy,  which  so  powerfully  urge  the  ne- 
cessity of  recovering  our  natural  dignity,  restored  to  us  by 
the  order  of  events;  and  in  compliance  with  the  impre- 
scriptible rights  enjoyed  by  nations,  to  destroy  every  pact, 
agreement,  or  association,  which  does  not  answer  the  pur- 
poses for  which  governments  were  established ;  we  be- 
lieve that  we  cannot,  nor  ought  not,  to  preserve  the  bonds 
which  hitherto  kept  us  united  to  the  Government  of 
Spain ;  and  that,  like  all  the  other  nations  of  the  world, 
we  are  free,  and.  authorised  not  to  depend  on  any  other 
authority  than  our  own,  and  to  take  amongst  the  powers 
of  the  earth  the  place  of  equality  which  the  Supreme  Be- 
ing and  Nature  assign  to  us,  and  to  which  we  are  called 
by  the  succession  of  human  events,  and  urged  by  our  own 
good  and  utility. 

Notwithstanding  we  are  aware  of  the  difficulties  that 

662 


46ft  APP1HDIX. 

attend,  and  the  obligations  imposed  upon  as,  by  the  rank 
we  are  about  to  take  in  the  political  order  of  the  world  ; 
as  well  as  the  powerful  influence  of  forms  and  habitudes, 
to  which  unfortunately  we  have  been  accustomed ;  we  at 
the  same  time  know,  that  the  shameful  submission  to 
them,  when  we  can  throw  them  off,  would  be  still  more 
ignominious  for  us,  and  more  fatal  to  our  posterity,  than 
our  long  and  painful  slavery ;  and  that  it  now  becomes  an 
indispensable  duty  to  provide  for  our  own  preservation, 
security,  and  felicity,  by  essentially  varying  all  the  forms 
of  oar  former  constitution. 

In  consequence  whereof,  considering,  by  the  reasons 
thus  alledged,  that  we  have  satisfied  the  respect  which  we 
owe  to  the  opinions  of  the  human  race,  and  the  dignity 
of  other  nations,  in  the  number  of  whom  we  are  about  to 
enter,  and  on  whose  communication  and  friendship  we 
rely :  We,  the  Representatives  of  the  United  Provinces  of 
Venezuela,  calling  on  the  SUPREME  BEING  to  witness 
the  justice  of  our  proceedings  and  the  rectitude  of  our 
intentions,  do  implore  his  divine  and  celestial  help  ;  and 
ratifying,  at  the  moment  in  which  we  are  born  to  the 
dignity  which  his  Providence  restores  to  us,  the  desire  we 
have  of  living  and  dying  free,  and  of  believing  and  de- 
fending the  holy  Catholic  and  Apostolic  Religion  of  Jesus 
Christ  We,  therefore,  in  the  name  and  by  the  will  and 
authority  which  we  hold  from  the  virtuous  People  of 
Venezuela,  DO  declare  .solemnly  to  the  world,  that  its 
united  Provinces  are,  and  ought  to  be,  from-  this  day,  by 
act  and  right,  Free,  Sovereign,  and  Independent  States ; 
and  that  they  are  absolved  from  every  submission  and 
dependence  on  the  Throne  of  Spain,  or  on  those  who  do, 
or  may  call  themselves  its  Agents  and  Representatives ; 
and  that  a  free  and  independent  State,  thus  constituted, 
has  full  power  to  take  that  form  of  Government  which 
may  be  conformable  to  the  general  will  of  the  People — 
to  declare  war,  make  peace,  form  alliances,  regulate 
treaties  of  commerce,  limits,  and  navigation ;  and  to  do 
and  transact  every  act,  in  like  manner  a*  other  free  and 


AFKNMX.  453 

independent  States,  And  that  tbfe,  ear  solemn  Deefof*» 
tion,may  be  held  valid,  firm,  and  durable,  we  hereby  mo* 
tually  bind  each  Province  to  the  other,  and  pledge  our 
lives,  fortunes,  and  the  sacred  tie  of  our  national  honour. 
Done  in  the  Federal  Palace  of  Caracas ;  signed  by  our 
hands,  sealed  with  the  great  Provisional  Seal  of  the  Con* 
federation,  and  countersigned  by  the  Secretary  of  Con- 
gress, this  6th  day  of  July,  1811,  the  first  of  our  Indepen- 
dence. 

[Here  follow  the  signatures  of  forty  deputies ;  also  a 
confirmatory  decree  signed  by  the  President  and  other 
principal  Ministers  of  the  Republic] 


No.  IV. 


Correspondence  between  General  Hodgson,  Governor 
of  Cura$oa,  and  General  Bolivar  of  Venezuela,  respect- 
ing certain  Spanish  prisoners,  and  in  which  those  whd 
have  either  through  ignorance  or  malevolence  charged  the 
Supreme  Chief  with  cruelty,  will  find  a  complete  and 
circumstantial  refutation  of  their  calumnies. 

Government  House,  Curagoa,  September  4, 1813* 

Sir, 

Having  been  informed  that  many  European 
Spaniards,  are  now  confined  in  the  prisons  of  La  Guira 
and  Caracas,  in  consequence  of  the  part  they  took  in  the 
late  unfortunate  disturbances  of  Venezuela,  and  who  pos- 
sibly may  suffer  death ;  I  have  the  honour  to  address  you 
on  this  subject  Although  I  am  perfectly  sure,  from  the 
well  known  humanity  of  your  character,  that  you  will 
take  no  measure  of  that  kind,  nevertheless,  as  there  may 
be  persons  vested  with  the  authority,  in  the  above  places, 
who  may  not  be  possessed  of  your  generous  sentiments, 
and  who  may,  perhaps,  from  erroneous  principles,  recur 
to  acts  of  cruelty,  I  esteem  it  a  duty  of  humanity  to  intef- 
oede  in  their  favour,  and  request  you  to  grant  them  pass* 


464  APPENDIX. 

port*  to  leave  the  province.    The  brave  are  always  mer- 
ciful. I  am,  Ac. 

(Signed)        J.  HODGSON, 

To  Don  Simon  Bolivar,  Ac,  Ac.  Ac. 

ANSWER. 
Head  Quarters,  Valencia,  October  2,  1813. 

Sir, 

I  have  the  honour  to  answer  jour  Excellency's 
letter,  of  the  4th  of  September,  ultimo,  which  I  have 
this  day  received,  delayed,  without  doubt,  by  causes  of 
which  I  am  ignorant,  on  its  way  from  your  island  to  La 
Guira. 

The  attention  which  I  ought  to  pay  to  a  British  officer, 
and  to  the  cause  of  America,  place  me  under  the  necessity 
of  manifesting  to  your  Excellency,  the  unhappy  causes 
of  the  conduct,  which  in  spite  of  myself,  I  observe  to  the 
Spaniards,  who,  within  the  last  year,  have  wrapt  Vene- 
zuela in  ruins,  by  committing  crimes  which  ought  to  have 
been  thrown  into  eternal  oblivion,  if  the  necessity  of  jus- 
tifying, to  the  eyes  of  the  world,  the  death  war  which  we 
have  adopted,  did  not  oblige  us  to  draw  them  to  light, 
from  the  scaffolds  and  horrid  dungeons,  with  which  they 
are  covered,  and  to  place  them  before  your  Excellency.    * 

A  continent,  separated  from  Spain  by  immense  seas, 
more  populous  and  richer  than  her;  subject,  for  three 
centuries,  to  a  degrading  and  tyrannical  dependence, 
hearing,  in  the  year  1810,  of  the  dissolution  of  the  govern- 
ments of  Spain,  by  the  occupancy  of  the  French  armies, 
placed  itself  in  motion,  to  preserve  itself  from  a  similar 
fate,  and  to  escape  the  anarchy  and  confusion  which 
threatened  it.  Venezuela,  the  first,  institutes  a  Junta 
preserving  the  rights  of  Ferdinand  VII.,  and  in  order  to 
wait  the  decisive  issue  of  the  war.  It  offers  to  the  Spa- 
niards desirous  of  emigrating,  a  fraternal  asylum ;  it  in- 
vests many  of  them  with  the  supreme  magistracy,  and 
preserves  in  their  offices,  all  who  were  placed  in  those  of 


Af>i>ENt>ix.  455 

the  greatest  influence  and  importance.  Evident  proofs  of 
the  views  of  union  which  animated  the  people  of  Vene- 
zuela :  views,  to  which  the  Spaniards,  deceitfully,  cor- 
responded; most  of  whom,  abused  this  public  confidence 
by  black  perfidy. 

In  fact,  Venezuela  adopted  the  above  measure,  impelled 
by  irresistible  necessity.  Under  circumstances  less  cri- 
tical, provinces  of  Spain  less  important  than  herself,  had 
erected  governing  Juntas  to  save  themselves  from  disorder 
and  tumult.  And,  was  it  not  eqdally  the  duty  of  Vene- 
zuela, to  provide  a  shelter  from  so  many  calamities,  and 
to  secure  her  existence  against  the  rapid  vicissitudes  of 
Europe?  'Was  it  not  even  injurious  to  the  Spauierds  of 
the  Peninsula,  to  remain  exposed  to  the  troubles  and  con- 
fusion, which  were  about  to  succeed  to  the  loss  of  the 
acknowledged  government ;  ought  tHey  not  even  to  have 
been  grateful,  for  our  thus  obtaining  for  them  a  safe  asy- 
lum? Could  any  one  have  thought/ that  a  rigorous 
blockade  and  cruel  hostilities,  would  have  been  the  returns 
of  so  much  generosity  ? 

Confident,  as  was  Venezuela,  that  Spain  had  been  com- 
pletely subjected,  and  as  was  also  believed  in  every  other 
part  of  America,  she  adopted  the  above  measure  ;  which 
even,  before,  she  had  a  right  to  have  done,  authorized  by 
the  example  of  the  provinces  of  the  Peninsula,  with  whom 
she  was  declared  equal  in  rights  and  in  political  represen- 
tation. The  Regency  afterwards  was  formed  in  a  tumul- 
tuous manner  in  Cadiz,  the  only  point  where  the  French 
eagles  had  not  penetrated ;  from  whence  it  fulminated 
its  destructive  decrees  against  a  free  people,  who,  without 
any  obligation,  had  maintained  their  relations  and  national 
integrity,  with  a  nation,  of  whom  they  were  naturally  in- ' 
dependent. 

Such  was  the  generous  spirit  which  animated^the  first 
revolution  of  America,  one  effected  without  blood,  odium,, 
or  vengeance.  Might  not  Venezuela,  Buenos  Ayres,  and 
New  Granada,  have  displayed  their  just  resentments  for 
so  much    injury    and  violence,     by    destroying    tho<?e 


466  APPENDIX, 

Viceroys,  Governors,  and  Regents ;  all  those  rulers,  exe- 
cutioners of  their  own  species,  who,  gratified  with  the  de- 
struction of  the  Americans,  made  the  most  illustrious  and 
virtuous  perish  in  horrid  dungeons ;  who  spoiled  the  good 
man  of  the  fruit  of  his  labour,  and  in  general,  persecuted 
industry,  the  useful  arts,  and  every  thing  else,  that  could 
alleviate  the  horrors  of  our  slavery  ? 

For  three  centuries,  did  America  groan  under  this 
tyranny,  the  worst  that  ever  afflicted  the  human  race ; 
three  centuries,  did  she  lament  her  fatal  riches  which 
were  so  attractive  to  her  oppressors ;  and  when  just  Pro- 
vidence presented  her  with  the  unexpected  opportunity, 
of  breaking  her  chains,  far  from  thinking  of  avenging 
these  outrages,  she  invites  even  her  own  enemies,  by  offer- 
ing to  share  with  them  her  gifts  and  asylum. 

On  now  beholding  almost  every  region  of  the  new 
world,  busied  in  a  cruel  and  ruinous  war ;  on  seeing  dis- 
cord agitating  with  its  furies,  even  the  inhabitants  of  the 
cabin ;  sedition  fanning  the  devouring  flame  of  war,  even 
in  the  remote  and  solitary  villages,  and  the  American 
fields  crimsoned  with  human  blood,  it  is  natural  to  enquire, 
the  cause  of  all  this  strange  confusion,  in  this  lately 
peaceful  continent,  whose  docile  and  benevolent  children, 
had  always  been  an  example  of  mildness  and  submission, 
unknown  in  the  histories  of  other  nations. 

The  ferocious  Spaniard,  cast  on  the  shores  of  Columbia, 
to  convert  the  finest  portion  of  the  globe,  into  a  vast  and 
odious  empire  of  cruelty  and  rapine,  in  him  may  your 
Excellency  behold  the  fatal  author  of  all  the  tragic  scenes 
we  have  now  to  deplore.  His  entry  into  the  new  world, 
was  marked  with .  death  and  desolation ;  he  caused  its 
primitive  inhabitants  to  disappear  from  the  face  of  the 
earth,  and  when  his  savage  fury  found  no  more  beings  to 
destroy,  he  turned  it  against  his  own  children,  whom  -be 
had  in  the  land  he  had  usurped. 

Your  Excellency  might  behold  him,  thirsting  for  blood ; 
contemn  things  the  most  holy,  and  sacrilegiously  trample 
on  those  engagements  which  the  world  venerates,  and 


APPENDIX.  457 

which  have  received  the  inviolable  sanction  of' all  rfges 
and  people.  A  capitulation,  last  year,  delivered  up  to 
the  Spaniards,  all  the  independent  territory  of  Venezuela ; 
and  an  absolute  and  tranquil  submission  on  the  part  of 
the  inhabitants,  convinced  them  of  the  pacification  of  the 
people,  and  of  the  total  renunciation  they  had  made,  of 
their  late  political  pretensions.  But,  at  the  same  time, 
that  Monteverde  swore  to  the  people  of  Venezuela,  the  reli- 
gious fulfilment  of  his  offered  promises,  the  most  barba- 
rous and  impious  infraction  was  seen ;  the  towns  were 
sacked,  buildings  were  burnt;  the  fair  sex  outraged; 
nearly  the  whole  inhabitants  of  cities  shut  up  in  caverns ; 
the  imprisonment  of  an  entire  people,  being  for  the  first 
time  then  realized.  In  fact,  none  but  those  obscure  vic- 
tims, who  could  escape  from  the  sight  of  the  tyrant,  pre* 
served  their  miserable  liberty,  by  hiding  themselves  in 
solitary  huts,  or  by  living  in  the  woods  amidst  wild 
beasts. 

How  many  respectable  old  men  and  venerable  clergy, 
were  bound  in  stocks  and  other  infamous  fetters,  con- 
founded with  criminals,  and  exposed  to  the  scorn  of  a 
brutal  soldiery,  as  well  as  of  the  vilest  of  men  ?  How 
many  expired,  bent  down  under  the  weight  of  insupport- 
able chains,  deprived  of  air,  or  starved  with  hunger  or 
misery  ?  At  the  tjme  the  Spanish  constitution  was  pub- 
lishing, as  a  shield  to  civil  liberty,  hundreds  of  victims 
were  dragged  away,  loaded  with  chains,  to  deadly  and 
loathsome  vaults,  without  any  cause  being  assigned  for 
such  proceedings,  nay,  without  even  the  origin  or  political 
opinions  of  the  victims,  being  knoWn. 

Your  Excellency  may  here  see,  the  not  exaggerated, 
but  unheard  of  picture  of  Spanish  tyranny  in  America ;  • 
picture,  which  at  the  same  time,  excites  feelings  of  indig* 
nation  against  these  executioners,  and  of  the  most  just 
and  lively  sensibility  for  the  victims.  Nevertheless,  we 
did  not  then  see,  any  feeling  souls  intercede  for  suffering: 
humanity,  nor  claim  the  compliance  of  a  compact,  which 
interested  the  whole  world.     Your  Excellency  at  present 


458  APPENDIX. 

interposes  your  respectable  mediation,  for  the  most  fero- 
cious monsters,  the  authors  of  all  these  evils.  Your  Ex- 
.celiency  may  believe  me,  when  the  troops  of  New  Gra- 
nada, under  my  command,  came  to  avenge  nature  and 
society  so  much  outraged,  neither  the  instructions  of  the 
beneficent  government  of  that  place,  nor  my  designs, 
were  to  exercise  the  right  of  reprisal  on  the  Spaniards, 
who,  under  the  title  of  insurgents,  were  carrying  all  the 
Americans,  worthy  of  that  name,  to  infamous  execution, 
or  to  torture  still  more  cruel  and  infamous.  But  seeing 
these  tygers  sport  with  our  noble  clemency,  and  secure  in 
their  impunity,  continue,  even  when  conquered,  the  same 
sanguinary  fierceness,  I  then,  in  order  to  fulfil  the  holy 
commission  confided  to  my  responsibility,  and  to  save  the 
threatened  lives  of  my  fellow-countrymen,  made  an  effort 
to  divest  myself  of  my  natural  sensibility,  and  to  sacrifice 
the  sentiments  of  a  pernicious  clemency,  to  the  safety  of 
my  country. 

May  your  Excellency  permit  me  to  recommend  to  you, 
the  perusal  of  the  letter  of  the  ferocious  Zerveris,  the  idol 
of  the  Spaniards  in  Venezuela,  to  General  Monteverde, 
contained  in  the  Caracas  Gazette,  No.  3 :  you  will  there 
discover,  the  sanguinary  plans  which  these  wicked  people 
intended  to  effect.  Being  informed,  before  hand,  of  their 
sacrilegious  intentions,  which  a  cruel  experience,  imme- 
diately afterwards,  confirmed,  I  resolved  to  carry  on  a 
death  war,  in  order  to  deprive  these  tyrants,  of  the 
incomparable  advantage  which  their  destructive  system 
offered. 

On  my  army  opening  the  campaign  in  the  province  of 
Carinas,  unfortunately,  Colonel  Antoftio  Nicolas  Briseno, 
and  other  officers  of  distinction,  were  taken,  whom  the 
barbarous  apd  cowardly  Tiscar  had  shot,  in  the  number 
of  sixteen.  Similar  spectacles,  were  repeated  in  Calabozo, 
Espino,  Cumana,  and  other  provinces,  accompanied  by 
such  circumstances  of  inhumanity,  that  I  conceive  the 
repetition  of  such  abominable  scenes,  unworthy  of  your 
Excellency  and  of  this  letter. 


APPENDIX.  459 

Your  Excellency  may  see  a  slight  sketch  of  the  fero- 
cious acts,  in  which  Spanish  cruelty  satiated  itself,  in  the 
Caracas  Gazette,  No.  4.  The  general  massacre  rigo- 
rously committed  in  the  peaceful  town  of  Aragua,  by  the 
most  brutal  of  men,  the  detestable  Zuazola,  is  one  of 
those  phrenzied  and  sanguinary  acts  of  blindness,  which 
have  seldom  degraded  humanity.  There  were  seen,  men 
and  women,  old  and  young,  with  their  *ars  cut  off,  some 
skinned  alive,  and  then  cast  into  venomous  lakes,  or  assas- 
sinated by  painfuT  and  slow  means.  Nature,  was  even 
attacked  in  its  most  innocent  origin,  and  the  unborn,  were 
destroyed  in  the  wombs  of  their  mothers,  by  blows  and 
stabs  of  the  bayonet. 

San  Juan  de  los  Moros,  an  agricultural  and  innocent 
town,  presented  similar  spectacles  and  equally  agreeable 
to  the  Spaniards,  committed  by  the  barbarous  Antonan- 
zas  and  the  sanguinary  Boves.  Still,  are  there  to  be  seen, 
in  the  fields  of  that  unhappy  country,  the  dead  bodies 
suspended  on  the  trees.  The  genius  of  crime,  there  appears 
to  hold  his  empire  of  death,  to  whom  no  one  could  ap- 
proach, without  feeling  the  furies  of  his  implacable  ven- 
geance. 

But  it  is  not  Venezuela,  alone,  that  has  been  the  theatre 
of  these  horrid  butcheries.  The  opulent  Mexico,  Buenos 
Ayres,  and  Peru,  as  well  as  the  unhappy  Quito,  are 
scarcely  to  be  compared  to  any  thing  else,  than  to  so 
many  vast  charnel-houses,  where  the  Spanish  government 
assembles  the  bones  of  those,  who  have  fallen  under  its 
murdering  steel. 

Your  Excellency  may  find  in  Gazette,  No.  2,  the 
basis  on  which  a  Spaniard  founds  the  honour  of 
his  nation.  The  letter  of  Father  Vicente  Marquetich 
affirms,  that  the  sword  of  Regules  in  the  field,  and  on  the 
scaffold,  has  immolated  12,000  Americans  in  one  year, 
and  shews,*  that  the  glory  of  the  navy  officer  Rosendo 
Porlier,  consists  in  his  universal  system  of  not  giving 
quarter  ;  even  to  the  saints,  were  they  to  appear  before 
him  in  the  dress  of  insurgents. 


460 ,  APPENDIX. 

I  refrain  from  shocking  the  sensibility  of  your  Excel- 
lency, by  prolonging  the  picture  of  the  enormities  which 
Spanish  barbarity  has  committed  against  humanity,  in 
order  to  establish  an  unjust  and  shameful  dominion  .over 
the  unoffending  Americans.  Would  to  God,  that  an  im- 
penetrable veil  could  hide  fronr  the  knowledge  of  man, 
the  excesses  of  his  fellow-beings.  Oh !  that  a  cruel  neces- 
sity did  not  impose  upon  us,  the  inviolable  duty  of  exter- 
minating such  treacherous  assassins ! 

Lei  your  Excellency  place  yourself,  for  a  moment,  in 
our  situation,  and  then  ask,  what  kind  of  conduct  ought 
to  be  observed  towards  our  oppressors?  Let  your  Excel- 
lency then  decide,  whether  the  freedom  of  America,  can 
ever  be  secured,  as  long  as  such  obstinate  enemies  breathe. 
Fatal  experience,  daily  urges  us  to  the  harshest  measures ; 
and  even  I  might  add,  that  humanity  itself  dictates  them. 
Placed,  by  my  strangest  sentiments,  under  the  necessity  of 
being  clement  with  many  Spaniards,  after  having  left 
them  amongst  us  at  full  liberty,  and  when  their  heads 
were  scarcely  free  from  the  avenging  knife,  they  have 
stirred  up  the  unfortunate  people,  and  perhaps,  the  atro- 
cities recently  committed  by  them,  equal  the  most  horrid 
of  the  whole.  In  the  valleys  of  Tuy  andTacats,  and  in  the 
towns  of  the  West,  where  one  would  have  thought,  that 
civil  war  could  never  have  carried  its  desolating  ravages, 
these  wretches  have  already  raised  lamentable  monuments 
of  their  savage  cruelty.*  Even  women,  young  children, 
the  aged,  have  been  found  skinned,  with  their  eyes  and 
entrails  torn  out ;  nay,  one  would  be  induced  to  think, 
that  the  tyrants  of  America  were  npt  of  the  human 
species. 

In  vain,  would  you  solicit  in  favour  of  those  who  are 
now  detained  in  our  prisons,  passports  for  your  island,  or 


*  These  circumstances  principally  allude  to  the  enormities  com- 
mitted by  the  armed  slaves  on  their  masters,  whom  till  sow  the  civil 
war  had  scarcely  disturbed. 


APPfiNonu  461 

for  any  other  point  out  of  Venezuela.  To  the  great  injury 
of  the  public  peace,  we  have  already  experienced  the  fatal 
consequences  of  this  measure ;  for  we  can  assert,  that 
almost  all  who  have  obtained  passports,  notwithstanding 
the  oaths  by  which  they  were  bound,  have  disembarked  on 
the  points  in  possession  of  the  enemy,  in  order  again  to 
enlist  themselves  in  the  parties  of  assassins,  which  disturb 
these  defenceless  towns.  In  their  very  prisons,  they  are 
plotting  subversive  projects,  undoubtedly  more  fatal  for 
themselves,  than  for  a  government,  obliged  to  use  its  efforts, 
more  to  repress  the  fury  of  the  zealous  patriots  against  the 
seditious  who  threaten  their  lives,  than  to  disconcert  the 
black  machinations  of  the  former. 

Tour  Excellency  may  be  able  to  judge,  whether  the 
Americans  ought  to  suffer  themselves  to  be  patiently  ex- 
terminated, or  whether  they  are  to  destroy  an  iniquitous 
race,  which  as  long  as  it  breathes  is  incessantly  labouring 
at  our  destruction. 

Your  Excellency  is  not  mistaken  in  supposing  in  me, 
sentiments  of  compassion ;  the  same  characterise  all  my 
countrymen.  We  could  compassionate  the  Caffres  of 
Africa;  bht Spanish  tyrants,  contrary  to  the  most  power* 
ful  sentiments  of  the  heart,  impel  us  to  reprisals.  Ame- 
rican justice,  will,  nevertheless,  at  all  times,  know  how  to 
distinguish  the  innocent  from  the  guilty ;  and  even  the 
latter,  shall  be  treated  with  all  the  humanity  due  to  the 
Spanish  nation. 

I  have  the  honour  to,  Ac. 
(Signed)  SIMON  BOLIVAR. 

lb  the  Governor  of  Curafoa,  he.  &c.  ftc. 


Vli 


ippmii. 


So,  \\ 


Is  the  City  of  St.  Thomas  of  Angostura  on  the  fifteenth 
day  of  (be  month  of  February,  in  the  year  of  oar  Lord 
one  thousand  eizbt  hundred  and  nineteen,  ninth  of  the 
independence  of  Venezuela,  at  half- past  tea  in  the  nom- 
ine, were  assembled  in  virtue  of  a  sommoos  of  the  So- 
preme  Chief  of  the  Republic,  Si  mom  BoLiTAa,  in  the 
Government  Palace,  for  the  Installation  of  the  Sovereign 
National  Congress,  convoked  by  the  said  Supreme  Chief 
on  the  twenty-second  day  of  October  last. 

The  Supreme  Chief  opened  the  Session  with  leading 
a  long  Speech,  the  chief  object  of  which  was  to  explain 
the  fundamental  principles  of  the  projectof  a  Constitution 
be  presented  to  the  Congress,  and  to  shew  that  it  was  the 
best  adapted  to  our  country.      He  spoke  Yery  briefly  of 
his  own  administration  under  the  most  difficult  circum- 
stances, intimating  that  the  Secretaries  of  State  woald 
,  give  an  account  of  their  respective  departments,  and  ex- 
hibit the  documents  necessary  for  illustrating  the  real  and 
actual  state  of  the  Republic,  and  only  enlarged  when  re- 
commending to  the  Congress  the  confirmation  of  theLiberty, 
granted  to  the  slaves  without  any  restriction  whatever— 
the  Institution  of  the  Order  of  Liberators— and  the  Law 
for  the  division  of  the  National  Property  amongst  the 
Defenders  of  the  Country,  as  the  only  reward  for  their 
heroic  services.      He  likewise  charged  the  Congress  in 
the  most  particular  manner  to  turn  its  serious  attention  to 
the  funding  of  the  National  Debt,  and  providing  means 
for  its  speedy  extinction,  as  was  due  in  gratitude,  justice, 
and  honour. 

On  his  Speech  being  ended,  he  added,  "  The  Congress 
of  Venezuela  is  installed,— in  it  from  this  moment  is 
centered  the  National  Sovereignty  ;  my  sword  (grasping 


APPENDIX.  463 

it)  and  those  of  niy  illustrious  Fellows-in- Arras  are  ever 
ready  to  maintain  its  august  authority.  God  save  the 
Congress  of  Venezuela."  At  this  expression,  several 
times  repeated  by  the  crowd,  a  salute  of  artillery  was 
fired. 

The  Supreme  Chief  then  invited  the  Congress  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  election  of  an  Interim  President,  that  he  might 
deliver  up  to  him  his  command.  The  Deputy  Francisco 
Antonio  Zea  having  been  elected  by  acclamation,  his 
Excellency  took  the  oath  on  the  Holy  Evangelists,  and 
in  which  he  was  followed  by  all  the  Members,  succes- 
sively. When  his  Excellency  had  taken  the  oath,  he  placed 
the  President  in  the  Chair  which  he  had  himself  occupied 
under  the  canopy,  and  addressing  the  military,  said, 
"  Generals,  Chiefs,  and  Officers,  my  Fellows-in-Arms, 
we  are  nothing  more  than  simple  citizens  until  the  Sove- 
reign Congress  condescend  to  employ  us  in  the  classes 
and  ranks  agreeable  to  them ;  reckoning  on  your  submis- 
sion, I  am  about  to  give  them,  in  your  names  and  my 
own,  the  most  manifest  proof  of  our  obedience,  by.  deli- 
vering up  the  command  entrusted  to  me."  On  saying 
which  he  approached  the  President  of  the  Congress,  and 
presenting  his  staff  of  office,  continued,  "I  return  to  the 
Republic  the  General's  Staff,  entru3ted  to  me — to  serve  in 
whatever  rank  or  class  the  Congress  may  place  me,  can- 
not but  be  honourable  ; — in  it  I  shall  give  an  example  of 
that  subordination  and  blind  obedience  which  ough^  to 
characterize  every  Soldier  of  the  Republic."  The  Presi- 
dent, addressing  the  Congress,  said,  "  The  confirmation 
of  ail  the  ranks  and  offices  conferred  by  his  Excellency 
General  Simon  Bolivar,  during  his  command,  does  not 
appear  to  admit  of  any  discussion  ;  I  however  request  the 
express  approval  of  the  Congress  for  declaring  it.  Is  the 
Congress  of  opinion  that  the  ranks  and  offices  conferred 
by  his  Excellency  General  Simon  Bolivar,  as  Supreme 
Chief  of  the  Republic,  be  confirmed  ?"  All  the  Deputies 
standing  up,  answered  yes,  and  the  President  continued  : 
"  The  Sovereign  Congress  of  the  Republic  confirms  in  the 


464  APPENDIX* 

person  of  his  Excellency  the  Captain  General  Simon 
Bolivar,  all  the  ranks  and  offices  conferred  by  him  during 
his  Government/' — and  returning  him  the  staff,  placed 
him  in  the  seat  on  his  right  After  a  silence  of  some 
moments,  the  President  spoke  a*  follows  : — 

"  The  artless  splendour  of  the  noble  act  of  patriotism, 
of  which  General  Bolivar  has  just  given  so  illustrious  and 
memorable  an  example,  stamps  on  this  solemnity  a  cha- 
racter of  antiquity,  and  is  a  presage  of  the  lofty  destinies 
of  our  country.  Neither  Rome  nor  Athens,  nor  even 
Sparta,  in  the  purest  days  of  heroism  and  public  virtue, 
ever  presented  so  sublime  and  so  interesting  a  scene.  The 
imagination  rises  in  contemplating  it,  ages  and  distances 
disappear,  and  we  think  ourselves  contemporary  with  the 
Aristides,  the  Phocions,  the  Camillus',  and  the  Epami- 
nondas  of  other  days.  The  same  philanthropy  and  the 
same  liberal  sentiments  which  united  to  the  Republican 
Chiefs  of  high  antiquity,  those  beneficent  Emperors,  Ves- 
pasian, Titus,  Trajan,  and  Marcus  Aurelius,  who  so  wor- 
thily trod  the  same  path,  will  to-day  place  amongst  them 
this  modest  General,  and  with  them  he  will  shine  in  history, 
and  receive  the  benedictions  of  posterity.  It  is  not  now 
that  the  sublime  trait  of  patriotic  virtue,  which  we  have 
witnessed  and  admire,  can  be  duly  appreciated ;  yrhen 
our  Institutions  will  have  had  the  sanction  of  time,  when 
every  thing  weak,  and  little  in  our  days,  when  pas- 
sions, interests,  and  vanities  will  have  disappeared,  and 
great  deeds  and  great  men  alone  remain,  then  the  abdica- 
tion of  Qeneral  Bolivar  Will  receive  all  the  justice  it  so 
richly  merits,  and  his  name  will  be  mentioned  with  pride 
in  Venezuela,  and  with  veneration  throughout  the  universe. 
Forgetting  every  thing  be  has  achieved  for  the  establish- 
ment of  our  liberties— -eight  years  of  affliction  and  dangers 
— the  sacrifice  of  his  fortune  and  repose — indescribable 
fatigues  and  hardships — exertions  of  which  scarcely  a 
similar  example  can  be  quoted  from  history,  that  constancy 
proof  against  every  reverse — that  invincible  firmness  in 
never  despairing  of  the  salvation  of  our  oountry,  even 


ANȣ*iDIX.  466 

when  be, saw  fapr  subjugated,  and  he  destitute  end  alone 
forgetting,  I  say,  so  many  claims  to  immortality,  to  fix 
his  attention  only  on  what  we  have  seen  and  admired.    If 
the  had  renounced  the  Supreme  Authority  when  it  pre- 
sented nothing  bat  troubles  and  dangers ;  when  it  brought 
on  his  bead  insults  and  calumnies,  and  when  it  appeared 
nothing  more  than  an  empty  name,  although  it  would  not 
have  been  praise-worthy,  it  would  at  least  have  been 
prudent:    but  to  do  it  at  the  very  moment  when  the 
authority  begins  to  enjoy  some  attractions  in  the  eyes  of 
ambition,  and  when  every  thing  forebodes  a  speedy  and  / 
fortunate  issue  to  our  desires,  and  to  do  it  of  himself, 
frosa  the  pure  love  of  liberty,  is  a  deed  so  heroic,  and  so 
splendid,  that  I  doubt  whether  it  ever  had  an  equal,  and 
despair  pf  its  ever  being  imitated.    But  what !   shall  we 
allopr  General  Bolivar  to  rise  so  much  above  his  feflow- 
'  citizens*  as  to  oppress  them  with  his  glory,  and  not  at 
least  endeavour  to  oonppete  with  him  in  noble  and  patri- 
otic sentiments*  by  not  permitting  him  to*  quit  the  pre- 
cincts of  this  august  assembly  without  re-investing  him 
jwith  the  game  authority,  which  he  had  relinquished  in 
order  tp  maintain  liberty  inviolable,  but  which  was  in 
fact  the  way  to  risk  it  ?"      "  No,  no,"  replied  General 
Bolivar,  with  energy  and  animation,  "  never  will  I  take 
upon  me  a^aui  an  authority  which  from  my  heart  I  tave 
renounced  for  ever  on  principle  and  sentiment/'    He  con- 
tinued explaining. the  dangers  which  Liberty  would  be 
exposed  to,  by  continuing  for  a  length  of  time  the  same 
man  in  possession  of  the  chief  authority ;  he  shewed  the 
necessity  of  guarding  against  the  views  of  every  ambitious 
persog,  and  even  against  his  own,  as  he  eould  not  be  sure 
of  always  acting  and  thinking  in  the  same  way,  and 
finished  his  speech  with  protesting  in  the  strongest  and 
most  decisive  tone,  that  in  no  case,  and  on  no  considera- 
tion, would  he  ever  accept  an  authority  which  he  had  so 
sincerely  and  ao  cordially  renounced,  in  order  to  secure 
to  his  country  the  blessings  of  Liberty.     His  reply  being 
ended,  he   begged  permission   to  retire,  to   which  the 

H  H 


466  APPENDIX. 

President  acceded,  and  appointed  a  Deputation  of  ten 
Members  to  conduct  him* 

A  discussion  then  took  place  in  the  Congress  about  the 
nomination  of  an  Interim  President  of  the  Republic,  but 
several  difficulties  arising  in  the  election,  it  was  agreed 
that  General  Bolivar  should  exercise  that  power  for 
twenty-four,  or  at  most  for  eight  and  forty  hours,  and  a. 
Deputation,  with  General  Marino  at  their  bead,  was  sent 
to  communicate  the  resolution.  General  Bolivar  replied 
that  it  was  only  in  consideration  of  the  urgency  of  the 
case,, that  he  accepted  the  charge,  and  on  the  precise 
condition  that  it  should  only  be  for  the  time  fixed. 

This  important  business  being  disposed  of,  and  the  day 
far  advanced,  the  Sovereign  Congress  resolved  to  meet  the 
following  morning  at  half-past  nine,  and  in  a  body,  accom- 
panied by  the  Executive  Power,  the  Stuff,  the  Generals, 
Chiefs  and  Officers  of  the  Army  and  Place,  to  proeeed 
to  the  Holy  Cathedral  Church,  and  return  thanks  to 
Almighty  God  for  his  mercies  in  having  granted  the 
happy  re-assembling  of  the  National  Representation,  to 
fix  the  lot  of  the  Republic  by  giving  it  a  free  Constitution 
capable  of  raising  her  to  the  height  of  glory  destined  for  her 
by  nature. 

The  President  declared  the  Sitting  of  the  Installation  of 
the  Sovereign  Congress  of  Venezuela  ended,  and  the  Act 
should  be  signed  by  all  the  Deputies  and  the  Supreme 
Chief,  who  had  this  day  laid  down  bis  Authority,  and 
that  it  be  countersigned  by  the  Secretary  appointed  ad 
interim  for  that  purpose. 

[Here  follow  the  signatures  of  twenty-six  Deputies,  out 
of  thirty  of  which  the  Congress  ought  to  consist,  also  those 
of  the  President  and  Supreme  Chief.] 


APPENDIX.  467 


No.  VI. 

Extract*  from  the  justly  celebrated  Speeoh  of  General 
Bolivar  to  the  Congress  9/  Venezuela,  Feb.  19M,  1819. 

Gentlemen, 

I  account  myself  one  of  the  beings  most  favoured  by 
Providence,  in  having  the  honour  of  re- uniting  the  Repre- 
sentatives of  Venezuela  in  this  august  Congress;  the  only 
source  of  legitimate  authority,  the  deposit  of  the  sovereign 
will,  and  the  arbiter  of  the  Nation's  fate. 

In  delivering  back  to  the  Representatives  of  the  People 
the  supreme  power  entrusted  to  me,  I  satisfy  the  desires 
of  my  own  heart,  and  calm  the  wishes  of  my  Fellow- 
Citizens  and  of  future  generations,  who  hope  every  thing 
from  your  wisdom,  rectitude,  and  prudence.  In  fulfilling 
this  delightful  duty,  I  free  myself  from  the  boundless 
authority  which  oppresses  me,  and  also  from  the 
unlimited  responsibility  which  weighs  on  my  feebly 
hands. 

An  imperative  necessity,  united  to  a  strongly  expressed 
desire  on  the  part  of  the  People,  could  have  alone  induced 
me  to  assume  the  dreadful  and  dangerous  charge  of 
Dictator,  Supreme  Chief  of  the  Republic.  Now, 
however,  I  respire  in  returning  the  authority,  which, 
with  such  great  risk,  difficulty  and  toil,  I  have  maintained 
amidst  as  horrible  calamities  as  ever  afflicted  a  social 
body. 

In  the  epoch  during  which  I  presided  over  the  Republic, 
it  was  not  merely  a  political  storm  that  raged,  iu  a  san- 
guinary war,  in  a  time  of  popular  anarchy,  but  the  tempest 
of  the  desert,  a  whirlwind  of  every  disorganised  element, 
the  bursting  of  an  infernal  torrent  that  overwhelmed  the 
land  of  Venezuela.  A  man !  and  such  a  mail  as  I  am !  what 

H  h  2 


468  APt>ivNttjx. 

bounds,  what  resistance,  could  be  oppose  to  such  furious 
devastation  ?    Amidst  that  sea  of  woes  and  afflictions,  I 
was  nothing  more  than  the  miserable  sport  of  the  revolution- 
ary hurricane,  driven  to  and  fro  like  the  wild  bird  of  the 
Ocean.     I  could  do  neither  good  nor  evil ;  an  irresistible 
power  above  all  human  controul  directed  the  march  of 
our  fortunes,  and  for  me  to  pretend  to  have  been  the  prime 
mover  of  the  events  which  have  taken  place,  would  be 
unjust,  and  would  be  attaching  to  myself  an  importance 
I  do  not  merit.     Do  you  desire  to  know  the  sources  from 
which  those  occurrences  took  their  rise,  and  the  origin  of 
our  present  situation  ?     Consult  the  annals  of  Spain,  of 
America,  and  of  Venezuela ;    examine  the  laws  of  the 
Indies,  the  conduct  of  your  ancient  Governors,  the  influ- 
ence of  Religion,  and  of  foreign  Dominion ;  observe  the 
first  Acts  of  the  Republican  Government,  the  ferocity  of 
our  enemies,  and  the  national  character.     I  again  repeat 
that  I  cannot  consider  myself  more  than  the  mere  instru- 
ment of  the  great  causes  which  have  acted  on  our  Country. 
My  life,  my  conduct,  and   all  my  actions,   public  and 
private,  are  however  before  the  people — and,  Represen- 
tatives, it  is  your  duty  to  judge  them.     I  submit  to  your 
impartial  decision,  the  manner  in  which  I  have  executed 
my  command,  and  nothing  will  I  add  to  excuse — I  have 
already  said  enough  as  an  apology.     Should  I  merit  your 
approbation,  I  shall  have  acquired  the  sublime  tide  of  a 
aoOD  Citizen,  preferred  by  me  to  that  of  Liberator, 
bestowed  on  me  by  Venezuela ;  to  that  of  Pacificator, 
given  by  Cundinamarca,  and  to  aH  others  the  universe 
eould  confer! 

Legislators* — I  deposit  in  your  hands  the  Supreme 
command  of  Venezuela,  and  it  is  now  your  high  duty  to 
consecrate  yourselves  to  the  felicity  of  the  Republic.;  in 
jqht  hands  rest  the  balance  of  our  destiny,  and  the  means 
of  our  gkny.— You  will  confirm  the  Decrees  which  esta- 
blish our  Liberty. 

The  topreme  Chief  of  the  Republic  is,  at  tills  moment, 
ueAitogmore  than  a  simple  Citfreo, — and  **eh  he  wkhts 


_:^5 


*v*ttoto%.  469 

to  remain  until  his  latest  boor.  He  will,  however,  serve 
with  the  armies  of  Venezuela,  as  long  as  an  enemy  treads 
her  soil. 

The  continuation  of  authority  in  the  same  individual, 
has  frequently  proved  the  termination  of  democratic*! 
Governments.  Repeated  elections  are  essential  in  popular 
systems,  for  nothing  is  so  dangerous  as  to  suffer  power  to 
remain  a  long  time  vested  in  one  Citizen ;  the  People 
accustomed  to  obey,  and  he  to  command,  give  rise  to 
usurpation  and  tyranny.  A  strict  jealousy  is  the  guaran- 
tee of  Republican  Liberty ;  and  the  Citizens  of  Venezuela 
oagbt  to  fear  with  the  greatest  justice,  that  the  same 
Magistrate  who  has  governed  them  for  a  length  of  time 
may  do  so  for  ever. 

Casting  a  glance  on  the  past,  we  shall  see  what  is  the 
basis  of  the  Republic  of  Venezuela.     -    . 

The  separation  of  America  from  the  Spanish  Monarchy 
resembles  the  state  of  the  Roman  Empire,  wben  that  enor- 
mous mass  fell  to  pieces  in  the  midst  of  the  ancient  world. 
Every  dismemberment  then  formed  an  independent  nation, 
conformable  to  its  situation  and  interests ;  hot  with  this 
difference,  that  those  associations  returned  to  their  origi- 
nal principles,  We  do  not  retain  vestiges  of  what  we 
were  in  other  times ;  we  are  not  Europeans,  we  are 
not  Indians,  but  a  middle  race  betwixt  the  Aborigines  and 
the  Spaniards.  Americans  by  birth,  and  European*  in 
rights,  we  are  placed  in  the  extraordinary  predicament  of 
disputing  with  the  natives  our  privilege  of  possession,  apd 
of  maintaining  ourselves  in  the  country  which  gave  us  birth* 
against  the  efforts  of  the  original  Invaders— rand  thus, 
our  situation  is  the  more  extraordinary  and  complicated. 

Oar  lot,  moreover,  has  ever  been  purely  passive,  our  po- 
litical existence  has  ever  been  nugatory  ;  and  we,  there- 
fore, encounter  greater  difficulties  in  establishing  our 
Liberties,  having  hitherto  been  in  a  lower  degree  of  de- 
gradation than  even  servitude,  and  being  not  only  robbed  of 
our  freedom,  but  not  suffering  «a  active  and  domineering 
tyranny,  Which  would  have  excited  feelifigsof  indignation. 


470  APPENDIX* 

Permit  me  to  explain  this  paradox:  in  the  exercise 
of  authorized  absolute  power,  there  are  no  limits ;  the 
will  of  the  Despot  is  the  supreme  Law,  arbitrarily  exe- 
cuted by  inferiors,  who  participate  in  the  organized 
oppression,  in  proportion  to  the  authority  they  hold,  being 
entrusted  with  all  functions,  civil,  political,  military,  and 
religious.  America  received  all  from  Spain,  was  with- 
out the  practice  and  exercise  of  an  active  tyranny,  and 
was  not  permitted  to]  share  in  the  administration  of  her 
domestic  concerns  and  interior  arrangements. 

This  abject  state  of  depression  rendered  it  impossible 
for  us  to  be  acquainted  with  the. course  of  public  affairs, 
and  as  little  did  we  enjoy  the  personal  consequence 
and  respect,  which  the  shew  of  authority  commands  in 
the  eyes  of  the  people,  and  which  is  of  such  importance 
in  great  revoiutiops.  I  say  again,  that  we  were  abstracted 
and  absent  from  •the  world  in  every  thing,  having  a  re- 
ference to  the  science  of  Government.  The  people  of 
America,  bound  with  the  triple  yoke  of  ignorance, 
tyranny,  and  vice,  could  not  acquire  either  knowledge, 
power,  or  virtue. 

Pupils  of  such  pernicious  roasters — the  lessons  we  re- 
ceived, and  the  examples  we  followed — were  the  most 
destructive.  We  were  governed  more  by  deceit  and 
treachery,  than  by  force,  and  were  degraded  more  by 
vice  than  superstition.  Slavery  is  the  daughter  of  dark- 
ness, and  an  ignorant  person  is  generally  the  blind  in- 
strument of  his  own  ruin ;  ambition  and  intrigue  take 
advantage  of  the  credulity  and  inexperience  of  men 
totally  unacquainted  with  every  principle  of  political 
and  civil  economy ;  the  uninformed  adopt  as  realities 
what  are  mere  illusions,  they  mistake  licentiousness 
for  Liberty,  treachery  for  Patriotism,  and  revenge  for 
Justice. 

A  corrupt  People,  should  it  gain  its  liberty,  soon  loses 
it  again,  for  in  vain  are  the  lights  of  experience  exercised 
in  shewing  that  happiness  consists  in  the  practice  of 
virtue,  and  that  the  Government  of  Laws  is  nlore  power- 


*J 


APPENDIX.  471 

ful  than  that  of  Tyrants,  because  they  are  more  inflexible, 
and  all  ought  to  submit  to  their  wholesome  severity ; 
that  good  morals  and  not  force  constitute  the  pillars  of 
the  Law,  and  that  the  exercise  of  Justice  is  the  exercise 
of  Liberty. 

Many  anoient  and  modern  nations  have  shaken  off 
oppression,  but  few  of  them  have  known  how  to  enjoy  a 
few  precious  moments  of  freedom  ;  very  soon  have  they 
returned  to  their  former  political  vices,  for  the  People 
more  frequently  than  the  Government  bring  on  tyranny. 
The  hahit  of  submission  renders  them  insensible  to  the 
charms  of  honour  and  national  prosperity,  and  leads 
them  to  regard  with  insensibility  the  glory  pf  being  free 
under  the  protection  of  laws  dictated  by  their  own  will. 
The  history  of  the  world  proclaims  this  dreadful  truth. 

The  Constitution  of  Venezuela,  although  founded  on 
the  most  perfect  principles,  differed  widely  from  that 
of  America  in  an  essential  point,  and  without  doubt  the 
most  important.  The  Congress  of  Venezuela,  like  that 
of  America,  participates  in  some  of  the  attributes  of 
the  Executive  power.  But  we  go  further,  and  subdivide- 
it  by  committing  it  to  a  collective  body,  and  are  con-, 
sequently  subject  to  the  inconvenience  of  making,  the  ex* 
istence  of  the  Government  periodical,  of  suspending  and 
of  dissolving  it  whenever  the  Members  separate.  Our  tri- 
umvirate is  void,  as  one  may  say,  of  unity,  duration, 
and  personal  responsibility ;  it  is  at  times  destitute  of 
action,  it  is  without  perpetual  life,  real  uniformity,  and 
immediate  responsibility ;  and  a  Government,  which  does 
not  possess  continuance,  may  be  denominated  a  nullity. 
Although  the  powers  of  the  President  of  the  United  States 
are  limited  by  excessive  restrictions,  he  exercises  by  him- 
self alone  all  the  functions  of  authority  granted  him  by 
the  Constitution,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  his 
Administration  must  be  more. uniform,  constant,  and  truly 
proper,  than  that  of  a  power  divided  amongst  various  indi- 
viduals, the  composition  of  which  cannot  but  be  monstrous. 

The  Judicial  power  in  Venezuela  is  similar  to  that  in 


4Tf  APMum*^ 

America,  indefinite  in  duration,  temporary  and  not  per- 
petual, and  it  enjoys  all  the  independence  necessary. 

All  the  citizens  of  Venezuela  enjoy  by  the  constitution 
a  political  equality  ;  and  if  that  equality  had  not  been  a 
dogma  in  Athens,  in  France,  and"  in  America,  we  ought 
to  confirm*  the  principle  in  order  to  correct  the  dif- 
ference which  may  apparently  exist.  Legislators;  my 
opinion  is,  that  the  fundamental  principle  of  our  system, 
depends  immediately  and  solely  on  equality  being  esta- 
blished and  practised  in  Venezuela.  That  men  are  all 
born  vrith  equal  rights  to  the  benefits  of  society,  has  been 
sanctioned  by  almost  all  the  sages  of  every  age ;  as  has 
also,  that  all  men  are  not  born  with  equal  capacities 
for  the  attainment  of  every  rank,  as  all  ought  to  practise 
virtue ;  and  all  do  not  so ;  all  ought  to  be  brave,  and 
all  are  not  so;  all  ought  to  possess  talents,  and  all 
do  not  so.  From  this  arises  the  real  distinction  observed 
amongst  individuals '  of  the  most  liberally  established 
society. 

If  the  principle  of  political  equality  be  generally  ac- 
knowledged, not  less  so  is  that  of  physical  and  mond 
inequality.  It  would  be  an  illusion,  an  absurdity  to 
suppose  the  contrary.  Nature  makes'  men  unequal  in 
genius,  temperament,  strength,  and  character.  Laws 
correct  that  difference  by  placing  the  individual  in  society, 
where  education,  industry,  arts,  sciences,  and  virtues, 
give  a  fictitious  equality,  properly  called  political  and 
social.  The  union  of  all  classes  in  one  state  is  eminently 
beneficial ;  and  in  which  diversity  is  multiplied  in  pro- 
portion to  the  propagation  of  the  species.  By  it  alone 
has  discord  been  torn  up  by  the  roots,  and  many  jea^ 
lousies,  follies,  and  prejudices  avoided ! 

The  most  perfect  system  of  government  is  that  which 
produces  the  greatest  degree  of  happiness,  of  social  se- 
curity, and  political  stability. 

A  republican  government  has  been,  is,  and  ought  to 
be  that  of  Venezuela;  its  basis  ought  to  be  the  sove- 
reignty of  the  people,  the  division  of  power,  civil  liberty, 


APPENDIX,  473 


the  prohibition  of  slavery,  and  tha  abolition  of 
narchy  and  privileges.  We  want  equality  for  recast- 
ing, as  I  may  say,  men,  political  opinions,  and  public 
customs.  Throwing  our  sight  over  the  vast  field  we 
have  to  examine,  let  us  fix  our  attention  en  the  dangers 
we  ought  to  avoid,  and  let  history  guide  us  in  our  career. 

Passing  from  ancient  to  modem  timefe,  we  find  England 
and  France  deserving  general  attention,  and  giving  im- 
pressive lessons  in  every  species  of  government  The 
revolutions  in  those  two  great  states,  like  brilliant  meteors, 
have  filled  the  world  with  so  great  a  profusion  of  political 
light,  that  every  thinking  being  has  learned  what  are  the 
rights  and  duties  of  man :  in  what  the  excellency  of 
governments  consists*  and  in  what  their  vices:  all  know 
how  to  appreciate  the  intrinsic  value  of  the  theoretical 
speculations  of  modern  philosophers  and  legislators.  In 
short,  this  star  in  its  brilliant  course  inflamed  even  the 
apathetic  Spaniards,  who  also  entering  the  political 
whirlwind  gave  ephemeral  proofs  of  liberty,  and  have 
shewn  their  incapacity  of  living  under  the  mild  dominion 
of  the  law,  by  returning  after  a  short  blase  to-  their  origi- 
nal bondage. 

Rome  and  Great  Britain  are  the  nations  which  have 
most  excelled  amongst  the  ancients  and  moderns.  Both 
were  born  to  command  and  be  free,  and  yet  neither  had 
constitutions  modelled  in  Liberty's  most  brilliant  form, 
but  solid  establishments ;  and  on  that  account  therefore  I 
recommend  to  you,  Representatives,  the  study  of  the  Bri- 
tish constitution,  which  appears  to  be  the  one  destined  to 
produce  the  greatest  possible  effect  on  the  people  adopt- 
ing it ;  but  perfect  as  it  may  be,  I  am  very  far,  at  the 
same  time,  from  proposing  a  servile  imitation  of  h.  When: 
I  speak  of  the  British  constitution,  I  refer  solely  to  the. 
democratical  part  of  it )  and  in  truth  it  may  be  denomi- 
nated, a  monarchy  in  system,  in  which  is  acknowledged 
the  sovereignty  of  the  people,  the  division  and  equilibrium 
of  power,  civil  freedom,  liberty  of  conscience,  and  of  the 
press,  and  every  thing  that  is  sublime  in  polities.  A 
greater  degree  of  liberty  cannot  lie  enjoyed  in  any  kind  of 


474  APPENDIX. 

republic,  and  it  may  indeed  claim  a  higher  rank  in  social 
order.  I  recommend  that  constitution  as  the  best  model 
to  those  who  aspire  to  the  enjoyments  of  the  rights  of  man, 
and  of  all  that  political  felicity  compatible  with  our  frail 
natures.  • 

[Here  follows  the  Sapreme's  opinion  of  the  advan- 
tages likely  to  accrue  from  an  hereditary  senate,  toge- 
ther with  a  recommendation  of  such  a  body.— perhaps  the 
only  part  of  his  admirable  discourse  that  will  meet  objec- 
tions amongst  his  republican  friends  and  admirers  in  Eu- 
rope. As  the  General's  observations  on  our  constitution, 
apply  to  an  administration  of  it,  which  a  very  large  majo- 
rity of  the  nation  do  not  admit  to  exist,  the  Editor  has 
also  passed  them  over.] 

Whilst  the  people  of  Venezuela  exercise  the  rights  they 
lawfully  enjoy — let  us  moderate  the  excessive  pretensions 
which  an  incompetent  form  of  government  might  suggest 
— and  let  us  give  up  that  federal  system  which  does  not 
suit  us-Jet  us  get  clear  of  the  triumvirate  executive  power, 
and  concentrate  it  in  one  president,and  let  us  commit  to  him 
sufficient  authority  to  enable  him  to  resist  the  inconveniences 
arising  from  our  recent  situation,  from  the  state  of  war- 
fare we  have  been  suffering  under,  and  from  the  kind  of 
foreign  and  domestic  enemies  we  had  to  deal  with,  and 
with  whom  we  shall  still  have  to  contend  for  a  length  of 
time.  Let  the  legislative  power  resign  the  attributes 
belonging  to  the  executive,  and  acquire  nevertheless  fresh 
consistency,  and  fresh  influence  in  the  equilibrium  of 
authority.  Let  the  courts  of  justice  be  reformed  by  the 
permanency  and  independence  of  the  judges,  by  the  es- 
tablishment of  juries,  and  of  civil  and  criminal  codes,  not 
dictated  by  antiquity  nor  by  conquering  kings,  but  by 
the  voice  of  nature,  by  the  cry  of  justice,  and  by  the 
genius  of  wisdom ! 

To  form  a  stable  government,  a  national  feeling  is 
required,  possessing  an  uniform  inclination  towards  two 
principal    points,   regulating  public  will,  and  limiting 


Al'PUNDIX.  475 

public  authority,  the  bounds  of  which  are  difficult  to.  be 
assigned,  but  it  may  be  supposed  that  the  best  rule  for 
our  direction,  is  reciprocal  restriction  and  concentration, 
so  that  there  may  be  the  least  friction  possible  betwixt 
legitimate  will  and  legitimate  power. 

Love  of  country,  laws,  and  magistrates,  ought  to  be 
the  ruling  passion  in  the  breast  of  every  republican. 
Venezuelans  love  their  country  but  not  its  laws, .  because 
they  are  bad,  and  the  source  of  evil ;  and  as  little  could 
they  respect  their  magistrates,  as  the  old  ones  were 
wicked,  and  the  new  ones  are  hardly  known  in  the  career 
they  have  commenced.  If  a  sacred  respect  does  not  exist 
for  country,  laws,  and  constituted  authorities,  society  is 
a  state  of  confusion,  an  abyss,  and  a  c&nflict  of  man  with 
man,  and  of  body  with  body. 

To  save  our  incipient  republic  from  such  a  chaos,  all 
our  moral  powers  will  be  insufficient,  unless  we  melt  the 
whole  people  down  into  one  mass;  the  composition  of  the 
government  is  a  whole,  the  legislation  is  a  whole,  and 
national  feeling  is  a  whole.  Unity,  unity,  unity,  ought 
to  be  our  device. 

Popular  education  ought  to  be  the  first  care  of  the 
Congress's  paternal  regard.  Morals  and  knowledge  are 
the  cardinal  points  of  a  republic,  and  morals  and  know- 
ledge are  what  we  most  want. 

Let  us  take  from  Athens  her  Areopagus,  and  the  guar- 
dians of  customs  and  laws ; — let  us  take  from  Rome  her 
censors  and  domestic  tribunals,  and  forming  a  holy 
alliance  of  those  moral  institutions — let  us  renew  on  earth 
the  idea  of  a  people  not  contented  with  being  free  and 
powerful,  but  which  desires  also  to  be  virtuous ! 

Let  us  take  from  Sparta  her  austere  ^establishments, 
and  form  from  those  three  springs  a  reservoir  of  virtue. 

Let  us  give  our  republic  a  fourth  power,  with  autho- 
rity to  preside  over  the  infancy  and  hearts  of  men — 
public  spirit,  good  habits,  and  republican  morality.  Let 
us  constitute  this  Areopagus  to  watch  over  the  education 
of  youth   and   national  instruction,  to  purify  whatever 


476  APPBNDH. 

may  be  corrupt  in  the  republic — to  impeach  ingratitude, 
egotism,  luke-warmness  in  the  country's  cause,  sloth  and 
idleness,  and  to  pass  judgment  on  the  first  germs  of  cor- 
ruption and  pernicious  example. 

We  should  correct  manners  with  moral  pain,  the  same 
as  the  law  punishes  crime  with  corporal,  not  only  what 
may  offend,  but  what  may  ridicule,  not  only  what  may 
assault,  but  what  may  weaken,  and  not  only  what  may 
violate  the  constitution,  but  whatever  may  infringe  on 
public  decency. 

The  jurisdiction  of  this  really  sacred  tribunal  ought  to 
be  effective  in  every  thing  regarding  education  and  in- 
struction, and  only  deliberative  as  to  pains  and  punish- 
ments ;  and  thus  its  annals  and  records,  in  which  will, be 
inscribed  its  acts  and  deliberations,  and  the  moral  prin- 
ciples and  actions  of  citizens,  will  be  the  registers  of  vir- 
tue and  vice.  Registers  which  the  people  will  consult 
in  their  elections,  the  magistrates  in  their  determinations, 
and  the  judges  in  their  decisions.  Such  an  institution, 
however  chimerical  it  may  appear,  is  infinitely  easier  to 
realize,  than  others  of  less  utility  to  mankind,  established 
by  some  ancient  and  modern  legislators. 

Meditating  on  the  most  efficient  mode  of  regenerating 
the  character  and  habits,  which  tyranny  and  war  have 
given  us,  I  have  dared  to  suggest  a  moral  power,  drawn 
from  the  remote  ages  of  antiquity,  and  those  obsolete 
laws,  which  for  some  time  maintained  public  virtue 
amongst  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  although  it  may 
be  considered  a  mere  whim  of  fancy,  it  is  possible,  and 
1  flatter  myself,  that  you  will  not  altogether  overlook  an 
idea,  which,  when  meliorated  by  experience  and  know- 
ledge, may  prove  of  the  greatest  efficacy. 

Terrified  at  the  disunion  which  has  hitherto  existed, 
and  must  exist  amongst  us  from  the  subtle  spirit  charac- 
terising the  federative  system,  I  have  been  induced  to 
solicit  yon  to  adopt  the  concentration  and  union  of  all  the 
states  of  Venezuela  intoone  republic,  one,  and  indivisible. 
A  measure,  in  my  opinion,  urgent,  vital,  and  saving,  and 


APPENDIX.  477 

of  such  a  nature  that  without  it,  the  fruit  of  our  regene- 
ration would  be  destruction. 

I  will  not  notice  (he  most  momentous  acts  of  my  com- 
mand, although  they  concern  most  of  my  countrymen,  and 
will  call  your  attention  only  to  the  last  memorable  revolu- 
tion. Horrid,  atrocious,  and  impious  slavery,  covered  .with 
her  sable  mantle  the  land  of  Venezuela,  and  our  atmosphere 
lowered  with  the  dark  gloomy  clouds  of  the  tempest, 
threatening  a  fiery  deluge.  I  implored  the  protection  of 
the  God  of  nature,  and  at  hip  Almighty  word,  the  storm 
was  dispelled.  The  day-star  of  liberty  rose,  slavery 
broke  her  chains,  and  Venezuela  was  surrounded  with 
new  and  grateful  sons,  who  turned  the  instruments  of  her 
thrall  and  bondage,  into  arms  of  freedom.  Yes !  thoee 
who  were  formerly  slaves,  are  now  free ;  those  who  were 
formerly  the  enemies  of  our  country,  are  now  its  defenders. 

I  LEAVE  TO  TOUR  SOVEREIGN  AUTHORITY  THE  REFORM 
OR  REPEAL  OF  ALL  MY  ORDINANCES,  (STATUTES,  AND 
DECREES;  -BUT  I  IMPLORE  YOU  TO  CONFIRM  THE  COM- 
PLETE EMANCIPATION  O*  THE  SLAVES,  AS  I  WOULD  BR0 
MY  LIFE,  OR  THE  ftALVATJON  OF  THE  REPUBLIC  !  I ! 

To  exhibit  the  military  history  of  Venezuela,  would 
be  to  bring  to  otur  recollection  the  history  of  republican 
heroism  amongst  the  amciente ;  it  would  shew  that  Vene- 
zuela had  made  as  brilliant  aacrifioes  on  the  sacred  altar 
of  liberty.  The  noble  hearts  of  our  generous  warrior*, 
have  been  filled  with  those  sublime  and  honourable  feel- 
ings whioh  have  ever  been  attributed  to  the  benefactors 
of  the  human  race. 

Men  who  have  given  up  all  the  benefits  and  advan- 
tages they  formerly  enjoyed  as  a  proof  of  their  virtue 
and  disiaterestedfteflK-tmen  who  have  undergone  every 
thing  horrible  in  a  most  inhuman  war,  suffering  the  most 
painful  privations,  the  cruellest  anguish — *aeu  so  deserv- 
ing of  their  .country,  merit  the  attention  of  government, 
and  1  have  therefore  given  directions  to  recompense  them 
o*4  of  the  oatioaal  property . 

Since  the  second  epoch  of  the  republic,  our  armies 


478  APPENDIX. 

wanted  the  necessaries  of  war ;  they  were  constantly 
void  of  arms  and  ammunition,  and  were  at  all  times  badly 
equipped ;  but  at  present  the  brave  defenders  of  inde- 
pendence are  not  only  armed  with  justice,  but  with 
power,  and  our  troops  may  rank  with  the  choicest  in 
Europe,  now  that  they  possess  equal  means  of  destruction. 
For  these  important  advantages,  we  are  indebted  to 
the  unbounded  liberality  of  some  generous  foreigners, 
who,  hearing  the  groans  of  suffering  humanity,  and  see- 
ing the  cause  of,  freedom,  reason,  and  justice,  ready  to 
sink,  could  not  remain  quiet,  but  flew  to  our  succour  with 
their  munificent  aid  and  protection,  and  furnished  the 
republic  with  every  thing  needful  to  cause  the  triumph  of 
their  philanthropical  principles.  Those  friends  of  mankind 
are  the  guardian  geniuses  of  America,  and  to  them  we 
owe  a  debt  of  eternal  gratitude,  as  well  as  a  religious 
fulfilment  of  (be  several  obligations  contracted  with  them. 
The  national  debt,  Legislators,  is  the  deposit  of  the  good 
faith,  the  honour,  and  the  gratitude  of  Venezuela:  respect 
it  as  the  holy  ark  which  encloses  not  only  the  rights  of 
our  benefactors,  but  the  glory  of  our  fidelity.  Let  us 
perish  rather  than  fail,  in  any  the  smallest  point,  in  the 
completion  of  those  engagements,  which  have  been  the 
salvation  of  our  country,  and  of  the  lives  of  her.  sons. 

The  union  of  New  Grenada,  and  Venezuela,  in  one 
great  state,  has  uniformly  been  the  ardent  wish  of  the 
people  and  governments  of  these  republics.  The  fortune 
of  war  has  effected  this  junction,  so  much  desired  by 
every  American, and  in  fact  we  are  incorporated.  These 
sister-nations  have  entrusted  to  you  their  interests,  rights, 
and  destinies.  >  In  contemplating  the  union  of  this  im- 
mense district,  my  mind  rises  with  delight  to  the  stu- 
pendous height  necessary  for  viewing  properly  so  won- 
derful a  picture. 

Legislators  ! — Condescend  to  receive  with  indulgence 
the  declaration  of  my  political  creed ;  the  highest  wishes 
of  my  heart  and  earnest  petition,  which  in  the  name 
of  the  people,  I  have  dared  to  address  you. 


APPENDIX.         *  479 

Vouchsafe  to  grant  to  Venezuela  a  government  purely 
popular,  purely  just,  and  purely  moral,  which  will  enchain 
oppression,  anarchy,  and  crime.  A  government  which 
will  cause  innocency,  philanthropy^  and  peace  to  reign. 
A  government  which,  under  the  dominion  of  inexorable 
laws,  will  cause  equality  and  liberty  to  triumph ! !! 

Gentlemen  ! — Commence  your  duties,  I  have. finished 
mine.  Y> 

God  save  the  Congress  ! 


THE    END. 


W.  Phnckell,  Primer, 

JolinaonWourt, 
Fleet-street,   London. 


/ 


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