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TRAVELS AND RESEARCHES
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OF
BARON HUMBOLDT.
NE W-Y ORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS.
1838
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.
TRAVELS AND RESEARCHES’
etna
' OF
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT;
BEING
A CONDENSED NARRATIVE OF HIS JOURNEYS IN THE
-" EQUINOCTIAL REGIONS OF AMERICA, AND IN
ge ASIATIC RUSSIA!—TOGETHER WITH
fs: ANALYSES OF HIS MORE IMPORT-
; ANT INVESTIGATIONS.
BY W. MACGILLIVRAY, A.M.,
; Conservator of the Museums of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Member ef
the Natural History Societies of Edinburgh and Philadelphia, &c.
WITH A MAP OF THE ORINOCO, AND ENGRAVINGS,
OB Vesa mm ‘
Pie»
RAL OAM
Pe iy: YORK:
PUBLISHEDsBY HARPER) & BROFHERS
NO. 82 CLIFF-STREET.
1838.
Mies Ace 4. Bu
Pw, Jan. 6, 1982
PREFACE.
Tue celebrity which Baron Humboldt enjoys, and
_ which he has earned by a life of laborious investiga-
tion and perilous enterprise, renders his name fami-
liar to every person whose attention has been drawn
to political statistics or natural philosophy. In the
estimation of the learned no author of the preseni
day occupies a higher place among those who have
enlarged the boundaries of human knowledge. To
every one, accordingly, whose aim is the general cul-
tivation of the mental faculties, his works are recom-
mended by the splendid pictures of scenery which
they contain, the diversified information which they
afford respecting objects of universal interest, and
the graceful attractions with which he has succeeded
in investing the majesty of science.
These considerations have induced the publishers
to offer a condensed account of his Travels and Re-
searches, such as, without excluding subjects even —
of laboured investigation, might yet chiefly embrace —
those which are best suited to the purposes of the
general reader. The public taste has of late years
gradually inclined towards objects of useful know-
ledge,—works of imagination have in a great mea-
A 2
6 PREFACE. *
sure given place to those occupied with descriptions —
of nature, physical or moral,—and the phenomena
of the material world now afford entertainment to
many who in former times would have sought for it
at a different source. Romantic incidents, perilous
adventures, the struggles of conflicting armies, and
vivid delineations of national manners and individ-
ual character, naturally excite a lively interest in
every bosom, whatever may be the age or sex; but,
surely, the great facts of creative power and wis-
dom, as exhibited in regions of the globe of which
they have no personal knowledge, are not less cal-
culated to fix the attention of all reflecting minds.
The magnificent vegetation of the tropical regions,
displaying forests of gigantic trees, interspersed with
the varied foliage of mnumerable shrubs, and adorned
with festoons of climbing and odoriferous plants ;
the elevated table-lands of the Andes, crowned by
volcanic cones whose summits shoot high into the
region of perennial snow; the earthquakes that have
desolated populous and fertile countries; the vast
expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, with its circling cur-
rents ; and the varied aspect of the heaveus in those’
distant lands,—are subjects suited to the taste of
every individual who is capable of contemplating the
wonderful machinery of the universe.
It is unnecessary here to, present an analysis of
- the labours of the illustrious philosopher whose foot-
steps are traced in this volume. Suffice it to observe,
that some notices respecting his early life introduce
the reader to an acquaintance with his character and
_ Motives, as the adventurous traveller, who, crossing
> :
a
#
;
PREFACE 7
the Atlantic, traversed the ridges and plains of Vene-
zuela, ascended the Orinoco to its junction with the
Amazon, sailed down the former river to the capital
of Guiana, and after examining the island of Cuba,
mounted by the valley of the Magdalena to the ele-
vated platforms of the Andes, explored the majestic
solitudes of the great cordilleras of Quito, navigated
the margin of the Pacific Ocean, and wandered over
the extensive and interesting provinces of New-
Spain, whence he made his way back by the United
States to Europe. The publication of the important
results of this journey was not completed when he
undertook another to Asiatic Russia and the con-
fines of China, from which he has but lately re-
turned. |
From the various works which he has given to the
world have been derived the chief materials of this
narrative; and, when additional particulars were
wanted, application was made to M. de Humboldt
himself, who kindly pointed out the sources whence
the desired information might be obtained. The
life of a man of letters, he justly observed, ought
_ to be sought for in his books; and for this reason
little has been said respecting his occupations during
the intervals of repose which have succeeded his
perilous journeys. |
It is only necessary further to apprize the reader, —
that the several measurements, the indications of the
thermometer, and the value of articles of industry
or commerce, which in the original volumes are ex-
pressed according to French, Spanish, and Russian
usage, have been reduced to English equivalents.
8 PREFACE.
Finally, the publishers, confident that this abridged —
account of the travels of Humboldt will prove bene-
ficial in diffusing a knowledge of the researches of
that eminent naturalist, and “in leading to the study
of those phenomena which present themselves daily
to the eye, send it forth with a hope that its reception
will be as favourable and extensive as that bestowed
upon its predecessors.
Epingureu, October, 1832.
1 OO NTE ONT Se
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION.
Birth and Education of Humboldt—-His early Occupations—He resol ves
to visit Africa—Is disappointed in his Views, and goes to Madrid,
where: he is introduced to the King, and obtains’ Permission to visit
the Spanish Colonies—Observations made on the Journey through
Spain—Geological Constitution of the Country between Madrid and
« Corunna—Climate—Ancient Submersion of the Shores of the Medi-
terranean—Reception at Corunna, and Preparations for the Voyage to
BSEIELTY (ATIMCTUCH Acie lgitera’® eel oahs = ae a/srernane ofeiete oiole wiecein eee o+--- Page 15
CHAPTER II.
VOYAGE FROM CORUNNA TO TENERIFFE.
Departure from Corunna—Currents of the Atlantic Ocean—Marine Ani-
mals—Falling Stars—Swallows—Canary Islands—Lancerota—Fucus
vitifolius—Causes of the Green Colour of Plants—La Graciosa—
Stratified Basalt alternating with Marl—Hyalite—Quartz Sand—
Remarks on the Distance at which Mountains are visible at Sea, and
the Causes by which it is modified— Landing at Teneriffe......... 22
CHAr TER Ii.
ISLAND OF TENERIFFE.
Santa Cruz—Villa de la Laguna--Guanches—Present Inhabitants of
Teneriffe--Climate—Scenery of the Coast--Orotava—Dragon-tree—
Ascent of the Peak—lIts Geological Character—Eruptions—Zones of
Vegetation—Fires of St. JODM, «05.000 2 sso sjen ina wind amcaldia dees 35
CHAPTER IV.
PASSAGE FROM TENERIFFE TO CUMANA.
Departure from Santa Cruz—Floating Seaweeds—Fly ing-fish—Stars—
Malignant Fever—Island of Tobago—Death of a Passenger—Island
of Coche—Port of Cumana—Observations made during the Voyage;
Temperature of the Air; Temperature of the Sea; mk ikniee
State of the Air ; Colour of the Sky and Ocean.. wee sees 47
; 7 A %
10 CONTENTS. =
CHAPTER V. 4 *
CUMANA. iil
Landing at Cumana—Introduction to the Governor—State of the Sick—
Description of the Country and City of Cumana—Mode of Bathing in
the Manzanares—Port of Cumana—Earthquakes; Their Periodicity;
Connexion with the State of the Atmosphere; Gaseous Emanations;
Subterranean Noises; Propagation of Shocks; Connexion between
those of Cumana and the West Indies; and general Phenomena... 59
CHAPTER VI.
RESIDENCE AT CUMANA.
Lunar Halo—African Slaves—-Excursion to the Peninsula of Araya—
Geological Constitution of the Country—Salt-works of Araya—Indians
and Mulattoes—Pearl- fcsharesalts planiquarenc- ae Deer--Spring ¥
of Naphtha........... st tte ee eeece cone naeueenenccsee sees 66
- < ay ;
CHAPTER VII. SS ee
~
MISSIONS OF THE CHAYMAS. ¥ al
Excursion to the Missions of the Chayma Indians—Remarkson Cul-
_ tivation—The Impossible—Aspect of the Vegetation—San Fernando— .
Account of a Man who suckled a Child—Cumanacoa—Cultivation of
Tobacco—Igneous Exhalations—Jaguars—Mountain of Cocollar— +
Turimiquiri—Missions of San Antonio and Guanaguana....... wwe) Om
on
CHAPTER VIII. |
EXCURSION CONTINUED, AND RETURN TO CUMANA. ‘ \ |
Convent of Caripe—Cave of Guacharo, inhabited by Nocturnal Birds—
Purgatory—Forest Scenery—Howling Monkeys—Vera Cruz—-Cariaco ss
—Intermittent Fevers--Cocoa-trees—Passage across the Gulfof Cari-
Ge te CGA anca os 0. tem aaa nese nape done dune see dacene neni! Om
CHAPTER IX.
INDIANS OF NEW-ANDALUSIA. . |
Physical Constitution and Manners of the Chaymas—Their Languages
SCREEHIT ELACES (0. 0. oc nc akaenccenne essa enews ems La BRS i
CHAPTER X.
RESIDENCE AT CUMANA.
Residence at Cumana—Attack of a Zambo—Eclipse of the Sun— as
Extraordinary Atmospherical Phenomena—Shocks of an Earthquake
—Luminous MEteors.. secece SBeeeet tose veseene ste seeecSsseaease seeese , 104
Se
CONTENT? ll
CHAPTER XI.
VOYAGE FROM CUMANA TO GUAYRA. ,
@assage from Cumana to La Guayra—Phosphorescence of the. Sea—
Group of the Caraccas and Chimanas—Port of New-Barcelona—La
Guayra—Yellow Fever— Coast and Cape Blanco — Road from La
Guayra to Caraccas...-.cccceec eee cccucsencccsccescecessscece LID
CHAPTER XiIl.
CITY OF CARACCAS AND SURROUNDING DISTRICT.
City of Caraccas—General View of Venezuela—Population—Climate—
Character of the Inhabitants of Caraccas—Ascent of the Silla—Geo-
logical Nature of the District, and the Mines..--.-..+---+..+---- 123
md CHAPTER XIil.
‘ P EARTHQUAKES OF CARACCAS.
Extensive Connexion of Earthquakes—Eruption of the Volcano of St.
_ _Vincent’s—Earthquake of the 26th March, 1812—Destruction of the
i City—Ten Thousand of the Inhabitants killed—Consternation of the
a . ‘Survivors—Extent of the Commotions.........e2e0- SNe c Airede I + 135
4. 3 CHAPTER XIV.
r JOURNEY FROM CARACCAS TO THE LAKE OF VALENCIA.
Departure from Caraccas—La Buenavista—Valleys of San Pedro and the
Tuy—Manterola—Zamang-tree—Valleys of Aragua—Lake of Valencia
—Diminution of its Waters—Hot Springs—Jaguar—New-Valencia—
Thermal Waters of La Trinchera—Porto Cabello—Cow-tree—Cocoa-
plantations--General View of the Littoral District of Venezuela.. 142
-
a
f CHAPTER XV.
JOURNEY ACROSS THE LLANOS FROM ARAGUA TO SAN
FERNANDO.
Mountains between the Valleys of Aragua and the Llanos—Their Geologi
cal Constitution—The Llanos of Caraccas—Route over the Savanna
to the Rio Apure—Cattle and Deer—Vegetation—Calabozo—Gymnoti
or Electric Eels—Indian Girl—Alligators and Boas—Arrival at San
PEREGO UE AUUTC... 6 cccccscc cote cece scocaecatecne cute. ts esto Ue
CHAPTER XVL
VOYAGE DOWN THE RIO APURE
San Fernando—Commencement of the Rainy Season—Progress of At-
mospherical Phenomena—Cetaceous Animals—Voyage down the Rio
Apure—Vegetation and Wild Animals—Crocodiles, Chiguires, and
a, os ‘ ™! ' are
; * - we = 3
, «sa Ee: ; oo
Gx: ‘
Ye. ’ - CONTENTS.
Jaguars—Don Ignacio and Donna Isabella—Water-fowl—Nocturnal
Howlings in the Forest—Caribe-fish—Adventure with a Jaguar—Ma-
natees— Mouth of the Rio Apure.......-.-e-eeee. cole cee akel gee 174 i:
CHAPTER XVII.
VOYAGE UP THE ORINOCO.
.
Ascent of the Orinoco—Port of Encaramada—Traditions of a universal
Deluge—Gathering of Turtles’ Eggs—Two Species described—Mode
of collecting the Eggs and of manufacturing the Oil—Probable Num- .
ber of these Animals on the Orinoco—Decorations of the Indians—- _ |
Encampment of Pararuma—Height of the Inundations of the Ori-
noco—Rapids of Tabage.......-- ce. cence seen eee necceeeeeccenes - 189
CHAPTER XVIII.
VOYAGE UP THE ORINOCO CONTINUED.
Mission of Atures--Epidemic Fevers—Black Crust of Granitic Rocks—
Causes of Depopulation of the Missions—Falls of Apures—Scenery—
Anecdote of a Jaguar—Domestic Animals—Wild Man of the Woods
—zlosquitoes and other poisonous Insects—Mission and Cataracts of |
Maypures—Scenery--Inhabitants—Spice-trees—San Fernando de Ata- fl
bipo—San Baltasar—The Mother’s Rock—Vegetation—Dolphins— —
San Antonio de Javita—Jndians—-Elastic Gum—Serpents—Portage of
the Pimichin—Arrival at the Rio Negro, a Branch of the Amazon—
Ascent of the Casiquiiare.......... sce eee seen wenceeees. ee
CHAPTER XIX.
ROUTE FROM ESMERALDA TO ANGOSTURA.
Mission of Esmeralda—Curare Poison — Indians — Duida Mountain—
Descent of the Orinoco—Cave of Ataruipe—Raudalito of Carucari—
Mission of Uruana—Character of the Otomacs—Clay eaten by the Na
tives—Arrival at Angostura—The Travellers attacked by Fever—Fe-
rocity Of the Crocodiles: 22h. 2... 2-2-2 oa0s see pesecun se =os see 234
CHAPTER XX.
JOURNEY ACROSS THE LLANOS TO NEW-BARCELONA.
Departure from Angostura—Village of Cari—Natives—New-Barcelona—
Hot Springs—Crocodiles—Passage to Cumana..... wc wccrencsces O49
CHAPTER XXI.
PASSAGE TO HAVANA, AND RESIDENCE IN CUBA.
Passage from New-Barcelona to Havana—Description of the latter—Ex te
tent of Cuba—Geological Constitution—Vegetation—Climate—Popula.-
Re a
' CONTENTS. | 13
tion—Agriculture—Exports—Preparations for joining Captain Baudin’s ©
Expedition—Journey to Batabano, and Voyage to Trinidad de Cuba 256
CHAPTER XXII.
‘VOYAGE FROM CUBA TO CARTHAGENA.
Passage from Trinidad of Cuba to Carthagena—Description of the latter
—Village of ‘Turbaco——Air-volcanoes—-Preparations for ascending the
Rio Magdalena «....... 200+ dheeesess «menes soc eeecces cenenecees 266
CHAPTER XXIII.
BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE JOURNEY FROM CARTHAGENA TO
QUITO AND MEXICO.
Ascent of the Rio Magdalena—Santa Fe de Bogota—Cataract of Tequen-
dama—Natural Bridges of Icononzo—Passage of Quindiu—Cargueros
—Popayan—Quito—Cotopaxi and Chimborazo—Route from Quito to
Lima—Guayaquil—Mexico—Guanaxuato—Volcano of Jorullo—Pyra-
mid of Cholula...... @eseveeve ese tease seenes @2vxe0e002082 898008 e@esneee88008 979
CHAPTER XXIV.
DESCRIPTION OF NEW-SPAIN OR MEXICO.
General Description of New-Spain or Mexico—Cordilleras—Climates
—Mines—-Rivers— Lakes—Soil— Volcanoes—-Harbours—Population—
Provinces—Valley of Mexico, and Description of the Capital—Inunda-
tions, and Works undertaken for the Purpose of preventing them.. 297
CHAPTER XXVv.
STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF NEW-SPAIN CONTINUED.
Agriculture of Mexico—Banana, Manioc, and Maize—Cereal Plants—
Nutritive Roots and Vegetables—Agave Americana—Colonial Com-
modities—Cattle, and Animal ProductionS........sesesesesssees 325
CHAPTER XXVI.
MINES OF NEW-SPAIN.
Mining Districts—Metalliferous Veins and Beds—Geological Relations
of the Ores—Produce of the Mines—Recapitulation............- 338
CHAPTER XXVIL.
PASSAGE FROM VERA CRUZ TO CUBA AND PHILADELPHIA,
AND VOYAGE TO EUROPE.
Departure from Mexico——-Passage to Havana and Philadelphia—Return
to Europe—Results of the Journeys in AMericd...+.sssessseeess AZ
4
Sa
vk
g - “a |
14 CONTENTS. &.
CHAPTER XXVIIL |
: JOURNEY TO ASIA.
\
Brief Account of Humboldt’s Journey to Asia, with a Sketch of the Four
, great Chains of Mountains which. intersect the central Part of that
SSOPEATIGHE cule nec c's - echo ce Meets oo s.00 4s == a cee ae o's e's) Se
ENGRAVINGS.
VigNETTE—Basaltic Rocks and Cascade of Regla.
Dragon-tree of Orotava...---.+---+0. pe catia ghey to sae creceeces Page 42
Humboldt’s Route on the Orinoco.......-eeceeeees sveueeee Ue , | ailllia:
Jaguar, or American Tiger...--.--+e+seeeeeeces oh abel bans wee ne a anne
Air-voleanoes of Turbaco...---.++-+-+- er See are
Costumes of the Indians of Mechoacan....-seessecessse- coe cvses 295
-
ef ; oad
THE
TRAVELS AND R&SEARCHES
OF
BARON HUMBOLDT.
CHAPTER I.
Introduction.
Birth and Education of Humboldt--His early Occupations—He resolves
to visit Africa—Is disappointed in his Views, and goes to Madrid,
where he is introduced to the King, and obtains Permission to visit
the Spanish Cvulonies—Observations made on the Journey through
Spain—Geological Constitution of the Country between Madrid and
Corunna—Climate—Ancient Submersion of the Shores of the Medi-
terranean—Reception at Corunna, and Preparations for the Voyage to
South America.
Wits the name of Humboldt we associate all that
is interesting in the physical sciences. No travel-
ler who has visited remote regions of the globe, for
the purpose of observing.the varied phenomena of
nature, has added so much to our stock of positive
knowledge. While the navigator has explored the
coasts of unknown lands, discovered islands and
shores, marked the depths of the sea, estimated the
force of currents, and noted the more obvious traits
in the aspect of the countries at which he has
touched; while the zoologist has investigated the
multiplied forms of animal life, the botanist the di-
yersified vegetation, the geologist the structure and
“*
16 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. *
relations of the rocky masses of which the exterior
of the earth is composed; and while each has thus
contributed to the illustration of the wonderful con-
_ stitution of our planet, the distinguished traveller
whose discoveries form the subject of this volume
stands alone as uniting in himself a knowledge of all
these sciences. Geography, meteorology, magnet-
ism, the distribution of heat, the various depart-
- ments of natural history, together with the affinities
of races and languages, the history of nations, the
political constitution of countries, statistics, com-
merce, and agriculture,—all have received accumu-
lated and valuable additions from the exercise of his
rare talents. The narrative of no traveller, there-
fore, could be more interesting to the man of varied
information. But as from a work like that of which
the present volume constitutes a part subjects strictly
scientific must be excluded, unless when they can
be treated in a manner intelligible to the public at
large, it may here be stated, that many of the inves-
tigations of which we present the results must be
traced in the voluminous works which the author
himself has published. At the same time enough
will be given to gratify the scientific reader; and
while the narrative of personal adventure, the diver-
sified phenomena of the physical world, the condi- —
tion of societies, and the numerous other subjects |
discussed, will afford amusement and instruction, let
it be remembered that truths faithfully extracted
from the book of nature are alone calculated to en-
large the sphere of mental vision; and that, while
fanciful description is more apt to mislead than to
direct the footsteps of the student, there is reflected
from the actual examination of the material universe
a light which never fails to conduct the mind at once
to sure knowledge and to pious sentiment.
Frederick Henry Alexander Von Humboldt was.
born at Berlin, on the 14th of September, 1769. He
received his academic education at Géttingen and
*
ee,
BIRTH AND EDUCATION OF HUMBOLDT. 17
Frankfort on the Oder. In 1790 he visited Holland.
and England in company with Messrs. George Fors- |
fer and Van Geuns, and in the same year published
his first work, entitled ‘“‘ Observations on the Basalts
of the Rhine:” In 1791 he went to Freyberg to re-—
ceive the instructions of the celebrated Werner, the
founder of geological science. ‘The results of some
of his observations in the mines of that district
were published in 1793, under the title of Specumen
Flore Fribergensis Subterranee.
Having been appointed assessor of the Council of
Mines at Berlin in 1792, and afterward director-
general of the mines of the principalities of Bareith
and Anspach in Franconia, he directed his efforts to
the formation of public establishments in these dis-
tricts; but in 1795 he resigned his office with the
view of travelling, and visited part of Italy. His
active and comprehensive mind engaged in the study
of all the physical sciences; but the discoveries of
Galvani seem at this period to have more particularly
attracted his attention. The results of his experi-
ments on animal electricity were published in 1796,
with notes by Professor Blumenbach. In 1795 he
had gone to Vienna, where he remained some time,
ardently engaged in the study of a fine collection of
exotic plants in that city. He travelled through
several cantons of Salzburg and Styria with the
celebrated Von Buch, but was prevented by the war
which then raged in Italy from extending his journey
to that country, whither he was anxious to proceed
for the purpose of examining the volcanic districts
of Naples and Sicily. Accompanied by his brother
William Von Humboldt and Mr. Fischer, he then
visited Paris, where he formed an acquaintance with
M. Aimé Bonpland, a pupil of the School of Medicine
and Garden of Plants, who, afterward becoming his
associate in travel, has greatly distinguished himself
by his numerous discoveries in botany.
_ Humboldt, from. his nares youth, had cherished
2
18 JOURNEY TO SPAIN.
an ardent desire to travel into distant regions little
known to Europeans; and having at the age of
eighteen resolved to visit the New Continent, he
__ prepared himself by examining some of the most
_ Interesting parts of Europe, that he might be enabled
to compare the geological structure of these two.
portions of the globe, and acquire a practical ac- —
quaintance with the instruments best adapted for
aiding him in his observations. Fortunate in pos-
sessing ample pecuniary resources, he did not expe-
rience the privations which have disconcerted the
plans and retarded the progress of many eminent
individuals ; but, not the less subject to unforeseen
vicissitudes, he had to undergo several disappoint-
ments that thwarted the schemes which, like all
men of ardent mind, he had indulged himself in
forming. Meeting with a person passionately fond
of the fine arts, and anxious to visit Upper Egypt, he
resolved to accompany him to that interesting coun-
try; but political events interfered, and forced him
to abandon the project. The knowledge of the
monuments of the more ancient nations of the Old
World, which he acquired at this period, was sub-
sequently of great use to him in his researches in
the New Continent. An expedition of discovery to
the southern hemisphere, under the direction of
Captain Baudin, then preparing in France, and with
which MM. Michaux and Bonpland were to be asso-
ciated as naturalists, held out to him the hope of
. gratifying his desire of exploring unknown regions.
But the war which broke out in Germany and Italy
compelled the government to withdraw the funds
allotted to this enterprise. Becoming acquainted
with a Swedish consul who happened to pass through
Paris, with the view of embarking at Marseilles on
a mission to Algiers, he resolved to embrace the
opportunity thus offered of visiting Africa, in order
to examine the lofty chain of mountains in the em-
pire of Morocco, and ultimately to join the body of.
\
sh
- GEOLOGY AND CLIMATE OF SPAIN. 19
scientific men attached to the French army in Egypt.
Accompanied: by his friend Bonpland, he therefore
betook himself to Marseilles, where he waited for
two months the arrival of the frigate which wasto
- convey the consul to his destination. At length, —
learning that this vessel had been injured by a
storm, he resolved to pass the winter in Spain, in
hopes of finding another the following spring.
On his way to Madrid, he determined the geo-
graphical position of several important parts, and
ascertained the height of the central plain of Castile.
In March, 1799, he was presented at the court of
Aranjuez, and graciously received by the king, to
whom he explained the motives which induced him
to undertake a voyage to the New Continent. Be-
ing seconded in his application by the representa-
tions of an enlightened minister, Don Mariano Luis
de Urquijo, he to his great joy obtained leave to visit
and explore, without impediment or restriction, all
the Spanish territoriesin America. The impatience
of the travellers to take advantage of the permission
thus granted did not allew them to bestow much
time upon preparations; and about the middle of
May they left Madrid, crossed part of Old Castile,
Leon, and Galicia, and betook themselves to Co-
runna, whence they were to sail for the island of
Cuba.
According to the observations made by our travel-
lers, the interior of Spain consists of an elevated
table-land, formed of secondary deposites,—sand-
stone, gypsum, rock-salt, and Jura limestone. The
climate of the Castiles is much colder than that of
Toulon and Genoa, its mean temperature scarcely
rising to 59° of Fahrenheit’s thermometer. The
central plain is surrounded by a low and narrow belt,
in several parts of which the fan-palm, the date, the |
sugar-cane, the banana, and many plants common to
Spain and the north of Africa vegetate, without suf-
fering from the severity of the winter. In the space
ae
a*s
20 ARRIVAL AT CORUNNA.
included between the parallels of thirty-six and forty
degrees of north latitude the mean temperature
ranges from 62°6° to 68°2° Fahrenheit, and by a con-
- eurrence of favourable circumstances this section
has become the principal seat of industry and intel-
lectual cultivation. ’
Ascending from the shores of the Mediterrane
towards the elevated plains of La Mancha and ee @
Castiles, one imagines that he sees far inland, in the ~
extended precipices, the ancient coast of the Penin-
-sula; a circumstance which brings to mind the tra-
ditions ef the Samothracians and certain historical —
testimonies, according to which the bursting of the
waters through the Dardanelles, while it enlarged the
basin of the Mediterranean, overwhelmed the south-
em part of Europe. The high central plain just de-
scribed would, it may be presumed, resist the effects
of the inundation until the escape of the waters by
the strait formed between. the Pillars of Hercules,
had gradually lowered the level of the Mediterra-
nean, and thereby once more laid bare Upper Egypt
on the one hand, and on the other, the fertile valleys
of Tarragon, Valentia, and Murcia.
From Astorgato Corunna the mountains gradually
rise, the secondary strata disappear by degrees, and
the transitien rocks which succeed announce the prox-
unity of primitive formations. Large mountains of
graywacke and graywacke-slate present themselves.
In the vicinity of the latter town are granitic sum-
mits which extend to Cape Ortegal, and which
might seem, with those of Brittany and Cornwall, to
have once formed a chain of mountains that has
been broken up and submersed. Thisrock ischar-
acterized by large and beautiful crystals of felspar,
and contains tin-ore, which is worked with much
labour and little profit by the Galicians.
On arriving at Corunna, they found the port block-
aded by the English, for the purpose of interrupting
the communication between the mother-country
44
: Se ms oF a
‘TEMPERATURE OF THE SEA. 21
ral
and the American colonies. ‘The principal secre- '
tary of state had recommended them to Don Rafael
Clavigo, recently appointed director-general of the
maritime posts, who neglected nothing that could
render their residence agreeable, and advised them
to embark on board the corvette Pizarro bound for
Havana and Mexico. Instructions were given for
the safe disposal of the instruments, and the captain
was ordered to stop at Tenerifie so long as should
be found necessary to enable the travellers to visit ~
the port of Orotava and ascend the Peak.
During the few days of their detention, they occu-
ied themselves in preparing the plants which they
had collected and in making sundry observations.
Crossing to Ferrol they made some interesting ex-
periments on the temperature of the sea and the
decrease of heat in the successive strata of the
water. The thermometer on the bank and near it
was from 54° to 55°9°, while in deep water it stood
at 59° or 59°5°, the air being 55°. The fact that the
proximity of a sand-bank is indicated by a rapid
descent of the temperature of the sea at its surface
is of great importance for the safety of navigators ;
for, although the use of the thermometer ought not
to supersede that of the lead, variations of tempera-
ture indicative of danger may be perceived by it long
before the vessel reaches the shoal.
30 BASALT ALTERNATING WITH MARL.
The rocks of this small aed -were of basalt and
marl, destitute of trees or shrubs, in most places «
without a trace of soil, and but scantily crusted with
lichens.
The basalts are not columnar, but, arranged in
strata from 10 to 16 inches thick, and incline to the
north-west at an angle of 80 degrees, alternating
with marl. Some of these strata are compact, and
contain large crystals of foliated olivine, often porous,
with oblong cavities, from two to eight lines in di-
ameter, which are coated with calcedony, and en-
close fragments of compact basalt. The marl, which
alternates more than a hundred times with the trap,
is of a yellowish colour,’ extremely friable, very
tenacious internally, and often divided into regular
prisms like those of basalt. It contains much lime,
and effervesces strongly with muriatic acid. The
travellers had not time to reach the summit of a hill,
the base of which was formed of clay, with layers
of basalt resting on it, precisely as in the Schneiben-
berger Huegel of Saxony. These rocks were cov-
ered with hyalite, of which they procured several
fine specimens, leaving masses eight or ten inches
square untouched.
On the shore there were two kinds of sand, the
one black and basaltic, the other white and quartzy.
Exposed to the sun’s rays the thermometer rose in
the former to 124°2°, and in the latter to 104°; while
in the shade the temperature of the air was 81°5°,
being 14° higher than the sea air. The quartzy sand
contains fragments of felspar. Pieces of granite
have been observed at Teneriffe ; and the island of
Gomera, according to M. Broussonet, contains a nu-
cleus of mica-slate. From these facts Humboldt
infers that in the Canaries, as in the Andes of Qui
in Auvergne, Greece, and most parts of the globe,
the subterranean fires have made their way cirouan
primitive rocks.
Having re-embarked, they hoisted sail, — en-
i. *&
».
a
>
“ROCA DEL OESTE. ae |
E]
deavoured to get out again by the strait which sep-
* arates Alegranza from Montana Clara; but, the wind
having fallen, the currents drove them close upon a
rock marked in old charts by the name of Infierno,
and in modern ones under that of Roca del Oeste,—
a basaltic mass which has probably been raised by
volcanic agency. ‘Tacking during the night between
Montana Clara and this islet, they were several
times in great danger among shelves towards which
they were drawn by the motion of the water; but
the wind freshening in the morning, they succeeded
in passing the channel, and sailed along the coasts |
of Lancerota, Lobos, and Forteventura.
The haziness of the atmosphere prevented them
from seeing the Peak of Teneriffe during the whole
of their passage from Lancerota; but our traveller,
in his narrative, states the following interesting cir-
cumstances relative to the distance at which moun-
tains may be seen. If the height of the Peak, he
Says, is 12,182 feet, as indicated by the last trigono-
metrical measurement of Borda, its summit ought
to be visible at the distance of 148 miles, supposing
the eye at the level of the ocean, and the refraction
equal to 0°079 of the distance. _ Navigators who fre-
quent these latitudes find that the peaks of Teneriffe
and the Azores are sometimes observed at very great
distances, while at other times they cannot be seen
when the interval is considerably less, although the
‘skyis clear. Suchcircumstances are of importance
to navigators, who, in returning to Europe, impa-
tiently wait for a sight of these mountains to rectify
their longitude. The constitution of the atmosphere
has a great influence on the visibility of distant ob-
jects, the transparency of the air being much in-
creased when a certain quantity of water is uni-
formly diffused through it.
It is not surprising that the Peak of Teneriffe
_ should be less frequently visible at a great distance
_ than the tops of the Andes, not being like them in-
“0
on i
‘= $
32 DISTANCE AT WHICH MOUNTAINS
vested with perpetual snow. The Sugar-loaf which
constitutes the summit of the former no doubt re-
flects a great degree of light, on account of the white
colour of the pumice with which it is covered; but
its height does not form a twentieth part of the total
elevation, and the sides of the volcano are coated
with blocks of dark-coloured lava, or with luxuriant
vegetation, the masses of which reflect little light,
the leaves of the trees being separated by shadows
of greater extent than the illuminated parts.
Hence the Peak of Teneriffe is to be referred to
the class of mountains which are seen at great dis-
tances only in what Bouguer calls a negative man-
ner, or because they intercept the light transmitted
from the extreme limits of the atmosphere ; and we
perceive their existence only by means of the dif-
ference of intensity that subsists between the light
which surrounds them, and that reflected by the par-
ticles of air placed between the object of vision and
the observer. In receding from Teneriffe, the Sugar-
loaf is long seen in a positive manner, as it reflects
whitish light, and detaches itself clearly from the
sky; but as this terminal cone is only 512 feet high,
by 256 in breadth at its summit, it has been ques-
tioned whether it can be visible beyond the distance
of 138 miles. Ifit be admitted that the mean breadth
of the Sugar-loaf is 6395 feet, it will still subtend, at
the distance now named, an angle of more than three
minutes, which is enough to render it visible; and
were the height of the cone greatly to exceed its
basis, the angle might be still less, and the mass yet
make an impression on our organs; for it has been
proved by micrometrical observations, that the limit
of vision is one minute only when the dimensions
of objects are the same in all directions.
As the visibility of an object, which detaches it-
self from the sky of a brown colour, depends on the
quantities of light the eye meets in two lines, of
which one ends at the mountain and the other is
Mey =
MAY BE SEEN AT SEA. ~ $33
prolonged to the surface of the aerial ocean, it fol-
lows that the farther we remove from the object
the less also becomes the difference between the
light of the surrounding atmosphere and that of the
. Strata of air placed before the mountain. For this
reason, when summits of low elevation begin to ap-
pear above the horizon, they are of a darker tint
than those more elevated ones which we discover at
very great distances. In like manner, the yisibility
of mountains which are only negatively perceived
does not depend solely upon the state of the low
regions of the air, to which our meteorological ob-
servations are confined, but also upon its transpa-
rency and physical constitution inthe most elevated
parts; for the image is more distinctly detached,
the more intense the aerial light which comes from
the limits of the atmosphere has originally been, or
the less it has lost in its passage. This in a certain
degree accounts for the circumstance that the Peak
is sometimes visible and sometimes invisible to
navigators who are equally distant from it, when
the state of the thermometer and hygrometer is pre-
cisely the same in the lower stratum of air. It is
even probable that the chance of perceiving this
_voleano would not be greater were the cone equal,
as in Vesuvius, to a fourth part of the whole height.
The ashes spread upon its surface do not reflect so
much light as the snow with which the summits of
the Andes are covered; but, on the contrary, make
the mountain, when séen from a great distance, be-
come more obscurely detached, and assume a brown
tint. They contribute, as it were, to equalize the
portions of aerial light, the variable difference of
which renders the object more or less distinctly vis-
ible. Bare calcareous mountains, summits covered
with granitic sand, and the elevated savannas of the
Andes, which are of a bright yellow colour, are more
clearly seen at small distances than objects that are
perceived only in a negative manner; but theory
~
? . Pine : , . .
34 — sanTa cRUZ
points out a limit beyond which the latter are more
distinctly detached from the azure vault of the sky. -
The aerial light projected on the tops of hills in-
creases the visibility of those which are seen posi-
tively, but diminishes that of such as are detached
with abrown colour. Bouguer, proceeding on theo-
retical data, has found that mountains which are seen
negatively cannot be perceived at distances exceed-
ing 121 miles; but experience goes against this con-
clusion. The Peak of Teneriffe has often been ob-
served at the distance of 124,131, and even 138
miles ; and the summit of Mowna-Roa in the Sand-
wich Isles, which is probably 16,000 feet high, has
been seen, at 1 period when it was destitute of snow,
skirting the horizon from a distance of 183 miles.
This is the most striking example yet known of the
visibility of high land, and is the more remarkable
that the object was negatively seen.
The atmosphere continuing hazy, the navigators
did not discover the island of Grand Canary, not-
withstanding its height, until the evening of the 18th
June. On the following day they saw the point of
Naga, but the Peak of Teneriffe still remained in-
visible. After repeatedly sounding, on account ofthe .
thickness of the mist, they anchored in the road of
Santa Cruz, when at the moment they began to salute
the place the fog instantaneously dispersed, and the
Peak of Teyde, illuminated by the first rays of the
sun, appeared in a break above the clouds.
_ travellers betook themselves to the bow of the ves-
sel to enjoy the majestic spectacle, when, at the very
moment, four English ships were seen close astern.
The anchor was immediately got up, and the Pizarro
stood in as close as possible, to place herself under
the protection of the fort. : ;
While waiting the governor’s permission to land,
Humboldt employed the time in making observations
for determining the longitude of the mole of Santa
Cruz and the dip of the needle. Berthoud’s chro-
6
SANTA CRUZ OF TENERIFFE, Noe? 35
nometer gave 18°-33’ 10”, the accuracy of which re- ©
sult, although differing from the longitude assigned
by Cook and others, was afterward confirmed by
Krusenstern, who found that port 16° 12’ 45” west
of Greenwich, and consequently 18° 33’ west of
Paris. The dip of the magnetic needle was 62° 24’,
although it varied considerably in different places
along the shore. After undergoing the fatigue of
answering the numberless questions proposed by
persons who visited them on board, our travellers
were at length permitted to land.
CHAPTER III.
ai Island of Teneriffe.
Santa Cruz—Villa de la Laguna--Guanches—Present Inhabitants of
Teneriffe-—Climate—Scenery of the Coast—Orotava—Dragon-tree—
Ascent of the Peak—Its Geological Character—Eruptions—Zones of
Vegetation—Fires of St. John.
Santa Cruz, the Anaja of the Guanches, which is
a neat town, with a population of 8000 persons, may
be considered as a great caravansera situated on the
road to America and India, and has consequently
been often described. The recommendations of the
court of Madrid procured for our travellers the most
satisfactory reception in the Canaries. The cap-
tain-general gave permission to examine the island,
and Colonel Armiaga, who commanded a regiment
of infantry, extended his hospitality to them, and
showed the most polite attention. In his garden
they admired the banana, the papaw, and other plants
cultivated in the open air, which they had before
seen only in hothouses. ,
In the evening they made a botanical excursion
*
36 * VILLA DE LA LAGUNA.
towards the fort of Passo Alto, along the basaltic
rocks week close the promontory of Naga, but had
little success, as the drought and dust had in a
manner destroyed the vegetation. The Cacalia
Kleinia, Euphorbia canariensis, and other succulent
plants, which derive their nourishment more from
the air than from the soil, reminded them by their
aspect that the Canaries belong to Africa, and even
to the most arid part of that continent. ce
The captain of the Pizarro, having apprized them
that, on account of the blockade by the English,
they ought not to reckon upon a longer stay than
four or five days, they hastened to set out for the
port of Orotava, where they might find guides. for
the ascent of the Peak; and on the 20th, before
sunrise, they were on the way to Villa de la Laguna,
which is 2238 feet higher than the port of Santa
Cruz. The road to this place is on the right of a
torrent, which, in the rainy season, forms beautiful
falls. Near the town they met with some white
camels, employed in transporting merchandise.
These animals, as well as horses; were introduced
into the Canary Islands in the fifteenth century
by the Norman conquerors, and were unknown to
the Guanches. Camels are more abundant in Lan-
. cerota and Forteventura, which are nearer the con-
tinent, than at Teneriffe, where they very seldom
propagate.
The hill on which the Villa de la Laguna stauds
belongs to the series of basaltic mountains which
forms a girdle around the Peak, and is independent
of the newer volcanic rocks. The basalt on which
the travellers walked was blackish-brown, compact,
and partially decomposed. They found in it horn-
blende, olivine, and transparent pyroxene, with la-
mellar fracture, of an olive-green tint, and often
crystallized in six-sided prisms. The rock of La-
guna is not columnar, but divided into thin beds, in-
clined at an angle of from 30° to 48°, and has no vi
.
VILLA DE LA LAGUNA. % 3
appearance of having been formed by a current of -
lava from the Peak. Some arborescent Euphorbia,
Cacalia kleinia, and Cacti, were the only plants ob-
served on these parched acclivities. The mules
slipped at every step on the inclined surfaces of the
rock although traces of an old road were observ-
able, which, with the numerous other indications that
occur in these colonies, afford evidence of the ac-
tivity displayed by the Spanish nation in the six-
teenth century.
The heat of Santa Cruz, which is suffocating, is
in a great measure to be attributed to the reverbera-
tion of the rocks in its vicinity ; but as the travellers
approached Laguna they became sensible of a very
pleasant diminution of temperature. In fact, the
perpetual coolness which exists here renders it a
delightful residence. It is situated in a small plain,
surrounded by gardens, and commanded by a hill
crowned with the laurel, the myrtle, and the arbutus.
The rain, in collecting, forms from time to time a
kind of large pool or marsh, which has induced
travellers to describe the capital of Teneriffe as
situated on the margin of alake. The town, which
was deprived of its opulence in consequence of the
port of Garachico having been destroyed by the
lateral eruptions of the volcano, has only 9000 in-
habitants, of which about 400 are monks. It is sur-
rounded by numerous windmills for corn. Hum-
boldt observes that the cereal grasses were known
to the original inhabitants, and that parched barley-
flour and goats’ milk formed their principal meals.
This food tends to show that they were connected
with the nations of the old continent, perhaps even
with those of the Caucasian race, and not with the
inhabitants of the New World, who, previous to the
arrival of the Europeans among them, had no know-
ledge of grain, milk, or cheese.
The Canary Islands were originally inhabited by
a people famed for their tall stature, and known by
D
38 GUANCHES.
the name of Guanches. They have now entirely
disappeared under the oppression of a more power-
ful and more enlightened race, which, assuming the
superiority supposed to be sanctioned by civilization
and the profession of the Christian faith, disposed
of the natives in a manner little accordant with the
charaeter of a true follower of the Cross. The
archipelago of the Canaries was divided into small
states hostile to each other; and in the fiftee
century the Spaniards and Portuguese made voy-—
ages to these islands for slaves, as the Europeans
have latterly been accustomed to do to the coast of
Guinea. One Guanche then became the property
of another, who sold him to the dealers; while
many, rather than become slaves, killed their chil-
dren and themselves. The natives had been greatly
reduced in this manner, when Alonzo de Lugo com-
pleted their subjugation. The residue of that un-
happy people perished by a terrible pestilence, which
was supposed to have originated from the bodies
left exposed by the Spaniards after the battle of La-
guna. At the present day no individual of pure
blood exists in these islands, where all that remains
of the aborigines are certain mummies, reduced to
an extraordinary degree of desiccation, and found
in the sepulchral caverns which are cut in the rock
on the eastern slope of the Peak. These skeletons
contain remains of aromatic plants, especially the
Chenopodium ambrosioides, and are often decorated
with small laces, to which are suspended little cakes
of baked earth.
The people who succeeded the Guanches were de-
scended from the Spaniards and Normans. The
present inhabitants are described by our author as
being of a moral and religious character, but of a
roving and enterprising disposition, and less idus-
trious at home thanabroad. ‘The population in 1790
was 174,000. The produce of the several islands
consists chiefly of wheat, barley, maize, potatoes,
h.
CLIMATE OF TENERIFFE. 39
wine, a great variety of fruits, sugar, and other ar-
ticles of food; but the lower orders are frequently
obliged to have recourse to the roots of a species
of fern. The principal objects of commerce are
wine, brandy, archil (a kind of lichen used as a die),
and soda. . } .
- Teneriffe has been praised for the salubrity of its
climate. The ground of the Canary Islands rises
gradually to a great height, and presents, on asmall
scale, the temperature of every zone, from the in-
tense heat of Africa to the cold of the alpine re-
gions; so that a person may have the benefit of
whatever climate best suits his temperament or dis-
ease. A similar variety exists as to the vegetation ;
and no country seemed to our travellers more fitted
to dissipate melancholy, and restore peace to an
agitated mind, than Teneriffe and Madeira, where
the natural beauty of the situation and the salu-
brity of the air conspire to quiet the anxieties of
the spirit, and invigorate the body, while the feel-
ings are not harassed by the revolting sight of
slavery, which exists in almost all the European
colonies.
In winter the climate of Laguna is excessively
foggy, and the inhabitants often complain of cold,
although snow never falls. The lowest height at
which it occurs annually in Teneriffe has not been
ascertained ; but it has been seen in a place lying
above Esperanza de la Laguna, close to the town
of that name, in the gardens of which the breadfruit-
tree (Artocarpus incisa), introduced by M. Broussonet,
has been naturalized. In connexion with this sub-
ject, Humboldt remarks, that in hot countries the
plants are so vigorous that they can bear a greater
degree of frost than might be expected, provided it
be of short duration. The banana is cultivated in
Cuba, in places where the thermometer sometimes
descends to very near the freezing-point; and in
Spain and Italy, orange and date-treesdo not perish, |
nee
oe
-digeod bets,” ¥ 6
7
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40 SCENERY.
although the cold may be two degrees below zero.
Trees growing ina fertile soil are remarked by cul-
tivators to be less delicate, and less affected by
changes of temperature, than those planted in land
that affords little nutriment.
From Laguna to the port of Orotava and the
western coast of Teneriffe the route.is at first over
a hilly country, covered by a black argillaceous soil.
The subjacent rock is concealed by layers of ferru-
ginous earth; but in some of the ravines are seen
columnar basalts, with recent conglomerates, re-
sembling volcanic tufas lying over them, which con-
tain fragments of the former, and also, as is asserted,
marine petrifactions. This delightful country, of
which travellers of all nations speak with enthu-
siasm, is entered by the valley of Tacoronte, and pre-
sents scenes of unrivalled beauty. The seashore is
ornamented with palms of the date and cocoa spe-
cies. Farther up, groups of muse and dragon-trees
present themselves. The declivities are covered
with vines. Orange-trees, myrtles, and cypresses
surround the chapels that have been raised on the
little hills. The lands are separated by enclosures
formed of the agave and cactus. Multitudes of
cryptogamic plants, especially ferns, cover the walls.
In winter, while the volcano is wrapped in snow,
there is continued spring in this beautiful district;
and in summer, towards evening, the sea-breezes
diffuse a gentle coolness over it. From Tegueste
and Tacoronte to the village of San Juan de la Ram-
bla, the coast is cultivated like a garden, and might
he compared to the neighbourhood of Capua or Va-
lentia; but the western part of Teneriffe is much
more beautiful, on account of the proximity of the
Peak, the sight of which has a most imposing effect,
and excites the imagination to penetrate into the
mysterious source of volcanic action. For thou-
sands of years no light has been observed at. the
summit of the mountain, and yet enormous lateral
¢
i
DURASNO—OROTAVA. 41
eruptions, the last of which happened in 1798, prove’
the activity of a fire which is far from being extinct.
There is, besides, something melancholy in the sight
of acrater placed in the midst of a fertile and highly-
cultivated country. | |
Pursuing their course to the port of Orotava, the
travellers passed the beautiful hamlets of Matanza
and Vittoria (slaughter and victory),—names which
occur together in all the Spanish colonies, and pre-
sent a disagreeable contrast to the feelings of peace
and quiet which these countries inspire. On their
way they visited a botanic garden at Durasno, where
they found M. Le Gros, the French vice-consul, who
subsequently served as an excellent guide to the
Peak. The idea of forming such an establishment
at Teneriffe originated with the Marquis de Nava,
who thought that the Canary Islands afford the most
suitable place for naturalizing the plants of the Kast
and West Indies, previous to their introduction to
- Europe. They arrived very late at the port, and
next morning commenced their journey to the Peak,
accompanied by M. Le Gros, M. Lalande, secretary
of the French consulate at Santa Cruz, the English
gardener of Durasno, and a number of guides.
Orotava, the Taoro of the Guanches, is situated
on avery steep declivity, and has a pleasant aspect
when viewed from a distance, although the houses,
when seen at hand, havea gloomy appearance. One
of the most remarkable objects in this place is the
dragon-tree in the garden of M. Franqui, of which
an engraving is here presented, and which our
travellers found to be about 60 feet high, with a cir- |
cumference of 48 feet near the roots. The trunk
divides into a great number of branches, which rise
in the form of a candelabrum, and are terminated by
tufts of leaves. This tree is said to have been re-
vered by the Guanches as the ash of Ephesus was
by the Greeks; and in 1402, at the time of the first
expedition of 6 cals as large and as hollow
2
42 DRAGON-TREE OF OROTAVA. ee
Draguu-iree of Urotava.
as our travellers found it. As the speciesis of very
slow growth, the age of this individual must be great.
It is singular that the dragon-tree should have been
cultivated in these islands at so early a period, it
being a native of India, and nowhere occurring on
the African continent.
Leaving Orotava they passed by a narrow and
stony path through a beautiful wood of chestnuts to
a place covered with brambles, laurels, and arbores-
cent heaths, where, under a solitary pine, known by
the name of Pino del Dornajito, they procured a
supply of water. From this place to the crater they
continued to ascend without crossing a single valley,
passing over several regions distinguished by their
peculiar vegetation, and rested during part of the
night in a very elevated position, where they suffered
a |
th : ASCENT OF THE PEAK. 43
severely from the cold. About three in the morn-
ing they began to climb the Sugar-leaf, or small
terminal cone, by the dull light of fir-torches, and ex-
amined asmall subterranean glacier or cave, whence
- the towns below are supplied with ice eau
the summer.
. In the twilight they observed a phenomenon not
unusual on high mountains,—a stratum of white
clouds spread out beneath, concealing the face of the
ocean, and presenting the appearance of a vast plain
covered with snow. Soon afterward another very
curious sight occurred, namely, the semblance of
small rockets thrown into the air, and which they
at first imagined to be a certain indication of some
new eruption of the great volcano of Lancerota.
But the illusion soon ceased, and they found that the
_luminous points were only the images of stars mag-
nified and refracted by the vapours. They remained
motionless at intervals, then rose perpendicularly,
descended sidewise, and returned to their original
position. After three hours’ march over an ex-
tremely rugged tract, the travellers reached a small
plain, called La Rambleta, from the centre of which
rises the Piton or Sugar-loaf. The slope of this
cone, covered with volcanic ashes and pumice, is so
steep that it would have been almost impossible to
reach the summit, had they not ascended by an old
current of lava, which had in some measure resisted
the action of the atmosphere.
On attaining the top of this steep they found the
crater surrounded by a wall of compact lava, in
which, however, there was a breach affording a pas-
sage to the bottom of the funnel or caldera, the
greatest diameter of which at the mouth seemed to
be 320 feet. There were no large openings in the
crater; but aqueous vapours were emitted by some
of the crevices, in which heat was perceptible. In
fact, the voleano has not been active at the summit
for thousands of years, ifs eruptions having been
44. PEAK OF TENERIFFE. . o-
from the sides, and the depth of the crater is only
about 106 feet. After examining the objects that
presented themselves in this elevated spot, and en-
joying the vast prospect, the travellers commenced —
their descent, and towards evening reached the port »
of Orotava. Mi)
The Peak of Teneriffe forms a pyramidal mass,
having a circumference at the base of more than
115,110 yards, and a height of 12,176 feet.* Two-
thirds of the mass are covered with vegetation, the
remaining part being steril, and occupying about
ten square leagues of surface. The cone is very
small in proportion to the size of the mountain, it
having a height of only 537 feet, or 3, of the whole.
The lower part of the island is composed of basalt
and other igneous rocks of ancient formation, and is
separated from the more recent lavas, and the pro-
ducts of the present volcano, by strata of tufa, puz-
zolana, and clay. The first that occur in ascending
the Peak are of a black colour, altered by decom-
position, and sometimes porous. Their basis is
wacke, and has usually an irregular, but sometimes
a conchoidal fracture. They are divided into very
thin layers, and contain olivine, magnetic iron, and
augite. On the first elevated plain, that of Retama,
the basaltic deposites disappear beneath heaps of
ashes and pumice. Beyond this are lavas, with.
a basis of pitch-stone and obsidian, of a blackish-
brown, or deep olive-green colour, and containing
* Various measurements have been made of the height of the Peak of
Teneriffe ; but Humboldt, after enumerating fourteen, states that the fol
lowing alone can be considered as deserving of confidence:
Borda’s, by trigonometry ..--..-- 1905 toises.
Borda’s, by the barometer....... 1976
Lamanou’s, by the same........ 1902
_ Cordier’s, by the same......... - + 1920
‘The average of these four observations makes the height 1926 toises;
but if the barometric measurement of Borda be rejected, as liable to ob-
jections particularly stated by our author, the mean of the remaining
measurement is 1909 toises, or 12,208 English feet. It is seen above,
rs the height adopted by Humboldt is 1904 toises, or 12,176 English
ect.
"e VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS. 45
crystals of felspar, which are seldom vitreous. In
the middle of the Malpays, or second platform, are
found, among the glassy kinds, blocks of greenish-
gray clinkstone or porphyry-slate. Obsidian of sev-
eral varieties is exceedingly abundant on the Peak,
as well as pumice, the latter being generally of a
white colour ; and the crater contains an enormous
quantity of sulphur.
The oldest written testimony in regard to the ac-
\ tivity of the volcano dates at the beginning of the
sixteenth century, and is contained in the narrative
of Aloysio Cadamusto, who landed inthe Canaries
in 1505. In 1558, 1646, and 1677,-eruptions took
place in the Isle of Palma; and on the 31st Decem-
ber, 1704, the Peak of Teneriffe exhibited a lateral
burst, preceded by tremendous earthquakes. On
the 5th January, 1705, another opening occurred, the
lavas produced by which filled the whole valley of
Fasnia. ‘This aperture closed on the 13th January ;
but on the 2d February, a third formed in the Can-
nada de Arafo, the stream from which divided into
three currents. On the 5th May, 1706, another
eruption supervened, which destroyed the populous
and opulent city of Garachico. In 1730, on the Ist
September, the island of Lancerota was violently
convulsed; and on the 9th June, 1798, the Peak
emitted a great quantity of matter, which continued
to run three months and six days.
The island of Teneriffe presents five zones of vege-
tation, arranged in stages one above another, and
occupying a perpendicular height of 3730 yards.
1. The Region of Vines ¢ xtends from the shores to
an elevation varying fron 430 to 640 yards, and is
the only part carefully cul vated. It exhibits vari-
ous species of arborescent Euphorbie, Mesembryan-
thema, the Cacalia kleinia, the Draccena, and other
plants, whose naked and tortuous trunks, succulent
leaves, and bluish-green tints, constitute features
distinctive of the vegetation of Africa. In this
ea meee
all
es
;
;
y
i
|
Fs
:
46 ZONES OF VEGETATION. Pica
zone are raised the date-tree, the TA ect thg ins i
cane, the Indian-fig, the arum ¢ ee the olive,
the fruit trees of Europe, the’ | wheat.
2. The Region of Laurels is that ween forms th he
woody part of Teneriffe, where the surface of th
ground is always verdant, being plentifully watered
by. springs. Four kinds of laurel, an oak, a wild
olive, two species of iron-tree, the arbutus calli-
carpa, and other evergreens, adorn this zone. The
trunks are covered by the. ivy of the Canaries, and
various twining shrubs, and the woods are filled with
numerous species of fern. The hypericum, and
other showy plants, enrich with their beautiful flow-
ers the verdant carpet of moss and grass.
3. The Region of Pines, which commences at the
height of 1920 yards, and has a breadth of 850, is
characterized by a vast forest of trees, resembling
the Scotch fir, intermixed with juniper.
4. The fourth zone is remarkable chiefly for the
profusion of retama, a species of broom, which
forms oases in the midst of a wide sea of ashes. It
grows to the height of nine or ten feet, is ornamented
with fragrant flowers, and furnishes food to the
goats, which have run wild on the Peak from time
immemorial.
*
5. The fifth zone is the Region of the Grasses,in
which some species of these supply a scanty cover-
ing to the heaps of pumice, obsidian, and lava. A
few cryptogamic plants are observed higher; but
the summit is entirely destitute of vegetation.
Thus the whole island may be considered as a
forest of laurels, arbutuses, and pines, of which the
external margin only has been in some measure
cleared, while the central part consists of a rocky
and steril soil, unfit even for pasturage.
The following day was passed by our travellers in
visiting the neighbourhood of Orotava, and enjoy-
ing an agreeable company at Mr. Cologan’s. On
the eve of St. John, they were present at a pastoral
- pw
Ht
) ;
tar iad |
, “ss
DEPARTURE FROM SANTA CRUZ. 47
féte in the garden of Mr. Little, who had reduced to
cultivation a hill covered with volcanic substances,
from which there is a magnificent view of the Peak, |
Nii along the coast, and the isle of Palma.
Early in the evening the volcano suddenly exhibited
a most extraordinary spectacle, the shepherds hav-
ing, in conformity to ancient custom, lighted the
fires of St. John; the scattered masses of which,
with the columns of smoke driven by the wind,
formed a fine contrast to the deep verdure of the
woods that covered the sides of the mountain, while
the silence of nature was broken at intervals by the
shouts of joy which came from afar.
ie
CHAPTER IV.
Passage from Teneriffe to Cumana.
Departure from Santa Cruz—Floating Seaweeds—Fly ing-fish—Stars—
Malignant Fever—Island of Tobago—Death of a Passenger—lIsland
-of Coche—Port of Cumana—Observations made during the Voyage;
Temperature of the Air; Temperature of the Sea ; Hygrometrical
State of the Air ; Colour of the Sky and Ocean.
Havine sailed from Santa Cruz on the evening of
the 25th of June, with a strong wind from the north-
east, our travellers soon lost sight of the Canary
Islands, the mountains of which were covered with
reddish vapour, the Peak alone appearing at intervals
in the breaks. The passage from Teneriffe to Cu-
mana was performed in twenty days, the distance
being 3106 miles. : |
The wind gradually subsided as they retired from
the African coast. Short calms of several hours
occasionally took place, which were regularly inter-
rupted by slight squalls, accompanied by masses of
dark clouds, emitting a few large drops of rain, but
+ et
48 FLOATING SEAWEEDS. ~
without thunder. To the north of the Cape Verd
Islands they met with large patches of floating sea-
weed (Fucus natans), which grows on submarine ©
rocks, from the equator to forty degrees of latitude
on either side. These scattered plants, however,
must not be confounded with the vast beds, said
by Columbus to resemble extensive meadows, and
which inspired with terror the crew of the Santa —
Maria. From a comparison of numerous journals,
it appears that there are two such fields of seaweed
inthe Atlantic. The largest occurs a little to the
west of the meridian of Fayal, one of the Azores,
between 25° and 36° of li titude. The temperature
of the ocean there is between 60°8° and 68°; and
the north-west winds, which blow sometimes with
impetuosity, drive floating islands of those weeds
into low latitudes, as far as the parallels of 24° and
even 20°. Vessels returning to Europe from Monte
Video, or the Cape of Good Hope, pass through this
marine meadow, which the Spanish pilots consider
as lying half-way between the West Indies and the
Canaries. The other section is not so well known,
and occupies a smaller space between lat. 22° and
26° of N., two hundred and seventy-six miles east-
ward of the Bahama Islands. _
Although aspecies of seaweed, the Laminaria py-
rifera of Lamouroux, has been observed with stems
850 feet in length, and although the growth of these
plants is exceedingly rapid, it is yet certain that in
those seas the fuci are not fixed to the bottom, but
float in detached parcels at the surface. In this
state, vegetation, it is obvicus, cannot continue longer
than in the branch of a tree separated from the
trunk ; and it may therefore be supposed, that float-
ing masses of these weeds occurring for ages in the
same position, owe their origin to submarine rocks
which continually supply what has been carried off
by the equimoctial currents. But the causes by
which these plants are detached are not yet suffi-
% 5 f
' a"
gun acini i ‘ 49
ciently known, sithcegk the author just named has
shown that fuci in general separate with great facil-
ity after the period of fructification.
Beyond 22° of latitude they found the surface of
the sea covered with flying-fish (Hiocetus volitans),
which sprang into the air to a height of twelve, fif-
teen, and even eighteen feet, and sometimes fell on
the deck. The great size of the swimming-bladder
in these animals, being two-thirds the length of their
body, as well as that of the pectoral fins, enable
them to traverse in the air a space of twenty-four
feet, horizontal distance, before falling again into the
water. They are incessantly pursued by dolphins
while under the surface, and when flying are attacked |
by frigate-birds, and other predatory species. Yet
it does not seem that they leap into the atmosphere
merely to avoid their enemies; for, like swallows,
they move by thousands in a right line, and always in
a direction opposite to that of the waves. The air
contained in the swimming-bladder had heen sup-
posed to be pure oxygen; but Humboldt found it to
consist of ninety-four parts of azote, four of oxygen,
and two of carbonic acid.
On the Ist July they met with the wreck of aves-
sel, and on the 3d and 4th crossed that part of the
ocean where the charts indicate the bank of the
Maal-Stroom, which, however, is of very doubtful
existence. As they approached this imaginary whirl-
pool, they observed no other motion in the waters
than that produced by a current bearing to the noe
west.
From the time when they entered the torrid : zone
(the 27th June), they never ceased to admire the
nocturnal beauty of the southern sky, which grad-
ually disclosed new constellations to their view.
“‘ One experiences an indescribable sensation,” says
Humboldt, “when, as he approaches the equator, and
especially in passing from the one hemisphere to the
other, he sees the stars = which he has been fa~
/*
as" a ees > ogame oe
50 MALIGNANT FEVER ON BOARD.
miliar from infancy gradually approach the horizon,
and finally disappear. Nothing impresses more
vividly on the mind of the traveller the vast dis-
tance to which he has been removed from his native
country than the sight of a new firmament. The
grouping of the larger stars, the scattered nebulee
rivalling in lustre the milky-way, and spaces re-
markable for their extreme darkness, give the south-
ern heavens a peculiar aspect. The sight even
strikes the imagination of those who, although igno-
rant of astronomy, find pleasure in contemplating
the celestial vault, as one admires a fine landscape
or a majestic site. \Without being a botanist, the
traveller knows the torrid zone by the mere sight of
its vegetation; and without the possession of astro-
nomical knowledge, perceives that he is not in Eu-
rope, when he sees rising in the horizon the great
constellation of the Ship, or the phosphorescent
clouds of Magellan. In the equinoctial regions, the
earth, the sky, and all their garniture assume an
exotic character.”
~The intertropical seas being usually smooth, and
the vessel being impelled by the gentle breezes of
the trade-wind, the passage from the Cape Verd
Islands to Cumana was as pleasant as could be de-
sired; but as they approached the West Indies a
malignant fever disclosed itself on board. The ship
was very much encumbered between decks, and from
the time they passed the tropic the thermometer
stood from 93° to 96°8°. ‘Two sailors, several pas-
sengers, two negroes from the coast of Guinea, and
a mulatto child were attacked. An ignorant Galician
surgeon ordered bleedings, to obviate the ‘“‘ heat and
corruption of the blood ;” but little exertion had been
‘made in attempting to diminish the danger of infec-
tion, and there was not an ounce of bark on board.
A sailor, who had been on the point of expiring, re-
covered his health in a singular manner. His ham-
mock having been so hung that the sacrament could
TOBAGO—BOCCA DEL DRAGO. 51
not be administered to him, he was removed to an
airy place near the hatchway, and left there, his
death, being expected every moment. ‘The transi-
tion from a hot and stagnant to a fresher and purer
atmosphere gradually restored him, and his recovery
furnished the doctor with an additional proof of the
necessity of bleeding and evacuation,—a treatment
of which the fatal effects soon became perceptible.
On the 13th, early in the morning, very high land
was seen. The wind blew hard, the sea was rough,
large drops of rain fell at. intervals, and there was
every appearance of stormy weather. Considerable
doubt existed as to the latitude and longitude, which
was however removed by observations made by our
travellers, and the appearance of the island of To-
bago. | This little island is a heap of rocks, the daz-
zling whiteness of which forms an agreeable contrast
with the verdure of the scattered tufts of trees upon
it. The mountains are crowned with very tall
opuntiz, which alone are enough to apprize the nav-
igator that he has arrived on an American coast. |
After doubling the north cape of Tobago and the
point of St. Giles, they discovered from the mast-
head what they regarded as a hostile squadron;
which, however, turned out to be only a group of
rocks, Crossing the shoal which joins the former
island to Grenada, they found that, although the
colour of the sea was not visibly changed, the ther-
mometer indicated a temperature several degrees
lower than that of the neighbouring parts. The
wind diminished after sunset, and the clouds dis-
persed as the moon reached the zenith. Numerous
falling-stars were seen on this and the following
nights. ;
On the 14th, at sunrise, they were in sight of the
Bocca del Drago, and distinguished the island of
Chacachacarreo. When seventeen miles distant from
the coast, they experienced, near Punta de la Baca,
the effect of a current which drew the ship southward.
5 MALIGNANT FEVER.
Heaving the lead, they found from 230 to 275 feet,
with a bottom of very fine green clay,—a depth
much less than, according to Dampier’s rule, might
have been expected in the vicinity of a shore formed |
of very elevated and perpendicular mountains.
The disease which had broken out on board the
Pizarro made rapid progress from the time they ap-
proached the coast. The thermometer kept steady
at night between 71°6° and 73°4°, and during the day
rose to between 75°2° and 80°6°. The determination
to the head, the extreme dryness of the skin, the
prostration of strength, and all the other symptoms
became more alarming; but it was hoped that the
sick would recover as soon as they were landed on
the island of St. Margaret, or at the port of Cumana,
both celebrated for their great salubrity.. This hope,
however, was not entirely realized, for one of the
passengers fell a victim to the distemper. He was
an Asturian, nineteen years of age, the only son of
a poor widow. Various circumstances combined to
render the death of this young man affecting. He
was of an exceedingly gentle disposition, bore the
marks of great sensibility, and had left his native
land against his inclination, with the view of earn-
ing an independence and assisting his reluctant
mother, under the protection of arich relation, who
resided in the island of Cuba. From the commence-
ment of his illness he had fallen into a lethargic
state, interrupted by accessions of delirium, and on
the third day expired. Another Asturian, who was
still younger, did not leave the bed of his dying
friend for a moment, and yet escaped the disease.
He had intended to accompany his countryman to
Cuba, to be introduced by him to the house of his
relative, on whom all their hopes rested; and it was
distressing to see his deep sorrow, and to hear him
curse the fatal counsels which had thrown him into
a foreign climate, where he found himself alone and
destitute.
ee
|
MALIGNANT FEVER. 53
*‘ We were assembled on the deck,” says our elo-
quent author, “ absorbed in melancholy reflections.
It was no longer doubtful that the fever which pre-
vailed on board had of late assumed a fatal character.
Our eyes were fixed on a mountainous and desert
‘coast, on which the moon shone at intervals through
the clouds. The sea, gently agitated, glowed with
a feeble phosphoric light. No sound came on the
ear save the monotonous cry of some large seabirds,
that seemed to be seeking the shore. A deep calm
reigned in these solitary places ; but this calm of ex-
ternal nature accorded ill with the painful feelings
which agitated us. About eight the death-bell was
slowly tolled. At this doleful signal the sailors
ceased from their work, and threw themselves on
their knees to offer up a short prayer; an affecting
ceremony, which, while it recalls the times when
the primitive Christians considered themselves as
members of the same family, seems to unite men by
the feeling of a common evil. Inthe course of the
night the body of the Asturian was brought upon
deck, and the priest prevailed upon them not to
throw it into the sea till after sunrise, in order that
he might render to it the last rites, in conformity to
the practice of the Romish church. There was not
an individual on board who did not feel for the fate
of this young man, whom we had seen a few days
before f ll of cheerfulness and health.”
The passengers who had not been affected by the
disease resolved to leave the ship at the first place
where she should touch, and there wait the arrival
of another packet to convey them to Cuba and
Mexico. Our travellers also thought it prudent to
land at Cumana, more especially as they wished not
to visit New Spain until they had remained for some
time on the coasts of Venezuela and Paria, and ex-
amined the beautiful plants of which Bosc and Bre-
demeyer collected specimens on their voyage to
Terra Firma, and which whee had seen in the
2
* ‘
sy 8 ISLAND OF COCHE.
gardens of Schénbrunn and Vienna. This resolution
had a happy influence upon the direction of their
journey, as will subsequently be seen, and perhaps
was the occasion of securing for them the health
which they enjoyed during a long residence in the
equinoctial regions. They were by this means for-
tunate enough to pass the time when a European
recently landed runs the greatest danger of being
affected by the yellow fever, in the hot but very dry
climate of Cumana, a city celebrated for its salubrity.
As the coast of Paria stretches to the west, in the
form of perpendicular cliffs of no great height, they
were long without perceiving the bold shores of the
island of St. Margaret, where they intended to stop
for the purpose of obtaining information respecti
the English cruisers. ‘Towards eleven in the morn-
ing of the 15th, they observed a very low islet cov-
ered with sand, and destitute of any trace of culture
or habitation. Cactuses rose here and there froma
scanty soil, which seemed to have an undulating mo-
tion, In consequence of the extraordinary refraction
the solar rays undergo in passing through the stra-
tum of air in contact with a strongly-heated surface.
The deserts and sandy shores of all countries pre-
sent this appearance. The aspect of this place not
corresponding with the ideas which they had formed
of the island of Margaretta, and the greatest per-
plexity existing as to their position and course, they
cast anchor in shallow water, and were visited by
some Guayquerias in two canoes, constructed each
of the single trunk of a tree. These Indians, who
were of a coppery colour, and very tall, informed
them that they had kept too far south, that the low
islet near which they were at anchor was the island
of Coche, and that Spanish vessels coming from Eu-
rope usually passed to the northward of it. The
master of one of the canoes offered to remain on
board as coasting pilot, and towards or ening the
captain set sail. ‘
*
COAST or NEW-ANDALUSIA, 55
5
On the 16th they beheld a verdant coast of pictu-
resque appearance; the mountains of New-Anda-
tusia bounded the southern horizon, and the city of
Cumana and its castle appeared among groups of
trees. They anchored in the port about nine in the
morning, when the sick crawled on deck to enjoy
the sight. The river was bordered with cocoa-
trees more than sixty feet high,—the plain was cov-
ered with tufts of cassias, capers, and arborescent
mimosas, while the pinnated leaves of the palms
were conspicuous on the azure of a sky unsullied
by the least trace of vapour, A dazzling light was
spread along the white hills clothed with: cylindrical
cactuses, and over the smooth sea, the shores of
which were peopled by pelicans, egrets, and flamin-
goes. Every thing announced the magnificence of
nature in the equinoctial regions. -
Before accompanying our learned friends to the
city of Cumana, we may here take a glance of the
physical observations made by them during the
voyage, and which refer to the temperature of the
air and sea, and other subjects of general interest.
Temperature of the Air.—In the basin of the
northern Atlantic Ocean, between the coasts of Eu-
rope, Africa, and America, the temperature of the
atmosphere exhibits a very slow increase. From
Corunna to the Canary Islands, the thermometer,
observed at noon and in the shade, gradually rose
from 50° to 64°, and from Teneriffe to Cumana from
64° to 77°. The maximum of heat observed during
the voyage did not exceed 79°9°.
The extreme slowness with which the tempera-
ture increases during a voyage from Spain to South
America is highly favourable to the health of Eu-
ropeans, as it gradually prepares them for the intense
heat which they have to experience. It is in a
great measure attributable to the evaporation of the
water, augmented by the motion of the air and
waves, together with the property possessed by
a se
*-
56 TEMPERATURE DURING THE VOYAGE.
transparent liquids of absorbing very little light at
their surface. On comparing the numerous obser-
vations made by navigators, we are surprised to see
that in the torrid zone, in either hemisphere, they
have not found the thermometer to rise in the open
sea above 93°; while in corresponding latitudes
on the continents of Asia and Africa, it attainsa
much greater elevation. The difference between
the temperature of the day and night is also less _
than on land.
Temperature of the Sea.—From Corunna to the
mouth of the Tagus, the temperature of the sea
?
ao We
* = -.
———. ay ee a ee >
varied little (between 59° and 60°8°), but from lat.
39° to 10° N., the increase was rapid and genera
uniform (from 59° to 78°4°), although inequalities
occurred, probably caused by currents. It is very
remarkable that there is a great uniformity in the
maximum of heat everywhere in the equinoctial
waters. This maximum, which varies from 82° to
84°2°, proves that the ocean is in general warmer
than the atmosphere in direct contact with it, and
of which the mean temperature near the equator is
from 78°8° to 80°6°.
Hygrometrical State of the Avr.—During the whole
of the voyage, the apparent humidity of the atmo-
sphere indicated by the hygrometer underwent a sen-
sible increase. In July, in lat. 138° and 14° N.,
Saussure’s hygrometer marked at sea from 88° to
92°, in perfectly clear weather, the thermometer
being at 75°2°. On the banks of the Lake of Ge-
neva the mean humidity of the same month is only
80°, the average heat being 66°2°. On reducing
these observations to a uniform temperature, we find
that the real humidity in the equinoctial basin of the
Atlantic Ocean is to that of the summer months at
Geneva as 12 to 7. This astonishing degree of
moisture in the air accounts to a great extent for the
vigorous vegetation which presents itself on the
.
COLOUR OF THE SKY. 57
coasts of South America, where so little rain falls
throughout the year.
Intensity of the Colour of the Sky and Ocean.—
From the coasts of Spain and Africa to those of
South America, the azure colour of the sky increased
from 13° to 23° of Saussure’s cyanometer. From
_ the 8th to the 12th of July, in lat. 125° and 14° N.,
the sky, although free of vapour, was of an extra-
ordinary paleness, the instrument indicating only 16°
- or 17°, although on the preceding days it had been at
22°. The tint of the sky is generally deeper in the
torrid zone than in high latitudes, and in the same
parallel it is fainter at sea than on land. The latter
_ circumstance may be attributed to the quantity of
_ aqueous vapour which is continually rising towards
the higher regions of the air from the surface of the
sea. From the zenith to the horizon, there is in all
latitudes a diminution of intensity, which follows
nearly an arithmetical progression, and depends upon
the moisture suspended in the atmosphere. If the
cyanometer indicate this accumulation of vapour in
the more elevated portion of the air, the seaman
possesses a simpler method of judging of the state
of its lower regions, by observing the colour and
figure of the solar disk at its rising and setting. In
the torrid zone, where meteorological phenomena
follow each other with great regularity, the prog-
nostics are more to be depended upon than in north-
ern regions. Great paleness of the setting sun, and
an extraordinary disfiguration of its disk, almost
certainly presage a storm; and yet one can hardly
conceive how the condition of the lower strata of
the air, which is announced in this manner, can be
so intimately connected with those atmospherical
changes that take place within the space of a few
hours.
Mariners are accustomed to observe the appear-
ances of the sky more carefully than landsmen, and
among the numerous meteorological rules which
58 COLOUR OF THE OCEAN.
pilots transmit to each other, several evince great
Sagacity. Prognostics are also in general less un-
certain on the ocean, and especially in the equinoc-
tial parts of it, than on Jand, where the inequalities
of the ground interre: t the regularity of their mani-
festation.
Humboldt a:so applied the cyanometer to measure
the colour of the sea. In fine calm weather, th
tint was found to be equal to 33°, 38°, sometimes
even 44° of the instrument, although the sky was
very pale, and scarcely attained 14° or 15°. When,
instead of directing the apparatus to a great extent
of open sea, the observer fixes his eyes on a small
part of its surface viewed through a narrow aper-
ture, the water appears of a rich ultramarine colour.
Towards evening again, when the edge of the pik. :
as the sun shines upon them, is of an i
the surface of the shaded side reflects a purple h
Nothing is more striking than the rapid change
which the colour of the sea undergoes under ac
sky, in the midst of the ocean and in deep water, ; *
when it may be seen passing from indigo-blue “the |
deepest green, and from this to slate-gray. T!
blue is almost independent of the reflection of
atmosphere. ‘The intertropical seas are in coal
of a deeper and purer tint than in high latitudes, and
the ocean often remains blue, when, in fine weather,
more than four-fifths of the sky are covered with
light and scattered clouds of a white colour.
of
La
ae
ee a
= a ee he te a aes
ie Ls >
5 et
Ne
es
suburb of the Guayquerias. In the beautiful moon-
light chairs were placed in the water, on which were
seated the ladies and gentlemen, lightly clothed.
The family and the aa al passed several hours
62 _ EARTHQUAKES.
in the river, smoking cigars and chatting on the
usual subjects of conversation, such as the extreme
drought, the abundance of rain in the neighbouring
districts, and the female luxury which -prevails in
Caraccas and Havana. The company were not
disturbed by the davas, or small crocodiles, which
are only three or four feet long, and are now ex-
tremely rare. Humboldt and his companions did
not meet with any of them in the Manzanares ; but
they saw plenty of dolphins, which sometimes as-
cended the river at night, and frightened the bathers
by spouting water from their nostrils.
The port of Cumana is capable of receiving all
the navies of Europe; and the whole of the Gulf of
Cariaco, which is forty-two miles long, and from
seven to nine miles broad, affords excellent anchor-
age. The hurricanes of the West Indies are never
experienced on these coasts, where the sea is con-
stantly smooth, or only slightly agitated by an east-
erly wind. ‘The sky is often bright along the shores,
while stormy clouds are seen to gather among the
mountains. Thus, as at the foot of the Andes, on the
western side of the continent, the extremes of clear
weather and fogs, of drought and heavy rain, -
solute nakedness and perpetual verdure, present
themselves on the coasts of New-Andalusia.
The same analogy exists as to earthquakes, which
are frequent and violent at Cumana. It isa gene-
rally received opinion that the Gulf of Cariaco owed
its existence to a rent of the continent, the reinem- ©
brance of which was fresh in the minds of the na-
tives at the time of Columbus’s third voyage. In
1530 the coasts of Paria and Cumana were agitated
by shocks; and towards the end of the sixteenth
century, earthquakes and inundations very often oc-
curred. On the 21st October, 1766, the city of Cu-
mana was entirely destroyed in the space of a few
minutes. The earth opened in several parts of the
province, and emitted sulphureous waters. During
ce
GENERAL REMARKS ON EARTHQUAKES. 63
the years 1766 and 1767 the inhabitants encamped
in the streets, and they did not begin to rebuild their
houses until the earthquakes took place only once
in four weeks. These commotions had been pre-
ceded by a drought of fifteen months, and were ac-
companied and followed*by torrents of rain, which
swelled the rivers.
On the 14th December, 1797, more than four-fifths
of the city were again entirely destroyed. Previous
to this the shocks had been horizontal oscillations;
but the shaking now felt was that of an elevation
of the ground, and was attended by a subterraneous
noise, like the explosion of a mine at a great depth.
The most violent concussion, however, was pre-
ceded by a slight undulating motion, so that the in-
_ habitants had time to escape into the streets; and
only a few perished, who had betaken themselves
for safety tothe churches. Half an hour before the
catastrophe, a strong smell of sulphur was expe-
rienced near the hill of the convent of St. Francis;
and on the same spot an internal noise, which seemed
to pass from S.E.to N.W.,washeardloudest. Flames
appeared on the banks of the Manzanares and in the
Gulf of Cariaco. In describing this frightful con-
vulsion of nature, our author enters upon general
views respecting earthquakes, of which a very brief
account may be here given.
_ The great earthquakes which interrupt the long
series of small shocks do not appear to have any
stated times at Cumana, as they have occurred at
intervals of eighty, of a hundred, and sometimes
even of less than thirty years; whereas, on the
coasts of Peru,—at Lima, for example,—there is,
without doubt, a certain degree of regularity in the
periodtcal devastations thereby occasioned.
It has long been believed at Cumana, Acapulco,
and Lima, that there exists a perceptible relation
between earthquakes and the state of the atmosphere
which precedes these phenomena, On the coasts
:
64 . EARTHQUAKES.
of New-Andalusia the people become uneasy when,
in excessively hot weather and after long drought,
the breeze suddenly ceases, and the sky, clear at the
zenith, presents the appearance of a reddish vapour
near the horizon. But these prognostics are very
uncertain, and the dreaded evil has arrived in all
kinds of weather.
Under the tropics the regularity of the horary va-
riations of the barometer is not disturbed on the days
when violent shocks occur. In like manner, in the
temperate zone the aurora borealis does not always
modify the variations of the needle, or the intensity
of the magnetic forces.
When the earth is open and agitated, gaseous
emanations occasionally escape in places consider-
ably remote from unextinguished volcanoes. At
Cumana, flames and sulphureous vapours spring
from the arid soil, while in other parts of the same
province it throws out water and petroleum. At
Riobamba, a muddy inflammable mass called moya
issues from crevices which close again, and forms
elevated heaps. Flames and smoke were also seen
to proceed from the rocks of Alvidras, near Lisbon,
during the earthquake of 1755, by which that city
was ravaged. But in the greater number of ear
quakes it is probable that no elastic fluids escape
from the ground, and when gases are evolved, they
more frequently accompany or follow than precede
the shocks.
The subterranean noise which so frequently at-
tends earthquakes, is generally not proportionate to
the strength of the shocks. At Cumana it always
precedes them; while at Quito, and for some time
past at Caraccas and in the West India islands, a
noise like the discharge of a battery was heard long
after the agitation had ceased. The rolling of thun-
der in the bowels of the earth, which continues for
months, without being accompanied by the least
shaking, is a very remarkable phenomenon
EARTHQUAKES. 65
In all countries subject to earthquakes, the point
at which the effects are greatest is considered as
the source or focus of the shocks. We forget that
the rapidity with which the undulations are propa-
gated to great distances, even across the basin of
the ocean, proves the centre of action to be very re-
ry te from the earth’s surface. Hence it is clear
that earthquakes are not restricted to certain species
of rocks, as some naturalists assert, but pervade all ;
although sometimes, in the same rock, the upper
strata seem to form an insuperable obstacle to the
propagation of the motion. It is curious also, that
in a district of small extent certain formations in-
- terrupt the shocks. ‘Thus, at Cumana, before the
catastrophe of 1797, the earthquakes were feit only |
along the southern or calcareous coast of the Gulf
of Cariaco, as far as the town of that name, while
in the peninsula of Araya, and at the village of Man-
iquarez, the ground was not agitated. At present,
however, the peninsula is as liable to earthquakes
as the district around Cumana.
In New-Andalusia, as in Chili and Peru, the shocks
follow the line of the shore, and extend but little
i the interior,—a circumstance which indicates
an intimate connexion between the causes that pro-
duce earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. If the
land along the coasts is most agitated because it is
generally lowest, why should not the shocks be
equally strong in the savannas, which are only a
few yards above the level of the sea?
The earthquakes of Cumana are connected with
those of the West Indies, and are even suspected to
have some relation to the volcanic phenomena of
the Andes. On the 4th November, 1797, the prov-
ince of Qnito underwent so violent a commotion that
40,000 persons were destroyed; and at the same
period shocks were experienced in the Eastern An-
tilles, followed by an eruption of the volcano of
Guadaloupe, in the end of September, 1798. On the
F2
ee eS a
a
66 CUMANA.
14th December the great concussion took place at
Cumana. .
It has long been remarked that earthquakes ex-
tend their effects to much greater distances than
volcanoes ; and it is probable, as has just been men-
tioned, that the causes which produce the former
have an intimate connexion with the latter. When
séated within the verge of a burning crater, one feels
the motion of the ground severat seconds before
each partial eruption. The phenomena of earth-
quakes seem strongly to indicate the action of elastic
fluids endeavouring to force their way into the at-
mosphere. On the shores of the South Sea the
concussion is almost instantaneously communicated
from Chili to the Gulf of Guayaquil, over a space
of 2070 miles. The shocks also appear to be so
much the stronger the more distant the country is
from active volcanoes; and a province is more
agitated the smaller the number of funnels by which
the subterranean cavities communicate with the
open air.
=.
i
CHAPTER VI.
Residence at Cumana.
Lunar Halo--African Slaves—Excursion to the Peninsula of Araya—
Geological Constitution of the Country—Salt-works of Araya—Indians
and Mulattoes—Pearl-fishery—-Maniquarez—Mexican Deer—-Spring
of Naphtha.
Tue occupations of our travellers were much dis-
turbed during the first weeks of their abode at Cu-
mana by the intrusion of persons desirous of ex- |
amining their astronomical and other instruments.
They however determined the latitude of the great
Square to be 10° 27’ 52”; and its longitude 66° 30' 2”.
ys
LUNAR HALOES—AFRICAN SLAVES. 67
On the 17th of August a halo of the moon attracted
the attention of the inhabitants, who viewed it as
the presage of a violent earthquake. Coloured cir-
cles of this kind, Humboldt remarks, are much rarer
in the northern than in the southern countries of Eu-
rope. They are seen more especially when the sky
is clear and the weather settled. In the torrid zone
they appear almost every night, and often in the
space of a few minutes disappear several times.
Between the latitude of 15° N. and the equator he
has seen small haloes around the planet Venus, but
never observed any in connexion with the fixed stars.
While the halo was seen at Cumana, the hygrome-
ter indicated great humidity, although the atmo-
sphere was perfectly transparent. It consisted of
two circles; a larger, of a whitish colour, and 44°
in diameter, and a smaller, displaying all the tints
of the rainbow, and 1° 43’ in diameter. The inter-
mediate space was of the deepest azure.
Part of the great square is surrounded with ar-
cades, over which is a long wooden gallery, where
slaves imported from the coast of Africa are sold.
These were young men from fifteen to twenty years
of age. Every morning cocoanut oil was given
them, with which they rubbed their skin, to render it
glossy. The persons who came to purchase them
examined their teeth, as we do those of horses, to
judge of their age and health. Yet the Spanish
laws, according to our author, have never favoured
the trade in African slaves, the number of whom in
1800 did not exceed 6000 in the two provinces of
Cumana and Barcelona, while the whole population
was estimated at 110, 000.
The first excursion which our travellers made was
to the peninsula of Araya. They embarked on the
Manzanares, near the Indian suburb, about two in
the morning of the 19th August. The night was
delightfully cool. Swarms of shining insects (later
noctuucus) sparkled in the air along the banks of the
68 EXCURSION TO ARAYA.
river. As the boat descended the stream, they ob-
served a company of negroes dancing to the music
of the guitar by the light of bonfires,—a practice
which they prefer to mere relaxation or sleep, on
their days of rest.
The bark in which they passed the Gulf of Cari-
aco was commodious, and large skins of the jaguar
were spread for their repose during the night. The
cold, however, prevented them from sleeping, al-
though, as they were surprised to find, the ther-
mometer was as high as 71°2°. The circumstance
that ina warm country adecree of cold which would
be productive of no inconvenience to the inhabitant
of a temperate climate, excites a disagreeable feel-
ing, is worthy of the attention of physiologists.
When Bouguer reached the summit of Pelée, in the
island of Martinico, he trembled with cold, although
the heat was above 70°7°; and in heavy showers
at Cumana, when the thermometer indicates the
same temperature, the inhabitants make bitter com-
plaints. |
About eight in the morning they landed at the
point of Araya, near the new salt-works, which are
situated in a plain destitute of vegetation. Fr
this spot are seen the islet of Cubagua, the lofty
hills of Margaretta, the ruins of the castle of St.
Jago, the Cerro dela Vela, and the limestone rid
of the Bergantin, bounding the horizon towards the
south. Here salt is procured by digging brine-pits
in the clayey soil, which is impregnated with mu-
riate of soda. In 1799 and 1800 the consumption
of this article in the provinces of Cumana and Bar-
celona amounted to 9000 or 10,000 fanegas, each
16 arrobas, or 405;zlbs. avoirdupois. Of this quan-
tity the salt-works of Araya yield only about a
third part; the rest being obtained from sea-water
in the Morro of Barcelona, at Pozuelos, at Piritu,
and in the Golfo Triste.
In order to understand the geological relations of
PENINSULA OF ARAYA. —6«669.
this saliferous clay, it is necessary to follow our
author in his exposition of the nature of the neigh-
bouring country. Three great parallel chains of
mountains extend from east to west. The two
most northerly, which are primitive, constitute the
cordilleras of the island of Margaretta, as well as
of Araya. The most southerly, the cordillera of
Bergantin and Cocollar, is secondary, although more
elevated than the others. The two former have
been separated by the sea, and the islets of Coche
and Cubagua are supposed top be remnants of the
submersed land. The Gulf of Cariaco divides the
chains of Araya and Cocollar, which were connected,
to the east of the town of Cariaco, between the
lakes of Campoma and Putaquao, by a kind of dike.
This barrier, which had the name of Cerro de Mea-
pire, prevented in remote times the waters of the
Gulf of Cariaco from uniting with those of the Gulf
of Paria.
The western slope of the peninsula of Araya and
the plains on which rises the castle of St. Antony
are covered with recent deposites of sandstone, clay,
and gypsum. Near Manifuarez, a conglomerate
with calcareous cement rests on the mica-slate;
while on the opposite side, near Punta Delgada, it is
superimposed on a compact bluish-gray limestone,
containing a few organic remains, traversed by
small veins of calcareous spar, and analogous to that
of the Alps.
The saliferous clay is generally of a smoke-gray
colour, earthy and friable, but encloses masses of a
dark-brown tint and more solid texture. Selenite
and fibrous gypsum are disseminated in it. Scarcely
any shells are to be seen, although the adjacent
rocks contain abundance of them. The muriate of
soda is not discoverable by the naked eye ; but when
amass is sprinkled with rainwater and exposed to
the sun, it appears in large crystals. In the marsh
to the east of the castle of St. Jago, which receives
»
70 SALT-WORKS OF ARAYA.
only rainwater, cry stallized and very pure muriate
of soda forms, after great droughts, in masses of
large size. The new salt-works of Araya have five
very extensive reservoirs with a depth of eight
inches, and are supplied partly with seawater and
partly with rain. The evaporation is so rapid that
Salt is collected in eighteen or twenty days after
they are filled; and it is freer from earthy muriates
and sulphates than that of Europe, although manu-
factured with less care.
After examining these works, they departed at
the decline of day, and proceeded towards an Indian
cabin some miles distant. Night overtook them in
a narrow path between a range of perpendicular
rocks and the sea. Arriving at the foot of the old
castle of Araya, which stands on a bare and arid
mountain, and is crowned with agave, columnar
cactus, and prickly mimosas, they were desirous of
stopping to admire the majestic spectacle, and ob-
serve the setting of the planet Venus; but their
guide, who was parched with thirst, earnestly urged
them to return, and hoped to work on their fears by
continually warning them of jaguars and rattle-
snakes. They at length yielded to his solicitations;
but after proceeding three-quarters of an hour along
a shore covered by the tide they were joined by the
negro that carried their provisions, who led them
through a wood of nopals to the hut of an Indian,
where they were received with cordial hospitality.
The several classes of natives in this district live by
catching fish, part of which they carry to Cumana.
The wealth of the inhabitants consists chiefly of
goats, which are of a very large size, and brownish-
yellow colour. They are marked like the mules,
and roam at large.
Among the mulattoes, whose hovels surrounded
the salt-lake near which they had passed the night,
they found an indigent Spanish cobbler, who received
them with an air of gravity and importance. After
PEARL-FISHERITES. 71
amusing oe with a display of his knowledge, he
drew from a leathern bag a few very small pearls,
which he forced them to “accept, enjoining them to
note on their tablets, “that a poor shoemaker of
Arya, but a white man, and of noble Castilian de-
‘scent, was enabled to give them what on the other
side of the sea would be sought for asa thing of
great value.”
The pearl-shell (Avicula margaritifera) is abundant
on the shoals which extend from Cape Paria to the
Cape of Vela. Margarita, Cubagua, Coche, Punta
Araya, and the mouth of the Rio la Hacha were as
celebrated in the sixteenth century for them as the
Persian Gulf was among the ancients. At the be-
ginning of the conquest the island of Coche alone
furnished 1500 marks (1029 troy pounds) monthly.
The portion which the king’s officers drew from the
produce of the pearls amounted to 3406l. 5s. ; and
it would appear that up to 1530 the value of those
sent to Europe amounted, at a yearly average, to
more than 130,000. Towards the end of the Six-
teenth century, this fishery diminished rapidly ; and,
according to Laet, had been long given up in 1683.
‘The artificial imitations, and the great diminution
‘of the shells, rendered it less lucrative. At present,
the Gulf of Panama and the mouth of the Rio de la
Hacha are the only parts of South America in which
this branch of industry is continued.
On the morning of the 20th, a young Indian con-
' ducted the travellers over Barigon and Caney to the
village of Maniquarez. The thermometer kept as
high ; as 78°5°, and before their guide had travelled a
league he frequently sat down to rest himself, and
expressed a desire to repose under the shade of a
tamarind-tree until night should approach. Hum-
boldtexplains the circumstance, that the natives
complain more of lassitude under an intense heat
than Europeans not inured to it, by a reference to
i.
, & ' .
a’
» om
, ; 7
e
72 GEOLOGICAL PHENOMENA,
ess disposition, and their not being excited
by the same stimulus.
In crossing the arid hills of Cape eval, they per-
ceived a strong smeli of petroleum, the wind blow-
ing from the side where the springs of that sub-
stance occur. Near the village of Maniquarez, they
found the mica-slate cropping out from below the
secondary rocks. It was of a silvery white, con-
tained garnets, and was traversed by small layers
of quartz. From a detached block of this last, found
on the shore, they separated a fragment of cyanite,
the only specimen of that mineral seen by them in
South America.
A rude manufacture of pottery is carried on at
that hamlet by the Indian women. The clay is pro-
duced by the decomposition of mica-slate, and is of
a reddish colour. The natives, being unacquainted
with the use of ovens, place twigs around the ves-
sels, and bake them in the open air.
At the same place they met with some Creoles
who had been hunting small deer in the uninhabited
islet of Cubagua, where they are very abundant.
These creatures are of a brownish-red hue, spotted
with white, and of the latter colour beneath. They
belong to the species named by naturalists Cervus —
Mezicanus.
In the estimation of the natives, the most curious
production of the coast of Araya is what they call |
the eye-stone. They consider it as both a stone and
an animal, and assert that when it is found in the
sand itis motionless; whereas ona polished surface,
as an earthen plate, it moves when stimulated by
lemon-juice. When introduced into the eye it ex-
pels every other substance that may have accident-
ally insinuated itself. The people offered these
stones to the travellers by hundreds, and wished to
put sand into their eyes, that they might try the
power of this wondrous remedy; which, however,
; r 5; ike,
EXCURSION TO SAN FERNANDO. 73
was nothing else than the operculum of a small
shellfish. rm Bh oa :
Near Cape de la Brea, at the distance of eighty
feet from the shore, is a small stream of naphtha,
the produce of which covers the sea to a great ex-
tent. It is a singular circumstance that this spring
issues from mica-slate, all others that are known
belonging to secondary deposites. ae
After examining the neighbourhood of Mani-
quarez, the adventurers embarked at night in a small
fishing-boat, so leaky that a person was constantly
employed in baling out the water with a calabash,
and arrived in safety at Cumana.
‘
CHAPTER VII.
Missions of the Chaymas.
Excursion to the Missions of the Chayma Indians—Remarks on Cul-
- tivation—The Impossible—Aspect of the Vegetation—San Fernando—
_ Account of a Man who suckled a Child—Cumanacoa—Cultivation of
Tobacco—Igneous Exhalations—Jaguars—Mountain of Cocollar—
Turimiquiri—Missions of San Antonio and Guanaguana.
On the 4th of September, at an early hour, our
travellers commenced an excursion to the missionary
stations of the Chayma Indians, and to the lofty
mountains which traverse New-Andalusia. The
morning was deliciously cool; and from the summit
of the hill of San Francisco they enjoyed in the short
twilight an extensive view of the sea, the adjacent
plain, and the distant peaks. After walking two
hours they arrived at the foot of the chain, where
they found different rocks, together with a new and
more luxuriant vegetation. They observed that the
latter was more brilliant wherever the limestone was
G
“?
74 STATE OF CULTIVATION. ora
covered by a quartzy sandstone,—a circumstance
which probably depends not so much on the nature
of the soil as on its greater humidity ; the thin layers
of slate-clay, which the latter contains, preventing
the water from filtering into the crevices of the
former. In those moist places they always dis-
covered appearances of cultivation, huts inhabited
* by mestizoes, and placed in the centre of small en-
closures, containing papaws, plantains, sugar-canes,
and maize. In Europe, the wheat, barley, and other
kinds of grain cover vast spaces of ground, and, in
general, wherever the inhabitants live upon corn, the
cultivated lands are not separated from each other
by the intervention of large wastes; but in the tor-
rid zone, where the fertility of the soil is propor-
tionate to the heat and humidity of the air, and where
man has appropriated plants that yield earlier and
more abundant crops, an immense population finds
ample subsistence on a narrow space. The scat-
_ tered disposition of the huts in the midst of the forest
indicates to the traveller the fecundity of nature.
In so mild and uniform a climate the only urgent
want of man is that of food; and in the midst of
abundance his intellectual faculties receive less im-
provement than in colder regions, where his neces-
sities are numerous and diversified. While in Eu-
rope we judge of the inhabitants of a country by the -
extent of laboured ground ; in the warmest parts of
South America populous provinces seem to the
traveller almost deserted, because a very small ex-
tent of soil is sufficient for the maintenance of a
family. The insulated state in which the natives
thus live prevents any rapid progress of civilization,
although it develops the sentiments of independence
and liberty.
As the travellers penetrated into the forests the
barometer indicated the progressive elevation of the
land. About three in the afternoon they halted on
a small flat, where a few houses had been erected ©
he .
ae ? fi
THE IMPOSSIBLE. 73
near a spring, the water of which they found de-
licious. Its temperature was 72°5°, while that of
the air was 83°7°. From the top of a sandstone-hill
in the vicinity they had a splendid view of the sea
and part of the coast, while in the intervening space
the tops of the trees, intermixed with flowery lianas,
formed a vast carpet of deep verdure. As they ad-
vanced towards the south-west the soil became dry
and loose. They ascended a group of rather high
mountains, destitute of vegetation, and having steep
declivities. This ridge is named the Impossible, it
being imagined that in case of invasion it might
afford a safe retreat to the inhabitants of Cumana.
The prospect was finer and more extensive than
from the fountain above mentioned.
They arrived on the summit only a little before
dusk. The setting of the sun was accompanied by
a very rapid diminution of temperature, the ther- |
mometer suddenly falling from 77°4° to 70°3°,
although the air was calm. They passed the night
in a house at which there was a military post of eight
men, commanded by a Spanish sergeant. When,
after the capture of Trinidad by the English in 1797,
Cumana was threatened, many of the people fled
to Cumanacoa, leaving the more valuable of their
property in sheds constructed on this ridge. The
solitude of the place reminded Humboldt of the
nights which he had passed on the top of St. Gothard.
Several parts of the surrounding forests were burn-
ing, and the reddish flames arising amid clouds of
smoke, presented a most impressive spectacle. The
shepherds set fire to the woods for the purpose of
improving the pasturage, though conflagrations are
often caused by the negligence of the wandering
Indians. 'The number of old trees on the road from
Cumana to Cumanacoa has been greatly reduced by
these accidents ; and in several parts of the province
the dryness has increased, owing both to the dimi-
nution of the forests and the frequency of earth-
quakes which produce crevices in the soil.
76 VEGETATION OF NEW-ANDALUSIA.
Leaving the Impossible on the 5th before sunrise,
they descended by a very narrow path bordering on
precipices. The summit ofthe ridge was of quartzy
sandstone, beneath which the alpine limestone re-
appeared. The strata being generally inclined to
the south, numerous springs gush out on that side,
and in the rainy season form torrents which fall in
cascades, shaded by the hura, the cuspa, and the
trumpet-tree. The cuspa, which is common in the
neighbourhood of Cumana, had long been used for
carpenter-work, but has of late attracted notice as a
powerful tonic or febrifuge.
Emerging from the ravine which opens at the
foot of the mountain, they entered a dense forest,
traversed by numerous small rivers, which were
easily forded. They observed that the leaves of the
cecropia were more or less silvery according as the
soil was dry or marshy, and specimens occurred in
which they were entirely green on both sides. The
roots of these shrubs were concealed beneath tufts
of dorstenia, a plant which thrives only in shady and
moist places. In the midst of the forest they found
papaws and orange-trees bearing excellent fruit,
which they conjectured to be the remains of some |
Indian plantations, as in these countries they are
no more indigenous than the banana, the maize, the
manioc, and the many other useful plants whose
native country is unknown, although they have ac-
companied man in his migrations from the-most re-
mote periods.
“ When a traveller newly arrived from Europe,”
says Humboldt, “ penetrates for the first time into
the forests of South America, nature presents herself —
to his view in an unexpected aspect: the objects by
which he is surrounded bear but a faint resemblance
to the pictures drawn by celebrated writers on the
banks of the Mississippi, in Florida, and in other
temperate regions of the New World. He per-
ceives at every step that he is not upon the verge,
FOREST BIRDS. vi |
put in the centre of the torrid zone,—not in one of
the West India islands, but upon a vast continent,
where the mountains, the rivers, the mass of vege-
tation, and every thing else are gigantic. If he be
sensible to the beauties of rural scenery, he finds it
difficult to account to himself for the diversified
feelings which he experiences: he is unable to de-
termine what most excites his admiration ; whether
the solemn silence of the wilderness, or the indi-
vidual beauty and contrast of the forms, or the vigour
and freshness of vegetable life, that characterize the
climate of the tropics. It might be said that the
earth, overloaded with plants, does not leave them
room enough for growth. ‘The trunks of the trees
are everywhere covered with a thick carpet of ver-
dure ; and were the orchidee and the plants of the
genera piper and pothos, which grow upon a single
courbaril or American fig-tree, transferred to the
ground, they would cover a large space. By this
singular denseness of vegetation, the forests, like
the rocks and mountains, enlarge the domain of or-
ganic nature. The same lianas which creep along
the ground rise to the tops of the trees, and pass
from the one to the other at a height of more than
-ahundred feet. In consequence of this intermixture
of parasitic plants, the botanist is often led to con-
found the flowers, fruits, and foliage which belong
to different species.’
The philosophers walked for some hours under
the shade of these arches, which scarcely admitted
an occasional glimpse of the clear blue sky, and for
the first time admired the pendulous nests of the
orioles, which mingled their warblings with the cries
of the parrots and macaws. The latter fly only in
pairs, while the former are seen in flocks of several
hundreds. At the distance of about a league from
the village of San Fernando, they issued from the
woods, and entered an open country, covered with:
aquatic plants from eight to ten feet high; there
G 2
78 SAN FERNANDO.
being no meadows or pastures in the lower parts of
the torrid zone, as in Europe. The road was bor-
dered with a kind of bamboo, rising more than forty
feet. These plants, according to Humboldt, are less
common in America than is usually supposed, al-
though they form dense woods in New-Grenada and
Quito, and occur abundantly on the western slope of
the Andes.
They now entered San Fernando, which is situ-
ated in a narrow plain, and bounded by limestone
rocks. This was the first missionary station they
saw in America. The houses of the Chayma In-
dians were built of clay, strengthened by lianas, and
the streets were straight, and intersected each other
at right angles. The great square in the centre of
the village contains the church, the house of the
missionary, and another, destined for the accommo-
dation of travellers, which bears the pompous name
of the king’s house (Casa del Rey). These royal
residences occur in all the Spanish settlements, and
are of the greatest benefit in countries where there
are no inns.
They had been recommended to the friars who
superintend the missions of the Chaymas, by their
syndic at Cumana, and the superior, a corpulent and
jolly old capuchin, received them with kindness.
This respectable personage, seated the greater part
of the day in an arm-chair, complained bitterly of
the indolence of his countrymen. He considered
the pursuits of the travellers as useless, smiled at
the sight of their instruments and dried plants, and
maintained that of all the enjoyments of life, with-
out excepting sleep, none could be compared with
the pleasure of eating good beef.
This mission was founded about the end of the
seventeenth century, near the junction of the Man-
zanares and Lucasperez; but, in consequence of a
fire, was removed to its present situation. The num-
ber of families now amounted to a hundred, and as the
Ne
FRANCISCO LOZANO—CUMANACOA. 79
head of the establishment observed, the custom of
marrying at a very early age contributes greatly to
the rapid increase of population.
In the village of Arenas,which is inhabited by
Indians of the same race as those of San Fernando,
there lived a_labourer, Francisco Lozano, who had
suckled a child. Its mother happening to be sick,
he took it, and in order to quiet it, pressed it to his
breast, when the stimulus imparted by the sucking
of. the child caused a flow of milk. The travellers
saw the certificate drawn up on the spot to attest
this remarkable fact, of which several eyewitnesses
were still living. The man was not at Arenas during
their stay at the mission, but afterward visited them
at Cumana, accompanied by his son, when M. Bon-
pland examined his breasts, and found them wrinkled,
like those of women who have nursed. He was
not an Indian, but a white descended from European
parents. Alexander Benedictus relates a similar
case of ah inhabitant of Syria, and other authors
have given examples of the same nature.
_ Returning towards Cumana, they entered the small
town of Cumanacoa, situated ina naked and almost
circular plain, surrounded by lofty mountains, and
containing about two thousand three hundred inhabit-
ants. The houses were low and slight, and with very
few exceptions built of wood. The travellers were
surprised to find the column of mercury in the ba-
rometer scarcely 7°3 lines shorter than on the coast.
The hollow in which the town is erected is not more
than 665 feet above the level of the sea, and only
seven leagues from Cumana; but the climate is
much colder than in the latter place, where 1t scarcely
ever rains ; whereas at Cumanacoa there are seven
months of severe weather. It was during the winter
season that our travellers visited the missions. A
dense fog covered the sky every night; the ther-
mometer varied from 64°8° to 68°; and Deluc’s hy-
grometer indicated 85°. At ten in the morning the
=
80 TOBACCO.
thermometer did not rise above 69°8°, but from noon
to three o’clock attained the height of from 78°8° to
80°6°. About two, large black clouds regularly
formed, and poured down torrents of rain, accom-
panied by thunder. At five the rain ceased, and the
sun reappeared ; but at eight or nine the fog again
commenced. In consequence of the humidity, the
vegetation, although not very diversified, is remark-
able for its freshness. The soil is highly fertile;
but the most valuable production of the district is
tobacco, the cultivation of which, in the province of
Cumana, is nearly confined to this valley.
Next to the tobacco of Cuba and the Rio Negro,
that grown here is the most aromatic. The seedis
sown in the beginning of September, and the coty-
ledons appear on the eighth day. The young plants
are then covered with large leaves to protect them
from the sun. A month or two after, they are trans-
ferred to a rich and well-prepared soil, and disposed
in rows, three or four feet distant from each other.
The whole is carefully weeded, and the principal
stalk is several times topped, until the leaves are
mature, when they are gathered. They are then
suspended by threads of the Agave Americana, and
their ribs taken out; after which they are twisted.
The cultivation of tobacco was a royal monopoly,
and employed about 1500 persons. Indigo is also
raised in the valley of Cumanacoa.
This singular plain appeared to be the bed of an
ancient lake. The surrounding mountains are all
precipitous, and the soil contains pebbles and bivalve
shells. One of the gaps in the range, they were in-
formed, was inhabited by jaguars, which passed the
day in caves, and roamed about the plantations at
night. The preceding year one of them had de-
voured a horse belonging to a farm in the neighbour-
hood. The groans of the dying animal awoke the.
slaves, who went out armed with lances and large
om
JAGUARS——-SEARCH FOR A GOLD MINE. 81
knives, with which they despatched the tiger aftera
vigorous resistance.
From two caverns in this ravine there at times
issue flames, which illumine the adjacent mountains,
and are seen to agreat distance at night. The phe-
nomencn was accompanied by a long-continued sub-
terraneous noise at the time of the last earthquake.
A first attempt to penetrate into this pass was ren-
dered unsuccessful, by the strength of the vegeta-
tion and the intertwining of lianas and thorny plants ;
but the inhabitants becoming interested in the re-
searches of the travellers, and being desirous to
know what the German miner thought of the gold
_ore which they imagined to exist in it, cleared a path
through the woods. On entering the ravine, they
found traces of j jaguars ; and the Indians returned for
some small dogs upon which they knew these ani-
mals would spring in preference to attacking a man.
The rocks that bound it are perpendicular, and what
geolosists term alpine limestone. The excursion
was rendered hazardous by the nature of the ground;
but they at length reached the pretended gold mine,
which was merely an excavation in a bed of black
marl containing iron pyrites, a substance which the
guides insisted was no other than the precious
metal.
They continued to penetrate into the crevice, and
after undergoing great fatigue, reached a wall of
rock, which, rising perpendicularly to the height of
5116 feet, presented two inaccessible caverns inhab-
ited by nocturnal birds. Halting at the foot of one
of the caves from which flames had been seen to
issue, they listened to the remarks of the natives
respecting the probability of an increase in the fre-
quency of the agitations to which New-Andalusia
had so often been subjected. The cause of the lu-.
minous exhalations, however, they were unable to
ascertain.
On the 12th, they continued their journey to the
82 VIEW FROM THE COCOLLAR.
convent of Caripe, the principal station of the Chay-
ma missions, choosing, instead of the direct road,
the line of the mountains Cocollar and Turimiquiri.
At the Hato de Cocollar, a solitary farm situated on
a small elevated plain, they rested for some time,
and had the good fortune to enjay at once a delight-
ful climate and the hospitality of the proprietor.
From this elevated point, as far as the eye could
reach, they saw only naked savannas, although in
the neighbouring valleys they found tufts of scat-
tered trees, and a profusion of beautiful flowers.
The upper part of the mountain was destitute of
wood, though covered with gramineous plants—a
circumstance which Humboldt attributes more to
the custom of burning the forests than to the eleva-
tion of the ground, which is not sufficient to prevent
the growth of trees.
Their host, Don Mathias Yturburi, a native of
Biscay, had visited the New World with an expedi-
tion, the object of which was to form establishments
for procuring timber for the Spanish navy. But
these natives of a colder climate were unable to sup-
port the fatigue of so laborious an occupation, the
heat, and the effect of noxious vapours. Destruc-
tive fevers carried off most of the party, when this
individual withdrew from the coast, and settling or
the Cocollar, became the undisturbed possessor of
five leagues of savannas, among which he enjoyed
independence and health.
“* Nothing,” says Humboldt, “ can be compared to
the impression of the majestic tranquillity left on
the mind by the view of the firmament in this soli-
tide, those meadows which stretch along the hori-
zon, and the gently-undulated plain covered with
plants, we thought we saw in the distance, as in the
deserts of the Orinoco, the surface of the ocean
supporting the starry vault of heaven. The tree
under which we were seated, the luminous insects
tary place. Following with the eye, at evening- —
SIERRA DE LOS TAGERES. 83
that vaulted in the air, and the constellations which
shone in the south seemed to tell us that we were
far from our native land. Inthe midst of this exotic
nature, when the bell of a cow, or the lowing of a
bull was heard from the bottom of a valley, the re-
membrance of our country was suddenly awakened
by the sounds. They were like distant voices, that
came from beyond the ocean, and by the magic of
which we were transported from the one hemi-
sphere to the other. Strange mobility of the human
imagination, the never-failing source of our enjoy-
ments and griefs !”
' In the cool of the morning they commenced the
ascent of Turimiquiri, the summit of the Cocollar,
which, with the Brigantine, forms a mass of moun-
tains, formerly named by the natives the Sierra de
los Tageres. They travelled part of the way on
horses, which are left to roam at large in these
wilds, though some of them have been trained to the
saddle. Stopping at a spring which issued from a
bed of quartzy sandstone, they found its tempera-
ture to be 69°8°. To the height of 4476 feet, this
mountain, like those in its vicinity, was covered
with gramineous plants. The pastures became less
rich in proportion to the elevation, and wherever the
scattered rocks afforded a shade lichens and mosses
occurred. The summit is 4521 feet above the level
of the sea. The view from it was extensive and
highly picturesque: chains of mountains running
from east to west enclosed longitudinal valleys,
which were intersected at right angles by number-
less ravines. The distant peninsula of Araya formed
a dark streak on a glittering sea, and the more dis-
tant rocks of Cape Macanao rose amid the waters
like an immense rampart.
On the 14th September, they descended the Co-
collar in the direction of San Antonio, where was
also a mission. After passing over savannas strewed
with blocks of limestone, succeeded by a dense
-
84 GUANAGUANA AND SAN ANTONIO.
forest and two very steep ridges, they came to a
beautiful valley, about twenty miles in length, in
which are situated the missions of San Antonio and
-Guanaguana. Stopping at the former only to open
the barometer and take a few altitudes of the sun,
they forded the rivers Colorado and Guarapiche, and
proceeding along a level and narrow road covered
with thick mud, amid torrents of rain, reached in the
evening the latter of these stations, where they
were cordially received by the missionary. This
village had existed only thirty years on the spot
which it then occupied, having been transferred
from a place more tothe south. Humboldt remarks,
that the facility with which the Indians remove their
dwellings is astonishing, there being several small
towns in South America which have thrice changed
their situation in less than half a century. These
compulsory migrations are not unfrequently caused
by the caprice of an ecclesiastic ; and as the houses
are constructed of clay, reeds, and palm-leaves, a
hamlet shifts its position like a camp.
The mission of San Antonio had a small church
with two towers, built of brick and ornamented with
Doric columns, the wonder of the country; but that
of Guanaguana possessed as yet no place of worship,
although a spacious house had been built for the
padre, the terraced roof of which was ornamented
with numerous chimneys like turrets, and which, he
informed the travellers, had been erected for no
other purpose than to remind him of his native coun-
try. The Indians cultivate cotton. The machines
by which they separate the wool from the seeds are
of very simple construction, consisting of wooden
cylinders of very small diameter, made to revolve
by atreadle. Maize is the article on which they
principally depend for food; and when it happens
to be destroyed by a protracted drought, they be-
take themselves to the surrounding forest, where
they find subsistence in succulent plants, cabbage-
VALLEY OF CARIPE. 85
i palms, fern-roots, and the produce of various
trees.
Proceeding towards the valley of Caripe, the travel- _
lers passed a limestone ridge which separates it from >
that of Guanaguana,—an undertaking which they
found rather difficult, the path being in several parts
only fourteen or fifteen inches broad, and the slopes
being covered with very slippery turf. When they
had reached the summit, an interesting spectacle pre-
sented itself to their view, consisting of the vast
savannas of Maturin and Rio Tigre, “the Peak of
Turimiquiri, and a multitude of parallel hills resem-
bling the waves of a troubled ocean.
Descending the height by a winding path, they
entered a woody country, where the ground was
covered by moss and a species of Drosera. As they
approached the convent of Caripe, the forests grew
more dense, and the power of vegetation increased.
The calcareous strata became thinner, forming grad-
uated terraces, while the stone itself assumed a white
colour, with a smooth or imperfectly conchoidal
fracture. This rock Humboldt considers as anal-
ogous to the Jura deposites. He found the level of
the valley of Caripe 1279 feet higher than that of
Guanaguana. Although the former is only sepa-
rated from the latter by a narrow ridge, it affords a
complete contrast to it, being deliciously cool ana
salubrious, while the other is remarkable for its
great heat.
-
7,
Spits,
86 CONVENT OF CARIPE.
CHAPTER VIII.
Excursion continued, and Return to Cumana. —
Convent of Caripe—Cave of Guacharo, inhabited by Nocturnal Birds~
Purgatory—Forest Scenery—Howling Monkeys—Vera Cruz—Cariaco
—Intermittent Fevers-—Cocoa-trees—Passage across the Gulf of Cari-
aco to Cumana.
Arrivine at the hospital of the Arragonese Capu-
chins, which was backed by an enormous wall of
rocks of resplendent whiteness, covered with a luxu-
riant vegetation, our travellers were hospitably re-
ceived by the monks. ‘The superior was absent;
but having heard of their intention to visit the place,
he had provided for them whatever could serve to
render their abode agreeable. The inner court, sur-
rounded by a portico, they found highly convenient
for setting up their instruments and making observa-
tions. In the convent they found a numerous so-
ciety, consisting of old and infirm missionaries, who
sought for health in the salubrious air of the moun-
tains of Caripe, and younger ones newly arrived
from Spain. Although the inmates of this estab-
lishment knew that Humboldt was a Protestant, they
manifested no mark of distrust, nor proposed any
. Iindiscreet question, to diminish the value of the be-
nevolence which they exercised with so much libe-
rality. Even the light of science had in some de-
gree extended to this obscure place ; for in the library
of the superior they found among other books the
Traité d’Electricité, by the Abbé Nollet; and one of
the monks had brought with him a Spanish transla-
tion of Chaptal’s Treatise on Chymistry.
The height of this monastery above the sea is
nearly the same as that of Caraccas, and the
-
CAVE OF GUACHARO. 87
inhabited parts of the Blue Mountains of Jamaica.
The thermometer was between 60°8° and 63° at mid-
night, between 66°2° and 68° in the morning, and
only 69°8° or 72°5° about one o’clock. The mean
temperature, inferred from that of the month of Sep-
tember, appears to be 653°. This degree of heat
is sufficient to develop the productions ‘of the torrid
zone, although much inferior to that of the plains
of Cumana. Water exposed in vessels of porous
clay cools during the night as low as 55°4°. The
mild climate and rarefied air of this place have been
found highly favourable to the cultivation of coffee,
which was introduced into the province by the pre-
fect of the Capuchins, an active and enlightened
man. In the garden of the community were many
culinary vegetables, maize, the sugar-cane, and five
thousand coffee-trees.
The greatest curiosity in this beautiful and salu-
brious district is a cavern inhabited by nocturnal birds,
the fat of which is employed in the missions for
dressing food. Itis named the Cave of Guacharo,
and is situated in a valley three leagues distant from
the convent.
On the 18th of September our travellers, accom-
panied by most of the monks and some of the Indians,
set out for this aviary, following for an hour and a
half a narrow path, leading across a fine plain coy-
ered with beautiful turf; then, turning westward
along a small river which issues from the cave, they
proceeded, during three-quarters of an hour, some-
times walking in the water, sometimes ona slippery
‘and miry soil, between the torrent and a wall of
rocks, until they arrived at the foot of the lofty
mountain of Guacharo. Here the torrent ran ina
deep ravine, and they went on under a projecting
cliff, which prevented them from seeing the sky,
until at the last turning they came suddenly upon
the immense opening of the recess, which is eighty-
five feet broad and seventy-seven feet high. anne
‘ies an
-
=) ake
i”
cs
88 GUACHARO. — ’
oF
entrance A towards the south, and is formed in the
vertical face of a rock, covered with trees of gigantic
height, intermixed with numerous species of singular
and beautiful plants, some of which hang in festoons
over the vault. This luxuriant vegetation is not
confined to the exterior of the cave, but appears
even in the vestibule, where the travellers were as-
tonished to see heliconias nineteen feet in height,
palms, and arborescent arums. They had advanced
about four hundred and sixty feet before it became
necessary to light their torches, when they heard
from afar the hoarse screams of the birds. ©
The guacharo is the size of a domestic fowl, and
has somewhat the appearance of a vulture, with a
mouth like that of agoatsucker. It forms a distinct
genus in the order Passeres, differing from that just
named in having a stronger beak, furnished with two
denticulations, though in its manners it bears an af-
finity to it as well as to the alpine crow. Its plu-
mage is dark bluish-gray, minutely streaked and
spotted with deep brown; the head, wings, and tail
being marked with white spots bordered with black.
The extent of the wings is three feet and a half. It
lives on fruits, but quits the cave only in the even-
ing. The shrill and piercing cries of these birds,
assembled in multitudes, are said to form a harsh
and disagreeable noise, somewhat resembling that
of arookery. The nests, which the guides showed
by means of torches fastened to a long pole, were
placed in funnel-shaped holes in the roof. The
noise increased as they advanced, the animals being
frightened by the numerous lights.
About midsummer every year the Indians, armed
with poles, enter the cave, and destroy the greater
part of the nests. Several thousands of young birds
are thus killed, and the old ones hover around, utter-
ing frightful cries. Those which are secured inthis
manner are opened on the spot, to obtain the fat
_ which exists abundantly in their abdomen, and which
“eR
‘ t
7
INTERIOR OF THE CAVE. 89
Fan
is subsequently melted in clay vessels over fires of
brushwood. This substance is semifluid, transpa-
rent, destitute of smell, and keeps above a year with-
out becoming rancid. At the convent of Caripe it
was used in the kitchen of the monks, and our trav-
ellers never found that it communicated any dis-
agreeable smell or taste to the food.
The guacharoes would have been long ago de-
stroyed, had not the superstitious dread ‘of the In-
dians prevented them from penetrating. far into the
cavern. It also appears, that birds of the same
species dwell in other inaccessible places in the
neighbourhood, and that the great cave is repeopled
by colonies from them. The hard and dry fruits
which are found in the crops and gizzards of the
young ones are considered as an excellent remedy
against intermittent fevers, and regularly sent to Ca-
riaco and other parts of the lower districts where
such diseases prevail.
The travellers followed the banks of the small
river which issues from the cavern as far as the
mounds of calcareous incrustations permitted them,
and afterward descended into its bed. The cave
preserved the same direction, breadth, and height
as at its entrance, to the distance of 1554 feet. The
natives having a belief that the souls of their an-
cestors inhabit its deep recesses, the Indians who
accompanied our travellers could hardly be persuaded
to venture into it. Shooting at random in the dark,
they obtained two specimens of the guacharo. Hav-
ing proceeded to a certain distance, they came to a
mass of stalactite, beyond which the cave became
narrower, although it retained its original direction.
Here the rivulet had deposited a blackish mould re-
sembling that observed at Muggendorf in Franconia.
The seeds which the birds carry to their young
spring up wherever they are dropped into it; and M.
Humboldt and his friend were astonished to find
blanched stalks that had wWamed a height of two feet.
2
*.
90 DESCENT OF THE BRIGANTINE.
As the missionaries were unable to persuade the —
Indians to advance farther, the party returned. The
river, sparkling amid the foliage of the trees, seemed
like a distant picture, to which the mouth of the cave
formed a frame. Having sat down at the entrance
to enjoy a little needful repose, they partook of a
repast which the missionaries had prepared, and in
due time returned to the convent.
The days which our travellers passed at this reli-
gious house glided hastily and pleasantly past. From
morning to night they traversed the forests and
mountains collecting plants; and when the rains
prevented them from making distant excursions,
they visited the huts of the Indians; returning to the
good monks only when the sound of the bell called
them to the solace of the refectory. Sometimes
also they followed them to the church, to witness
the religious instruction given to the Indians ; which
was found a difficult task, owing to the imperfect
knowledge of the Spanish language possessed by
the latter. The evenings were employed in taking
notes, drying plants, and sketching those that ap-
peared new
The natural beauties of this interesting valley
engaged them so much, that they were long in per-
ceiving the embarrassment felt by their kind enter-
tainers, who had now but a very slender store of
wine and bread. At length, on the 22d September,
they departed, followed by four mules carrying their
instruments and plants. The descent of the rugged
chain of the Brigantine and Cocollar, which is about
4400 feet in height, is exceedingly difficult. The
missionaries have given the name of Purgatory to
an extremely steep and slippery declivity at the base
of a sandstone rock, in passing which the mules,
drawing their hind-legs under their bodies, slide down
ataventure. From this point they saw towards the
left the great peak of Guacharo, which presented a
very picturesque appearance; and soon after enterea
4
VEGETATION AND ANIMALS. 91
a dense forest, through which they descended for
seven hours in a kind of ravine, the path being
formed of steps from two to three feet high, over © |
which the mules leaped like wild goats. Thecreoles ~
have sufficient confidence in these animals to remain
in their saddles during this dangerous passage; but
our travellers preferred walking. |
The forest was exceedingly dense, and consisted
of trees of stupendous size. The guides pointed
out some whose height exceeded 130 feet, while the
diameter of many of the curucays and hymendas
was more than three yards. Next to these, the plants
which most attracted their notice were the dragon’s-
blood (Croton sanguzfluum), the purple juice of which
flowed along the whitish bark, various species of
palms, and arborescent ferns of large size. The old
trunks of some of the latter were covered with a
carbonaceous powder, having a metallic lustre like
graphite. Ht
As they descended the mountain the tree-ferns
diminished, while the number of palms increased.
Large-winged butterflies (nymphales) became more
common, and every thing showed that they were
approaching the coast. The weather was cloudy,
the heat oppressive, and the howling of the monkeys
gave indication of a coming thunder-storm. These
creatures, the arguatoes, resemble a young bear, and
are about three feet long from the top of the head to
the root of the tail. The fur is tufty and reddish-
brown, the face blackish-blue, with a bare and
wrinkled skin, and the tail long and prehensile.
While engaged in observing a troop of them cross
the road upon the horizontal branches of the trees,
the travellers met a company of naked Indians pro-
ceeding towards the mountains of Caripe. The
men were armed with bows and arrows, and the
women, heavily laden, brought up the rear. They
marched in silence, with their eyes fixed on the
ground. Our philosophers, oppressed with the in-
92 . CATUARO.
creasing heat, and faint with fatigue, endeavoured to
learn from them the distance of the missionary con-
vent of Vera Cruz, where they intended to pass
the night; but little information could be obtained
on account of their imperfect knowledge of the Span-
ish language. |
Continuing to descend amid scattered blocks, they
unexpectedly found themselves at the end of .the
forest, when they entered a savanna, the verdure
of which had been renewed by the winter rains.
Here they had a splendid view of the Sierra. del
Guacharo, the northern declivity of which presented
an almost perpendicular wall, exceeding 3200 feet in
height, and scantily covered with vegetation. The
- ground before them consisted of several level spaces,
lying above each other like vast steps. The mission
of Vera Cruz, which is situated in the middle of it,
_ they reached in the evening, and next day continued
their journey towards the Gulf of Cariaco.
Proceeding on their way, they entered another
forest, and reached the station of Catuaro, situated
in a very wild spot, where they lodged at the house
of the priest. Their host was a doctor of divinity,
a thin little man, of petulant vivacity, who talked —
continually of a lawsuit in which he was engaged
with the superior of his convent, and wished to know
what Humboldt thought of free- will and the souls of
animals. At this place they met with the corregidor
of the district, an amiable person, who gave them
three Indians to assist in cutting a way through the
forest, the lianas and intertwining branches having
obstructed the narrow lanes. . The little missionary,
however, insisted on accompanying them to Cariaco,
and contrived to render the road extremely tedious
by his observations on the necessity of the slave-
trade, the innate wickedness of. blacks, and the ben-
efit which they derived from being reduced to
‘bondage by Christians.
The road which they followed sic the forest
_ CARIACO—INTERMITTENT FEVER, 93
of Catuaro resembled that of the preceding day.
The clay, which filled the path and rendered it ex-
cessively slippery, was produced by layers of sand-
stone and slate-clay which cross the calcareous
strata. At length, after a fatiguing march, they
reached the town of Cariaco, on the coast, where
they found a great part of the inhabitants confined
to their beds with intermittent fever. The low situa-
tion of the place, as weil as of the surrounding dis-
trict, the great heat and moisture, and the stagnant
marshes generated during the rainy season, are
supposed to be the causes of this disease, which
often assumes a malignant character, and is accom-
panied with dysentery. Men of colour, and espe-
cially creole negroes, resist the influence of the cli-
mate much better than any other race. It is gen-
erally observed, however, that the mortality is less
than might be supposed ; for although intermittent
fevers, when they attack the same individual several
years in succession, alter and weaken the constitu-
tion, they donot usually cause death. It is remark-
able that the natives believe the air to have become
more vitiated in proportion as a larger extent of land
has been cultivated; but the miasmata from the
marshes, and the exhalations from the mangroves,
avicenniz, and other astringent plants growing on
the borders of the sea, are probably the real causes
of the unhealthiness of the coasts.
In 1800 the town of Cariaco contained more than
6000 inhabitants, who were actively employed in the
cultivation - of cotton, the produce of. which ex-
ceeded 10,000 quintals (9057 lbs. avoirdupois). The
capsules, after the separation of the wool, were
carefully burnt, as they were thought to occasion
noxious exhalations when thrown into the river.
Cacao and sugar were also raised to a considerable
extent.
As our travellers were not sufficiently inured to
the climate, they considered it prudent to leave Cari-
94 GULF OF CARIACO,
aco as expeditiously as possible on account of the
fever. Embarking early in the morning, they pro-
ceeded westward along the river of Carenicuar,
which flows through a deep marshy soil covered
with gardens and plantations of cotton. The Indian
women were washing their linen with the fruit of
the parapara (Sapindus saponaria). Contrary winds,
accompanied with heavy rain and thunder, rendered
the voyage disagreeable; more especially as the
canoe was narrow and overloaded with raw sugar,
plantains, cocoanuts, and passengers. Swarms of
flamingoes, egrets, and cormorants were flying to-
wards the shore, while the alcatras, a large species
of pelican, less affected by the weather, continued
fishing in the bay. The general depth of the sea is
from 288 to 320 feet; but at the eastern extremity
of the gulf it is only from nineteen to twenty-five
feet for an extent of seventeen miles, and there is
a sandbank which at low water resembles a small
island. They crossed the part where the hot springs
rush from the bottom of the ocean; but it being high
water the change of temperature was not very per-
ceptible. The contrary winds continuing, they were
forced to land at Pericautral, a small farm on the
south side of the gulf. The coast, although cov-
ered by a beautiful vegetation, was almost destitute
of human labour, and scarcely possessed seven hun-
dred inhabitants. The cocoa-tree is the principal
ebject of cultivation. This palm thrives best in the
_ neighbourhood of the sea, and like the sugar-cane, the
plantain, the mammee-apple, and the alligator-pear,
may be watered either with fresh or salt water. In
other parts of America it is generally nourished
around farm-houses; but along the Gulf of Cariaco
it forms real plantations, and at Cumana they talk
of a hacienda de coco, as they do of a hacienda de
canna, or de cacao. In moist and fertile ground it
begins to bear abundantly the fourth year; but in
dry soils it does not produce fruit until the tenth.
>
=—
RETURN TO CUMANA. 95
Its duration does not generally exceed ninety or a
hundred years ; at which period its mean height is
about eighty feet. Throughout this coast a cocoa-
tree supplies annually about a hundred nuts, which
yield eight flascoes of oil. The flasco is sold for
about sixtéen pence. A great quantity is made at
Cumana, and Humboldt frequently witnessed the
arrival there of canoes containing 3000 nuts. The
oil, which is clear and destitute of smell, is well
adapted for burning.
After sunset they left the farm of Pericautral, and
at three in the morning reached the mouth of the
Manzanares, after passing a very indifferent night in
a narrow and deeply-ladencanoe. Having been for
several weeks accustomed to mountain scenery,
gloomy forests, and rainy weather, they were struck
by the barrenness of the soil, the clearness of the
sky, and the mass of reflected light by which the
neighbourhood of Cumana is characterized. . At sun-
rise they saw the zamuro vultures (Vultur aura),
perched on the cocoa-trees in large flocks. These
birds go to roost long before night, and do not quit
their place of repose until after the heat of the solar
rays is felt. The same idleness, as it were, is in-
dulged by the trees with pinnate leaves, such as the
mimosas and tamarinds, which close these organs
half an hour before the sun goes down, and unfold —
them in the morning only after he has been some
time visible. In our climates the leguminous plants
open their leaves during the morning twilight. Hum-
boldt seems to think that the humidity deposited
upon the parenchyma by the refrigeration of the
foliage, which is the effect of the nocturnal radia-
tion, prevents the action of the first rays of the sun
xpon them. |
96 NATIVE RACES.
CHAPTER IX.
Indians of New-Andalusia.
Physical Constitution and Manners of the Chaymas—Their Lan-
guages—American Races.
Ir is the custom of Humboldt, in his “ Journey to
the Equinoctial Region,” to stand still after an ex-
cursion, reflect, and present tohis readers the result
of his inquiries on any subject that has fixed his at-
tention. For example, on concluding the narrative
of his visit to the Chayma missions, he gives a gen-
eral account of the aborigines of New-Andalusia, of
which an abridgment is here offered.
The north-eastern part of equinoctial America,
Terra Firma, and the shores of the Orinoco, resem-
ble, in the multiplicity of the tribes by which they
are inhabited, the defiles of Caucasus, the mountains
of Hindookho, and the northern extremity of Asia,
beyond the Tungooses and the Tartars of the mouth
of the Lena. The barbarism which prevails in these
various regions is perhaps less owing to am original
absence of civilization than to the effects of a long
debasement ; and if every thing connected with the
first population of a continent were known, we should
probably find that savages are merely tribes banished
from mn society and driven into the forests. At the
commencement of the conquest of America, the na-
tives were collected into large bodies only on the
ridge of the Cordilleras and the coast opposite to
Asia, while the vast savannas, and the great plains
covered by forests and intersected by rivers, pre-
sented wandering tribes, separated by differences of
language and manners.
In New-Andalusia, Cumana, and New-Barcelona,
WILD AND CIVILIZED INDIANS. 97
the aborigines still form fully one-half of the scanty
population. Their number may be about 60,000, of
which 24,000 inhabit the first of these provinces.
This amount appears large when we refer to the
hunting tribes of North America, but seems the re-
verse when we look to those districts of New-Spain
where agriculture has been followed for more than
eight centuries. Thus, the intendancy of Oaxaca,
which forms part of the old Mexican empire, and
which is one-third smaller than the two provinces
of Cumana and Barcelona, contains more than 400,000
of the original race. The Indians of Cumana do not
all live assembled in the missions, some being found
dispersed in the neighbourhood of towns along the
coasts. The stations of the Arragonese Capuchins
contain 15,000, almost all of the Chayma tribe. The
villages, however, are less crowded than in the
province of Barcelona, their indigenous population
being only between five and six hundred ; whereas,
more to the west, in the establishments of the Fran-
ciscans of Piritoo, there are towns of 2000 or 3000
inhabitants. Besides the 60,000 natives of the prov-
inces of Cumana and Barcelona; there are some
thousands of Guaraounoes who have preserved their
independence in the islands at the mouth of the
Orinoco. Excepting afew families there are no wild
Indians in New-Andalusia. |
The term wild or savage Humboldt says he uses
with regret, because it implies a difference of cultiva-
tion which does not always exist between the re-
duced or civilized Indian, living in the missions, and
the free or independent Indian. In the forests of
South America there are tribes which dwell in vil-
lages, rear plantains, cassava, and cotton, and are
scarcely more barbarous than those in the religious
establishments, who have been taught to make the
sign of the Cross. It is an error to consider all the
free natives as wandering hunters; for agriculture
existed on the saan long before the arrival. of
va be
ee
98 PROGRESS OF THE MISSIONS.
the Europeans, and still exists between the Orinoce
and the Amazons, in districts to which they have
never penetrated. The system of the missions has
produced an attachment to landed property, a fixed
residence, and a taste for quiet life ; but the baptized
Indian is often as little a Christian as his heathen
brother is an idolater—both discovering a marked
indifference for religious opinions, and a tendency to
worship nature.
There is no reason to believe that in the Spanish
colonies the number of Indians has diminished since
the conquest. There are still more than six mil-
lions of the copper-coloured race in both Americas ;
and although tribes and languages have been de-
stroyed or blended in those colonies, the natives
have in fact continued to increase. In the temperate
zone the contact of Europeans with the indigenous
population becomes fatal to the latter ; but in South
America the result is different, and there they do
not dread the approach of the whites. In the former
case a vast extent of country is required by the In-
dians, because they live by hunting; but in the latter
a small piece of ground suffices to afford subsistence
for a family.
In these provinces the Europeans advance slowly;
and the religious orders have founded establishments:
between the regions inhabited by them and those
possessed by the independent Indians. The mis-
sions have no doubt encroached on the liberty of the
natives, but they have generally been favourable to
the increase of the population. As the preachers
advance into the interior the planters invade their
territory, the whites and the castes of mixed breed
settle among the Indians, the missions become Span-
ish villages, and finally the old inhabitants lose their -
original manners and language. In this way civili-
zation advances from the coasts towards the centre
of the continent.
New-Andalusia and Barcelona contain more thay
CHARACTER OF THE INDIANS. 99
fourteen tribes of Indians. Those of the former are
the Chaymas, Guayquerias, Pariagotoes, Quaquas,
Aruacas, Caribs, and Guaraounoes ; and those of the
latter, the Cumanagatoes, Palenkas, Caribs, Piritoos,
Tomoozas, Topocuares, Chacopatas, and Guarivas.
The precise number of the Guaraounoes, who. live
in huts elevated on trees at the mouth of the Ori-
noco,is not known. There are two thousand Guay-
querias in the suburbs of Cumana and the peninsula
of Araya. Of the other tribes the Chaymas of the
mountains of Caripe, the Caribs of New-Barcelona,
and the Cumanagatoes of the missions of Piritoo,
are the most numerous. The language of the
Guaraounoes, and that of the Caribs, Cumanagatoes,
and Chaymas, are the most general, and seem to
belong to the same stock.
Although the Indians attached to the missions are
all ayvriculturists, cultivate the same plants, build
their huts in the same manner, and lead the same
kind of life, yet the shades by which the several
tribes are distinguished remain unchanged. There
are few of these villages in which the families do
not belong to different tribes, and speak different
languages. The, missionaries have, indeed, pro-
hibited the use of various practices and ceremonies,
and have destroyed many superstitions; but they
have not been able to alter the essential character
common to all the American races, from Hudson’s
Bay to the Straits of Magellan. The instructed In-
dian, more secure of subsistence than the untamed
native, and less exposed to the fury of hostile neigh-
bours or of the elements, leads a more monotonous
life, possesses the mildness of character which
arises from the love of repose, and assumes a sedate
and mysterious air; but the sphere of his ideas has
received little enlargement, and the expression of
melancholy which his countenance exhibits is merely
the result of indolence.
The Chaymas, of whom more than fifteen thousand
—
>a
100 THE CHAYMAS.
inhabit the Spanish villages, and who border on the
Cumanagatoes towards the west, the Guaraounoes
towards the east, and the Caribs towards the south,
occupy part of the elevated mountains of the Co-
collar and Guacharo, as also the banks of the Gua-
rapiche, Rio Colorado, Areo, and the Cano of Caripe.
The first attempt to reduce them to subjection was
made in the middle of the seventeenth century, by
Father Francisco of Pamplona, a person of great
zeal and intrepidity. The mission subsequently
formed among these people suffered greatly in 1681,
1697, and 1720, from the invasions of: the Caribs ;
while during six years subsequently to 1730, the
population was diminished by the ravages of the
small-pox.
The Chaymas are generally of low stature, their
ordinary height being about five feet two inches;
but their figures are broad and muscular. The colour
of the skin.is a dull brown, inclining to red. The
expression of the countenance is sedate and some-
what gloomy; the forehead is small and retiring;
the eyes sunk, very long and black, but not so small
or oblique as in the Mongolian race; the eyebrows
slender, nearly straight, and black or dark-brown,
and the eyelids furnished with very long lashes;
the cheek -bones are usually high, the hair straight,
the beard almost entirely wanting, as in the same
people, from whom, however, they differ essentially
in having the nose pretty long. ‘The mouth is
wide, the lips broad but not prominent, the chin ex-
tremely short and round, and the jaws remarkable
for their strength. The teeth are white and sound,
the toothache being a disease with which they are
seldom afflicted. The hands are small and slender,
while the feet are large, and the toes possessed of
an extraordinary mobility. They have strong a
family look, that on entering a hut it is often difficult,
among grown-up persons, to distinguish the father
‘from the son. This is attributable to the circum-
THEIR MANNERS. 101
stance of their only marrying in their own tribe, as
well as to their inferior degree of intellectual im-
provement ; the differences between uncivilized and
cultivated man being similar to those between wild
and domesticated animals of the same species.
As they live in avery warm country, they are ex-
cessively averse to clothing. Inspite of the remon-
strances of the monks, men and women remain naked
while within their houses; and, when they go out,
wear only a kind of cotton gown scarcely reaching
to the knees. The dress of the men has sleeves,
while that of the women and boys has none; the
arms, shoulders, and upper part of the breast being
uncovered. Tillthe age of nine the girls are allowed
to go to church naked. The missionaries complain
that the feeling of modesty is very little known to
the younger of the sex. The women are not hand-
) some ; but the maidens have a kind of pleasant mel-
ancholy intheirlooks. No instances of natural de-
formity occurred to the travellers. Humboldt re-
marks, that deviations from nature are exceedingly
rare among certain races of men, especially such as
have the skin highly coloured; an effect which he
does not ascribe solely to a luxurious life or the cor-
ruption of morals, but rather imagines that the im-
munity enjoyed by the American Indians arises from
hereditary organization. The custom of marrying
at a very early age, which depends upon the same
circumstance, is stated to be no way detrimental to
population. It occurs in the most northern parts
of the continent as well as in the warmest, and
therefore is not dependent upon climate.
They have naturally very little hair on the chin,
and the little that appears is carefully plucked out.
This thinness of the beard is common to the Ameri-
can ra although there are tribes, such as the
Chipeways and the Patagonians, in which it assumes
respectable dimensions.
The Chaymas lead a very regular and uniform
12
/
102 INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES.
life. They go to bed at seven, and rise at half after
four. The inside of their huts is kept very clean,
and their hammocks, utensils, and weapons are ar-
ranged in the greatest order. They bathe every
day, and, being generally naked, are thus exempted
from the filth principally caused by clothing. Be-
sides their cabin in the village, they usually have a
smaller one, covered with palm or plantain-leaves,
in some solitary place in the woods, to which they
retire as often as they can; and so strong is the
desire among them of enjoying the pleasures of
savage life, that the children sometimes wander en-
tire days in the forests. In fact, a are often
almost wholly deserted. As in all semi-barbarous
nations, the women are subjected to privation and
* suffering, the hardest labour falling to their share.
The Indians learn Spanish with extreme difficulty ;
-and even when they perfectly understand the mean-
ing of the words, are unable to express the most
simple ideas in that language without embarrass-
ment. They seem to have as little capacity for
comprehending any thing belonging to numbers; the
more intelligent counting in Spanish with the ap-
pearance of great effort only as far as thirty, or per-
haps fifty, while in their own tongue they cannot
proceed beyond five or six. The construction of the
American dialects is so different from that of the
several classes of speech derived from the Latin,
that the Jesuits employed some of the more perfect
among the former instead of their own; and had this
system been generally followed the greatest benefit
would have resulted from it. 'The Chayma appeared
to Humboldt less agreeable to the ear than that of
the other South American tribes.
The Pariagotoes, or Parias, formerly occupied the
coasts of Berbice and Essequibo, the peninsula of
Paria, and the plains of Piritoo and Parima. Little
information, however, is furnished respecting them.
The Guaraounoes are dispersed in the delta of the
¥
OTHER NATIVE TRIBES. 103
Orinoco, and owe their independence to the nature -
of their country. In order to raise their houses
above the inundations of the river, they support
them on the trunks of the mangrove and mauritia
palm. They make bread of the flour obtained from
the pith of the latter tree. Their excellent qualities
as seamen, their perfect knowledge of the mouths
and inosculations of that magnificent stream, and
their great number, give them a certain degree of
political importance. They run with great address
on marshy ground, where the whites, the negroes,
or other Indian tribes, will not venture; and this
circumstance has given rise to the idea of their
being specifically lighter than the rest of the natives.
The Guayquerias are the most intrepid fishermen
of these countries, and are the only persons well
acquainted with the great bank that surrounds the
islands of Coche, Margarita, Sola, and Testigos.
They inhabit Margarita, the peninsula of Araya, and
a suburb of Cumana. ¥
The Quaquas, formerly a very warlike tribe, are
now mingled with the Chaymas attached to the mis-
sions of Cumana, although their original abode was
:
on the banks of the Assiveru.
The Cumanagatoes, to the number of more than
twenty thousand, subject to the Christian stations
of Piritoo, live westward of Cumana, where they
cultivate the ground. At the beginning of the six-
teenth century they inhabited the mountains of the
Brigantine and Parabolota.
The Caribbees of these countries are part of the
remnant of the great Carib nation.
The natives of America may be divided into two
great classes. To the first belong the Esquimaux
of Greenland, Labrador, and Hudson’s Bay, and the
inhabitants of Behring’s Straits, Alaska, and Prince
William’s Sound. The eastern and western branches
of this great family, the Esquimaux proper and the
Tschougages, are united by the most intimate simi-
ays
ke
104 RESIDENCE AT CUMANA.
larity of language, although separated to the im-
mense distance of eight hundred leagues. The in-
habitants of the north-east of Asia are evidently of
the same stock. Like the Malays, this hyperborean
nation resides only on the seacoast. They are of
smaller stature than the other Americans, lively and
loquacious. ‘Their hair is straight and black ; but
their skin is originally white, in which respect they
essentially differ from the other class.
The second race is dispersed over the various re-
gions of the continent, from the northern parts to
the southern extremity. ‘They are of larger size,
more warlike, and more taciturn, and differ in the
colour of their skin. At the earliest age it has more
or less of a coppery tinge in most of the tribes,
while in others the children are fair, or nearly so;
and certain tribes on the Orinoco preserve the same
complexion during their whole life. Humboldt is
of opinion that these differences in colour are but
slightly influenced by climate or other external cir-
cumstances, and endeavours to impress the idea
that they depend on the original constitution, ete Faw
RS wr
+
‘CHAPTER X.
The
Residence at Cumana.
Residence at Cumana—Attack of a Zambo—Eclipse of the Sun—
Extraordinary Atmospherical Phenomena—Shocks of an Earthquake
—Luminous Meteors.
Our travellers remained a month longer at Cu-
mana. As they had determined to make a voyage
on the Orinoco and Rio Negro, preparations of va-
rious kinds were necessary ; and the astronomical
determination of places being the most important
object of this undertaking, it was of essential advan-
®
Ps
REMARKABLE ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA. 105.
tage to observe an eclipse of the sun which was to
happen in the end of October.
On the 27th, the day before the obscuration, they
went out in the evening, as usual, to take the air.
Crossing the beach which separates the suburb of
the Guayquerias from the landing place, they heard
the sound-of footsteps behind, and on turning saw a
tall Zambo, who, coming up, flourished a great palm-
tree bludgeon over Humboldt’s head. He avoided
the stroke by leaping aside ; but Bonpland was less
fortunate ; for, receiving a blow above the temple,
he was felled to the ground. The former assisted
his companion to rise, and both now pursued the
ruffian, who had run off with one of their hats, and
on being seized, drew along knife from his trou-
sers. In the mean time some Biscayan merchants,
who were walking on the shore, came to their as-
sistance; when the Zambo, seeing himself sur-
rounded, took to his heels, and sought refuge in a
cowhouse, from which he was led to prison. The
inhabitants showed the warmest concern for the
_ Strangers; and although Bonpland had a fever dur-
ing the night, he speedily recovered. The object
~ of the Zambo, who soon afterward succeeded in
escaping from the castle of San Antonio, was never
satisfactorily made out.
Notwithstanding this untoward accident, Hum-
boldt was enabled to observe the eclipse. The days
which preceded and followed it displayed very re-
markable atmospheric phenomena. It was what is
called winter in those countries. From the 10th of
October to the 3d of November a reddish vapour
rose in the evening, and in a few minutes covered
the sky. The hygrometer gave no indication of hu-
midity. The diurnal heat was from 82°4° to 89°6°.
Sometimes in the midst of the night the mist dis-
appeared for a moment, when clouds of a brilliant
whiteness formed in the zenith, and extended to-
wards the horizon. On the 18th of October they
é
*
4
+ ig
:
J
were so transparent that they did not conceal stars
even of the fourth magnitude, and the spots of the
moon were very clearly distinguished. They were
arranged in masses at equal distances, and seemed
to be at a prodigious height. From the 28th of Oc-
tober to the 3d of November the fog was thicker
than it had yet been. The heat at night was stifling,
-although the thermometer indicated only 78°8°.
The evening breeze was no longer felt ; the sky ap-
peared as if on fire, and the ground was everywhere
cracked and dusty. On the 4th of November about
two in the afternoon, large clouds of extraordinary
blackness enveloped the mountains of the Brigantine
and Tataraqual, extending gradually to the zenith.
About four, thunder was heard overhead, but at an
immense height, and with a dull and often inter-
rupted sound. At the moment of the strongest
electric explosion, two shocks of an earthquake,
‘separated by an interval of fifteen seconds, were
felt. ‘The people in the streets filled the air with
their cries. Bonpland, who was examining plants,
was nearly thrown on the floor, and Humboldt, who
was lying in his hammock, felt the concussion»
strongly. Its direction was from north to south.
A few minutes before the first there was a violent
gust of wind followed by large drops of rain. The
sky remained cloudy, and the blast was succeeded by
a dead calm, which continued all night. The setting
of the sun presented a scene of great magnificence.
The dark atmospheric shroud was rent asunder close
to the horizon, and the sun appeared at 12° of alti-
tude on an indigo ground, its disk enormously en-
larged and distorted. The clouds were gilded on
the edges, and bundles of rays reflecting the most
brilliant prismatic colours extended over the heavens.
About nine in the evening there was a third shock,
which, although much slighter, was evidently at-
tended with a subterranean noise. The barometer
was a little lower than usual, but the progress of the
106 EARTHQUAKE.
7 i
+
of Rig
EXTRAORDINARY DISPLAY OF METEORS. 107
horary variations was in no way interrupted. In
the night, between the 3d and 4th of November, the
red vapour was so thick that the place of the moor
could be distinguished only by a beautiful halo, 20°
in diameter. e.
Scarcely twenty-two months had elapsed since
the almost total destruction of Cumana by an earth-
quake ; and as the people look on the vapours, and
the failure of the breeze during the night, as prog-
nostics of disaster, the travellers had frequent visits
from persons desirous of knowing whether their in-
struments indicated new shocks on the morrow. On
the 5th, precisely at the same hour, the same phe-
nomena recurred, but without any agitation; and
the gust, accompanied by thunder, returned period-
ically for five or six days. P
This earthquake, being the first that Humboldt
ever felt, made a strong impression upon him ; but
scenes of this kind afterward became so familiar as
to excite little apprehension. It appear¢d to have a
sensible influence on the magnetical phenomena.
_ Soon after his arrival on the coasts of Cumana, he
_ found the dip of the needle 43°53° of the centesimal
division. On the 1st November it was 43°65°. On
the 7th, three days after the concussion, he was
astonished to find it no more than 42°75°, or 90 cen-
tesimal degrees less. A year later, on his return
from the Orinoco, he still found it 42°80°, though the
intensity of the magnetic forces remained the same
after as before the event under consideration, being
expressed by 229 oscillations in ten minutes of time.
On the 7th November he observed the magnetic va-
riation to be 4° 13’ 50” E.
The reddish vapour which appeared about sunset |
ceased on the 7th November. ‘The atmosphere then
assumed its former purity ; and the night of the llth
was cool and extremely beautiful. ‘Towards morn-
ing a very.extraordinary displav of luminous meteors
was observed in the east by M. Bonpland, who had
|
= 7 ee
108 LUMINOUS METEORS.
risen to enjoy the freshness of the air in the gallery
Thousands of fireballs and falling-stars succeeded
each other during four hours, having a direction
from north to south, and filling a space of the sky
extending from the true east 30 degrees on either
side. They rose above the horizon at E.N.E. and
at E., described arcs of various sizes, and fell to- %
wards S., some attaining a height of 40°, and all ex-
‘ceeding 25° or 30°. No trace of clouds was to be
seen, and a very slight easterly wind blew in the
lower regions of the atmosphere. All the meteors
left luminous traces from five to ten degrees in
length, the phosphorescence of which lasted seven or
eight seconds. The fireballs seemed to explode,
but the largest disappeared without scintillation ;
and many of the falling-stars had a very distinct
nucleus, as large as the disk of Jupiter, from which
‘sparks were emitted. The light occasioned by them
was white,—an effect which must be attributed to
the absence of vapours ; stars of the first magnitude
having, within the tropics, a much paler hue at their
- rising than in Europe. )
As the inhabitants of Cumana leave their houses .
before four, to attend the first morning mass, most
of them were witnesses of this phenomenon, which
gradually ceased soon after, although some were
still perceived a quarter of an hour before sunrise. :
The day of the 12th November was exceedingly
hot, and in the evening the reddish vapour reap-
peared in the horizon, and rose to the height of 14°.
This was the last time it was seen that year.
The researches of M. Chladni having directed the |
attention of the scientific world to fireballs and fall-
ing-stars at the period of Humboldt’s departure from
home, he did not fail to inquire, during his journey
from Caraccas to the Rio Negro, whether the me-
teors of the 12th November had been seen. He .
found that they had been observed by various indi-
viduals in places very remote from each other; and
ay
Hh
LUMINOUS METEORS. 109
on returning to Europe was astonished to find that.
they had been seen there also. The following is a
brief account of the facts relating to these phenom-
ena:—I1st, The luminous meteors were seen in the
E. and E.N.E. at 40° of elevation, from 2 to 6 A.M.,
at Cumana, in lat. 10° 27’ 52”, long. 66° 30’; at Porto
Cabello, in. lat. 10° 6’ 52”, long. 67° 5’; and on the
frontiers of Brazil, near the equator, in long. 70°
west. 2dly, The Count de Marbois observed them
in French Guiana, lat. 4° 56’, long. 54° 35’... 3dly,
Mr. Ellicot, astronomer to the United States, being
in the Gulf of Florida on the 12th November, saw
an immense number of meteors, some of which ap-
peared to fall perpendicularly ; and the same phe-
nomenon was perceived on fhe American continent
as far as lat. 30° 42’. 4thly, In Labrador, in lat. 56°
55’, and lat. 58° 4’; in Greenland, in latitudes 61° 5’
and 64° 14’, the natives were frightened by the vast
quantity of fireballs that fell during twilight, some
of them of great size. 5thly, In Germany, Mr.
Zeissing, vicar of Itterstadt near Weimar, in lat. 50°
_ 59’, long. 9° 1’ E., observed, between 6 and 7 in the
morning of the 12th November, some falling-stars
naving a very white light. Soon after reddish
streaks appeared in the 8. and 8.W.; and at dawn
the south-western part of the sky was from time to
time illuminated by white lightning running in ser-
pentine lines along the horizon.
Calculating from these facts, it is manifest that
the height of the meteors was at least 1419 miles;
and as near Weimar they were seen in the S. and
S.W., while at Cumana they were observed in the
E. and N.E., we must conclude that they fell mto
the sea between Africa and South America, to the
west of the Cape Verd Islands.
Without entering into the learned discussion which
Humboldt submits to his readers, respecting the na-
ture of these luminous bodies, we shall merely ob-
serve, that he found falling-stars more frequent in
K
+ r
4
110 - DEPARTURE FROM CUMANA.
the equinoctial regions than in the temperate zone,
and also. th: they occurred oftener over continents
and near certain coasts than on the ocean. He
states, that on the platform of the Andes, there was
observed, upwards of forty years ago, a phenom-
enon similar to that related above as having oc-
curred at Cumana. From the city of Quito an im-
mense number of meteors was seen rising over the
voleano of Cayambo, insomuch that the whole
mountain was thought to be on fire. They con-
tinued more than an hour, and a religious procession
was about to be commenced, when the true nature
of the luminous appearance was discovered.
~
CHAPTER XI.
Voyage from Cumana to Guayra. Y
Passage from Cumana to La Guayra—Phosphorescence of the Sea—
Group of the Caraccas and Chimanas—Port of New-Barcelona—La_
Guayra—Yellow Fever—Coast and Cape Blanco — Road from La
Guayra to Caraccas.
Havine completed the partial investigations which
their short residence admitted, and having insome ~
measure become acclimatized, the adventurous phi-
losophers prepared to leave Cumana. Passing by
sea to La Guayra, they intended to take up their
abode in the town of Caraccas until the rainy season —
should be over; from thence to traverse the Llanos,
or great plains, to the missions of the Orinoco; to
go up that river as far as the Rio Negro; and to re-
turn to Cumana by Angostura, the capital of Spanish
Guiana. m :
On the 16th November, at eight in the evening, the. |
they took their passage in one of the boats which
trade between these coasts and the West India i!
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- PHOSPHORESCENCE OF THE SEA. 113.
* :
islands. They are thirty-two feet long, three feet
high at the gunwale, without decks, and generally
carry from 200 to 250 quintals (181 to 226 ecwts.
avoirdupois). Although the sea is very rough from
Cape Codera to La Guayra, and these boats have an
enormous triangular sail, there had not been an in-
stance for thirty years of the loss of one of them
on the passage from Cumana to Caraccas, so great
is the skill of the Guayqueria pilots. They de-
scended the Manzanares with rapidity, delighted
with the sight of its marginal cocoa-trees, and the
glitter of the thorny bushes covered with noctilu-
cous insects, and left with regret a country in which
every thing had appeared new and marvellous.
Passing at high water the bar of the river, they en-
tered the Gulf of Cariaco, the surface of which was
gently rippled by the evening breeze. In a short
time the coasts were recognised only by the scat-
tered lights of the Indian fishermen.
As they advanced towards the shoal that sur-
rounds Cape Arenas, stretching as far as the petro-
leum springs of Maniquarez, they enjoyed one of
those beautiful sights which the phosphorescence of
the sea so often displays in tropical climates. When
the porpoises, which followed the boat in bands of
fifteen or sixteen, struck the surface of the water
with their tails, they produced a hrilliant light re-
sembling flames. Each troop left behind it a lumi-
nous track; and as few sparks were caused by the
motion of an oar or of the boat, Humboldt conjectured
that the vivid glow produced by these cetaceous ani-
a was owing, not to the stroke of their tails alone,
but also to the gelatinous matter which envelops
their bodies, and which is detached by the waves.
At midnight they found themselves among some
rocky islets, rising in the form of bastions, and con-
stituting the group of the Caraccas and Chimanas.
Many of these eminences are visible from Cumana,
and present the most singular appearances under
K 2
re
a
g. :
¥
114 ISLAND OF BORACHA.
the effect of mirage. Their height, which is prob-
ably not more than 960 feet, seemed much greater
when enlightened by the moon, which now shone in
a clear sky. ‘The travellers were becalmed in the
neighbourhood of these islands, and at sunrise drifted
towards Boracha, the largest of them. The temper-
ature had sensibly increased, in consequence of the
rocks giving out by radiation a portion of the heat
which they had absorbed during the day. As the
sun rose, the clifis projected their lengthened shad-
ows on the ocean, and the flamingoes began to fish
in the creeks. ‘The insular spots were all uninhab-
ited; but on one of them, which had formerly been
the resideuce of a family of whites, there were wild
goats of a large size and brown colour. The inhab-
itants had cultivated maize and cassava; but the
father, after the death of his children, having pur-
chased two black slaves, was murdered by them
One of the assassins eee, informed against
his aceomplice, and at the time of Humboldt’s visit
was hangman.at Cumana.
Proceeding Onwards, they anchored for some
hours in the road of New-Barcelona, at the mouth
of the river Neveri, which is full of crocodiles.
These animais, especially in calm weather, occa
sionally make excursions into the open sea,—a fact
which is interesfing to geologists, on account of the
mixture of marine and fresh water organic remains
that are occasionally observed in some of the more
recent deposites. The port of Barcelona had at
that time a very active commerce, arising from the
demand in the West Indies for salted provision,
oxen, mules, and horses; the merchants of the Ha-
vana being the principal purchasers. Its situa-
tion is extremely favourable for this exportation,
the animals arriving in three days from the Llanos,
while they take more than double that time to reach
Cumana, on account of the chain of mountains which
they have to cross. Hight thousand mules were
* ae a et ae 7
' {ee
;
MORRO DE BARCELONA. 115
embarked at Barcelona, six thousand at Porto Ca-
bello, and three thousand at Carupano, in 1799 and
1800, for the several islands.
Landing on the right bank of the river, they as-
cended to a small! fort, the Morro de Barcelona, built
on acalcareous rock, at an elevation of about 400
feet above the sea, but commanded by a much higher
hill on the south. Here they observed a very curi-
ous geological phenomenon, which recurred in the
Cordilleras of Mexico. The limestone, which had
a dull, even, or flat conchoidal fracture, and was
divided into very thin strata, was traversed by layers
of black slaty jasper, with a similar fracture, and
breaking into fragments having a parallelopipedal
form. It did not exhibit the little veins of quartz so
common in Lydian stone, and was decomposed at
the surface into a yellowish-gray crust.
Setting sail on the 19th at noon, they found the
temperature of the sea at its surface to be 78°6° ;
but when passing through the narrow channel which
separates the Piritoos, in three fathoms it was only
761°. These islands do not rise more than eight
or nine inches above the mean height of the tide,
and are covered with long grass. To the westward
of the Morro de Barcelona and the mouth of the
-Tiver Unare, the ocean became more and more agi-
tated as they approached Cape Codera, the influence
of which extends to a great distance. Beyond this
promontory it always runs very high, although a
gale of wind is never felt along this coast. It blew
fresh during the night, and on the 20th, at sunrise,
they were so far advanced as to be in expectation
of doubling the cape in a few hours; but some of
the passengers having suffered from sea-sickness,
and the pilot being apprehensive of danger from the
' privateers stationed near La Guayra, they made for
the shore, and anchored at nine o’clock in the Bay
of Iliguerota, westward of the Rio Capaya. |
On landing, they found two or three huts inhab-
116 > MANGROVES. :
ited by mestizo fishermen, the livid tint of whom,
together with the miserable appearance of their
children, gave indication of the unhealthy nature of
the coast. The sea is so shallow that one cannot go
ashore in the smallest boat without wading. The
woods come nearly to the beach, which is covered
with mangroves, avicennias, manchineel-trees, and
Suriana maritima, called by the natives romero de la
mar. Here, as elsewhere, the insalubrity of the air
is attributed to the exhalations from the first of these
plants. A faint and sickly smell was perceived, re-
sembling that of the galleries of deserted mines.
The temperature rose to 932°, and the water along
the whole coast acquired a yellowish-brown tint
wherever it was in contact with these a
Struck by this phenomenon, Humboldt gathered
a considerable quantity of branches and roots, with.
the view of making experiments on the mangrove
upon his arrival at Caraccas. ‘The infusion in warm
water was of a brown colour, and had an astringent
taste. It contained extractive matter and tannin,
When kept in contact with atmospheric air under a
glass jar for twelve days, the purity of the latter
was not perceptibly affected. The wood and roots
placed under water were exposed to the rays of the
sun. Bubbles of air were disengaged, which at the
end of ten days amounted to a volume of 40 cubic
inches. These consisted of azote and carbonic acid,
with atrace of oxygen. Lastly, the same substances
thoroughly wetted were enclosed with a given vol-
ume of atmospheric air in a phial. The whole of
the oxygen disappeared. These experiments led
him to think that it is the moistened bark and fibre
that act upon the atmosphere, and not the brownish
water which formed a distinct belt along the coast.
Many travellers attribute the smell perceived among
mangroves to the disengagement of sulphuretted
hydrogen, but no appearance of this kind was ob-
served in the course of these invesigaliORs | }
CAPE CODERA. 117
“Besides,” says Humboldt, “a thick wood cover-
ing a muddy ground would diffuse noxious exhala-
tions in the atmosphere, were it composed of trees
which in themselves have no deleterious property.
Wherever mangroves grow on the margin of the.
sea, the beach is peopled with multitudes of mol-
lusca and insects. ‘These animals prefer the shade
-and a faint light; and find shelter from the waves
among the closely interlaced roots which rise like
lattice-work above the surface of the water. Shells
attach themselves to the roots, crustaceous animals
nestle in the hollow trunks, the seaweeds which
the wind and tide drive upon the shore remain
hanging upon the recurved branches. In this man-
ner the maritime forests, by accumulating masses
of mud among their roots, extend the domain of the
continents ; but, in. proportion as they gain upon
the sea, they scarcely experience any increase in
breadth, their very progress becoming the cause of
their destruction. The mangroves and the other
plants with which they always associate die as the
ground dries, and when the salt-water ceases to
bathe them. Centuries after, their decayed trunks,
covered with shells, and half-buried in the sand,
mark both the route which they have followed in
their migrations, and the limit of the land which
they have wrested from the ocean.”
Cape Codera, seven miles distant from the Bay of
lliguerota, is more imposing on account of its mass
than for its elevation, which appeared to be only
1280 feet. It is precipitous on the north, west, and
east. Judging from the fragments of rock found
along the coast, and from the hills near the town,
it is composed of foliated gneiss, containing nodules
of reddish felspar, and little quartz. The strata
next the bay have the same dip and direction as the
great mountain of the Silla, which stretches from
Caraccas to Maniquarez in the isthmus of Araya,
and seem to prove that the primitive chain forming
118 ARRIVAL. AT LA GUAYRA.
that neck of Tad; after being disruptured or swal-
lowed up by the sea along an extent of 121 miles,
reappears at Cape Codera, and runs westward in an
unbroken line. ‘Towards the north the cape forms
an immense segment of asphere, and at its foot
stretches a tract of low land, known to navigators
by the name of the Points of Tutumo and of San
Francisco.
The passengers in the boat dreaded the rolling in
a rough sea so much, that they resolved to proceed
to Caraccas by land, and M. Bonpland, following
their example, procured a rich collection of plants.
Humboldt, however, continued the voyage, as it
seemed hazardous to lose sight of the instruments.
Setting sail at the beginning of the night, they
doubled Cape Codera with difficulty, the wind being
unfavourable, and the surges short and high. On
the 2ist of N ovember, at sunrise, they were oppo-
site Curuao, to the west of the cape. The Indian
pilot was frightened at seeing an English frigate only
a mile distant; but they escaped without attracting
notice. The mountains were everywhere precipi-
tous, and from 3200 to 4300 feet high, while along
the shore was a tract of low humid land, glowing
with verdure, and producing a great part of the fruits
found so abundantly i in the neighbouring markets.
The peaks of Niguatar and the Silla of Caraccas
form the loftiest summits of this chain. In the
fields and valleys the sugar-cane and maize are cul-
tivated. To the west of Caravalleda the declivities
along-shore are again very steep. After passing this
place they discovered the - of Macuto, the
black rocks of La Guayra covered with batteries,
and in the distance the long promontory of Cabo
Blanco, with conical summits of dazzling © a
ness.
Humboldt landed at Guayra, and im the evening
za
SHARKS——LA GUAYRA. 119
rains and inundations. The former he describes as
rather a road than a port, the sea being always agi-
tated, and ships suffering from the action of the wind,
the tideways, the bad anchorage, and the worms.
The lading is taken in with difficulty. 'The free mu-
lattoes and negroes, who carry the cocoa on board
the ships, are remarkable for their strength. They
go through the water up to their middles, although
this place abounds in sharks, from which, however,
they have in reality nothing to dread. It is singular,
that while these animals are dangerous and blood-
thirsty at the island opposite the coast of Caraccas,
at the Roques, at Buenos Ayres, and at Curassao,
they do not disturb persons swimming in the ports
of Guayra and Santa Martha. As an analogous fact,
Humboldt mentions that the crocodiles of one pool
in the Llanos are cowardly, while those of another
attack with the greatest fierceness.
The situation of La Guayra resembles that of
Santa Cruz in Teneriffe; the houses, which are built
on a flat piece of ground about 640 feet broad, being
backed by a wall ‘of rock, beyond which is a chain
of mountains. The town consists of two parallel
streets, and contains 6000 or 8000 inhabitants. The
heat is greater than even at Cumana, Porto Cabello,
or Coro, the seabreeze being less felt, and the tem-
perature being increased by the radiant caloric emitted
by the rocks after sunset.
The examination of the thermometrical observa-
tions made at La Guayra during nine months by
Don Joseph Herrera enabled Humboldt to compare
the climate of that — port with those of Cumana,
Havana, and Vera Cruz. The result of this com-
- parison was, that the first mentioned is one of the
hottest places on the globe ; that the quantity of heat
whic ean: in the course of a year is a little
greater than that experienced at Cumana; but that
in November, December, and January, the atmo-
sphere coolsto alower point. The mean temperature
1 es
eas
120 YELLOW FEVER.
of the year in these several districts is as follows :—
At La Guayra, nearly 82°6°; at Cumana, 81.2°; at
Vera Cruz, '77°7°; at Havana, 78°19; while at Rio
Janeiro it is 74°5°; at Santa Cruz in Teneriffe, 71°4° ;
at Cairo, 72.3°; and at Rome, 60°4°.
At the time of Humboldt’s visit to La Cia:
the yellow fever, or calentura amarilla, had been
known only two years there, and the mortality had
not been very great, as the confluence of strangers
was less than at Havana and Vera Cruz. Some
individuals, even creoles and mulattoes, were occa:
sionally taken off by remittent attacks, complicated
with bilious symptoms and hemorrhages, and their
death often alarmed unseasoned Europeans; but the
disease was not propagated. On the coast of Terra
Firma this malignant typhus was known only at
Porto Cabello, Carthagena, and Santa Martha. But
since 1797 things. have changed. ‘The extension of
commerce having caused an influx of Europeans and
seamen from the United States, the distemper in
question soon appeared. It is maintained by some,
that it was-introduced by a brig from Philadelphia,
while others think it took its birth in the country
itself, and attribute its origin to a change in the
constitution of the atmosphere caused by the over-
flowings of the Rio de la Guayra, which inundated
the town. This fever has since continued its rav-
ages, and has proved fatal, not only to troops newly
arrived from Spain, but also to those raised far from
the coast, in the Llanos between Calabozo and Uri-
tuco, a region nearly as hot as La Guayra itself. It
scarcely ever passes beyond the ridge of mountains
that separates this province from the valley of Ca-
raccas, which has long been exempted from it. The
following are the principal pathological facts paring
reference to this frightful pestilence :-—
When a great number of persons, born in a cold
climate, arrive at a port in the torrid zone, the insa-
lubrity of which has not been particularly dreaded
YFLLOW FEVER. i 121
by navigators, the American typhus (black vomit-
ing, or yellow fever) makes its appearance. These
persons, we may add, are not affected by it during
the passage ; it manifests itself only on the spot.
Has the constitution of the atmosphere beenchanged?
asks Humboldt; or, has a new form of disease de-
veloped itself in individuals whose excitability is
raised to a high pitch?
The malady forthwith attacks other Europeans
born in warmer countries. Immediate contact does
not increase the danger, nor does seclusion diminish
it. When the sick are removed to the interior, and
especially to cooler and more elevated places, they
do not communicate the typhus to the inhabitants.
Whenever a considerable diminution of temperature
occurs, the distemper usually ceases; but it again
begins at the commencement of the hot season,
although no ship may have entered the harbour for
several months. 3
The yellow fever disappears periodically at Ha-
vana and at Vera Cruz, when the north winds
carry the cold air of Canada towards the Mexican
Gulf; but as Porto Cabello, La Guayra, New-Bar-
celona, and Cumana possess an extreme equality of
temperature, it is probable that it will become per-
manent there. Happily, the mortality has diminished
since the treatment has been varied according to the
modifications which the disease assumes. In well-
managed hospitals, the number of deaths is often
reduced to eighteen or fifteen in a hundred; but when
the sick are crowded together the loss increases to
one-half, or even more. a
To the west of La Guayra there are several in-
dentations of the land which furnish excellent an-
chorage. The coast is granitic, and a great portion
_of it extremely unhealthy. At Cape Blanco the
gneiss passes into mica-slate, containing beds of
chlorite-slate, in which garnets and magnetic sand
occur. On the road to Catia the chlorite-slate is
L' R
+
’
122 ROAD TO CARACCAS. Os
seen passing into hornblende-slate. At the foot of
the promontory the sea throws on the beach rolled
fragments of a granular mixture of hornblende and
felspar, in which traces of quartz and pyrites are |
recognised. On the western declivity of that hill
the gneiss is covered by a recent sandstone or con-
glomerate, in which are observed angular fragments
of gneiss, quartz, and chlorite, magnetic sand, mad-
repores, and bivalve shells. The latitude of the
cape is 10° 36’ 45”; that of La Guayrais 10° 36'19”,
its longitude 67° 5’ 49”.
The road from La Guayra to Caraccas resembles
the passages over the Alps ; but as it is kept in tol-
erable repair, it requires only three hours to go with
mules from the port to the capital, and two hours to
return. The ascent commences with a ridge of
rocks, and is extremely laborious. Jn the steepest
parts the path winds in a zigzag manner. At the
Salto, or Leap, there is a crevice which is passed by
a drawbridge, and on the summit of the mountain
are fortifications. Half-way is La Venta (the Inn);
beyond which there is a rise of 960 feet to Guayavo,
which is not far from the highest part of the route.
At the fort of La Cuchilla Humboldt was nearly
made prisoner by some Spanish soldiers, whom he
however contrived to pacify. Round the little inn
several travellers were assembled, who were dis-
puting on the efforts that had been made towards
obtaining independence ; on the hatred of the mulat-
toes against the free negroes and whites; the wealth
of the monks; and on the difficulty of holding
slaves in obedience. From Cae the road passes
over a smooth table-land covered with alpine plants;
and here is seen for the first time the capital, stand-
ing nearly 2000 feet lower, in a beautiful valley en-
closed by lofty mountains.
The ridges between La Guayra and Caraccas con-
sist of gneiss. On the south side the eminence,
which bears the name of Avila, is traversed by veins
+ *
3S
*
all
VENEZUELA. 123
of quartz, containing rutile in prisms of two or three
lines in diameter. The gneiss of the intervening
valley contains red and green garnets, which disap-
_ pear when the rock passes into mica-slate. Near
the cross of La Guayra, half a league distant from
Caraccas, there were vestiges of blue copper-ore
disseminated in veins of quartz, and small layers of
graphite. Between the former point and the spring
of Sanchorquiz were beds of bluish-gray primitive
limestone, containing mica, and traversed by veins
of white calcareous spar. In this deposite were
found crystals of pyrites and rhomboidal fragments
of sparry iron-ore. |
CHAPTER XII.
City of Caraccas and surrounding District.
City of Caraccas—General View of Venezuela—Population—Climate—
Character of the Inhabitants of Caraccas—Ascent of the Silla—Geo-
logical Nature of the District, and the Mines.
Caraccas, the capital of the former captain-gen-
eralship of Venezuela, is more known to Europeans
on account of the earthquakes by which it was des-
olated than from its importance in a political or com-
mercial point of view. Atthe present day it is the
chief city of a district of the same name, forming
part of the republic of Colombia; though, at the
time of Humboldt’s visit, it was the metropolis ofa
Spanish colony which contained nearly a million of
inhabitants, and consisted of New-Andalusia, or the
province of Cunmiana, New-Barcelona, Venezuela or
Caraccas, Coro, and Maracaybo, along the coast;
and in the interior, the provinces of Varinas and
Guiana.
‘ % ‘2
*
124 THREE DISTINCT ZONES.
In a general point of view Venezuela presents
three distinct zones. Along the shore, and near the
chain of mountains which skirts it, we find culti-
vated land; behind this, savannas or pasturages ; and
beyond the Orinoco, a mass of forests, penetrable
only by means of the rivers by which it is traversed.
In these three belts, the three principal stages of
civilization are found more distinct than in almost
any other region. We have the life of the wild
hunter in the woody district—the pastoral life in the
savannas—and the agricultural in the valleys and
plains which descend to various parts of the coast.
Missionaries and a few soldiers occupy advanced
posts on the southern frontiers. In this section are
felt the preponderance of force and the abuse of
power. The native tribes are engaged in perpetual
hostilities; the monks endeavour to augment the
little villages of their missions by availing them-
selves of the dissensions of the Indians; and the
soldiers live in a state of war with the clergy. In
the second division, that. of the plains and prairies,
where food is extremely abundant, little advance has
been made in civilization, and the inhabitants live in
huts partly covered with skins. It is in the third
district alone, where agriculture and commerce are
pursued, that society has made any progress.
_ In following our travellers through these interest-
ing countries, it is necessary that we lose sight. in
some measure of the present constitution of the
South American states, and view them simply as
Spanish provinces. When we seek, says Humboldt,
to form a precise idea of those vast regions, which
for ages have been governed by viceroys and cap-
tains-general, we must fix our attention on several
points. We must distinguish the parts of Spanish
America that are opposite to Asia, and those that are
washed by the Atlantic,—we must observe where the
greatest part of the population is placed, whether near
the coast, or in the interior, or on the table-lands of the
4
oh
POPULATION OF VENEZUELA. 125
Cordilleras,—we must determine the numerical pro-
‘portions between the natives and other inhabitants,
and examine to what race, in each part of the col-
onies, the greater number ‘of whites belong. The
inhabitants of the different districts of the mother-
country preserve in some measure their moral pecu-
liarities in the New World, although they have under-
gone various modifications depending upon the phy-
sical constitution of their new abode.
In Venezuela, whatever is connected with an ad-
vanced state of civilization is found along the coast,
which has an extent of more than two hundred
leagues. It is washed by the Caribbean Sea, a kind
of Mediterranean, on the shores of which almost
all the European nations have founded colonies,
and which communicates at several points with the
Atlantic Ocean. Possessing much facility of inter-
course with the inhabitants of other parts of Amer-
ica, and with those of Europe, the natives have ac-
quired a great degree of knowledge and opulence.
The Indians constitute a large proportion of the
agricultural residents in those places only where the
conquerors found regular and long-established gov-
ernments, as in New Spain and Peru. In the prov-
ince of Caraccas, for example, the native popula-
tion is inconsiderable, having been in 1800 not more
than one-ninth of the whole, while in Mexico it
formed nearly one-half. The black slaves do not
exceed one-fifteenth of the general mass, whereas
in Cuba they were in 1811 as one to three, and in
other West India islands still more numerous. In
the seven United Provinces of Venezuela there
were 60,000 slaves; while Cuba, which has but one-
eighth of the extent, had 212,000. The blacks of
these countries are so unequally distributed, that in
the district of Caraccas alone there were nearly
40,000, of which one-fifth were mulattoes. Hum-
boldt estimates the creoles, or Hispano-Americans,
L2
us
126 CITY OF CARACCAS.
at 210,000 in a population of 900,000, and the Euro-
peans, not including troops, at 12,000 or 15,000. #
Caraccas was then the seat of ‘adencia, or
high court of justice, and one of ‘the sight arch-
bishoprics into which Spanish America was divided.
Its population in 1800 was about 40,000. In 1766
great devastation was made by the small-pox, from
6000 to 8000 individuals having perished; but since
that period inoculation has become general. In
1812 the inhabitants amounted to 50,000, of which
12,000 were destroyed by the earthquakes; while
the political events which succeeded that catas-
trophe reduced their number to less than twenty
thousand.
_ The town is situated at the entrance of the valley
of Chacao, which is ten miles in length, eight and a
half miles in breadth, and about 2660 feet above the
level of the sea. The ground occupied by it is a
steep uneven slope. It was founded by Diego de
Losada in 1567. Three small rivers descending
from the mountains traverse the line of its direction;
it contained eight churches, five convents, and a
theatre capable of holding 1500 or 1800 persons.
The streets were wide, and crossed each other at
right angles; the pposes spacious and lofty.
The small extent of the valley, and the proximity
ee the mountains of Avila and the Silla, give a stern
and gloomy character to the scenery, particularly in
November and December, when the vapours accu-
mulate towards evening along the high grounds; in
June and July, however, the atmosphere is clear and
the air pure and delicious. The two rounded sum-
mits of the latter are seen from Caraccas, nearly
under the same angle of elevation as the Peak of
Teneriffe is observed from Orotava. The first half
of the ascent is covered with grass; then succeeds
a zone of evergreen trees; while above this the
rocky masses rise in the form of domes destitute of
vegetation. The cultivated region below forms an
»
_ CLIMATE. 127
agreeable contrast to the sombre aspect of the tow-
ering ridges which overhang the town, as well as of
the hills to the north.
_ The climate of Caraccas is a perpetual spring, the
emperature by day being between 68° and 79°, and
y night between 66° and 64°. It is, however, liable
to great variations, and the Inhabitants complain of
having several seasons in twenty-four hours, as well
as a too rapid transition from one to another. In
January, for example, a night of which the mean
heat does not exceed 60° is followed by a day in
which the thermometer rises above 71° in the shade.
Although im our mild climates oscillations of this
kind produce no disagreeable effects, yet in the tor-
rid zone Europeans themselves are so accustomed
to uniformity in the temperature, that a difference
of a few degrees is productive of unpleasant sensa-
tions. This inconvenience is aggravated here by
the position of the town in a narrow valley, which
is at one time swept by a wind from the coast, loaded
with humidity, and depositing its moisture in the
higher regions as the warmth decreases; and at an-
other by a dry breeze from the interior, which dissi-
pates the vapours and unveils the mountain-summits.
This inconstancy of climate, however, is not pecu-
liar to Caraccas, but is common to the whole equi-
noctial regions near the tropics. Uninterrupted
serenity during a great part of the year prevails only
in the low districts adjoining the sea, or on the ele-
vated table-lands of the interior. The intermediate
zone is misty and variable. |
In this province the sky is generally less blue than
at Cumana. The intensity of colour measured by —
Saussure’s cyanometer was commonly 18°,
never above 20°, from November to January, while
on the coasts it was from 22° to 25°. The mean
temperature is estimated by Humboldt at 68° or 72°.
The heat very seldom rises to 84°, and in winter
‘it has been observed to fall as low as 52°. The
128 RESIDENCE AT CARACCAS.
cold at night is more felt on account of its being
usually accompanied by a misty sky. Rains are
verv frequent in April, May, and June. No hail falls
in the low regions of the tropics, but it is seen here
every fourth or fifth year.
The coffee-tree is much cultivated in the valley,
and the sugar-cane thrives even ata still greater
height. The banana, the pineapple, the vine, the
strawberry, the quince, the apple, the peach, to-
gether with maize, pulse, and corn, grow in great
perfection. But although the atmospheric consti-
tution of this alpine vale be favourable to diversified
culture, it is not equally so to the health of the in-
habitants, as the inconstancy of the weather and the
frequent suppression of cutaneous perspiration give
rise to catarrhal affections ; and a European, once
accustomed to the violent heat, enjoys better health
in the low country, where the air is not very humid,
than in the elevated and cooler districts. _
The travellers remained two months at Caraccas,
where they lived in a large house in the upper part
of the town, from which they had an extensive view
of the mountain-plain, the ridge of the Gallipano,
and the summit of the Silla. It was the season of
drought, and the conflagrations intended to improve
the pasturage produced the most singular effects
when seen at night.
They experienced the greatest kindness from all
classes of the inhabitants, and more especially from:
the captain-general of the province, M. de Guevara
Vascongelos. Caraccas being situated on the con-
tinent, and its population less mutable than that of
the islands, the national manners had not undergone ©
so materialachange. Notwithstanding the increase
of the blacks, says Humboldt, at Caraccas and the
Havana, we seem to be nearer Cadiz and the
United States. than in any other part of the New
World. There was nothing to be seen of the cold
and assuming .air so common in Europe; on the’
-
a8
ASCENT OF THE SILLA. 129
contrary, conviviality, candour, uniform cheerful-
ness, and politeness of address, characterized the
natives of Spanish origin. The travellers found in
several families a taste for instruction, some know-
ledge of French and Italian literature, and a particular
predilection for music. But there was a total de-
ficiency of scientific attainments; nor had the sim-
plest of all the physical sciences, botany, a single
cultivator. Previous to 1806 there were no printing-
offices in Caraccas.
_ Believing that in a country which presents such
enchanting views, and exhibits such a profusion of
natural productions, he should find many persons
well acquainted with the surrounding mountains,
Humboldt yet failed to discover one individual who
had visited the summit of the Silla. But the gov-
' ernor having ordered the proprietor of a plantation
to furnish the philosophers with negro guides who
knew eapething of the way, they prepared for the
ascent.
As in the whole month of December the moun-
tain had appeared only five times without clouds,
and as at that season two clear days seldom succeed
each other, they were advised to choose for their
excursion an interval when, the clouds being low,
they might hope by passing through them to enter
into a transparent atmosphere. They spent the night
of the 2d of January at a coffee-plantation, near a
ravine, in which the little river Chacaito formed
some fine cascades. At five in the morning they
set out, accompanied by slaves carrying their instru-
ments, and about seven reached a promontory of the
Silla, connected with the body of the mountain by
a narrow dike. The weather was fine and cool.
They proceeded along this ridge of rocks, between
two deep valleys covered with vegetation ; the large,
shining, and coriaceous leaves, illumined by the sun,
presenting a very picturesque appearance. Beyond
this point the ascent became very steep, the ac-
130 VEGETATION AND MINERALS.
clivity being often from 32° to 33°. The surface
was covered with short grass, which afforded no
support when laid hold of, and it was impossible to
imprint steps in the gneiss. The persons who had
accompanied them from the town were discouraged,
and at length retired.
Slender streaks of mist began to issue from the
woods, and afforded indications of adense fog. The
familiar loquacity of the negro creoles formed a
striking contrast to the gravity of the Indians who
had attended the travellers in the missions of Caripe.
They amused themselves at the expense of the de-
serters, among whom was a young Capuchin monk,
a professor of mathematics, who had promised to
fire off rockets from the top of the mountain, to an-
nounce to the inhabitants of Caraccas the success
of the expedition.
The eastern peak being the most elevated, they
directed their course toit. The depression between
the two summits has given rise to the name Silla,
which signifiesasaddle. From this hollow a ravine
descends towards the valley of Caraccas. ‘This nar-
row opening originates near the western dome, and
the eastern summit is accessible only by going first
to the westward of it, straight over the promontory
of the Puerta.
From the foot of the cascade of Chacaito to an
elevation of 6395 feet they found only savannas or
pastures, among which were observed two small
liliaceous plants with yellow flowers and some bram-
bles. Mixed with the latter they expected to find a
wildrose, but were disappointed ; nor did they sub-
sequently meet with a single species of that genus
in dhy part of South America.
Sometimes lost in the mist, they made their way
with difficulty, and there being no path, they were
obliged to use their hands in climbing the steep and
slippery ascent: A vein of porcelain-clay, the re-
mains of decomposed felspar, attracted their atten- -
ALPINE PLANTS. 131
tion. Whenever the clouds surrounded them the
thermometer fell to 53°6°; but when the sky was
clear it rose to 69°8°. At the height of 6011 feet
they saw in a ravine a wood of palms, which formed
a striking contrast with the willows scattered at the
bottom of the valley.
After proceeding four hours across the pastures
they entered a small forest. The acclivity became
less steep, and they observed a profusion of rare and
beautiful plants. At the height of 6395 feet the
savannas terminate, and are succeeded by a zone of
shrubs with tortuous branches, rigid leaves, and
large purple flower§, consisting of rhododendra, thi-
baudie, andromeda, vaccinia, and befarie.
Leaving this little group of alpine plants they
again found themselves in a savanna, and climbed
over part of the western dome, to descend into the
hollow which separates the two summits. Here
the vegetation was so strong and dense that they
were obliged to cut their way through it. Ona
sudden they were enveloped in a thick mist, and
being in danger of coming inadvertently upon the
brink of an enormous wall of rocks, which on the
north side descends perpendicularly to the depth of
more than 6000 feet, were obliged to stop. At this
point, however, the negroes who carried their pro-
visions, and who had been detained by the recreant
philosopher already mentioned, overtook them, when
they made a poor repast, the negroes or the padre
having left nothing but a few olives and a little
bread. The guides were discouraged, and were
with difficulty prevented from returning.
In the midst of the fog the electrometer of Volta,
armed with a smoking match, gave very sensible
signs of atmospheric electricity, varying frequently
from positive to negative, and this, together with
the conflict of small currents of air, appeared to in-
dicate a change of weather. It was only two inthe
afternoon, and they yet entertained some hope of
132 IMMENSE PRECIPICE.
reaching the eastern summit before sunset, and of
returning to the hollow separating the two peaks,
where they might pass the night. With this view
they sent half of their attendants to procure a sup-
ply, not of olives, but of salt beef. These arrange-
ments were scarcely made when the east wind
began to blow violently, and in less than two minutes
_the clouds dispersed. The obstacles presented by
the vegetation gradually diminished as they ap-
proached the eastern summit, in order to attain
which it was necessary to go close to the great pre-
cipice. Hitherto the guests had preserved its lamel-
lar structure; but as they climbed the cone of the
Silla they found it passing into granite, containing,
instead of garnets, a few scattered crystals of horn-
blende. In three-quarters of an hour they reached
the top of the pyramid, which was covered with
grass, and for afew minutes enjoyed all the serenity
of the sky. The elevation being 8633 feet, the eye
commanded avast range of country. The slope,
which extends nearly to the sea, had an angle of
53° 28’, though when viewed from the coast it seems
perpendicular.. Humboldt remarks that a precipice
of 6000 or 7000 feet is a phenomenon much rarer
than is usually believed, and that a rock of 1600 feet
of perpendicular height has in vain been sought for
among the Swiss Alps. That of the Silla is partly
covered with vegetation, tufts of befariz and andro-
mede appearing as if suspended from the rock.
Seven months had elapsed since they were on the
summit of the Peak of Teneriffe, where the apparent
horizon of the sea is six leagues farther distant than
on the Silla; yet while the boundary line was seen
distinct in the former place it was completely
blended with the air in the latter. The western
dome concealed the town of Caraccas; but they dis-
tinguished the villages of Chacao and Petare, the.
coffee-plantations, and the course of the Rio Guayra.
While they were examining the part of the sea
BEES—SUMMIT OF THE SILLA. 133
where the horizon was well defined, and the great
chain of mountains in the distant south, a dense fog
arose from the plains, and they were obliged to use
all expedition in completing their observations.
When seated on the rock, employed in determin-
ing the dip of the needle, Humboldt found his hands —
covered by a species of hairy bee, a little smaller
than the honey-bee of Europe. These insects make
their nest in the ground, seldom fly, move very
slowly, and are apt to use their sting, the guides
asserting that they do so only when seized by the
legs.
The temperature varied from 52° to 57°, accord-
ing as the weather was calm or otherwise. The
dip of the needle was one centesimal degree less
than at Caraccas. The breeze was from the east,
which might indicate that the trade-winds extend
in this latitude much higher than 9600 feet. The
blue of the atmosphere was deeper than on the coasts,
Saussure’s cyanometer indicating 26°5°, while at Ca-
raccas it generally gave only 18° in fine dry weather.
The phenomenon that most struck the travellers was
the apparent aridity of the air, which seemed to in-
crease as the mist thickened, the hygrometer retro-
grading, and their clothes remaining dry.
_As it would have been imprudent to remain long
in a dense fog on the brink of a precipice, the trav-
ellers descended the eastern dome, and on regaining
the hollow between the two summits, were sur-
prised to find round pebbles of quartz, a phenomenon
which perhaps indicates that the mountain has been
raised by a power applied from below. Relinquish-
ing their design of passing the night in that valley,
and having again found the path which they had cut
through the wood, they soon arrived at the district
of resinous shrubs, where they lingered so long col-
lecting plants that darkness surprised them as they
entered the savanna. The moon was up, but every
M
P ».
134 DESCENT—RAVINE OF TIPE.
now and then obscured by clouds. The guides who
carried the instruments slunk off successively to
sleep among the cliffs; and it was not until ten that
the travellers arrived at the bottom of the ravine,
overcome by thirst and fatigue.
During the excursion to the Silla, and in all their
walks in the valley of Caraccas, they were very at-
tentive to the indication of ores which they found in
the gneiss mountains. In America that rock has not
hitherto been found to be very rich in metals; the
most celebrated mines of Mexico and Peru being in
primitive and transition slate, trap, porphyry, gray-
wacke, and alpine limestone. In several parts of
the region now visited, a small quantity of gold was
found disseminated in veins of quartz, sulphuretted
silver, blue copper-ore, and leadglance; but these
deposites did not seem of any importance. In the
group of the western mountains of Venezuela the
Spaniards, in 1551, attempted the gold mine of Buria,
but the works were soon given up. In the vicinity
of Caraccas some had also been wrought, but to no
great extent. In short, the mines here afforded
little gratification to the cupidity of the conquerors,
and were almost totally abandoned; those of Arva,
near San Felipe el Fuerte, being the only ones in
operation when Humboldt visited the country.
In the course of their investigations the travellers
examined the ravine of Tipe, situated in that part
of the valley which opens towards Cape Blanco.
The first portion of the road was over a barren and
rocky soil,on which grew a few plants of Ar-
gemone Mexicana. On either side of the defile was a
range of bare mountains, and at this spot the plain
on which the town is built communicates with the
coast near Catia by the valleys of Tacagua and
Tipe. Inthe former they found some plantations
of maize and plantains, and a very extensive one of
cactuses fifteen feet high. They met with several
“¥
PHENOMENA OF EARTHQUAKES. 135
veins of quartz, containing pyrites, carbonated iron-
ore, sulphuretted silver, and gray copper. The
works that had been undertaken were superficial,
and now filled up. oo.
%) > CHAPTER XUL
Earthquakes of Caraccas.
Extensive Connexion of Earthquakes—Eruption of the Volcano of St.
Vincent’s—Earthquake of the 26th March, 1812--Destruction of the
City--Ten Thousand of the Inhabitants killed—Consternation of the
Survivors—Extent of the Commotions.
Tue valley of Caraccas, a few years after Hum-
boldt’s visit, became the theatre of one of those
physical revolutions which from time to time pro-
duce violent alterations upon the surface of our
planet; involving the overthrow of cities, the de-
struction of human life, and a temporary agitation
of those elements of nature on which the system of
the universe is founded. In the narrative of his
Journey to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Con-
tinent, he has recorded all that he could collect with
certainty respecting the earthquake of the 26th
March, 1812, which destroyed the city of Caraccas,
together with 20,000 ats of the province of
Venezuela.
When our travellers visited those countries, they
found it to be a general opinion that the eastern
parts of the coasts were most exposed to the de-
structive effects of such concussions, and that the
elevated districts, remote from the shores, were in
a great measure secure ; but in 1811 all, these ideas
were proved groundless.
At Humboldt’s arrival in Terra Firma, he was
struck with the connexion which appeared between
ae
136 EARTHQUAKE OF CARACCAS,.
the destruction of Cumana in 1797 and the eruption
of volcanoes in the smaller West India islands. A
similar principle was manifested in 1812, in the case
of Caraccas. From the beginning of 1811 till 1813,
a vast extent of the earth’s surface, limited by’the
meridian of the Azores, the valley of the Ohio, the
cordilleras of New-Grenada, the coasts of Venezuela,
and the volcanoes of the West Indies, was shaken
by subterranean commotions, indicative of a common
agency exerted at a great depth in the interior of
the globe. At the period when these earthquakes
commenced in the valley of the Mississippi, the city
of Caraccas felt the first shock in December, 1811;
and on the 26th of March 1812 it was totally de-
stroyed. .
“The inhabitants of Terra Firma were ignorant
of the agitation, which on the one hand the volcano
of the island of St. Vincent had experienced, and on
the other the basin of the Mississippi, where, on the
7th and 8th of February, 1812, the ground was day
and night in a state of continual oscillation. At this
period the province of Venezuela laboured under
great drought; not a drop of rain had fallen at Ca-
raccas, or to the distance of 311 miles around, during
the five months which preceded the destruction of
the capital. The 26th March was excessively hot;
the air was calm and the sky cloudless. It was
Holy Thursday, and a great part of the population
was in the churches. The calamities of the day
were preceded by no indications of danger. At
seven minutes after four in the evening the first
commotion was felt. It was so strong as to make
the bells of the churches ring. It lasted from five
to six seconds, and was immediately followed by an-
other shock of from ten to twelve seconds, during
which the ground was in a continual state of undu-
lation, and heaved like a fluid under ebullition. The
danger was thought to be over, when a prodigious
subterranean noise was heard, resembling the rolling
DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY. 137
of thunder, but louder and more prolonged than that
heard within the tropics during thunder-storms.
This noise preceded a perpendicular motion of about
three or four seconds, followed by an undulatory
motion of somewhat longer duration. The shocks
were in opposite directions, from north to south and
from east to west. It was impossible that any thing
could resist the motion from beneath upwards, and
the undulations crossing each other. The city of
Caraccas was completely overthrown. Thousands
of the inhabitants (from nine to ten thousand) were
buried under the ruins of the churches and houses.
The procession had ...
«ea
Le.
“a m4 ‘ »
CHAPTER XV.
Journey across the Llanos, from Aragua to San
Fernando, x
Mountains between the Valleys of Aragua and the Llanos—Their Geologi-
cal Constitution—The Llanos of Caraccas—Route over the Savanna
to the Rio Apure—Cattle and Deer—Vegetation—Calabozo—Gymnoti
or Electric Kels—Indian Girl—Alligators and Boas—Arrival at San
Fernando de Apure. ae
’ 5 vai Y jee
From the chain of mountains which borders the
Lake of Valencia towards the south, there stretches
in the same direction a vast extent of level land,
constituting the llanos or savannas of Caraccas;
and from the cultivated and populous district of
Aragua, embellished with mountains and rivers,
and teeming with vegetation, one descends into a
parched desolate plain, bounded by the horizon. On
this route we now accompany our travellers, who
on the 6th March left the valleys of Aragua, and
keeping along the south-west side of the lake, passed
over a rich champaign country covered with cal
bashes, watermelons, and plantains. The rising
the sun was announced by the howling of monkeys,
of which they saw numerous bands moving as 1
procession fr |
swings himself by the tail upon the nearest twigs,
the rest following in regular succession. The dis-
tance to which their howlings may be heard was |
ascertained by Humboldt tobe 1705 yards. The In-
dians assert that one always chants as leader of the
choir; and the missionaries say that when a female
-
_*
¢
$
YY INTAINS OF ARAGUA. |) 161
is on the point of bringing forth, the howlings are
suspended till the moment when the young appears.
_ The travellers passed the night at the village of
Guigue, near the lake, where they lodged with an
old sergeant, a native of Murcia, who amused them
with a recital of the history of the world in Latin,
which he had learned among the Jesuits. Leaving
this place, they began to ascend the chain of moun-
tains which extends towards La Palma, and from
the top of an elevated platform took their last view
of the valleys of Aragua. The rock was gneiss with
auriferous veins of quartz. Arriving at the hamlet
of Maria Magdalena, they were stopped by the in-
habitants, who wanted to force their muleteers to
hear mass. Seven miles farther on they came to
the Villa de Cura, situated in an arid valley almost
destitute of vegetation. Here they remained for
the night, and joined an assembly of nearly all the
residents in the town to admire in a magic-lantern
a view of the great capitals of Europe. This place,
which contains a population of four thousand, is
celebrated for the miracles performed by an image
of the Virgin found by an Indian in a ravine.
Continuing to descend the southern declivity of
the range, they passed part of the night of the 11th
at the village of San Juan, remarkable for its hot
springs and the singular form of two mountains in
the neighbourhood, called the Morros, which rise
like slender peaks from a wall of rocks. At two in
the morning they continued their journey by Ortiz
and Parapara to the Mesa de Paja. The ground over
which they travelled forms the ancient shore of the
llanos ; and as the chain has now been traversed, it
may be interesting to present a brief view of its geo-
logical constitution.
In the Sierra de Mariara, near Caraccas, the rock
is coarse-grained granite. The valleys of Aragua,
the shores of the Lake of Valencia, its islands, and
the southern branch of ihe coast chain, are of gneiss
2
=
@ wt
7 i | | .
162 ENTRANCE OF THE — Some
and mica-slate, which are auriferous. At San Juan
me of the rocks were gneiss passing into mica-
~ slate. n the south of this place the gneiss is con-
cealed beneath a deposit of serpentine, which, far-
ther south, passes into or alternates with green-
stone. This rock is now the principal one, and in
the midst of it rise’'the Morros of San Juan, com-
posed of crystalline limestone of a greenish-
colour, and containing masses of dark-blue indura
clay. Behind the Morros is another compact lime-
stone containing shells. The valley that descends
om San Juan to the llanos is filled with
lying upon -Slate. Lower down the
a basaltic aspect. Farther south the
pear, being concealed under a trap-de
appearance, but assuming an amygdaloidal «
ter, and on the margin of the plain is seen a forma-
tion of clinkstone or porphyry-slate. 4
The travellers now entered the basin of the Ilanos.
The sun was almost in the zenith, the ground was
at the temperature of 118° or 122°, and the suffo-—
cating heat was augmented by the whirls of dust
which incessantly arose from the surface of the
steril soil. All around the plains seemed to ascend
into the sky. The horizon in some parts was clear
and distinct, while in others it seemed undulating or
blended with the a nosphere. The trunks of palm-
trees, stripped of their foliage, and seen from afar
through the haze, resembled the masts of ships dis-
covered on the verge of the ocean.
In order to give s ope interest to the narrative of
a journey across a tract of so sn ie ana
Humb
America, contrasted with the deserts of Africa, and
the fertile steppes of Asia; of which, however, the
most striking points alone can be here ‘taken. ‘There
is something awful and melancholy, he says, in the
uniform aspect of these savannas, where every thing
seems motionless, and where the shadow of acloud
ey
arac-
t
oldt presents a general view of the vlaingor |
cd
‘ ee
ha”
- |
Eas REMARKS ON DESERTS. | 163
hardly ever falls for months. He even doubts whe-
ther the first sight of the Andes or of the llanos ex-
cites most astonishment; for as mountainous coun-
tries have a similarity of appearance, whatever may
be the elevation of their summits, the view of a very
elevated range is perhaps not so striking as that of
a boundless plain, spread out like an ocean, and on
all sides mixing with the sky.
- It has been said that Europe has its heaths, Asia
its steppes, Africa its deserts, and America its savan-
nas; and these great divisions of the globe have been
characterized by these circumstances. But as the
term heath always supposes the existence of plants
of that name, and as all the plains of Europe are not
heathy, the description is incorrect. Nor are the
steppes of Asia always covered with saline plants,
some of them being real deserts; neither are the
American llanos always grassy. Instead of desig-
nating the vast levels of these different regions by
the nature of the plants which they produce, it seems
proper to distinguish them into deserts’and steppes,
or savannas, by which terms would be meant plains
destitute of vegetation, or covered with grasses or
small dicotyledonous plants. The savannas of North
America have been designated by the name of prai-
ries Or meadows ; but the phrase is not very applica-
ble to pastures which are often dry. The llanos
and pampas of South America are real steppes, dis-
playing a beautiful verdure in the rainy season, but
during great droughts assuming the aspect of a des-
ert. The grass is then reduced to powder, the
ground cracks, and the alligators and serpents bury
themselves in the mud, where they remain in a state
of lethargy till they are roused by the showers of
spring. On the borders of rivulets, however, and
around the little pools of stagnant water, thickets
of the Mauritia palm preserve a brilliant verdure, even
during the driest part of the year.
The principal characteristic of the savannas of
y | | : ¥ ¥
, ; 164 MOUNTAINS OF SOUTH AMERICA.
South America is the entire want of hills. Ina
space extending to 387 square miles, there is not a
single eminence a foot high. These plains, how-
ever, present two kinds of inequalities: the dancos,
consisting of broken strata of sandstone or lime-
stone, which stand four or five feet above the sur-
face ; and the mesas, composed of small flats or con-
vex mounds, rising gradually to the height ofa few -
yards. The uniform aspect of these flats, the ex-
treme rarity of inhabitants, the fatigue of travelling
under a burning sky amid clouds of dust, the con-
tinual recession of the horizon, and the successive
appearance of solitary palms, make the steppes ap-
pear far more extensive than they really are. It
has even been imagined that the whole eastern side
of South America, from the Orinoco and the Apure
_to the Plata and the Straits of Magellan, is one great
level; but this is not the case. In order to under-
stand their limitations it will be necessary to take a
general view of the mountain-ranges. —
The cordillera of the coast, where the highest
summit is the Silla of Caraceas, and which is con-
nected by the Paramo de las Rosas to the Nevado
de Merida, and the Andes of New-Grenada, has al-
ready been described. A less elevated but much
larger group of mountains extends from the mouths
of the Guaviare and the Meta, the source of the Ori-
noco, the Marony, and the Essequibo, towards French
and Dutch Guiana. This, which is named the cor-
dillera of Parime, may be followed for a length of —
863 miles, and is separated from the Andes of New- 3
Grenada by a space of 276 miles inbreadth. A third.
chain of mountains, which connects the Andes of
Se
pa
De yt So Ne iy a a a
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7 7
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—
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p--vnereaenaniaiels
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nr pee
| r Peru with the mountains of Brazil, is the cordillera ©
ig of Chiguitos, dividing the rivers flowing into the
Amazon from the tributaries of the Plata. .
bi These three transverse chains or groups, extend-
ing from west to east within the limits of the torrid
i zone, are separated by level tracts forming the plains
a
oe.
we
MOUNTAINS OF SOUTH AMERICA. 165
of Caraccas or of the Lower Orinoco, the flats of the
mazon and Rio Negro, and those of Buenos Ayres
or La Plata. The middle basin, knownby the colo-
nists under the name of the dosques or selvas of the
Amazon, is covered with trees; the southern, the
pampas of Buenos Ayres, with grass; and the north-
ern, the dlanos of Varinas and Caraccas, with plants
of various kinds.
The western coasts of South America are bordered
by a wall of mountains, pierced at intervals by vol-
canic fires, and constituting the celebrated cordillera
of the Andes, the mean height of which is 11,830
feet. It extends in the direction of a meridian, send-
ing out two lateral branches, one in lat. 10° north,
being that of the coast of Caraccas; the other in lat.
16° and 18° south, forming the cordillera of Chiquitos,
and widening eastward in Brazil into vast table-lands. —
Between these lines is a group of granitic mountains,
running from 3° to 7° north latitude, in a direction
parallel to the equator, but not united to the Andes.
These three chains have no active volcanoes, and
none of their summits enter the line of perpetual
snow. They are separated by plains, which are
closed towards the west and open towards the east ;
and they are so low that were the Atlantic to rise
320 feet at the mouth of the Orinoco, and 1280 feet
at the mouth of the Amazon, more than the half of
South America would be covered, and the eastern
declivity of the Andes would become a shore of the
ocean. , P
We now accompany the travellers on their route
from the northern side of the llanos to the banks
of the Apure, in the province of Varinas. After
passing two nights on horseback they arrived at a
little farm called El Cayman, where was a house
surrounded by some. small huts covered with reeds
and skins. They found an old negro who had the
management of the farm during his master’s ab-
sence. Although he told them of herds composed
4
h.,
:
4
4
#
P
'
|
=
3 ? i
166 ALLIGATOR—MIRAGE. | a
of several thousand cows, they asked in vain fon
milk, and were obliged to content themselves wi
some muddy and fetid water drawn from a neig
bouring pool, of which they contrived to drink oh
using a linen cloth as a filter. When the mules:
were unloaded, they were set at liberty to go and
search for water, and the strangers following them
came upon acopious reservoir surrounded with palm-
trees. Covered with dust and scorched by the sandy
wind of the desert, they plunged into the pool, but
had scarcely begun to enjoy its coolness when the
noise of an alligator floundering in the mud induced
them to make a precipitate retreat. Night coming
on, they wandered about in search of the farm with-
out succeeding in finding it, and at length resolved
to seat themselves under a palm-tree, in a dry spot
surrounded by short grass, when an Indian, who had
been on his round collecting the cattle, coming up
on horseback, was persuaded, though not without
difficulty, to euide them to the house. At two in
the morning they set off, with the view of reaching
Calabozo before noon. The aspect of the country
continued the same. There was no moonlight, but
the great masses of nebule illumined part of the ter-
-restrial horizon as they set out. As the sun as-
cended, the phenomena of mirage presented them-
selves in all their modifications. The little currents
of air that passed along the ground had so variable a
_rise the plains assumed a more animated appearance ;
temperature, that in a herd of wild cows some ap-
peared with their legs raised from the surface, while
others rested uponit. The objects were generally
suspended, but no inversion was observed. At sun-
the horses, mules, and oxen, which graze on them
in a state of freedom, after having reposed during the
night beneath the palms, now assemb i in crowds.
As the travellers approached Calabozo they saw
troops of small deer feeding in the midst of the
cattle. These animals, which are called mataca
«
nik
i 4
| hen
VEGETATION OF THE LLANOS—CALABOZO. 167
are a little larger than the roe of Europe, and have.
3 sleek fawn-coloured pile, spotted with white.
*
ome of them were entirely of the latter hue.
Their flesh is good; and their number is so great —
that-a trade in their skins might be carried on with
advantage ; but the inhabitants are too indolent to
engage in any active occupation.
These steppes were principally covered with
grasses of the genera fillingia, cenchrus, and pas-
palum, which at that season ‘scarcely attain a height
of nine or ten inches near Calabozo and St. Jerome
del Pirital, although on the banks of the Apure and
Portuguesa they rise to the length of four feet.
Along with these were mingled some turnere, mal-
-vace, and mimose. The pastures are richest on
the banks of the rivers, and under the shade of cory-
pha palms. These trees were singularly uniform in
size; their height being from twenty-one to twenty-
five feet, and their diameter from eight to ten inches.
The wood is very kard, and the fan-like leaves are
used for reofing the huts scattered over the plains.
A few clumps of a species of rhopala occur here and
there.
The philosophers suffered greatly from the heat
in crossing the Mesa de Calabozo. Whenever the
wind blew the temperature rose to 104° or 106°, and
the air was loaded with dust. ‘The guides advised
them to fill their hats with the rhopala leaves, to
prevent the action of the solar rays on the head,
and from this expedient they derived considerable
benefit.
At Calabozo they experienced the on cordial
hospitality.from the administrator of the Real Ha-
cienda, Don Miguel Cousin. The town, which is
situated between the Guarico and the Urituco, has
a population of 5000. The principal wealth of the
inhabitants censists of cattle, of which it was com-
puted that there were 98,000 in the neighbour-
ing pastures. M. Depons estimates the number in
os)
£ _
Pa Se o
ae
tO Se lig se anes — RTE BNR
=
- ‘ rr "¢
4
168 | CATTLE—ELECTRIC EELS. *
the plains, extending from the mouths of the Orinoco
to the Lake of Maracaybo, at 1,200,000 oxen, 180,000
horses, and 90,000 mules; and in the pampas of
Buenos Ayres it is believed that there are 12,000,000
of cows and 3,000,000 of horses, not including cattle
which have no acknowledged owner. In the llanos
of Caraccas the richer proprietors of the great hatos,
or cattle-farms, brand 14,000 head every year, and
sell 5000 or 6000. The exportation from the whole
capitania-general amounts annually to 174,000 skins
of oxen and 11,500 of goats, for the West India
islands alone. This stock was first introduced about
1548 by Christoval Rodriguez. They are of the
Spanish breed, and their disposition is so’ gentle
that a traveller runs no risk of being attacked al ¥
e€ sa
pursued by them. The’ horses are also descend
from ancestors of the same country, and are gene-
rally of a brown colour. There were no oe in
the plains.
Humboldt remarks, that when we hear of the
prodigious numbers of oxen, horses, and mules
spread over the plains of America, we forget in
civilized Europe the aggregate amount is not less
surprising. According to M. Peuchet, France feeds
6,000,000 of the large-horned class ; and in the Aus-
trian monarchy, the oxen, cows, and calves are es-
timated by Mr. Lichtenstein at about 13,400,
_At Calabozo, in the midst of the lanos, the trav-
ellers found an electrical apparatus nearly as com-
plete as those of Europe, made by a person who had
never seen any such instrument, had received no in- ©
structions, and was acquainted with the phenomena
of electricity only by reading the Treatise of Siga d
S,
de la Fond, and Franklin’s Memoirs. Next to this
piece of mechanism, the objects that excitec the
greatest interest were the electrical eels, or g nnd
which abound in the basins of stagnan rciter' and |
the confluents of the Orinoco. The dread of the —
. shocks given by these animals is so great am
age
ie
FISHING WITH HORSES. 169
the common people and Indians, that for some time
no specimens could be procured, and one which was
at length brought to them afforded very unsatisfac-
tory results. :
_ On the 19th March, at an early hour, they set off
for the village of Rastro de Abaxo, whence they
were conducted by the natives to a stream which,
in the dry season, forms a pool of muddy water sur-
rounded by trees. It being very difficult to catch
the gymnoti with nets, on account of their extreme
agility, it was resolved to procure some by intoxi-
cating or benumbing them with the roots of certain
plants, which when thrown into the water produce
that effect.. At this juncture the Indians informed
them that they would fish with horses, and soon
brought from the savanna about thirty of these ani-
mals, which they drove into the pool.
“The extraordinary noise caused by the horses’
hoofs makes the fishes issue from the mud, and ex-
cites them to combat. These yellowish and livid
eels, resembling large aquatic snakes, swim: at the
surface of the water, and crowd under the bellies
of the horses and mules. The struggle between
animals of so different an organization affords avery
interesting sight. The Indians, furnished with har-
poons and long slender reeds, closely surround the
pool. Some of them climb the trees, whose branches
stretch horizontally over the water. By their wild
cries and their long’ reeds they prevent the horses
from coming to the edge of the basin. The eels,
stunned by the noise, defend themselves by repeated
discharges of their electrical batteries, and for a
long time seem likely to obtain the victory. Several
horses sink under the violence of the invisible blows
_which they receive in the organs most essential to
life, and, benumbed by the force and frequency of
the shocks, disappear beneath the surface. Others,
panting, with erect mane, and haggard eyes expres-_
sive of anguish, raise themselves and oudenvouee
P |
. 5
170 m ‘DESCRIPTION OF THE’
escape from the storm which oyertakes them, but
are driven back by the Indians. A few, however,
suce n eluding the active vigilance of the fishers;
they gain the shore, stumble at every step, and
stretch themselves out on the sand, exhausted with .
fatigue, and haere their ape benumbed by the
electric shocks of the gymnoti. — . | '
“Tn less than five minutes two horses were killed.
The eel, which is five feet long, presses itself against
the belly of the horse, and makes a discharge along
the whole extent of its electric organ. It attacks at
once the heart, the viscera, and the celiac plexus of
3 the abdominal nerves. It is natural that the effect —
_ which a horse experiences should be more adabey | r
than that produced by the same fish on man, bb
he touches it only by one of the extremities. The
horses are probably not killed, but only stunned;
they are drowned from the impossibility of rising
amid the prolonged struggle between the other horses
and eels.” . e “.
The gymnoti at length dispersed, and approached
: the edge of the pool, when five of them were taken
by means of small harpoons fastened to a ther . a
A few more were caught towards evening, andthere +
was thus obtained a sufficient number of specimens
on which to make experiments. The results of Hum-
_boldt’s observati ns on these animals may be stated
briefiy, as follows :— |
The gymnotus is the largest electrical fish known,
some of those measured by him being from5feet4 —
inches to 5 feet 7 inches in length. One, 4 feet 1 |
inch long, weighed 153 Troy pounds, and its trans- |
__—- verse diameter was 3 inches 73 lines. The colour
- was a fine olive-green; the under part of the head
. yellow mingled with red. Along the back are two —
: rows of small yellow spots, each of which contains
; an excretory aperture for the mucus, with which
the skin is constantly covered. The swimming-
bladder is of large size, and before it is situated an-
~oh
Li. +« =
( aus Ze 4 %,
i 2
GYMNOTUS ELECTRICUS. ~ 7b
other of smaller dimensions; the former separated
from the skin by a mass of fat, and resting upon the |
electric organs, which occupy more than two-thirds
of the fish.
It would be rash to expose one’s self to the first
shocks of a very large individual,—the pain and
numbness which follow in such a case being ex-
tremely violent. When ina state of great weak-
ness, the animal produces in the person who touches
it atwitching, whichis propagated from the hand to
the elbow ; a kind of internal vibration lasting two
or three seconds, and followed by painful torpidity.
being felt after every stroke. The electric energy |
depends upon the will of the creature, and it directs
it towards the point where it feels most strongly
irritated. The organ acts only under the immediate
influence of the brain and heart; for when one of
them was cut through the middle, the fore-part of
the body alone gave shocks. Its action on man, is
transmitted and intercepted by the same substances
that transmit and intercept the electrical current of
a conductor charged by a Leyden jar or a Voltaic
pile. In the water the shock can be conveyed to
a considerable distance. No spark has ever been ob-
served to issue from the body of the eel when ex-
cited. * :
The gymnoti are objects of dread to the natives,
and their presence is considered as the principal
cause of the want of fish in the pools of the Ilanos.
All the inhabitants of the waters avoid them; and
the Indians asserted that when they take young al-
ligators and these animals in the same net, the latter
never display any appearance of wounds, because
they disable their enemies before they are attacked
by them. It became necessary to change the di-
rection of a road near Urituco, solely because they
‘were sO numerous in a river that they killed many
mules in the course of fording it.
On the 24th March the travellers left Calabozo,
a
*
172 Ss INDIAN: GIRL—CROCODILES. ,
and advanced southward. As they proceeded they
found the country more dusty, and destitute of herb-
age. The palm-trees gradually disappeared. From
eleven in the morning till sunset the thermometer
kept at 95°. Although the air was calm at the
height of eight or ten feet, the ground was swept by |
little currents which raised clouds of dust. About ©
four in the afternoon, they observed in the savanna
a young Indian girl, twelve or thirteen years of age,
quite naked, lying on her back, exhausted with fa-
tigue and thirst, and with her eyes, nostrils, and
mouth filled with dust. Her breathing was sterto-
_rous, and she was unable to answer the questions
_ put to her. Happily one of the mules was laden
with water, the application of which to her face s
aroused her. She was at first frightened, but by de- ™
grees took courage, and conversed with the guides.
As she could not be prevailed upon to mount the
beasts of burden, nor to return to Urituco, she was
furnished with some water; upon which she re-
sumed her way, and was soon separated from her
preservers bya ccloudof dust.
In the night they forded the Rio Urituco, which is
filled with crocodiles remarkable for their ferocity,
although those of the Rio Tisnao, in the neighbour-
hood, are not at all dangerous. They were shown
a hut or shed, in which a singular scene had been
witnessed by their host of Calabozo, who, having
slept in it upon a bench covered with leather, was
awakened early in the morning by a violent shaking,
accompanied with a horrible noise. Presently an
alligator, two or three feet long, issued from under
the bed, and darted at adog lying on the threshold,
but missing him, ran towards the river. When the
spot where the bench stood was examined, the dried
mud was found turned up to a considerable depth,
where the alligator had lain in its state of torpidity,
or summer sleep. The hut being situated on the
edge of a pool, and inundated during part of the
t
eal —.," gg tio — Ridin me ee
MESA DE PAVONES. ~ 173
year, the animal had no doubt entered at that mean
and concealed itself in the mire. The Indians often
find enormous boas, or water- serpents, in the same
lethargic state.
On the 25th March they passed over the smooth-
est part of the steppes of Caraccas, the Mesa de Pa-
vones. -As.far as the eye could reach, no object
fifteen inches high could be discovered, excepting
cattle, of which they met some large herds, accom-
panied by flocks of the crotophaga ant, a bird of a
black colour, with olive reflections. They were ex-
- eeedingly tame, and perched upon the quadrupeds in
search of insects. ©
Wherever excavations had been made, they found
the rock to be old red.sandstone or conglomerate,
in which were observed fragments of quartz, kiesel-
-schiefer, and lydian stone. The cementing clay is
ferruginous, and often of avery bright red. This
formation, which covers an extent of several thou-
sand square leagues, rests on the northern margin
of the plains upon transition-slate, and to the south
upon the granites of the Orinoco.
After wandering a long time on the desert and
pathless savannas of the Mesa de Pavones, they
were agreeably surprised to find a solitary farm-
house surrounded with gardens and pools of clear
water. Farther on they passed the night near the
village of San Geronymo del Guyaval, situated on
the banks of the Rio Guarico, which joins the Apure.
The ecclesiastic, who was a young man, and had no
other habitation than his church, received them in
the kindest manner. Crossing the Guarico, they en-
camped in the plain, and early in the morning pur-
sued their way over low grounds, which are often
inundated. On the 27th they arrived at the Villade
San Fernando, and terminated their journey over the
jlanos.,
| P2
fe
174 SAN FERNANDO DE APURE.
CHAPTER XVI.
Voyage down the Rio Apure.
San Fernando—Commencement of the Rainy Season—Progress of At-
mospherical Phenomena—Cetaceous Animals—Voyage down the Rio
Apure—Vegetation and Wild Animals—Crocodiles, Chiguires, and |
Jaguars—Don Ignacio and Donna Isabella—Water-fowl—Nocturnal
owlings in the “Forest—Caribe-fish—Adventure with a Jaguar—Ma-
natees— Mouth of the Rio Apure.
Tue town of San Fernando, which was founded
only in 1789, is advantageously situated on a large
navigable river, the Apure, a tributary of the Ori-
noco, near the mouth of another stream which
traverses the whole province of Varinas, all the pro-
ductions of which pass through it on their way to
the coast. It is during the rainy season, when the
rivers overfiow their banks and inundate avast ex-
tent of country, that commerce is most acti
this period the savannas are covered with we
the depth of twelve or fourteen feet, and present the
appearance of a great lake, in the midst of which
the farm-houses and villages are seen rising on
islands scarcely elevated above the surface. Horses,
mules, and cows perish in great numbers, and afford
abundant food to the zamuros, or carrion vultures,
as well as to the alligators. The inhabitants, to
avoid the force of the currents, and the danger
arising from the trees carried down by them, in-
stead of ascending the course of the rivers, find it
safer to cross the flats in their boats.
San Fernando is celebrated for the excessive heat
which prevails there during the greater part of the
year. The travellers found the white sand of the
shores, wherever it was exposed to the sun, to have
INTENSE HEAT—-THUNDER. 175
a. forperatate of 126°5°, at two in the afternoon.
The thermometer, raised eighteen inches above the
sand, indicated 109°: and at six feet, 101°7°. The
temperature of the air in the shade was 97°. These
observations were made during a dead calm, and
when the wind began to blow, the heat increased
three degrees.
On the 28th March, Humboldt and his-companion,
being on the shore at sunrise, heard the thunder
rolling all around, although as yet there were only
scattered clouds, advancing in opposite directions
towards the zenith: Deluc’s hygrometer was at 53°,
the thermometer stood at 74:7°, and the electrome-
ter gave no particular indication. As the clouds
mustered, the blue of the sky changed to deep azure,
and then to gray; and when it was completely over-
cast the thermometer rose several degrees. Al-
though a heavy rain fell, the travellers remained
on the shore to observe the electrometer. When
it was held at the height of six feet from the
ground, the pith-balls generally separated only afew
seconds before the lightning was seen. The sep-
aration was four lines. The electric charge re-
i i the same for several minutes, and there were
repeated oscillations from positive to negative. To-
wards the end of the storm the west wind blew with
great impetuosity, and when the clouds dispersed
the thermometer fell to 71°6°. |
Humboldt states, that he enters into these details
because Europeans usually confine themselves to a
description of the impression made on their minds
by the solemn spectacle of a tropical thunder-storm ;
and because, in a country where the year is divided
into two great seasons of drought and rain, it is in-
teresting to trace the transition from the one to the
other. In the valleys of Aragua, he had from the
18th February observed clouds forming in the even-
ing, and in the beginning of March the accumulation
of vesicular vee became visible, Flashes of
176 PROGRESS OF ATMOSPHERIC
lightning were seen in the south, and at sunset Vol-
ta’s electrometer regularly displayed positive indi-
cations, the separation of the pith-balls being from
three to four lines. After the 26th of the latter
month, the electrical equilibrium of the atmosphere
seemed broken, although the hygrometer still de-
noted great dryness.
The following is an account of the atmospheric
phenomena in the inland districts to the east of the
cordilleras of Merida and New-Grenada, in the Ila-
nos of Venezuela, and the Rio Meta, from the fourth to
the tenth degree of north latitude, wherever the rains
coniinue from May to October, and consequently in-
clude the period of the greatest heat, which is in
July and August :—“ Nothing can equal the purity of
the atmosphere from December to February. The
sky is then constantly without clouds, and should —
one appear, it is a phenomenon that occupies all the
attention of the inhabitants. The breeze from the
east and north-east blows with violence. As it
always carries with it air of the same temperature,
the vapours cannot become visible through refrigera-
tion. ‘Towards the end of February and the begin-
ning of March the-blue of the sky is less i |
the “hygrometer gradually indicates greate
ity; the stars are sometimes veiled by a thin
of vapours; their light ceases to be tranquil and
planetary; and they are seen to sparkle from time
to time at the height of 20° above the horizon. At
caper the breeze diminishes in strength, and be-
es less regular, being more frequently inter-
rupted by dead calms. Clouds accumulate towards
the south-east, appearing like distant mountains
with distinct outlines. From time to time they are
seen to separate from the horizon, and traverse the
celestial vault with a rapidity which has no cr.
respondence with the feebleness of the wind that
prevails in the lower strata of the air. At the end
of March the southern region of the -atmosphe re is
P A
|
|
|
PHENOMENA IN THE INTERIOR: 177.
illuminated by small electric explosions, like phos- -
phorescent gleams confined to a single group of va-
pours. From this period the breeze shifts at inter-
vals, and for several hours, to the west and south-
west, affording a sure indication of the approach of
the rainy season, which, on the Orinoco, commences
about the end of April. The sky begins to be over-
cast, its azure colour disappears, and a gray tint is
uniformly diffused over it. At the same time the
heat of the atmosphere gradually increases, and in-
stead of scattered clouds the whole vault of the
heavens is overspread with condensed vapours.. The
howling-monkeys begin to utter their plaintive cries
long before sunrise. The atmospheric electricity,
which, during the period of the greatest drought,
from December to March, had been almost con-
stantly in the daytime from 1°7 to 2 lines to Volta’s
electrometer, becomes extremely variable after
March. During whole days it appears null, and
again, for some hours, the pith-balls of the elec-
trometer diverge from three to four lines. The at-
mosphere, which in the torrid-as in the temperate
zone is generally in a state of positive electricity,
passes alternately, in the course of eight or ten
minutes, to the negative state. The rainy season is
that of thunder-storms; and yet I have found, from
numerous experiments made during three years, that
at this season the electric tension is less in the
lower regions of the atmosphere. Are thunder-
storms the effect of this unequal change of the dif-
ferent superimposed strata of the airt What pre-
vents the electricity from descending towards the
earth ina stratum of air which has become more
humid since the month of March? At this period
the electricity, in place of being diffused through the
whole atmosphere, would seem to be accumulated
on the outer envelope at the surface of the clouds.
According to M. Gay Lussac, it is the formation of
the cloud itself that carries the fluid towards the sur-
‘
178 ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA.
face. The storm rises in the plains two hours
the sun passes through the meridian, and cure
shortly after the period of the maximum of the di-
urnal heat in the tropics. In the inland districts it
is exceedingly rare to hear thunder at night or in the
morning, nocturnal thunder-storms being peculiar to
certain valleys of rivers which have a particular
climate.”
It may be interesting to present avery brief state-
ment of Humboldt’s explanation of these phenome-
na:—The season of rains and thunder in the northern
equinoctial zone coincides with the passage of the
sun through the zenith of the place, the cessation
of the breezes or north-east winds, and the frequency
of calms, and furious currents of the atmosphere
from the south-east and south-west, accompanied
with acloudy sky. _ While the breeze from the north-—
saturated with moisture. The hot and loaded air
east blows, it prevents the atmosphere from of
the torrid zone rises and flows off again towards the
poles, while inferior currents from these last, bring-
ing drier and colder strata, take the place of the
ascending columns. In this manner the humidity,
being prevented from accumulating, passes, off to-
wards the temperate and colder regions, so that the
sky is always clear. When the sun, entering the
northern signs, rises towards the zenith, the breeze’
from the north-east softens, and at length ceases ;
this being the season at which the difference of tem-
perature “between ‘the tropics and the contiguous
zone is least. The column of air resting on the
equinoctial zone becomes replete with vapours, be-
cause it is no longer renewed by the current from
the pole; clouds form in this atmosphere, saturated
and cooled by the effects of radiation and the dilata-
tion of the ascending air, which increases its capacity
for heat in.proportion as it is rarefied.. Electricity
accumulates in the higher regions in consequence
of the formation of the vesicular vapours, ie pre-
>
a
VOYAGE DOWN THE APURE 179
Sptetion of which is constant during the day, but
generally ceases at night. The showers are. more
violent, and accompanied with electrical explosions,
shortly after the maximum of the diurnal heat.
These phenomena continue until the sun enters the
southern signs, when the polar current is re-estab-
lished, because the difference between the heat of
the equinoctial and temperate regions is daily increas-
ing. The air of the tropics being thus renewed, the
rains cease, the vapours are dissolved, and the sky
resumes its azure tint.
At San Fernando, Humboldt observed in the river
long files of cetaceous animals, resembling the com-
mon porpoise. The crocodiles seemed to dislike
them, and dived whenever they approached. They
_ were three or four feet long, and appear to be pecu-
liar to the great streams of South America, as he
ssaw some of them above the cataracts of the Ori-
noco, whither they could not have ascended from
the 'sea.
The rainy season had now commenced, and as the
way to that river by land hes across an unhealthy
and uninteresting flat, they preferred the longer way
by the Rio Apure, and embarked in a large canoe or
lancha, having a pilot and four Indians for crew. A
cabin was constructed in the stern, of sufficient size
‘to hold a table and benches, and covered with cory-
‘pha-leaves. They put on board a stock of provi-
sions for a month, while the capuchin missionary,
with whom they had lodged during their stay, sup-
ee them with wine, oranges, and tamarinds.
ishing-instruments, firearms, and some casks of
brandy, for bartering with the natives, were added
to their store. On the 30th March, at four in the
afternoon, they left San Fernando, accompanied by
Don Nicolas Sopo, brother-in-law of the governor
of the province. The river abounds in fish, ma-
natees, and turtles, and its banks are peopled by
numberless birds, of which the pauxi and guacharaca
180 WILD ANIMALS.
are the most useful to man. Passing the mouth of
the. Apurito, they coasted the island of the same
name, formed by the Apure and Guarico, and which
is seventy-si iles in length. On the banks they
saw huts of the Yaruroes, who live by hunting and
fishing, and are very skilful in killing jaguars, the
skins of which they dispose of in the Spanish vil-
lages. The night was passed at Diamante, a small
sugar-plantation.
On the 31st a contrary wind obliged them to re-
main on shore till noon, when they embarked, and
as they proceeded found the river gradually widen-
ing; one of its banks being generally sandy and
barren, the other higher and covered with tall trees.
Sometimes, however, it was bordered on both sides
by forests, and resembled a straight canal 320 yards
in breadth. Bushes of sauso (Hermesia castanesfo-
lia) formed along the margins a kind of hedge about
four feet high, in which the jaguars, tapirs, and ©
pecaris had made openings for the purpose of drink-
ing; and as these animals manifest little fear at the
approach of a boat, the travellers had the pleasure
of viewing them as they walked slowly along the
shore, until they disappeared in the forest. When
the sauso-hedge was at a distance from the current,
crocodiles were often seen in parties of eight or ten,
stretched out on the sand motionless, and with their
jaws opened at right angles. ‘These monstrous rep-
tiles were so numerous, that throughout the whole
course of the river there were usually five or six in
view, although the waters had scarcely begun to
rise, and hundreds were still buried in the mud of the
savannas. A dead individual which they found was
17 feet 9 inches long, and another, a male, was more
than 23. This species is not a cayman or alligator,
but a real crocodile, with feet dentated on the outer
edge like that of the Nile. The Indians informed
them, that scarcely a year passes at San Fernando
without two or three persons being drowned by them,
Sar
CROCODILES AND CHIGUIRES, 181
and related the history of a young girl of Urituco,
who, by singular presence of mind, made her escape
from one. Finding herself seized and carried into
the water, she felt for the eyes of, the animal, and
thrust her fingers into them; when the crocodile let
her loose, after biting off the lower part of her left
arm. Notwithstanding the quantity of blood which
she lost, she was still able to reach the shore by
swimming with the right hand. Mungo Park’s
cuide, Isaaco, effected his preservation from a croco-
dile by employing the same means. The motions
of these animals sare abrupt and rapid when they
attack an object, although they move very slowly
when not excited. In running they make a rustling
noise, which seems to proceed from their scales, and
appear higher on their legs than when at rest, at the
Same time bending the back. They generally ad-
vance in a straight line, but can easily turn when
they please. They swim with great facility, even
against the most rapid current. On the Apure they
‘seemed to live chiefly on the chiguires (Cavia capy-
bara), which feed in herds on the. banks, and are of
the size of our pigs. These creatures have no
weapons for defence, and are alternately the prey
of the jaguars on land and of the crocodiles in the
water.
Stopping below the catith of the Cano de la Fi-
guera, in a sinuosity called La Vuelta del Joval, they
measured the velocity of the current at its surface,
which was only 3°4 feet in a second. Here they
were surrounded by chiguires, swimming like dogs,
with the head and neck out of the water. A large
crocodile, which was sleeping on the shore in the
midst of a troop of these animals, awoke at the
approach of the canoe, and moved slowly into the
stream without frightening the others. Near the Jo-
val every thing assumed a wild and awful aspect.
Here they saw an enormous jaguar stretched beneath
the shade of a large zamang or mimosa. It had
182 JAGUAR. ms
just killed a chiguire, which it held with one of its _
paws, while the zamuro-vultures were assembled in _
flocks around it. It was curious to observe the
mixture of boldness and timidity which these birds
exhibited, for although they advanced within two
feet of the tiger, they instantly shrank back at the
least motion which he made. In order to examine
more nearly their manners, the travellers went into
the little boat; when the tyrant of the forest with-
drew behind the sauso-bushes, leaving his victim,
which the vultures in the mean time attempted to
devour, but were soon put to flight by his rushing ~
into the midst of them.
.
Continuing to descend the river, they met with a
great herd of chiguires that the tiger had dispersed,
and from which he had selected his prey. These
animals seemed not to be afraid of men, for they saw
the travellers land without agitation, but the sight of
a dog put them to flight. They ran so slowly that
the people succeeded in catching two of them. Itis |
the largest of the Glires, or gnawing animals. J] |
flesh has a disagreeable smell of musk, although
* Th the province of Tucuman, the common mode of killing the jaguar
is to trace him to his lair by the wool left on the bushes, if he has carried
off a sheep, or by means of a dog trained for the purpose. On finding |
the enemy the gaucho puts himself into a position for receiving him on | |
the point of a bayonet or spear, at the first spring which he makes, and
thus waits until the dogs drive him out; an exploit which he performs
with such coolness and dexterity that there is scarcely an instance of |
failure. ‘In a recent instance, related by our capitaz, the business was |
not so quickly eompleted. The animal laystretched at fulllengthonthe |
ground, like a gorged cat. Instead of showing anger and attacking his
enemies with fury, he was playful, and disposed rather to parley with the
dogs with good-humour than to take their attack in sober earnestness. |
He was now fired upon, and a ball lodged in his shoulder; on which he |
sprang so quickly on his watching assailant, that he not only buried the |
bayonet in his body, but tumbled over the capitaz who held it, and they
floundered on the ground together, the man being completely in his —
clutches. ‘I thought,’ said the brave fellow, ‘I was no longer a cap pa 7"
while I held my arm upto protect my throat, which the animal seemed in
the act of seizing; but when I expected te feel his fangs in my flesh, the | |y
green fire of his eyes which blazed upon me, flashed out in a ree 2, * |
4
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He fell on me and expired at the very instant I theught myself lost fi
ever.” "—Captain Andrews’s Travels in South America, vol.i.p.219.
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JAGUAR-HUNTER. 185
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hams are made of it in the country, which are eaten
during Lent; as this quadruped, according to eccle-
siastical zoology, i is esteemed a fish.
The travellers passed the night as usual in the open
air, although in a plantation, the proprietor of which,
a jaguar-hunter, half-naked, and as brown asa Z.ambo,
prided himself on being of the Kuropean race, and
called his wife and daughter, who were as slightly
clothed as himself, Donna Isabella and Donna Man-
uela. Humboldt had brought a chiguire; but his
host assured him such food was not fit for white
gentlemen like them, at the same time offering him
venison. As this aspiring personage had neither
house nor hut, he invited the strangers to sling their
hammocks near his.own, between two trees; which
they accordingly did. They soon found reason, how .
ever, to regret that they had not obtained better shel-
ter; for after midnight a thunder-storm came on,
which wetted them to the skin. Donna Isabella’s
cat had perched on one of the trees, and fell into a
cot, the inmate of which imagined he was attacked
by some wild beast, and could hardly be quieted.
At sunrise, the lodgers took leave of Don Ignacio
and his lady, and proceeded on their voyage. ‘The
weather was a little cooler, the thermometer having
fallen from 86° to 75°, but the temperature of the
river continued at 79° or 80°. One might imagine
that on smooth ground, where no eminence can be
distinguished, the stream would have hollowed out
an even bed for itself; but this is by no means the
case; the two banks not opposing equal resistance
to the water. Below the Joval the mass of the cur-
rent is a little wider, and forms a perfectly straight
channel, margined on either side by lofty trees. It
was here about 290 yards’ broad. They passed a
low island densely covered by flamingoes, roseate
spoonbills, herons, and water-hens, which presented
a most diversified mixture of colours. On the right
bank they found a little Indian mission, consisting of
Q 2 7
/
i86 NOCTURNAL HOWLINGS.
sixteen huts constructed of palm-leaves, and inhab-
ited by a tribe of the Guamoes. These Christians
were unable to furnish them with the provisions
which they wanted, but hospitably offered them dried
fish and water. The night was spent on a bare and
very extensive beach. ‘The forest being impenetra-
ble, they had great difficulty in obtaining dry wood
to light fires for the purpose of keeping off the wild
beasts. But the night was calm, with beautiful
moonlight. Finding notree on the banks, they stuck
their oars in the sand, and suspended their hammocks
upon them. About eleven there arose in the wood
so terrific a noise that it was impossible to sleep.
The Indians distinguished the cries of sapajous, alou-
ates, jaguars, cougars, pecaris, sloths, carassows,
panakas, and other gallinaceous birds. When the
tigers approached the edge of the forest, a dog which
the travellers had began to howl and seek refuge
under their cots. Sometimes, after a long silence,
the cry of the ferocious animal came from the tops
of the trees, when it was followed by the sharp
and long whistling of the monkeys. Humboldt sup-
poses the noise thus made by the inhabitants of
the thicket, at certain hours of the night, to be
the effect of some contest that has arisen among
them. :
On the 2d April they set sail before sunrise. The
river was ploughed by porpoises, and the shore
crowded with aquatic birds ; while some of the latter,
perched on the floating timber, were endeavouring
to surprise the fish that preferred the middle of the
stream. The navigation is rather dangerous, on ac-
count of the large trees which remain obliquely fixed
in the mud, and the canoe touched several times.
Near the island of Carizales, they saw enormous
trunks covered neat or darters, and below
on
it observed a diminution of the waters of the river,
owing to infiltration and evaporation. Near the
Vuelta de Basilio, where they landed to gather
*
ADVENTURES WITH A JAGUAR. ; 187
plants, they saw on a tree two beautiful jet-black
monkeys of an unknown species, and also a nest
of iguanas, which was pointed out by the Indians.
The flesh of this lizard is very white, and, next to
that of the armadillo, is the best food to be found in
the huts of the natives. 'Towards evening it rained,
and swallows were seen skimming along the water.
They also saw a fiock of parrots pursued by hawks.
The night was passed on the beach.
On the 3d they proceeded down the river in their
solitary course... The sailors caught the fish known
in the country by the name of caribe ; which, although
only four or five inches in length, attacks persons
who go into the water, and with its sharp triangular
teeth often tears considerable portions of flesh from
their legs. When pieces of meat are cast into the
river, clouds of these little fishes appear in a few
minutes. There are three varieties in the Orinoco;
one of which seems to be the Salmo rhombeus of
Linneus. At noon they stopped in a desert spot
called A!godonal, when Humboldt left his companions
and went along the beach to observe a group of
crocodiles sleeping in the sun. Some little herons
of a white colour were walking along their backs,
and even on their heads. As he was proceeding,
his eyes directed towards the river, he discovered
recent footmarks of a beast of prey, and turning
towards the forest, found himself within eighty steps.
of an enormously large jaguar. Although extremely
frightened, he yet retained sufficient command of
himself to follow the advice which the Indians had
so often given, and continued to walk without mov-
ing his arms, making a large circuit towards the edge
of the water. As the distance increased he accele-
rated his pace, and at length, judging it safe to look
about, did so, and saw the tiver in the same spot.
Arriving at the beat out of breath, he related his ad-
venture to the natives, who seemed to think it nothing
extraordinary. Inthe evening they passed the mouth
Rs,
188 MANATEES.
of the Cano del Manati, so named on account of tne
vast number of manatees caught there. This aquatic
‘herbivorous animal generally attains the length of
ten or twelve feet, and abounds in the Orinoco below
the cataracts, the Rio Meta, and the Apure. The
flesh, although very savoury and resembling pork, is
considered unwholesome; but it is in request during
Lent, being classed by the monks among fishes.
The fat is used for lamps in the churches, as well as
for cooking ; while the hide is cut into slips to supply
the place of cordage. Whips are also made of it in
the Spanish colonies for the castigation of negroes
and other slaves. The fires lighted by the boatmen
on the shore attracted the crocodiles and dolphins.
Two persons kept watch during the night. > a Be ud
,
194 HARVEST OF TORTOISE-EGGS.
eggs begins soon after sunset, and is continued —
throughout the night. The animal digs a hole three
feet in diameter and two in breadth with its hind
feet, which are very long and furnished with crooked
claws. So pressing is the desire which it feels to
get rid of its burden, that great confusion prevails,
and an immense number of eggs is broken. Some
of the tortoises are surprised by day before they
have finished the operation, and becoming insensi-
ble to danger, continue to work with the greatest
diligence even in the presence of the fishers.
' The Indians assemble about the beginning of
April, and commence operations under the direction
of the missionaries, who divide the egg-ground into
portions. The leading person among them first
examines by means of a long pole or cane how far
the bed extends, and then allots the shares. The
natives remove the earth with their hands, gather
up the eggs, and carry them in baskets to the camp,
where they throw them into long wooden troughs
filled with water. ‘They arenext broken and stirred, ~
and remain exposed to the sun until the yolk, which
swims at the surface, has time to inspissate, when
it is taken off and boiled.. The oil thus obtained is
limpid and destitute of smell, and is used for lamps
as well as forcooking. The shores of the missions
of Uruana furnish 1000 botijas or jars annually, and
the three stations jointly may be supposed to furnish
5000. It requires 5000 eggs to fill a jar; and if we
estimate at 100 or 116 the number which one tor-
toise produces, and allow one-third to be broken at
the time of laying, we may presume that 330,000 of
these animals assemble every year, and lay 33,000,000
of eggs. This calculation, however, is much below
the truth. Many of them lay only 60 or 70; great num-
bers of them again are devoured by jaguars; the In-
dians take away a considerable quantity to eat them
dried in the sun, and break nearly as many while’
gathering them; and, besides, the proportion that is
|
|
|
|
|
|
ASCENT OF THE ORINOCO. 195
hatched is such that Humboldt saw the whole shore
near the encampment of Uruana swarming with
young ones. Moreover, all the arraus do not as-
semble on the three shores of the encampments, but
many lay elsewhere. The number which annually
deposite their eggs on the shores of the Lower Ori-
noco may, therefore, be estimated at little short of
a million. The travellers were shown-the shells
of large turtles which had been emptied by the
jaguars. These animals surprise them on the sand,
and turn them on their back in order to devour them
at their ease; they dig up the eggs also: and, to-
gether with the gallinazo vulture and the herons,
destroy thousands of their brood.
After procuring some fresh provision, and taking
leave of the missionary, they set sail in the after-
noon. The wind blew in squalls, and after they had
entered the mountainous part of the country, they
found the canoe not very safe when under sail; but
the master was desirous of showing off to the In-
dians, and in going close upon the wind almost upset
his vessel, which filled with water, and nearly foun-
dered. In the evening they landed on a barren
island, where they supped under a beautiful moon-
light, with turtle-shells for seats, and indulged their |
imagination with the picture of a shipwrecked man,
wandering on the desert shores of the Orinoco amid
rivers full of crocodiles and caribe fishes: The night
was intensely hot, and not finding trees on which to
sling their hammocks, they slept on skins spread on
the ground. To their surprise the jaguars swam to
the island, although they had kindled fires to pre-
vent them; but these animals did not venture to
attack them.
On the 7th they passed the mouth of the Rio
Arauca, which is frequented by immense numbers
of birds. They also saw the mission of Uruana, at
the foot of a mountain composed of detached blocks
of granite, in the caverns formed by which hiero-
Fe Pa | ) ' “hy ®
A
196 MOUNTAINOUS DISTRICT.
glyphic figures are sculptured. Measuring the .
breadth of the Orinoco here, they found it, at a dis-
tance of 670 miles from the mouth, to be 5700 yards,
or nearly three miles. The temperature of the
water at its surface was 82°. As the strength of
the current increased, the progress of the boat be-
came much slower, while at one time the woods de-
prived them of the wind, and at another a violent
gust descended from the mountain-passes. Opposite
the lake of Capanaparo, which communicates with
the river, the number of crocodiles was increased.
The Indians asserted that they came in troops to
the water from the savannas, where they le buried
in the solid mud until the first. showers awaken
- them. Humboldt remarks, that the dry season of
the torrid zone corresponds to the winter of the
temperate regions of the globe; and that while the
alligators of North America become torpid through
excess of cold, the crocodiles of the llanos are
reduced to the same state through deficiency of
moisture.
They now entered the passage of the Baraguan,
where the Orinoco is hemmed in by precipices of
granite, forming part of a range of mountains
through which it has found or forced a channel.
Like all the other granitic hills which they observed
on this river, they were formed of enormous cubical
masses piled upon each other. Landing in the mid-
dle of the strait, they found the breadth of the stream
to be. 1895 yards. They looked in vain for plants in
the fissures of the rocks; but the stones were cov-
ered with multitudes of lizards. There was nota
breath of wind, and the heat was so intense that the
thermometer placed against the rock rose to 122°4°.
‘“‘ How vivid,” says Humboldt, “is the impression
which the noontide quiet of nature produces in these
burning climates! The beasts of the forest retire
to the thickets, and the birds conceal themselves
among the foliage or in the crevices of rocks. Yet
ie
INTENSE HEAT—PARARUMA. 197
amid this apparent silence, should one listen atten-
tively, he hears astifled sound, a continued murmur,
ahum ofinsects, that fill the lower strata of the air.
Nothing is more adapted to excite in man a senti-
ment of the extent and power of organic life. My-
riads of insects crawl on the sround, and flutter
round the plants scorched by the heat of the sun.
A confused noise issues from every bush, from the
decayed trunks of the trees, the fissures of the rocks,
and from the ground, which is undermined by lizards,
millipedes, and blindworms. It is a voice proclaim-
ing to us that all nature breathes, that under a thou-
sand different forms life is diffused in the cracked
and dusty soil, as in the bosom of the waters, and in
the air that circulates around us. The water of the
river was very disagreeable here, as it had a musky
smell and a sweetish taste. In some parts it was
pretty good; but in others it seemed loaded with
gelatinous matter, which the natives — to pu-
trified crocodiles.”
After sleeping at the foot of an eminence they
‘continued their voyage, and passed the mouths of
several rivers; and on the 9th arrived, early in the
morning, at the beach of Pararuma, where they
found an encampment of Indians, who had assem-
bled to search the sands for turtles’ eggs. The pilot,
who had brought them from San Fernando de Apure,
would not undertake to accompany them farther ;
but they procured a boat from one of the mission-
aries who had come to the egg-harvest.
This assemblage or encampment afforded to the
travellers an interesting subject of study. “‘ How
difficult,” says Humboldt, “to recognise in this in-
fancy of society, this collection of dull, taciturn, and
unimpassioned Indians, the original character of our
‘species! Human nature is not seen here arrayed
in that gentle simplicity of which poets in every
language have drawn such enchanting pictures.
The savage of the Orinoco appeared to us as hideous
R2 f :
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sie
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/
198 ENCAMPMENT OF INDIANS.
as the savage of the Mississippi described by the
philosophical traveller who best knew how to paint
man in the various regions of the globe. One would
fain persuade himself that these natives of the soil,
crouched near the fire, or seated on large shells of
turtles, their bodies covered with earth and grease,
and their eyes stupidly fixed for whdle hours on the
drink which they are preparing, far from being the
Original type of our species, are a degenerated race,
_ the feeble remains of nations which, after being long
scattered in the forests, have been again immersed
in barbarism.”
Red paint is the ordinary decoration of these
tribes. The most common kind is obtained from
the seeds of the Bizra orellana, and is called anotto,
achote, or roucou. Another much more expensive
species is extracted from the leaves of Bignoma
chica. Both these are red; but a black ingredient is
obtained from the Genipa Americana, and is called
caruto. These pigments are mixed with turtle-oil
or grease, and are variously applied according to na-
tional or individual taste. The Caribs and Otomacs
colour only the head and hair, while the Salivas
smear the whole body; but there prevails in general
as great a diversity in the mode of staining as is
found in Europe in respect to dress; and at Para-
ruma the travellers saw some Indians painted with a
blue jacket and black buttons. Women advanced in
years are fonder of being thus ornamented than the
younger ladies; and so expensive is this mode of
decoration, that an industrious man can hardly gain
enough by the labour of a fortnight to adorn himself
with chica, of which the missionaries make an article
of traffic. After all, the paintings that cost so much
are liable to be effaced by a heavy shower; although
the caruto long resists: the action of water, as the
travellers found by disagreeable experience; for
having one day in sport marked their faces with
spots and strokes of it, it was not entirely removed
ie
SAGACITY OF THE TITI MONKEY. 199
till after a long period. It has been supposed that
this usage prevents the Indians from being stung by
insects ; but this was found to be incorrect. The
preference given by the American tribes to the red
colour, Humboldt supposes to be owing to the tend-
ency which nations feel to attribute the idea of
beauty to whatever characterizes their national
complexion. | ;
The encampment of Pararuma also afforded the
travellers an opportunity of examining several ani-
mals they had not before seen alive, and which the
Indians brought to exchange with the missionaries
for fish-hooks and other necessaries. Among these
specimens were gallitoes, or rock-manakins, mon-
keys of different species, of which the titi or Sunia
sciurea seems to have been a special favourite with
Humboldt. He mentions a very interesting fact
illustrative of the sagacity of this creature. One
which he had purchased of the natives distinguished
the different plates of a work on natural history so
well, that when an engraving which contained zoo-
logical representations was placed before it, it rapidly
advanced its little hand to catch a grasshopper or a
wasp; which was the more remarkable as the
figures were not coloured. Humboldt observes, that
he never heard of any the most perfect picture of —
hares or deer producing the least effect upon a
hound, and doubts if there be a well-ascertained ex-
ample of a dog having recognised a full-length por-
trait of its master.
The canoe which they had procured was forty-
two feet long and three broad. The missionary of
Atures and Maypures had offered to accompany
them as far as the frontiers of Brazil, and made pre-
parations for the voyage. Two Indians who were
to form part of the crew were chained during the
night to prevent their escape ; and on the morning
of the 10th the company set out. The vessel was
found to be extremely incommodious. To gain
«3 ‘
9
200 SCENERY.
something in breadth a kind of frame had been ex-
tended over the gunwale in the hinder part of it; but
the roof of leaves which covered it was so low that
the travellers were obliged to lie down, or sit nearly
double, while in rainy weather the feet were liable
to be wetted. The natives, seated two and two,
were furnished with paddles three feet long, and
rowed with surprising uniformity to the cadence of
a monotonous and melancholysong. Small cages,
containing birds and monkeys, were suspended to
the shed, and the dried plants and instruments were
placed beneath it. To their numerous inconve-
niences was added the continual torment of the mos-
guitoes, which they were unable by any means to
alleviate. Every night, when they established their
watch, the collection of animals and instruments
occupied the centre, around which were placed first
their own hammocks, and then those of the Indians,
while fires were lighted to intimidate the jaguars.
At sunrise the monkeys in the cages answered the
cries of those in the forests, affording an affecting
display of sympathy between the captive and the
free. |
Above the deserted mission of Pararuma the river
is full of islands, and divides into several branches.
Its total breadthis about 6395 yards. The country
becomes more wooded. A granitic prism, termi-
nated by a flat surface covered with a tuft of trees,
rises to the height of 213 feet in the midst of the
forest. Farther on the river narrows ; and upon the
east is an eminence, on which the Jesuits formerly
maintained a garrison for protecting the missions
against the inroads of the Caribs, and for extending
what, in the Spanish colonies, was called the con-
quest of souls, which of course was effected through
the conquest of bodies. ‘The soldiers made incur-
sions into the territories of the independent Indians,
killed all who offered resistance, burned their huts,
destroyed the plantations, and made prisoners of the
CARICHANA——INDIANS. 201
old men, women, and children, who were afterward
divided among their establishments. The river again
contracted, and rapids began to make their appear-
ance, the shores becoming sinuous and precipitous.
In a bay between two promontories of granite, they
landed at what is called the Port of Carichana, and
proceeded to the mission of that name, situated at
the distance of two miles and a half from the bank,
where they were hospitably received at the priest’s
house. The Christian converts at this station were
Salivas, a social and mild people, having agreat taste
for music.
Among these Indians they found a white woman,
the sister of a Jesuit of New-Grenada, and expe-
rienced great pleasure in conversing with her with-
out the aid of a third person. In every mission,
says Humboldt, there are at least two interpreters,
for the purpose of communicating between the
monks and the catechumens, the former seldom
studying the language of the latter. They are na-
tives, somewhat less stupid,than the rest, but ill
adapted for their office. 'They always attended the |
travellers in their excursions ; but little more could |
be got from them than a mere affirmation or nega-
tion. Sometimes, in attempting to hold intercourse
with the Indians, he preferred the language of signs,—
a method which he recommends to travellers, as the
variety of languages spoken on the Meta, Orinoco,
Casiquiare, and Rio Negro is so great, that no one
could ever make himself understood in them all.
The scenery around the mission of Carichana ap-
peared delightful. The village was situated on a
grassy plain, bounded by mountains. Banks of rock,
often more than 850 feet in circumference, scarcely
elevated a few inches above the savannas, and
nearly destitute of vegetation, give a peculiar char-
acter to the country. . On these stony flats they
eagerly observed the rising vegetation in the differ-
ent stages of its development: lichens cleaving to the
202 MARKS OF INUNDATIONS.
rock and collected into crusts; afew succulent plants
growing among little portions of quartz-sand; and
tufts of evergreen shrubs springing up in the black
mould deposited in the hollows. At the distance
of eight or ten miles from the religious house they
found a rich and diversified assemblage of plants,
among which M. Bonpland obtained numerous new
species. Here grew the Dipterix odorata, which fur-
nishes excellent timber, and of which the fruit is
— in Europe by the name of tonkay or tongo
ean
In a narrow part of the river the marks of the
great inundations were 45 feet above the surface ;
but at various places black bands and erosions are
seen, 106, or even 138 feet above the present highest
increase of the waters, “Is this river, then,” says
- Humboldt, “the Orinoco, which appears to us so im-
~
posing and majestic, merely the feeble remnant
of those immense currents of fresh water which,
swelled by alpine snows, or by more abundant rains,
everywhere shaded by,dense forests, and destitute
of those heaches which favour evaporation, formerly
traversed the regions to the east of the Andes, like
arms of inland seas? What must then have been
the state of those low countries of Guiana, which
now experience the effects of annual inundations ?
What a prodigious number of crocodiles, laman-
tines, and boas must have inhabited these vast
regions, alternately converted into pools of stagnant
water and arid plains! The more peaceful world in
which we live has succeeded to a tumultuous world.
Bones of mastodons and real American elephants
are found dispersed over the platforms of the Andes.
The megatherium inhabited the plains of Uruguay.
By digging the earth more deeply in high valleys,
which at the present day are unable to nourish palms
or tree-ferns, we discover strata of coal containing
gigantic remains of monocotyledonous plants. There
was therefore a remote period, when the tribes of
a
THUNDER-STORM—MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS. 203
vegetables were differently distributed; when the
animals were larger, the rivers wider and deeper.
There stop the monuments of nature which we can
consult. We are ignorant if the human race, which
at. the time of the discovery of America scarcely
presented a few feeble tribes to the east of the Cor-
dilleras, had yet descended into the plains, or if the
ancient tradition of the Great Waters, which we
find among all the races of the Orinoco, Erevato,
and Caura, belong to other climates, whence it had
been transferred to this part of the new continent.”
On the 11th they left Carichana at two in the
afternoon, and found the river more and more en-
cumbered by blocks of granite. At the large rock
known by the name of Piedra del Tigre, the depth is
so great that no bottom can be found with a line of
140 feet. Towards evening they encountered a
thunder-storm, which for a time drove away the
mosquitoes that had tormented them during the day.
At the cataract of Cariven the current was so rapid
that they had great difficulty in landing; but at
length two Saliva Indians swam to the shore, and
drew the canoe to the side with a rope. The thun-
der continued a part of the night, and the river in-
creased considerably. The granitic rock on which
they slept is one of those from which travellers on
. the Orinoco have heard subterranean sounds, re-
sembling those of an organ, emitted about sunrise.
Humboldt supposes that these must be produced by
the passage of rarefied air through the fissures, and
seems to think that the impulse of the fluid against
the elastic scales of mica which intercept the crev-
ices may contribute to modify their expression.*
* Many examples of mysterious sounds produced under similar cir--
cumstances are on record. In the autumn of 1828, a recent traveller
crossing the Pyrenees, when in a wild pass with the Maladetta moun-
tain opposite, heard “a dull, low, moaning, AZolian sound, which alone
broke upon the ‘deathly silence, evidently proceeding from the body of
this mighty mass.” The air was perfectly calm, and clear to an extra-
ordinary degree ; no waterfall could be seen even with the aid of a tele-
204 MAJESTIC SCENERY.
On the 12th they set off at four in the morning.
The Indians rowed twelve hours and a half without
intermission, during which time they took no other
nourishment than cassava and plantains. The bed
of the river, to the length of 1280 yards, was full of
granite rocks, the channels between which were
often very narrow, insomuch that the canoe was
sometimes jammed in between two blocks. When
the current was too strong the sailors leaped out, and
warped the boat along. The rocks were of all di-
mensions, rounded, very dark, glossy like lead, and
destitute of vegetation. No crocodiles were seen
in these rapids. The left bank of the Orinoco, from
Cabruto to the mouth of the Rio Serianico, a dis-
tance of nearly two degrees of latitude, is entirely
uninhabited ; but to the westward of these rapids
an enterprising individual, Don Felix Relinchon, had
formed a village of Jaruro and Otomac Indians. . At
nine in the morning they arrived at the mouth of
the Meta, which, next to the Guaviare, is the largest
river that joins the Orinoco. Atthe union of these
streams the scenery is of a very impressive charac-
ter. Solitary peaks rise on the eastern side, appear-
ing in the distance like ruined castles, while vast
sandy shores intervene between the bank and the
forests. ‘They passed two hours on a large rock in
the middle of the Orinoco, upon which Humboldt
Scope, and no cause could be assigned for the phenomenon, unless the
sun’s rays, “atthat moment impinging in all their glory on every point
and peak of the snowy heights,”"had some snare “in vibrating these
mountain-chords."—V. M. Mag. xxx. 341. The granite statue of Mem-
non is well known to have emitted sounds when the morning beams
darted upon it; and MM. Jomard, Jollois,and Devilliers heard a noise
resembling that of the breaking of a string, which proceeded at sunrise
from a monument of granite situated near the centre of the spot on
which stands the palace of Carnac. Singular sounds have been heard
from the interior of a mountain near Tor, in Arabia Petrea. They are
familiar to the natives, who ascribe them to a convent of ‘monks, miracu-
lously preserved under ground, and were heard by M. Seetzen and Mr.
Gray, the only European travellers who have visited the place. For an
account of these curious phenomena, the reader may be referred to Dr.
Brewster’s Letters on Natural Magic, forming No. L. of the Family
re
ee
MISSION OF SAN BORJA. 205.
succeeded in fixing his instruments, and in deter
mining the longitude of the embouchure of the Meta
a river which will one day be of great political im
portance to the inhabitants of Guiana and Venezuela
as it is navigable to the foot of the Andesof New.
Grenada. Above this point the current was com
paratively free from shoals ; and in the evening they
reached the rapids of Tabaje. As the Indians
would not venture to pass them, they were obliged
to land, and repose on a craggy platform having a
slope of more than eighteen degrees, and having its
crevices filled with bats. The cries of the jaguar
were heard very near during the whole night; the
sky was of a tremendous blackness; and the hoarse
noise of the rapids blended with the thunder which
rolled at a distance among the woods.
Early in the morning they cleared the rapids, and
disembarked at the new mission of San Borja, where
they found six houses inhabited by uncatechised
Guahiboes, who differed in nothing from the wild
natives. The faces of the young girls were marked
with black spots. This people had not painted their
bodies, and several of them had beards, of which
they seemed proud, taking the travellers by the
chin, and showing by signs that they were like
themselves. In continuing to ascend the river, they
found the heat less intense, the temperature during
the day being 79° or 80°, and at night about 75°;
but the torment of the mosquitoes increased. The
crocodiles which they saw were all of the extraor-
dinary size of twenty-four or twenty-five feet.
The night was spent on the beach; but the suffer-
ings inflicted by the flies induced the travellers to
start at five in the morning. On the island of Gua-
chaco, where they stopped to breakfast, they found
the granite covered by a sandstone or conglomerate,
containing fragments of quartz and felspar cemented
by indurated clay, and exhibiting small veins of
brown iron-ore. Passing the mouth of the Rio Pa-
pay
,
206 MISSION OF ATURES.
rueni, they slept on the island of Panumana, which
they found rich in plants, and where they again
observed the low shelves of rock partially coated
with the vegetation which they had admired at.
Carichana.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Voyage up the Orinoco continued.
Mission of Atures--Epidemic Fevers—Black Crust of Granitic Rocks—
Causes of Depopulation of the Missions—Falls of Apures—-Scenery—
Anecdote of a Jaguar—Domestic Animals—Wild Man of the Woods
—Mosquitoes and other poisonous Insects—Mission and Cataracts of
Maypures—Scenery—Inhabitants—Spice-trees—San Fernando de Ata-
bapo—San Baltasar—The Mother’s Rock—Vegetation—Dolphins—
San Antonio de Javita—Indians--Elastic Gum—-Serpents—Portage of
the Pimichin—Arrival at the Rio Negro, a Branch of the Amazon—
Ascent of the Casiquiare
Leavine the island of Panumana at an early hour,
the navigators continued to ascend the Orinoco, the
scenery on which became more interesting the
nearer they approached the great cataracts. The
sky was in part obscured, and lightnings flashed
among the dense clouds; but no thunder was heard.
On the western bank of the river they perceived the
fires of an encampment of Guahiboes, to intimidate
whom some shots were discharged by the direction
of the missionary. In the evening they arrived at
the foot of the great fall, and passed the night at the
mission of Atures, in its neighbourhood. The flat
savanna which surrounds the village seemed to
Humboldt to have formerly been the bed of the
Orinoco. nt
This station was found to be in a deplorable state,
the Indians having gradually deserted it until only
NOXIOUS EXHALATIONS FROM THE ROCKS. 207
forty-seven remained. At its foundation in 1748
several tribes had been assembied, which subse-
quently dispersed, and their places were supplied
by the Guahiboes, who belong to the lowest grade
of uncivilized society, and a few families of Macoes.
The epidemic fevers, which prevail here at the com-
mencement of the rainy season, contributed greatly
to the decay of the establishment. This distemper
is ascribed to the violent heats, excessive humidity
of the air, bad food, and, as the natives believe, to
the noxious exhalations that rise from the bare rocks
of the rapids. This last is a curious circumstance,
and, as Humboldt remarks, is the more worthy of
attention on account of its being connected with a
fact that has been observed in several parts of the
world, although it has not yet been sufficiently ex-
plained.
Among the cataracts and falls of the Orinoco, the
granite rocks, wherever they are periodically ‘sub-
mersed, become smooth, and seem as if coated with
black lead. The crust is only 0°3 of a line in thick-
ness, and occurs chiefly on the quartzy parts of the
stone, which is coarse-grained, and contains solitary
crystals of hornblende. The same appearance is
presented at the cataracts of Syene as weli as those
of the Congo. This black deposite, according to
Mr. Children’s analysis, consists of oxide of iron
and manganese, to which some experiments of ~
Humboldt induced him to add carbon and super-
carburetted iron. The phenomenon has hitherto
been observed only in the torrid zone, in rivers that
overflow periodically and are bounded by primitive
rocks, and is supposed by our author to arise from
the precipitation of substances chymically dissolved
in the water, and not from an efflorescence of mat-
ters contained in therocks themselves. The Indians
and missionaries assert, that the exhalations from
these rocks are unwholesome, and consider it dan-
gerous to sleep on granite near the river; and our
208 DEPOPULATION OF THE MISSIONS.
travellers, without entirely crediting this assertion,
usually took care to avoid the black rocks at night.
But the danger of reposing on them, Humboldt
thinks, may rather be owing to the very great degree
of warmth they retain during the night, which was
found to be 85°5°, while that of the air was 78°8°.
In the day their temperature was 118°4°, and the
heat which they emitted was stifling.
Among the causes of the depopulation ofthe
missions, Humboldt mentions the general insalubrity
of the climate, bad nourishment, want of proper
treatment in the diseases of children, and the prac-
tice of preventing pregnancy by the use of dele-
terious herbs. Among the savages of Guiana, when
twins are produced one is always destroyed, from
the idea that to bring more than one at a time into
the world is to resemble rats, opossums, and the
vilest animals; and that two children born at once
cannot belong to the same father. When any phy-
sical deformity occurs in an infant, the father puts
it to death, and those of a feeble constitution some-
times undergo the same fate, because the care which
they require is disagreeable. “Such,” says Hum-
boldt, ‘is the simplicity of manners,—the boasted
happiness of man in the state of nature! He kills
his son to escape the ridicule of having twins, or
to avoid travelling more slowly,—in fact to avoid a
little inconvenience.”
The two great cataracts of the Orinoco are formed
by the passage of the river across achain of granitic
mountains, constituting part of the Parime range.
By the natives they are called Mapara and Quittuna;
but the missionaries have denominated them the
falls of Atures and Maypures, after the first tribes
which they assembled in the nearest villages. They
are only forty-one miles distant from each other,
and are not more than 345 miles west of the cor-
dilleras of New-Grenada. They divide the Chris-
tian establishments of Spanish Guiana into two un-
SCENERY OF THE LOWER CATARACT. 209
equal parts; those situated between the lower
cataract, or that of Apures, being called the missions
of the Lower Orinoco, and those between the upper
cataract and the mountains of Duida being called
the missions of the Upper Orinoco. ‘'The-length of
the.lower section, including its sinuosities, is 897
miles, while that of the upper is 576 miles. The
navigation of the river extends from its mouth to
the point where it meets the Anaveni near the lower
cataract, although in the upper part of this division
there are rapids which can be passed-only in small
boats. The principal danger, however, is that which
arises from natural rafts, consisting of trees inter-
woven with lianas, and covered with aquatic plants
carried down by the current. The cataracts are
formed by bars stretching across the bed of the
river, which forces its way through a break in the
mountains ; but beyond this rugged pass the course
is again open for a'length of more than 576 miles.
The scenery in the vicinity of the lower fall is
described as exceedingly beautiful. To the west of
Atures, a pyramidal mountain, the Peak of Uniana,
rises from a plain to the height of nearly 3200 feet.
The savannas, which are covered with grasses and
slender plants, though never inundated by the river,
present a surprising luxuriance and diversity of
vegetation. Piles of granitic blocks rise here and
there, and at the margins of the plains occur deep
valleys and ravines, the humid soil of which is
covered with arums, heliconias, and lianas. The
shelves of primitive rocks, scarcely elevated above
the plain, are. partially coated with lichens and
mosses, together with succulent plants, and tufts of
evergreen shrubs with shining leaves. On all sides
the horizon is bounded by mountains, overgrown
with forests of laurels, among which clusters of
palms rise to the height of more than a hundred
feet, their slender stems supporting tufts of feathery
foliage. To the east of Atures other mountains ap-
S 2
210 CATARACTS OF THE ORINOCO,
pear, the ridge of which is composed of pointed
cliffs, rising like huge pillars above the trees. When
these columnar masses are situated near the Orinoco,
flamingoes, herons, and other wading birds perch
on, their summits, and look like sentinels. In the
vicinity of the cataracts, the moisture which is dif-
fused in the air produces a perpetual verdure, and
wherever soil has accumulated on the plains, it is
occupied by the beautiful shrubs of the mountains.
The rainy season had scarcely commenced, yet
the vegetation displayed all the vigour and brilliancy
which on the coast it assumes only towards’ the
end of the rains. The old trunks were decorated
with orchidee, bannisterias, bignonias, arums, and
Other parasitic plants. Mimosas, figs, and laurels
were the prevailing trees in the woody spots; and
in the vicinity of the cataract were groups of heli-
conias, bamboos, and palms.
Along a space of more than five miles the bed of
the Orinoco is traversed by numerous dikes of rock,
forming natural dams, filled with islands of every
form, some rocky and precipitous, while others re-
semble shoals. By these the river is broken up into
torrents, which are ever dashing their spray against
the rocks. ‘They are all furnished with sylvan vege-
tation, and resemble a mass of palm-trees rising amid
the foam of the waters. The current is divided into
a multitude of rapids, each endeavouring to force a
passage through the narrows, and is everywhere
ingulfed in caverns, in one of which the travellers
heard the water rolling at once over their heads and
beneath their feet.
Notwithstanding the formidable pine of this long
succession of falls, the Indians pass many of them
in their canoes. When ascending they swim on
before, and after repeated efforts succeed in fixing a
rope toa point of rock, and thus draw the canoe up
the rapid. Sometimes it fills with water, and is not
~ unfrequently dashed to pieces against the shelves;
bape i”
he
é
CATARACTS OF THE ORINOCO. 211
upon which the sailors again swim, though not with-
out difficulty, through the whirlpools to the nearest
island. When the bars are very high the vessels
are taken ashore, and drawn upon rollers, made of the
branches of trees, to a place where the river again
becomes navigable. During the flood, however, t this
operation is seldom necessary.
Although the rapids of the Orinoco form a long
series of falls, the noise of which is heard at the dis-
tance of more than three miles, yet the rocks were
found by Humboldt not to have a greater height than
thirty feet perpendicular. He thinks it probable that
a considerable part of the water is lost by passing
into subterranean cavities, independently of that
which disappears by being dispersed in the atmo-
sphere. Numberlessholes and sinuosities are formed
in the crevices by the friction of the sand and quartz
pebbles; but he does not consider that any great
change is effected in the general form of the cata-
racts by the action of the water, the granite being
too hard to be worn away to a great extent. The
Indians assert that the stony barriers preserve the
same aspect; but that the partial torrents into which
the river divides itself.are changed in their direc-
tion, and carry sometimes more, sometimes less
water towards one or, other bank.
When the rush of the cataracts is heard in the
plain that surrounds the mission of Atures, one ima-
gines he is near a coast skirted by reefs and break-
érs. The noise is thrice as loud by night as by day.
This circumstance had struck the padre and the In-
dians, and Humboldt attributes it to the cessation
of the sun’s action, which is productive of number-
less currents and undulations of the air, impeding
the progress of sound by presenting spaces of differ-
ent density.
The jaguars, which abound everywhere on the
Orinoco, are so numerous here that they come into
the village, and devour the pigs of the poor Indians.
212 ,ANECDOTE OF A JAGUAR.
The missionary related a striking instance of the
familiarity of these animals:—‘‘ Two Indian chil-
dren, a boy and girl, eight or nine years of age, were
sitting among the grass near the village of Atures,
in the midst of asavanna. It was two in the after-
noon when a jaguar issued from the forest and ap-
proached the children, gamboling around them ; some-
times concealing itself among the long grass, and
again springing forward, with his back curved and
his head lowered, as is usual with our cats. The
little boy was unaware of the danger in which he
was placed, and became sensible of it only when the
jaguar struck him on the head with one of his paws.
The blows thus inflicted were at first slight, but
gradually became ruder. The claws of the jaguar
wounded the child, and blood flowed with violence.
The little girl then took upa branch of a tree and
struck the animal, which fied before her. The In-
dians, hearing the cries of the children, ran up and
saw the jaguar, which bounded off without showing
any disposition to defend. itself.”—‘‘ What,” asks
Humboldt, “‘ meant this fit of playfulness in an ani-
mal which, although not difficult to be tamed in our
menageries, is always so ferocious and cruel in the
state of freedom? If we choose to admit that, being
sure of its prey, it played with the young Indian
as the domestic cat plays with a bird, the wings of
which have been clipped, how can we account for
the forbearance of a large jaguar when pursued by
alittle girl? If the jaguar was not pressed by hun-
ger, why should it have gone up to the children?
There are mysteries in the affections and hatreds
of animals. We have seen lions kill three or four
dogs which were put into their cage, and instantly
caress another which had the courage to seize the
royal beast by the mane. Man is ignorant of the
sources of these instincts. It would seem. that
weakness inspires more interest the more confiding
it is.” ;
-
WILD HOGS—-MONKEYS—MOSQUITOES. 213
oe
_ The cattle introduced by the Jesuits had entirely
disappeared ; but the Indians rear the common pig
and another ‘kind peculiar to America, and known in
Europe by the name of pecari. A third species of
hog, the apida, which is of a dark-brown colour,
wanders in large herds composed of several hun-
dreds. M. Bonpland, when upon a botanical excur-
sion, saw a.drove of these animals pass near him.
It marched in a close body; the males before, and
each sow accompanied by her young. The natives
kill them with small lances tied to cords. At the
mission they saw a monkey of a new species, which
had been brought up in captivity, and which every
day seized a pig in the court-yard, and remained upon
it from morning to night, in all its wanderings in the
savannas. Here, for the first time, they heard of
the hairy man of the woods, a large animal of the
ape kind, which, according to report, carries off
women, builds huts, and sometimes eats human
flesh. In all his travels in America, Humboldt found
no traces of a large anthropomorphous monkey, al-
though in several places, very distant from each
other, he heard similar accounts of it.
Flies of various kinds unceasingly tormented the
travellers ; mosquitoes and simulia by day, and zan-
-cudoes by night. The missionary, observing that
the insects were more abundant in the lowest stra-
tum of the atmosphere, had constructed near the
church a small apartment supported upon palm-
trunks, to which they retired in the evening to dry
their plants and write their journals.* At Maypures
* A similar expedient was tried by a British officer who had joined the
insurgents under Bolivar, in 1818. ‘These insects” (the mosquitoes),
says he, “do not rise high in the air, but are generated and remain near
the wet bank of the river. I found atree in the neighbourhood, which I
ascended nearly to its top with acord. This I attached firmly to the
branches, and then fixed it round me, so that I could not fall, but sit with
safety, although not with much comfort. It was, however, with me
here as with many in various situations in life—I could estimate the nature
and extent of my pleasures and my difficulties merely by comparison ;
and, certainly, although the being tied to the top of a tree as a sleeping-
214 MOSQUITOES. ¥ 3
the Indians leave the village at night, and sleep on
the little islands in the midst of the cataracts, where
the insects are less numerous. Humboldt gives an
elaborate account of these creatures, of which, how-
ever, the most interesting particulars alone can be
here extracted. In the missions of the Orinoco,
when two persons meet in the morning, the first
questions are, “How did you find the zancudoes
during the night? How are we to-day for the mos-
quitoes?” The plague of these animals, however,
is not so general in the torrid zone as is commonly
believed. On the table-lands that have an elevation
of more than 2558 feet, and in very dry plains at a
distance from rivers, they are not more numerous
than in Europe; but along the valleys, as well as in
moist places on the coast, they continually harass
the traveller; the lower stratum of air, to the height
of fifteen or twenty feet, being filled with a cloud of
venomous insects. It is a remarkable circumstance
that on the streams, the water of which is of a yel-
lowish-brown colour, the tipulary flies do not make
their appearance. Not less astonishing is the fact,
that the different kinds do not associate together ;
but that at certain hours of the day, distinct species,
as the missionaries say, mount guard. From half
after six in the morning till five in the afternoon the
air is filled with mosquitoes, which are of the genus
Stmulium, and resemble a common fly. An hour
before sunset small gnats, called tempraneroes, suc-
ceed them, to disappear between six and seven;
after which zancudoes, a species of gnat with very
long legs, come abroad and continue until near sun-
rise, when the former again take their turn. Per-
sons born in the country, whether whites, mulattoes,
negroes, or Indians, all suffer from the sting of these
place was not very agreeable, it was far preferable to being among swarms
of hungry mosquitoes where I had previously lodged. I enjoyed several
hours’ sleep, and awoke considerably refreshed.”—Robinson’s Journal
of an Expedition up the Orinoco and Arauca. -
ie PASSAGE OF THE CATARACTS. 215
insects, although not so severely as recently-arrived
Europeans.
The travellers, after remaining two days in the
vicinity of the cataract of Atures, proceeded on the
17th to rejoin their canoe, already conducted by
eight Indians of the mission through the rapids, and
reached it about eleven in the morning, accompanied
by Father Zea, who had procured a small stock of
provisions, consisting of plantains, cassava, and
fowls. The river was now free from shoals; and
after a few hours they passed the rapids of Garcita,
and perceived numerous small holes at an elevation
of more than 190 feet above the level of the current,
which appeared ‘to have been caused by the erosion
of the waters. ‘The night was spent in the open air,
on the left bank.
On the 18th they set out at three in the morning,
and near five in the afternoon reached the Raudal
des Guahiboes, on the dike of which they landed
while the ladians were drawing up the boat. The
gneiss rock exhibited circular holes, produced by
the friction of pebbles, in one of which they prepared
a beverage consisting of water, sugar, and the juice
of acid fruits, for the purpose of allaying the thirst
of the missionary, who was seized by a fever fit;
after which they had the pleasure of bathing ina
quiet place in the midst of the cataracts. After an
hour’s' delay, the boat having been got up, they re-
embarked their instruments and provisions. The
river was 1705 yards broad, and had to be crossed
obliquely, at a part where the waters rushed with
extreme rapidity towards the bar over which they
were precipitated. In the midst of this dangerous
navigation they were overtaken by a thunder-storm
accompanied by torrents of rain; and after rowing
twenty minutes found that so far from having made
progress they were approaching the fall. But, as
the Indians redoubled their efforts, the danger was
escaped, and the boat arrived at nightfall in the port of
ba . are seen
216 MISSION OF MAYPURES._
Maypures. The night was extremely dark, and the
village was ata considerable distance ; still, as the
missionary caused copal-torches to be lighted, they
proceeded. As the rain ceased the zancudoes re-
appeared, and the flambeaux being extinguished,
they had to grope their way. One of their fellow-
travellers, Don Nicolas Soto, slipped from a round
trunk on which he attempted to cross a gully, but
fortunately received no injury. To add to their
distress, the pilot talked incessantly of venomous
snakes, water-serpents, and tigers. On their arrival
at the mission they found the inhabitants immersed
in profound sleep, and nothing was heard but the
cries of nocturnal birds and the distant roar of the
cataract.
At the village of Maypures they remained three
days, for the purpose of examining the neighbour-
hood. The cataract, called by the Indians Quittuna,
is formed by an archipelago of islands, filling the
bed of the river to the length of 6395 yards, and by
_ dikes of rock which occasionally join them together.
The largest of these shelves or bars are at Purima-
rimi, Manimi, and the Salto de la Sardina; the last
of which is about nine feet high. To obtain a full
view of the falls the travellers frequently ascended
the eminence of Manimi, a granitic ridge rising from
the savanna, to the north of the church. ‘“ When
one attains the summit of the rock,” says Humboldt,
“he suddenly sees a sheet of foam a mile in extent.
Enormous masses of rock, of an iron blackness,
emerge from its bosom, some of a mammillar form,
and grouped like basaltic hills; others resembling
towers, castles, and ruins. Their dark colour con.
trasts with the silvery whiteness of the foam.
Every rock and islet is covered with tufts of stately
trees. From the base of these prominences, as far
as the are can reach, there hangs over the rivera
dense ote Felons which the tops of majestic palms
penetrate. At every hour of the day this
UPPER CATARACT. 217
sheet of foam presents a different aspect. Some-
times the mountain isles and palms project their long
shadows over it; sometimes the rays of the setting
‘sun are refracted in the humid cloud that covers the
cataract, when coloured arches form, vanish, and
reappear by turns.” ,
The mountain of Manim1 forms the eastern limit
of a plain, which presented the same appearance as
that of Atures. ~Towards the west is a level space
formerly occupied by the waters of the river, and
exhibiting rocks similar to the islands of the cata-
racts. These masses are also crowned with palms;
and one of them, called Keri, is celebrated in the
country for a white spot, which Humboldt supposed
to be a large nodule of quartz. In an islet amid
the rush of waters there is a similar spot. The
Indians view them with a mysterious interest, be-
lieving they see in the former the image of the moon,
and in the latter that of the sun.
The inhabitants of the mission were Guahiboes
and Macoes. In the time of the Jesuits the number
was six hundred, but it had gradually fallen to less
than sixty. They are represented as gentle, tem-
perate, and cleanly. They cultivate plantains and
cassava, and, like most of the Indians of the Orinoco,
prepare nourishing drinks from the fruits of palms
and other plants. Some of them were occupied in —
manufacturing a coarse pottery. Cattle, and espe-
cially goats, had at one time multiplied considerably
at Maypures ; but at the period of Humboldt’s visit
none were to be seen in any mission of the Orinoco.
Tame macaws were seen round the huts, and fly-
ing in the fields like pigeons. Their plumage being
of the most vivid tints of purple, blue, and yellow,
a birds are a great ornament to the Indian farm-
yards. as
Round the village there grows a majestic tree of
the genus Unona, with straight branches rising in tl
form of a pyramid. vine infusion of the aromatic
f
‘e
a
218 PASSAGE OF THE UPPER CATARACT.
fruit is a powerful febrifuge, and is used as such in
preference to the astringent bark of the cinchona or
Bonplandia trifoliata.
The longitude of this place was found to be 68°
17’ 9", the latitude 5° 13’ 57”; differing from the best
maps then existing by half a degree of longitude and
as much of latitude. The thermometer during the
night indicated from 80° to 84°, and in the day 86°.
The water of the river was 81.7°, and that of a
spring 82°.
Having spent some days at the mission of May-
pures, the fravellers embarked at two in the after-
noon in the canoe procured at the turtle island,
which, although considerably damaged by the care-
lessness of the Indians, was judged sufficient for the
long voyage they had yet to perform. Above the
great cataracts they found themselves, as it were, ina
new world. Towards the east, in the extreme dis-
tance, rose the great chain of the Cunavami moun-
tains, one of the peaks of which, namgd Calida-
mini, reflects at sunset a reddish glare of light.
After encountering one more rapid. they entered
upon smooth water, and passed the night on a rocky
island. |
On the 22d they set out at an early hour. The
morning was damp but delicious, and not a breath of
wind was felt; a perpetual calm reigning to the
south of the cataracts, which Humboldt attributes
to the windings of the rivers, the shelter of moun-
tains, and the almost incessant rains. In the valley
of the Amazon, on the contrary, a strong breeze
rises every day at two in the afternoon, which, how-
ever, is felt only along the line of the current. It
always moves against the stream, and by means of
it a boat may go up the Amazon under sail a length
of 2590 miles. The great salubrity of this district
is probably owing to the gale. They passed the
mouths of several streams, and admired the gran-
deur of the cerros of Lipapo, a branch of the cordil-
SCENERY OF THE UPPER ORINOCO. 219
lera of Parime, the aspect of which varied every
hour of the day. At sunrise, the dense vegetation
with which they are covered was tinged with a dark-
sreen inclining to brown, while broad and deep
shadows were ‘projected over the neighbouring plain,
forming a strong contrast with the vivid light diffused
around. ‘Towards noon the shadows disappeared,
and the whole group was veiled in an azure vapour,
which softened the outlines of the rocks, moderated -
the. effects of light, and gave the landscape an aspect
of calmness and repose. Landing at the mouth of
the Rio Vichada to examine the vegetation#*they
found numberless small granitic rocks rising from
the plain, and presenting the appearance of prisms,
ruined columns, and towers. The forest was thin,
and at the confluence of the two rivers the rocks
and even.the soil were covered with mosses and
lichens. M. Bonpland found several specimens of
Laurus cinnamomoides, a very aromatic species of
- cinnamon, which, together with the American nut-
meg, the pimento, and Laurus pucheri, Humboldt re-
marks, would have become important objects of trade,
had not Europe, at the period when the New World
was discovered, been already accustomed to the
spices of India. ‘The travellers rested at night on
the bank of the Orinoco, at the mouth:of the Zama.
This river is one of those which are said to have black
water, as if appears of a dark-brown or greenish-
black; and here they entered the system of rivers
to which the name of Aguas Negras is given. The
colour is supposed to be owing to a solution of ve-
getable matter, and the Indians attribute it to the
roots of sarsaparilla.
At five in the morning of the 23d they continued
their voyage, and passed the mouth of the Rio Ma-
taveni. The banks were still skirted by forests, but
the mountains on the east retired farther back. The
traces left by the floods were not higher than eight
feet. At the place where they passed the night,
\
220 SAN FERNANDO DE ATABIPO.
multitudes of bats issued from the crevices, and
hovered around their hammocks. Next day a violent
ain obliged them to set out at a very early hour.
afternoon they landed at the Indian planta-
tions of San Fernando, and after midnight arrived at
the mission, where they were received with the kind-
est hospitality.
The village of San Fernando de Atabipo is situated
near the confluence of the Orinoco, the Atabir , and
uaviare ; the latter of which Humboldt thinks
with more propriety be considered the con-
tin on of the Orinoco than a branch. The num-
ber of inhabitants did not exceed 226. The mission-
Rio Negro, Gacinhaae, ’Atabipo, and Caura. Thi
Indians were a little more civilized than the inmates
of the other establishments, and cultivated cacao in
small quantities, together with cassava and plantains.
They were surrounded with good pasturage, but not
more than seven or eight cows were to be seen.
The most striking object in the neighbourhood was
the pirijao palm, which has a thorny trunk more than
sixty-four feet high, pinnafed leaves, and clusters of
fruits two or three inches in diameter, and of a pur-
ple colour. fruit furnishes a farinaceous sub-
stance, of a colour resembling that of the yelk of an
egg, which when boiled or roasted affords a very
wholesome and agreeable aliment.
On entering the Rio Atabipo the travellers found
a great change in the scenery, the colour of the
stream, and the constitution of the atmosphere. The
trees were of a different species ; the mosquitoes had
entirely disappeared; and the waters, instead of being
turbid, and loaded with earthy matter, were of a
dark colour, clear, agreeable to the taste, and two
degrees cooler. So great is their transparency, that
the smallest fishes are distinguishable at the depth
| THE PIEDRA DE LA MADRE. 221
of twenty or thirty feet, and the bottom, which con-
sists of white quartzy sand, is usually visible. The
banks covered with plants, among which rise nume-
rous palms, are reflected by the surface of the river
with a vividness almost as bright as that of the ob-
jects themselves. Above the mission no crocodiles
occur, but their place is supplied by bavas and fresh-
water dolphins. The chiguires, howling-monkeys
and zamuro-vultures had disappeared, though jaguars
were still seen, and the water-snakes were extremely
numerous. o
On the 26th the travellers advanced only two or
three leagues, and passed the night on a rock near
the Indian plantations of Guapasoso. At two in
the morning they again set out, and continued to
ascend the river. About noon they passed the gra-
nitic rock named Piedra del Tigre, and at the close
of the day had great difficulty in. finding a suitable
‘place for sleeping, owing to the inundation of the
banks. It rained hard from sunset, and as the mis-
sionary had a fit of tertian fever they re-embarked
immediately after midnight. At dawn they landed
to examine a gigantic ceiba-tree, which was nearly
128 feet in height, with a diameter of fifteen or six-
teen feet. On the 29ththe air was cooler, but loaded
with vapours, and the current being strong they ad-
vanced slowly. It was night when they arrived
at the mission of San Baltasar, where they lodged
with a Catalan priest, a lively and agreeable per-
son. The village was built with great regularity, and
the plantations seemed better cultivated than else-
where. |
At a late hour in the morning they left his abode,
and after ascending the Atabipo for five miles en-
tered the Rio Temi. A granitic rock on the west-
ern bank of the former river attracted their atten-
tion. It is called the Piedra de la Guahiba or
- Piedra de la Madre, and commemorates one of those
acts of oppression of which Europeans are guilty in
T2
—
222 ANECDOT OF AN INDIAN WOMAN.
all algerie whiter they come into contact with
In 1797, the missionary of San Fernando
had ied his people to the banks of the Rio Gua-
are on a hostile excursion. In an Indian hut they
found a Guahibo woman, with three children, occu-
pied in preparing cassava-flour. She and her little
ones attempted to escape, but were seized and carried
away. ‘Theunhappy female repeatedly fled with her
children from the village, but was always traced by
her Christian countrymen. At length the friar, after
causing her to be severely beaten, resolved to se
rate her from her family, and sent her up the Atabipo
towards the missions of the Rio Negro. Ignorant
of the fate intended for her, but judging by the di-
rection of the sun that her persecutors were carry-
ing her far from her native country, she burst her
fetters, leaped from the boat, and swam to the left
bank of the river. She landed on a rock; but the
president of the establishment ordered the Indians
to row to the shore and lay hands on her. She was
brought back in the evening, stretched upon the bare
stone (the Piedra de la Madre), scourged with straps
of manatee leather, which are the ordinary whips of
the country, and then dragged to the mission of Ja-
vita, her hands bound behind her back. It was the
rainy season, the night was excessively dark, forests
believed to be impenetrable stretched from that sta-
tion to San Fernando over 2n extent of 86 miles, and
the only communication between these places was by
the river; yet the Guahibo mother, breaking her
bonds, and eluding the vigilance of her guards,
escaped under night, and on the fourth morning was
seen at the village, hovering around the hut which
contained her children. On this journey she must
have undergone hardships from which the most ro-
bust man would have shrunk ; was forced to live upon
ants, to swim numerous streams, and to make her
way through thickets and thorny lianas. And the
reward of all this courage and devotion was—her
'
ASCENT OF THE RIO TEMI. 223
removal to one of the missions of the Upper Ori-
noco, where, despairing of ever seeing her beloved
children, and refusing all kind of nourishment, she
died, a victim to the bigotry and barbarity of wretches
blasphemously calling themselves the ministers of a
religion which inculcates universal benevolence.
Above the mouth of the Guasucavi the travellers
entered the Rio Temi, which runs from south to
north. The ground was flat and covered with trees,
over which rose the pirijao palm with its clusters of
peach-like fruits, and the Mauritia aculeata, with fan-
shaped leaves pointing downwards, and marked with
concentric circles of blueandgreen. Wherever the
river forms sinuosities the forest is flooded to a great
extent ; and, to shorten the route, the boat frequently
pushed through the woods along open avenues of
water four or five feet broad. An Indian furnished
with a large knife stood at the bow continually cut-
ting the branches which obstructed the passage. In
the thickest part of it a shoal of fresh-water dolphins
issued from beneath the trees and surrounded the
vessel. At five in the evening the travellers, after.
sticking for some time between two trunks, and ex-
periencing great difficulties, regained the proper
channel, and passed the night near one of the co-
lumnar masses of granite which occasionally protrude
- from the level surface.
Setting out before daybreak, they remained in the
bed of the river till sunrise, when, to avoid the force
of the current, they again entered the inundated
forest; and soon arriving at the junction of the Temi
with the Tuamini, they followed the latter towards
the south-west. At eleven they reached San Anto-
nio de Javita, where they had the pleasure of finding
a very intelligent and agreeable monk: though they
were obliged to remain nearly a week, while the
boat was carried by land to the Rio Negro. For
two days the travellers had felt an extraordinary
irritation on the joints of the fingers and on the back.
Py
© > | lhe
224 . ‘OF SAN ANTONIO.
Fk ae
of the hands, which the missionary informed them
was caused by insects. Nothing could be distin-
guisned with a lens but parallel streaks of a whitish
colour, the form of which has obtained for these ani-
malcule the name of aradores, or ploughmen. A
mulatto woman engaged to extirpate them one by
one, and, digging with a small bit of pointed wood,
at length succeeded in extracting a little round bag;
but Humboldt cid not possess sufficient patience to
wait for relief from so tedious an operation. Next
day, however, an Indian effected a radical cure by
means of the infusion of bark stripped from a cer-
in shrub. 3
In 1755, before the expedition to the boundaries,
he country between the missions of Javita and San
altasar was dependent on Brazil, and the Portu-
guese had advanced from the Rio Negro as far as
the banks of the Temi. An Indian chief, named
Javita, one of their auxiliaries, pushed his hostile
excursions to a distance of more than 345 miles;
and, being furnished with a patent for drawing the
natives from the forest “ for the conquest of souls,”
did not fail to make tse of it for selling slaves to
his allies. When Solano, one of the leaders of the
expedition just described, arrived at San Fernando
de Atabipo, he seized the adventurer, and by treat-
ing him with gentleness gained him over to the in-
terests of the Spaniards. He was still living when
the travellers proceeded to the Rio Negro; and, as he
attended them on all their botanical excursions, they
obtained much information from him. He assured
them, that he had seen almost all the Indian tribes
which inhabit the vast countries between the Upper
Orinoco, the Rio Negro, the Irinida, and the Jupura
devour human flesh. Their cannibalism he consid-
ered as the effect of a system of revenge, as they
eat only enemies who are made prisoners in battle.
The climate of the mission of San Antonio de
Javita is so rainy that the sun and stars are seldom
& i
Pg A
os
eh
| ye , i , “ mH '
GIGANTIC TREES—ELASTIC GUM. 225
to be seen, and the padre informed the travellers
that it sometimes rained without intermission for
four or five months. The water that fell in five
hours on the Ist of May, Humboldt found to be 21
lines in height, and on the 3d of May he collected
14 lines in three' hours; whereas at Paris there fall
only 28 or 30 lines in as many weeks. The tem-
perature is lower than at Maypures, but higher than
on the Rio Negro; the thermometer standing at 80°
or 80°6° by day, and at 69°8° by night.
The Indians of the mission amounted only to 160.
Some of them were employed in the construction
of boats, which are formed of the trunks of a species
of laurel (Ocotea cymbarum), hollowed by means of
fire and the axe. These trees attain a height c of
more than a hundred feet, and have a yellow resin-
ous wood, which emits an agreeable odour. The
forest between Javita and Pimichin affords an im-
mense quantity of gigantic timber, as tall occasion-
ally as 116 or 117 feet; but as the trees give out
branches only towards the summit, the travellers
were disappointed, amid so great a profusion of un-
known species, in not being able to procure the
leaves and flowers. Besides, as it rained incessantly
so long a time, M. Bonpland lost the greater part of
his dried specimens. Although no pines or firs oc-
cur in these woods, balsams, resins, and aromatic —
gums are abundantly furnished by many other trees,
and are collected as objects of trade by the people
of Javita.
At the mission of San Baltasar they had seen the
natives preparing a kind of elastic gum, which they
said was found under ground; and in the forests
at Javita, the old Indian who accompanied them
showed that it was obtained by digging several feet
deep among the roots of two particular trees, the
Hevea of Aublet and one with pinnate leaves. This
substance, which bears the name of dapicho, is white,
corky, and brittle, with a laminated structure and
226 NATIVE INDIANS.
undulating edges; but on being roasted, it assumes
a black colour, and acquires the properties of caout-
chouc.
The natives of these countries live in hordes of
forty or fifty, and unite under a common chief only
when they wage war with theirneighbours. As the
different tribes speak different languages they have
little communication. They cultivate cassava, plan-
tains, and sometimes maize; but shift from place to
place, so that they entirely lose the advantages re-
sulting in other countries from agricultural habits.
They have two great objects of worship,—the good
principle, Cachimana, who regulates the seasons
and favours the harvests; and the evil principle, Jo-
lokiamo, less powerful, but more active and artful.
They have no idols; but the botuto, or sacred trum-
pet, is an object of veneration, the initiation into
the mysteries of which requires pure manners and
a single life. Women are not permitted to see it,
and are excluded from all the ceremonies of this
religion.
_ It took the Indians more than four days to drag
the boat upon rollers to the Rio Pimichin. One of
them, a tall strong man, was bitten by a snake, and
was brought to the mission in a very alarming con-
dition. He had dropped down senseless, and was
aiterward seized with nausea, vertigo, and a deter-
mination of blood to the head, but was cured by an
infusion of raiz de mato; respecting the plant fur-
nishing which Humboldt could obtain no satisfactory
nformation, although he supposes it to be of the -
amily of Apocynee. In the hut of this individual
ne observed balls of an earthy and impure salt, two
or three inches in diameter. It is obtained by re-
ducing to ashes the spadix and fruit of a palm-tree,
and consists of muriateof potash and soda, caustic
lime, and other ingredients. The Indians dissolve
2 “e grains in water, which they drop on their
ood.
A
a“
FORESTS—-SNAKES——RIO NEGRO. 227
On the 5th May the travellers set off on foot to
follow their canoe. They had to ford numerous
streams, the passage of which was somewhat dan-
gerous on account of the number of snakes in the
marshes. After passing through dense forests of
lofty trees, among which they noted several new
species of coffee and other plants, they arrived to-
wards evening at a small farm on the Pimichin, where
they passed the night in a deserted hut, not without
apprehension of being bitten by serpents, as they
were obliged to lie on the floor. Before they took
possession of this shed their attendants killed two
great Mapanare snakes, and in the morning a large
viper was found beneath the jaguar-skin on which one
of them had slept. This species of serpent is white on
the belly, spotted with brown and black on the back,
and grows to the length of four or five feet. Hum-
boldt remarks, that if vipers and rattlesnakes had
such a disposition for offence as is usually supposed,
the human race could not have resisted them 1 insome
parts of America.
Embarking at sunrise, they proceeded slosh the.
Pimichin, which is celebrated for the number of its
windings. It is navigable during the whole year,
and has only one rapid. In four hours and a half
they entered the Rio Negro. “The morning,” says
Humboldt, “was cool and beautiful; we had been
confined thirty-six days in a narrow canoe, so un-
steady that it would have been overset by any one
rising imprudently from his seat, without warning
the rowers to preserve its balance by leaning to the
opposite side. We had suffered severely from the
stings of insects, but we had withstood the insalu-
brity of the climate; we had passed without acci-
dent the numerous falls and bars that impede the
navigation of the rivers, and often render it more
dangerous than long voyages by sea. |
“After all that we had endured, I may be allowed
to mention the satisfaction which we felt in having
228 THE RIO NEGRO.
reached the tributaries of the Amazon,—in having
passed the isthmus which separates two great sys-
tems of rivers,—and in having attained a certainty
of fulfilling the most important object of our jour-
ney,—that of determining by astronomical observa-
tions the course of that arm of the Orinoco which
joins the Rio Negro, and whose existence had been
alternately proved and denied for half a century.
In these inland regions of the New Continent we
almost accustom ourselves to consider man as ines-
sential to the order of nature. The earth is over-
loaded with plants of which nothing impedes the
development. An immense layer of mould evinces
the uninterrupted action of the organic powers.
The crocodiles and boas are masters of the river;
the jaguar, pecari, dante, and monkeys of numerous
species traverse the forest without fear and with-
out danger, residing there as in an ancient heritage.
On the ocean and on the sands of Africa, we with
difficulty reconcile ourselves to the disappearance
of man; but here his absence, in a fertile country
clothed with perpetual verdure, produces a strange
and melancholy feeling.”
The Rio Negro, which flows eastward into the
Amazon, was for ages considered of great political
importance by the Spanish government, as it would
have furnished to the Portuguese an easy introduc-
tion into the missions of Guiana. The jealousies
of these rival nations, the ignorance and diversified
languages of the Indians, the difficulty of penetrat-
ing into these inJand regions, and other causes, ren-
dered the knowledge of the sources as well as the
tributaries of the Negro and Orinoco extremely de-
fective. To endeavour to throw some light on this
geographical point, and in particular to. determine
the course of that branch of the Orinoco which
joins the Rio Negro, was the great object of Hum-
boldt’s journey. This last, or Black River, is so
named on account of the dark colour of its waters,
‘
MISSION OF SAN CARLOS. 229
which are of an amber hue wherever it is shallow,
and dark-brown wherever the depth is great. After
entering it by the Pimichin, and passing the rapid at
the confluence of the two streams, the travellers
soon reached the mission of Maroa, containing 150
Indians, where they purchased some fine toucans.
Passing the station of Tomo, they visited that of
Davipe, where they were received by the missionary
with great hospitality. Here they bought some
fowls and a pig, which interested their servants so
much that they pressed them to depart, in order to
reach the island of Dapa, where the animal might be
roasted. They arrived at sunset, and found some
cultivated ground and an Indian hut. Four natives
were seated round a fire eating a kind of paste con-
sisting of large ants, of which several bags were
suspended over the fire. There were more than
fourteen persons in this small cabin, lymg naked in
hammocks placed above eachother. They received
Father Zea with great joy, and two young women
prepared cassava-cakes ; after which the travellers
retired to rest. The family slept only till two in
the mornifg, when they began to converse in their
hammocks. This custom of being awake four or
five hours before sunrise Humboldt found to be gen-
eral among the people of Guiana; and, hence, when
an attempt is made to surprise them, the first part
of the night is chosen for the purpose.
Proceeding down the Rio Negro, they passed the
mouth of the Casiquiare, the river by which a com-
munication is effected between the former and the
Orinoco: and towards evening reached the mission
of San Carlos del Rio Negro, with the commander
of which they lodged. The military éstablishment
of this frontier post consisted of seventeen soldiers,
ten of whom were detached for the security of the
neighbouring stations. The voyage from the mouth
of the Rio Negro to Grand Para occupying only
twenty or twenty-five days, it would not have taken
- —- —_—
230 AMAZON-STONES.
much more time to have gone down the Amazon
to the coast of Brazil, than to return by the Casi-
quiare and Orinoco to that of Caraccas; but our
travellers were informed that it was difficult to pass
from the Spanish to the Portuguese settlements ;
and it was well for them that they declined this
route, for they afterward learned that instructions
had been issued to seize and convey them to Lisbon.
This project, however, was not countenanced by the
government at home, who, when informed of the
zeal of-its subaltern agents, gave instant orders that
the philosophers should not be disturbed in their
pursuits. ;
Among the Indians of the Rio Negro they found
some of those green pebbles known by the name of
-Amazon-stones, and which are worn as amulets.
The form usually given to them is that of the Perse-
politan cylinders longitudinally perforated. These
hard substances denote a degree of civilization supe-
rior to that of the present inhabitants, who, so far
from being able to cut them, imagine that they are
- naturally soft when taken out of the earth, and
harden after they have been moulded by the hand.
They were found to be jade or saussurite, approach-
ing to compact felspar, of a colour passing from
apple to emerald green, translucent on the edges,
and taking a fine polish; but the substance usually
called Amazon-stone in Europe is different, being a
common felspar of a similar colour, coming from the
Uralian Mountains and Lake Onego in Russia.
Connected with this mineral are the warlike wo-~.
men, whom the travellers of the sixteenth century
named the Amazons of the Néw World; and re-
garding whom Humboldt found no satisfactory, ac-
counts, although he is disposed to believe that their
existence was not merely imaginary. ‘Susu
The travellers passed three days at San Carlos,
watching the greater part of each night, in the hope
of seizing the moment of the passage of some star
ASCENT OF THE CASIQUIARE. 231
over the meridian; but the sky was continually
obscured by vapours. On the 10th May they em-
barked a little before sunrise to go up the Rio Negro.
The morning was fine, but as the heat increased “the
firmament became darkened. Passing between the
islands of Zaruma and Mibita, covered with dense
vegetation, and ascending the rapids of the Piedra
de Uinumane, they entered the Casiquiare at the
distance of gt miles from the fort. of San Carlos.
The rock at the rapids was granite, traversed by
numerous veins of quartz several inches broad. The
night was spent at the mission of San Francisco
Solano, on the left bank of the Casiquiare. The
Indians were of two nations, the Pacimonales and
Cheruvichahenas; and from the latter the travellers
_ endeavoured to obtain some information respecting
the upper part and sources of the Rio Negro, but
without success. In one of the huts of the former
tribe they purchased two large birds, a toucan and a
macaw, to add to the already considerable stock
which they possessed. Most of the animals were
confined in small cages, while others ran at liberty
all over the boat. At the approach of rain, the
macaws uttered frightful screams, the toucan was
desirous of gaining the shore in order to fish, and
the little monkeys went in search of Father Zea to
- obtain shelter in his large sleeves. At night the
leather case containing their provisions was placed
in the centre; then the instruments and cages;
around which were suspended the hammocks of the
travellers; and beyond them the Indians slept, pro-
tected by a circle of fires to keep off the jaguars.
On the 11th they left the mission of San Francisco
Solano at a late hour to make a short day’s journey,
for the vapours had begun to break up, and the trav-
ellers were unwilling to go far from the mouth of
the Casiquiare without determining the longitude
and latitude. ‘This they had an opportunity of doing
at night in the neighbourhood of a solitary granite
232 MOSQUITOES—INDIANS.
rock, the Piedra di Culimacari, which they found to
be in lat. 2° 0’ 42” north, and long. 67° 13’ 26” west.
The determination was of great importance in a
geographical and political point of view, for the
greatest errors existed in maps, and the equator had
been considered as the boundary between the Spanish
and Portuguese possessions. ;
Leaving the Rock of Culimacari at half after one
in the morning, they proceeded against the current,
which was very rapid. The waters of the Casi-
quiare are white, and the mosquitoes again com-
menced their invasions, becoming more numerous
as the boat receded from the black stream of the Rio
Negro. Inthe whole course of the Casiquiare they
did not find in the Christian settlements a population
of 200 individuals, and the free Indians have retired
from its banks. During a great part of the year the
natives subsist on ants. At the mission of Manda-
vaca, which they reached in the evening, they found
a monk who had spent twenty years in the country,
and whose legs were so spotted by the stings of
insects that the whiteness of the skin could scarcely
be perceived. He complained of his solitude, and
the sad necessity. which often compelled him to
leave the most atrocious crimes unpunished. An
indigenous alcayae, or overseer, had a few years
before eaten one of his wives, after fattening her by
good feeding. ‘“ You-cannot imagine,” said the
missionary, “all the perversity of this Indian family.
You receive men of a new tribe into the village;
they appear to be good, mild, and industrious ; but
suffer them to take part in an incursion to bring i in
the natives, and you can scarcely prevent them from
murdering all they meet, and hiding some portions
of the dead bodies.” The travellers had in their
canoe a fugitive Indian from the Guaisia, who in a
few weeks had become sufficiently civilized to be
very useful. As he was mild and intelligent, they
had some desire of taking him into their service;
SCENERY OF THE CASIQUIARE. 233
but discovering that his anthropophagous propensi-
ties remained, they gave up the idea. He told them
that “his relations (the people of his tribe) preferred
the inside of the hands in man, as in bears,” accom-
panying the assertion with gestures of savage joy.
Although the Indians of the Casiquiare readily
return to their barbarous habits, they manifest, while
in the missions, intelligence, industry, and a great
facility in learning the Spanish tongue. As the
villages are usually inhabited by three or four tribes
who do not understand each other, the language of
their instructer affords a general means of commu-
nication. The soil on the Casiquiare is of excellent
quality. Rice, beans, cotton, sugar, and indigo
thrive wherever they have been tried; but the hu-
midity of the air, and the swarms of insects, oppose
almost insuperable obstacles to cultivation. Tm-
mense bands of white ants destroy every thing that
comes in their way, insomuch, that when a mis-
sionary would cultivate salad or any European
culinary vegetable, he fills an old boat with soil, and
having sown the seeds suspends, it with cords, or
elevates it on posts. |
From the 14th to the 21st the travellers continued
to ascend the Casiquiare, which flowed with consid-
erable rapidity, having a breadth of 426 yards, and
bordered by two enormous walls of trees hung with
lianas. No openings could be discovered in these
fences; and at night the Indians had to cut a small
spot with their hatchets to make room enough for
their beds, it being impossible to remain in the canoe
on account of the mosquitoes and heavy rains.
Great difficulty was experienced in finding wood to
make a fire, the branches being so full of sap that
they would scarcely burn. On shore the pothoses,
arums, and lianas furnished so thick‘a covering, that
although it rained violently they were completely
sheltered. At their last resting-place on the Casi-
U 2
i
234 MOUNTAINS OF DUIDA.
quiare, the jaguars carried off their great dog while
they slept.
On the 21st May they again entered the channel
of the Orinoco, three leagues below the mission of
Esmeralda. . Here the scenery wore a very impos-
ing aspect, lofty granitic mountains rising on the
northern bank. The celebrated bifurcation of the
river takes place in this manner: The stream, issu-
ing from among the mountains, reaches the opening
of a valley or depression of the ground which ter-
minates at the Rio Negro, and divides into two
branches. The principal branch continues its course
towards the west-north-west, turning round the group
of the mountains of Parime, while the other flows
off southward, and joins the Rio Negro. By this
latter branch our travellers ascended from the river
just mentioned, and again entered the Orinoco, four
weeks after they had left it near the mouth of the
Guaviare. They had still a voyage of 863 miles
to perform before reaching Angostura.
CHAPTER XIX.
Route from Esmeralda to Angostura.
Mission of Esmeralda—Curare Poison —Indians— Duida Mountain—
Descent of the Orinoco—Cave of Ataruipe—Raudalito of Carucari—
Mission of Uruana—Character of the Otomacs—Clay eaten by the Na-
tives—Arrival at Angostura—The Travellers attacked by Fever—Fe-
rocity of the Crocodiles.
Opposite the point where the division of the river
takes place, there rises in the form of an amphi-
theatre a groupof granitic mountains, of which the
principal one bears the name of Duida. It is about
8500 feet high; and being perpendicular on the
south and west, bare and stony on the summit, and
CURARE POISON. 235.
clothed on its less steep declivities with vast forests,
presents a magnificent spectacle. At the foot of
this huge mass is placed the most solitary and re-
mote Christian settlement on the Upper Orinoco,—
the mission of Esmeralda, containing eighty inhabit-
ants. It is surrounded by a beautiful plain, covered
with grasses of various species, pine-apples, and
clumps of Mauritia palm, and watered by limpid |
PI Ses cher oh saat , |
There was no monk at the village ; but the trav-
ellers w sre received with kindness by an old officer,
who, taking them for Catalonian shopkeepers, ad-
mired their simplicity when he saw the bundles of
paper in which their plants were preserved, and
which he supposed they intended for sale. Not-
withstanding the smallness of the mission three In-
dian languages were spoken in if: and among the
inhabitants were some Zamboes, mulattoes, and cop-
per-coloured people. A mineralogical error gave
celebrity to Esmeralda, the rock-crystals and chlo-
ritic quartzes of Duida having been mistaken for
diamonds and emeralds. ‘The converts live in great
poverty, and their misery is augmented by prodi-
gious swarms of mosquitoes. Yet the situation of
the establishment is exceedingly picturesque ; the
surrounding country is possessed of great fertility ;
and plantains, indigo, sugar, and cacao might be pro-
duced in abundance.
This village is the most celebrated spot on the
Orinoco for the manufacture of the curare, a very
active poison employed in war and in the chase, as
well as a remedy for gastric obstructions. Erro-
neous ideas had been entertained of this substance;
but our travellers had an opportunity of seeing it
prepared. When they arrived at Esmeralda, most
of the Indians had just finished an excursion to
gather juvias or the fruit of the bertholletia,* and the
* The delightful Brazil-nut of our shops.
236 : CURARE POISON.
liana which yields the curare. Their return was
celebrated by a festival, which lasted several days,
ring which they were in a state of intoxication.
One less drunk than the rest was employed in pre-
paring the poison. He was the chymist of the place,
and boasted of his skill, extolling the composition as
superior to any thing that could be made in Europe.
The liana which yields it is named bejuco, and ap-
peared to be of the Strychnos family. The branches
are scraped with a knife, and the bark that comes off
is bruised, and reduced to very thin filaments on the
stone employed for grinding cassava. A cold infu-
sion is prepared by pouring water on this fibrous
mass, in a funnel made of a plantain-leaf rolled up
in the form of a cone, and placed in another, some-
what stronger, made of palm-leaves, the whole sup-
ported by a slight framework. A yellowish fluid
filters through the apparatus. It is the venomous
liquor, which, however, acquires strength only when
concentrated by evaporation in a large earthen pot.
To give it consistence it is mixed with a glutinous
vegetable juice, obtained from a tree named kiraca-
guera. At the moment when this addition is made
to the fluid, now kept in a state of ebullition, the
whole blackens, and coagulates into a substance re-
sembling tar, or thick syrup. The curare may be
tasted without danger; for, like the venom of ser-
pents, it only acts when introduced directly into the
blood, and the Indians consider it as an excellent
stomachic. It is universally employed by them in
hunting, the tips of their arrows being covered with
it; and the usual mode of killing domestic fowls is to
scratch the skin with one of these infected weapons.
Other species of vegetable poison are manufactured
in various parts of Guiana.
After seeing this composition prepared, the phi-
losophers accompanied the artist to the festival of
the juvias. In the hut where the revellers were as-
sembled, large roasted monkeys blackened by smoke
INDIAN FEAST—DUIDA. 237
were ranged against the wall. Humboldt imagines
that the habit of eating animals so much resembling -
man has in some degree contributed to diminish the
horror of anthropophagy among savages. Apes,
when thus cooked, and especially such as have a
very round head, bear a hideous likeness to a child ;
and for this reason such Europeans as are obliged to
feed upon them separate the head and hands before
the dish is presented at their tables. The flesh is
very lean and dry. ;
_ Among the articles brought by the Indians from
their expedition were various interesting vegetable
productions ; fruits of different species, reeds up-
wards of fifteen feet long, perfectly straight and free
of knots, and bark used for making shirts. The
women were employed in serving the men with the
food already mentioned, fermented liquors, and palm-
cabbage, but were not permitted to join in the fes-
tivities. Among all the tribes of the Orinoco the
females live ina sort of slavery, almost the whole
labour devolving upon them. Polygamy is frequently
practised, and on the other hand a kind of polyandry
is established in places where the fair sex are less
numerous. Whenanative who has. several wives
becomes a Christian, the missionaries compel him
to choose her whom he partes and to dismiss the
others.
The summit of Duida is so steep that no person
has ever ascended it. At the beginning and end of
the rainy season, small flames, which appear to shift,
are seenupon it. Onthis account the mountain has
been called a volcano, which, however, itisnot. The
granite whereof it is composed i is full of veins, some
of which being partly open, gaseous and inflamma- ~
ble vapours may pass through them; for it is not .
probable that the flames are caused by lightning, the —
humidity of the climate being such that plants do
not readily take fire. -
The travellers had an opportunity of seeing at Es-
a ——- <2.-.:—C~—C aS eee eee
238 PROGRESS DOWN THE RIVER.
meralda some of the dwarf and fair Indians, that
ancient traditions had mentioned as living near the
sources of the Orinoco. The Guaicas, or diminu-
tive class, whom they measured, were in general
from 4 feet 104 to 4 feet 114 inches in height; and it
was said that the whole tribe was of the same stature.
The Guahariboes, or fair variety, were similar to the
others in form and features, and differed only in hav-
ing the skin of a lighter tint.
On the 23d May, the travellers left the mission of
Esmeralda in a state of languor and weakness,
caused by the torment of insects, bad nourishment,
and a long voyage, performed in a narrow and damp
boat. They had not attempted to ascend the Ori-
noco towards its sources, as the country above that
station was inhabited by hostile Indians; so that of
the two geographical problems connected with the
river,—the position of its sources, and the nature of
its communication with the Rio Negro,—they had
been obliged to content themselves with the solution
of the latter. When they embarked they were sur-
rounded by the mulattoes and others who considered
themselves Spaniards, and who entreated them to
solicit from the governor of Angostura their return
to the llanos, or at least their. removal to the mis-
sions of the Rio Negro. Humboldt pleaded the
cause of these proscribed men at a subsequent pe-
riod; but his efforts were fruitless. The weather
was very stormy, and the summit of Duida was en-
veloped in clouds; but the thunders which rolled
there did not disturb the plains. Nor did they, gen-
erally speaking, observe in the valley of the Orinoco
those violent electric explosions which almost every
night, during the rainy season, alarm the traveller
along the Rio Magdalena. After four hours’ naviga-
tion in descending the stream, they arrived at the
bifureation, and reposed on the same beach of the
Casiquiare where, a few days before, their dog had
been carried off by the jaguars. The cries of these
CAVE OF ATARUIPE—SPLENDID SCENERY. 239
animals were again heard through the whole night.
The black tiger also occurs in these districts. ‘It is
celebrated for its strength and ferocity, and appears
to be larger than the other, of which, however, it is
probably a variety. :
Leaving their resting-place before sunrise, and
sailing with the current, they passed the mouths of
the Cunucunumo, Guanami, and Puruname. The
country was entirely desert, although rude figures
representing the sun, the moon, and different ani-
mals are to be seen on the granite rocks; attesting
the former existence of a people more civilized
than any that they had seen.
On the 27th May they reached the mission of San
Fernando de Atabipo, where they had lodged a month
before on their ascent towards the Rio Negro. The
president had allowed himself to become very un-
easy respecting the objectof their journey; and re-
quested Humboldt to leave a writing in his hands,
bearing testimony to the good order that prevailed in
the Christian settlements on the Orinoco, and the
mildness with which the natives were treated. This,
however, he declined. From this point they re-
traced their former route, and passed the cataracts.
On the 31st, they landed before sunset at the Puerto
de la Expedicion, for the purpose of visiting the
cave of Ataruipe, which is the sepulchre of an ex-
tinct nation. r |
“We climbed,” says Humboldt, “ with difficulty,
and not without danger, a steep rock of granite, en-
tirely destitute of soil. It would have been almost
impossible to fix the foot on this smooth and highly-
inclined surface, had not large crystals of felspar,
which had resisted decomposition, projected from
the rock so as to present points of support. Scarcely
had we reached the summit of the mountain when
we were struck with astonishment at the extraordi-
nary appearance of the surrounding country :—The
foamy bed of the waters was filled with an archi-
— es
240 SEPULCHRAL CAVE.
pelago of islands covered with palms. Towards the
west, on the left bank of the Orinoco, extended the
savannas of the Meta and Casanare, like a sea of
verdure, the misty horizon of which was illuminated
by the rays of the setting sun. The mighty orb,
like a globe of fire. nded over the plain, and the
solitary peak of U which appeared more lofty
from being wrapped in vapours that softened its out-
lines, contributed to impress a character of sublim-
ity upon the scene. We looked down into a deep
valley enclosed on every side. Birds of prey and
goatsuckers winged their solitary way in this inac-
cessible circus. We found pleasure in following
their fleeting shadows as they glided slowly over the
flanks of the rock.
“A narrow ridge led us towards a neighbouring
- mountain, the rounded summit of which supported
enormous blocks of granite. These masses are
more than 40 or 50 feet in diameter, and presenta
form so perfectly spherical, that, as they seem to
touch the ground only by a small number of points,
it might be supposed that the slightest shock of an
earthquake would roll them into the abyss. Ido
not remember to have seen anywhere else a similar
phenomenon amid the decompositions of granitic
deposites. If the balls rested upon a rock of a dif-
ferent nature, as is the case withthe blocks of Jura,
it might be supposed that they had been rounded by
the action of water, or projected by the force of an
elastic fluid ; but their position on the summit of a
hill of the same nature renders it more probable
that ‘they owe their origin to a gradual decomposi-
tion of the rock.
“'The most remote part of the valley is covered
by a dense forest. In this shady and solitary place,
on the declivity of a steep mountain, opens the cave
of Ataruipe. It is less a cave than a projecting
rock, in which the waters have scooped a great hol-
low, ‘when, i in the ancient revolutions of our planet,
SEPULCHRAL CAVE. 241
they had reached to that height. In this tomb of a
whole extinct tribe we soon counted nearly 600
skeletons in good preservation, and arranged so
regularly that it would have been difficult to make
an error in numbering them. Lach skeleton rests
upon a kind of basket formed of the petioles of
palms. These baskets, which the natives call ma-
pires, have the form of a square bag. Their size is
proportional to the age of the dead; and there are
even some for infants which had died at the moment
of birth. We saw them from ten inches and a half
to three feet six inches and a half in length. . All
the skeletons are bent, and so entire that not a rib
or a bone of the fingers or toes is wanting, The
bones have been prepared in three different ways,—
whitened in the air and sun, died red with onoto, a
colouring matter obtained from the Bizxa orellana;
or, like mummies, covered with odorous resins, and
enveloped in leaves of heliconia and banana. The
Indians related to us that the corpse is first placed
in the humid earth, that the flesh may be consumed
by degrees. Some months after; it is taken out, and
the flesh that remains on the bones is scraped off
with sharp stones. Several tribes of Guiana still
follow this practice. Near the mapires or baskets
there were vases of half-burnt clay, which appeared
to contain the bones of the same family. The
largest of these vases or funeral urns are three feet
two inches high, and four feet six inches long.
They are of a greenish-gray colour, and have an
oval form, not unpleasant to the eye. The handles
are made in the form of crocodiles or serpents, and
_ the edge is encircled by meanders, labyrinths, and
grecques, with narrow lines variously combined.
These paintings are seen in all countries, amon
nations placed at the greatest distances from eac
other, and the most different in respect to civiliza-
tion. The inhabitants of the little mission of May-
pures execute them at the present day on their most
x
242 SEPULCHRAL CAV®.
common pottery. They adorn the shields of the
Otaheitans, the fishing-instruments of the Esquimaux,
the walls of the Mexican palace of Mitla, and the
vases of Magna Grecia.
“We opened, to the great concern of our guides,
several mapires, for the purpose of attentively ex-
amining the form of the sculls. They all presented
the characters of the American race,—two or three
only approached the Caucasian form. We took
several sculls, the skeleton of achild of six or seven
years, and those of two full-grown men, of the na-
tion of the Atures. All these bones, some painted
red, others covered with odorous resins, were placed
in the mapires or baskets already described. They
formed nearly the whole lading of a mule; and, as
we were aware of the superstitious aversion which
the natives show towards dead bodies, after they
have given them burial, we carefully covered the
baskets with new mats. Unfortunately for us, the
penetration of the Indians, and the extreme delicacy
of their organs of smell, rendered our precautions
useless. Wherever we stopped,—in the Carib mis-
sions, in the midst of the llanos, between Angos-
tura and New-Barcelona,—the natives collected
around our mules to admire the monkeys which we
had brought from the Orinoco. These good people
had scarcely touched our baggage when they pre-
dicted the approaching death of the beast of burden
‘that carried the dead.’ In vain we told them that
they were deceived in their conjectures, that the
panniers contained bones of crocodiles and laman-
tins ; they persisted in repeating that they smelt the
resin which surrounded the skeletons, and that ‘ they
were some of their old relatives.’ |
“We departed in silence from the cave of Ata-
ruipe. It was one of those calm and serene nights
which are so common inthe torrid zone. The stars
shone with a mild and planetary light ; their scintil-
lation was scarcely perceptible at the horizon, which
I
CATARACTS OF ATURES. 243
seemed illuminated by the great nebule of the south-
ern hemisphere. Multitudes of insects diffused a
reddish light over the air. The ground, profusely
covered with plants, shone with those living and
moving lights as if the stars of the firmament had
fallen upon the savanna. On leaving the cave, we
repeatediy stopped to admire the beauty of this ex-
traordinary place. . The scented vanilla and festoons
of bignoniz decorated its entrance; while the sum-
mit of the overhanging hill was crowned by arrowy
palm-trees that waved murmuring in the air.”
Similar caves are said to exist to the north of
the cataracts ; but the tombs of the Indians of the
Orinoco have not been sufficiently examined, be-
cause they do not, like those of Peru, contain
treasures. ;
The travellers staid at the mission of Atures only
so long as was necessary for the passage of their
canoe through the great falls. The priest, Bernardo
Zea, who had accompanied them to the Rio Negro,
remained behind. His ague had not.been removed ;
but its attacks had become an habitual evil, to which
he now paid little attention. Fevers of a more de-
structive kind prevailed in the establishment, inso-
much that the greater part of the inmates were con-
fined to their hammocks. Again embarked on the
Orinoco the travellers ventured to descend the lower
half of the rapids of Atures, landing here and there
to climb the rocks, among which the golden manakin
(Pipra rupicola), one of the most beautiful birds of
the tropics, builds its nest.. At the Raudalito of
Carucari, they entered some of the caverns formed
by the piling up of granite blocks, and enjoyed the
extraordinary spectacle of the river dashing in a
sheet of foam over their heads. The boat was to
coast the eastern bank of a narrow island, and take
them in after a long circuit; but it did not make its
appearance, and night approaching, together with a
tremendous thunder-storm, M. Bonpland was de-
f
244 CLAY EATEN BY THE OTOMACS.
sirous of swimming across, in order to seek assist-
ance at Atures from Father Zea. Humboldt and
the other person who was with them dissuaded him
with difficulty from so hazardous an enterprise ; and
shortly after two large crocodiles made their appear-
ance, attracted by the plaintive cries of the monkeys.
At length the Indians arrived with the vessel, and
the navigation was continued during part of the
night. At Carichana the missionary received them
with kindness. Here the travellers remained some
days to recruit their exhausted strength, and M.
Bonpland had the satisfaction of dissecting a
manatee.
From Carichana they went in two days to the
mission of Uruana, the situation of which is ex-
tremely picturesque, the. village being placed at the
foot of a lofty granitic mountain, the columnar
rocks appearing at intervals above the trees. Here
the river is more than 4263 yards broad, and runs in
a straight line directly east. The hamlet is inhabited
by the Otomacs, one of the rudest of the American
tribes. These Indians swallow quantities of earth
for the purpose of allaying hunger. When the
waters are low they live on fish and turtles; but
when the rivers swell, and it becomes difficult to
procure that food, they eat daily a large portion of
clay. The travellers found in taeir huts heaps of it
in the form of balls, piled up in pyramids three or
four feet high. This substance is fine and unctuous,
of a yellowish-gray colour, containing silica and
alumina, with three or four per cent. of lime. Being
a restless and turbulent people, with unbridled pas-
sions and excessively given to intoxication, the little
village of Uruana is more difficult to govern than
any of the other missions. By inhaling at the nose
wn
4
the powder obtained from the pods of the Acacia
niopo they throw themselves into a state of intoxi-
cation bordering on madness, that lasts several days,
. during which dreadful murders are committed. The
-
a a ci
PROGRESS DOWN THE ORINOCO. 945
most vindictive cover the nail of the thumb with the
curare poison, the slightest scratch being thus suffi-
cient to produce death. When this crime is per-
petrated at night they throw the body into the river.
“Every time,” said the monk, “that I see the wo-
men fetch water from a part of the shore to which
they do not usually go for it, 1 suspect that a murder
has been committed in my mission.” __
On the 7th June the travellers took leave of Father
Ramon Bueno, whom Humboldt eulogizes as. the
only one of ten missionaries of Guiana whom they
had seen who appeared to be attentive to any thing
that regarded the natives. The night was passed at
the island of Cucurupara, to the east of which is the
mouth of the Cano de la Tortuga. On its southern
bank is the almost deserted station of San Miguel
de Ja Tortuga, in the neighbourhood of which, ac-
cording to the Indians, are otters with a very fine
fur, and lizards with two feet. eh eee
_From the island of Cucurupara to Angostura, the
capital of Guiana, a distance of little less than 328
miles, the travellers were only nine days: on the
water. On the 8th June they landed at a farm op-
posite the mouth of the Apure, where Humboldt ob-
tained some good observations of latitude and longi-
tude; and on the 9th met a great number of. boats
laden with goods, on their way to that river. Here
Don Nicolas Soto, who had accompanied them on
their voyage to the Rio Negro, took leave and re-
turned to his family. As they advanced the popu-
lation became more considerable, consisting almost
exclusively of whites, negroes, and mulattoes. On
the 11th they passed the mouth of the Rio Caura,
near which is a small lake formed in 1790 by the
sinking of the ground in consequence of an earth-
quake. The Boca del Infierno and the Raudal de
Camiseta, a series of whirlpools and rapids caused
by a chain of small rocks, were the only remarkable
features that occurred ws they reached Angostura.
2
246 ARRIVAL AT ANGOSTURA.
On arriving at the capital, they hastened top pres
themselves to Don Felipe de Ynciarte, the govern
of Guiana, who received them in the most obliging:
manner. A painful circumstance fore d them to
remain a whole month in this place. They were
both, a few days after their arrival, Wieder by a
disorder, which in M. Bonpland assumed the char-
acter of a typhoid fever. A mulatto servant, who
had attended them from Cumana, was. similarly
affected. His death was announced on the ninth
day; but he had only fallen into a state of insensi-
bility, which lasted several hours, and was followed
by a salutary crisis. Humboldt escaped with avery
violent attack, during which he was made to take a
mixture of honey and the extract of Cortex angosture.
He recovered on the following day. His fellow-
traveller remained ina very alarming state for several
weeks, but retained sufficient strength of mind to
prescribe for himself. His fever was incessant, and
complicated with dysentery ; but, in his case too, the
issue was favourable. At this period no epidemic
prevailed in the town, and the air was salubrious; so
that the germ of the disease had probably been
caught in the damp forests of the Upper Orinoco.
Angostura, so named from its being placed ona
narrow part of the river, stands at the foot of a hill
of hornblende-slate destitute of vegetation. The
streets are regular, and generally parallel to the
course of the stream. The houses are high, agree-
able, and built of stone; although the town is not
exempt from earthquakes. At the period of this
visit the population was only 6000. There is little
variety in the surrounding scenery ; but the view of
the river is singularly majestic. When the waters
are high they inundate the quays, and it sometimes
happens that even in the streets imprudent persons
fall a prey to the crocodiles, which are very nume-
rous.
Humboldt relates that, at the time of his stay at
CROCODILES. | 247
Angostura, an Indian from the island of Margarita
having gone to anchor his canoe in a cove where
there were not three feet of water, a very fierce
crocodile that frequented the spot seized him by the
leg and carried him off. With astonishing courage
he searched for a knife in his pocket, but not finding
=>
it, thrust his fingers into the animal’s eyes. The
monster, however, did not let go his héld, but plunged
to the bottom of the river, and, after drowning his
victim, came to the surface and dragged the body to
an island. ?
The number of individuals who perish annually
in this manner is very great, especially in villages
where the neighbouring grounds are inundated. The
same crocodiles remain long in the same places, and
become more daring from year to year, especially,
as the Indians assert, if they have once tasted human
flesh. They are not easily killed, as their skin is
impenetrable,—the throat and the space beneath the
shoulder being the only parts where a ball or spear
can enter. The natives catch them with large iron
hooks baited with meat, and attached to a chain fas-
tened toatree. After the animal has struggled for
a considerable time, they attack it with lances.
Affecting examples are related of the intrepidity
of African slaves in attempting to rescue their mas-
ters from the jaws of these voracious reptiles. Not
many years ago, in the llanos of Calabozo, a negro,
attracted by the cries of his owner, armed himself
with along knife, and, plunging into the river, forced
the animal, by scooping out its eyes, to leave its
prey and take to flight. The natives, being daily
exposed to similar dangers, think little of them.
They observe the manners of the crocodile as the
torero studies those of the bull; and quietly calcu-
late the motions of the enemy, its means of attack,
and the degree of its audacity.
The general nature of the vast regions bordering
on the Orinoco may be sufficiently learned from the
248 JOURNEY FROM ANGOSTURA.
above condensed na ; and we thin u
cessary to follow our ‘earned author through his
description of that portion of the river which extends
from Angostura to its mouths, especially as fed Is not
pete’, on personal observation.
¢
¢
SPATTER Xx.
Journey across the Llanos to New-Barcelona.
Departure from Angostura—Village of Cari—Natives—New-Barcelona—
Hot Springs—Crocodiles—Passage to Cumana.
Ir was night when our travellers for the last time
crossed the bed of the Orinoco. They intended to
rest near the little fort of San Rafael, and in the
morning begin their journey over the llanos of
Venezuela, with the view of proceeding to Cumana
‘or New-Barcelona, whence they might sail to the
island of Cuba, and thence again to Mexico. There
they purposed to remain a year, and to take a passage
in the galleon from Acapulco to Manilla.
The botanical and geological collections which
they had brought from Esmeralda and the Rio Negro
had greatly increased their baggage; and.as it would
have been hazardous to lose sight of such stores,
they journeyed but slowly over the deserts, which
they crossed in thirteen days. This eastern part of
the HWanos, between Angostura and Barcelona, is
similar to that already described on the passage from
the valley of Aragua to San Fernando de Apure; but
the breeze is felt with greater force, although at this
period it had ceased. They spent the first. night at
the house of a Frenchman, a native of Lyons, who
received them with the kindest hospitality. Hewas
employed in joining wood by means of a kind of glue
’ _ TO NEW-BARCELONA—CARIBS. 249
called guayca, which resembles the best made from
animal substances, and is found between the bark
and alburnum of the Combretum guayca, a kind of
creeping plant.
On the third day they arrived at.the missions of
Cari. Some showers had recently revived the vege-
tation. A thick turf was formed of small grasses
and herbaceous sensitive plants, while a few fan-
palms, rhopalas, and malpighias, rose at great dis-
tances from each other. The humid spots were
distinguishable by groups of mauritias, which were
loaded with enormous clusters of red fruit. The
plain undulated from the effect of mirage, the heat
was excessive, and the travellers found temporary
relief under the shade of the trees, which had, how-
ever, attracted numerous birds and insects.
On the 13th July they arrived at the village of
Cari, where, as usual, they lodged with the clergy-
man, who could scarcely comprehend how natives
of the north of Europe should ‘have arrived at his
dwelling from the frontiers of Brazil. They found
more than 500 Caribs in the hamlet, and saw many
more at the surrounding missions. They were of
large stature, from five feet nine inches to six feet
two. The men had the lower part of the body
wrapped in a piece of dark-blue cloth, while the
women had merely anarrowband. ‘This race differs
from the other Indians, not only in being taller, but
also in the greater regularity of their features, in
having the nose less flattened, and the cheek-bones
less prominent. The hair of the head is partially
shaven, only a circular tuft being left on the top,—
a custom that might be supposed to have been bor-
rowed from the monks, but which is equally preva-
lent among those who have preserved their inde-
pendence. Both males and females are careful to
ornament their persons with paint. The Caribs,
once so powerful, now inhabit but a small part of
the country which they occupied at the time when
250 CARIB MISSIONS. a
America was discovered. They tate been exter-
minated in the West India islands and th 4
Darien, but in the provinces of New-Barcelona
Spanish Guiana have formed populous villages,
government of the missions. Humboldt
es the number inhabiting the llanos of Piritoo
and the banks of the Caroni and Cuyuni at more
than 35,000, and the total amount of the pas ce at
40,000. -
The missionary led the travellers into several
huts, where they found the greatest order and clean-
liness, but were shocked by the torments that the
women inflicted on their infants, for the purpose of
raising the flesh in alternate bands from the ankle
to the top of the thigh; a practice which the monks
had in vain attempted to abolish. This effect was
produced by narrow ligatures, which seemed to
obstruct the circulation of the blood, although it did
not weaken the action of the muscles. The fore-
-head, however, was not flattened, but left in “ts
natural form.
On leaving the mission the philosophers had some
difficulty in settling with their Indian muleteers, who
had discovered among the baggage the skeletons
brought from the cavern of Ataruipe, and were per-
suaded that the animals which carried such a load
would perish on the journey. The Rio Cari was
crossed in a boat, and the Rio de Agua Clara by
fording. The samé objects everywhere recurred;
huts constructed of reeds and roofed with skins;
mounted men guarding the herds: cattle, horses,
and mules running half wild. No sheep or goats
were seen, these animals being unable to escape from
the jaguars.
On the 15th they arrived at the Villa del Pao,
where they found some fruit-trees as well as cocoa-
palms, which properly belong tothe coast. As they
advanced the sky became clearer, the soil more
dusty, and the atmosphere more fiery. The intense
|
“
ROBBERS——NEW-BARCELONA. 251
heat, however, was not entirely owing to the tem-
perature of the air, but arose partly from the fine
sand mingled with it. On the night of the 16th they
| eg at the Indian village of Santa Cruz de Ca-
The warmth had increased so much that
they" would have preferred travelling by night; but
the country was infested by robbers, who murdered
the whites that fell into their hands. These were
malefactors who had escaped from the prisons on
the coast and from the missions, and lived in the
llanos in a manner similar to that of the Bedouin
Arabs. Those vast plains, Humboldt thinks, can
hardly ever be subjected to cultivation, although he
is persuaded that in the lapse of ages, if placed under
-a government favourable to industry, they will lose
much of the wild aspect which they have hitherto
retained.
After travelling three days they began to perceive
the chain of the mountains of Cumana, which sepa-
rates the llanos from the coast of the Caribbean Sea.
It appeared at first like a fog-bank, which by de-
grees condensed, assumed a bluish tint, and became
bounded by sinuous outlines. Although the Llanos
of Venezuela are bordered on the south by granitic
mountains, exhibiting in their broken summits traces
of violent. convulsions, no blocks were found scat-
tered upon them. The same remark is to be made
in regard to the other great plains of South America.
These circumstances, as Humboldt remarks, seem
to prove that the granitic masses scattered over
the sandy plains of the Baltic are a local phenome-
non, and must have originated in some great con- ©
vulsion which took place in the northern regions of
Europe.
On the 23d July they arrived at the town of New-
Barcelona, less fatigued by the heat, to which they
had been so long accustomed, than harassed by the
sand-wind, that causes painful chaps in the skin.
They were kindly received by a wealthy merchant
s : ¥
ee. ss.
252 HOT-SPRINGS—CROCODILES.
of French extraction, Don Pedro Lavié. This town
was founded in 1637, and in 1800 contained more
than 16,000 inhabitants. The climate is not so hot
as that of Cumana, but very damp, and in the rainy
_ season rather unhealthy. M. Bonpland had by this
Sy _ time regained his strength and activity, but his com-
_ panion suffered more at Barcelona than he had done
at Angostura. One of those extraordinary tropical
ns, during which drops of enormous size fall at
sunset, had produced uneasy sensations that seemed
to threaten an attack of typhus, a disease then preva-
lent on the coast. They remained nearly a month
at Barcelona, where they found their friend Juan
Gonzales, who, having resolved to go to Europe,
meant to accompany them as far as Cuba.
At the distance of seven miles to the south-east
of New-Barcelona rises a chain of lofty mountains
connected with the Cerro del Bergantin, which is
seen from Cumana. When Humboldt’s health was
sufficiently restored, the travellers made an excur-
sion in that direction, for the purpose of examining
the hot-springs in the neighbourhood. These are
impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen, and issue
from a quartzose sandstone, lying on a compact lime-
stone resembling that of Jura. The temperature of:
the water was 109°8°. Their host had lent them
one of his finest saddle-horses, warning them at the
same time not to ford the little river of Narigual,
. % which is infested with crocodiles. They passed
; over by a kind of bridge formed of the trunks of
Mi trees, and made their animals swim, holding them
4 by the bridles. Humboldt’s suddenly disappeared,
: and the guides conjectured that it had been seized
; by the caymans.
j ~ The crocodiles of the Rio Neveri are numerous,
fa but less ferocious than those of the Orinoco. The
| people of New-Barcelona convey wood to market
by floating the logs on the river, while the proprie-
. tors swim here and there to set them loose when
ce
ARRIVAL AT CUMANA. = —_. 253
they are stopped by the banks. This could not be
done in most of the South American rivers infested
by those animals. There is no Indian suburb as at
Cumana, and the few natives seen in the town are
from the neighbouring missions, or inhabitants of — cal
huts scattered in the plain. They are of a mixed
race, indolent, and addicted to drinking.
The packet-boats from Corunna to Havana and
Mexico had been due three months, so that they
were supposed to have been taken by the English
cruisers ; when our travellers, anxious to reach Cu-
mana, in order to avail themselves of the first op-
portunity for Vera Cruz, hired an open vessel. It
was laden with cacao, and carried on a contraband
trade with the island of Trinidad; for which reason
the proprietor thought he had nothing to fear from
the British ; but they had scarcely reached the nar-
row channel between the continent and the islands
of Borracha and the Chimanas, when they met an
armed boat, which, hailing them at a great distance,
fired some musket-shot at them. It belonged to a
privateer of Halifax, and the travellers were forth-
with carried on board; but while Humboldt was ne-
gotiating in the cabin, a noise was heard upon deck,
and something was whispered to the master, who
instantly left him in consternation. An English
sloop of war, the Hawk, had come up, and made
signals to the latter to bring to; which he not having
promptly obeyed, a gun was fired, and a midshipman
sent to demand the reason. Humboldt accompanied
this officer to the sloop, where Captain Garnier re-
ceived him with the greatest kindness. Next day
they continued their voyage, and at nine in the
morning reached the Gulf of Cariaco. The castle
of San Antonio, the forest of cactuses, the scattered
huts of the Guayquerias, and all the features of a
landscape well known to them, rose upon the view;
and as they landed at Cumana they were greeted by
their numerous friends, ia were overjoyed to find
: af
" ho ‘
254 NATIVE ALUM.
untrue a report of their death on the Orinoco, which
had been current for several months. The port was
every day more strictly blockaded, and the vain ex-
pectation of Spanish packets retained them two
months and a half longer; during which time they
- ae themselves in completing their investiga-
ion of the plants of the country, in examining the
geology of the eastern part of the peninsula of Araya,
and in making astronomical observations, together
with experiments on refraction, evaporation, and at-
mospheric electricity. They also sent off some of
their more valuable collections to France.
Having been informed that the Indians brought to
the town considerable quantities of native alum found
in the mountains, they made an excursion for the
purpose of ascertaining its position. Disembarking
near Cape Caney they inspected the old salt-pit, now
converted into a lake by an irruption of the sea, the
ruins of the castle of Araya, and the limestone-
mountain of Barigon, which contained fossil shells
in perfect preservation. When they visited that
peninsula the preceding year, there was a dreadful
scarcity of water. But during their absence on the
Orinoco it had rained abundantly on various parts
along the coast; and the remembrance of these
showers occupied the imagination of the natives as
a fall of meteoric stones would engage that of the
naturalists of Europe. ; ; '
Their Indian guide was ignorant of the situation
of the alum, and they wandered for eight or nine
- hours among the rocks, which consisted of mica-
slate passing into clay-slate, traversed by veins of
quartz, and containing small beds of graphite. At
length, descending towards the northern coast of
the peninsula, they found the substance for which
they were searching, in a ravine of very difficult ac-
cess. Here the mica-slate suddenly changed into
carburetted and shining clay-slate, and the springs
were impregnated with yellow oxide of iron. ~The
ZF
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i iets
EUROPEAN NATIONS IN AMERICA. 255
sides of the neighbouring cliffs were covéred with
eapillary crystals of sulphate of alumina, and real
_ beds two inches thick of native alum, extended in
the clay-slate as far as the eye could reach. The
formation appeared to be primitive, as it contained
cyanite, rutile, and garnets.
Returning to Cumana, they made preparations for
their departure, and availing themselves of an Ameri-
can vessel, laden at New-Barcelona for Cuba, they
_ set out on the 16th November, and crossed for the
third time the Gulf of Cariaco. The night was cool
and delicious, and it was not without emotion that
they saw for the last time the disk of the moon illu-
minating the summits of the cocoa-trees along the
banks of the Manzanares. The breeze was strong,
and in less than six hours they anchored near the
Morro of New-Barcelona.
The continental part of the New World is divided
between three nations of European origin, of which
one, the most powerful, is of Germanic race, and
the two others belong to Latin Europe. The latter
are more numerous than the former; the inhabitants
of Spanish and Portuguese America constituting a
population double that of the regions possessed by
the English. The French, Dutch, and Danish pos-
sessions of the New Continent are of small extent,
and the Russian colonies are as yet of little impor-
tance. The free Africans of Hayti are the only
other people possessed of territory, excepting the
native Indians. The British and Portuguese colo-
nists have peopled only the coasts opposite to Eu-
rope ; but the Spaniards have passed over the Andes,
and made settlements in the most western provinces,
where alone they discovered traces of ancient civili-
zation. Inthe eastern districts the inhabitants who
fell into the hands of the two former nations were
wandering tribes of hunters, while in the remoter
parts the Spaniards found agricultural states and
flourishing empires ; and these circumstances have
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256 . VOYAGE TO CUBA. fe
greatly influenced the present condition of these
countries. Among other instances may be men-
tioned the almost total exclusion of African slaves
from the latter colonies, and the comfortable con-
dition of the natives of American race, who live by
agriculture, and are.governed by European laws.
But with respect to the political constitution and
relations of the provinces visited by the travellers,
if is not expedient here to enter into the details
which they have given, more especially as those
colonies have lately undergone revolutions that have
converted them into independent states, the history
of which would afford materials for many volumes.
The very interesting sketch of the physical con-
stitution of South America presented by Humboldt
must also be passed over, because, in the condensed
form to which it would necessarily be reduced, it
could not afford an adequate idea of the subject. We
must therefore, with our travellers, take leave of
Terra Firma, and accompany them on their passage
to Havana.
CHAPTER XXI. :
~
Passage to Havana, and Residence in Cuba.
Passage from New-Barcelona to Havana—Description of the latter—Ex-
- tent of Cuba—Geological Constitution— Vegetation—Climate——-Popula-
tion—A griculture—Exports—Preparations for joining Captain Baudin’s
Expedition—Journey to Batabano, and Voyage to Trinidad de Cuba.
Humeo.prt and his companion sailed from the Road
of New-Barcelona on the 24th November at nine in
the evening, and next day at noon reached the island
of Tortuga, remarkable for its lowness and want of
vegetation. On the 26th there was a dead calm,
and about nine in the morning a fine halo formed
¢ i.
*
round the sun, while the temperature of the air fell
three degrees. The circle of this meteor, which
was one degree in breadth, displayed the most beau-
tiful colours of the rainbow, while its interior and
the whole vault, of the sky was azure without the
least haze. The sea was covered witha bluish scum,
which under the microscope appeared to be formed
of filaments, that seemed to be fragments. of. fuci.
On the 27th they passed near the island of. Orchila,
composed of gneiss and covered with plants, and
towards sunset discovered the summits of the Roca
ARRIVAL AT HAVANA. 257
de Afuera, over which the clouds were accumulated.
Indications of stormy weather increased, the waves
rose, and waterspouts threatened. On the night of
the 2d December a curious optical phenomenon pre-
sented itself. The full moon was very high. On
its side, forty-five minutes before its passage over
the meridian, a great arc suddenly appeared, having
the prismatic colours, but of a gloomy aspect. It
seemed higher than the moon, had a breadth of
nearly two degrees, and remained stationary for
several minutes ; after which it gradually descended,
and sank below:the horizon. The sailors were filled
with astonishment at this moving arch, which they
supposed to announce wind. Next night,M. Bon-
pland and several passengers saw, at the distance of
a quarter of a mile, a small flame, which ran on the
surface of the sea towards the south-west, and illu-
minated the atmosphere. On the 4th and 6th they
encountered rough weather, with heavy rain, ac-
companied by thunder, and were. in considerable
danger on the bank of Vibora. At length, on the
19th, they anchored in the port of Havana, after a
. boisterous passage of twenty-five days.
Cuba is the largest of the West India islands, and
on account of its great fertility, its naval establish-
ments, the nature of its population—of which three-
fifths are composed of freemen,—and its geographi-
cal position, is of great political importance. Of all
Y 2
‘
H
=
~~
?-
ily
the Spanish colonies it is that which has most pros-
pered; insomuch, that not only has its revenue suf-
ficed for its own wants, but during the struggle
between the mother-country. -and her continental
provinces, it furnished considerable sums to the
former.
The appearance which Havana presents at the
entrance of the port is exceedingly beautiful and
picturesque. The opening is only about 426 yards
wide, defended by fortifications ; after which a basin,
upwards of two miles in its greatest diameter, and
communicating with three creeks, expands to the
view. The city is built on a promontory, bounded
on the north by the fort of La Punta, and on the
south by the arsenals. On the western side it is
protected by two casties, placed at the distance of
1407 and 2643 yards, the intermediate space being
occupied by the suburbs. The public edifices are
less remarkable for their beauty than for the solidity
of their construction, and the streets are in general
narrow and unpaved, in consequence of which they
are extremely dirty*and disagreeable. But there
are two fine poblie walks to which the inhabitants
resort.
Although the town of Havana, properly so called,
is only 1918 yards long and 1066 broad, it con-
tains more than 44,000 inhabitants. The two great
suburbs of Jesu-Maria and the Salud accommodate
nearly an equal population. In 1810 the amount
was as follows :-— :
258 HAVANA. -
Whites i. or “copper-coloured men + 9,743 aan
a es ee
Black Slaves. scleccecciceesecece2eses2643) } °7*-28,728,
ee . 96,304,
There are two hospitals:in the town, the pase ol
of sick admitted into which is considerable, Owing
,
EXTENT AND GEOLOGY OF CUBA. 259
to the heat of the climate, the filth of the town, and
the influence of the shore, there is usually a great
accumulation of disease, and the yellow fever or
black vomiting is prevalent. The markets are well
supplied. Mi |
A peculiar character is given to the landscape in
the vicinity of Havana by the palma real (Oreo-
dora regia), the trunk of which, enlarged a little to-
wards the middle, attains a height varying from 60
to 85 feet, and is crowned by pinnated leaves rising
perpendicularly, and curved at the point. Numerous
country-houses of. light and elegant construction
surround the bay, to which the proprietors retreat
when the yellow fever rages in the town.
The island of Cuba is nearly as large as Portugal;
its greatest length being 7831 miles, and its mean
breadth 51? miles. More than four-fifths of its ex-
tent is composed of low lands; but it is traversed
in various directions by ranges of mountains, the
highest of which are said to attain an altitude of
7674 feet. The western part consists of granite, «
gneiss, and: primitive slates; which, as well as the
central district, contains two formations of compact
limestone, one of argillaceous sandstone, and an-
other of gypsum. The first of these presents large
caves near Matanzas and Jaruco, and is filled with
numerous species of fossils. 'The secondary forma-
tions to the east of the Havana are pierced by
syenitic and euphotide rocks, accompanied with ser-
pentine. No volcanic eruptions, properly so called,
have hitherto been discovered. ©. ety
Owing to the cavernous structure of the limestone
deposites, the great inclination of their strata, the
small breadth of the island, and the frequency and
nakedness of the plains, there are very few rivers of |
' any magnitude, and a large portion of the territory
is subject to severe droughts. Yet the undulating
surface of the country, the continually renewed ver-
‘dure, and the distribution of vegetable forms, give
*) r
ff
260 VEGETATION, CLIMATE, POPULATION,
rise to the most varied and beautiful landscapes.
The hills and savannas are decorated by palms of
several species, trees of other families, and shrubs
constantly covered with flowers. Wild orange-trees
ten or fifteen feet in height, and bearing a small fruit,
are common, and probably existed before the intro- .
duction of the cultivated variety by Europeans. A
species of pine (Pinus occidentalis) occurs here and
in St. Domingo, but has not been seen in any of the
other West India islands.
The climate of Havana, although tropical, is
marked by an unequal distribution of heat at different
periods of the year, indicating a transition to the
climates of the temperate zone. The mean tem-
perature is 78°3°, but in the interior only 73°4°. The
hottest months, July and August, do not give a
greater average than 82°4°, and the coldest, Decem-
ber and January, present ‘the mean of 69°8°. In
summer the thermometer does not rise above 82°
or 86°, and its depression in winter so low as 50° or
- 53°5° is rare. When the north wind blows several
weeks, ice is sometimes formed at night at a little
distance from the coast, at an inconsiderable eleva-
tion above the sea. Yet the great lLowerings of
temperature which occasionally take place are of so
short duration, that the palm-trees, bananas, or the
sugar-cane do not suffer from them. Snow never
falls, and hail so rarely that it is only observed dur-
ing thunder-storms, and with blasts from the 8.S.W.
once in fifteenortwenty years. The changes how-
ever are very rapid, and the inhabitants complain
of cold when the thermometer falls quickly to 70°.
Hurricanes are of much less frequent occurrence in
Cuba than in the other West India islands.
In 1817 the population was estimated at 630, 980.
There were 290,021 whites, 115,691 free copper-
coloured men, and 225,268 slaves. The original ©
inhabitants have entirely disappeared, as in all the
ether West India islands. Intellectual cultivation
%
AND AGRICULTURE OF CUBA. 261
is almost entirely restricted to the whites; and :
although in Havana the first society is not per-
ceptibly inferior to that of the richest commercial
cities in Europe, a rudeness of manners prevails in
the small towns and plantations.
The common cereal grasses are cultivated in
Cuba, together with the tropical productions peculiar
to these countries; but the principal exports consist
of tobacco, coffee, sugar, and wax. The sugar-cane
is planted in the rainy season, from July to October,
and cut from February to May. The rapid diminu-
tion of wood in the island has caused the want of
fuel to be felt in’ the manufacture of sugar, and
Humboldt, during his stay, attempted several new
constructions with the view of diminishing the ex-
penditure of it.* )
The tobacco of Cuba is celebrated in every part
of Europe. The districts which produce the most
aromatic kind are situated to the west of the
Havana, in the Vuelta de Abago; but that grown
to the east of the capital on the banks of the Mayari,
in the province of Santiago, at Himias, and in other
places, is also of excellent quality. In 1827 the
produce was about 113,214 cwts., of which 17,888
were exported. The value of this commodity
shipped in 1828 was 105,9917. 18s. 4d., and in 1829,
142,9107. Cotton and indigo, although cultivated,
are not to any extent made articles of commerce.
Towards the end of April the travellers, having
finished the observations which they had proposed
to make, were on the point of sailing to Vera Cruz;
but intelligence communicated by means of the
public papers respecting Captain Baudin’s expedi-
tion, led them to relinquish the project of crossing
* By the custom-house returns, 156,158,924 lbs. of sugar were ex-
ported from Cuba in 1827: and if the quantity smuggled be estimated at
one-fourth more, the total amount would be nearly 200,000,000 lbs. In
the same year the exportation of coffee amounted to upwards of
50,000,000 Ibs., but it has since fallen off considerably. —See Macculloch’s
Dict. of Commerce, art. Havana. ar?
me
*
262 DEPARTURE FROM HAVANA.
Mexico in order to proceed to the Philippine Islands,
It had been announced that two French vessels, the
Geographe and the Naturaliste, had sailed for Cape
Horn, and that they were to go along the coast of
Chili and Peru, and from thence to New-Holland.
Humboldt had promised to join them wherever he
could reach the ships, and M. Bonpland resolved to
divide their plants into three portions, one of which
was sent to Germany by way of England, another
to France by Cadiz, and the third left in Cuba.
Their friend Fray Juan Gonzales, an estimable
young man, who had followed them to the Havana
on his way to Spain, carried part of their collections
with him, including the wnsects found on the Orinoco
and Rio Negro; but the vessel in which he em-
. barked foundered in a storm on the coast of Africa.
General Don Gonzalo O’Farrill being then in Prussia
as minister of the Spanish court, Humboldt was en-
abled, through the agency of Don Ygnacio, the
general’s brother, to procure a supply of money;
and having made all the necessary preparations for
the new enterprise, freighted a Catalonian sloop for
Porto Bello, or Carthagena, according as the wea-
ther should permit.
On the 6th of March the travellers, finding that
the vessel was-ready to receive them, set out for
Batabano, where they arrived on the 8th. This is
a poor village, surrounded by marshes, covered with
rushes and plants of the Iris family, among which
appear here and there a few stunted palms. The
marshes are infested by two species of crocodile,
one of which has an elongated snout, and is very
ferocious. The back is dark-green, the belly white,
and the-flanks are covered with yellow spots..
On the 9th March our travellers again set sail ina
small sloop, and proceeded through the Gulf of Ba-
tabano, which is bounded by a low and swampy
coast. Humboldt employed himself in examining
the influence which the bottom of the sea produces
TURTLE-FISHING. 263
on the temperature of its surface, and in determin-
ing the position of some remarkable islands. The
water of.the gulf was so shallow, that the sloop
often struck; but the ground being soft and the
weather calm, no damage was sustained. At sunset
they anchored near the pass of Don Cristoval, which
was entirely deserted, although in the time of Co-
lumbus it was possessed by fishermen. The inhab-
itants of Cuba then employed a singular method for
procuring turtles; they fastened along cord to the
tail of a’species of echinets or sticking-fish, which
has a flat disk, with a sucking apparatus on its head.
By means of this it stuck to the turtle, and was
pulled ashore, carrying the latter withit. Thesame
artifice is resorted to by the natives of certain parts
of the African coast. 3
They were three days on their passage through
the archipelago of the Jardines and Jardinillos,
small islands and shoals partly covered with vegeta-
tion: remaining at anchor during the night, and in
the day visiting those which were of most easy ac- |
cess. The rocks were found to be fragmentary,
consisting of pieces of coral, cemented by carbon-
ate of lime, and interspersed with quartzy sand. On
the Cayo Bonito, where they first landed, they ob-
served.a layer of sand and broken shells five or six
inches thick, covering a formation of madrepore. It
was shaded bya forest of rhizophore, intermixed
with euphorbie, grasses, and other plants, together
with the magnificent Tournefortia gnaphalioides, with
silvery leaves and odoriferous flowers. The sailors
had been searching for langoustes ;* but not finding
any, avenged themselves on the young pelicans
perched on the trees. The old birds hovered around,
uttering hoarse and plaintive cries, and the young
defended themselves with vigour, although in vain;
for the sailors, armed with sticks and cutlasses,
* A kind of shrimp, or lobster.
4
264 CAYO FLAMENCO—RIO GUAURABO.
made cruel havoc among them. “On our arrival,”
says Humboldt, ‘a profound calm prevailed on this
little spot of earth: but now every thing seemed to
say,—Man has passed here.”
On the morning of the 11th they visited the Cayo
Flamenco, the centre of which is depressed, and
only 15 inches above the surface of the sea. The
water was brackish, while in other cayos it is quite
fresh; a circumstance difficult to be accounted for
in small islands scarcely elevated above the ocean,
unless the springs be supposed to come from the
neighbouring coast by means of hydrostatic pres-
sure. Humboldt was informed by Don Francisco le
Maur, that in the Bay of Xagua, to the east of the
Jardinillos, fresh water gushes up in several places
from the bottom with such force as to prove danger-
ous for small canoes. Vessels sometimes take in
supplies from them; and the lamantins, or fresh-
water cetacea, abound in the neighbourhood. _
To the east of Cape Flamenco they passed close
to the Piedras de Diego Perez, and in the evening
landed at Cayo de Piedras, two rocks forming
the eastern extremity of the Jardinillos, on which
many vessels are lost. They are nearly destitute
of shrubs, the shipwrecked crews having cut them
down to make signals. Next day, turning round the
passage between the northern cape of the Cayo and
the island of Cuba, they entered a sea free from
breakers, and of a dark-blue colour; the mcrease of
temperature in which indicated a great augmenta
tion of depth. The thermometer was at 79°2°;
whereas in the shoal-water of the Jardinillos it had
heen seen as low as 72°7°, the air being from 77° to
80°6° during the day. Passing in suceession the
marshy coast of Camareos, the entrance of the
Bahia de Xagua, and the mouth of the Rio San Juan,
along a naked and desert coast, they entered on the
14th the Rio Guaurabo to land their pilot. Disem-
barking in the evening, they made preparations for
RECEPTION AT TRINIDAD OF CUBA, 265
observing the passage of certain stars over the me-
ridian, but were interrupted by some merchants that
had dined on board a foreign ship newly arrived, and
who invited the strangers to accompany them to the
town; which trey did, mounted two andtwo on the
same horse. The road to Trinidad is nearly five
miles in length, over a level plain, covered with a
beautiful vegetation, to which the Miraguama palm,
a species of corypha, gave a peculiar character.
The houses are situated on a steep declivity, about _
746 feet above the level of the sea, and command a
magnificent view of the ocean, the two ports, a
forest of palms, and the mountains of San Juan. The
travellers were received with the kindest hospitality
by the administrator of the Real Hacienda, M. Mu-
noz. The Teniente Governador, who was nephew
to the celebrated astronomer Don Antonio Ulloa,
gave them a grand entertainnrent, at which they met
with some French emigrants of Saint Domingo.
The evening was passed very agreeably in the house
of one of the richest inhabitants, Don Antonio Pa-
dron, where they found assembled all the select
company of the place. Their departure was very
unlike their entrance; for the municipality caused
them to be conducted to the mouth of the Rio Gu-
aurabo in a splendid carriage, and an ecclesiastic
dressed in velvet celebrated in a sonnet their voyage
up the Orinoco. )
The population of Trinidad, with the surrounding
farms, was stated to be 19,000. It has two ports at
the distance of about four miles. Puerto Casilda
and Puerto Guaurabo. On their return to the latter
of these the travellers were much struck by the
prodigious number of phosphorescent insects which
illuminated the grass and foliage. These insects
(Elater noctilucus) are occasionally used for a lamp,
being placed in a calabash perforated with holes;
and a young woman at Trinidad informed them that,
Z,
.
266 DEPARTURE FROM CUBA. ’
during a long passage from the mainland, she always
had recourse to this light when she gave her child
the breast at night, the captain not allowing any
other on board, for fear of pirates.
CHAPTER XXII.
Voyage from Cuba to Carthagena.
Passage from Trinidad of Cuba to Carthagena—Description of the latter
—Village of Turbaco—Air-volcanoes—Preparations for ascending the
Rio Magdalena.
Leavine the island of Cuba, the travellers pro-
ceeded in a8.8.E. direction, and on the morning of
the 17th approached the group of the Little Cay-
mans, in the neighbourhood of which they saw nu-
merous turtles of extraordinary size, accompanied
by multitudes of sharks. Passing a second time
over the great bank of Vibora, they remarked that
the colour of the troubled waters upon it was of a
dirty-gray, and made observations on the changes of
temperature at the surface produced by the varying
depth of the sea. On quitting this shoal they sailed
a the Baxo Nueva and the lighthouse of Cam-
boy. The weather was remarkably fine, and the
surface of the bay was of an indigo-blue, or violet
tint, on account of the medusz which covered it.
Haloes of small dimensions appeared round the
moon. The disappearance of one of them was fol-
lowed by the formation of a great black cloud,
which emitted some drops of rain; but the sky
soon resumed its serenity, and a long series of fall-
ing-stars and fireballs were seen moving in a direc-
tion contrary to the wind in the lower regions of the
atmosphere, which blew from the north. During
4 LANDING AT THE RIO SINU. 267
the whole of the 23d March not a single cloud was
seen in the firmament, although the air and the hori-
zon were tinged with a fine red colour; but towards
evening large bluish clouds formed, and when they
disappeared, converging bands of fleecy vapours were
seen at an immense height. On the 24th they en-
tered the kind of gulf bounded by the shores of Santa
Martha and Costa Rica, which is frequently agitated
by heavy gales. As they advanced towards the
coast of Darien the north-east wind increased to a
violent degree, and the waves became very rough at
night. At sunrise they perceived part of the archi-
pelago of St. Bernard, and passing the southern ex-
tremity of the Placa de San Bernardo, saw in the
distance the mountains of Tigua. The stormy
weather and contrary winds induced the master of
the vessel to seek shelter in the Rio Sinu, after a
passage of sixteen days.
Landing again on the continent of South America,
they betook themselves to the village of Zapote,
where they found a great number of sailors, all men
of colour, who had descended the Rio Sinu in their
barks, carrying maize, bananas, poultry, and other
articles, to the port of Carthagena. The boats are
flat-bottomed, and the wind having blown violently
on the coast for ten days, they were unable to pro-
ceed on their voyage. These people fatigued the
travellers with idie questions about their books and
instruments, and tried to frighten them with stories
of boas, vipers, and jaguars. Leaving the shores,
which are covered with Rhizophore, they entered a
forest remarkable for the great variety of palm-
trees which ‘it presented. One’ of them, the Avlais
coced, is Only six feet four inches high, but its
spathe ¢ e tain more than 200,000 flowers, a single
specimen furnishing 600,000 at the same time. The
kernels of the fruit are peeled i in water, and thelayer
of oil that rises from them, after being purified by
268 PALM-WINE.
boiling, yields the manteca de corozo, which is used
for lighting churches and houses.
After an hour’s walk they found Bre inhabit-
‘ants collecting palm-wine. Thetree which affords
this liquid is the Palma. dolce or Cocos butyracea.
The trunk, which diminishes but little towards the
summit, is first cut down, when an excavation
eighteen inches long, eight broad, and six in depth,
is made below the place at which the leaves and
spathe come off. After three days the cavity is
found filled with a yellowish-white juice, having a
sweet and vinous flavour, which continues to flow
eighteen ortwenty days. The last that comes isless
sweet, but having a greater quantity of alcohol, it is
more highly esteemed. On their way back to the
shore they met with Zambos carrying on their shoul-
_ ders cylinders of palmetto three feet in length, of
which an excellent food is prepared. Night sur-
prised thems and, having broken an oar in return-
ing on board, they found some difficulty in reaching
the vessel.
The Rio Sinuis of the highest importance for pro-
visioning Carthagena. The gold-washings which
were formerly of great value, especially between its
source and the village of San Geronimo, have almost
entirely ceased, although the province of Antioquia
still furnishes, in its auriferous veins, a vast field for
mining speculations. It would, however, be of more
importance to direct attention to the cultivation of
colonial produce in these districts, especially that
of cacao, which is of superior quality. The real
febrifuge Cinchona also grows at the source of the
Rio Sinu, as well as in the mountains of Abibé and
Maria; and the proximity of the port of Carthagena
would enhance its value in the trade with Europe.
On the 27th March the sloop weighed anchor at
sunrise. The sea was less agitated, although the
wind blew as before. To the north was seen a suc-
cession of small conical mountains, rising in the
e :
DANGER FROM MAROON NEGROES. 269
midst of annas, where the balsam of Tolu, form- |
erly so cblirated as a medicament, is stillgathered. —
On leaving the Gulf of Morosquillo they found the
waves swelling so high, that the captain was glad te
seek for shelter, and lay-to on the north of the vil-
lage of Rincon; but discovering that they were upon
a coral rock, they preferred the open water, and
finally anchored near the isle of Arenas, on the night
of the 28th. Next day the gale blew with great
violence ; but they again proceeded, hoping to be
able to reach the Boca Chica. The sea was so
rough as to break over the deck, and while they
were running short tacks, a false manceuvre in set-
ting the sails exposed them for some minutes to im-
minent danger. It was Palm Sunday; and a Zam-
bo, who had followed them to the Orinoco and re-
mained in their service until they returned to France,
did not fail to remind them, that on the same day
the preceding year they had undergone a similar
danger near the mission of Uruana. After this they
took refuge in acreek of the isle of Baru.
As there was to be an eclipse of the moon that
night, and next day’ an occultation of «2 Virginis,
Humboldt insisted that the captain should allow one
of the sailors to accompany him by land to the Boca
Chica, the distance being only six miles; but the
latter refused, on account of the savage state of the
country, in which there was neither path nor hab-
itation ; and an incident which occurred justified his
prudence. The travellers were going ashore to
gather plants by mooniight, when there issued from
the thicket a young negro loaded with fetters, and
armed with a cutlass. He urged them to disembark
on a beach covered with large Rhizophore among
which the sea did not break, and offered to conduct
them to the interior of the island of Baru if they
would give him some clothes; but his cunning and
savage air, his repeated inquiries as to their being
Spaniards, and the unintelligible words addressed to
Z 2
*.
_ his companions, who were concealed among the
_ trees, excited their suspicions, and induced them to
return on board. These blacks were probably Ma-
roon negroes, who had escaped from prison. The |
poate of a naked man, wandering on an unin-
habited shore, and unable to rid himself of the chains
fastened round his neck and arm, left a painful im-
pression on the travellers; but the sailors felt so
little sympathy with these miserable creatures, that
they wished to return and seize the fugitives, in
order to seil them at Carthagena:
Next morning they doubled the Punta Gigantes,
and made sail towards the Boca Chica, the entrance
to the port of Carthagena, which is eight or ten
miles farther up. On landing, Humboldt learned
that the expedition appointed to make a survey of
the coast under the command of M. Fidalgo had
not yet put to sea, and this circumstance enabled
him to ascertain the astronomical position of several
places which it was of importance to determine.
During the six days of their stay at Carthagena,
they made excursions in the neighbourhood, more
especially in the direction of the Boca Grande, and
the hill of Popa, which commands the town. The
port or bay is nearly eleven miles and a half long.
The small island of Tierra Bomba, at its two ex-
tremities, which approach, the one to a neck of land
from the continent, the other to a cape of the isle
of Bani, forms the only entrance to the harbour.
One of these, named Boca Grande, has been artifi-
cially closed, for the defence of the town, in conse-
quence of an attack attended with partial success
made by Admiral Vernon in 1741. The extent of
the work was 2640 varas, or 2446 yards, and as the
water was from 16 to 20 feet deep, a wall or dike of
stone, from 16 to 21 feet high, was raised on piles.
The other opening, the Boca Chica, is from 36 te 38
yards broad, but is daily becoming narrower, whi
the currents acting upon the Boca Grande
270 CARTHAGENA.
RELIGIOUS MUMMERY. Se
opened a breach in it, which they are continually —
extending. - ‘
~ The insalubrity of Carthagena, which has been —
marshes that surround it. The Cienega de Tesca,
which is upwards of eighteen miles in length, com-
municates with the ocean; and, when in dry years
the salt-water does not cover the whole plain, the
exhalations that rise from it during the heat of the
day become extremely pernicious. The hilly ground
in the neighbourhood of the town is of limestone,
containing petrifactions, and is covered by a gloomy
vegetation of cactus, Jatropha gossymfolia, croton,
and mimosa. While the travellers were searching
for plants, their guides showed them a thick bush
of acacia cornigera, which had acquired celebrity
from the following occurrence: A woman, wearied
of the well-founded jealousy of her husband, bound
him at night with the assistance of her paramour,
and threw him into it. The thorns of this species
of acacia are exceedingly sharp, and of great length,
and the shrub is infested by ants. The more the
unfortunate man struggled, the more severely was
he lacerated by the prickles, and when his cries at
length attracted some persons who were passing, he
-was found covered with blood, and cruelly tormented
by the ants.
At Carthagena the travellers met with several
persons whose society was not less agreeable than
instructive ; and in the house of an officer of artil-
lery, Don Domingo Esquiaqui, found a very curious
collection of paintings, models of machinery, and
minerals. They had also.an opportunity of witness-
ing the pageant of the Pascua. Nothing, says Hum-
, boldt, could rival the oddness of the dresses of the
principal personages in these processions. Beggars,
carrying a crown of thorns on their heads, asked
alms, with crucifixes in their hands, and habited in |
black robes. Pilate was s arrayed i in agarb of striped
_ —
3 . > aa
¥ sa
Fe been planted.
Py The same region produces maize, the cultivation -
} of which is more extensive than that of the banana
CULTIVATION OF MAIZE. 329
and manioe. Advancing towards the central plains,
we meet with fields of this important plant all the
way from: the coast to the. valley of Tolucca, which
is upwards of 9186 feet above the sea. Althougha
great quantity of other grain is produced in Mexico,
this must be considered as the principal food of the
people, as well as of most of the domestic animals,
and the year in which the maize harvest fails is one
of famine and misery to the inhabitants. There is
no longer a doubt among botanists that this plant is
of American origin, and that the Old Continent re-
ceived it from the New. |
It does not thrive in Europe where the mean tem-
perature is less than 44° or 46°; and on the cordil-
leras of New-Spain rye and barley are seen to vege-
tate vigorously where the cultivation of maize would
not be attended with success. On the other hand,
the latter thrives in the lowest plains of the torrid
zone, where wheat, barley, and rye are not found.
Hence we cannot be surprised to hear that it occu-
pies a much greater extent in equinoctial America
than the grains of the Old Continent.
The fecundity of the Mexican variety is astonishing.
Fertile lands usually afford a return of 300 or 400
fold, and in the neighbourhood of Valladolid a har-
vest is considered defective when it yields only 130
or 150. Even where the soil is most steril the pro-
duce varies from sixty to eighty. The general esti-
mate for the equinoctial region of Mexico may be
considered as a hundred and fifty.
Of all the gramina cultivated by man, none is so
unequal as this in its produce, as it varies in the same
field, according to the season, from forty to 200 or 300
for one. . If the harvests are good, the agriculturist
makes his fortune more rapidly than with any other |
grain ; but frightful dearths sometimes occur, when
the natives are obliged to feed on unripe fruit, cactus-
berries, and roots. Diseases arise in consequence ;
and these famines are usually attended with a great
Ee
—_—— ee
330 CEREAL PLANTS
~
mortality among the children. Fowls, turkeys, and
even cattle suffer, so that the traveller can find
neither eggs nor poultry. Scarcities of less severity
are not uncommon, and are especially felt in the mining
districts, where the vast numbers of mules employed
in the process of amalgamation annually consume
an enormous quantity of maize.
Numerous varieties of food are derived from this
plant. The ear is eaten raw or boiled. The grain
when beaten affords a nutritive bread called arepa,
and the meal is employed in making soups or gruels,
which are mixed with sugar, honey, and sometimes
éven pounded potatoes. Many kinds of drink are
also prepared from it, some resembling beer, others
cider. In the valley of Tolucca the stalks are
squeezed between cylinders, and from the fermented
juice a spirituous liquor, called pulguede mahis, is pro-
duced.
- In favourable years Mexico yields a much larger
quantity than is necessary for its own consumption;
but as this grain affords less nutritive substance in
proportion to its bulk than the corn of Europe, and
as the roads are generally difficult, obstacles are
presented to its transportation, which, however, will
diminish when the country is more improved.
~ We come now to the cereal plants which have
been conveyed from the Old to the New Continent.
A negro slave of Cortes found among the rice which
served to maintain the Spanish army three or four
particles of wheat, which were sown, we may sup-
pose, before the year.1500. A Spanish lady, Maria
d’Escobar, carried a few grains to Lima, and their
Genes was distributed for three years among the
new colonists, each receiving twenty or thirty seeds.
At Quito the first European corn was sown near the
convent of St. Francis by Father Jose Rixi, anative
of Flanders, and the monks still show, as a precious
relic, the earthen vessel in which the original wheat
came from Europe. ‘“ Why,” asks our author,
CULTIVATED IN NEW-SPAIN. 33}
have not men preserved everywhere the names of
those who, in place of ravaging the earth, have en-
riched it with plants useful to the human race ?”
The temperate region appears most favourable to
the cultivation of the cerealia, or nutritive grasses
known to the ancients, namely, wheat, spelt, barley,
oats, and rye. In the equinoctial part of Mexico
they are nowhere grown in plains of which the
elevation is under 2625 feet; and on the declivity
of the cordilleras between Vera Cruz and Acapulco
they commence at the height of 3937. At Xalapa
wheat is raised solely for the straw; for there it
never produces seed, although in Guatimala grain
ripens at smaller elevations.
Were the soil of New-Spain watered by more fre-
quent showers, it would be one of the most fertile
portions of the globe. In the equinoctial districts
of that country there are only two seasons,—the
wet, from June or July to September or October,
and ‘the dry, which lasts eight months. The rains,
accompanied with electrical explosions, commence
on the eastern coast, and proceed westward, so that
they begin fifteen or twenty days sooner at Vera
Cruz than on the central plains. Sometimes they
are seen, mixed with sleet and snow, in the elevated
parts during November, December, and January, but
they last only a few days. It is seldom that the in-
habitants have to complain of humidity, and the ex-
cessive drought which prevails from June to Sep-
tember compels them in many parts to have recourse
to artificial irrigation. In places not watered in this
manner, the soil yields pasturage only till March or |
April, after which the south wind destroys the grass.
This change is more felt when the preceding year
has been unusually dry, and the wheat suffers greatly —
in May. The rains of:June, however, revive the
vegetation, and the fields immediately resume their
‘verdure.
In lands carefully cultivated the produce is sur-
_ —_—
a ae.
zn -
-
Sab sce eee
332 WHEAT—RYE—OATS.
prising, especially in those which are watered. In
the most fertile part of the table-land between
Queretaro and Leon, the wheat harvest is 35 and 40
for 1; and several farms can even reckon on 50 or
60 for 1. At Cholulo the common return is from
30 to 40, but it frequently exceeds from 70 to 80
for 1. Inthe valley of Mexico maize yields 200, and
wheat 18 or 20. The mean produce of the whole
country may be stated at 20 or 25 for1. M. Abad,
a canon of the metropolitan church of Valladolid
de Mechoacan, took at random from a field of wheat
forty plants, when he found that each seed had pro-
duced forty, sixty, and even seventy stalks. The
number of grains which the ears contained frequently
exceeded 100 or 120, and the average amount ap-
peared to be 90. Some even exhibited 160. A few
of the elevated tracts, however, are covered witha
kind of clay impenetrable by the roots of herbaceous
plants, and others are arid and naked, in which the
cactus and other prickly shrubs alone vegetate.
The following table exhibits the mean produce
of the cereal vlants in different countries of both
continents :—
In France, from 5 to 6 grains for L
In Hungary, Croatia, and Sclavonia, from 8 to 10 grains.
In La Plata, 12 grains.
In the northern part of Mexico, 17 grains.
In equinoctial Mexico, 24 grains.
In the province of Pasto in Santa Fe, 25 grains.
In the plain of Caxamarca in Peru, 18 to 20 grains.
The Mexican wheat is of the very best quality,
and equals the finest. Andalusian. “At Havana it
enters into competition with that of the United
States, which is considered inferior to it; and when
greater facilities are afforded for exportation it will
become of the highest importance to Europe. In
Mexico grain can hardly be preserved longer than
two or three years; but the causes of this deray
have not been sufficiently investigated.
\
PLANTS WITH NUTRITIVE ROOTS, 333
. Rye. and barley, which resist cold better than
wheat, are cultivated on the highest regions, but
only toa small extent. Oats do not answer well in
New-Spain, and are very seldom seen even in the
mother-country, where the horses are fed on barley.
The potato appears to have been introduced into
Mexico nearly at the same period as the cereal
grasses of the Old Continent. It is certain that it
was not known there before the arrival of the
Spaniards, at which epoch it was in use in Chili,
Peru, Quito, and New-Grenada. It is supposed by
botanists that it grows spontaneously in the moun-
tainous regions; but our author asserts that this
- Opinion is erroneous, and that the plant in question
is nowhere to be found uncultivated in any part of
the cordilleras within the tropics. According to
Molina, it is a native of all the fields of Chili, where
another species, the Solanum cari, still unknown in
Europe, and even in Quito and Mexico, is grown;
and M. Humboldt seems to consider that country as
the original source of it. Itis stated that Sir Walter
Raleigh found it in Virginia in 1584; and a question
arises, whether it arrived there from the north, or’
from Chili, or some other of the Spanish colonies.
' Our traveller seems to consider it not improbable
that it had been conveyed from some of the Spanish
colonies by the Englishthemselves. |
‘The plants cultivated in the highest and coldest
parts of the Andes and Mexican cordilleras are po-
tatoes, the. Tropeolum esculentum, and the Cheno-
podium quinoa. The first of these are an important
object in the latter country, as they do not require
much humidity. . The Mexicans and Peruvians pre-
serve them for a series of years, by destroying their
power of germinating by exposure to frost, and —
afterward drying them,—a practice which our au-
thor thinks might be followed with advantage in
Europe. He also recommends obtaining the seeds
of the potatoes cultivated at Quito and Santa Fe,
NE — ————— ll LM
Se eS ee
Se ee
334 FRUIT-TREES.
which are a foot in diameter, and superior in quality
to those in the Old Continent. It is unnecessary to |
expatiate on the advantages derived from this in-
valuable root, the use of which now extends from
the extremity of Africa to Lapland, and from the
southern regions of America to Labrador.
The New World is very rich in plants with nu-
tritive roots. Next to the manioc and the potato,
the most important are the oca, the batate, and the
igname. The first of these (Ozalis tuberosa) grows
in the cold and temperate parts of the cordilleras.
The igname (Dioscorea alata) appears proper to all
the equinoctial regions of the globe. Of the batate
(Convolvulus batatas) several varieties are raised.
The cacomite, a species of Tigridia, the root of which
yields a nutritive farina, numerous varieties of love-
apples (Solanum lycopersicum), the earth pistachio
or pea-nut (Arachis hypogea), and different species
4 pimento, are the other useful plants cultivated
there. }
The Mexicans now have all the culinary vege-
tables and fruit-trees of Europe ; but it has become
difficult to determine which of the former they pos-
sessed before the arrival of the Spaniards. It is
certain, however, that they had onions, haricots,
gourds, and several varieties of Cicer; and, in gene-
ral, if we consider the garden-stuffs of the Aztecs
and the great number of farinaceous roots cultivated
in Mexico and Peru, we shall see that they were
not so poor in alimentary plants as some maintain.
The central table-land of New-Spain produces the
ordinary fruits of Europe in the greatest abundance;
and the traveller is surprised to see the tables of the
wealthy inhabitants loaded with the vegetable pro-
ductions of both continents in the most perfect state.
Before the invasion of the Spaniards, Mexico and
the Andes presented several fruits having a great
resemblance to those of Europe. The mountainous
part of South America has acherry, a nut, an apple,
AGAVE AMERICANA——PULQUE. 335
»
a mulberry, a strawberry, a rasp, and a gooseberry,
which are peculiar to it. Oranges and citrons,
which are now cultivated there, appear to have been
introduced, although a small wild orange occurs in
Cuba and on the coast of Terra Firma. The olive-
tree answers perfectly in New-Spain, but exists
only in very small numbers.
Most civilized nations procure their drinks fons
the plants which constitute their principal nourish-
ment, and of which the roots or seeds contain sac-
charine and amylaceous matter. ‘There are few
tribes, indeed, which cultivate these solely for the
purpose of preparing beverages from them; but in
the New Continent we find a people who not only
extract liquors from the maize, the manioc, and
bananas, but who raise a shrub of the family of the
ananas for the express purpose of converting its juice
into a spirituous liquor. This plant, the maguey
(Agave Americana), is extensively reared as far as
the Aztec language extends. The finest plantations
of it seen by our traveller were in the valley of
Tolucca and on the plains of Cholula. It yields the
saccharine juice at the period of inflorescence only,
the approach of which is anxiously observed. Near
the latter place, and between Tolucca and Cacanu-
macan, a maguey eight years old gives signs of de-
veloping its flowers. The bundle of central leaves
is now cut, the wound is gradually enlarged and
covered with the fohage, which is drawn close and
tied at the top. In this wound the vessels seem to
deposite the juice that would naturally have gone to
expand the blossoms. It continues to run two or
three months, and the Indians draw from it three or
four times a-day. A very vigorous plant occasion-
ally yields the quantity of 454 cubic inches a-day for
four or five months. This is so much the more as-
tonishing, that the plantations are usually in the
most arid and steril ground. In a good soil the
agave is ready for being cut at the age of five years;
|
i
t
336 WINE—SUGAR.
but in poor land the harvest cannot be expected in
less than eighteen. |
This juice or honey has an agreeable acid taste, and
easily ferments on account of the sugar and mucilage
which abound in it. This process, which is accele-
rated by adding a little old pulque, ends. in three or
four days; and the result is a liquor resembling
cider, but with a very unpleasant smell, like that of
putrid meat. Europeans who can reconcile them-
selves to the scent, prefer the pulgue to every other
liquor, and it is considered as stomachic, invigor-
ating, and nutritive. A very intoxicating brandy,
called mexical, is also obtained from it, and in some
districts is manufactured to a great extent. |
The leaves of the agave also supply the place of
hemp and the papyrus of the Egyptians. The paper
on which the ancient Mexicans painted their hiero-
glyphical figures was made of their fibres, macerated
and disposed in layers. The prickles which termi-
nate them formerly served as pins and nails to the
Indians, and the priests pierced their arms and breasts
with them in their acts of expiation.
The vine is cultivated in Mexico, but in so small
a quantity that wine can hardly be considered asa
product of that country ; but the mountainous pa
of New-Spain, Guatimala, New-Grenada, and Ca-
raccas are so well adapted for its growth, that at
some future period they will probably supply the
whole of North America. ’ |
Of colonial commodities, or productions which
furnish raw materials for the commerce and manu-
facturing industry of Europe, New-Spain affords
most of those procured from the West Indies. The
cultivation of the sugar-cane has of late years been
carried to such an extent, that the exportation of
sugar from Vera Cruz amounts to more than half a
million of arrobas, or 12,680,000 lb. avoird. ; which,
at 3 piastres the arroba, are equal to 5,925,000 franes,
or 246,875]. sterling. It was conveyed by the Span-
COLONIAL COMMODITIES. 337
iards from the Canary Islands into St. Domingo, from
whence it was subsequently carried into Cuba and
the province just named. Although the mean tem-
perature best suited to it is 75° or 77°, it may yet be
successfully reared in places of which the annual
warmth does not exceed 66° or 68°; and as on great
table-lands the heat is increased by the reverbera-
tion of the earth, it is cultivated in Mexico to the
height of 4921 feet, and in favourable exposures
thrives.even at an elevation of 6562. The greatest
part of the sugar produced in New-Spain is con-
sumed in the country, and the exportation is very
insignificant compared with that of Cuba, Jamaica,
or St. Domingo. , |
Cotton, flax, and hemp are not extensively raised,
and very little coffee is used in the country.’ Cocoa,
vanilla, jalap, and tobacco are cultivated; but of the
latter there is a considerable importation from Ha-
vana. Indigo is not produced in sufficient quantity
for home consumption. |
Since the middle of the sixteenth century, oxen,
horses, sheep, and hogs, introduced by the con-
querors, have multiplied surprisingly in all parts of
New-Spain, and more especially in the vast savannas
of the provincias internas. ‘The exportation of hides
is considerable, as is that of horses and mules. _
Our common poultry have only of late years begun
to thrive in Mexico; but there is a great variety of
native gallinaceous birds in that country, such as the
turkey, the hocco or curassow (Craz ngra, C. globice-
ra, C. pauxt), penelopes, and pheasants. The Guinea-—
fowl and common duck are also reared; but the
goose is nowhere to be seen in the Spanish colonies.
The cultivation of the silkworm has never been
extensively tried, although many parts of that con-
tinent seem favourable toit. An enormous quantity
of wax is consumed in the festivals of the church;
and notwithstanding that a large proportion is col-
lected in the country, een is imported from Ha-
a yo
338 METALS OF THE ANCIENT MEXICANS.
vana. Cochineal is obtained to a considerable
amount.
Although pearls were fovherty found in oreat
abundance in various parts of America, the fisheries
have now almost entirely ceased. ‘The western
coast of Mexico abounds in cachalots or spermaceti
whales (Physeter macrocephalus); but the natives
have hitherto left the pursuit of these animals to
Europeans.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Mines of New-Spain.
Mining Districts—Metalliferous Veins and Beds—Geological Relations
of the Ores—Produce of the Mines—Recapitulation.
Tue mines of Mexico have of late years engaged
the attention and excited the enterprise of the Eng-
lish in amore than ordinary degree. The pa ig
is therefore one of much interest; but as lat
formation may be obtained in several works, a, ipa es-
pecially in Ward’s “ Mexico in 1827,” it is unneces-
sary to follow our author in all his details.
Long before the voyage of Columbus, the natives
of Mexico were acquainted with the uses of several
metals, and had made considerable proficiency in the
various operations necessary for obtaining them in
a pure state. Cortes, in the historical account of
his expedition, states that gold, silver, copper, lead,
and tin were publicly sold in the great market of
Tenochtitlan. In all the large towns of Anahuac
gold and silver vessels were manufactured; and the
foreigners, on their first advance to Tenochtitlan,
could not refrain from admiring the ingenuity of the
Mexican goldsmiths. The Aztec tribes extracted
t.
MINING DISTRICTS. 339
lead and ti. from the veins of Tlacheo, and obtained
cinnabar from the mines of Chilapan. From copper
found in the mountains of Zacotollan and Cohuixice
they manufactured their arms, axes, chisels, and
other implements. With the use of iron they seem
to have been unacquainted; but they contrived to
give the requisite hardness to their tools by mixing
a portion of tin with the copper of which ey were
composed.
At the period when Humboldt visited New-Spain,
if contained nearly 500 places celebrated for the me-
tallic treasures in their vicinity, and comprehending
nearly 3000 mines. These were divided into 37 dis-
tricts, under the direction of an equal number of
councils (Diputaciones de AT aR as follows —
I. Intendancy of eae alse
1. Mining District of Guanaxuato. ih .
Il. Intendancy of Zacatecas.
2. Zacatecas, 4. Fresnillo,
3. Sombrerete, 5. Sierra de Pinos.
Ill. Intendancy of San Luis Potosi. .
i 7
6. Catorce, ‘9, Ojocaliente,
7. Potosi, 10. San Nicolas de Croix.
8. Charcas, hes
IV. Intendancy of Mewico.
11. Pachuca, 15. Zacualpan,
12. El Doctor, 16.. Sultepec,
_ 13. Zuriapan, . ' a Temastaltepec.
14. Tasco,
V. Intendancy of Guadalaxara.
18. Bolanos, 20. Hostotipaquillo.
19. -Asientos de Ibarra, |
DYE. Intendancy of Durango.
24. Cosiguiriachi,
21. Chihuahua, as Bune
a
22. Parral,
23. Guarisamey,
VII. Intendancy of Sonora.
26. Alamos, 30. Guadalupe de la Puerta,
27. Copala, . 31. Santissima Trinidad de Pena
28. Cosala, ‘Blanca,
29. San Francisco Xavier Ae la | 32. San Francisco Xavier de Alisos,
Huerta,
Vil. Intendancy of Valladolid.
33. Angangueo, 35. Zitaquaro,
34. Inguaran, - | 36. Tlalpajahua.
_- |
1S
340 METALLIFEROUS DEPOSITES. ~
} SR eeeh teeey of Oaxaca.
Oaxaca.
Xx. yt ee of Puebla. .
Several Mines.
XL Intendancy of Vera Cruz.
Three Mines,
XIi. Old California.
One Mine,
In the present state of the country the veins are
the most productive, and the minerals disposed in beds
Or masses are very rare. The former are chiefly
in primitive or transition rocks, rarely in second-
ary deposites. In the old continent, granite, gneiss,
and mica-slate form the central ridges of the moun-
tain-chains; but in the cordilleras of America these
rocks seldom appear externally, being covered by
masses of porphyry, greenstone, amygdaloid, basalt,
and other trap-formations. The coast of Acapulco
is composed of granite; and as we ascend towards
the table-land of Mexico, we-see it pierce the por-
phyry for the last time between Zumpango and So-
pilote. Farther to the east, in the province of Oa-
xaca, granite and gneiss are visible in the high plains
pai are of great extent, traversed by veins of
go
Tin has not yet been observed in the granit
Mexico. In the mines of Comarya syenite-contains — %
a seam Of silver ; while the vein of Guanaxuato, the
richest in America, crosses a primitive clay-slate
passing into talc-slate. The porphyries of Mexico
are for the most part eminently rich in gold and
silver. They are all characterized by the presence
of hornblende and the absence of quartz.. Common
felspar is of rare occurrence, but the glassy variety
is frequently observed in them. The rich gold mine
of Villalpando, near Guanaxuato, traverses a por-
phyry, of which the basis is allied to clinkstone, and
in which hornblende is extremely rare. The veins
of Zuriapan intersect porphyries, having a green-
stone basis, and contain a great variety of interest-
“47
%
“et
*
. MINES OF MEXICO. 341
ing minerals, such as fibrous zeolite, stilbite, gram-
matite, pycnite, native sulphur, fluor, barytes, corky
asbestus, green garnets, carbonate and chromate of
lead, orpiment, chrysoprase, and fire-opal.
Among the transition rocks, containing ores of
silver, may be mentioned the limestone of the Real
del Cardonal, Xacala, and Lomo del Toro, to the
north of Zuriapan. In Mexico graywacke is also
rich in metals.
The silver-mines of the Real de Catorce, as well
as those of El Doctor and Xaschi, near Zuriapan trav-
erse alpine limesto one, which rests ona conglome-
rate with siliceous cement. In that and the Jura
limestone are contained the celebrated silver-mines
of Tasco and Tehuilotepec, in the intendancy of
Mexico; and in these calcareous rocks the metalli-
ferous veins display the greatest wealth.
It thus appears that the cordilleras of Mexico con-
tain veins in a great variety of rocks, and that the
deposites which furnish almost all the silver exported
from Vera Cruz are primitive slate, graywacke, and
alpine limestone. The mines of Potosi, in Buenos
Ayres, are contained in primitive clay-slate, and the
richest of those of Peru in alpine limestone. Our
author here observes, that there is scarcely a variety
_. of rock which has not in some country been found
to contain metals, and that the richness of the veins
is for the most part totally independent of the nature
of the beds which they intersect.
Great advantage is derived in working iis Mexi-
can mines, from the circumstance that the most im-
portant of them are situated in temperate regions
where the climate is favourable to agriculture. Gua-
naxuato is placed in a ravine, the bottom of which
is somewhat lower than the level of the lakes of the
valley of Mexico. Zacatecas and the Real de Ca-
torce are a little higher; but the mildness of the
air at these towns, which are surrounded by the
richest mines in the mae is a contrast to the cold
2
“ge
7
aa
342 PRODUCE OF SILVER.
i *
om cap crOneHE? atmosphere of the Peruvian dis-
he produce of the Moticah mines is
Stianalty apportioned. The 2,500,000 m
1,541,015 troy pounds of silver annu ally e
to Europe and Asia from Vera Cruz and Aca
are drawn from a very small number. Guanaxuato,
Zacatecas, and Catorce supply more than the half;
and the vein of Guanaxuato alone yields more than
a fourth part of the whole silver of Mexico, an
sixth of the produce of all America.. The follow
is the order in which the richest mines of New-Sy
are placed, with reference to
from them :—
Guanaxuato, in the intendancy of the same name.
Catorce, in the intendancy of San Luis Potosi. .
Zacatecas, in the intendancy of the same name. +
Real cel Monte, in the intendancy of Mexico.
Bolanos, in the intendancy of Guadalaxara.
Guarisamey, in the intendancy of Durango.
Sombrerete, in the intendancy of Zacatecas,
Tasco, in the intendancy of Mexico.
Batopilas, i in the intendancy of Durango.
Zuriapan, in the intendaney of Mexico.
Fresnillo, in the intendancy of Zacatecas.
Ramos, in the intendancy of San Luis Potosi.
Parral, in the intendancy of Durango.
oa
The veins of Tasco, Sultepec, Tlapujahu
Pachuca were first wrought by the Spaniards.
Those of Zacatecas were next commenced, and that
of San Barnabe was begun in 1548. The principal
one in Guanaxuato was discovered in 1558. As the
total produce of all in Mexico, until the beginning of
the eighteenth century, never exceeded 369,844 troy
pounds of gold and silver yearly, it must be con-
eluded that during the sixteenth little energy was
employed in drawing forth their stores.
The silver extracted in the thirty-seven districts
was deposited in the provincial treasuries established
in the chief places of the intendancies; and from
the reports of these Offices the quantity ——r
. ‘i.
oe
+
~
aie 4
a *
? x
- - PRODUCE OF GOLD. 343
a DY the different parts of the country may be deter-
mined. The following is an account of the receipts
of eleven of these boards from the year 1785 to
1789 :-— |
eo" if Marks of Silver.
Guanaxuato ..... 02-22. -2,469,000
San Luis Potosi ......... 1,515,000
MACACCAS iS cas» << an'eiok DOG DOG
BIGRICO. 2. ated take oo 0/5, 1,055,000
Wuranso' 15.204... 65 8-6 922,
‘ Rosario. ...0.: 7. dig a 668,000
Guadalaxara ............ 509,000
ox Pachheask. 7.2.25. 25.52"; 455,000
BP eh)” YT Bolatios: --- ae eeees so =% «364,000 | 5
_ Sombrerete.............. 320,000
Zuriapan....-2..+..2-..- 248,000
Sum for five years. . .9,730,000=5,997,633 troy pounds,
The mean produce of the mines of New-Spain,
including the northern part of New-Biscay and those
of Oaxaca, is estimated at above 1,541,015 troy
pounds of silver,—a quantity equal to two-thirds of
what is annually extracted from the whole globe,
and ten times as much as is furnished by all the
mines of Europe. !
On the other hand, the produce of the Mexican
mines in gold is not much greater than those of
ary and Transylvania; amounting in ordinary
_ years only to 4315 troy pounds. In the former it is
chiefly extracted from river-deposites by washing.
Auriferous alluvia are common in the province of
Sonora, and a great deal of gold has been collected
among the sands with which the bottom of the, val-
ley of the Rio Hiaqui, to the east of the missions
of Tarahumara, is covered. Farther to the north,
in Pimeria Alta, masses of native gold weighing five
or six pounds have been found. Part of it is also
extracted from veins intersecting the primitive
mountains. Veins of this metal are most frequent
in the province of Oaxaca, in gneiss and mica-slate.
The last rock is particularly rich in the mines of
Rio San Antonio. Gold is also found pure, or
»
344 GOLD AND SILVER OF AMERICA. ®
mixed with silver-ore, in most of those which have
been wrought in Mexico.
The silver supplied by the Mexican veins is ex-
tracted from a great variety of minerals. Most of it
is obtained from sulphuretted silver, arsenical gray
copper, muriate of silver, prismatic black silver-ore,
and red silver-ore. Pure or native silver is of com-
paratively rare occurrence.
Copper, tin, iron, lead, and mercury are also pro-
cured in New-Spain, but in very small quantities,
although it would appear that they might be found
. to a great extent. The mercury occurs in various
i deposites, in beds, in phoma ‘aero and in
a veins traversing porphyries; but the amount ob-
aes | tained has never been sufficient for the process of
i amalgamation.
The total value of gold and silver extracted from
the mines of America, between 1499 and 1803, is
iS estimated by Humboldt at 5,706,700,000 piasters, or
" (valuing the piaster at 4s. 44d.)1, 248, 340, 625/. sterling.
( The annual produce of the mines of the New
World, at the beginning of the present century, is
eat
estimated as follows :— tee
Be Gold Silver Value in")
i i ; Marks. Marks. Dollars. ,
ae: New-Spain ......... 7,000 2,338,220 23,000,000 »
Fs hy Peru ..... Tee ae 3,400 611,090 6,240,000
ee Cig. eel} 12/219 99'700 2,060,000
aoe Buenos Ayres .-.-.- 2,200 481,830 4,850,000
By 3 New-Grenada .....-20,505 om oe yeh) 2,990,000 aes,
4 Brazil eeesee essere -29,900 ° e e 4,360,000 . '
| . 75,217 3,460,840 43,500,000
iy i Valuing the dollar at 4s. 3d., the total annual prone
would be 9,243,750/.*
het oP * According to Mr. Ward (Mexico in 1827, vol. ii. p. 38), the annual
Pe OA average produce of the Mexican mines, before the revolution in 1810,
aoe amounted 10 24.000,000 dollars, or 5,250, 000L., and the average exports to
et 22,000,000, or 4,812,5002.; but since the revolution the produce has been
ae’ reduced to 11,000,000 dollars, or 2,406,250/., while the exports in specie
yt have averaged 13, 587,052 dollars, or 2,970, 1982. each year. This reduc-
; ys tion, itis unnecessary to say, has been caused by the maeete state i.
- |
Bis,
‘ f q ‘ C
“* RECAPITULATION. 345
To conclude our brief account of Humboldt’s Po-
litical Essay on New-Spain, it may be useful to pre-_
sent a few of the more interesting facts in the form:
of a recapitulation.
Physical Aspect.—Along the centre of the coun-
try runs a chain ‘of mountains, having a direction
from south-east to’ north-west, and afterward from
south to north. On the ridge or summit of this
chain are extended vast table-lands or platforms,
which gradually decline towards the temperate zone,
their absolute height within the tropics being from
7545 to 7873 feet. The declivities of the cordilleras
are wooded, while the central table-land is usually
the country, the emigration of the old Spaniards, and. the ~withdrawing
of the funds which kept the mines in operation. In 1812, according to
the same authority, the coinage had fallen to four anda half millions of
dollars. It rose successively to six, nine, eleven, and twelve millions,
which was the amount in 1819 in the capital alone. In 1820 the revolu-
tion"in Spain caused a considerable fluctuation, and the coinage fell to
10,406,154 dollars. In 1821, when the separation from the mother-
country became inevitable, the coinage sank to five millions ; from which
it fell to three and a half, and continued in that state during 1823 and
1824. In 1825 the foreign capitals invested began to produce some effect ;
but in 1826 the total amount of coinage in the five mints of the Mexican
republic did not exceed 7,463,300 dollars, or 1,632,594.
_ In 1827, seven English companies, one German, and two American
were employed i in working mines in different parts “of Mexico.
ENGLISH COMPANIES.
1. The Real del Monte Company, Captain Vetch director, with an in-
Bi capital of 400,0002.
2. The Bolanos Company, Capiains Vetch and Lyon directors, with a
capital of 150,0007.
2. Tialpujahua Company, Mr. De Rivafinola director, with a capital
of 180,0002.
ast P Anglo Mexican Company, Mr. Williamson director ; capitat
5. United Mexican Company ; directors, Don Lucas alpen, Mr.
Glennie, and Mr. Agassis ; capital 800,000,
6. The Mexican Company.
easour otis Company, Mr. Stokes director ; invested capital not above.
At this period nearly three millions sterling of British capital were
invested in the Mexican mines, or had been expended in enterprises im-
mediately connected with them. The sudden change of feeling with
respect to these adventures which took place in England in 1896 had
nearly put a stop.to the operations commenced with so much energy ;
but confidence having been in some measure restored, it may be hoped
that the inining companies will yet. prove of great advantage both to
Britain and to Mexico.
Omi
i le ee ee a
—— *. ee .
oe ntl Sa ae
346 RECAPITULATION. 7
bare. In the equinoctial region the different climates
rise, as it were, one above another from the shore,
where the mean temperature is about 78°, to the
central plains, where it is about 62°.
Population.—The whole population is estimated
at 5,840,000, of which 4,500,000 are Indians, 1,000,000
creoles, and 70,000 European Spaniards.
Agriculture.-—The banana, manioc, maize, wheat,
and potatoes constitute the principal food of the
people. The maguey or agave may be considered
as the Indian vine. Sugar, cotton, vanilla, cocoa,
indigo, tobacco, wax, and cochineal are plentifully
produced. Cattle are abundant on the greatsavannas
in the interior.
Mines.—The annual produce in gold is 4289 Ib.
troy; in silver, 1,439,832 lb.; in all, 23,000,000 of
piasters (5,031,250/.), or nearly half the quantity
annually extracted from the mines of America.
The mint of Mexico furnished from 1690 to 1803
more than 1,353,000,000 piasters (295,968,750/.),
and from the discovery of New-Spain to the com-
mencement of the’ nineteenth century, probahly
2,028,000,000 piasters (443,625,000/.). Three mining
districts, Guanaxuato, Zacatecas, and Catorce, yield
nearly half of all the gold and silver of New-Spain.
Manufactures.—The value of the produce of the
manufacturing industry of New-Spain is estimated
at 7,000,000 or 8,000,000 of piasters (valuing the
piaster of exchange at 3s. 3$d., 1,152,083/. to
1,316,6677.). Cotton and woollen cloths, cigars,
soda, soap, gunpowder, and leather are the principaj
articles manufactured. “ |
It is scarcely necessary to add, that the regions
of America, which at the time of Humboldt’s visit
were Spanish colonies, have, after a series of san-
guinary struggles, excited by the real or imagined
grievances under which the inhabitants laboured,
now succeeded in acquiring independence. This con-
dition is more suitable than subjection to a remote
RETURN TO EUROPE. 347
power, protracted beyond the period at which such
settlements are themselves fit to become empires.
With colonies it is in some degree as with children.
They receive the protection necessary for their
growth, and obey at first from weakness and at-
tachment; but beyond the stage at which they ac-
quire aright to think for themselves, the attempt to
perpetuate subordination necessarily excites a hatred
which effectually quenches the feeble gratitude that
‘man, in any condition, is capable of cherishing. ‘The
political divisions of America,—the land of republi-
can principles,—are foreign to our object, and would
require a more particular description than they
could receive in this volume.
CHAPTER XXVIIL.
Passage from Vera Cruz to Cuba and Philaelpna
and Voyage to Europe.
Departure from Mexico—Passage to Havana and Philadelphia—Return
to Europe—Results of the Journeys in America.
Leavine the capital of New-Spain, our tes
descended to the port of Vera Cruz, which is situ-
ated among sand-hills, in a burning and unhealthy
climate. They happily escaped the yellow-fever,—
which prevails there, and attacks persons who have
arrived from the elevated districts as readily as Eu-
ropeans who have come by sea,—and embarked in a
Spanish frigate for Havana, where they had left
part of their specimens. ‘They remained there two
months ; after which they set sail for the United
States, on their passage to which they encountered
a violent storm that lasted seven days. Arriving
at Philadelphia, and afterward visiting Washington,
348 RESULTS OF THE JOURNEYS ©
they spent eight weeks in that interesting country,
for the purpose of studying its political constitution
and commercial relations. In August, 1804, they
returned to Europe, carrying with them the exten-
sive collections which they had made during their
perilous and fatiguing journeys.
The results of this expedition, conducted with so
much courage and zeal, have been of the highest
importance to science. With respect to natural his-
tory, it may be stated generally, that the mass of in-
formation already laid before the public, as obtained
from the observation of six years, exceeds any thing
that had been presented by the most successful cul-
tivators of the same field during a whole lifetime.
Much light has been thrown on the migrations and
relations of the indigenous tribes of America, their
origin, languages, and manners. The Vues des Cor-
dilliéres et Monumens des Peuples indigénes de 1 Amé-
rigue, 2 vols. folio, published in 1811, contains the
fruit of researches into the antiquities of Mexico
and Peru, together with the description of the more
remarkable scenes of the Andes. It has been trans-
lated into English by Mrs. H. M. Williams. The
animals observed have been described in a work en-
titled Recueil d’ Observations de Zoologie et d’ Anatomie
Comparées, faites dans un Voyage aux Tropiques, 2
vols. 4t0. Tam
“In the department of botany the most important
additions have been made to science. Our travel-
lers brought with them to Europe an herbarium con-
sisting of more than 6000 species of plants, and
Bonpland’s botanical journal contained descriptions
of four thousand. "The valuable works on this sub-
ject that have appeared in consequence of the jour-
ney to America form a new era in the history of
botany. They are as follow :— it 205i
“1. Essai sur la Géograpme des Plantes, ou Tableau
Physique des Régions Equinoxiales, fondé sur des Ob-
servations et des Mesures faites depuis le 10me degré
‘IN AMERICA. - 349
de latitude australe, jusq’au 10me degré de latitude
boréale. Ato. | | |
2. Plantes Equinoaiales Recueillies au Mexique, dans
UTle de Cuba, dans les Provinces de Caracas, de. Cu-
mana, &c. 2 vols. fol. |
3. Monographie des Melastomes. 2 vols. fol.
4. Nova Genera et Species Plantarum. 3 vols.. fol.
5. De Distributione Geographica Plantarum secun-
dum Celt Temperiem et Altitudinem Montium prolego-
mena. 8vo.
The Essay on the Geography of Plants presents a
general view of the vegetation, zoology, geological:
constitution, and other circumstances, of the equi-
noctial region of the New Continent, from the level
of the sea to the highest summits of the Andes.
The second work is by M. Bonpland, and contains
methodical descriptions, in Latin and French, of the
species observed; together with remarks on their
medicinal properties and their uses in the arts. The
Monography of the Melastome, which is also from
the pen of M. Bonpland, contains upwards of 150
species of these plants, with others collected by M.
Richard in the West Indies and French Guiana. |
In his Essai Géognostique sur le Gisement des Roches
dans les deux Hémispheres, published in 1826, and
translated into English, Humboldt presents a table
of all the formations known to geologists, and insti-
tutes a comparison between the rocks of the Old
Continent and those of the cordillera of the Andes,
The astronomical treatises have been published
in two quarto volumes, under the title of Recueil
@ Observations Astronomiques et de Mesures exécutées
dans le Nouveau Continent. This work contains the
original observations made between the 12th degree .
of south latitude and the 41st degree of north lati:
tude, transits of the sun and stars over the meridian,
eccultations of satellites, eclipses, &c.; a treatise
on astronomical refractions under the torrid zone,
considered as the effect of the decrement of caloric
Gg
350 RESULTS OF oe AMERICA.
in the strata of the atmosphere; the barometric
measurement of the Andes of Mexico, Venezuela,
Quito, and New-Grenada; together with a table of
nearly 700 geographical positions. The greatest
pains have been taken to verify the calculations.
Our author presented to the Bureau des Longitudes his
astronomical observations on the lunar distances and
the eclipses of Jupiter’s satellites, together with the
barometrical elevations, which have been calculated
and verified by M. Prony according to the formule
of La Place. | ,
In 1817 Humboldt laid before the Académie des
Sciences his map of the Orinoco, exhibiting the junc-
tion of that river with the Amazon by means of the
Casiquiare and Rio Negro. !
The brief account of New-Spain, which is pre-
sented in the preceding pages has been extracted
from the Essar Politique sur la Nouvelle Espagne,
originally published in 2 vols. 4to., and translated
into English. With respect to Rumboldt’s transla-
tors it may be remarked, that their want of scientific
knowledge, and more especially of natural history,
renders the English very much inferior to the French
editions |
Most of the above-mentioned publications have
appeared in the names of both travellers. The
various works relating to the journey will make,
when complete, twelve volumes in quarto, three in
folio, two collections of geographical designs, and
one of picturesque views. The detailed narrati
of the expedition occupies four of these volumes;
but an octavo edition has also been published, under
the title of Voyage aux Régions Equinoxiales du Nou-
veau Continent, pendant les années 1799, 1800, 1801,
1802, 1803, et 1804. The translation of this work by
Mrs. Williams is familiar to the English reader. —
The labour necessary for reducing the observa-
tions made by our travellers to a condition fit for the
public eye must have been very great; yet, pos-
BONPLAND’S CAPTIVITY. 351
sessed of a mind not less characterized by activity
than the vastness of its acquirements, Humboldt in
the mean while engaged in various investigations,
which he has partly published in the foreign jour-
nals. In concert with M. Gay Lussac, with whom
he lived for several years in the most intimate
friendship, he has made numerous magnetic experi-
ments, and verified Biot’s theory respecting the po-
sition of the magnetic equator. They have found
that the great mountain-chains, and even the active
volcanoes, have no appreciable influence on the mag-
netic power; and have established the fact, that it
gradually diminishes as we recede from the equator.
On the return of the philosophers from America,
Bonpland was appointed by Bonaparte to the office
of superintending the gardens at Malmaison, where
the Empress. Josephine, who was passionately fond
of flowers, had formed a splendid collection of ex-
otics. His amiable disposition, not less than his ac-
quirements, procured for him the esteem of all who
knew him. In 1818 he went to Buenos Ayres as
professor of natural history. In 1820 he under-
took an excursion to the interior of Paraguay; but
when he arrived at St. Anne, on the eastern bank of
the Parana, where he had established a colony of In-
dians, he was unexpectedly surrounded by a large
body of soldiers, who destroyed the plantation and
carried him off a prisoner. This was done by the
orders of Dr. Francia, the ruler of Paraguay; and
oe only reason assigned was his having planted the
ea-tree peculiar to that country, and which forms a
valuable article of exportation. He was confined
chiefly in Santa Martha, but was allowed to practise
as a physician. Humboldt applied in vain for the
liberation of his friend, for whom he appears to have
cherished a sincere affection. According to a late
report, however, he has obtained his liberty, and re-
turned to Buenos Ayres. |
In October, 1818, our author was in London,
352. ASIATIC JOURNEY.
where it was said that the allied powers had re-
quested him to draw up a political view of the South
American colonies. In November of the same year
the King of Prussia granted him an annual pension
of 12,000 dollars, with the view of facilitating the
execution of a plan which he had formed of visiting ©
Asia, and especially the mountains of Thibet. In
the year 1822 he accompanied his majesty to the
congress of Verona, and afterward visited Venice,
Rome, and Naples; and, in 1827 and 1828, delivered
at Berlin a course of lectures on the physical con-
stitution of the globe, which was attended by the
royal family and the court. But, excepting the re-
sults of his investigations, which have appeared at
intervals, we have no particular account of his occu-
pations until 1829, when he undertook another im-
portant journey to the Uralian Mountains, the fron-
tiers of China, and the Caspian Sea. |
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Journey to Asia.
Brief Account of Humboldt’s Journey to Asia, witha Sketch of the Four
ie Chains of Mountains which intersect the Central Part of that
ntinent,
No detailed narrative has yet been published of
Humboldt’s journey to Asiatic Russia; and the only
sources of authentic information on the subject are
to be found in a work lately printed at Paris, under
the title of Fragmens de Géologie et de Climatologi
Asiatiques, par A. de Humboldt, from which the fol.
lowing particulars are extracted :—.
This illustrious traveller, accompanied by MM,
Ehrenberg and Gustavus Rose, embarked at Nijnei-
\
&
E>
ASIATIC JOURNEY. 353
Novgorod on the Volga, and descended to Kasan and
the Tartar ruins of Bolgari.. From thence he went
by Perm to Jekatherinenburg on the Asiatic side of
the Uralian Mountains,—a vast chain composed ot
several ranges running nearly parallel to each other,
~ of which the highest summits scarcely attain an ele-
vation of 4593 or 4920 feet, but which, like the
Andes, follows the direction of a meridian, from the
tertiary deposites in the neighbourhood of Lake
Aral to the greenstone rocks in the vicinity of the
Frozen Sea. A month was occupied in visiting the
central and northern parts. of these mountains,
which abound in alluvial beds, containing gold and
platina, the malachite mines of Goumeschevskoi, the
great magnetic ridge of Blagodad, and the celebrated
deposites at Mourzinsk, in which topaz and beryl are
found.. Near Nijnei-Tagilsk, a country which may
be compared to Choco in South America, a mass of
platina weighing about 214 pounds troy has been
found.
From Jekatherinenburg the travellers proceeded
by Tioumen to Tobolsk on the Irtisch, and from
thence by Tara, a steppe or desert of Baraba, which
is dreaded on account of the torments caused by
the multitudes of insects belonging to the family
of Tipule, to Barnaoul on the banks of the Ob; the
picturesque lake of Kolyvan; and the rich silver-
mines of Schlangenberg, Riddersk, and Zyrianovski,
situated on the south-western declivity of the Altaic
range, the highest summit of which is scarcely so
elevated as the Peak of Teneriffe. The mines of
Kolyvan produce annually upwards of 49,842 troy
pounds. |
Proceeding southward from Riddersk to Oust-Ka-
menogosk, they passed through Boukhtarminsk to
the frontier of Chinese Zungaria. They even ob.
tained permission to cross the frontier, in order to
visit the Mongol post of Bates, or Khonimailakhou,
northward of the suit PT watt! Returning from
g2
354 ASIATIC JOURNEY.
this place to Oust-Kamenogorsk, they found the
granite divided into nearly horizontal beds: and over-
laying a Slate-formation, the strata of which were
partly imelined at an angle of 85° and partly
vertical. i’
From Oust-Kamenogorsk they went along the ed
steppe of the Middle Horde of the Kirghiz, by Semi- —
polatinsk and Onisk and the lines of the Ichim Cos-
sacks and Tobol, to reach the southern part of the
Ural, where, in the vicinity of Miask, in a deposite
of very small extent and at a depth of a few inches,
were found three masses of native gold, two of
which wanes 18°36 and the other 28°36 pounds
troy.
They next proceeded along the Southern Ural to
the fine quarries of green jasper at Orsk, where the
river Jaik crosses the chain from east to west. _ From
thence they passed by Souberlinsk to Orenburg,
which, notwithstanding its distance from the Cas-
pian Sea, is below the level of the ocean, and then
visited the famous salt-mine of Iletzki, situated in
the steppe of the Little Kirghiz Horde. They after-
ward inspected the principal place of the Ouralsk
Cossacks ; the German colonies of the Saratov gov-
ernment on the left bank of the Volga ; the great salt-
lake of Elton in the steppe of the Kalmucks; and a
fine colony of Moravians at Sarepta; and, finally, ar-
rived at Astracan. The principal objects of this
excursion to the Caspian Sea were, the chymical
analysis of its waters, which Mr. Rose intended to
make ; the observation of the barometrical heights;
and the collection of fishes for the great work of
Baron Cuvier and M. Valenciennes.
From Astracan the travellers returned to Moscow,
by the isthmus which separates the Don and the
Volga, near Tichinskaya, and the country of the Don
Cossacks.
Of the heterogeneous materials composing the
Fragmens Asiatiques, part only of which is from the
VOLCANIC ACTION. 355
pen of Humboldt, the ‘memoir on the mountain-
chains and voleanoes in the interior of Asia is the
only one which can add any interest to our pages;
the rest being of a character too strictly scientific. _
_ Of this paper a brief account is here given.
In our present state of knowledge volcanic phe-
a nomena are not to be considered as relating peculiarly
to the science of geology, but rather as a depart-
ment of general physics. When in action they
appear to result from a permanent communication
between the interior of the globe, which is in a state
of fusion, and the atmosphere which envelopes the
hardened and oxydated crust of our planet. Masses
of lava issue like intermittent springs; and the su-
perposition of their layers which takes place under
our eyes bears a resemblance to that of the ancient
crystalline rocks. On the crest of the cordilleras of
the New World, as well as in the south of Europe
and the western parts of Asia, an intimate connexion
is manifested between the chymical action of volca-
noes, properly so called, or those which produce
rocks,—their form and position permitting the escape
of earthy substances in a state of fusion,—and the
mud-volcanoes of South America, Italy, and the Cas-
pian Sea, which at one period eject fragments of
rocks, flames, and acid vapours, and at another vomit
muddy clay, naphtha, and irrespirable gases. There
is even an obvious relation between the proper vol-
cano and the formation of beds of gypsum and an-
hydrous rock-salt, containing petroleum, condensed
hydrogen, sulphuret of iron, and, occasionally, large
masses of galena; the origin of hot-springs ; the ar-
rangement of metallic deposites ; earthquakes, which
are ever and anon accompanied by chymical phe-
nomena; and the sometimes sudden, and the some-
times very slow elevations of certain parts of the
earth’s surface.
This intimate connexion between these diversified
appearances has of late years served to elucidate
356 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
many problems in geology and physics which had
previously been considered inexplicable. The analo-
gies of observed facts, and the strict investigation
of phenomena of recent occurrence, gradually lead
us to more probable conjectures as to the events of
those remote periods which preceded historical »
records. Volcanicity, or the influence which the inte-
rior of our planet exercises upon its external envelope
in the various stages of its refrigeration, on account
of the unequal aggregation in which its component
substances occur, is, at the present day, in a very
diminished condition ; restricted to a small number
of points; intermittent; simplified in its chymical
effects ; producing rocks only around small circular
apertures, or over longitudinal cracks of small ex-
tent ; and manifesting its power, at great distances,
only dynamically, by shaking the crust of our planet
in linear directions, or in spaces which remain the
same during a great number of ages. Previous to
the existence of the human race, the action of the
interior of the globe upon the solid crust, which was
increasing in volume, must have modified the tem-
perature of the atmosphere, and rendered the whole
surface capable of giving birth to those productions
which ought to be considered as tropical, since, by
the effect of the radiation and refrigeration of the ex-
terior, the relations of the earth to a central body,
the sun, began almost exclusively to determine the
diversity of geographical latitudes.
In those primeval times, also, the elastic fluids,
the volcanic powers of the interior, more energetic
perhaps, and with more facility traversing the oxi-
dated and solidified crust of the globe, filled this crust
with crevices, and injected it with masses and veins
-of basalt, metallic substances, and other matters,
introduced after the solidification of the planet had
been completed. The period of the great geologi-
cal revolutions was that when the communications
between the fluid interior of the planet and its atmo-
ON VOLCANIC ACTION, 357
sphere were more frequent, acting upon 2 greater
number of points, and when the tendency to establish
these communications gave rise, in the line of the
long crevices, to the cordilleras of the Andes and
Himmaleh mountains, the chains of less elevation,
_and the ridges whose undulations embellish the land-
scape of our plains. Our author then mentions, as
proofs of these protrusions, the sandstone formations
which extend from the plains of the Magdalena and
Meta, almost without interruption, over platforms .
having an elevation varying from 8950 to 10,232 feet ;
and the bones of antediluvian animals intermingled
on the summit of the Uraiian chain of northern Asia
with transported deposites, containing gold, dia-
monds, and platma. Another evidence of this sub-
terranean action of elastic fluids, which heave up
continents, domes, and mountain-chains, displace
rocks and the organic remains which they contain,
and produce eminences and depressions, is the great
sinking of the ground which occurs in the west of
Asia, of which the Caspian Sea and the Lake Aral
form the lowest part (320 and 205 feet beneath the
level of the ocean), but which extends far into the
interior of the continent, stretching to Saratov and
‘Orenburg on the Jaik, and probably to the south-east
as far as the lower course of the Sihon (Jaxartes) and
the Amou (the Oxus of the ancients). This depres-
sion of a continental mass extending to more than
320 feet below the surface of the ocean, he continues,
has not hitherto obtained the necessary considera-
tion which its importance demands, because it was
not sufficiently known. It appears to him to have an
intimate connexion with the upheaving of the Cau-
casian Mountains, those of Hindoo-kho, and of the
elevated plain of Persia, which borders the Caspian
Sea and the Mavar-ul-Nahar to the south; and, per-
haps, more to the eastward, with the elevation of the
great mass of land which is designated by the vague
and incorrect name of the central plain of Asia,
=)
358 VOLCANO IN CENTRAL ASIA.
This concavity he considers as a crater-country,
similar to the Hipparchus, Archimedes, and Ptolemy
of the moon’s surface, which have a diameter of
more than 100 miles, and which may be rather com-
pared with Bohemia than with our volcanic cones
and craters. os t
In the course of the journey which Humboldt made
in the summer of 1829 with MM. Ehrenberg and Rose,
he passed in seven weeks over the frontiers of Chi-
nese Zungaria, between the forts of Oust-Kameno-
gorsk, and Boukhtarminsk, and Khonimailakhou (a
Chinese post to the north of the Lake Dzaisang), the
Cossack line of the Kirghiz steppe, and the shores
of the Caspian Sea. In the important commercial
towns of Semipolatinsk, Petropalauska, Troitzkaia,
Orenburg, and Astracan, he obtained from Tartars,
Bucharians, and Tachkendis information respecting
the Asiatic regions in the vicinity of their native
country. At Orenburg, where caravans of several
thousand camels annually arrive, an enlightened in-
dividual, M. de Gens, has collected a mass of mate-
rials of the highest importance for the geography of
Central Asia. Among the numerous descriptions
of routes communicated by this person, our author
found the following remark :—“ In proceeding from
Semipolatinsk to Jerkend, when we were arrived at
the Lake Ala-koul or Ala-dinghiz, a little to the north-
east of the great Lake Balkachi, which receives the
waters of the Ele, we saw a very high mountain
which formerly vomited fire. Even now this moun-
tain, which rises in the lake like a little island, oc-
casions violent storms, which incommode the cara-
vans. For this reason some sheep are sacrificed to
this old volcano by those who pass it.”
“This account, which was obtained from a Tartar
who travelled at the commencement of the present
century, excited a lively interest in our author, more
especially as it brought to mind the burning volca-
noes of the interior of Asia, made known through
y,
*
|
|
|
|
MOUNTAIN-CHAINS. 359°
the researches of Abel Remusat and Klaproth in
Chinese books, and whose great distance from the
sea has excited so much surprise. Soon after his
departure from Petersburg he received from M. de
Klosterman, imperial director of police at Semipola-
tinsk, the following particulars, which were obtained
from Bucharians and T'achkendis :—
“The route from Semipolatinsk to Kouldja is
twenty-five days. It passes by the mountains Ala-
chan and Rondegatay, in the steppe of the Middle
Horde of the Kirghiz, the borders of the lake Savan-
de-koul, the Tarbagatai mountains in Zungaria, and
the tiver Emyl. When it has been traversed, th .
road unites with that which leads from Tehougeut.
chak to the province of Ele. From the banks of the
Emyl to the lake Ala-koul the distance is 394 miles.
The Tartars estimate the distanceof this lake from
Semipolatinsk at 301 miles. It is to the right of the
road, and extends from east to west 664 miles. Inthe
midst of this lake rises a very high mountain, named
Aral-toube.. From this to the Chinese post, situated
between the little lake Janalache-koul and the river
Baratara, on the banks of which reside Kalmucks, are
reckoned 36 miles.”
It is evident that the same mountain i is alluded to
in both these accounts; and with the view of con-
necting it with the volcanoes discovered by Klaproth —
and Abel Remusat, mentioned in very ancient Chinese
books as existing in the interior of Asia to the north
and south of Teen-shan, our author presents an ac-
count of the geography of this interesting region.
- The middle and internal part of Asia, which forms
neither.an immense aggregate of hills nor a contin-
uous platform, is intersected from east to west by
four great systems of mountains, which have exer-
cised a decided influence upon the movements of na-
tions. These systems are, 1. The Altaic, which is
terminated to the west by the mountains of the
Kirghiz ; 2. Teen-shan ; 3. Kwanlun; and, 4. Tho
360 ALTAIC SYSTEM.
Himmaleh chain. Between the Altaic range and
Teen-shan are Zungaria and the basin of the Ele;
between Teen-shan and Kwan-lun, Little or Upper
Bucharia, or Cashgar, Yarkand, Khoten, or Yu-thian,
the great desert, Toorfan, Khamil, and Tangout, or
the Northern Tangout of the Chinese, which must
not be confounded with Thibet or Sefan. Lastly,
between Kwan-lun and the Himmaleh are Eastern
and Western Thibet, in which are Lassa and Ladak.
Were the three elevated plains situated between the
Altai, Teen-shan, Kwan-lun, and the Himmaleh to
be indicated by the position of three alpine lakes, we
might select for this purpose those of Balkachi, Lop,
and Tengri, which correspond to the plains of Zun-
garia, Tangout, and Thibet.
1. System of the Altai.—It surrounds the sources
of the Irtisch and Jenisei or Rem. To the east it
takes the name of Tangnou; between the lakes Ros-
sogol and Baikal, that of the Sayanian Mountains ; be-
yond this it takes the name of Upper Kentai, and the
Davourian Mountains; and, lastly, to the north-east
it connects itself with the Jablonnoikhrebet chain,
Khingkhan, and the Aldan mountains, which advance
along the Sea of Ochotzk. The mean latitude of its
prolongation from east to west is between 50° and 51°
30’. The Altaic range, properly so called, scarcely
occupies seven degrees of longitude ; but the north-
ern part of the mountains, surrounding the. great
mass of elevated land in the interior of Asia, and oc-
cupying the space comprised between 48° and 51°,
is considered as belonging to this system, because
simple names are more easily retained by the mem-
ory, and because that of Altai is more known to
Europeans by its great metallic richness, which
amounts annually to 45,207 troy pounds of silver, and |
1246 troy pounds of gold. The Altaic mountains are
not a chain forming the boundary of a country like
the Himmaleh, which limit the elevated plain of Thi-
bet, and have a rapid slope only on the side next to
TEEN-SHAN MOUNTAINS. 361
India, whichis lower. The plains in the neighbour-
hood of the lake Balkachi have not an elevation of
more than 1920 feet above the sea. :
Between the meridians of Oust-Kamenogorsk and
Semipolatinsk the Altaic system is prolonged, from
east to west under the parallels of 49 and 50 degrees,
by a chain of low mountains, over an extent of 736
miles, as far as the steppe of the Kirghiz. This ridge
has been elevated through a fissure which forms the
line of separation of the streams of the Sara-sou and
Irtisch, and which regularly follows the same direc-
tion over an extent of 16 degrees of longitude. It
consists of stratified granites not intermixed with
gneiss, and of greenstone, porphyry, jasper, and tran-
sition-limestone, in which there occur various me-
tallic substances. This low range does not reach
the southern extremity of the Ural, a chain which,
like the Andes, presents a long wall running north
and south, with metallic mines on its eastern slope,
but terminates abruptly in the meridian of Sverino-
govloskoi.
Here commences a remarkable region of lakes,
comprising the group of Balek-koul (lat. 51° 30’),
and that of Koumkoul (lat. 49° 45’), indicating an
ancient communication of a mass of water with the
lake Ak-sakal, which receives the Tourgai and the
Kamichloi Irghiz, as well as with the lake Aral;
and which would seem from Chinese accounts to
have formed part of a great plain extending to the
borders of the Frozen Sea.
2. System of Teen-shan.—The mean latitude of
this system is the 42d degree. Its highest summit
is perhaps the mass of mountains covered with per-
petual snow, and celebrated under the name of
Bokhda-ovla, from which Pallas gave the designation
of Bogdo to the whole chain. From Bokhda-ovla
and Khatoun-bokhda, the Teen-shan mountains run
eastward towards Bar-koul, where they are suddenly
lowered so as to fall ia the level of the elevated
362 TEEN-SHAN MOUNTAINS.
desert, called the Great Gobi or Cha-mo, which ex-
tends from Koua-tcheou, a Chinese town, to the
sources of the Argoun. If we now return to Bokhdo-
ovla, we find the western prolongation of these
mountains stretching to Goudja and Koutche, then
between lake Temoustou and Aksou to the north
of Cashgar, and running towards Samarcand. The
country comprehended between the Altaic chain and
the Teen-shan mountains is shut up to the east,
beyond the meridian of Pekin, by the Khingkhan-
ovla, a lofty ridge, which runs from south-west to
north-east; but to the west it is entirely open.
The case is very different with the country limited
by the second and third systems, the Teen-shan and
Kwan-lun ranges; it being closed to the west by a
transverse ridge, which runs north and south, under
the name of Bolor or Belour-tagh. This chain
separates Little Bucharia from Great Bucharia, the
country of Cashgar, Badakshan, and Upper Djihoun.
Its southern part, which is connected with the Kwan-
lun system, forms a part of the Tsungling of the -
Chinese. To the north it joins the chain which
sses to the north-west of Cashgar. Between
hokand, Dervagel, and Hissar, consequently be-
tween the still unknown sources of the Sihon and
Aniou-deria, the Teen-shan rises before lowering
again in the Kanat of Bochara, and presents a group
of high mountains, several of which are covered
with snow even in summer. More to the east it is
less elevated. The road from Semipolatinsk. to
Cashgar passes to the east of lake Balkachi and to
the west of lake Ossi-koul, and crosses the Narim,
a tributary of the Sihon. At the distance of 692
miles from the Narim to the south, it passes over
the Rovat, which has a large cave, and is the highest
point before arriving at the Chinese post to the south
of the Ak-sou, the village of Artuche, and Cashgar.
This city, which is built on the banks of the Ara-
- (IKWAN-LUN SYSTEM. | 363
fumen, has 15,000 houses and 80,000 anabitenies
although it is smaller than Samarcand.
The western prolongation of the Teen-shan or
the Mouz-tagh, is deserving of particular examina-
tion. At the point where the Bolor or Belour-tagh
joins the Mouz-tagh at right angles, the latter con-
tinues to run without interruption from east to west,
under the name of Asferah-tagh, to the south of the
Sihon, towards Kodjend and Ourat-eppeh in Fer-
ganah. This chain of Asferah, which is covered
with perpetual snow, separates the sources of one
Sihon (Jaxartes) from those of the Amou (Oxus).
turns to the south-west nearly in the meridian a
Kodjend, and in this direction is named, till it ap-
proaches Samarcand, Aktagh, or Al- Botous. More
to the west, on the fertile banks of the Kohik, com-
mences the vast depression of ground comprising
Great Bucharia and the country of Mavar-ul-Nahazr
but beyond the Caspian Sea, nearly in the same
latitude and in the same direction as the Teen-shan
range, is seen the Caucasus with its porphyries ms
trachytes. It may, therefore, be considered as a
continuation of the fissure upon which the Teen-shan
is raised in the east, just as, to the west of the great
mass of mountains of Adzarbaidjan and Armenia,
Mount Taurus is a continuation of the action of the
fissure of the Himmaleh and Hindoo-Goosh moun-
tains.
3. Kwan-lun System.—The Kwan-lun or Koul-koun
chain is between Khoten, the mountains of Khou-
khou-noor and Eastern Thibet, and the country
named Katchi. It commences to the west at the
Tsung-ling mountains. It is connected with the
transverse chain of Bolor, as observed above, and,
according to the Chinese books, forms its southern
part. This corner of the globe, ‘between Little Thi-
bet and the Boda Kohan, is very little known,
although it is rich in rubies, lapis lazuli, and mineral
364 HIMMALEH MOUNTAINS.
turquois ; and, according to recent accounts, the plain
of Khorassan, which runs in the direction of Herat,
and limits the Hindoo-kho to the north, appears to
be rather a continuation of the Tsungling and of the
whole system of Kwan-lun to the west, than a pro-
longation of the Himmalehs, as is commonly sup-
posed. From the Tsung-ling the Kwan-lun, or Koul-
koun range, runs from west to east towards the
sources of the Hoang-ho or Yellow River, and
penetrates with its snowy summits into Chen-si, a
province of China. Nearly in the meridian of these
springs rises the great mass of mountains on the
lake Khoukhou-noor, resting to the north upon the
snowy chain of the Nanshan or Ki-leen-shan, which
also runs from west to east. Between Nanshan and
Teen-shan, the heights of Tangout limit the margin
of the upper desert of Gobi, or Cha-mo, which is
prolonged from south-west to north-east. The
latitude of the central part of the Kwan-lun range is
85°30’. |
4. Himmaleh System.—This system separates the
valleys of Cashmere and Nepaul from Bootan and
Thibet. To the west it rises in the mountain Ja-
vaher to an elevation of 25,746 feet, and to the east
in Dhwalagiri to 28,074 feet above the level of the
sea. Its general direction is from north-west to
south-east, and thus it is not at all parallel to the
Kwanlun range, to which it approaches so near in the
_ meridian of Attok and Jellalabad that they seem to
form the same mass of mountains. Following the
Himmaleh range eastward, we find it bordering
‘Assam on the north, containing the sources of the
Brahmapoutra, passing through the northern part of
Ava, and penetrating into Yun-nan, a province of
‘China, to the west of Young-tchang. It there ex-
hibits pointed and snow-clad summits. It bends
abruptly to the north-east, on the confines of Hou-
kouang, Kiang-si, and Foukian, and advances its
=
VOLCANIC ELEVATION OF CHAINS. 365
snowy peaks towards the ocean; the island of For-
mosa, the mountains of which are in like manner
covered during the greater part of summer, being its
termination. Thus we may follow the Himmaleh
system as a continuous chain from the Eastern
Ocean, through Hindoo-kho, across Candahar and
Khorassan, to beyond the Caspian Sea in Adzar-
baidjan, along an extent of 73 degrees, or half the
length of the Andes. The western extremity, which
is volcanic (like the eastern part), loses its character
of a chain in the mountains of Armenia, which are
connected with Sangalou, Bingheul, and Kachmir-
daugh, in the pachalic of Erzeroum. The mean
direction of the system is north 55° west.
These mountain-chains, with their various rami-
fications and intervening platforms and valleys, af-
ford evidence to our author of revolutions anciently
undergone by the crust of the globe; these having
been elevated by matter thrust up in the line of
enormous cracks and fissures. The great depression
of Central Asia, spoken of above, he considers as
having been caused by the same action. Analogous
to the Caspian Sea and other cavities in this district,
are the lakes formed in Europe at the foot of the
Alps, and which also owe their origin to a sinking
of the ground. It is chiefly in the extent of this
depression of Central Asia, and consequently in the
space where the resistance was least, that we find
traces of voleanic action. Several volcanoes are
described in this space by ancient Chinese writers,
who also mention a variety of volcanic products,
such as sal ammoniac and sulphur, which form articles
of commerce.
_ We thus know,” says our author, “ in the interior
of Asia, a volcanic territory, the surface of which
is upwards of 2500 square geographical miles, and
which is from 1000 to 1400 miles distant from the
sea. It fills the half oF oe longitudinal valley sit-
2 |
7 ’
ay
te
“-
366 VOLCANIC REGION OF CENTRAL ASIA.
. uated between the first and second system of moun-
; tains. The principal seat of volcanic action appears
et to be in the Teen-shan. Perhaps the colossal ~
a Bokhda-ovla is a trachytic formation, like Chimbo-
e¥4 ‘razo.” On both sides of the Teen-shan violent
of earthquakes occur. The city of Aksou was entirely
ad. destroyed at the commencement of the eighteenth
F . century bya commotion of this nature. In Eastern
ele Siberia the centre of the circle of shocks appears
Pedy to be at Irkutzk, and in the deep basin of the Baikal
ie: lake, in the vicinity of which volcanic products are
r observed. But this point of the Altaic range is the
unt extreme limit of these phenomena, no earthquakes
fe having been experienced farther to the west, in the
ge plains of Siberia, between the Altaic and Uralian.
Py ranges, or in any part of the latter. !
The volcanic territory of Bichbalik is to the east
‘a of the great depression of Asia. To the south and
“ : west of this internal basin we find two cones in ac-
A tivity,—Demavend, which is visible from Teheran,
if and Seiban of Ararat, which is covered with vitreous
ee lavas. On both sides of the isthmus between the
i ie Caspian and the Black Sea springs of naphtha and
Res mud-eruptions are numerous.
‘ee On the western margin of the great depression, if
hie @ we proceed from the Caucasian isthmus to the north
Bee _and north-west, we arrive at the territory of the
ee great horizontal and tertiary deposites of Southern
ie. Russia and Poland. Here we find igneous rocks —
gear piercing the red. sandstone of Jekaterinoslav, together “ee
E idee? with asphaltum and springs impregnated with sul-
a9 phurous gases.
. A phenomenon so great as that of the central de-
ae pression of Asia, which resembles the circular val-
leys of the moon, could have been produced only by
Br <4 a very powerful cause acting in the interior of the
4 earth. This cause, while forming the crust of the
: globe by sudden raisings and probably filled
3
a ", -. +
- ites ‘ ~ ae wie
bs
, 4
-
CONCLUSION. 4 367
with metallic substances the fissures of the Uralian
and Altaic chains.
It is not the custom of our author to detail per-
sonal adventures, his object being to give a scientific
character to his narrative ; and for this reason his
relations may be less interesting to many readers
than some of the travels and voyages which have of
late been so profusely offered to the public. He is
at present engaged in preparing an account of his
Asiatic tour, the full details of which will appear
under the general title of “‘ A Journey to the Uralian
Range, the Mountains of Kolyvan, the Frontier of
Chinese Zungaria, and the Caspian Sea, made by
Order of the Emperor of Russia, in 1829, by A. de
Humboldt, G. Ehrenberg, and G. Rose.” It will
consist of three distinct works: 1. A geological and
physical view of the north-west of Asia, observa-
tions of terrestrial magnetism, and results of astro-
nomical geography, by Baron Humboldt. 2. The
mineralogical and geological details, the results of
chymical analysis, and the narrative of the journey,
by M. Rose. 3. The botanical and zoological part,
with observations on the distribution of plants and.
animals, by M. Ehrenberg.
Any formal eulogy on our illustrious author must
be altogether unnecessary, for his renown has ex-
tended over all parts of the civilized world; and, at
the present day, there is not a man of science in
Europe whose name is more familiar. Long after
his career shall have terminated, Humboldt will be
remembered as one of the chief ornaments of an
age poy remarkable in the history of the
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