distance of three leagues, receives the other two. None of them are navigable. The climate is temperate, but variable, and liable to heavy rains: it is favourable to the cultivation of wheat, barley, and both the European and the tropical fruits and vegetables. The cocoa and coffee raised in the environs are esteemed of excellent quality. Merida is an episcopal city, and posesses a college or seminary; it contained also a parochial church, four chapels, two monasteries, Augustinian and Dominican, and a nunnery of the order of Santa Clara. The population is stated by Depons at 11,500. It is now reduced to between 3 or 4000. The inhabitants bore a high character for industry and intelligence, and there are said to have been no lazzaroni. There was a carpet-manufactory, and the natives fabricated various cotton and woollen articles.*

PROVINCE OF VARINAS.

It was only so late as 1787, that the city of Varinas was detached from the government of Maracaybo, to become itself the seat of a separate government, comprehending a portion also of the province of Caracas. This fine territory, which, previously to that period, had been almost entirely neglected by the mother country, has since then increased very considerably both in cultivation and population, and contained, in 1807, upwards of 140,000 inhabitants. It still includes, however, besides the capital, only three towns, San Jayme, San Fernando d'Apure, and Pedraza; and may therefore be considered as little better than an immense wilderness. The city of Varinas, situated in lat 7° 33′ N., long 70° 22′ W., had a popu

* See, for a further description, the route from Caracas to Bogota.

lation of 12,000 souls; San Jayme 7,000; San Fer nando 6,000; and Pedraza 3,000. "This country, in fact," M. Lavaysse remarks, "is still in its infancy, though its territory is not inferior in fertility to any other part of South America. It is only within the last twenty years, that sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton, have been cultivated there. Formerly, the inhabitants grew only cocoa and the provisions necessary for their own consumption. Their articles of exportation were cattle and tobacco, the latter famous in every market in the world. The inhabitants lead a pastoral life, surrounded, with numerous herds. Though in the midst of abundance, great natural wealth, and all the necessaries of life, they have not the means of purchasing any thing belonging to the luxury of dress, furniture, and European liquors, because they have no direct communication with the neighbouring colonies; and being placed in the interior of the country, they are obliged to sell their produce and cattle, at a miserable price, to the smugglers of San Tomé de Angostura, and of Caracas. But, when the present contest terminates, and freedom of trade follows, it will become one of the richest and best-peopled in this part of the world; for, in general, its climate is not less healthy than its soil is fertile. There are few indigenous natives in this province: they are almost all assembled in a mission of the Andalusian capuchins, situated at five or six leagues from San Fernando de Apure. I believe there may be about 600 of them. Other civilised Indians live with the whites and mestizoes in the pastures. There ure scarcely 6,000 slaves in the population of the province of Varinas, and these are only slaves in name, for they live in the greatest familiarity with their masters, and are equally well fed, lodged, and clothed."

The principal channel of trade has hitherto been through Valencia to Puerto Cabello. There is a line

of communication from Buria, through Merida, to the Lake of Maracaybo; but the distance is considerable, and the road almost impracticable. The communication with Coro through Barquisimeto is easier, but the distance is too great for commercial purposes. "There can be little doubt," Col Hall says, "that, in an improved state of the country, the water-carriage by the Apure and the Orinoco will be preferred, from the great difficulty and expense of transporting bulky articles of produce, on mules to any of the northern ports." From Valencia to Varinas is a distance of 210 miles.* Almost the whole of this extensive tract consists of excellent pasture-lands. The borders of the rivers are finely wooded, and will be adapted, when cleared, to the growth of every species of tropical produce, while the neighbouring mountains furnish the productions of temperate climates. The principal rivers are navigable during the rainy season. The San Domingo and the Masperro descend directly into the Apure. The Bruno, the Guanan, and almost all the smaller rivers, unite with

* Col Hall gives the following itinerary from Varinas:

Leagues.

the Portuguesa, which falls into the Apure near San Fernando, whence the navigation is easy and direct to Angostura on the Orinoco.

The road from Valencia to San Fernando is described by Humboldt, who with his friend Bonpland, traversed these immense savannas, and descended the Apure to its junction with the Orinoco in lat 70. We shall now again avail ourselves of his interesting narrative.

FROM VALENCIA TO SAN FERNANDO D'APURE.

The Travellers bade adieu to the Valley of Aragua on the 6th of March (1807), passing over a richly cultivated plain, and crossing ground on the southwest side of the Lake of Valencia, which the waters had left uncovered. The soil was covered with calebashes, water-melons, and plantains. Between the ancient islets of Don Pedro and La Negra, they saw numerous bands of araguatoes, or howling monkeys,*

The araguato of Caripe, Humboldt describes as a new species of the genus stentor, to which he gives the name of alouate ourse, or simia ursina. "It resembles a young bear. It is three feet long, reckoning from the top of the head, which is small and very pyramidal, to the beginning of the prehensile tail. Its fur is bushy and of a reddish brown ; the breast and belly are both covered with a fine hair; the face is of a blackish hue, covered with a fine and wrinkled skin: the beard is pretty long; and,notwithstanding the direction of the facial line, the angle of which is only 30°, the araguato has, in the look and the expression of the countenance, as much resemblance to man as the marimondo (simia belzebuth) and the capuchin of the Orinoco (simia chiropotes), Its eye, voice, and gait denote melancholy. I have seen young araguatoes brought up in Indian huts: they never play like the little sagoins; and their gravity was described with much simplicity by Lopez de Gomara in the beginning of the sixteenth century. The Aranata of the Cumanese,' says

going in procession from one tree to another with extreme slowness. A male was followed by a great number of females, several of which carried their

young on their shoulders. The uniformity with

which they execute their movements, is described to be very striking. "Whenever the branches of the neighbouring trees do not touch, the male that leads the band, suspends himself by the prehensile part of his tail, and, letting fall the rest of his body, swings himself till he reaches the neighbouring branch. The whole file perform the same action on the same spot.' The assertions of Ulloa and other travellers respecting their sometimes forming a chain, in order to reach the opposite side of a river, the learned Traveller considers as unworthy of credit. The Indians have either a hatred or a predilection for certain races of monkeys. The little sagoins are their favourites, but the araguatoes, on account of their mournful aspect and their monotonous howlings, are detested by them. They maintain that there is always one that chaunts as leader of the band; and the observation, Humboldt says, is pretty accurate. "During a long time, one solitary and strong voice is generally distinguished, which is succeeded by another voice of a different pitch. We may observe the same instinct of imitation among frogs and almost all gregarious animals. The missionaries assert, moreover, that when a female araguato is on the point of bringing forth, the choir suspends its howlings till the moment of the birth.

this Author, has the face of a man, the beard of a goat, and a grave behaviour-honrado gesto.' I have observed, that monkeys are more melancholy in proportion as they have more resemblance to man: their petulant gaiety diminishes, as their intellectual faculties appear to increase."-Pers. Narr. vol. iii. pp. 170-2. The araguato of Aragua appears to be of the same species: the tongue is placed on a large bony drum, and the air, driven with force upon this drnm, produces the mournful sound which distinguishes the araguatoes.