y VENEZUELA VENEZUELA: OR, SKETCHES OF LIFE IN A SOUTH- AMERICAN REPUBLIC ; WITH THE HISTORY OF THE LOAN OF 1864. EDWARD B. EASTWICK, C.B., F.R.S, LATE SECRETAKY OF LEGATION AT THE COURT OF PERSIA ; AND COMMISSIONER FOR THE VENEZUELAN LOAN OF 1864. AUTHOR OF "MUERAY'S HANDBOOK OF INDIA," " THE JOURNAL WITH A MAP. LONDON : CHAPMAN & HALL, 193, PICCADILLY. 1868. \_The Right of Translation is reserved.'\ LONDON : BRADBURY, EVANS, AND CO., PRINTERS, WH1TEFRIAR9. r LIBRARY Ps 3 i 3 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA p > cr- A SANTA BARBARA TO PHILIP EOSE, ESQ., OF RATNERS, BUCKS. My dear Rose, To you I owe my pleasant visit to Venezuela. To you, therefore, if to anyone, these pages ought to be inscribed ; and I am so glad of an opportunity to thank you publicly for many acts of friendship, that I dedicate my book to you, without allowing myself to consider how much your name may lose, as mine must gain, by the association. Ever yours, EDWARD B. EASTWICK. 38, Thurloe Square, 1868. PEEFACE. On the 7th of June, 1864, I was asked to go to Venezuela as Financial Commissioner for the General Credit Company. The appointment was offered, in the first instance, to Lord Hobart, and on his declining it, to me. The terms were liberal. All my expenses were to be paid, and I was to receive one thousand pounds for three months, reckoning from the day of embarkation. But the pleasure of seeing a new country, and learning a new language, and the ex- perience of financial transactions I should gain in such a mission, were to me stiU stronger inducements to accept it. Besides, curiously enough, Mr. Cobden had been talking to me on the 2nd of June, the last time I ever saw him, about a certain matter, and, after expressing his sympathy, had ended by saying, " Why don't you go to the City ? They will treat you better there." So, taking his words as a Sors Virgiliana, I viii PREFACE. accepted the Commissionersliip at once, purchased a pile of Spanish books, imbibed a draught of the pure Castilian stream daily, in the shape of a lesson from Dr. Altschul, glanced at, and put aside for complete deglutition on board the steamer, a huge liasse of papers, and on the 1 7th of June found myself en route for St. Thomas, in the " Atrato," commanded by the ill-fated Captain WooUey. I returned the same year, in the last days of October. In 1865, and the beginning of 1866, I wrote for Mr. Dickens some of the chapters which follow, and they appeared in "All the Year Eound." In those light sketches my object was only to give a general idea of Venezuela and its people, so that what I have there written is not always to be taken au pied de la lettre. It is otherwise in the grave part of the book, which refers to the business of my mission. I have there striven to be as accurate as possible, my aim being to pilot others who may go out on similar missions with as little experience as myself, and who might, perhaps, be shipwrecked amongst dangers which have never been properly buoyed. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. TO VENEZUELA. Sailing on a Friday — Juan — The Royal Mail Company— The Story In- terrupted — Hat Island — Harbour of St. Thomas — A Battle with the Sharks — The "Virgin Islands — A Cruize among the Cemeteries — Blockade Eunners— Voyage to La Guaira— The Death at Sea — Aves Islands — At Anchor ......... 1 CHAPTER II. At La Guaira— Origin of the name "Venezuela" — The Hottest Place on Earth — The National Emblem — Empirical Druggists — The Negro Artilleryman — Singular Nomenclature — Maquetia — Across the Mountain to Caracas . , . . . . . . .24 CHAPTER III. At Caracas — Hotel St. Amande — Caraqu^nian Bells and Belles — The Virgin and her Suitors — Drake, the Corsair — Site of Caracas — Creole Steeds and Creole Eiders — Bolivar's Cenotaph — Environs of Caracas — The Great Earthquake — Catholic Cemetery — Ker Porter's Chapel — The Toma— Mount Calvary 38 CHAPTER IV. Traits of Republican Life — Dishonesty the best policy — How to make the Scum rise to the top — Why Republics are always borro\ving — The Bull-Fight — Public Buildings at Caracas — Cave Canem— Godoy, the Negro Wit — The Venezuelan Cabinet— Maniac Visitors — The Minis- terial Breakfast .......... X CONTENTS. CHAPTEK V. PAGE Major Milligan's Mistake — Ciudad Bolivar and the British Legion — Fight between Sambo the Giant and tlie Irish Sergeant — Luisa and Helena — Panchito, the Enfant Terrible— Popping the Question — Too much Alike — How to Clear up a Blunder — The Explanation too late 77 CHAPTEK VI. How to obtain a Loan — Solemn Preliminaries — The President's Powers Delegated — Mission of the Finance Minister — The Contract — Rati- fication of the Contract by the Constituent Assembly — The Financial Commissioner to Venezuela — Painful Discoveries — Reiterated Assu- rances and tlie Honour of the Republic Repledged — Evasion baffled — Final Warnings — Breathing Time — Symptoms of Change — The Plunge Downwards — Utter Oblivion 100 CHAPTEK VII. To Puerto Cabello— El Bailarin — The Indian Path — A Narrow Escape — Westward Ho ! — Harbour of Puerto Cabello — How to Baffle Yellow Jack — Holy Crackers — On to Valencia 129 CHAPTEK VIII. The Sights of Valencia — A Republican Council — The Gran Plaza — The Cathedral — Morals of a Bull-fight — A Mushroom in Cream — The Morro — The Cemetery — The Mountain of the Caves — A Boa Constrictor ........... 155 CHAPTEK IX. Erminia— Break of Day at Valencia — Showing a Visitor the Lionesses — A Creole Beauty — Love at First Sight — Valencian Lace-makers — The House of General Paez — The Fair Antonia— An Awkward Question — The Malediction fulfilled 176 CHAPTEK X. General Falcon, and how to find him — The Grand Army — Down with the Red ! — A Noble Revenge— Tocuyo — Personal Appearance of the Gran Mariscal — Conversation with the President 193 CONTENTS. xi CHAPTER XI. PAGE A Visit to Carabobo— Joltings by the Way — Mine host the Colonel, and the Posada at the Battle-field — Position of affairs before the Battle — The Advance from San Carlos— The Night before the Battle — The Spanish Position — Flight of the A pure Bravos — Eepulse of the Cavalry under Paez — Amniuuition exhausted — Bayonet Charge of the British — The Spaniards routed — Loss of the British — Bolivar's grateful Address — Results of the Victory 205 CHAPTER XII. A Visit to Las Tinajas — The Lake of Tacarigua — Adieu to Valencia — Eepublican Jehus — A Coffee Hacienda — Recruiting under Difficulties — The Beautiful Vale of Araguas — Maracai — Palmar — Victoria — Consejo — Las Coquillas— Up the Mountains — Life in the Jungle — Limon and Los Teques — The Frenchman's Story — Return to Caracas — A parting Benediction 219 CHAPTER XIII. Difficulty of forming an exact estimate of the Resources of Venezuela — Configuration and Area of the Country — Codazzi's Division of it into Three Systems — Distribution into Provinces — Chief Cities, Climate, and Scenery — Popidation — Form of Government — Revenue — Debt — Commerce — Mineral and Vegetable Products 242 CHAPTER XIV. Relations of Venezuela with Foreign Powers — Assistance rendered to Venezuela by England in men and money — History of Venezuelan Debt — Causes of the Decay of English Influence — The Question of the Loans — Plans for Solving the Difficulty — The Foreign Office View — The Appeal to Force — TheCompensation Plan — The Best Plan 315 APPENDIX 345 ERRATA. At p. 126, lines 6, 18, and 29 ; and p. 127, lines 5 and 7 ; also at p. 128, lines 5 and 12 — for Engelckye, read Engelke. VENEZUELA: OR, SKETCHES OF LIFE IN A SOUTH-AMERICAN REPUBLIC. CHAPTER L TO VENEZUELA. Sailing on a Fiidaj^— Juan— The Royal Mail Company — The Story inter- rupted—Hat Island— Harbour of St. Thomas— A Battle with the Sharks — The Vii-gin Islands — A Cruise among the Cemeteries — Blockade- runners — Voyage to La Guaira— The Death at Sea— Aves Islands — / /7 /> LX> At Anchor. ' ** Needles indeed ! they look more like Grinders ; and, a propos of that, if this confounded wind continues dead in our teeth, we shall pitch bows under as soon as we get out- side." I uttered these words without addressing myself to any person in particular, for I knew no one on hoard, and, in fact, there was no one near enough to hear me, but my servant, who, like myself, was leanmg over the taffrail, watching the pilot drop astern. I looked at my watch ; it was seven minutes past seven, on the 17th of June (I like seven, it is a lucky number) ; we were off the Needles ; the pilot had just left us ; there was a strong breeze right ahead, and the weather did not look altogether so propitious 2 VENEZUELA. as it should do on a midsummer evening. My servant, Juan, was a fine specimen of a Santa Cruz man. He stood six feet five inches in his boots, was an excellent valet, never drank, smoked, nor swore, spoke Spanish and English, loved England with all his heart, and, like most natives of Santa Cruz and Saint Thomas, fully considered himseK an Englishman. I knew little of Juan, who had been in my service only a few days, and was now to learn one of his peculiarities. He was subject to an extraordinary flow of spu'its on the occui'rence of anj'thing which others regarded as dej^ressing. A simple contretemps put him in a good humour ; but a disaster made him jocular, and the graver the case the more he was elated. On hearing my exclamation he turned round approvingly, and said, " Yes, no fears, sir, but we'll have a rough night of it ; I never hur-red no good of sailing on a Friday." " Pooh, j)ooh, Juan," said I, "that's a mere prejudice. Why, on Friday, the 9th of August, 1492, no less a man than Christoval Colon sailed from Lagos to discover the New World, these very West Indies to which we are now going, and on Friday, the 12th of October, he did discover San Salvador, not so ver}'^ far from where you were born ; and on Friday, the 1st of March, 1493, he saw land on his return — that is, he ought to have seen it if the weather had not been rather thick." I said the last Avords with some hesitation, for, in fact, I recollected that Colon, on his homeward voyage, encountered a regular tormenta off Portugal, and was near foimdering ; so that the thuxl Friday was rather against me. Juan, however, as became a man of his inches, was not to be beaten from his opinion, and said : "I don't Imow nothing about Columbus, sir*, but my father, who was a SAILING ON A FEIDAY. 3 better man, leastways made more voyages 'tween 'Merica and Em-ope — for he was a ship's steward, and spoke English as Avell as I do — said he never hur-red no good of sailing on a Friday." So saying, and laymg a pecuharly grating emphasis on the word hiu'-red, Juan stalked oif. " Confound the fellow ! " said I to myself, " it's ahsm-d, but he makes me melancholy with his forebodings. Yet, imagine anythmg like risk m a grand vessel of three thou- sand tons and upwards ! Why, the A\i-etched carvel in which Columbus made liis voyages, was hardly so large as the long-boat there. It is no exaggeration to say that she would scarcely have carried the admiral's potted meats, which the steward tells me weigh over twenty tons. It is true, however, that though the voyage from Lagos to Gua- nahari was three thousand and forty miles — nearly as long as from Southampton to Saint Thomas, which is but one hundred and forty-seven more — yet, as Humboldt says, ' A voyage from the coast of Spain, and thence to South America, is scarcely attended with an}^ event Avhicli deserves attention, esjjecially when imdertaken in summer. The navigation is often less dangerous than crossing one of the great lakes of Switzerland.' Whereas in our voyage there is that odious Bay of Biscay to be crossed, and a still worse sea on the homeward passage ; and steamers, however grand, have risks of their own. Well, who knows ! Juan's fore- bodings may be justified." So, after finishing my reverie, I went to smoke a cigar in the allowable place before the funnel, and next to arrange my cabin, and so, in due com-se, to bed. I was awoke in the morning b}^ a hideous jabber of several small voices crying all at once, " Steward ! steward ! B 2 4 VENEZUELA. for vy I say call I you many times ? Vy you by your own selves not ask me vat I vant ? " This reminded me of TroUope's grinning Frenchman and his rotten walnut ; and incontinently I laughed somewhat loudly, which had the effect of shaming my neighhom^s and stilhng the clamour. On leaving my cabin I was astonished to see outside the next cabm door fom* such Lilliputian paii-s of haU'-boots that I could not but come to the conclusion that my neigh- bours must be all children, and yet theii' voices were the voices of middle age. Afterwards I discovered that the Spanish Creoles have feet as tiny as those of Cliinese ladies, but of a natm'al tininess, and without deformity. Travelling per steamer is a trite affair. People think little more of crossing the Atlantic in one of the gigantic vessels of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Compan}^, or of the Cmiard line, than of passing a river on a bridge. "The river," says the old Sanscrit proverb, " is crossed, and the bridge is forgotten." Foiu'teen days, or so, of short whist and long flirtations, of bad cigars and pleasant yarns, of hot cahns and cold gales, a transfer of cash and billets, and the voyage is over. But the utihty, wealth, and importance of such an association as the Royal Mail Company, the admu-able system organised for the performance of the duties of ever}^ individual sendng under it, and the conse- (juent safety with which so many voyages, at all seasons, are performed, deserve more consideration than is usually given to the subject. In my fii'st loungmg fit I took up the prospectus and the book of regulations of the company, which dates from 1830 ; and setting myseK to calculate, fomid that tliis one company now owns a fleet of tw^enty- three steamers, of forty-five thousand eight hundred and THE EOYAL MAIL CO^klPANY. 5 foui' tons, and eleven thousand four hundred and seventy horse-power. These vessels, I calculated, convey on an average some thirty-five thousand passengers yearly, and over twenty miUion of dollars in specie, besides other valu- able cargo. There are prizes in such a service. The superintendents make from one thousand five hundred to two thousand pounds a year. The senior captain draws one thousand two hundred in cash, and has his hving and lodging free. The other captains, with like advantages in other respects, get one thousand per amium. The junior officers are proportionahly well paid. There is a home for them at Southampton, where they live at free quarters. In the large steamers there are four or five officers besides the captain, and then- duties are strictly defined. The chief officer keeps the log, the second has charge of the treasure, and accompanies the Admu-alty's agent on shore with the mails, the third and fourth stow the cargo. A junior officer is never left in charge of the ship at night. There is a goodly crew. On board the vessel in which I was passenger were fifty-three seamen, fifty-four engineers, and twenty-three ser- vants. One might well feel at ease in a vessel so provided. I soon became acquainted with most of the passengers. There were several naval officers of rank, a handsome admii-al with a fine bold nose, a baronet with a romantic name, a captain of the race of England's naval demi-gods, several West Indian planters, and not a few pretty planters' daughters, some, too, without chaperones ; a shabby Columbian general, a few lively Frenchmen, and a score of Creole nondescripts. I passed my time in pla3ing chess and learning Spanish. Unfortunately, there were no seiioras or senoritas of whom to be taught. There was, however, 6 VENEZUELA. a young aide-de-camp to the President of Peru, who pos- sessed so much patience and amiability, that he would talk to me in pm'e Castillano by the hour, though at fii'st I did not comprehend more than one word in a hundred. Never- theless, by the time we reached the Azores, I had made some progress, and had even once asked publicly at the dinner-table, in Spanish, for the mustard. It was the 23rd of June, at 4 a.m., that we passed the islands, and sighted two of the group. They lie directly in the course out, but homeward, a very great circuit is made to the west. The outward bound captains like to see the islands, for the currents in the Atlantic are so strong and so various that no reckoning can be perfectly true. There is an equinoctial current from east to west, and there is the GuK Stream, which is a hot cuiTent, from west to east; and there are local currents and abnormal currents, and a great-circuit- current, compounded of all these, which has a periphery of three thousand eight hundred leagues, and a log of wood di'opped into the sea opposite Senegal would go, as many other sticks do, " on cii'cuit," and retmii to its starting- place in two years and ten months. We jDassed, I say, the Azores on the 23rd of June, and forthwith the weather waxed hot. We had not yet caught the trade-wmds, and, though there were occasional squalls, on the whole it was sultry, with a rather lurid sky at night. On the 25th it was particularly close and oppressive. I had been placing chess all the mornmg. It was 2 p.m., and I was lazily talking to my late antagonist, a good- lookuig Frenchman, who, though he was, he informed me, tliirty-five, looked like a mere youth, owdng to an entire absence of beard, whiskers, and moustache. Groups of THE STORY INTEEEUPTED. 7 people, some reading, others plajdng chess or draughts, sat or lounged aroimd us. It was a dead calm, and the polished miiTor of the sea gave back the sun's rays with interest. " Monsieur voyage pom* son plaisir ou pour les affaires ? " I inquired. " Pom- mon plaisir?" repeated the French- man, with some sm-prise, " du tout, du tout, monsiem*. Je suis medecin, monsieur, et j'ai aussi une fabrique de bottes a Lima." " Quoi, monsieiu%" said I, raising myself a little on iny elbow, '* medecin et marchand de bottes a la fois — vous plaisantez ! " The Frenchman opened liis hps to reply, but just at that moment there was a tremendously loud crash, followed by a strange whizzing noise, and almost immediately afterwards b}' a succession of terrific thuds, as if some Cyclops had suddenly commenced hammering in the engine-room. At the same time showers of splinters came flying from the starboard paddle-box, and a dense cloud of steam and smoke burst all along the deck, so as almost to liide the funnel from sight. Great confusion of coui"se ensued. Chess-tables and chaii's were overset ; screams of ladies, questions of men shouted in various lan- guages, rushes of sailors amid the cloud of steam, oaths and scuffling, added to the din. It was cmious to see in that moment of terrible uncertainty^ when an explosion, or some other catastrophe was expected by all, how some of the foreigners who had been sneering at religion all the way out, suddenly betook themselves to prayer. For mj-self, I felt exactly as I did some years ago in a railway accident. In both cases I expected every moment to be killed, and yet the most trivial circumstances did not escape me, while my general thought was, as I looked at the bright sun and quiet sleep of Natm'e, that a \iolent death was all the 8 VENEZUELA. more shocking with everything around so quiet and peaceable. Half a minute, perhaps, had passed, but it seemed a long time, and I was rushing forward to see what really had happened, when I felt myself stopped by a powerful arm, and the huge figure of Juan blocked the way. "Best stop here," he said, with a grin ; " I have got finely scalded mj^self, without being of no use. Now the engmes are stopped, the captain -mil soon put matters to rights, if any one can ; but, Caramba ! this all comes of sailing on a Friday. I never hur-red of no good from saiHng on a Friday." Destiny, however, was for this time to let us ofi' with onlj^ a fright. The thundering blows ceased with the stoppage of the engines, the steam and smoke gradually cleared away, and the hubbub abated. It was then we learned that the gi'eat shaft which comiects the paddle- wheels with the machmer}^ had suddenly snapped, and, starting up lilce a snag, had caught some ponderous gear, which it Avhirled round with each revolution of the engines, smashing the paddle-box and everything near it. In the confusion there had been an upset of hot coals and an escape of steam, which scalded several men, and ch'ove the others out of the engine-room. The danger of the late accident was soon forgotten, and some of those who had been most alarmed were unmercifully quizzed. About one short fat Creole in particular the jokes were never endmg. He was in his cabin when the crash took place, and fancying from the smoke and steam which entered his quarters that the ship was on fii'e, he actually contrived to thrust his corpulent body through the round window, though one would have thought it too small for the THE PROFESSOE'S EUSE. 9 passage of a fat rabbit. From the window lie somehow scrambled on deck, and made his appearance, steaming with perspiration, with one sleeve of his coat torn off, and with a face and figiu'e, as every one declared, considerably elongated by his squeeze through the bull's-eye. How the damages were repaired I know not, but, in a few hom's, we were going on much as usual ; so much so, indeed, that the Frenchman, who had told me he was doctor and bootmaker at once, could now finish liis story and explain himself. " When I commenced my career," said he, " I found that no one would trust me to prescribe, on account of my juvenile appearance. In despair, I con- sulted a friend, who said to me, * My dear fellow, with that child's face of yours, you will never have a patient. But stay ! I know a certain college in which a Greek professor is wanted. You shall be the Greek professor ; you shall have the place ! ' In vain I protested that I knew nothing of Greek. ' I make it entii-ely my business,' replied my friend ; ' you shall have the place.' Accordingly, I found myself at the college, with a letter of introduction to the lectm-er, who had been temporarily discharging the duties of the defunct professor of Greek. I had counted on several days to prepare myself, but, on handing him the letter, he said, in a sharp voice, ' Charmed to see you, and to resign mj^ functions. The students will be ready for you in ten minutes. I will send a man to show you the lectm-e-room.' At that moment I felt my laiees tremble under me, and my uneasiness was so great, that I almost resolved to jump into an omnibus I saw pass, drive to the station, and return to Paris. Somehow, I fomid myself at the lecture-room, and just then a lucky thought occurred to me. ' Range 10 VENEZUELA. youi'selves,' I said to the students, * as you ranked at the last examination. Now,' I continued, when they had done so, ' let the lowest read first.' When he had finished, I said to the next, * What mistakes has he made, and how do you correct them ? ' He mentioned one or two blunders, and I then put the same question to others, till no one had any- thing left to say. The reading and the corrections occupied a long time, at the end of which I said, ' That will do for the fii'st lecture ; at the next I shall have more to say to you.' In fact, when the next seance came, I had, by great industry, prepared myself a little, and managed to deliver a discoui'se, and, in the meantime, I had the satis- faction of hearing that my fame was great among the students, who were tickled with the novelty of my system, insomuch that my senior colleague congratulated me on abandonmg the career of a physician, and assured me that I was born to be a professor ! I longed, however, to return to my original employment, and, as I did not see my way in France, I went out to Lima, where I married a Creole, fell ill of dysentery, and, as I could not recover my health in Peru, I opened a shoe-shop, left my wife in charge of it, and returned to Paris, and I am now going out to bring home my daughter to be educated." Next day we arrived within the influence of the trade- winds. We had now frequent squalls and thimder and lightning till the 30th, on which day, at seven p.m., we made, as the sailors say, the little island of Sombrero, or "Hat Island." It is only three-quarters of a mile long and nine hundred feet broad ; is a perfectly flat rock, about twenty feet above the level of the sea ; and derives its name from its fancied resemblance to a cardinal's hat. In 1850 it HAT ISLAND. 11 was uninliabited, except bj' sea-fowl and black lizards : the 'only place of landing was at a bight on the west side : and getting on shore was what Yankees would term a caution to snakes. " Under verj^ favourable circumstances," says a nautical writer, " by watching an opportunity, you may jump on to a flat ledge to the cliff, and with some difficulty ascend to the summit." The almighty dollar, however, would make a landing anywhere, and as there was abundance of guano on the rock, the Americans had taken possession of it, and we saw them hard at work with cranes and carts loading vessels with the precious deposit. At 3 P.M. on the 1st of July we anchored in the harboui' of St. Thomas. I looked in vain for the little steamer wliich I expected would be ready to convey me to La Guau'a. Instead of it I was shown a schooner of about eighty tons, wliich was to sail next day for that place. Viewed from the decks of the gigantic Koyal Mail Steamer, she looked hke a cockle-shell. Spite of the heat, I landed at once, and went straight to the store of a young merchant, whose famil}' I knew. He was a handsome fellow of about two-and-twent}', T;\ath bright blue eyes and curly hair, and with such an overpowering share of good nature that all his other quahties seemed absorbed by it. He jDroduced some excellent brand}^, and still better cigars, and we began to discuss how I should amuse myself till the schooner was ready to start. Of com-se I had a list of commissions, all of which it was agreed should be executed at a cooler hour next morning. Then we began to talk about the harbour, and I happened to ask if there were many sharks in it ? Hereupon my host biightened up, and said : "If you would like to see a few, I'll show you some. A horse of mine was 12 VENEZUELA. taken ill last night, and is just dead. We'll tow the carcase off with a boat to the mouth of the harbour, take a couple of rifles and a harpoon, and it's odd if we don't have some sport." No sooner said than done. Orders were at once given to drag the dead horse to the water's edge, and my host, followed by mj^self and a big negro, who carried the rifles and the harpoon, walked down to the boat. It was a large boat, mtli four rowers and an aT\aiing, and as the boat- men, notwithstanding the heat, pulled with a will, we made way rapidly, and before long had got past the steamers, and were nearing the mouth of the harbour. As yet I had seen nothing, and was becoming rather impatient. " Why," said I, " I don't believe there are any sharks. I have not seen a single back fin above water." In repl}^ my host checked the rowers for a moment, when, as the surge we made subsided, several dark lines showed themselves just astern of the horse. " Give way," said he to the boatmen; " we have not yet reached the place where we can fii-e safely, and if we stop another half-minute the horse will be torn to ribbons." When the boat had gone a few hundred yards further, he said to me, " Now cock j^our rifle, and look out ! The instant we stop, the sharks will rise, and the fii'st that tmnis to seize the horse, fire right into his belly. I'll give him both barrels, too, and four conical pills should settle him. Are you ready ? " " Quite ready," I replied, and the boat stopped. In an instant the dark lines were visible again, but this time they came rapidly up to the surface, and five monstrous sharks showed themselves. The apparition was so sudden, and the sharks were so huge, so much larger than any I had seen before, that I started, and, had I cocked my rifle as I A BATTLE WITH THE SHARKS. 13 had been told to do, there is no knowing where I might have sent my random shot. But it has alwa^^s been my practice not to cock till I see the object ; and this has prevented my making many a bad miss. In a moment I recovered myself, and, as the foremost shark tm-ned on his back and darted at the carcase, I took good aim, and fired nearly at the same moment with my friend. All om- foiu* balls told : one of them, as we afterwards found, going right through the heart. The smoke came full across my eyes, but there was a tremendous splash, and I caught an indistinct glimpse of the monster as he sprang half out of the water and fell back. Almost at the same instant, the big negro who had the hai^joon sent it into the shark just below the lower jaw with such force, that, had he had more Hfe in him than remained, he would hardl}' have escaped. Meantime, the other sharks, who sank for a moment when we fired, had risen again to the surface, and one of them had alread}' torn a gi'eat bit out of the horse, giving such a violent jerk to the boat, that one of the niggers took fright, and before we could see what he was about, undid the rope by which the carcase was bemg towed, and it was immediately jerked into the water as the other sharks fastened on the prey. This they did m such numbers, and with such right good will, that before we could reload and prepare for another shot, they had dragged the carcase under water, and we could only tell by the bubbles and bloody foam what a wony was going on below. How- ever, we had got one monster safe, and retui*ned toAving him in triumph. When we reached the landing-place there was quite a crowd to receive us. It took eight or ten men to drag the shark on shore, and we fomid he measured over sixteen feet long, and nearly six feet in circumference. His 14 VENEZUELA. stomach was quite empty, which accounted for his being ravenous. I was glad of a bath and a change of toilet, after which my friend drove me in his carriage round the west part of the island, of which some description may be acceptable. To begin then with the beginning, be it known that, between the eighteenth and nineteenth degrees of north latitude, a little to the east of Porto Rico, in an almost continuous cluster, lie the Vu-gm Islands, so called by Colmnbus from the eleven thousand of sainted memory, with whom in number these islets seemed to vie. Exactly m the centre of the group is St. Thomas, and next to it^ on the east, is St. John. All the islands to the east of St. John belong to the English, and all to the west belong to the Danes. You may tell the English possessions by the roughness of the nomen- clature and the utter want of high-flown titles. There is, for example, Salt Island, followed by Ginger, CoojDer's, and Beef Island. Next we come to Camanoe, Scrub, Guano, and Jost- van-Dykes Isles. Then there is Anegada, or " Drowned Island," famous or infamous for wrecks, where many a gallant seaman has gone to his rest beneath the Avaters. It is a curious place that Anegada. It lies all awash with the sea, and when the mist comes up, as it does very often, one would fancy the waves were rolling clean over it.^ Anegada is ten miles long, and has a reef to the south-east of nine miles more, and upon this reef many scores of vessels have gone to jjieces. But to the west there is good anchorage, and abundance of funnel-shaped wells, full of fresh water, in which, curiously enough, the fresh water rises with the salt tide. The bays there in the old time swarmed with buccaneers. When they were gone, THE VIEGIN ISLANDS. 15 came gangs of wreckers and colonised the island, and reared stock, and grew cotton ; but their true market-day w^as when a vessel struck on the reef, and man}^ a rich prize they got, and perhaps do get even now. A curious proof of the strong westerly current in the Atlantic is to be seen at Anegada, where the fishermen find sufficient cork di'ifted to them, from the coast of Spain, to supply their nets. Bottles, too, launched in the Eiver Gambia, have been picked up in the Yii-gin Islands. Between these islands themselves, the cmTents are in many places most violent. To row from island to island is a most dangerous and ahnost impossible undertaking. Many boats have been swept away, and their crews drowned, in the attempt. Between the eastern part of St. Thomas and the Island of St. John, in particular, there is a furious cm-rent, and the waves rise in huge sm-ges. When the southern tide is in its strength, it would be impossible for an}- small vessel to encounter that terrible sea. Twelve miles to the west of Anegada is Vii'gin Gorda, or "Fat Yii'gin" Island, nine miles long and a mile broad, with some ten thousand inhabitants, who export sugar, rum, and tobacco. On the north-east is a good harbom*, called Gorda Sound, and another to the north-west, called West Bay, and a thii^d, Thomas's Bay, to the south. Three miles west of Yii-gm Gorda, is Tortola, nine miles long and three broad, with a population of eleven thousand, and a good harbour at Boad Town, the capital. Moreover, here, with Tortola to the north, St. John's to the west, Yii-gin Gorda to the east, and a dozen little islands to the south, natm'e has formed a magnificent basin, fifteen miles long and three and a half broad, land-locked and sheltered from 16 VENEZUELA. every wind, where all the navies of England might ride in safety. Why not choose Tortola as the station for the Eoyal Mail Company's vessels ? Why go to St. Thomas,* that nest of yellow fever, where fresh water is hard to get, and which belongs to a foreign power ? Not being able to answer this same why, I retm-n to St. Thomas. The island is twelve miles long from east to west, and tln-ee broad ; and across the whole length of it runs a range of hills, the highest point of which may be eight hundred feet above the sea. These hills were once covered with woods, and the island was then watered by rivulets ; but the improvident Danes cut down the woods, the streams dried up, and the inhabitants now suffer from drought, inso- much that the captains of steamers are enjoined to husband theii' fresh water, lest none should be proem-able at St. Thomas. Charlotte Amalia, the capital and harbour of St. Thomas, lies on the south coast, and opens to the south, so that vessels coming from Europe or North America have ^ to make a half-cii'cle to enter it. The approach is not with- out its dangers. There is, first of all, a rock called French- man's Cap, seven miles from the harbom-'s mouth, and four miles further on there is Buck Island. Between these you steer, but in mid-channel is a danger called " Scorpion Eock," with only twenty-one feet of water on it. Having cleared that (and there is a buoy on it to help you), you enter the harbour : having on your right, at its mouth, the lighthouse, the red light of which, being ninety-five feet above the sea, can be seen fifteen miles off. Near it is a fort called Mohlenfel's Battery. On the left are Prince * This was written more tliau a year before the last great hurricane at St. Thomas. ST. THOMAS'S HAEBOUE. 17 Frederick's Batter}^, and the Great Carenage, where vessels can be moored dm-ing hurricanes. At the very entrance, however, are three other dangers. There is, first, on the west, a shoal which juts out the length of a cable from Frederick's Point; and then, a little east of the mid-channel, is Prince Eupert's Eock; and further east, and close to Mohlenfel's Batter}^, are the rocks called the Triangles. Lastly, there are coral rocks in the harbour itself. The panorama of the harbour of St. Thomas has been extolled by a well-known writer, and vdth justice. The port itself is of a horse-shoe shape, and, having entered, the town is right before you, rising in three triangles, Tvith a glittering white building to crown each apex. In the backgi'ound rise hnis of the brightest green, rendered more dazzUng by the clearness of the atmosphere. To the left, the harbour runs out into a long creek, too shallow to be crossed except by boats. On the right of the town is Christiana Fort, garrisoned by half a regiment of Danes, and some artillerjTnen. Above, on the hills, is a tower, where in the good old times lived a notable buccaneer. Close by the fort are the King's Wharf and a hotel, and all about and aromid are such lovely bunches of flowermg slu'ubs and trees, as almost to make one in love with the "white man's gi-ave." I had been amused with my expedition against the sharks in the afternoon, but now it was over my spuits went down. There is something fearfully depressing in St. Thomas and its associations. Sharks and yellow fever in the harbour, yellow fever and gi'inning black men in the town, the heat stifling, and the smells unbearable — this is the programme ; and the talk is all of so-and-so who died on yester-night, 18 VENEZUELA. and such a one who is lil^e to die to-morrow. Our drive was not exhilarating. On the left was the shallow stagnant creek, with a row of miserable huts, interspersed with shambles at the water's edge. On the right, were more huts and many cemeteries. There was the Moravian Cemetery, with all the slabs of exactly the same height and size ; and there was the Jews' Cemetery, and the Catholic Cemetery, and what might be called the Omnibus Cemetery, for what the well-known writer befor§ referred to iiTeverently terms the Hispano-Dano-Yankee-doodle-niggery-population- in-general. My host, the best of good fellows, who was never hipped himself, had no idea of comforting a man who was in low spirits. On my asking, out of the gloominess of my heart, " Is there any yellow fever here just now ? " he replied, "Well, the yellow fever is always here. Just at present, however, we are considered rather clear. It is true there have been a few scattered cases — there have been five, for instance, in the house next mine — but only three died, and, for myself, I have no sort of apprehension, for I am a born St. Thomas man, and natives seldom suffer. In general, it is the new comers who get in for it." I could only mutter, " Consolatory, certainly ! " and change the subject. I asked about the state of the colon}^ " Well," he said, "the American war has been pumpkins to us. Our house alone has cleared upwards of fifty thousand pounds since it began, and two or three other houses have been doing nearly as well. It's pretty, too, to see the blockade runners lying under the very noses of the Northern men-of- war. They see 'em load, up anchor, and off, and they mustn't chase 'em for four-and-twenty hours, though they loiow, if they've a good start there's no chance of takhig them. FEOM ST. THOMAS TO LA. GUAIEA. 19 The times have been lively, too, with the sailors. The crews of the Confederate vessels have had so many fights with the Federal men, and the EngUsh have jomed in with such jolly good-will, first on one side, and then on the other, that now the Danes won't let any Americans land." "And praj"^," said I, " besides these rows, how do you amuse yourselves here ? " " AYell," was the reply, " we do)i't amuse ourselves. We trade." After our drive we dined at the hotel. The dinner con- sisted of all the most indigestible dishes conceivable, and at St. Thomas it is cle rigueur to eat of them all. I went to bed with a racking headache, and in a state highly favour- able for yellow fever. Morning came at last, however, without an attack, and released me from the tender mercies of the mosquitoes. I went round with my friend to several shops to make my purchases, posted m}" letters to England, and hj noon was sailing for La Guaii-a in the schooner Isabel. Juan came on board at the last moment, having deserted me all the time I was at St. Thomas. He merely said, "Friends on shore, sir; you'll excuse my being late." I said, "Of com-se;" and begged him to release me from the importunity of the negro boatman who brought me on board, and who asked two poimds for the job, though the legal charge was only one dollar and eighty-two cents. We got rid of him at last for three dollars. AVe ran out of St. Thomas's harbour on the 23rd of July with a fine breeze. The crew of the Isabel consisted of a captain, five men, and a boy, each blacker than the other, and aU of an extremely hang-dog look. As I had thii-ty thousand sovereigns on board, it seems a miracle that they did not timible me quietly into the water when I was asleep. c 2 20 VENEZUELA. The crew of the Isabel, however, were pirates only in look, and I lost among them nothing more important than a gold pencil-case. We slept on deck in a sort of hencoop, in which were not more vermin than are usuall}" in hencoops. Our meals, over which the captain j^resided in his shirt-sleeves, were principally of land-tortoise, hard sour cheese, pickles, dried fish, pastels filled with nameless ingredients, and quimbombo : an excellent vegetable, and almost the only thing I could eat. It is the oki"o hibiscus, has somewhat the look of a young cucumber, and is full of a cold gluten, very pleasant in a hot climate. There was a Creole lady, with two or three small children, who lived in the cabin or hold of the ve&iBel, and never made her appearance on deck throughout the whole passage. Once or twice, during a squall, I descended to this cabin, and found it full of ants, cock- roaches, and rats. The Creole, half undressed, lay gasping with the heat, while her children, in a state of perfect nudity, scrambled over her. Besides this lady, myself, Juan, and an American doctor, there was also another pas- senger : a thin feeble old man, who was brought on board with great care. I heard him ask his servant for a cigar, which turned out to be stramonium, for the man was too ill to smoke tobacco ; and to say this of a Spanish Creole, is saying a good deal. About 5 P.M. we were passing the island of Santa Cruz, belonging to the Danes. The governor of St. Thomas shows his appreciation of the healthiness of his own island by living at Santa Cruz, which is thirty-two miles south of St. Thomas. Santa Cruz is nineteen miles long and five broad, and contains a population of fifty thousand souls. In general it is much flatter than St. Thomas ; but there is one THE DEATH AT SEA. 21 hill, Mount Eagle, which rises to one thousand one hundred and sixt^'-two feet above the sea, and another near it, called Blue Mountain, which is but sixty feet lower. There are two towns,*Christiansted to the east, and Fredericksted to the west. At the former there is a harbour very difficult of access, but safe enough when once entered. The island is well cultivated. We passed Santa Cruz ; the sun set ; and after smoking a last cigar, I turned into my hencoop and slept soundly, except for a few minutes about midnight, when I soon went to sleep again with an indistinct idea of something disagreeable going on. The red horns of the sun were just showing above the horizon, when Juan came up and woke me, under pretence of askmg me if I would bathe ; but I could see by the grin on his featm-es that there was something wrong. Presentl}" not being able to contain himself any longer, he exploded into a chuckle, and said, " There's a dead man on board, sir." "Indeed?" repHed I, by no means gratified. "And pray who may he be, and what does he come on board for, if he's dead ? " "Well, sir," said Juan, "it's the old man, the passenger who seemed so ill. About midnight he got worse, and called the captain, and asked to be thrown overboard, he was in such pain. The captain said he could not accommodate him in that way, but he would get some hot fomentations, and see if that would ease the jDain in his chest. ' It's no matter,' says the passenger. 'Whereabouts is the moon?' When the captain had showed him where the moon was, he said very quietly, ' When the moon goes down I shall die.' And so he did, sir. You would hardly believe it, but at the very moment the moon went down, the old man died." 22 VENEZUELA. ** Did he ask for the doctor ? " I inquired. " Ask for the doctor ! I should think not," said Juan, in high disdain. " Wh}^, all the doctors in New York couldn't have saved him; nor they couldn't have done him much harm neither. He was too far gone for that." I walked forward to bathe, and there I saw a sad bundle wliich told its own tale. It was the corpse sewn up in a hammock, with some six-pound shot, belonging to the one gun of the schooner, attached, to smk it. An hour after- wards, a short prayer was said by the captain, and the body was launched into the sea. I watched it go down. It went fast — so fast that it was gone before a dolphin that had been playmg about the bows, and darted out to see what the splash meant, could reach the spot. The incident was a painful one, and conjured up melan- choly reflections. There were only about a dozen of us in the schooner, reckoning crew and passengers together, and one was gone. I could not helj? thinking how wretched it would be to lie ill on board that little vessel, with nothing but a hencoop to rest on, and only the American doctor for a medical attendant. The heat was overpowermg, and, considering where we came from, it would have been no great wonder if we had had a visit from the yellow fever. Right glad was I, then, when at 2 p.m. on the 4th we passed the rock of Ochilla, one of the Aves Islands, which Hes only eighty miles to the north of La Guah-a. Ocliilla is about ten miles m length, and a verj^ dangerous reef pro- jects from it for two miles in an easterly direction. Twenty miles off is a sunken rock, not given in the maps, on which a small vessel was totally lost about a year before we passed. Her crew had scarcely time to take to the boats when she AT ANCHOR. 23 foundered. There are from two hundred to three hundred tons of guano on Ochilla, which may be worth twelve pounds a ton. The j)lace had some interest for me, for one of the claims I Avas going out to settle was called the Aves Island claim. The Americans had gone to a rock of that name, nearer St. Thomas, to collect guano, and had been stopped by the Venezuelans, who maintain that the Ares Islands belong to them. For the loss caused by this demui'rer, the Americans now claimed one hundred and fifty-five thousand dollars of the Venezuelan government : a sum sufiicient to have plated the whole rock with silver instead of guano. Two hours after passmg Ochilla, we saw the great moun- tain called La Silla, or " The Saddle," which overhangs La Guaira. The SUla is eight thousand six hundred feet high, and we saw it at seventy miles' distance. As the sun set, we discerned the lights at La Guaira, but the wind now fell, or came only in fitful gusts. At one moment we were running at the rate of nine knots an hour, straight, as it seemed, on shore ; for the land, being overshadowed by this stupendous moimtain, appeared much nearer than it was. The next instant we were becalmed, with all sail set, and flapping so heavily as to banish sleep ft'om my ej^es. The nigger captain and his crew, however, being used to it, lay like logs, and we might have drifted on shore for all they seemed to care. Morning came at last, and with it a gentle breeze, which carried us to our anchorage at La Guaira. CHAPTER 11. At La Guaira — Origin of the name " Venezuela"— The hottest place on earth —The National Emblem — Empirical Druggists — The Negro Artillery-Man — Singular Nomenclature — Maquetia — Across the Mountain to Caracas. Anchorixg in a harbour usuall}^ implies rest. It is not so at La Guaira. In fact, La Guaira is no port, but an open roadstead, ^/bere, though it seklom blows very heavily, there is ever a high swell, so high that landing is always difficult, and often dangerous. With the wind at north, the shore is directly to leeward, and a general smash among the shipping is then inevitable. Luckily, such winds are most rare ; but some time before the arrival of the Isabel there was one, and every vessel at La Guaira was stranded. Even with other winds the danger is sometimes great, and then a cannon is fired from the fort as a signal that the rollers are setting in. Forthwith, all anchors are weighed, and the ships run out to sea till the swell moderates. Indeed, it is one of the inscrutable things that no one can understand, why La Guaira should be made the port for Caracas at all, when a mile or two to the west, on the other side of the next promontor}', Cabo Blanco, there is the snug harbour of Catia, whence an easier road to Caracas might be made than that from La Guau-a. But no ; in spite of the swell which has caused the loss of so many vessels, which makes com- munication with the shore so troublesome, and which stirs ORIGIN OF THE XA:ME " VENEZUELA." 25 up the sand in a fashion that renders it necessary to weigh anchors every eight days, lest the ships shoukl become sand- locked ; in spite of the ravages of the barnacles, the teredo navaHs, la broma, as the Spaniards call them, more destruc- tive at La Guaira than anj^where else in the world, commerce, which seems to be the only conservative thing m America, still keeps to its old route. " So this is Venezuela, Little Venice," thought I to my- self, as we lay tossing; " can't say I see much resemblance to Venice in these great mountains, that look as if they had been piled up by Titans to scale a city in the clouds ! " Nor is there, through all the vast region now called Venezuela, much to remind one of the city of the doges. But it is at La Guamx that the unlikeness comes out most forcibly. It happens, though no one seems to have remarked it, that La Guaii-a is the very ojjicfyaXoi of the Venezuelan coast ; for it lies half way between Cape Paria, on the extreme east, and Chichibocoa, on the extreme west, and just at La Guaira towers up La Silla, the tallest mountam between the Andes and the Atlantic ; so that, instead of thinldng of Venice, one cries out with Humboldt, " The Pp-enees or the Alps stripped of their snows, have risen from the bosom of the waters." Venezuela is a misnomer. The first Spaniards who came to the American coast, the Conquistadores, found the Indians of Maracaibo living in huts on piles in the lake, and so called that locahty Venezuela ; and the misnomer spread and spread till a region four times the size of Prussia came to be styled " Little Venice " — a name which now com- prehends a forest larger than France, steppes like those of Gobi, and mountain tracts wliich it would take many Swit- zerlands to match. 26 VENEZUELA. But for the abominable saltatory movements of the Isabel, I could have passed hours very contentedly with a fragrant cigar in my mouth, gazmg from the sea at La Guaira, which is one of the most picturesque places in the world. Hum- boldt says there is nothing like it, save Santa Cruz, at the island of Teneriffe, where, as at La Guaira, the town, perched on a little rim of shore, at the foot of a tremendous peak, seems like a world's finger-post pomtmg to the littleness of man and the greatness of nature. Once landed, much of the effect is lost. There is then no more such startling contrast between the strip of white building at the sea's level, and the huge blue, black, and green masses of rock and earth heaped up into the very clouds ; and it is no longer so easy to trace the long line of fortification mounting from height to height. Moreover, a mountain that starts up all at once, eight thousand feet from the sea, into the clouds, is a wondrous sight, and I looked and mused long. But my reverie was mterrupted by those common-place, matter-of-fact fellows, the custom-house ofiicers, who came on board punctually at 6 A.M., and showed at once that they had more of the Paul Pry than the poet in their natui*es. As nearly the whole revenues of the country,, and the whole of their salaries (report says, somethmg more than the whole), are drawn from the custom-house, there was some excuse for their energetic proceedings, which would, no doubt, have termi- nated in a rigid scrutiny of my numerous boxes, had I not been armed with the name of commissioner and a diplomatic passport. At sight of that document, the official tartness of their aspect sweetened to a smile, and they invited me to go ashore in their large comfortable boat : no shght favour at such a place as La Guaira. AT LA GUAIEA. 27 Watching the auspicious moment when the frolicsome surge pitched the bow of the boat up within a foot of the hmding-place on the pier, I made a spring, and was effectually prevented from falling back by half a dozen arms and hands, which snatched at every accessible part of me ; one fellow, whose civility outran his discretion, giving me a sharp pinch as he clutched hold of my trousers. I was safe, however ; I had landed ; I stood for the fii'st time on American ground, and I felt myself in a glow — but less, perhaps, from en- thusiasm than from the intense heat consequent on the exertion of jumping from that tossing boat. There was, in reality, no great room for enthusiasm. Some dingy buildmgs now shut out the view of the mountains, and the atmosphere was so close, and so impregnated with the odour of decapng fish and other things still worse, that no enthusiasm covdd have withstood it. It would be well if the Venezuelans, so proud as they are of their country, so sensitive to the remarks of strangers, would prepare a cleanlier landmg-place for their visitors. In other countries, foreigners who are to be j)ropitiated are presented with bouquets of flowers. Columbia welcomes the traveller with a bouquet of a different kind. They were working away at the wharf and breakwater, which had ah-eady, they said, cost one hundred thousand pounds, though I suppose a tenth of that sum would have more than covered the outlay in England. Earth was coming down in buckets, which travelled on long ropes fastened at a con- siderable incline to posts at an eminence across the road, where the men were at work. These buckets came along with an impetus sufficient, had they struck a passer-by, to knock his brains out ; an accident which might easily have happened, for the ropes were stretched just at the height of 28 VENEZUELA. a man, and no one gave any warning of theii" approach. On the left of the wharf was the harbour-master's house, and a nondescrij)t building — something between an office and a fort, where a lot of Creole clerks were idling. In front, was the custom-house, and to the left of it the town. To the right, rose a long straggling line of filthy huts, swarming with naked darkie children. We walked straight to the custom-house, a strong useful building, but not picturesque. The superintendent, an offi- cial of no little rank, for the appointment is the usual stepping-stone to the portfoUo of finance, received me in his shirt-sleeves, with the inevitable cigarette in his mouth, and on reading the letter of introduction I had brought from General Guzman Blanco, shook hands, and told me he had been the general's A.D.C. in the war just concluded. The sun was already disagreeably hot, and I was glad to hurry on a few hundred yards up the principal of the two streets — which, with a branch or two climbing the mountain's base, form La Guaira — and take refuge in the hospitable house of the merchants to whom I was accredited. Having heard not a little of the wealth of the La Guaira merchants, I could not help venting my astonishment in a hearty caramha, when I entered the house. A huge outer door opened into a square court-yard, smelling strongly of tur- meric, and half filled with bales of merchandise. The house was two-storied, the lower storey containing a set of dingy offices, wdiile the upper was divided into bed-rooms, but the whole building looked so dirty and dilapidated, that I asked myself, " Can this be the residence of a merchant prince ? " One of the partners, in whose apartment I found a piano, books, and some neat furniture, explained the mystery. THE HOTTEST PLACE ON EARTH. 29 There are only three or four tolerable houses in La Guaira, and he had been in vain trying to get one. This was simply a "warehouse, and the other partners lived at Caracas. Juan, a mulatto servant, and a nigger boy, now set to work to get the spare room ready for me, and raised such clouds of dust as choked off for a time the mosquitoes, of which the atmo- sphere was full. They are a peculiarly sharp-stmging sort at La Guaira : small, speckled, and insatiable, I was now fairly installed. The first thing that struck me was the intense heat. I had not then read Humboldt's Table, in which he compares the climates of Guaira, Caii'o, Habana, Vera Cruz, Madras, and Abushahr, but without his assistance I arrived at his conclusion, that I was now in the hottest place in the whole world. Perhaps the best way of convejing to a European an idea of the heat, is to say that the mean temperature at La Guau-a, in the coldest month, is four degrees of centigrade higher than that of the hottest month in Paris. If it be added that there are no aj^pliances whatever to make things bearable — no good houses, no ice, no cold water, no shade, and no breeze, it will be possible to arrive at a faint notion of the reality. I was peculiarly well situated for promptly realising a just idea of the climate, for m}^ room had but one small window, and when I opened it, there came in a perfume which obliged me to close it again instantly. The locality was, indeed, not very agreeable. The house almost abutted on the mountam, wliich of course kept off every breath of air. On one side was a boys' school, from which arose an incessant jabber, and on the ridge above us was a long building of very forbidding ap- pearance. " What place is that ? " said I to Juan. 30 VENEZUELA. " That, sii' ? " replied he, with a beaming countenance. " That is the Small-pox Hospital, but there ain't no great number of cases there at present." It was some alleviation of our misery that we took our meals in a building much higher up the hill, and, conse- quently, cooler than the warehouse in which we slept. The cuisine was tolerable, the poverty of the native suppHes being eked out with European stores. The wine was hot ; but there were good Clicquot and Khenish wines in abundance, and intense thirst made us undiscriminating. There are no Enghshmen at La Guaira, and, consequently, no out-of-door amusements. No one walks, rides, rows, or sails, for pleasure. The Europeans, who are cliiefly Germans from Hamburg, confine themselves strictly to smoldng, drinking, playing whist and bilHards. It would be quite easy to have a good place for driving and riding by the sea-shore, but everybody tries to make the approach to the sea as inaccessible as possible. In my first walk I took a look at the hotel, and saw ample reason for congratulating myseK that I had found other quarters. It was a very poor posada indeed, and the reek of garlic made me quite giddy. Garlic, by-the-by, is as dear to a Venezvielan as the shamrock to an Irishman, and one feels surprised that it is not adopted as the national emblem. I was assm^ed by a traveller that he had exhausted his in- ventive powers in devising means to escape eating of dishes flavoured with this herb, but all in vain. As a dernier ressort, and when half starved, he determined to hve on eggs, but the fatal fragrance pursued him still, much to his astonish- ment as well as disgust. At last, on carefully examining an egg before attempting to eat it, he found that the small end EMPIRICAL DRUGGISTS. 31 had been perforated, and some of the favourite herb intro- duced by the innkeeper, who was resolved that the national taste should be vindicated, and that, too, ab ovo and m extremis. From the inn I went to make my first purchase, one naturally suggested to me by my visit to the posada. I went to buy some medicine at a botica, or apothecary's shop. As my Spanish w^as not very profound, I was glad to find a German m the shop, and to him I explained that I wanted a blue pill. Hereupon he took down a book of prescriptions, and set to w^ork to find out how to make it. After some search, he began compounding the pills with pestle and mortar^ As I had no great faith in his knowledge, I thought I would take a peep at the book, which was in Spanish, for, to quote a certain advertisement, *' I could read and write Spanish, though I could not yet speak it." What was my horror, when I discovered that the apothecary was making me up a pill for leprosy ! " Oh ! " I exclaimed, " by-the-by, I thuik I won't trouble you to compound that pill for me ; " and, snatching up a box, labelled " Brandreth's Pills," I paid him for it, and walked ofl^, too glad to escape. This German had, no doubt, failed in some other metier, and had taken up a trade in drugs without knowmg much about them. Before I left America I saw empmcs more than enough. After experiencing the disagreeables of the sea-shore pro- menade at La Guaira, I took to climbing the mountain for a constitutional. So disinclined are the Venezuelans to exercise, that I had the greatest difiiculty in persuading a friend to accompany me. He was a very handsome, tall, well-made fellow, and the son of an EngUshman, but, having been born in the countr}^ had much of the Creole 32 VENEZUELA. indolence in his nature. We used to ascend about twelve hundred feet, and for that distance there was a suc- cession of forts ; one of these, the Cerro Colorado, com- pletely commanded the town. These forts now lie in ruins, having been taken by the revolutionary forces in 1859. They had three columns of one thousand men each, and came do-wii from the heights to the attack. About one hundi^ed and fifty men were lulled on both sides, and the dead were all buried in one common grave. The man who fought best m the whole force engaged, was a gigantic negro artilleryman, on the side of the aristocrats, who occupied the forts. He did a good deal of execution with hjs gun, which, even after he was wounded in many places, he con- tinued to fire. At last he was struck on the back by a large ball from a swivel-gun, while he was in the act of re-loading his cannon. When they came to collect the corpses for interment he was found still breathing, and was taken to a doctor, from whom I heard the whole story, and who assured me that, though tetanus supervened, the negro recovered from his wounds. " This," said the medico, "was the only case of recovery from lock-jaw that I have ever witnessed." After toihng up the mountain by a steep zig-zag path, we used to descend a ravine, in which flows a rivulet dignified by the name of the Rio de la Guaira. Tliis stream is usually about ten inches deep, but sometimes is swelled by the rains into a formidable torrent. Thus, in 1810, it swelled suddenly, after a heavy rain in the mountains, to a stream ten feet deep, and swept away property to the value of half a million of dollars, as well as many persons, of whom forty were drowned. There is a sickly yellow-feverish smeU in this ravine ; nevertheless, numbers of people bathe THE CONSUL'S BATH. 33 in the pools it forms at every broad ledge of rock. One of these pools is called the Consul's Bath, owing to a piece of scandal in which an Enghsh Liu-line was concerned. Of the three routes to Caracas from La Guaii-a, the shortest, but most difi&cult and dangerous, passes for some distance up this ravine. It is called the Indian's Path, and is actually that which was used by the Indians before the Spanish con- quest. Between it and the present coach-road is the road which was in use when Humboldt visited the country. I was anxious to make trial of all three, but being invited to breakfast at the Eincon, or Corner, a pretty country-seat beyond Maquetia, I determined to go by that road first. It was 9 A.M., on the 10th of July, when I left La Guau-a, accompanied by my friend and Juan. The smi was terrifically hot, but the j)rospect of being jolted over the chaotic road to Maquetia being more terrible still, we re- solved to walk to the Rincon, and let the coach, which we had engaged for our exclusive use, pick us up there. The said coach apj)eared to be considerably smaller than the smallest four-wheeled cab in London, and was so vamped up, and moved so heavily, and with such a flapping of doors, that I quite agreed with Juan, when he, imconscious of a pun, called out to the di-iver to get on with his vam- piro. We walked, as I have said, to Maquetia, and tiu'ned gladly out of its dirty streets up a lane bursting with flowering shrubs, which led to the Bincon. Presently, we were aware of two female figui'es ahead of us, the figures evidently of two young and well-shaped Creole ladies. Before long, one of them dropped a kerchief and a prayer- book, which I picked up, and fomid they belonged to la Senorita Trinidad Smith. Not being used to Spanish 34 VENEZUELA. nomenclatiu'e, Trinity struck me as a cimous Christian name, but my friend told me it was nothing to what I should meet with. Thus Dolores, or Pangs, is a most favomite baptismal appellation ; and even Dolores Fuei*tes, Strong Pangs, is not uncommon. These strange Christian appellations sometunes yield a curious sense when added to certain proper names. C. gave me, as an instance, the case of a lady christened Dolores Fuertes, who married a gen- tleman named Battiga ; thus the whole name stood Strong Pangs of the Stomach. The Rincon is a pretty little country-house, very like an Indian bangla, at the foot of a deep ra\Tine in the mountain. All around were trees and shrubs in profusion, so that it was really " life in the bush." On my proposing to take a walk in the garden, the lad}^ of the house said, very naively, that there were a great many snakes there, parti- cularly rattlesnakes : an observation which rather damped my ardour. The breakfast-part}' was large ; there were ourselves, several Creole ladies and gentlemen, two French officers, and five children. Among the things at table with which I was not famihar, were a parga fish weighing fifteen pounds, the aUigator, or, as it ought to be called, advo- cate's pear, and the fruit of the passion-flower creej^er, which is as big as a pumpkin, and not less insipid. The parga might be called the sea-perch for its colour*, shape, and taste. It is common enough, and I had seen it before, but never of such a size. The aUigator pear has been often described, and it is said that a good deal of j)ractice in eating it is needed before a relish for it can be acquired. To me its flavom' seemed to be a compound of the tastes of pumpkin, melon, and very mouldy Stilton cheese. ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN TO CARACAS. 35 At 2 P.M., our shambling equipage, the vampii'o, came flapping up to the door, drawn by tlu'ee rat-hke ponies, who, however, soon proved that they had some mettle in them. The road, which is about twenty-five feet broad, and not an intolerably bad one after fairly quitting Maquetia, skirts, in a perpetual zigzag, the eastern side of the great ravine called Quebrada de Tipe. The western side of this ravine, which is a mile or two broad, leads du-ectly from Caracas to the Bay of Catia, ah-eady mentioned as a desi- rable harboiu'. Along this side of the ravine, surveys for a raih'oad were made by Stephenson, which have been re- peated by a gentleman who arrived at Caracas at the same time as mj'self. The difiiculties of this route for locomo- tives are, perhaps, not insiu"mountable, but they seem at least to be greater than any that have yet been overcome elsewhere. For the first thousand feet of elevation our progress was slow, as the clouds of red dust were literally sufibcatmg, and the heat so great that even the case-hardened driver was fain to take thmgs quietly. Besides, no little manage- ment was requii'ed in order to pass safely the strings of cattle, asses, and pedestrians, and the numerous carts we met or overtook. When once we liad reached the elevation of a thousand feet, we perceived a marked change in the temperatm'e, and began to be repaid for our previous suf- ferings by a fine view over the Quebrada, the narrow Ime of coast and the ocean. The whole distance between Maquetia and Caracas by this road, is about twenty miles, while, as the crow flies, fi-om La Guau-a to Caracas is not more than nme miles. Here and there Ave came to a venta, or poor inn, where the carters, carriers, and coachmen get D 2 36 VENEZUELA. a drink of aguardiente, or fire-water, as rum is here called, while their wretched animals take a' few minutes' rest, if rest that can be called which is robbed of its solace by the swarms of flies. At one place our coachman, an Italian (it is curious that the pmicipal Jehus on this road are Italians), requested us to hold oui' noses, at the same time applying the lash vigorously to his ponies. As we galloj)ed by, a flock of zamuros, or small vultures, rose from the body of a horse, wliich might very easily have been pitched over the precipice by its OTVTier ; but no South American would ever think of giving himself a little trouble to oblige the public. We stoj^ped at a venta half way, and changed horses. Three or four rough-looking fellows, with guns and dogs, were smoking there. They said they had been out all day, and had killed four quail, and seen a few par- tridges. We had now ascended about five thousand feet, and it was comparatively quite cold. The road, too, was less steep, and we started with our fresh horses at great speed. This rate of travelUng is not so pleasant on such a road to those who cross it for the first time. The turns were so abrupt as to be quite invisible while one was approaching the precipice, from which they diverged almost at right angles. We seemed to be galloj)ing straight into the abyss, and we did reach its very brink, and then swept round by a turn in the road, which only at that moment showed itself. Until habit deadens sensation, one cannot but feel a little nervous at such charioteering, and the more so as dreadful accidents have actually occm'red. There are similar roads over the mountains in Peru, and it is said that a late President of that comitry got so alarmed on one occasion, that he shouted out to the youth who was driving, AEEIVAL AT CARACAS. 37 to stoj). The mozo, however, rather enjoymg the joke, drove on faster than ever, till the President, drawing out a pistol, called to him that he would shoot him dead unless he pulled up instantly. This was a hint not to be dis- regarded, so the youth obeyed, but turned round and said, with the usual freedom or impudence of the country, " Truh^ you're a fine" fellow to be President of Peru, if you are afraid at such a trifle as this ! " Two miles from the place of changing horses, the road beguis to descend, and we went on with increasmg speed. The road now grew naiTOwer and narrower at every tm-n, and the view more confined. At length, about half-past 5 P.M., we came suddenly in sight of Caracas, which is not seen from any distance by this route. About fifty students, wandering in cap and go\vTi along the road, were the fii'st sign of our approacliing the capital. We next plunged into some dirty lanes, and then suddenly emerged into the paved streets of the city. Along these, Francisco, om- di'iver, ui'ged his ponies with all the speed they could muster, at the same time cracking his whip with reports like those of a pistol, to annotmce his arrival. The result of all this energy was, that we were pitched against one another, and up to the roof of the coach, in a Ava}^ that nearly dislocated our necks, and utterly destroyed any dig- nity that we might otherwise have assumed. The streets were full of holes, over wliich we bounded in the most unpleasant fashion, till we pulled up dead, with a jerk that nearly sent us out of the windows, at the door of St. Amande's Hotel, where the Brazilian minister's rooms had been engaged for me. CHAPTER III.-' At Caracas — Hotel St. Amaiide — Caraqu^niau Bells and Belles — The Virgin and her Suitors — Drake, the Corsair — Site of Caracas — Creole Steeds and Creole Eiders — Bolivar's Cenotaph — Environs of Caracas— The great Earthquake — Catholic Cemetery — Ker Porter's Chapel — The Toma — Mount Calvary. The hotel was a square house of two stories, close to the market-place, and not far from the centre of the cit3\ All the rooms on the ground-floor were bedrooms. On the floor above was my apartment, a very large room divided into three by partitions, and overlooking the street. On the side opposite my room was another very large one, where the table d'hote was held. To the left were tlii'ee rooms occu- pied by the landlord and his family, and on the right were some more bedrooms for travellers. The concierge was a huge negro, who, having been a custom-house officer, gave himself all the airs of a government official, and had grown so fat that he quite blocked up the doorway. The landlord had come to the country as a savant, to collect articles for some museum, but, having married an English lady's-maid, condescended to allow her to make his fortune by keeping this hotel. He was the most silent man possible, and all the time I was there I never heard him say but two words, " Mon Dieu ! " An unmarried daughter lived in the house, and played the piano at a great rate. The establishment consisted of two Indian waitresses, and a mulatto stable-boy. CARAQUfiNIAN BELLS. 39 There was also a cook, so enormously fat that I put her down as the wife of the fat concierge. I was glad that I encountered her onl}- once, and that at my departure, as I should never have been able to relish my dinner after seeing by whom it was cooked. I found my apartment ver}^ neatly furnished, and beautifully clean, and congratulated myself on having so comfortable a lodging. That night I dined at C.'s, and was agreeably surprised at the elegance of his menage. His house was but one story high, but there were many fine rooms in it. The drawing-room, for example, was about sixty feet long and twenty-five broad, and furnished like a first-class saloon in Paris. In the centre of the court, round which the rooms were built, was a garden full of beau- tiful flowers, and a fountain of clear water. I have said I was well pleased with my apartment, and I ensconced myself in my mosquito curtains about midnight, anticipating a long and j)leasant slumber. However, about half-past three, I woke in the midst of a dream, in which I fancied myself in a belfry, with the bells playing triple bob- majors. On my awaking, sure enough bells were ringing furiously'- all round. The sound seemed to come from every direction. What could it be ? " Perhaps," thought I, " this is the way the Caraquenians announce a fii'e or an earthquake, or is it a popular emeute ? Oh, bother them ! I wish they would have their revolutions in the daj-time, like reasonable people." Still the bells rang on, and presently there was a great noise of people passing in the street, and then a sound of filing and of rockets being let off". I should have gone to the window to reconnoitre, but a salutary awe of the mosquitos and the penetrating * fleas kept me where I was * The 'pulcx penetrans is a flea that burrows in the flesh where it lays its eggs. 40 VENEZUELA. until the clay dawned, when I got up to discover the reason of the hubbub. I then perceived that on the other side of the street there was a large convent, in which, although not a soul was to be seen, the bells were ringing in a way. that reminded me of the Devil and the Old AVoman of Berkeley. Further down the street than the convent was a small square, and on one side of it a church, where again the bells were rmging at least as obstreperousl3\ In the direction of this church, which was brilliantly lighted up, there was quite a crowd of people coming and going, and from among them rockets shot up from time to time. On inquiry, I found it was the fiesta of the Isleiios, or people from the Canary Islands, of whom there is quite a colony at Caracas. In South America every one has his patron saint, and the Isleiios have theirs, and in honour of their saint sleep was made to fly from the ej-elids of all m the quarter of tlie city where I was, while our nerves were harassed throughout the day by a continued hubbub of bells, fireworks, processions, and bull-fights. But even fiestas must come to an end, and I found solace in the hope that quiet would at length be restored. Alas ! the Catholic year at Caracas is made up of feasts and fasts, and, fastmg or feasting, the inhabitants are for ever ringing bells, discharging holy squibs and rockets, and walking in tumultuous processions. I lived weeks amid this din, and never could get accustomed to it, nor enjoy that hearty sound slumber Avhich Sanclio apostrophises as the best of wrappers. But, in fairness, it must be added that fiestas have their attractions for strangers as well as their disagreeables. On these days, especially on notable holidays, such as that of Nuestra Seiiora de la Merced, the fair sex come forth in their gayest THE VIEGIN AND HER SUITORS. 41 attire, and walk iii beA^ies to the churches. It is then, if you are an impartial Paris, that 3'ou will resolve to bestow 3'ovu' golden apple on the Creole Venus in preference to all other beauties, so lovely are the faces that shine upon you from under the coquettish mantilla, and so graceful the figures that undulate along the streets. There may, indeed, be rosier cheeks and faii-er skms elsewhere, but not such large black eyes, teeth of such dazzling whiteness, such taper waists, and faultless feet and ankles, as belong to the Venezuelan ladies. As for any devout feeling, that, of course, is entii'ely out of the question. The women come forth to be looked at, and the men stand in groups on the church steps, or cluster inside, to look at them. All round the churches are pictures, usually sad daubs, and a profusion of wax dolls, representing the Vii'gm at various periods of her life. Anything more contrary to common sense, to say nothing of good taste and devotional feeling, than these images, it is impossible to conceive. Among the absurd groups of dolls I was particularly struck with one at the Merced fiesta, in which the Vii'gm, dressed in all the frip- pery imaginable, was kneeling beside a gigantic crucifix, while a six-j-ear-old angel fluttered above the cross, dressed in silver-embroidered trunk-hose and tartan leggings of the royal Stuart pattern. About the middle of the da}', when the heat is most trj-ing, there is generally a procession, and the image or pictm'e of the saint is carried about, amid a train of ecclesiastics, and with a body of soldiers as a guard of honour. Every now and then the host is elevated, and down go the people on their knees, and anon guns and rockets are discharged, and the use even of squibs and crackers is sanctified on such occasions. 42 VENEZUELA. On seeing all this, my recollection went back to India, and the processions of Durga and Krishnah. Indeed, the yatrotsavahs of Hindustan, and the fiestas of South America, have a common origin. They are the resource of an idle people, and an excuse for putting on best clothes, loitering, gaming, and love-making. I was assured that at the grand fiesta at Santiago, the Vii'gin receives some thirty thousand letters from the girls of the city and its environs. Some ask for husbands and lovers, others for ball-di*esses and pianos, and, incredible as it may appear, the petitions are answered, and, where it is thought politic, granted. As for such trifles as husbands and lovers, one knows from Hero- dotus that such matters are easily arranged, but even a piano is occasionally sent. At Caracas, absurdity is not carried so far, but even there fiestas are no doubt the busiest days at Cupid's post-office. The site of Caracas is one to please an Oriental sovereign. It is at about the same elevation above the sea as Tehran, the capital of Persia, and resembles it in accessibility. With a few batteries judiciously placed, the approach to Caracas from the coast might be completely closed against an enemy, exceptmg, of course, English sailors, to whom all tilings are practicable that imply prize-money and a fight. In the beginning of June, 1595, the renowned Corsair Dracke, as the Spanish historians call him, or Francis Drake, stood in with his squadron towards the coast of Venezuela, till he arrived within about half a league from La Guaira, when he embarked five hundred men in boats, and landed. The inhabitants of La Guaira fled without resistance, and carried to Caracas the news of the terrible Englishman's descent on the coast. Then did the valiant DRAKE, THE COESAIE. 43 alcaldes, Garci-Gonzalez and Francisco Rebolledo, assem- bling all the men who would and could bear arms, march out to repel and chastise the mvader. They marched with banners displayed along the royal road leading from Caracas to La Guau-a, lea\'ing ambuscades in the less frequented passes of the mountains, where the thick trees and rough ground favoured such strategy. But Drake had found at Guaicamaento a Spaniard named Villalpando, who was willing to sell his comitry, and who led the corsau- by an imfrequented route, perhaps that which is now called the Indian's Path, to Caracas. So, while the valiant alcaldes were marching down to the sea, and theii' gallant men m ambush were l^ing ensconced in the dank gi'ass, the English- man was hanging Villalpando, for whom he had no further use, on a tree, and packing up, with great care and very much at his ease, all the valuables he could find in Caracas. Now, who can adequately describe the fury of the alcaldes when they heard that, while they were guardmg the stable - door, the stped had been abeady stolen ! So they marched back again to the capital, resolved to make a pastel of Drake and his merry men, and hoping to catch them with their pikes and theii' hangers and their arquebuses laid aside, and their hands full of plunder. But Drake was cautious as well as bold, and had turned the municipal hall and the church near it into little fortresses, and the Spaniards had a presentiment that there was no taking these strong places without bloodshed, so they surrounded the city at a safe distance, and prepared to put every Englishman to death, who, not content with the booty he had alread}' got, should go out to the villages round about to look for more. But one old hidalgo named Alonso Anch-ea de Ledesma, 44 VENEZUELA. who was, perhaps, a native of La Mancha, mounted his steed, and put his hxnce in rest, and an old target on his arm, and rode forth alone to drive out the English. The chivalry of the old don moved Drake's compassion, and he bade his men not to harm him ; nor would they, had he not charged them at full speed, and tried to do mischief with his spear. Thereupon they killed him as gently as they could, and carried his body to a grave in the city, and interred it with all honour. So, when eight days were passed, Drake and his five hundred moved out of Caracas with their booty; and, after burning all the houses that the}" had not knocked down alread}^ marched merrily away to their ships, and em- barked without the loss of a single man. Caracas is, as has been said, very inaccessible from the north — that is, from the side towards La Guaira and the sea ; but, in the opposite direction, the slopes are easier. In order to form a correct notion of the site on which the city is built, one must keep in mind the direction of the moimtain ranges of the country. The Andes alone run north and south, dividing South America like a backbone, but into two very unequal parts — the part parallel to the Pacific being infinitely narrow compared with the eastern portion that extends to the Atlantic. A number of Cor- dilleras descend from the Andes, and run from west to east, and that cordillera which skirts the Caribbean Sea forms quite an angle at La Guaira and Macuto, approaching there ahnost to the sea, and ending in a huge clumj), the highest part of which is La Silla, a great double-peaked mountain, that towers up two miles to the east of Caracas. La Silla is, consequently, nearly opposite to Macuto, while the ridge which separates Caracas from La Guaira is called SITE OF CAEACAS. 45 CeiTo cle Avila. This ridge appears to swell on without a break until it terminates in La Silla, but it is in reality separated from it by the deep ravine of Tocume. On the south side, then, of Avila and La Silla is a plain, called the plain of Cliacao, with a steep slope from N.N.AV. to S.S.E. — that is, from the mountains just mentioned to La Guaira, a stream which flows with a south-easterly com^se into the Tuy. The latter river falls into the Caribbean Sea, sixty miles to the east of the town of La Guaii*a. The plain of Chacao, which is a lateral branch of the far larger valley of the Tuy, is about ten miles long from west to east, and seven broad from north to south, and at its western extremity, where it is narrowest, stands Caracas. Some authors have pronounced it to be matter of regret that Caracas was not built further to the east, near the Adllage of Chacao, where the plain is widest. There is no doubt that Francisco Fajardo, who, in 1560, first built on the site which the capital of Venezuela now occupies, was led to choose the spot as bemg nearest to the coast, and also to the mines of Los Teques, which were the attractions that brought him into a locality then swarming with hostile Indians. In 1567, Don Diego Losada, who wished to make a pennanent conquest where Fajardo had been little more than an explorer, founded a city on the site chosen b}^ the latter, and called it Santiago de Leon de Caracas — thus giving it his own name Santiago, or Diego, the name of the Governor de Leon, and that of the Indians of the dis- trict, Caracas, which last alone survives. Losada, of course, little imagined that his new city would ever become the capital of a great country, and in selectmg the site he was probably guided by the accident that Fajardo had 46 YENEZUELA. chosen it before him. In fact, if advantages of site were to decide the position of the capital, the government of Venezuela would be transferred from Caracas to Valencia, a city which has the richest soil and the best seaport in all South America. In the meantime, the Caraquenians are very proud of their native town, and boast much of its climate ; but the question of its title to rank fii'st among Venezuelan cities is decided in the negative by Humboldt, who says : " From the position of the provinces Caracas can never exert any powerful political influence over the countries of which it is the capital." I soon came to know Caracas and its envii'ons well, for fresh horses were lent me every day, and I rode somewhere or other every morning and evening. The horses of Vene- zuela, be it said, en imssaiit, though spirited and well shaped, are so small that one would certainly snub them as ironies, but for their self-assertion and haughty little ways, which, it must be owned, are at times supported by worthy deeds in carrying then- riders bravely into battle, and in aiding in the slaughter of furious bulls twice as big as themselves. They do not understand high jumping, but they go very well at ditches, however broad and deep. Their favourite pace is the pase-trote, a sort of quick amble, and they know very well that they are to go that way if the reins are held rather high, and the mouth is felt pretty strongly. Trot- tmg is not fashionable, and, altogether, the English style of riding does not seem to be admired, for it is usual to say of a bad rider "he rides like an Englishman." The Creoles ride Avith excessively long stiiTups, so as just to touch them with the toe, and the ambling pace of their horses is Avell suited for that kind of seat, as well as for the paved BOLIYAE'S CENOTAPH. 47 streets of Caracas, for neither rider nor animal is shaken by it. My fii'st ride was to the east of the city to Petare, a large village about seven niiles from Caracas. In a few minutes after leaving St. Amande's Hotel, I found myself in La Gran Plaza, the principal square, where the daily market is held. It is about the size of Portman-square, but looks larger, the buildings round it being all very low, except the Government House, which is on the western side, and the cathedral, which stands at the south-eastern angle. Both these buildings survived the great earthquake of 1812. I found nothing in the cathedral, either externally or in- ternally, worth noticing, except the tomb of Bolivar, which is of white mai'ble, and tastefully executed. The Liberator is represented standing in his general's unifoi-m, and below are three female figures, intended, I suppose, for the three States who owe theii- freedom to him. The inscription is : " Simonis Bolivar cineres hie condit, honorat, grata et memor patria. 1852." Somehow, on looking at this monument, a certain sentence would recur to my mind : "He asked for bread, and they gave him a stone." Boli- var, whose ashes are here so honoured in the cathedral of his native town, died far away, starving, and an exile. A little way from the cathedi-al is the theatre. Juxta- position seems to be the rule as regards these edifices in Venezuela. At La Guau-a, the theatre stands next a church. Things have so far changed for the better since the time of Humboldt, that the theatre at Caracas, which was then open to the sky, is now roofed. During my stay there was no operatic troupe, and the pieces played were generally duU tragedies, in which all the characters Avere killed in 48 VENEZUELA. succession, apparently to the great satisfaction of the audience. At about half a mile from the cathedral, I came to a bridge over a stream which falls into the Guaira, and which bounds the town on this side. Here are two fine coffee plantations, and a mile further is another still finer, notable for being the point at which Humboldt commenced his ascent of La Silla. The scenery here is very beautiful, the valley being a mass of cultivation, while from no point in- land does the great mountain look so imposing. However, that which interested me most was the Ferro-Carril d'Este, or " Eastern Bailwaj^," the termmus of which is just beyond the bridge already mentioned. I dismounted to inspect the station, and as it was quite deserted, I was obliged to clam- ber over a gate fifteen feet high to get into it. I found that the rails had been laid down for about half a mile, but the grass and weeds were grooving over them. There were engines and carriages, and piles of wood for sleepers, sad emblems of the slumber into which the whole concern has fallen, and from which it seems doubtful whether it will ever awake. I found the posada at Petare full of people smoking and playmg billiards, and the whole place had a more thriv- ing, bustling appearance than I expected. There are about five hundred houses in the village, and some fine estates near it. Still there never could be sufficient traffic to repay the expense of a railway, unless the line were continued to Valencia. My next expedition was to the north of the tovm, and to the slope beyond l}ing immediately under the Cerro d'Avila. The city of Caracas, as may be seen from this slope, is in figure a great square, with long parallel streets crossing it THE GREAT EAETHQUAEi:. 49 from north to south, and with the principal square of the market-place in the centre. But at the north-east angle there has been a suburb, thi-ough which the old road to La Guaira passes. The " Indian Path," akeady mentioned, branches off from that road. I was astonished to see the destruction that the great earthquake of 1812 caused in this dii'ection. Not a house seems to have escaped, and though a few have been restored, the marks of the disaster are aj)parent ever^-where, and whole lines of ruins still remain. In fact, the nearer the moimtam, the greater seemed to me to have been the shock. I was confii'med in this opinion afterwards bv the narrative of an eye-witness, Major M., who still lives, and who was in official emplojTiient in Caracas when the earthquake happened. Major M. was writing in his office with his clerk at 4 p.m., on the 26th of March, in that year. It was intensely hot, and no rain had fallen for a considerable time. Being Holy Thursdaj', the churches were crowded with ladies, dressed in their gayest attire. The chapels of the convents were filled \\ith nims, and the streets, as is usual on holiday s, with people who had come in from the neighbouring villages. At the barracks of San Carlos, a regiment of six hiuidi*ed men were mus- tering under the walls. There was not a cloud in the sky, not a thought of danger in the heaii, of any one. All of a sudden the eai-th seemed to move upwards, the church bells tolled, and a tremendous subterranean noise was heard. The perpendicular motion lasted four seconds, and was in- stantly succeeded by a violent undulatory movement, which continued six seconds more. In those ten seconds that great city, with fifty thousand inhabitants, had become a heap of blood-stained ruins. The churches of Alta Gracia 50 VENEZUELA. and Trinidad, with towers one hundred and fifty feet high, were so completely levelled, that in then- place only shape- less mounds remained, spread out to a great distance, but not more than five feet high. Every convent was destroyed, and of the inmates scarcely one escaped. The barrack of San Carlos was hurled forward from its base, and of the six hundred soldiers mustering below its walls not a man was left ahve. At the fii'st shock, Major M. started from his seat and rushed towards the door, followed by his clerk. M. sprang into the street, but his clerk was too late, and was crushed to death by the falling house. The major had seen many terrific sights in his long residence in these regions of the -"'olcano and the earthquake, and had been in many battles both by sea and land, but he declared that the spectacle which Caracas presented at the moment of the great earthquake, was the most terrible of all. A vast cloud of dust rose up to heaven, and with it ascended the shrieks of more than twenty thousand human beings dying or wounded in the ruins. Great rocks came thundering down from the mountains, and at intervals exj)losions, Hke the discharge of innumerable pieces of artillery, were heard beneath the earth. Major M. fled down to the river La Guaira, and remained there without food till the next day. Even then it was difficult to prociu-e the means of satis- iymg hunger, for the houses were all fallen, and the streets w^ere so encumbered with ruins, that it was difficult to pass. So for many days the sad sights were renewed of digging out the wounded and the dead. Men's minds were so affected with terror, that for a long time they could not retm-n to their ordinary occupations, but were continually absorbed with prayer and rehgious CATHOLIC CEMETERY. 51 ceremonies. Then were many marriages performed between those who had for years been living together without that .tie, and men who had defi'auded others made restitution, appalled by the horrors of that tremendous day, and appre- hensive of their recui-rence. At a few places in the Cerro d'Avila, I observed houses perched uj) at an elevation of several hundred feet, and among them one belonging to the Dutch minister. Below it is a country-house, called the Paraiso, once the property of an English minister, and wliich passed from liim to a famous Creole beauty. But that which interested me most in this direction was the Cathohc cemetery, said to be the finest in all South America, and well worth a visit. It stands on very high ground, and the view is magnificent. The singularity of the place is, that the inner side of the very high walls by which it is sun-ounded is lined with a sort of gigantic pigeon-holes. They are eight feet deep, and tlu'ee feet wide and high, and are used as receptacles for cofiins. Persons who can afibrd to pay a fee of tliii'ty- five dollars are allowed the privilege of placing the cofiin of a deceased relative in one of these receptacles for three years. The name of the deceased person is printed over the recess, and the cofiin can be brought out at any time if requu'ed. Of com'se, it is thus preserved from destruc- tion, being quite diy, and sheltered from the weather, and also safe from the attacks of insects, especially the for- midable black ant, which is three-quarters of an inch in length, and devours everjiihing it can get at. At the expi- ration of three years cofiins are taken down, and the remains of the deceased person are, if the family wish it, handed over to them. Otherwise, they are thi'own into a E 2 52 VENEZUELA. large pit, called a carnero. Poor people, and those who do not choose to pay for the three 3'ears' lodgment in the pigeon-holes, are buried at once in the grounds of the cemetery. I observed the words Calentura Amarilla in many of the epitaphs, which told plainly of the ravages of the yellow fever. Humboldt mentions that this disease had been known at La Guaii^a only two years before his arrival, and says nothing of its having appeared at Caracas. Ai'ter I had ridden past the cemetery a few hundred yards, I came to a mound about one hmidred and fifty feet in length, and was told that this marked the spot where the persons who died in the great outbreak of cholera a few years ago, were buried. The victims were so numerous that it was quite impossible to inter them separately, so a very long deep trench was dug, and the dead were brought in carts and cast mto it. The English bui'ial-ground and the German are on the southern outskii^ts of the city, and are very poor places as compared with the Catholic ceme- tery. They are both covered with weeds, but, in the British burial-ground, the rank gi'ass is so tall that it is impossible to see the gTaves, and the whole place is full of ant-hills several feet high. There is a chapel, with an inscription to say it was built by Robert Ker Porter at his sole expense. I felt interested in seeing the name of a man who, like mj^self, had come from the Caspian Gates to this distant country of the West. North of the city, I found only one other place worth a visit. This is the Toma, or reservon, which supplies Cai'acas with water. It is situated in a thickly-wooded ravine, and a very narrow path among the bushes leads to it. It is necessary to tread with caution here, as, on MOUNT CALVARY. 53 account of the dense thickets, and the phice being so little frequented, snakes abound in incredible numbers. I was assured that, on a little rocky terrace where the shrubs will not grow, sometimes forty or fifty rattlesnakes and other serpents might be seen basking in the sun. With such protectors a human guard might seem unnecessary. There is, however, a superintendent, and, on entering his cottage, I found liis wife, a native of the Canary Islands, working with her daughter at making sandals. She said they could make two dozen a day, and got six and a half dollars, or about a pound sterling, a dozen. This is only one mstance of many I saw of the enormously liigh rates at which labour is paid in Venezuela. Westward of the city I did not ride. In this direction there is only the road to La Guau-a, along which I had come by coach. I took, however, a walk to the Calvario, a hill on which the stations at Calvary ought to be marked by crosses, but I observed none. The hill, which being some hundred feet high, commands a good view over the cit}", is remarkable for a very severe action fought there on the 23rd of June, 1821, between Colonel Pereira, the SjDanish commandant at Caracas, and General Jose Fran- cisco Bermudez, of the patriot ami}'. Bermudez, who had only fifteen hundred men, attacked with gi-eat fuiy the Spanish forces, though far outnumbering his column, and advantageously posted on the high ground, and was so completely defeated that he had great difficult}^ in escaping to Rodea with two hundi'ed men. To the south there is a fine road, made by a European engineer, which leads to Los Teques, a village about twenty- five miles from Caracas, where there were gold mines once 54 VENEZUELA. worked by the Spaniards, and which, in fact, were the glit- tering bait that lured them into the province. The fii'st station on this road, at about six milfes from the city, is the pleasant village of Antemano, where Caraquenian beauties go to bathe and ruraHse during the heats of summer. There is also a road more directly south, which leads across the river La Guau-a into the hills, and so to the valley of the Tuy. There is a beautiful estate- in this dii'ection, belonging to Senor Espino, whose income from land may be about twenty thousand dollars a yesiv. With a visit to his property I closed my survey of the envii'ons of Caracas, and came to the conclusion that, were it not for earth- quakes, ej)idemics, insect plagues, triennial revolutions, and bell-ringmg, there would be few more desirable localities for a residence. CHAPTER IV. Traits of Republican Life — Dishonesty the best policy — How to make the scum rise to the top — Why Republics are always borrowing — The Bull- Fight — Public Buildings at Caracas— Cave Canem— Godoy, the Negro Wit — The Venezuelan Cabinet — Maniac Visitors — The Ministerial Breakfast. " Why, Juan," said I, as I sat examining my first week's accounts at Caracas, " things are exorbitantly dear in this land of libert3% There's that dinner I gave the day before yesterday. It was a very plain diimer to thirteen, and they have charged twenty-three pounds for it ! That's a charge one might expect in London with real turtle, ten kinds of fish, and as many courses ; but here we have had nothing very much beyond the usual table d'hote fare, except, indeed, a turkey — yes, there was a turkey, and " " Things are dear, su', interrupted Juan, " and if they weren't so in a general way they would be to us. Why, there is not a man, woman, or child in the whole city that doesn't know we brought two boxes of gold to La Guaira, and that you are a comisionado." " And what difference does that make ? The gold was for the government, as everybody knows. And if any man ought to be careful of money, and to examine well mto accounts, it should be a financial commissioner." " Well, sir," replied Juan, "that's one view, and I'm not 56 VENEZUELA. a going to say that it's a wrong one ; but it's not a Creole view. Sir, it's of no manner of use being too honest out here, for no one gets the credit of it. As for government business, there's, perhaps more cheating in that than in any- thing, for it's a kind of proverb, ' La mejor hacienda es el Gobierno mal administrado ' — ' The best estate is the government ill administered.' So, no offence, sir, but if you would really like to know what is thought, I'll be bound the general opmion is, that being a very sensible man, 3'ou won't part with those boxes of gold without keeping a cuartillo for yourself out of every real ; and of course they think that when you have such a lot of money you ought to leave some of it behind for the good of the country. As for the bill, the rules for marketmg here is, ' get all you can, and make him who has most, pay most.' " So sajing, Juan walked off with the intention of passing the morning at various friends' houses. In the evening, at my dinner-hour, he would show himself again for a short time, after which I should see nothing of him till next day. This free and easy style of service is regarded as quite the correct thing in Venezuela : a country which might, indeed, be called the paradise of servants, were the name of servant applicable at all to the vagrant gentlemen and ladies who pay you short visits to replenish their purses and ward- robes, leave you without notice, and severely repress any attempt to commmiicate with them as to your domestic arrangements. But 3'ou may talk ^vith them on general topics, such as the weather or the theatre, and on politics you may be as expansive as you please, for where any one may become a general or a president in a few days that sub- ject is universally interesting. The doctrine of perfect HOW TO MAKE THE SCUM EISE. 57 equality is so well carried out, that, in one of the best houses where I was a guest, the gentleman who cleaned the boots alwaj's came into my room with his hat on and a cigar in his mouth ; and another gentleman whom I had engaged to assist Juan, left me the day after his arrival, on being refused the custody of my keys and purse, which he candidly stated was the only duty he felt equal to. At dances, as soon as the music strikes up in the di'awmg-room, the servants begin to waltz in the passages and ante-rooms, and as en- tertainments are almost always on the ground floor, and generally in rooms looking into the streets, the great " un- washed " thrust theii- naked arms and greasy faces between the bars of the windows and criticise the dancing with much spirit. I have seen a gentleman in rags leaning into a window from the streets with his bare arms almost touching those of a beautifully dressed lady, while his most sweet breath fanned her tresses. On another occasion I was talk- ing to some ladies at an evening party, when a worthy sans- culotte jerked in his head so suddenly to listen to our con- versation, that I stopped, on which he called out, " Oh, these are the aristocrats we have here, who won't talk to any one but their own set ! " On my sitting down to play chess with the wife of the president of one of the states, half a dozen female servants, of every shade, from tawny twilight to black night, surroimded the table and began to watch the game. The fii'st time I went to a tailor, I was accompanied by a Creole friend, who undertook to show me the best place. We had to wait some time before the gentleman of the shop appeared. When he did, he came in with the inevitable cigar in his mouth. He raised his hat politely to my friend, walkecF straight up to me, shook hands, and asked me how 58 VENEZUELA. I did. He then sat down on the counter, put various ques- tions to me regarding my coming to Venezuela, talked on general subjects, and at the end of about a quarter of an hour intimated that he was ready to oblige me if I wanted a coat. This tailor was an officer of rank in the army, and he was wearing his uniform and spurs when he came in to measure a friend of mine. Juan was an excellent valet, but he would have lost caste had he been too attentive to his duties in Venezuela. So he walked off, as I have said, to amuse liimself, and left me to think over the difficulties of the business entrusted to me. I had no experience in South American affairs, so my first measm-e had been to secure a coadjutor, who was thoroughly aufait in them. C, the son of an Englishman, had all the integrity characteristic of his race, and being a Creole by birth, that is, born in Venezuela, knew all about the country. He chanced to come in just as Juan left the room, and seeing that he had taken a cigar and settled himself for a chat, I said : " Now, tell me, C, how is it that this country is so wretchedly poor, and so eternally borrowing money ? For my part, I can't make it out. You haven't a particle of show. Your Government House looks like an East Indian godown, 3'our great men make no disj^lay, and as for your soldiers, one would think that the last successful campaign had been against the fripiers, and that the victors were carrying off the. plunder on their backs. It is evident that you Venezuelans are not extravagant, and it is plain that you have great resources if you knew how to use them. Your soil is the richest in the world, and has never been trodden by an invader since the Spaniard was driven out. Then what is the reason that you are always boiTowing WHY REPUBLICS ARE ALWAYS BORROWING. 59 from other countries ? How is it, too, that while the United States of North America have made such progress, the popu- lation in your repubUc is all but stationar}-, the seas and rivers without steamers, the country without roads, and commerce languishing ? " C. knocked the ashes from the end of his cigar, assisted thought by perching his legs conveniently on the toj? of a chau-, and finally rephed as follows: "You see, in the first place, there's a diflference in the breed. The Yankees are a go-a-head lot, there's no mistake about that. There's plenty of quicksilver in English blood, but fog and damp keep it down in England. At New York it rises to fever heat, and to the boihng point down South. Besides, long before Lexington and Bunker-hill, the North Americans were ripe for self-government. In South America things were very different. The Spaniards kept their American subjects in profound ignorance. Four- fiftiis of the population could not even read, for there were no schools. Even at Caracas, the capital, there was no printing- ofiice till 1816, when one was set up by the French- man, Delpeche. The iUiberality of the Spaniards went so far, that, after Isabella's death, nothing was done to intro- duce the cultivation of any plant, or improve farming. The culture of the vine and olive was prohibited, and that of tobacco was made a crown monopoly. Emigration, too, was all but entii-ely prevented, and, in the total absence of vivj'fjang power, the wonder rather is that Venezuela should ever have become free, than that it should have made so little progress. " Then as to the poverty of the government and its constant borrowing, there are several reasons for that. In the first place, the Creoles of South America, though they 60 VENEZUELA. liave many good qualities, are very averse to physical labour. They won't go to work in a new country, like Englishmen — clear away timber, stub up, and drain. Their wits are sharp, and they do well for superintendents ; but as to work that tries the sinews, it is my belief that all the haciendas in the country would go to ruin, if it were not for the Indians and the mixed breeds. Again, the taxes levied by the Spaniards — the alcabala, or excise, the armada and corso, or coast taxes, the medias anatas, or deductions from salaries, the monopolies of salt, cards, cane-liquor, and tobacco, and numerous other imposts, were all so odious to the Columbians, that as soon as they declared themselves independent, they made a clean sweep of them, leaving only the customs to supply a revenue to the government. Now, it is in the customs that it is most easy to peculate and defraud the state. With a coast line of two thousand miles, how is it possible to keep down smuggling ? To give you an idea*of the extent of the contraband trade, I may mention that a finance mmister of Venezuela has proved that of the two hundred million dollars' worth of goods imported into the country during the first sixteen years of independence, one hundred and twenty-nine and a half millions' worth were smuggled ! But, besides that, the venahty and corruption of the custom-house officers is such, that, as Seiiors Brandt and Iribarren have shown, the defalcations of revenue from the Aduanas up to 1852, amounted to no less than one hundred and one and a half millions of dollars. At present, the annual loss to government by contrabands and frauds of various kinds, is reckoned at six millions. But don't suppose that this calculation is based on information furnished by the accounts kept here. If other countries — WHY EEPUBLICS AEE ALWAYS BOEEOWING. 61 France and the United States, for example — did not publish the amoimt of their exports to Venezuela, no one would know what is really brought into this country. It is only by comparing foreign statistics with home fictions that we come to know the extent to which the government is cheated. Indeed, one would not be wrong in sa^^ing that the incessant revolutions which distract this mihappy country, aU commence at the custom-houses. Owing to the frauds of the officials, the revenue falls short ; to make up the deficiency, the customs are raised until the neces- saries of life are too dear for men of small means. Thus discontent is sown broadcast, and discontent leads to con- spiracies. Yet, great as the evil is, one cannot help laugh- ing at the impudence of some of the frauds. According to the published returns, the people here must be the dirtiest in the world with any pretensions to civilisation, since it is officially made out that a quarter of an ounce of soap in a week is aU that each person uses. We know that the provmce of Caracas alone consumes a hundred barrels of flour a da}', whereas, according to the custom-house retm'ns, the daily consumption of all Venezuela does not reach sixty- nine barrels. Under such circumstances, it is no wonder that the pubHc treasmy is empty, that the revenues of the Aduanas are all more or less mortgaged, and that there are no remittances to the capital except from La Guaira and Puerto Cabello. Of course the only resom'ce is to borrow in foreign markets, and hence," said C, throwing away the end of liis cigar, " I have the pleasure of meetmg you here. Apropos of wliich, as there is a bull-fight to-day, and you have never seen one, let us stroll down to the Corrida." Before we could reach the eastern outskirt of the town, 62 VENEZUELA. where the building stands in which the bull-fights are held, a mass of clouds came drifting from the Avila, and a light rain began, in earnest of a more pelting shower. Looking about for shelter, and seeing at a window some ladies whom we knew slightly, we went m to talk to them. I said to one of them, a slim gii'l with immense dark eyes, and singularly long eyelashes, " We are going to the Corrida ; does the senorita ever go ? " " No, senor, I never go. The ladies of Venezuela think bull-fights very barbarous. As for me, I cannot under- stand how any one can take pleasure in such odious cruelty." "Indeed!" said I, rather astonished. "But surely in Spain ladies think differently. At Madrid it is quite the fashion for them to attend." " That may be ; we do not follow the fashions of Spain. Perhaps we are more tender-hearted here." After this dialogue, I was not surprised, on entering the Cirque in which the bull-fight was to be held, to find that the spectators were nearly all men, and that the few women who were present were of the lower orders. The building was of wood, open to the sky in the centre, and anything but substantial. Several tiers of seats, each a foot or so higher than the other, had been erected round a circular area about a hundred and twenty feet in diameter. These seats accommodated perhaps fifteen hundred people, and there seemed but little room to spare. In front of the lowest seat, which was not much raised from the ground, were strong palisades, between which a man could shp with ease, and thus they afforded the toreros a secure retreat from the fury of the bulls. Close to where I took my place THE BULL FIGHT. 63 there was a large gate, which was thrown open to admit the bulls one b}^ one. First of all, however, a squeaking band struck up, and eight toreros, or pedestrian bull- fighters, entered, and saluted some person of note who sat opposite the large gate. Just at that moment, the thunder- shower which had been gathering descended in torrents, and the people shouted to the toreros, " No moja se " — " Don't get wet ! " on which they slipped in between the palisades, and so put themselves under cover. They were very well-made active fellows, with extremely good legs, which were seen to advantage, as they wore white silk stockings and knee-breeches embroidered with gold. As soon as the rain stopped there was a loud shout, and presently the large gate opened and in rushed a bull. He was a dark animal, almost black, and had evidently been goaded to madness, for he came charging in, tossing his head, and with his tail erect. I could see, however, that the sharp points of his horns had been sawn off. One of the toreros now ran nimbly up to the bull and thi*ew his red cloak on the ground before him, on wliich the animal made a fmious charge, attempting to gore — not the man, of whom he at first took no notice, but the cloak. The torero dragged this along rapidly, and adroitly whisking it from side to side, fatigued the bull by causing him to make fruitless rushes, now in this direction, now in that. This was repeated again and again, until the animal seemed quite tu'ed. The most active of the toreros then advanced with a banderilla, or javelin entwined with fireworks in one hand, and his cloak in the other. He came so close to the buU that the animal charged him headlong. In a moment the torero glided to one side, and drove the dart into the bull, 64 VENEZUELA. pinning the wretched animal's ear to his neck. Imme- diately the fii'eworks around the dart began to explode, and the terrified bull tm-ned and rushed madly across the arena. In half a minute or so the fire had reached the flesh, and began to burn mto it. The bull then reared straight up, bellowing piteously, while its poor flanks heaved with the torture. Anon it dashed its head against the ground, driving the dart further into its flesh, and so continued to gallop romid the ring in a succession of rearings and plungings. This seemed to be a moment of exquisite dehght to the spectators, who yelled out applause, and some in tlieu' excitement stood uj) clapping and shoutmg. I was heartily disgusted, and would have gone out at once had it been possible, but I was too tightly wedged in. Meantime, the large gate opened again, and the poor bull fled through it, to be slaughtered and sold with all despatch. After ten minutes' pause another bull was admitted, and was similai'ly tortured. And so it fared with four more bulls. The sixth bull was a very tall gaunt animal, whose tactics were quite different from those of the others. He came in without a rush, looked warily about, and could hardly be induced to follow the torero. In short, he was so sluggish, that the people, enraged at his showing so little sport, shouted for a matador to kill him in the arena. Hereupon, one of the toreros darted up to stick a banderilla into the sluggard. Bu^t the bull, being quite fresh, not only defeated tliis attempt by a tremendous sweep of his horns, but almost struck down his assailant, who was taken by surprise at this unlooked-for vigour on the part of an animal which seemed spiritless. However, by a desperate effort the torero escaped for a moment, but the bull followed him like PUBLIC BUILDINGS AT CAEaCAS. 65 lightning, and, as ill luck would have it, before the man could reach the shelter of the palisades his foot sHpped in a puddle and he fell back. Expecting that the charge would end as all i^re^-ious ones had ended, I had got up with the intention of leaving, and I was thus able to see more clearly what followed. As the man fell backward, the bull struck him on the lower part of the spine with such force that the blow sounded all over the building. The unfortunate torero was hmied into the air, and came down with his head against the palisades, and there lay, apx^a- reutly dead, in a j)ool of blood. A sickening feeling of horror crept over me ; the bull was rushing upon the jDoor fellow again, and would no doubt have crushed him as he lay motionless, but, just in the nick of time, one of the toreros thi'ew his cloak so cleverly that it fell exactty over the bull's head and blinded him. ^\Tiile the brute was trampling and tossing to free himself, the matador came up and drove a short sword into the vertebrae of his neck, and down he went headlong. At one moment full of mad fury, the next he was a quivering mass of lifeless flesh. A few minutes more, and the dead bull, and seemmgiy lifeless man, were removed from the arena, and another bull was called for. I, however, had witnessed enough, and gladly made my exit. It wanted still several da^'s to that appointed for my meeting the ministers, and I determined to spend them in visiting the few buildings of interest in the city. My first expedition was to the Municipal Hall, and indeed I had but a Httle way to go, as it is close to the Gran Plaza. This hall is one of the oldest buildings in Caracas, and externally is not only plain, but almost shabb}'. Inside, 66 VENEZUELA. however, there is a very respectable council chamber, with handsome gilt arm - chaii-s for the president and eleven members, who impose the town dues, and discharge the ordinary functions of civic authorities. Eound the room are hung some very tolerable portraits. Among these are that of the ecclesiastic who filled the archiepiscopal chair of Caracas in 181S, and those of President Monagas and his brother. There are also portraits of Bolivar, of Count Tovar, and Generals Miranda and Urdaneta, and one remarkable picture of the reading of the Act of Indepen- dence, with likenesses of the leaders in the revolution. The mob are represented compelling the Spanish general to take off his hat and salute. As a pendant to this picture hangs a framed copy of the Act of Independence. But the great curiosity of all is the flag of Pizarro, sent from Peru in 1837, and enshrined in a case. All the silk and velvet are eaten off, but the gold wire remains, with the device of a lion, and the word Carlos. The flag is about five feet long and three broad, and being folded double in the frame, only half is seen, and they will not allow it to be taken out. There are also two flags of Carlos the Fourth, taken from the Spaniards, and the original MSS. of the Act of Independence, and other important documents, bound up together. A day or two after, I went to see the university of Caracas, which, mth the House of Assembl}^, the National Library, and a church, forms one ^reat block of buildings. The National Library does not contain more than ten thou- sand volumes, and in that of the university there are about three thousand five hundred. The department of divinity seemed best represented ; but there was no great evidence PUBLIC BUILDINGS AT CAEACAS. 67 of the books being cared for. The professors of the imiver- sity were most obliging, and showed me all there was to be seen in the college, wliich is massive and not ill suited for its present pui'pose, though originally it was a convent of Carmelite fiiars. The departments of chemistry and medi- cine seemed the best organised. I concluded my inspection with a \isit to the dissecting-room, and that for anatomical preparations. Among other things I was shown the skull of a man whose bones had turned to chalk. The skull was from an inch to an inch and a half thick, and if a piece of it had been broken off and shown separately, no unscientific person would have guessed it to be, or to have ever been, a human bone. One of the professors then went with me to the Hall of Congress, where also are pictures of Bolivar, and of the meeting at which the Act of Independence was settled. The locality seemed to inspii'e my cicerone, for, though I, and a man who sat there reading, and who never raised his head, were his sole audience, he dehvered ^^ith the gi'eatest animation an eloquent harangue on the subject of Uberty. If it be true that still waters are the deepest, I should fear that the republicanism of South America is somewhat shallow, it does so babble as it runs. However, I was glad to hear the orator express himself with great warmth as regards England, saying that she was the only power that had assisted them in theii' great struggle with the Spaniards, and that without her they would hardly have secured their independence. The time had now come for my interview with the ministers on the business I had m hand. C. came for me at 11 A.M. on the appointed day, and we walked together to Government House, x^s we were ver)^ busy conversing, I p 2 68 VENEZUELA. did not notice the sentry, and indeed he was such a mite of a man, that I might have been pardoned for overlooking him. It seems that in Venezuela '' such divinity doth hedge " a sentmel that no passer-by must come within a yard of him. Having approached within the limits, the small warrior soon convinced me that his dignity was not to be so offended with impunity. In the twinkling of an eye he brought down his musket with a terrible rattle to the charge, and very nearly wounded me a little above the knee, at the same time snarling out some unintelligible words. It is a cmious fact that the Venezuelans are, generally speak- mg, a ver}^ civil race, mitil they put on uniform (a red uniform, by-the-by, like the English), when their whole nature seems to be som-ed. " Don't go near that sentry," was a caution I often received, and I once heard it sug- gested that a mat with Cave canem ! should be laid down in front of every soldier on duty. Very different is the demeanour of the civilians. One day, for instance, I was walking with a friend on the northern outskirts of the city, when we met a gardener with a store of fresh fruit. " Now is your time," said my friend, " to try jour Spanish. See how you can manage a bargain with the gardener." So, for the mere sake of talldng, we detained the poor man a long time, and looked at his fruit, and tumbled it about, until I was ashamed, and would have bought a quantity of it. Then he asked where I was living, and when I told him, as it was a very long way off, he said it would not pay liim to send so far. " Well, then," I said, " I fear there is nothmg to be done, for I should not know how to direct my servant to come to you." " That's true," said he, " but I should like you to taste this fruit, which is really very fine, so you GODOY, THE NEGEO WIT. 69 must accept a few specimens." With these words he in- sisted on my taking some of the best mangoes and other fruit he had, and positivel}' refused to be paid for it. Escaping from the sui'ly little sentry, we entered the Government House, and were received by the official whose duty it is to usher in those who come to pay their respects to the ministers. This official, whose name is Godoy, is a negi'o of the negi'oes, and is a genius in his way. Many of his bon-mots are cmTent at Caracas. On one occasion, when government had suddenly changed hands, a conceited official, who had just got into power, said to Godoy, " You here still ? How is it that you have not been turned out with the rest?" "I," said Godoy, with an affectation of humility, but casting a significant glance at liis interrogator, " never ascend, and consequently never descend." His questioner was soon enabled to appreciate the philosophy of the remark, for he descended fr'om Government House as suddenly as he ascended, being turned out by another change. Another time, dm'ing the late troubles, a number of young men, chiefly students from the universit}', collected in a thi'eatening manner near Government House, and began shouting out various seditious cries. Godoy, and one of the generals on the side of the party in power, came out on the balcony to see what was the matter : on wliich stones were thrown at Godoy, and the mob shouted: " Do^m with the negroes ! " ** Down with the brigands ! " " Do you hear what they say ? " asked the general, sneeringiy, of Godoy. "Your excellency," he replied, "I hear. They are calling out, ' Down with the negroes ! ' meaning, of course, me ; and ' Do^Mi with the brigands ! ' which, as no one else is present, must refer, I su^jpose, to your excellency." VO VENEZUELA. We were ushered by Godoy into the council-room, a handsome apartment, looking on the Gran Plaza. It con- tains the inevitable picture of Bolivar. There is also his sash, but I do not remember to have seen his sword any- where. We entered and found a suffocating atmosphere, for the rooms at Government House are open only during the day, and the doors and windows are kept closed from sunset till the hour when business commences, which is generally about eleven o'clock. There are, besides, no verandahs, so that the public rooms at Caracas are hotter than those at Madras. However, as the ministers, with the acting president at their head, were already assembled, there was nothing for it but to go forward and take our seats. The meeting was one of vital importance to every one pre- sent. Not only were the exigencies of the government most urgent, but each individual supporter of it knew that on the satisfactory termination of that meeting depended his hopes of indemnity for losses, and the settlement of his claims, whatever they might be. The public tranquillity, too, was at stake, because the greater part of the army, after five years' incessant fighting, had no other reimbursement to look to for all their toils and dangers, but what might be allotted to them if this conference passed off well. Nay more ; at the very moment that we were seated there, an extensive conspiracy was on foot, in which a minister and several other persons of rank were said to be engaged, and which, if some of the conspirators had not turned informers, might have been successful. Yet so great was the command of countenance possessed by the ministers there assembled, and so complete the absence of all appearance of excitement, that no one would have supposed the business under discus- MANIAC VISITOES. 71 sion to have been more than an every-day matter. War is a sharp teacher, and in troublous times political students learn in months what it takes j^ears to acquii'e in peace. The men who sat there as ministers had been, not very long before, one a clerk, another a cattle-farmer, and so on. And now they were governing a country twice as large as France, and had learned so much from the experience of the late struggle, that they were by no means unfitted for the task of government. After a long discussion, our business, for the time at least, was satisfactorily concluded. C. and I then took leave, having received several in^dtations to breakfast from the ministers ; for at Caracas it does not seem to be the fashion to give dinners. These invitations we accepted, and walked back to the hotel. On the way we heard a good deal of shouting, mingled with laughter, and presently we met a big wild-looking man, who seemed to be in a j^erfect frenzy, stopping from time to time and imprecating the most dreadful curses on all about him. He was followed by a number of people who were jeering and throwing stones, which he retm-ned with interest, picking up flints as large as one's fist, and throwing them with a force that would have shat- tered the skull of any one but a negro. He was, in fact, a madman ; in general, they said, tolerably quiet ; but on this occasion goaded to fury by his persecutors. I said to C, " This is a very disgraceful scene. In any European city the pohce would interfere, and prevent this poor maniac from being tormented. Have you no madliouse in Vene- zuela to which this wretched man might be sent?" "Well," said C, "as to the police, you yourself must admit that, though our streets are not patrolled in the daji:ime, distur- 72 VENEZUELA. bances are rarer here than iii European towns. With regard to mad people, I never heard of any serious accident from their being allowed to go about as they choose; and so I don't see the use of madhouses here. But you will have more opportunities before you leave Venezuela of forming an opinion on this subject. Our lunatics are, in general, very quiet. Wliat you see to-day is an unusual occurrence." By this time we had reached the hotel, and I parted with C, having first accepted an invitation to dine with him next day. I went to his house accordingly about 7 p.m., and found no one but himself and the ladies of the family. In the middle of diinier, a gentleman whom I had not seen before, entered and walked straight up to the hostess, as I thought, to apologise, but he said nothing, and, after looking at her strangely for a moment or two, moved across the room to a picture, which he began to examine. I thought this rather curious conduct, but supposed he was some intimate friend or relation, who did not stand on ceremony. As to our conversation the day before, de lunatico inquirendo, I had forgotten all about it. When, however, the new comer began to wallc round and round the table, murmuring broken sentences, I began to understand the state of the case. Presently the madman, for such he was, went up to the buffet, and began fumbling with the things there. "If he takes up a knife, and makes a rush at some one," thought I, "it will not be pleasant." However, as no one took any notice of the intruder, I too said nothing about him, and went on talking to the lady who sat next me, and eating my dinner. In a minute or two my ejes wandered back to the gentleman at the sideboard, when, to my consternation, I perceived that he had indeed got hold of a knife, with which MANIAC VISITOES. 73 he had abeady cut himself pretty severely, for the blood was trickling from his wrist. He was muttering, too, faster than ever, and his eyes ghttered like sparks, though he did not seem to be lookmg at us, but had his gaze fixed on the wall. I tried to attract C.'s notice, but, failing to do so, said in a low voice, "Look out, or there will be mischief directly!" C. glanced quickly at the man, and, mth great presence of mind, fiUed a glass of wine, and rose and offered it to him. He looked at C. for a moment in a way that was not agree- able, then very quietly put down the knife, and wall^ed out of the room without saving a word. C. resumed his seat with the greatest composure, and said : " Poor fellow, he was one of the best scholars in Caracas, and would cer- tainly have distinguished himself ; but the girl he was en- gaged to fell in love with his brother, and married him. He has been insane ever since." I went away, wondering whether it was by peculiar infe- licity that so soon after ni}^ arrival at Caracas I should have witnessed a visit of this kind, or whether such incidents were common. I had not long to wait before learning that they were by no means rare. I went one evenmg to a musical entertainment at the house of a person high in office. The lady of the house was singing " II Bacio " very charnungiy, and a group had been formed round her, near to which I had taken a seat with my face towards the door. Presently I saw a man enter, whose peculiar look immediately reminded me of the gentleman with the knife at the buffet. The new comer, like liis predecessor, walked straight up to the lady of the house, and in a hoarse voice commenced a muttering accom- paniment, which jarred strangely with the music and the sweet tones of the singer. Everybody looked annoyed, but 74 VENEZUELA. no one spoke to the intruder ; only, the group near the piano gradually melted away, leaving him standing by him- self. At last, he went closer to the lady, who continued to sing with marvellous self-possession, and leaning over her, began to strike chords on the piano. This was too much even for her aplomb — she stopped and wallced down the room ; and the stranger, after addressing some incoherent remarks to the people near him, followed her. I was too far off to see what took place then, but there was a bustle, and I heard the intruder talldng in a loud angry voice, after which he suddenly went off, and the party broke up. This man, I was subsequently informed, was intoxicated as well as insane, yet no attempt was made to remove him, nor was he even told to go. On the following Sunday I went to breakfast at the house of the minister of pubHc works. It was a sumptuous enter- tainment, with very beautiful fruits and flowers displayed on the table, and many more dishes than guests, for of the latter there were only sixteen. The place of honour fell to my lot, opposite to the acting president of the republic : an old general with an iron constitution, who, unhappily for me, supposing all men to be equally vigorous, plied me at every pause in the collation with fruits pleasant to the eye, and of tolerable flavour, but to the last degree pernicious to a person of weak digestive powers. Owing to these flatter- ing attentions, the order of vaj meal ran something in this style. A brimming plateful of turtle-soup, good in quality, overpowering in quantity, and indifferently cooked ; a large fruit of the custard apple genus ; prawns, parga fish, and oysters ; several fruits of the cactus, called here tuna, selected for their size by the general ; turke}"", prepared in a THE MINISTERIAL BEEAKFAST. 75 fashion peculiar to the country, boned, and the inside filled with a kind of stuffing redolent of garlic ; a plate of cherries ; a fricandeau of some unknown meat ; several slices of pine-apple ; a dish, name unknown, the chief ingredient being the flesh of the land tortoise; grapes of various kinds; and an infinite series of other trifles. No speeches were made ; indeed, the meal was too severe for any but the most languid conversation. The longest meal must, how- ever, come to an end, and at last, after a wind-up of cofliee and cigars of exquisite flavour, we separated. The Sunday following, the scene was repeated, but on this occa- sion it was the acting president who gave the breakfast. Having determined not to risk my life any more by undue complaisance, I refused all offers of fruit, and ate more moderately. At last the meal reached its termination, and the president, filling his glass, looked round the table, and then at me, and said, "Bi'indo al senor qui nos ha llevado treinte mil libras." — " I drink to the gentleman who has brought us tlui^ty thousand pounds." I was somewhat dis- concerted by the wording of the toast, and thinking that it spoke for itself, judged it unnecessary to rise to respond. Presentl}", filling his glass again, the old general said, "I drink now to the English government, which has always been the protector of Venezuela, and has set the best ex- ample for free states to follow." This, of com*se, compelled me to reply, and I expressed the pleasure I had had in visiting that beautiful countrj-, in which Nature had been so lavish of her gifts, and whose inhabitants, by theii' gallant struggle for liberty, had shown themselves worthy of such a fair inheritance. England, I said, was the friend of all free nations, and would no doubt support the Venezuelans 76 VENEZUELA. in maintaining their independence, as warmly as she had aided them in acquiring it. These, and many other things, I was obliged to say in English, not having sufficient Spanish at command for an oration. A friend, however, translated what I had said into pure Castilian, and his ver- sion seemed to give great satisfaction, more particularly as he compressed my harangue into very small compass. No- thing, however, seemed to please the company so much as my haj)pening to say " Viva la Amarilla ! " — " Hurrah for the 3^ellow ! " which I did when a flower of that colour was given me, though I had no idea that yellow was the colour of the party in power. The next speech was the health of the ministers, proposed by a red-hot republican, who dis- coursed with immense fluency on the rights of man. Among other things, he assured us that, as all obstacles to perfect freedom were at length removed, Venezuela would now enjoy permanent tranquilHty, during which all the blessings of the golden age would be restored. Ten days afterwards, one of the ministers and a number of leading men were arrested and thrown into prison, while, at the same time, an insurrection with which it was supposed they were con- nected, broke out in several of the provinces. CHAPTER V. Major Milligan's Mistake — Ciudad Bolivar and the British Legion — Fight between Sambo the Giant and the Irish Sergeant — Luisa and Helena — Panchito, the Enfant Terrible — Popping the Question — Too much alike — How to clear up a blunder — The explanation too late. " Mistake ! my dear sir," said the major, " faith ! it's no mistake at all, at all. No, no, divil a bit of mistake in it ; but I'll jist go and settle it for you. Wait here a bit till I come back." "But, major," I exclaimed, trying to detain him, "you must tell me what course you mean to take." He put aside my hand, and was gone in a moment, in spite of my attempts to stop him. " Confound it ! " I muttered ; " am I never to get this affair explained? Here this Spaniard comes mixuig up French and Spanish in such a way that I can't understand what he means, except that it is pistols and coffee for two ; and when I tell the major that I have got into a quarrel, without knowing how, and that I think there's some mistake, he won't listen to a word I have to say, but goes off to settle it without knowing what it is. Well, I suppose I must wait here till he returns, or I get a message from the Spaniard." With these words half aloud to myself, I turned to the window of the refreshment-room, into which I had lounged 78 VENEZUELA. from my place in tlie theatre. It was full moon, and every- tliing in the streets of Caracas was as visible as at noonday. I gazed for a long time, and was beginning to think of going away, when I saw a company of soldiers tiu-n the corner of the street, and advance to the entrance of the theatre. " Rather an unusual number of men for relieving a sentry," said I to myself; " what can they want ? " The soldiers ascended the steps and halted in the lobby. Their officer in command entered the box from which I had just issued, and the door of which faced the open door of the saloon where I was. He returned immediately, with a tall dark man who had been sitting near me, and who I knew was the muiister of war. The soldiers advanced; the minister of war was placed between then- files and marched off to prison. " Egad ! " thought I, " this is a pleasant country, where one goes from the opera to prison : — or is this, perhaps, an- other mistake ? " I was still, as orientals say, biting the finger of surprise at the arrest I had just witnessed, when back came the major. With him was the handsome young Spaniard, who had accused me of saying something which was not polite. He was looking quite satisfied now ; but his right arm was in a sling, a circumstance I certainly had not observed when he spoke to me before. His face wore a bland smile, however, and, taking off his hat with his left hand, he said, — " Monsieur, I learn there has been a mistake. It ap- pears that I deceived myself. Monsieur had no inten- tion " MAJOE MILLIGAN'S MISTAKE. 79 " Monsieur," said I, interrupting liim, " I could have had no intention of doing or saying anything disagreeable to a gentleman who is, I beheve, an entire stranger to me." Thereupon the Spaniard bowed, and replaced his hat. We both then bowed, and he withdrew, with the air of one who had had a most gratifying interview. " There's the end of the affaii', I suppose," said I to the major ; " and now it's over, I hoj)e, as you seem to know, you will tell me what the deuce it is all about." "Well, you see," said the major, "I heard it all fi'om a friend, before I met 3'ou m the refreshment-room. AMien you crossed over to the box where liiez was sitting, Enriquez — that's the Spaniard's name — followed you. He won't let any one have a tete-a-tete with Inez, you know. Well, he asked you how you liked Venezuela, and 5'ou said — I forget what you said ; but I know I have had a man out for less." " But, since Enriquez is a Spaniard, what did it matter to him what I thought about Venezuela ? It must be a mistake, after all." " No, faith ! " cried the major, impatiently ; " it is true enough. But I know ^-ou didn't mane to offend Enriquez, and so I told him, or you wouldn't have forgotten all about it. But he said you did mane it, so I told him I'd prove it to him you didn't, if he'd step across the street to the house of a friend where we could fuid a couple of rapiers and some one to see fair play. We went, and at the first pass I ran him through the sword-arm, and then we tied up his arm, and I said, as he couldn't fight any more, he'd better come and make it up with you ; and so he did, and that's all 80 VENEZUELA. about it. And here we are at my quarters, so come along; and mind the dog, or you'll find him mighty playful with the calves of your legs as you mount the staircase." Paying due regard to the major's caution, I managed with my cane to keep off the attentions of a stout terrier who followed us into the smoking-room, and then seemg me take my seat like an honest man, ceased to snuff at ima- ginary rascals in my legs, and bestowed himself under the table. Meantime, his master had taken a pipe and filled it carefully with some of that cave tobacco which is the boast of Venezuela, sold in boxes, with De cueva Luz inscribed on them. For a man who had just been engaged in a duel, the major's countenance wore a most serene expression. But the exceedmg cahnness of his look was one of his characteristics, and it never altered mider any circumstances. Another peculiarity of his was the melli- fluous tone of his voice, which remained unchanged even when he chose to utter, as he sometimes did, most despiteful words. Snow-Avhite hair, too, added to his peaceful appearance ; but he was a man of u-on build, with the chest, shoulders, and arms of a gladiator, and a complexion of bronze. He was a renowned dueUist, and had been out with every kind of weapon, and so very often, that he sometimes confused the incidents of his encounters, and would shake his head and heave a regretful sigh after speaking of a man whose affau- had ended in a miss and a shot in the air, while in another case, in which his antagonist had been mortall}^ wounded, he would close his reminiscences with a smile and a joyous " Faith, sir, I'm glad it ended as it did ! " CIUDAD BOLIYAE. 81 " Now, major," said I, " for the stoiy you promised me. In your case there was a mistake, I suppose ? " " You may say that," responded the major, settluig him- self m his easy chau", and opening correspondence with a fragrant glass of rum-and-water which he had just mixed for himself. " A mistake there was, and so I tould O'Hal- loran, but he wouldn't beheve it, worse luck to him, poor feUow." "It was a very^ long time ago ; let me see now, yes, faith, as long back as April, 1821, that I landed at Angostura — Ciudad Bolivar they call it now — to jom the British Legion under the liberator : that's Bolivar, you Imow. I was a smart boy then, with fair hair and rosy cheeks, just come from serving in one of the Dulse's crack regiments, full of life, and ready for anything, from a fight to a fandango, from stealing a kiss to taldng a battery. There were many like me on board the ship that brought us over from Eiu'ope, but all our liigh spmts could not make om- first impression of the comitry we had come to free, an agreeable one. The northern coast of Venezuela woos the voyager to land with many a glorious bit of scenery, but Guiana, at whose capital we were about to disembark, is anything but inviting. A swampy forest as big as France and Si)am put together, with a huge muddy drain runnmg through the middle of it, that's Guiana and the Orinoco. Yet Ealeigh cruised about in search of palaces of gold in this vast howHng wilderness, full of snakes, jaguars, and alligators, with a sprmkling of wretched human savages, wdio think ant-paste a luxury. * Pat, my boy,' I said to a fiiend, who, lil^e myself, was lean- ing over the bulwarks looldng at the town, ' what think ye of El Dorado ? ' ' Faith, I tliink,' said he, ' that its only virtue G 82 VENEZUELA. is that it tells the truth ; for it says, as plain as can be, that Yellow Jack is always in command of the garrison here, and that he'll give half of us permanent quarters on the gi'ound-floor.' "With this pleasant prophecy ringing m my ear, I landed on the muddy quay, and, as the smell at this point was any- thing but agreeable, and the sun piping hot, I made tracks for my quarters as fast as possible. I found I was billeted on a Senor Rivas, who lived at some distance from the river ; and I might have had a difficulty in findmg my way, but that the adjutant, who spoke Spanish, was quartered there, too, and I had but to put myself under his guidance. Mighty glad was I to get mider shelter, and to take in suc- cession a cup of good coffee, a cigar, and a siesta. But that which pleased me most was that the senor had two pretty daughters, Luisa and Helena. " ' Come along, ni}'' boy,' said Power, the adjutant, shalving me as I still lay snoring. * It's cool now, and I'm going to see the recruits land. Are you ready for a walk ? ' " ' I'm ready, all that's left of me ; bedad, I think the mosquitoes have eaten off both ni}' ears,' said I, rubbing the injured parts. " Off we started, and were down at the quay in half the time we took to come from it. It was just as well we got there, for the men were in bad humour at being kept on board for some liom-s after the officers landed, though there was a good reason for it, to save them, namely, from ex- posure to the sun in the heat of the day. *' However, the boj^s, as Donnelly, the orderly-sergeant, called them, soon showed their ill-humour. Among the FIGHT BETWEEN SAMBO AND THE SEEGEANT. 83 natives who were helping to get thek* kits out of the boats, was a huge negro. He stood six feet five at the least, and had lots of sinew, and a head like that of a bonassus. He picked up the heaviest box hke a feather, and wallced away with it; but, in trying to get hold of too many things at once, he let one man's kit fall into the water. It was quickly fished out again, but with plenty of black mud sticking to it. " ' Tare and 'ounds,' said the man to whom it belonged, ' you great murthering villam ! is that the way you wash clothes in your counthrey, with mud for soap, to make 'em as black as yom* own ugly face ? Take that, thin ! ' " "With these words he struck the giant a blow on the head as he was leaning over to get hold of some more boxes. It was a hard knock, and sounded as if one had struck a pa^ing- stone with a heavy mallet, but it made no more impression on the African than it would have done on a buffalo. It roused his fur}-, however, which he showed very much as a buffalo would have done. He shook his gi*eat head, and glared about him like a demon, then went back a few paces, and, puttmg liis head down, ran at poor Paddy, who was squaring away, not expecting that sort of combat, and struck liim full amidships, senduig him flying a dozen yards at least, and knocking all the breath out of his body. As flesh and blood cannot see a comrade mauled, without coming to the rescue, there was soon a ring of fellows round the nigger, all wanting to revenge Paddy's disaster. But one down, and another come on, blackey was a match for them aU ; and one after another down they went, none of them knowmg what to do with an antagonist who came on like a ram. o 2 84 VENEZUELA. " Tilings were looking * entirely onpleasant,' as poor Padcty, who had begun the fight, and who was now sittmg up again, coughing, observed, when Donnelly stepped up to the ad- jutant, and, touching his cap, said : " * By yer honour's lave ? ' "'Oh! of course, Donnelly, of course,' replied Power; and, turning to me, he added, ' Now you'll see some fun.' "In a trice the sergeant had stripped, stepped into the ring, and confronted the African. He was a small man, compared with his antagonist, and rather too handsome for a gladiator ; but he was 3'oung, muscular, active as a deer, and his fine clear blue eyes were bright with confidence. There was no need of a challenge. In love and war gestures are everything, and no sooner did Donnell}' present himself than the negro retreated, as before, a few i^aces, lowered his head, and came thundermg at him with fifty-bull power. But this time the issue was very different from that of the preceding encounters. Just as the negro was almost upon him Donnelly made a side spring at him, and struck him a tremendous blow in the face with his knee, at the same time planting a right-hander behind his ear that would have stunned an ox. The effect of this judicious apx)eal to the knowledge-box of the African was to drive him obliquely headlong to the ground, the blood streaming from his nose and mouth. One would have thought that his late defeat would have taught him caution, and that he would have changed his tactics ; but no — he rose, lowered his head once more, and rushed upon Donnelty, lil^e a thunderbolt. Again he was met, and his rush turned aside, bj' a fearful blow from Donnelly's knee, of such force that the negro turned a com- SAMBO DEFEATED. 85 plete somersault, and then la}- extended flat on his back, and tins time without power to rise. "'Faith, sergeant, j'ou have killed the black baste this time enth'ely,' was the exclamation that gi'eeted the victor. Power and I, afraid that the man was dead, made them lift him up, and give hun some brandy. After a time he revived. ** Night fell before our labom's in supermtenduig the land- ing of the men were over, and we were glad to get back to om' quarters without any further rambling about the toAvn. The miasmatic influences at Angostm'a are mcreased tenfold after the sun goes down, and, to say notlung of the mos- quitoes, all sorts of noxious insects and reptiles get abroad, for which reasons, or for others as good, that I don't know, people there soon make for then* beds." ** I don't wonder at that, major," said I, interrupting him, ** if what the consul in Guiana related to me as ha-sing happened to him be a common occurrence. He said he was somewhere in the environs of Angostura, and had gone to sleep in his hammock, with his sHppers on the ground within easy reach. Being an imconscionabty early riser, he essaj-ed to get up at the fii'st faint streak of light, and before he could well see ; so putting his foot out of the hammock, he felt with his gieat toe for his shpper, and, having found it, was about to thrust his foot into it when he found it was full of some- thing odiously cold and shmy. Snatching back his foot, he made the same attempt at the other shpper, and with the same result, on which he was fain to ensconce himself under the clothes again tiU it was hght, when, to liis horror, he discovered a small rattlesnake cmied up in each slipper ! " 86 VENEZUELA. " Your example is un peu fort,'" quoth the major, '* but still queer things do happen in Guiana. It is a fact that when the river has been in flood, i)eople have been taken away from theu' own doors in Angostura by alHgators. But, to return to my stor}'-, a day sufficed to exhaust the lions of the town. Well ! when all other amusements had been used up, no resource was left me but to fall in love with one of the senoritas in whose father's house I was living. The family of Senor Rivas consisted only of these two daughters, of wdiom the elder was nearly nineteen, the younger seventeen, and of one son, Francisco, who went by the famihar name of Panchito, a little boy of seven, a regular i^iclde, who, as the manner is in Venezuela, was generally running about naked. After a few weeks I j)icked Vi]i enough Spanish to let the tongue assist the eyes in tender expressions to the girls. The opportunities, how- ever, of saying sweet thmgs w^ere rare, for in Venezuela the ladies of a family keep so much together, that, to use a sporting plu'ase, there is no getting single shots at them, For some time, too, I was in doubt as to which of the two sisters was to have my heart. Luisa was very fair, quiet, with brown hair, an unusual tiling among Spanish Ci'eoles. Helena was bright, sparlduig, roguish, a very pretty bru- nette, and, altogether, very charmmg. TJj)on the whole, my thoughts rather inclined to Luisa, and on one occasion, having caught her for a moment unguarded by the maternal dragon, I went so far as to ask if she would grant me an interview alone. She said she Avas never left by herself, and I had only just time to say I hoped I might have one Idss before I left Angostura, and to hear her reply in the shape of an intimation, accompanied by a faint blush, that LUISA AND HELENA. 87 it was not the custom in Venezuela, -when her mother rejoined us. Meantime, Power, though he was so busy Avith diill and the other duties of an adjutant, did not fail to observe what was going on, and took me to task more than once about it. *" Charle}', my bo}',' said he, 'what on earth are you after with those girls ? If you don't mean to marry one of them it's not fail* to the old Don, who has been so hosi^i- table to us, to give one of his little beauties a sore heart. And as for marriage, it's out of the question. We may get the route to-morrow, and have to join Bolivar, and who knows how many of us will come back ? Besides, you have no cash, and at all events I hope j'ou don't mean to settle down here and tm-n cane-planter.' " I said that several officers who had been in the comitry before our arrival had married, and seemed to be very happy ; and I instanced O'Halloran, who had been made a captain in our corps. " ' Pooh ! nonsense, Charley,' rephed Power, ' where's the liappmess of having to leave your wife for months in places which are just as likely as not to fall into the enemy's hands ? And as for O'Halloran, his example proves my case. O'Halloran has married a very pretty woman, who is about the most si)iteful little de^il I ever met, and gives him no end of trouble.' " Power's remarks made an impression on me, and for some weeks I rather shunned than sought the ladies. But lining in the same house with them, and being yomig, idle, and impulsive, it was not easy to be on cool terms with two yomig beauties, whose looks showed they were vexed at my assumed indifference. My self-imposed restraint increased 88 VENEZUELA. the warmth of the feehngs it concealed. In short, my likmg for Luisa was fast ripenmg mto love, when one mornmg Power came hurriedly into the room where I was sitting, and slapping me on the shoulder, cried out : *' * Hurra ! the route has come, my hoy ! We are to join Bolivar in the Apure. We march in ten days, and in less than a month Ave shall see, I expect, what the Sx^aniards are made of.' ** This glorious news made me jump up and shout, * Viva el liberator ! ' at the same time that I threw the book I was reading up to the ceihng. The report soon spread, and now all Avas bustle and excitement in place of the ennui that reigned before. AVe all set to work to buy horses and mules, and to prepare for the expedition, while the principal inhabitants vied with one another in entertaining us. In particular, the commandant of the garrison sent out invi- tations to every officer in the place to a ball for the night but one before our departure. Rumom' said this entertam- ment was to be on a scale quite miique for Angostura. The only difficulty was to fmd a place large enough to hold the numbers invited, for even the town-hall was too small ; but, by dint of certain contrivances in the shape of tempo- rary pavilions, this was got over. ** Meantime, what with the gaieties going on in all du'ec- tions, preparations for the march, and the anticipations of a fii"st campaign, my pulse was up to fever heat. All my good resolutions went oft' to the place Avhere good reso- lutions have been going for so many ages. Fortune gene- rally favom^s the audacious, and m}^ excitement seemed to make me worthy of the smiles of the ficlde goddess. I resolved, therefore, somehow or other, to have a stolen BEHIND THE SCEEEN. 89 interview with Liiisa, and I tliouglit only of the pleasiu'e of a conversation ^\ith her alone, without caring for the result, or prescribing to myself any rules for what I should do or say on the occasion. It was no easy matter, however, even to let Luisa know what I was scheming. I made several fruitless attempts, and was at last fam to have recourse to the old expedient of bribing the lady's maid. Teresa, who waited on the seFioritas in that capacity, was an Indian girl, not quite thii'teen years old, but with a discretion beyond her years. She was a light brmiette, with weU-chiseUed featm-es, a very faiiy in the symmetry of her tmy figm'e. She soon understood that I wanted to tallc with her, so, under pretence of bringmg me a cup of coffee, slipped into my room. I broke ground by giving her a cou^jle of reals, and then produced a note I had written to Luisa ; but, before entrusting her with it, I began to sound her as to the possibiHty of obtaining a tete-a-tete with her mistress. She was in the act of suggesting a plan to me when we heaixl steps coming along the corridor. The slow, heavy tread assm-ed me it was my host. Teresa ejaculated, 'El amo,' 'My master,' sldi^ped behind a mampara, or screen, which hid my washmg-apxmratus, and so turned my bed-room into a sitting-room ; /or as for the hammock, that is used as much m the day as at night by South Americans. "'You did not come to breakfast this morning. Out buying mules, I suppose ? " said Eivas, entermg. ' Well, I have come to smoke a cigar with you, and to give you a little advice for your march. You may trust me, for I have had some experience. I marched with BoHvar from Ocana in 1813, and have been out with Paez in the Apiire more than once.' "With these words the worthy senor seated 90 VENEZUELA. himself, and went on, interminably as it seemed to me, recomiting his adventm-es, smoking, and prosing to an extent that womid up my feelings to a pitch of desperation. At last I interrupted a long story by declaring that I was obliged to go out to look at a horse I thought of buying. It was an unlucky excuse, for Eivas declared he would walk with me. " 'Panchito,' he called to the urchin who just then ran past my door, * tell yom* mother I want to speak to her for a moment.' " ' The madre has gone over the way to the Seiiora Ochoa's,' said Panchito, arresting his steps and coming into the room. *' * "Well, then, where is Teresa ? I Avill send her with a message.' " 'Teresa is here,' replied the enfant terrible. ' I saw her bring the Ingles some coffee half-an-hom' ago*' "'And has the Ingles swallowed her along with the coffee ? or has he put her in his pocket ? ' said my host, laughing, and rapping his son slightly on the head with his cane. " ' Perhaps he has hidden her behind the screen,' retorted Panchito, and the httle wretch made a dart to get behmd it. I caught him, but too late to prevent him laymg hold of the screen, and down it came with the pull. " Teresa ! ' exclaimed the old Don, starmg at the girl and starting back, while his yellow face assumed a cada- verous hue with surprise and annoyance, * por mi fe ! you shall pay for this.' Then turning to me, he added, * Senor, I have been giving you some hints for campaign- ing ; let me conclude by advising you never to make a THE BALL. 91 foray in a friend's hacienda.' With these words Senor Bivas made me a stiff bow and quitted the room, and was followed by Teresa and Panchito, the latter ruefully rubbing his head, wliicli had been bruised by the falling screen. ** Left to myself, I could not help laughing at what had occurred, though I was excessively vexed at the contre- temps. I reflected, too, that Kivas would probably tell his wife, and that so the aff'aii- would become Imown to Luisa, by which my position with lier would, I thought, hardly be improved. It turned out that I was wrong, however, m this part of my supposition. The next time I met the Senora and her daughters, the former indeed showed that she was displeased by her stiff behaviom*. But I saw by the halfrtimid, half-arch glances of the girls, and by an undefinable something in their manner, that they knew what had taken place, and were by no means offended. The fact, no doubt, was, as ni}' gi'eater experience of life now convinces me, that Teresa made each seiiorita believe that I was in love with her, and each was too conscious of her own charms to feel any jealousy of Teresa, or to doubt that she came to my room for any purpose but what she reall}^ did. Opportunity for explanation there was none, but I consoled myself with the knowledge that we should meet at the ball, and I was determmed to tell Luisa then all about it. "Parties begin at an early hour in Venezuela. At 9 P.M., the night after my adventure with Teresa, I found myself dancmg with Luisa at the commandant's ball. The room was crammed to suffocation, and the most jealous chaperone could hardly in such a crowd mamtain a suc- cessful espionage on the doings of the girls under her 92 VENEZUELA. charge. I gave Luisa my version of tlie affair with Teresa; and after we had Laughed over it sufficiently, I obtained her hand for the next dance. I danced with her and Helena repeated^. My spuits rose, I took Luisa to supper, I drank glass after glass of wine, and began to commit sundry extravagances. Luisa offered me a guayaba. I refused it unless she would bite it first. I then devoured it lilie a maniac. In short, I lost control of myself, and ended by an offer of marriage, couched in the wildest terms of extravagant devotion. I was accepted, and my ardour would, perhaps, have made me too demonstrative, had not Luisa just then, perceiving her mother enter the supper- room, suddenl}' quitted my side with the remarlc, ' INIamma will be so glad to hear tliis; she has wished for this so much ! ' " Lnpulsive persons are subject to violent reaction. I have outlived all that," continued the major ; " but I was then particularly subject to such revulsions of feeluig. Luisa's remark somehow disturbed me, and I stood for a moment thinking over it. In tlie midst of my reverie a hand was laid on my shoulder, and a well-known voice said, ' Don't lose jour time in thinking, Charlie, but go back to the ball-room. We shan't have any more dancmg till we enter Caracas.' It was Power, and I could not lielj) saying, ' Perhaps it would have been better had I thought a little more, especially before acting.' Somethmg in my manner struck Power, who knew my character thoroughly. He had seen me dancing with Luisa, and my short speech having excited his suspicions, he said at once, ' Why, Charlie, you have not been making yourself a fool with one of those guis?' 'Indeed, but I have though,' I replied. 'I have TOO MUCH ALIKE. 93 proposed to Luisa, and she has accepted me.' * Then I forbid the banns,' said Power. ' You shall not make your- self such a blockhead. Aye ! there they are,' he added, looking round and seemg Luisa with her mother. / I'll bet the old woman is rejoicing at having hooked you.' In another mood I should have quarrelled with Power for this speech : but Luisa's partmg remark had created a disagree- able feeluig in my mind, which was heightened by this sneer. Seeing his advantage. Power set hunself to improve the opportunity at once. ' Be a reasonable fellow, Charlie,' he said. * We march the day after to-morrow. You surel}' don't mean to applj- for leave of absence just when we are going to meet the enemy ! Then as for engagmg yom^self, who the deuce can tell how long the campaign is going to last, or how it will end ? Take my advice, and break it off at once.' ' It's all very well to say break it off,' I replied, ' but how am I to do it ? Can I go and tell Luisa, ten mmutes after proposing to her, that I meant nothing ? ' Power thought a moment with rather a serious face, and then resummg his usual bright look, exclaimed, ' I have it, Charley. You sha'n't have the pam of speaking to Luisa and, moreover, I won't trust joiw corn-age in that quarter. Take another bottle of champagne, and then go and pop the question to her sister. Dejiend on't, after that j^ou'll hear no more of the matter.' "With these words Power filled me a tumbler of champagne. I drank it, and made up my mind to follow his advice. "Now it so happened that Helena was dressed that night rather peculiarly. She wore a pink silk bodice and a white muslin skirt with very deep flounces of Venezuelan lace, and I remembered saj'ing to her that it was a good 94 VENEZUELA. costume for a ball, as a partner in search of her could tell her colours a long way off. 'I shall soon find her,' said I to myself, ' but how shall I account for having neglected her for so many dances, and then commg all at once and proiDosmg to her ? Let me see ; perhaps I had better slip a note in her hand, and then vanish. I have promised Power to do what he said, but I don't half like the thing, and least said, soonest mended.' Acting on this idea, I walked off into one of the retiring-rooms, got pencil and paper, and wrote, ' Dearest, I have in vain tried to conceal my feelings ; but now that I am on the eve of leaving you, I can no longer restrain them. Though I have appeared to be engrosser] m another quarter, this has only been a mask to allow me to follow you with my ejes, and assure myself that your love is not given to another. I see now, or I think I see, that you are free ; suffer me then to offer you my heart, which indeed has long been j'ours.' Having signed this effusion, I returned to the refreshment-room, and, fortifying myself with several additional bumpers, I proceeded in search of Helena. But the great quantity of wine I had taken, the heat and excitement I felt, had their effect on my brain. The room seemed to turn round, as well as the dancers ; I came, somehow or other, into collision with several people, and made excuses in a thick voice, which sounded oddly even to myself. I was conscious of my condition, and felt I must get out into the air, or make an unpleasant exhibition of myself. Just at that moment I came on the pink bodice. The wearer was not dancing, but leaning against an open window with one white arm, wliile the other hung beside her. I slipped my note into the open hand, and the fingers, as if experienced m the THE CARTEL. 95 reception of such missives, tightened on it. I turned and made off through the crowd ; hut as I did so, she turned too. I half caught her look, and the featiu'es seemed to me strangely unlike those of Helena. " In what manner I retimied to the house of Sehor Eivas I know not. The open air, instead of sohering me, seemed to make me worse ; but the first thing I distmctl}- recognized was a horribly cold sensation in my left hand. On drawmg it towards me, a squelch of falling water fol- lowed, and I found I had been lying with my hand in the ewer, out of which I suppose I had been drinli:mg. Gettmg up with a Sj^littmg headache, I dressed slowly, and had scarce refreshed myself ^^ith a cup of coffee, when somebody' knocked at the door. I called out 'Entrate,' and, to my surprise, m stepped an Irish officer I knew by sight only, who, without a word of preface, handed me a challenge from O'HaUoran. ** After reading the epistle twice, and lookmg a tlni'd tune at the address, to make sure I was the part}' intended, I turned to Kelly — that was the name of the ofhcer — and said : ' "Will 3'ou have the goodness to explain what this means ? I think there must be some mistake.' " ' Mistake, su',' said Kelly ; ' you're mighty fond, sii', of that word " mistake." Ye said it was a mistake last night ; but, faith, su', it's a mistake that there's only one way of clearing up.' Then putting his hand into his pocket and producing another note, he handed it to me with great ceremony, saying, * Do you call that a mistake, sir ? ' "What was my surprise, on opening the note, to find it was the same I had wi-itten to Helena. I held it for several muiutes without saving a word, while I endeavom-ed to recall the incidents of the preceding night. By degTees I 96 VENEZUELA. came to the conclusion tliat I must somehow have mistaken O'Halloran's wife for Helena, and this idea became cer- tainty when Kell}', who was an old hand at duelling, said impatiently : * Pshaw, sir ! a man of honour never makes mistakes m affairs of this kind. Mention your friend, sir, at once, and have done with it.' " Stung with liis words and manner, I exclaimed : ' My friend, sh', is Lieutenant Power. His room is close by, so no time need be wasted ; and, excuse me, if I say the sooner you relieve me of your presence the better.' " ' You're polite, sir,' retorted Kelly, frownmg, and rising from his chau% * and, maybe, I'll ask you to exjolain those words ; but one mistake at a time. Good morning, sir.' " Ten minutes afterwards Power entered my room with a grave air. "'Milligan,' he said, 'this is a serious busmess. Of com'se, it was a horrid mistake. I know that well enough ; but there is no explainmg matters of this sort to a fellow lilve Kelty. Then O'Halloran is mad with jealousy, and perfectly unreasonable ; besides, I hear he tried to strike you, and that you knocked him down. They say he wanted to have it out over a handkerchief on the spot, and that, seeing how tipsy you were, they forced him away with great difficulty. Blenkens of ours says he literally foamed at the mouth, and kept shouting, " I'll not wait till morning. Blood and 'ouns, I'll not wait." I've arranged that the affah* shall come off at 5 p.m., with pistols. I don't think 3'ou have a imir with hair triggers. I have ; and I know bj^ exj)erience that they shoot straight. If you have anytliing to settle I advise you to do it at once, for O'Halloran is a good shot when he is cool, but I hope his fmy will make him miss. HOW TO CLEAR UP A BLUNDER. 97 Anyhow, you must not try to miss him or fii'e into the air, for he will certainly hit you, if he can. The only good thing is that this has broken off yoiu' affair with Luisa. The old senora has heard of your giving a note to Madame O'Halloran, and vows her daughter shall have nothing to do with you.' " 'I'll be ready, Power,' I said, *and I'll just put down a few things I want j'ou to do, if anything happens to me. After which, I shall turn in again and have a sleep ; for I feel tired, and I should like to come to the ground cool and comfortable.' "I said this more to be left to myself than for anything else, but after penning my memorandum, and drinking some of the dehcious sherbet they make in Guiana fi-om the juice of the i^omegranate, I did really go to sleep for several hours. Looking at my watch when I awoke, I found it was haK-past three, so I took a cold bath and prepared to accompany Power. At a quarter-past four he came to my room, we walked out into the street, and started off at a brisk rate into the country. About two miles out of the town we came to a ruined garden-house, where Kelly and O'Halloran were waiting for us. Power and Kelly saluted each other, but to my cold bow O'Hal- loran only retm^ned a ferocious stare. Kelly then led the wa}' through the garden to a lane between walls, and not more than ten feet broad, when he stopped short, sa\ing, * This is the place ; the sun won't be in their eyes here.' " I must confess I was a good deal surprised at the choice of such a spot for the encounter, where, when we were placed, we should not be more than eight feet from H 98 VENEZUELA. one another, and where the wall would assist one so much in taking aim. But my blood was up. I was quite pre- pared to fight even across a handkerchief. Power, however, did not take the matter so coolly. He spoke a few words in a low voice to Kelly, but his manner convinced me he was much exasperated. Kelly, however, was obstinate, and after a short parley O'Halloran and myself were placed opposite to one another, but with our faces to the wall. Kelly then said, 'Now, gentlemen, I shall ask you, "Are you ready ? " and at the last word you will turn round and fire. Gentlemen,' he continued, ' are you ' Before he could get out the word ' ready ' there was an explosion, a bullet "vyliizzed past my left ear, grazing it sHghtly, and by an involmitary impulse I wheeled round and fired. O'Hal- loran leaped up several feet from the gi'ound and fell forward. The ball had passed through his heart. I threw myself on my knees and raised the fallen man. His eyes were fixed, a thin jet of blood issued from his mouth ; he was quite dead. " ' He fired a moment too soon,' said Kelly ; ' but, by the powers, he has paid for his mistake.' " That word reminded me of the absurd origin of the quarrel. I was in no mood, as you may imagine, to allow the hateful blunder to produce any more mischief, so I franldy told Kelly at once by what accident the note had come into the possession of O'Halloran's wife, and Power corroborated my statement. " ' Well,' said Kelly, 'it's a pity, so it is, but it can't be helped now. You have behaved like a man of honour, and I see, after all, that it was a mistake ! ' " With these words the major concluded his story. I TOO LATE. 99 had finished my fourth cigar. " Good night, major," I said. " I am glad that my mistake ended better than youi's." " Oh, faith, my dear sir," said he, " you know it was no mistake at all with you ; but, anyhow, I'm glad it ended as it did." H 2 CHAPTER VI. How to obtain a Loan — Solemn Preliminaries — The President's Powers Delegated — Mission of the Finance Minister— The Contract — Ratification of the Contract by the Constituent Assembly — The Financial Commis- sioner to Venezuela — Painful Discoveries — Eeiterated Assurances and the honour of the Eepublic repledged — Evasion bafiled— Final Warnings — Breathing Time — Symptoms of Change — The Plunge Downwards — Utter Oblivion. So far tliis narrative lias been carried on without any dis- tinct account of the busiuess of my mission. I must now give, as concisely as possible, the history of the loan for which I was commissioner. Were that untold the moral of my story would be wanting. But for the benefit of those who may have similar business to transact with a modern repubhc, or who may desire to invest their money in one of those numerous financial operations in which the sm-plus capital of London is continually disappearing for the benefit of foreign states, I register what took place. Those who are disposed to place faith in the solemn assurances of Bepubhcan governments, and risk their fortunes by lending them on such guarantees, will do well to study carefully this chaj)ter, not omitting any part of it. Contracts and Powers of Attorney are dry reading, but they must be read by those who would understand the subject. The history of the last Loan to Venezuela, then, com- mences in Jul}^ 1863, when General Falcon and his par- tisans, the most conspicuous and popular of whom was General Guzman Blanco, gained a complete triumph over HOW TO OBTAIN A LOAN. 101 the so-called oligarchs, and overthrew the government of Pedi'o Jose Rojas. That able, but unsuccessful man, who, a short time before, had obtained a loan of a million sterling through the house of the Barings, fled to Em*ope, leaving Venezuela mider the absolute sway of Falcon and his army. The new government found the treasmy empty. The revenue, which consists mainly of the export and import duties le\ded at the custom-houses, was weighed down by debts, of which some were owed to private indi- viduafs, others were loans contracted by former govern- ments. Besides these liabilities there were the arrears of pay due to the Federal army. This last claim was the most pressing of all, for creditors with arms in their* hands take no denial, and where money is concerned patriots are quite as troublesome as mercenaries. What was to be done ! There were several waj's of dealing with the difi&culty. For in- stance, large sums might be obtained from the foreign mer- chants by granting them a liberal discount for cash in advance for papnents of dues on cargoes yet to be shipped. The State might have recoui'se to the granting of assignats, or money might be raised b}' putting up to auction in the home and foreign markets the waste lands, of which there was ample store. If by any such means the immediate exigencies of the government could have been met, an honest and frugal encouragement of the State's resom'ces would soon have filled the exchequer to overflowing. But the easiest expedient for getting money was to borrow it from England. General Falcon, therefore, decided on obtaining a loan from the merchants of London, and his first step to this end was to constitute General Guzman Blanco his representative. Let the following document testifj'^ to LIBRARY UNIVERPTTY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BAEBARA 102 VENEZUELA. the solemnity with which the honoui* of General Falcon and the good name of the Repubhc of Venezuela were pledged in this preliminary to the loan. Juan C. Falcon, General in Chief of the Federal Armies, Provisional President of the Confederacy of Venezuela, &c., &c., &c. In the name of the Eepublic and exercising the powers with which I am invested, I hereby appomt General An- tonio Guzman Blanco, Vice-President of the EepubliS^ and my present Minister of Finance and for Foreign Affairs, to be Fiscal Commissioner for the Republic, with the special charge to contract m London, or in any other emporium of Europe or America, a Loan, which is not to exceed Two Millions of Pounds sterling, at the most favom*able rate of interest, and on the best terms that he can obtain, autho- rising him to mortgage especially and particularly the unin- cumbered portion of the Import Duties of the Custom- houses of La Guaira and Puerto Cabello or the whole of the Duties of the other Custom-houses of the Republic ; or the Export Duties of some or of all the Custom-houses of the Country, with power also to give as a Guarantee any other property or estates belonging to the Nation for pay- ment of the Interest as well as for Redemption of the Capital, pledging as I do from this moment the Public Faith for the fulfilment of the obligations, which he may by virtue of this authority contract with the lenders. And for this object I confer upon him all such powers as may be necessary to execute the same and to bind the Republic as effectually, as I myself, he being empowered to receive the amount of the Loan, make arrangements for its transmission SOLEMN PEELIMINARIES. 103 to this city, give receipts and discharges, countersign the bonds that may be issued, and settle the periods and the manner of their payments. I fully authorize General Guz- man Blanco to effect all these operations, should he consider it expedient, by means of a confidential agent, whose acts shall be as binding on my Government and have its approval in the same way as if they had been performed by the prin- cipal Commissioner. And finally, I authorize liim to apply part or the whole of the Loan, wliich he may contract, in any financial operation that he may consider advantageous to the interests of the Repubhc, he being empowered to act therein with his most ample and free will without any restriction whatever, as also he may freely negotiate in the name of my Government with the present Creditors of the Republic in London, and make with them any arrangement, which they may mutually consider most satisfactory for the future interests of the State. In witness of all which I have delivered these presents at the .palace of the Government in Caracas on the sixth of August, one thousand eight hun- dred and sixty three, under the Seal of the Eej^ublic and countersigned by my Secretary of State. ©J. C. Falcon. The Secretary ad interim for Foreign Affairs, GuiLL : Tell Villegas. Countersigned. The Secretary delegated by the Minister of Finance, GuiLL : Iribarren. The Secretary for War and the NaAy. M. E. Bruzual. 104 VENEZUELA. Armed with such powers, General Guzman Blanco, Vice- President of the Ptepuhlic of Venezuela and its Minister of Finance and of Foreign Affairs, arrived in London as Com- missioner to contract the loan. He was at the same time accredited as Envoy from Venezuela to the Court of St. James's, so that nothing was wanting to render his contract a national engagement. Under such circumstances it cannot be matter of surprise that, at a time when investments were being largely made in far more speculative operations, the General Credit and Finance Company of London should have been willing to negotiate the loan to Venezuela. The Government, of which Pedro Jose Rojas, the opponent of General Falcon, was the head, had been able, as has been mentioned, to obtain a million of money from Messrs. Baring, and the interest of that debt contmued to be paid regularly. It might, therefore, fairly be argued, that since General Falcon respected the engagements made by an ad- versary, he w^ould certainly be still more conscientious in observing his own. Even those who had httle confidence in the good faith of the South American Republics, thought that so long as the chiefs of the present dommant Venezuelan fac- tion continued in power they would be led by prudential motives and a regard to their own interest, if not from a sense of honour, to observe the conditions of any contract with English capitalists into which they might enter. Im- pelled by such considerations, the acute Mr. Laing, and his brother du-ectors of the General Credit Company, entered into the following contract with the Venezuelan Minister and Envoy. Agreeiment entered into the 3rd day of October, 1863, THE CONTRACT. 105 between General Guzman Blanco, Vice-President of the Republic of Venezuela and Minister of Finance and of Foreign Affairs, Fiscal Commissioner of the Re- public, of the one part, and The General Credit and Finance Company of London (Limited) (hereinafter called the General Credit Company), of the other part. Whereas His ExceUencv, General Juan C. Falcon, Gene- ral-in-Chief of the Federal Armies, Provisional* President of the Venezuelan Federation, by a writing, by him signed, bearing date the 6th day of August, 1863, and countersigned by Guillelmo Tell Villegas, the Interim Secretary of Foreign Affair's, Guillelmo Iribarren, the Secretary charged with the Ministry of Finance, and M. E. Bruzual, the Secretary of War and Marine, in the name of the Republic, and in the exercise of the unlimited j)Owers with wliich he was invested, did nominate and specially charge General Guzman Blanco, Vice-President of the Republic, and his present Minister of Finance and of Foreign Affairs, the Fiscal Commissioner of the Republic, to contract a Loan in London, or in any other mercantile city in Em-ope or in America, which should not exceed Two Millions of pounds sterling, at an interest and upon conditions the most favourable he could obtain, autho- rizing him to hj'pothecate specially and specifically the unincumbered portion of the Import Duties of the Custom- houses of La Guaii'a and Puerto Cabello, or the whole of the Import Duties of aU the other Custom-houses of the * Provisional only until the vote of Congress could be obtained, but by that vote now, and since his election, President and Grand Marshal, or Coni- niander-in-cbief of the Republic. 106 VENEZUELA. Eepublic ; or the Export Duties of some, or of all the Custom-houses of the countr}^, with power also to give as a guarantee any other property or estates belonging to the nation for payment of the interest as well as for redemption of the capital, pledging the public faith for the fulfilment of the obligations which he might contract with the lenders in virtue of this authority, and did confer on him all the powers which might be necessary to seal it and to bmd the Republic, the same as if he, the said President, had done it himself, enabling him, the said General Guzman Blanco, to receive the proceeds of the Loan, to arrange its remittance to the city of Caracas, to give receipts in full discharge, to authorize the bonds, which may be issued, with his signa- ture, and to fix the terms and mode of payment. And Whereas the General Credit Company at the request of General Guzman Blanco, and in consequence of the authorization unto him given, have agTeed to negotiate for the Government of Venezuela, a Loan of the nominal value of One Million five hundred thousand pounds sterling on the terms and subject to the stipulations hereinafter stated — wherefore the following has been agreed upon : — Article 1. The loan shall be raised by issuing bonds to bearer for ^6500, £200, and ^BlOO respectively, each one bearing interest from the 1st day of October, 1863, at the rate of .£6 per cent, per annum, the interest thereon to be paid half yearly, on the 1st day of October, and the 1st day of April, of each year, until the full pajonent, or redemption of the Bonds, at the office of the General Credit Company in London, in sterling, and at the office of Messrs Saloman Oppenheim, Junior and Company, in Cologne, in Thalers, at the Exchange of the day. THE CONTEACT. 107 Article 2. The said Bonds shall be iii such form as the General Credit Company may require, and they shall be signed by General Guzman Blanco, in the name of the Eepublic, or any other Fiscal Agent, properly authorized by the Venezuelan Government. Article 3. The sum of ^£60 shall be accepted in full for every £100 of the Loan, that is to say, a Bond shall be issued for £100, and so in proportion for every £100 sub- scribed, so that the sum really requii-ed, will be that of £900,000 sterhng, and the General Credit Company are hereby authorized to accept from the subscribers each por- tion of £60 at the dates following, that is to say, a deposit of £5 on the appUcation for the subscription, a first instal- ment of £10, in thirty days after the ratification of the Loan has been received m London ; a second instalment of £15, a month after the first; a thii-d instalment of £15, two months after the second ; and a final instalment of £15, a month after the third, in pajauents for each bond, which shall bear full interest from the date before mentioned, in like manner as though the total sum had been paid in on the 1st of October, 1863. Article 4. At least 2 per cent, of the said Bonds shall be redeemed or paid oif by the Government every year, requir- ing for that purpose the sum of £30,000, which shall be provided in manner hereinafter exj)ressed. If the price the said bonds may bear on the Exchange at London should be at par, or below par, and sufficient can be j)urchased on the Exchange at London for completing the sum of £30,000 the said bonds shall be pm-chased. But if they should bear on the Exchange a price above par, or being at par, or less, a sufficient quantity cannot be purchased there in order to 108 VENEZUELA. make up the said sum of ^£30,000, then the bonds that are to be redeemed or paid off upon the terms above mentioned shall be selected by lot m the usual manner. Article 5. In addition to the public faith and general credit of the Venezuelan Eepublic, which is hereby pledged, the following duties are specially and specifically hypothe- cated and mortgaged for the payment of the interest and smking fund in tliis Loan (which interest and sinking fund amount together to ^£120,000 a year), and for the commis- sion payable to the General Credit Company, as hereinafter mentioned — viz., 1st, the whole of the Export duties or Customs Revenues at the ports of La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Maracaibo, and Ciudad Bolivar : The said General Guzman Blanco hereby guaranteeing, in the name of the Government of Venezuela, that the said Export duties, which are or will be wholly uncharged, have hitherto produced, and will continue to produce, more than the requisite sum of £120,000 a year ; and that if from any cause they should ever fall below that sum, the deficiency shall be immediately made up from the Import duties or balance of Import duties at the Custom-houses of aU the ports of Venezuela. Proof that the said Export duties are wholly uncharged shall be given to the General Credit Company or its Agents simultaneously with the ratification of the Loan, or if any claims exist, the General Credit Company may retain a suf- ficient amount of the deposits on the Loan to settle them, so that the security for the Loan may be a clear first charge on the said Export duties. Article 6. The said Export duties or Revenues of the Customs shall be paid over periodically once in every week THE CONTEACT. 109 by the competent authorities of the said ports to the British Vice- Consul, or other Agent or Agents, to be specially named for that pm'pose by the General Credit Company, for him or them to remit the same, or so much as may be requisite for the payments specified in this Agreement, to the said Company, and every facility or information shall be afforded to the said Vice- Consul, Agent, or Agents, that they may require for ascertaining the accuracy of the sum that may have been paid to them, or having reference to this par- ticular, and such Vice-Consul, Agent, or Agents, shall be paid for their trouble a commission of ^ per cent, by the Govern- ment of Venezuela, which shall be included in the amount handed over to them. If more be received from the said Export duties than is sufficient for the full and punctual payment of the interest, sinking fund, and commissions of this Loan, the balance shall be retiu'ned by the Vice-Consul or Agent at La Guaira, as soon as the collections for the current 3'ear have amounted to a sum sufficient to pay the said interest and sinking fund of a012O,OOO, and the sums required for commissions, to the Government, and- if such Export duties should prove deficient, such a percentage of the Import duties shall be paid over to the said Vice-Consul, Agent, or Agents, by the competent authorities, out of the weekly receipts of Customs, as will suffice to make good the deficiency. Article 7. The said sum of £900,000, or such other sum as the Company may receive in subscriptions to the said Loan, shall be employed by them in manner following — that is to say, in the first place, the General Credit Com- pany shall retain thereout the sum for commission and brokerage on the negotiation of the Loan and for stamps. 110 VENEZUELA. and all and every other expenses connected therewith. In the second place, they are to retain the sum of £45,000 for payment of the fii'st half year's interest that will fall due on the said Loan, and they are to pay over the residue of the Loan to the Government or its order. Ai'ticle 8. The General Credit Company are to apply the sums to be received from the Export duties, or other sources above-mentioned, or so much as they shall from time to time receive in respect thereof, in manner following — that is to say, in the first place, they are to set apart thereout the sum of £90,000 per annum for the pm'pose of paying periodically the interest on the Loan of £1,500,000, or on such portion thereof as may remain unpaid. In the second place, they are to set apart thereout the sum of £30,000 per annum, and apply the same periodically towards the redemp- tion or payment in full of the bonds, in manner mentioned in Article 4 ; and they are also to apply the overplus that may remain of the said sum of £90,000, after payment of the interest then due, periodically adding the same to that of £30,000 per annum, to the redemption or payment in full of the bonds. In the third place, they are to retain thereout their Commission of one per cent, on all the dividends or interests they may pay, and one-half per cent, on the sums employed m the redemption of the bonds, the General Guzman Blanco hereby guaranteeing, in the name of his Government, that a sufficient sum to cover such Commission shaU be collected and remitted, together with the smns due for interest and smking fund. Article 9. It is expressly understood and agreed that, if this Contract be not ratified by the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela to the satisfaction of the said General Credit THE CONTEACT. Ill Company, and the ratification be not received in London before the 15th day of March next, the General Credit Com- pany shall be at liberty to withdraw the Loan and to cancel whatever may have been done in respect thereof, and to return to the Subscribers the amount of their deposits. But the General Credit Company shall be at liberty to extend this term if requested by the Venezuelan Government to do so. Article 10. It is fiu'thermore exjDressly agreed by the said General Guzman Blanco, on behalf of the Venezuelan Government, that, in the event contemplated in the last Ai'ticle, the said Government shall remit such a sum of money to the General Credit Company, on or before the said loth day of March next, as will enable the said Com- pany to pay Literest at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum to the Subscribers to the Loan, upon the total amoimt of their deposits from the time they were received until they are repaid, and a Commission of £3000 as a comj)ensation to the Company for theii- trouble and their expenses, and in such case the General Credit Company shaU be at liberty to retm^n the money to the Subscribers in such manner and at such dates as they may deem suitable, and the Loan, as well as the w^hole of the negotiations relative thereto, shall in consequence be considered withch'awn and cancelled. Article 11. It is fui-ther agi-eed that the Loan is to be brought out at the time when the said General Blanco, or other duly authorised Agent, on behalf of the Venezuelan Government on the one part, and the said General Credit Company on the other j)art, believe the moment favoui-able to open the public subscription. Article 12, and last. Lastly, it is also understood and 112 VENEZUELA. expressly agreed that the General Credit Company do not inciu" any responsibility, neither do they fimiish any Guarantee in res^^ect of the points expressed, or any of them. In Witness whereof, the said General Guzman Blanco hath hereunto affixed his hand and seal, and the said General and Finance Company has hereunto affixed its corporate seal, this 3rd day of October, 1863. A. Guzman Blanco, f L. s. j The Seal of the Company. Signed, sealed, and delivered by the within-named General A. Guzman Blanco, and sealed by the General Credit and Finance Company of London (Limited), in the presence of F. H. HEMivnNG, Consul-General for Venezuela. James Macdonald, General Manager of the General Credit and Finance Company of London (Limited). The first remark that it is requisite to make with regard to this contract is that, considering the credit of the Vene- zuelan Government on the Stock Exchange at the time, the terms were very favom-able. Messrs. Baring's loan of 1862 was brought out at 63, but its price when the prospectus of the 1864 loan was issued had fallen to 55j ex div. It must also be especially remembered tliat in June, 1863, Messrs. FAILUEE OF MATHESON'S SIX PEE CENT. LOAN. 113 Matheson & Co.* had brought out a Venezuelan 6 per cent, loan at 60, which was less advantageous to Venezuela than that of 1864, inasmuch as a portion of the bonds were redeemable at par, to which it was, of com'se, absurd to expect them to rise in the market until, perhaps, the last year of pajong off. Messrs. Matheson's loan, however, was a failm'e, which in itself was a circumstance unfavourable to Venezuelan credit. Moreover, a comparison of the terms accorded to Venezuela b}^ the contract of 1864, with those obtained by other governments, who entered the London market as borrowers about the same time as Venezuela, will prove the favoui'able character of the former. Thus the last gi'eat French Loan was brought out m 1864 at 66-i%. It is true that the interest is only 3 per cent., but then the difference between the credit of France and that of Vene- zuela is that between absolute secmity and the opposite extreme. The Lnperial Ottoman 5 per cent. Loan of March 1865 was issued at 47|, and the Tm-ldsh 6 per cent, of 1862 stood in April 1864 at 71^. And to take the cases of countries more akin to Venezuela, we find that Spanish 3 per cent. Bonds, which m 1864 stood at 53f , stand now at 354, while the Portuguese 3 per cent. Loan of 1867 was issued at 37 ; besides which, the present market prices of the public debt of Italy, Eg}"pt, and Austria, mdicate that these countries would have to borrow on terms at the least as mifavom'able as Venezuela. It may, perhaps, not be out of place to observe here that there seems but little sense in the custom adopted by foreign Governments of introducing nominal values into the loans borrowed by them. For instance, the Venezuelan * See the Prospectus iu Appendix A. I 114 VENEZUELA. Government in 18G4 obtained a loun for the nominal value of one million and a half at ^600 for the £100, and conse- quently for the real value of j£900,000. By that transaction the said Goverment added a million and a half to the national debt, and an annual charge for interest of i690,000 — that is, they borrowed at 10 per cent. Now, if instead of borrowing a nominal amount of ^61, 500,000 at 60, and paying 6 per cent, on each £100 of the nominal amount, they had borrowed £900,000 at 10 per cent., they would have paid no more interest, and saved £600,000 in the nominal amount of their debt. As to the terms at which they did borrow, they would have been onerous had they been bound to pay oif the debt at par ; but they had the option to redeem by purchases in the market, and the probabilities were that they would be able to purchase on the same terms as they borrowed. In point of fact, what they did redeem of the debt they bought considerahhf under the price at which it had been issued.* It was expressly stipvilated by Ai'ticle 9 that, unless the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela ratified the Loan, the General Credit Company should be at libert}' to withdraw from the transaction, and that the mone}'- subscribed by the bond-holders should be refunded to them. Now, as if expressly to take awa}' all pretext for future cavil regardmg the Loan, or any of its conditions, on the part of Venezuela, the Great Parliament of the country not only did ratify the Loan, but empowered the National Representative, General Blanco, to increase its amount to three millions ! The solemn declaration in which the ratification is expressed is couched in the following terms : — * See tlie prices of the Yeneziielan Loans in Appendix A. EATIFICATION OF THE LO^IN OF 1864. 115 God and the Confederacy ! The Constituent Assembly OF THE United States op Venezuela Decrees. In the name of the Eei)ublic is ratified the contract made on the thh'd day of October last by the Citizen General Antonio Guzman Blanco, vnth the General Credit Company of London, for raising a loan of a million and a half of pomids, and, in consequence, the Executive Power of the United States of Venezuela is fully authorised to arrange any difficulties which may arise in its execution, and to make all arrangements which it may consider most advanta- geous to the Pubhc Exchequer. Also, in lLl\;e manner, it is authorised to increase the amount of this Loan to three millions of pounds ; this Assembly reselling to itself by a subsequent Decree to determme the application of the additional milhon and a half of j)ounds, or of the sui-plus, Avlrich may be contracted for upon the basis of the Contract of the third of October aforesaid. Given in Caracas in the Hall of the Sessions of the Con- stituent Assembly of the United States of Venezuela, on the 1-lth of Januar}', 1864. The President The Deputed Secretarj' J. G. Ochoa. Jose Ma. Ortega Martinez. This ratification completely exonerated the lenders of the loan from anj' imputation of undue rigour. The borrowers not onl}' declared themselves content, but stated theii' willingness to borrow as much again on the same conditions. I2 IIG VENEZUELA. It now onl}'- remained for the General Credit Company to send out a commissioner, wlio should ascertain that the duties, which were to be hypothecated for the pajinent of the Interest and Sinlcing Fund, were free from valid claims, and who should then ratify the loan on the part of the Com- pany, take charge of the custom-houses, and appoint agents for the receipt of the duties. This, then, was my business, and I have now to relate how I performed it. I must premise that before the date of my departure from England, the 17th of June, 1864, a number of persons had advanced claims upon the export duties, notwithstanding the declaration of General Blanco that they were not charge- able, and in spite of his assertion that he was entitled to offer them as security for the loan. The exact amomit of all these claims was unlaiowii to the General Credit Company, but they were aware of the following sums : — Claim of certain creditors represented by the Chevalier \ Jacques Servadio, Consul at Venezuela for the King > £100,000 of Italy ) 1. Claim of S''. Manuel Camacho of Caracas . . . 52,000 2. Claim of Mr. Richard Thornton ( $109,800 ) T ^ 4. 4.1 ] ft orVof: $145,485 22,382 64 years Interest on the same ( $ 35,685 ) ^ ' ' 3. Claim of Mr. Aaron Goodrich, ) ^^^^ ^^^ 11 1 4.1 A T 1 1 m ■ ( $155,000 . . . 23,846 called the Aves Island Claim ) ^ ' 4. Claim of the Colonial Bank $134,676 . . 20,719 5. Claim of Messrs. Moron & Co. of St. Thomas . . 37,723 Total £256,670 My instructions were to leave the Venezuelan Government to decide on the validity of these claims, with the exception of the first, which had been paid in scrip of the loan by General Blanco. On my arrival in Venezuela I was to bring the claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, to the notice of the Govern- ment, and if it should decline to recognise them, and THE FINANCIAL COMMISSIONEE. 117 solemnly declare the exi3ort duties free of charge, and hand them over to the agents appomted by me for collection, I was to consider that fact and the declaration, as being that of a Sovereign State, as sufficient proof of there being no valid charges on .the said duties. According to the strict letter of my instructions, nothing more than attention to the said points could be required of me. Nevertheless, I thought it right to investigate, as far as practicable, each claim, and report upon it to the General Credit Comj^any ; and in tlieii* interest, and in the interest of the Government, I did all I could in a quiet way to get Avhat appeared rightful claims settled. Thus the claim of the Colonial Bank, whatever its merits, having been taken up by the British representative, I gave him my support and obtained its recognition and settlement. I lent what aid I could to the American Minister also, with reference to the Aves Island claim, and that, too, was adjusted. The first thing, however, which I had to do on arrival was to i)ersuade Messrs. Boulton & Co. to become agents for the loan. This was a point on which great stress was laid in my instructions, and I at once saw its importance. Messrs. Boulton & Co. were incontestably the most respectable house in Venezuela, and I felt that if I could secure their assistance I should be safe from the mistakes into which any stranger, though much more an fait at busi- ness than myself, would very likely have fallen. But Mr. Boulton was extremely indisposed to accept the agency for the loan, and his partner at La Guaii-a was still more averse to such a step, though a third partner, a Venezuelan by bii'th, had attended General Blanco's conferences with the General Credit Company, and liad aided in nego- 1 18 VENEZUELA. tiating tlie Loan, a fact of wliicli I was quite unaware. I had to combat their objections, and after long argu- ment succeeded in overcoming their rehictance. Tliis was a great success, and an important result immediately followed. I discovered that the export duties, which General Blanco offered as security for the loan, w^re encumbered with debts to most of the principal merchants at La Guau'a and Caracas, amounting to more than a million dollars. These debts had been incurred by the Government for the discharge of what they owed to soldiers and others, who had suffered in their cause during the war with the faction of Paez and Eojas. But besides these incontestable debts there were other claims made by the Spanish, Dutch, and French Ministers after my arrival, and some brought forward by the Enghsh charge cVafaircs on behalf of British subjects, of which I had no cognizance till I reached Caracas. An abj'ss of liabilities had opened under my feet, and when I surve3'ed its insatiable maw and then glanced at the two chests of sovereigns, which were all I had to throw into it, I could not help thinking of the Cavern of the Winds in Persia, into which if you cast a pebble it is said that a heterogeneous mass of projectiles is vomited forth with prodigious sound and fury, and sweeps away all before it. Now that my responsibilities are over I cannot forbear smiling, when I recall the confusion worse confounded than that " of King Agramante's camp," in which I lived durmg those days of conflicting claims and hydra-headed creditors. No sooner have I done breakfast than a Eepresentative is announced. He burns so to get his business settled that, in spite of polite attempts to conceal his impatience, his PAINFUL DISCO VEEIES. 119 very body seems to radiate importunities. He soon comes to the ]Doint. " Has Monsieur placed before the Ministers the matter of the Agostino billetes ? " "Be assm*ed, Excel- lency ! " I reply, " I have done my best, but the Ministers acquaint me that the claim is not recognised." " How! not recognised ? Is it possible that they can seek to evade the most just, the most clear, enfin les obligations les plus sacrees ? " " Pardon me, Excellency ; I am chagrined beyond measure, but one can do no more than represent the matter ; the decision rests with the Government." " Then, Monsieur, I must bring to your notice that I have already warned the squadi'on to be prepared to sail for La Guaira. I have the honour to x'l'evenir ^Monsieur que I'affaire est grave, tres grave." In vam at this moment I renew assurances ; in vain I press upon him fragrant cigars, symbolical of the calumet of peace, and typical of those graceful wreaths, in which I know the menaces of armed intervention are sure to end. The affair remams grave, and the Mmister departs with decidedly less cordial emprcsse- r.ient towards myself than he showed on entering. I am scarce reseated when a long despatch from the Spanish Minister arrives, containing an interminable correspondence about the claim of one of his proteges, the immediate settle- ment of which he thinks I am bound to accomplish, if for no other reason than because it has ah'eady been fruitlessly discussed for a dozen yeai's and has wearied out every 2vlinister in succession dming that period. In the middle of reading it I am disturbed by a visit from the American Minister, who comes about the Aves Island claim, and then by the cliarge cVaffaircs, who also utters what I know to be a most innocuous threat as to a naval demon- 120 VENEZUELA. stration. In short, it seems to be the object of every power represented at Caracas to invest me, in a certain sense, with the order of the Golden Fleece ; an honour which I do my best to elude. Nor was the current of my intercourse with the Vene- :^uelan Ministers altogether without checks. They w^ere, indeed, extremely polite ; and, personally, I had not the slightest cause to be dissatisfied with their behaviour. But I think that, in reply to my letter of the 6th of July, in which, mimediately after my landing, I requested the Presi- dent of the Eepublic in making over to me the collection of the export duties, to fm-nish me with proof that they were free from charge, it would. have been more candid to have stated at once tliat there were claims on the duties to such an amount, for monies borrowed from the principal mer- chants, and to have assured me that those claims would be satisfied by drafts on the proceeds of the loan, which drafts the President would direct General Blanco to see duly honom'ed. Instead of that, a serious responsibility was thrown upon me, and but for the stand I made, and the firmness of the General Credit Company, it is a question whether the claims of the merchants would have been set- tled to this very day. Having ascertained, however, in the first instance, through Mr. Boulton, the natm-e of these debts, I was resolved not to report in favour of concluding the loan imtil they were- liquidated, and having seen that the Venezuelan Government drew bills to pay them off, I v,Tote to the General Credit Company as follows : — " In advising the transmission of these bills, it is my imperative duty to state that I have agreed to ratify the loan, with the distinct understanding and on the sole condition that all GENEEAL OCHOA. 121 these bills, including those for the British claims, are honom-ed and paid before the Venezuelan Government avails itself of the proceeds of the loan for any other pm*- pose. The same remark applies to the settlement of the ' Aves Island ' claim, which, though it has been referred to General Blanco, must be settled before the funds of the loan become available for the general pui'poses of the Vene- zuelan Government." With regard to the British clauns referred to in the above l^aragrai^h another very serious difficulty arose. Major Matheson, the British charge cV affaires, was determined to have them settled, and said he could not allow them to be discussed, as the orders from Lord Eussell were peremp- tory regardmg them. I felt bound to support him. Claims from the subjects of other Governments I, accordmg to the letter of my instructions, left to the decision of the Vene- zuelan Ministers, but I could hardly take up a similar posi- tion with regard to the clauns which my own Government declared must be paid. Besides Lord Russell had given me a letter to the English charge d'affaires, calling on him to assist me to the extent of his power, and I could liarrice, and when it could be got ready. He was told it would be finished in two days, and was valued at fifty dollars. On this, rather to my sm-prise, he produced the money. I, too, made a few purchases, and then took leave, not without a feeling of regret that so many docile, clever girls should have such scanty means of instruction. We now walked on to the house of General Paez. I was rather annoyed by Haj^ward's declining to go in. I entered alone, and found I had plunged into the most talkative family I had ever encountered. In spite of the compliments of my THE FAIE AXTOXIA. 185 host and hostess, who j^raised my Spanish, and seemed as if they were wishful to talk on for ever, I managed to effect my retreat, and got back to my house thoroughly tii'ed. On entering, I was rather surprised to find that Hayward was not there, and still more so that he did not return till it was time to ride. ^Vhen he came in, it struck me that some- thing wrong had happened, for his manner was changed, and, instead of his usual good-humoured smile, he had a depressed and moody look. I told him that there was to be a party that night at Senora Ribera's, and that we really must show om'selves, so as to get an invitation. " Besides," I said, " Antonia Bibera is now quite the reigning beauty. I have not yet seen her, but I am told she has dethroned Erminia ; and of coui'se you would not like to leave Valencia without seeing her." Finding I was bent on it, Ha3'ward consented to call. " Wh&i is the matter with the fellow ? " thought I. "Is he going to have an illness, or has he got into some scrape this afternoon, wliile he was out by him- self? I begin to wish I had not asked him to pay me a visit." The Senora Bibera was a widow, with three daughters and one son. She had been a great belle, and, though her charms had long since faded, she had still the coquettish ways of a spoiled beauty. Her childi'en were all handsome, but Antonia was said to be the most beautiful woman in Venezuela. The number of suitors she had refused was endless, and a report had gone about that she did not want to marry any one but a foreigner. Some think there is no better cm-e for a fit of the spleen than a hard gallop, and Hayward seemed to be of that opinion ; for I no sooner tm-ned off the high road on to the lake, but he started at a 186 VENEZUELA. furious pace along a narrow winding path that led across countr3\ In vain I shouted to him to keep a look-out ahead, and to rein in a little. He did not hear me, or would not attend, and the result was just what I expected. At a place where the path twisted a good deal amongst thick bushes, we plumped suddenly on an old fellow riding a stumpy little mule, and, in a moment, Hayward and he came together like two knights in a tournament. Down went the mule, and rolled over and over with the Creole among the bushes, while Hayward' s horse made a carambole off the thicket on the other side, and so nearly dismounted Hayward that he lost both his stiiTups, and, had he not been a good rider, he would certainly have measured his length on the ground. As it was, he kept his seat, and went on for several hundred yards before he could stop his horse. I pulled up directly, and dismounting, went to lift up the fallen rider and catch his mule. The brute made a vicious kick at me, and I fared little better with his master. He was not much hurt, but so enraged that, if his machete had not tumbled out of liis sheath when he fell, he would most likely have given me a taste of it. As it was, he struck at my proffered arm, and sputtered out a string of curses, winding up with one which was quite new to me. "May you die of the fever," said he; "and may 5^0 ur wife go into a convent ! " By this time Hayward, too, had pulled up, and was coming back to join me. His liumoui' was not much improved by the accident, and I was glad to get back to Valencia. We dressed and went to the Senora Ribera's party, arriving very early. Presently, when all the guests had assembled, the door opened, and in came a young lady, AN AWKWAED QUESTION. 1S7 who, I saw at a glance, from her extraordinary beauty, must be Antonia. She was very unlike the other Creole ladies I had seen. Her dress and manner were rather those of an aristocratic English beauty than of a Creole. Her eyes were dark blue, her hair a rich brown, her nose Grecian, her eyebrows arched. Only her lips were fuller than is usual with Enghsh women. Her figure was slender and graceful, and her step so elastic that she seemed to glide rather than walk into the room. " Caballero," she asked me, without the slightest prepara- tion, " are you married ? " " Upon my word," thought I, " tliis is too bad." I looked about for a moment, and saw that all eyes were directed to me. I could not say I was not married, and I did not lilie to o"v\ai that I was; so, hoping the answer would be imputed to my imperfect knowledge of Spanish, I replied, " Algunas veces " — " sometimes." People tittered, and Aiitonia smiled, and gave me a look which seemed to say, " I understand your dilemma." She then said, "I want to hear about England. I have always wished to go there." We entered into a long conversation ; and the more I listened to that singular girl, the more I wondered. She talked like a bookworm, like a politician, like a diplomatist, like a savant, but so little like a senorita of eighteen years of age, that at times I almost forgot I was speaking to a girl. After a time I remembered that I had brought Hayward on purpose to introduce liim to Antonia. So, making an excuse, I got up to look for him. To my annoyance, he was nowhere to be seen, and on asking Madame Eibera about him, she said he had gone away, not feeling well. 188 VENEZUELA. I now began to be really apprehensive about Haj^ward. His behaviour seemed so odd, that I felt sure there was something wrong. However, I could not have left imme- diately without exciting remarks, so I sat down and talked to a German lady I knew. She began to tell me about the Eiberas. "You see Lucia, the elder sister of Antonia ? " she said ; *' would not you believe her to be the gentlest creature in the world ? Well, she is anything but what she seems. I suppose you have heard all about her marriage ? " " Not a word," I said. ^ " Well, then, I will tell you. Lucia had a cousin about her own age, who was as rich as he was ugly. He fell in love with her, and her mother was determined she should have him. You know girls are not allowed to choose hus- bands for themselves here. If Lopez had been her uncle instead of her cousin, she would have had to marry hun all the same, for the sake of his money. She held out a long time. At last, Madame Ribera, and Lucia's brother, and her male relatives met, and fixed everything ; and, in spite of her remonstrances, the marriage took place, and Lucia was carried off by Lopez to his country-house, which he had fitted up with new and elegant fm'niture. But when he had got her there, he could do nothing with her. She behaved like a maniac. She broke the mirrors, and cut to pieces all the beautiful curtains ; and the end of it was, that he was obliged to send for her mother, and she was taken home, and insisted on caUing herself Lucia Eibera, and would never acknowledge her husband at all. As for poor Lopez, he was so chagi'ined that he fell ill and died, and now she has been a year a widow ; and report says she is to marry Diego Garcia, who has no monej", and a worse temper than HAYWARD'S DEPAETURE. 189 she has herself; and it is likely that he wiU revenge Lopez and punish her as she deserves." I asked about Antonia, but my German friend declared herself quite puzzled about her, and would only say, " She is an enigma." As soon as I could get an opportunity, I slipped away and went home. Hayward was not there, and did not come in tUl I was asleep. When I got up next day, I felt so vexed with him that I determined to leave him to his own devices, and to get rid of hhn as soon as I could. He talked veiy little at breakfast, and looked gloomy, but brightened up when a small parcel was brought in to him, containing the handkerchief he had bought at the school. Soon after this he went out, saying he should dine with a friend he had met the other day, who had also in\dted him to go to liis villa, on the borders of the lake. After he had gone out, I could not help saying to my servant Juan that I was afraid there was something the matter with my visitor. " The matter ! yes, sir," said Juan, in a very oracular voice. " It's downright certain there is. If ever I see a man whose place was booked for a passage over Jordan, as my old mother used to call it, it is Mr. Hayward. And then to see him at that house," — here Juan jerked his head in the direction of Erminia's residence, — " a-going on with that gall " Juan did not finish his sentence, but stalked off, leaving the rest to my imagmation. The following morning Hajnvard took leave of me, and went to the house of his Spanish friend, which was about twelve miles off. When he had left, as I felt cm-ious to know what had been going on, I resolved to call on Ermmia, and see how affau's stood in that quarter. I was surprised 190 VENEZUELA. to find the shutters half closed. I entered the hall, never- theless, which in most Venezuelan houses leads to the quad- rangle round which the rooms are built, and knocked at the inner door. It was opened by one of the younger girls, who had evidently been crying. "What is the matter?" I asked. " I hope no one is iU." " Papa is ill," she said ; " but you may come in. Mamma or Erminia will speak to you." So saying, she showed me into the drawing-room, and went to tell them, and I had to wait so long, that I began to think I had been indiscreet in calling. At last Erminia came, with the same little sister who had let me in. " Pai^a is very ill," said Erminia ; " we have been up all night with him." She looked so pale and ill as she said this,, that I could not help thinking she was more in need of being nursed her- self than able to attend to others. After expressing my regret, and inquii-ing about the illness of Senor L., I said, " My English friend, Mr. Hay ward, has left me. I suppose you did not see him before he started ?" Erminia's pale face flushed, and she said with a sort of reluctance, " We saw him last evening. He called ; that is, he was passing by the window, and he stopped to bid me — mamma, I mean — good-bye." Just then, the Senora L. herself entered the room, and Erminia went to take her place by the bedside of the invalid, so I had no further opportunity of speaking to her that day. The illness of Senor L. continued without improvement all the time I remained at Valencia. I went daily over to inquire for him, and always saw Erminia, but never alone, except for half a minute on one occasion. I then said, " I THE MALEDICTION FULFILLED. 191 want to talk to jou about my English friend." Her face flushed, as it had done before when I mentioned his name, and she said, hurriedly, "We shall never be able to speak about that. I am never alone ; I am siempre acom- panada." Meantune, I could not help being struck with the love and devotion with which Senor L. was nursed by his family. His daughters, who, when I fii'st came, had ever}' day been seated, radiant with smiles and beautifully dressed, at the windows, now never left the sick-room. I had the pleasure of seeing, in this instance, that the Creole ladies, who to a superficial observer might appear bent only on coquetry, are in reahty not to be sm-passed in that affection which binds famihes together. I had before admired Erminia for her beauty : I now esteemed and respected her for her devotion to her father. One evening, a few da^-s before the date I had fixed upon for leaving Valencia, and about a fortnight after Hayward had left, I was sittmg alone, smoking, when some one on horseback came clattering up to my door, and stopped. Presently Juan entered with a letter. With some difticulty I made out that Hayward was very ill, and that Don Pedro Raynal, at whose house he was stopping, earnestly begged me to come over at once and see him. I immediately ordered my horse, and set out on the twelve miles' ride to Don Pedro's house. My surprise was great when, on reaching the -villa (which we did about midnight), I dis- covered by the light which was brought to show me up the steps, that my companion was the very same old Creole who had been so rudely dismounted by Hayward, and who tmnied out to be one of Don Pedro's servants. 192 VENEZUELA. " I hope the Senor Inglis is better," said I, as I sprang up the steps. Don Pedro shook his head. " You have arrived too late : he is dead." " Good Heavens ! " I exclaimed ; " is it possible ? What was his illness ? " " He died, Senor, of yellow fever." After writmg to Hayward's friends to tell them of the melancholy termination of liis visit to Valencia, I went to sleep ; but passed an unquiet night, distiu-bed by horrid dreams, and was right glad when morning broke and allowed of my return to the city. Two days afterwards I left Valencia, having seen the beautiful Erminia onty once more, and then but for a few minutes. I have since heard, with but little surprise, that her aunt's wish has been gratified, and that she has entered a convent. CHAPTER X. General Falcon, and how to find him — The Grand Army — Down with the Red ! — A Noble Revenge — Tocuyo — Personal Appearance of the Gran Mariscal — Conversation with the President. One of my fii-st objects on arriving at Valencia was to exj)eclite the long-desired interview -with General Falcon, the President of the Republic. In m}^ simplicity, I imagined that my wishes in this respect would now be easily gratified, and I was not a little sui'prised when the announcement of my intention was received ever}"«-here with skrugs. On in- quiry, I was told that the president seldom came even to Valencia ; and that if I was bent on seeing him, I should have to go to Coro or Maracaibo. The distance of these places was great, but their inaccessibility was greater. " Be- sides," said my informant, opening his eyes, wider and wider, as he thought of the difficulties, "Coro is so confoundedly unhealthy, and you will be sure to die of fever, or to be eaten by wild beasts in the forest, before jou get there. There are no roads, and no places to put up at, and there is hardly a misery existing that 3'ou will not have to encounter. Here, just look at the map. You must go back to Puerto Cabello. That is one of the worst places in the world for yellow fever, and they have got it there just now. Then, from Puei-to Cabello to the Yaracui and Ai'oa rivers, 3'ou will o 194 VENEZUELA. have to cross a burning waste, in which there is not a single shrub ten feet high to keep off the sun. After that, you will get into the jungles of Coro, through which it is hardly pos- sible to push your way — a regular hot-bed of fever, and swarming with tigers, as they call the jaguars and panthers here. As for the road to Maracaibo, it is a thousand times worse ; but I shall say nothing about it, for I am sure you will never get so far." I could not helj) smiling at my friend's vehemence, but I did not feel at all deterred, until he further assured me that on arriving at Coro I should very likely find that the presi- dent had gone to some other remote region, whither it would be impossible for me to follow him. I then began to feel somewhat as an envoy would, who, on arriving in London, accredited to the Court of St. James, should be told that the queen never came to town, and that he must go to the Orkney Islands, to be presented, with the chance of a further expedition to Cork or Jersey. Not, indeed that any journey by rail or steamboat can compare with one in a country where no such facilities exist, and where, generally speaking, there is — " Neither horse meat, nor man's meat, nor place to lie down." After pondering over the matter a good deal, I came to that w^ell-known conclusion — the usual refuge of weak minds — that I would be guided by circumstances. To a man who has serious business on hand, the chase of a Jack o'Lanthorn is not a pleasant pastime, even though the said Jack should be a president and a " grand mariscal." How- ever, I had undertaken the pursuit ; and, at last, after being thrown out several times, destiny ordained that I should THE GEAND ARMY. 195 obtain the interview; but it must be confessed that I owed this, not to the fact that I had come so many miles for the express pm'pose of seeing the great man, nor to the repeated messages I had sent to him by com'iers, but to the breaking out of distm-bances in the central and eastern provinces of the republic. As soon as the distant meshes of the political web began to vibrate, the master spinner made his appear- ance from the recesses of Coro, and the reports of his erratic movements, now to Maracaibo, now to San Felipe, now to Barquisimeto, ceased. It was a bright hot forenoon in the first week of Sep- tember when, as I was lazily swinging in my hammock in the Calle de Constitucion at Valencia, the unusual sound of martial music reached my ear. Starting up, I hurried to the Gran Plaza, and was in time to see the Venezuelan army enter. Shades of Brion and Bolivar ! what an army it was ! I have seen troops of all nations, civilised and un- civilised, from Chma to Peru, but never any like those. Some of the officers, indeed, were tall and well-made ; but the men were the strangest figures — lean old scarecrows and starveling boys not five feet high, the greater number half naked, with huge strips of raw beef twisted round their hats or hanging from their belts. Their skins seemed to have been baked black with exposui'e to the sun, and theii- arms and accoutrements were of the most wretched description. Yet they were not contemptible — far from it — but rather weird, repulsive — a sight to make one shudder. My first thought on seeing them was, " What could want, miasma, exposure, or fatigue do to harm these animated skeletons ? Could anything make them blacker, grimmer, more fleshless, more miserable ? But in this ver}^ wretchedness consists 2 196 • VENEZUELA. their strength ; for European soldiers could not exist where these men would thrive." It was near 1 p.m. before the last of these skeleton bands filed into the great square. I counted them as well as I could, and made out that there were about three thousand men, with eight standards, each standard marking a bat- talion. They lined the square, and then dispersed to their quarters. They vanished lilce an army of spectres, and it must be owned, with as Httle noise. I went about the city a good deal that evening, but I saw but very few of the goblin host that filled the Gran Plaza at noon, and disturbance there was none. This fact made an impression on my mind, and next morning, as I was pulling on my jack-boots pre- paratory to a long ride to meet General Falcon, I said to my servant, " Quiet fellow^s those, Juan ! Last night I saw only one man drunk out of the three thousand ! " "Oh yes, sir, quiet enough, specially when they are going to shoot at yoii from behind a tree," replied Juan, who had evidently no very exalted opinion of the gobhns. " Oh, then they do shoot people sometimes ! " I rejoined, in a tone intended to excite Juan's rather irritable mood to the uttermost. " Shoot, sir? I b'lieve you!" he exclaimed, with a snort. " Why, when this gang marched into Caracas, they were very near shooting a lad^- — Madame E. — because her little boy had a red riband in his cap. You know, red's the colour of the aristocratical party, the same as these chaps call the Godos and Epilepticos, the 'Goths' and 'Epileptics.' Well, sir, there were above a hundred muskets pointed at the bal- cony where Madame R. was. ' Down with the oligarchs ! ' ' Down with the red ! ' they kept shouting; but they weren't a-going to frighten her, I promise you. 'Stead of that, she DOWN WITH THE EED ! 197 clapped her hand on her son's cap to keep it on, and called out to them, ' Viva the red ! You canaille, he shall wear it ! ' And then in another moment, not the boy only, but herself too, and every one in that balcony, would have been dyed red in theii' own blood ; but General Guzman Blanco spurred his horse in front, and said that they should shoot him first before they should harm a woman and a child." By this time I had got on my boots, and had Hghted my cigar ; so I descended to the street to mount ; for the gover- nor of the province had sent me a message that he should start at 6 a.m., with all the notables of Valencia, to meet the president, and hoped I would ride with him. I had sent to borrow a horse, and I found a remarkable animal awaiting me. He was young, full of fire, and very handsome — all but his colour, which was almost that of slate, with white eyes. Altogether he was a good specimen of the Venezvielan horse, a capital charger in miniature, and not more than fourteen hands and a half high. Punctuality is not one of the Vene- zuelan virtues, as I found on this occasion. Although I had been warned that the governor would start exactly at six, I had to wait at least half an hour ; and, as my horse was extremely fresh and fidgety, it was rather fatiguing. At last we started in a cavalcade of some twenty or tliirty horsemen, and, seeing a Spanish friend among them with whom I was rather inti- mate, I fell into discourse with him about the Venezuelan troops I had seen the day before, and their character. My friend said they were much better soldiers than they looked. He had no gTeat opinion- of their humanity, and not only confirmed Juan's story of Madame E. and her child, but told me several anecdotes not at all suggestive of Venezuelan love of fair play. Amongst other things, he said that when 198 VENEZUELA. the party now in power made their triumphal entry mto Caracas, one of their officers insulted an officer of the oligar- chists. A duel was fought on the spot, m sight of an excited crowd of soldiers and others ; and when the democrat was run through the body, the b3^standers discharged a whole volley at the conqueror, who fell pierced with twenty bullets. I then asked hun his opinion of the president. " Falcon," said he, " deserves a bright page in history for his modera- tion. Of all the men who have governed Venezuela, Falcon is by far the most humane. Bolivar, as you know, was guilty of many sanguinary acts. On the 14th, 15th, and 16th of February, 1814, he had almost as many persons shot as Robespierre sent to the guillotine. Some of them were aged men of fourscore years, who could not walk, so had to be carried to the place of execution in chairs. The other gi'eat revolutionary leaders have been sangumary, too, and even those associated with Falcon, as Sotillo, are no ex- ception to the rule ; but Falcon himself is a shining example of clemenc}^ and coui'age combined. Nor can it be denied that in his case clemency has proved the best policy. I will give 3'ou an example. In 1861 he fought a drawn battle with Paez near Caracas. Prisoners were taken on both sides. Falcon treated his well, and, after a few days, sent an officer into Caracas with a flag of truce, and invited an exchange. Paez, it is said, sent for the prisoners he had made, and ordered them to be shot — a command which was immediately carried into execution ; then tm-ning to the officer who had come from Falcon, he bade him dej^art and report what he had seen to his general. Shortly after that officer had returned to his own camp. General Falcon rode up to the place where his i^risoners were, and calling out A NOBLE EEVENGE. 199 one of them, a Mr. Sutherland, put a paper into his hands ; it was the account of the execution at Caracas. Sutherh^nd read the report, handed it back to Falcon, and said, ' Well, general, of course I know oui- fate is settled. Allow me, however, to thank you for the very kind way in which we have been treated ever since we have been in your hands.' General Falcon bowed, and replied, ' In an hour you will receive notice of my decision.' With these words the gene- ral rode away, and Mr. Sutherland and his fellow-prisoners j)repared for instant death. In rather less than an hour one of Falcon's aides-de-camp rode up, and brought a sealed paper, which he delivered into Mr. Sutherland's hands, after causing the other prisoners to be brought out. They were brave men ; but it is not to be doubted that the pulse of some of them beat fast in that awful moment of susj^ense, remembering, as they must have done, that even the small boon of a soldier's death was not always granted in some of the barbarous executions of the preceding wars. What was theii' astonishment, then, when Sutherland read aloud these words : ' General Falcon is unable to retaliate for one bar- barity b}^ the perpetration of another. The prisoners taken by him in the late action are free on tlieii' parole not to bear arms against him in the present war. And, fm-ther, as many of them have great distances to travel to reach their- homes, they will each be provided with a sum of money ^sufficient for the journey ! ' " You may be sm-e that there was a shout of ' Viva Falcon ! ' on this announcement. But what is more, Sutherland — who had been a steady opponent of Falcon till then — was so touched by his magnanimity, that he hastened to his native place, Maracaibo, and raised the whole pro- 200 VENEZUELA. vince in favour of his ^enefactor. This mission had an important effect in deciding the issue of the struggle, and from that day to this Maracaibo has continued faithful to Falcon under the guidance of Sutherland, who was elected president of the province." By the time this anecdote and some others were told, we had got well on our way to Tocuyo, which is about twelve miles distant from Valencia. We were fast approachmg the western range of mountains which stretches from Valencia towards Apure, and as we advanced the beauty of the scenery increased. At the same time very threatening clouds were gathering in front of us, and, not wishing to get a soaking, I gave my horse the sjDur, and soon left every one of my companions beliind, and reached the posada of Tocuyo at full gallop. It was well I did so, for a few minutes after I arrived the rain descended in a thunder-plump, which would have drenched me to the skin in an instant. In the midst of this deluge my Valencian friends arrived, and a few minutes afterwards a large body of horsemen made their appearance from the opposite direction, issuing from a gorge in the mountams. Here- upon some fifty tatterdemalion soldiers, who were ensconced in the sheds near the posada, were hastily called out, and presented arms, as a powerfuTy built man, T\ith a great slouching sombrero, rode up at the head of the horsemen we had seen coming from the mountains. " So this is Falcon," I said to myself, as the caballero with the slouched hat ahghted. He is a man of the Con- rade t}'pe, not more than five feet nine inches in height; but his broad shoulders, great swelling chest, and powerful lunbs show that he would be a formidable antagonist to GENERAL FALCOX. 2()1 encounter. His face is not strictly handsome, perhaps, but more than good-looking. Black hair and moustache, a clear ohve complexion, and regular features, do not of them- selves imply anything specially attractive ; but the expres- sion of Falcon's fine dark eyes is singularly plea'sing. Without aiming at a pun, I might srj that they are the eyes of a dove rather than of a falcon. Their too gi'eat softness is, however, corrected by the firmness and decision of his mouth ; and, to sum up, one may say that Falcon's physiognomy announces him to be manly, com'ageous, and most humane. While the president was exchanging recognitions with the crowd around him, my friend Don Fernando whis- pered to me : " There's the man who may truly say, ' Le gouvernement c'est moi,' for he it is who keeps the present party in power, or rather presei"ves Venezuela from down- right anarchy. You know, congress has decreed to him the title of ' Grand Mariscal ' of the republic, just as Bolivar was styled the ' Liberator,' and Paez the ' Illustrious Citizen.' Well ! BoHvar perished in exile, and almost in want of the necessaries of life. Paez has long been a fugi- tive. It remains to be seen what will be the fate of the Grand Mariscal." After the president had greeted his friends, and had been told who I was, he stepped up to me very affably, and inquired #if I spoke Spanish. Some of those officious people who are always to be found hovering about a gi'eat man, like Falcon, anticipated my answer for me, and ex- claimed that I spoke a little; "But," added they, "you, general, can speak to him in French." "No," said Falcon, " I have been too long in the mountains ; I cannot speak 202 VENEZUELA. French now." Rather amused at this disclaimer, for the Venezuelans had been boasting to me of their president's knowledge of the language of dij)lomacy, I said that I hoped to make myself intelligible in Spanish. We then conversed for some time, when, on some one mentioning the disturbances which the president had come from Coro to quell, and calling them a revolution. Falcon turned to hun and said, in a very loud and decided tone, " There will be no revolution ! The interests at stake are too great to admit of change. Were these troubles to continue now, the coffee and cotton crops would be lost. I have every reason to hope, on the contrary, that the English commis- sioner will carry good news to his country." Just at this moment important despatches were brought in, and the president retired with some of the chief officers to another room to discuss them. I remained, and the apartment where I was gi'ew more and more crowded, as fresh people arrived from the estates in the neighbom-hood. Many came in uniforms, not unbecoming, though rather bizarre. I was mtroduced to a number of persons, and amongst them to a Mr. A., who asked me what part of England I came from. I said, "From London;" where- upon he exclaimed, " Then I dare say you know my family, for they, too, reside in that town." I thought he was joking; but, seeing he looked quite grave, I drew him out a little, and found he had no idea that London ^as larger than Caracas. As I felt quite sure that he would think me a Munchausen if I told him that the Enghsh capital con- tained three times as many persons as all Venezuela, I maintained a discreet silence on that head. I could, how- ever, hardly keep my countenance when he wrote down his GENEEAL FALCON. 203 name on paper, and added a memorandimi that liis family lived in London, and I was to find them out and send him the particulars. Presently one of the company informed me that A.'s father was a Serjeant, and rose to be a major in Venezuela, where this son was horn. Meantime, a general of cavaky had been preparing lunch, of which I was glad to partake ; and when it was over, and we had betaken oui'selves to cigars, an officer came and requested me to go to the president. I fomid Falcon quite alone, swinging, in his hammock ; but on seeing me he sprang up, and made me sit on a bed, while he sat in a chair. I said I had been anxious to see him, m order to learn from his ovn\ mouth his sentiments regarding the loan. He replied that, from the communications he had received from General Guzman Blanco, he had no doubt that all would be satisfactorily settled. I dwelt on the importance of a scrupulous adherence to the conditions, and of the government's maintaining its character for good faith. He assented. I then said that I had visited the richest districts in Venezuela, and was quite convinced of the enormous productiveness of the soil ; but there were two things wanting, hrazos y dinero — "labour and capital." " It appears to me," I contmued, " that the Venezuelan government have the means of becoming rich, and of pay- ing off all the debt of the country." " Ah ! " said he, "how so, pray?" "By seUing," I replied, " a gTeat tract of country to some European company who would send out large bodies of emigrants." He asked me if that pro- position came from the English government or from piivate individuals ; and on my telling him, from the latter, he declared that he was most favourable to such an enterprise. 204 VENEZUELA. "There is," he said, "a tract of country between Mara- caibo and Caracas, two hundred leagues long and fifty broad, admirably adapted for cultivation, which might be sold to emigrants." After this we spoke of indifferent sub- jects, and ijrincipally of the chase. He told me he had just killed two large panthers and a puma in the forests of Coro. The puma took refuge in an immense tree, the foliage of which was so thick as almost to conceal it, so that he had had great difficulty in shooting it. Finding that I was fond of sport, he expressed his regret that I had not come to Coro, which, indeed, was entirely his own fault, as he had not invited me. His lunch was now brought in, and he asked me to join hun at the table ; but I said I had already disposed of my appetite, and I toolc leave, pleased with his manners, but not too deeply con- vinced of his sincerity. On coming out, I was shown the diamond star he wears (which is worth, perhaps, two hundred guineas), and his Order of Liberator. " So much," thought I, "for equality, republican simphcit}', and all that sort of thing." CHAPTER XL A Visit to Carabobo — Joltings by the way — Mine host the Colonel, and the Posada at the battle-field — Position of affairs before the Battle — The Advance from San Carlos — The Night before the battle — The Spanish Position — Flight of the Apure Bravos — Repulse of the Cavaliy under Paez — Ammunition exhausted — Bayonet charge of the British- — The Spaniards routed — Loss of the British — Bolivar's grateful Address — Results of the Victory. Before leaving Valencia, that pearl of Venezuelan cities, I resolved to visit the field of Carabobo. The name is little familiar to English ears, yet here BoUvar fought the battle which decided the liberties of the South American republics, and here British valour achieved a victory which deserves to be recorded in bronze and marble. The battle-field is situated about eighteen miles south of Valencia. As I foresaw it would take some time to examine the ground, besides four or five hom-s at least for going and returning, and as a tropical sun in August is not agreeable, I determined to drive rather than ride. "What easier!" exclaims my European sightseer. " Order a carriage, and the thing is done." Carriages, however, being non-existent in Valencia, I was obliged to make search for a roofed vehicle of any description. At last my choice was a nonde- script, strongly suggestive of the disasters which shortly took place. Into this I mounted with two or three friends 206 VENEZUELA. about 6 o'clock on the morning of the 29th of August, 186 — . We all lit our cigars, gave the word to old Domingo, the driver, and started with a shock that broke one of the traces, and enabled us to get well to the end of our fk'st cigars before even leaving the door. To say that the streets of Valencia are not adapted for wheels, is to speak in the mild form which the Greeks thought advisable in discoursing of anything preternaturally bad. On this principle, one might say that these streets are paved, just as the Furies were called Eumenides. I had made up my mind to be "jolted to a jelly," but another form of martyrdom was reserved for us. At the first turning there was a chasm, into which we were all but precipitated. At last we cleared it with a portentous jerk, but the triumj)li cost us so many fractures as to entail a delay which lasted through another cigar. We then got on pretty well through a street and a square, but onl}^ to find ourselves in a narrow lane, shelving laterally at an angle of thirty degrees, and full of holes and heaps of broken flagstones. Here we smashed the pole, and the driver went off for a fresh one, and did not return till we had consumed a third cigar. The sun was already hot before we were off the stones. The road lay in the centre of a valley, which extended north and south as far as eye could reach, and' was bounded to east and west by richly wooded ranges of mountains some twenty miles apart, and from one thou- sand to five thousand feet high. This valley cuts at right angles the far narrower one in which Valencia is built. At its northern extremity is the Lake of Tacarigua, and thence to the field of Carabobo, a distance of twenty- eight miles, there is a succession of plantations, many of them VISIT TO CARABOBO. 207 uncultivated since the late war it is true, and now unprofit- able to the owners, but not the less luxuriant and pleasing to the eye. Were it not for snakes, insects, a vertical sun, fever, and a too rank crop of liberty, this valley would be Paradise. So we thought,,and, falling into a benignant humour, we exchanged civil words with aR we met. These were, for the most part, ragged fellows driving mules or asses, or momited on miserable jades of horses, yet the usual salutation by which they were addi-essed was, " Good morning, general;" "Good morning, doctor." It was past 10 o'clock a.m. before we got to a posada, which is the sole habitation near the Pass of Carabobo. The landlord was only a colonel, but in respectability of appearance he quite thrust several of the generals we had met into the shade. We asked what we could have for breakfast. Like innkeepers eveiywhere, he informed us we could have whatever we' liked; but on om' proceeding to name various desii'able dishes, it turned out that none of them were forthcoming, and, in the end, we subsided into a meek acquiescence in eggs, which were, in truth, the onl}^ thing procurable. For this ovation, and two bottles of wretched wine of the country, the worthy colonel charged us only twenty-one shillings; so that we did not pay much more than a shilling an egg. Having feasted after this fashion, we sallied forth to re- connoitre the locality in which the battle was fought. It was now past eleven, and the fierce sun made us appreciate what the combatants must have suffered from the heat on the memorable 24th of June, 1821. The English, at least, must have been sorely tried ; but as for the natives, we had just then a proof of their power of endurance, for a party 208 VENEZUELA. of travellers went by, among whom were several girls, who had but a light mantilla drawn over their heads. And here, after the fashion of the immortal Cervantes, it might be allowable to request the reader to suspend his interest in the battle of Carabobo, and turn aside to a lengthy episode in which could be related an adventure or love passage that befell one or other of our party then, or on some other occasion, or which it might be adroitly pre- tended that one of the said travellers, a propos or otherwise, recounted to us. But, to say truth, the sun was making havoc of my patience, and, so far from seeking matter for an episode, I besought the cicerone of the party to tell us all he knew, and to be brief about it, as I wanted to get under shelter again as fast as possible. The old general, however, had his own way of teUing the story, and was not to be thwarted. "You will never understand the battle," said he, "nor appreciate it, unless you know something of the previous position of affairs. You see we had all been a good deal dissatisfied with Bolivar, who, on the 25th of November, 1820 — the year before the battle, — had concluded a truce for six months with the Spanish Captain- General Morillo. This took i^lace at Santa Anna, a village in the province of Trujillo, to the west of Carabobo. It is true we got rid of Morillo b}' the armistice, for he went oif to Spain as soon as it was signed ; but he left La Torre, as good a general as himself, at the head of affau's, to say nothing of the famous Morales, who commanded the plundering hordes first raised by Yanes and Bores. And if Morales had not been a traitor, and La Torre had kept his forces together, and prevented Bolivar from joining Paez, who was posted with three thou- BEFOEE THE BATTLE. 209 sand men at Achaguas, in Apure, to the south of this, the issue of the struggle might have been different. But Bolivar was right. He no doubt knew that Morales was disaffected because he had not been appointed to succeed Morillo ; and the armistice gave the patriots time to mature theii* plans and to seize some important places, such as Maracaibo, under cover of the truce." "Allwliich," I observed, "redounds, of coui'se, very much to the honour of the said patriots, and is a proof of theii* love of truth and respect for treaties." " I cannot but thmk," continued the general, disregarding my interruption, "that, with eleven thousand choice troops such as the Spanish general had — veterans trained in com- bats with the French, and in many a stubborn fight in this countr}^ — the victory might have been wrested from Bolivar, in spite of the thousand British bayonets that supported him. But La Torre, who lay at San Carlos, about one hundi'ed miles to the south of this, was induced by Morales to send some of his best regiments to defend Ca- racas against Bermudez, one of our ablest officers, who marched on the capital from the east. Bermudez, after many successes, was utterl}" routed at last under the very walls of Caracas. But, in the mean time, Bolivar had joined Paez, and was advancing against La Torre with equal, if not superior forces. His army, when united, was formed in three divisions. The first, commanded by General Paez, was composed of the Cazadores Britanicos, or ' British light mfantry,' which was the remnant of the Bri- tish Legion, or Elsam's Brigade, and now numbered not more than eight hundred men ; one hundred of the Irish Legion attached to the English corps ; the native regiment, 210 VENEZUELA. called the Bravos of Apure, eight hundred strong ; and one thousand four hundred native cavahy; m all, three thou- sand one hundred men. " The second division, commanded by General Cedeno, consisted of the regiments called Tiradores, Boyaca, and Vargas, and of the squadi'on Sagrado, commanded by Arismendi ; m all, about one thousand eight hundred men. *' The third division was commanded by Colonel Am- brosio Plaza, and consisted of the Rifles, a regiment officered by Enghshmen, Avith Colonel Sandes at their head, and the three regiments Granaderos, Vencedor, and Anzuategui, with one regiment of cavalry, under Colonel Rondon. The numerical strength of this division was, in round numbers, two thousand five hundred men. " The soldiers of this force were the best in the countr}'. As for our battalion, a great general, it is said, pronounced that Englishmen fight best when well fed ; but Carabobo proved that British courage does not depend on food alone. In fact, we English were desperate men, and much in the same mind as that of our forefathers at Agincom't. We were without pa}^ wretchedly clothed, and with no rations but half-starved bull-beef, wliich we ate without salt, that being a luxury unknown in Ai)ure. Life itself had become hateful to us, and the men had been driven by distress, not long before, into open mutuiy. The zeal of the officers alone extmguished the revolt, but many of us were wounded in quelling it. Order was at last re-established, but after scenes which I do not care to recall. Add to this, our commanding ofl&cer. Brigadier Blosset, was killed in a duel with Power of the Irish Legion, and this latter corps, all but the hundred SUFFEEIXGS OF THE TEOOPS. 211 men who were attaclied to us, mutinied, and, after sacking Rio-Hacha, had heen shipped off to Jamaica. " Well, to go back a little before coming to the battle. I must tell you that it was the 10th of May when ovu- brigade, imder Paez, removed from Achaguas, a strong position on the frontier, between the provinces of Apure and Carabobo. We had been stationed there to watch INIorales, who lay at Calabozo, about a hmidred miles to the north of us. As soon as he retreated on San Carlos we advanced, and passed through the city of Guanares to San Carlos, from which the enemy retired. There we were joined by Bohvar, with Cedeiio's division, and halted for four d&js to prepare for the battle which was now imminent. At this time an order was issued that we English should act independently of the regiment Apm-e with which we had hitherto been brigaded. This turned out to be a most fortunate occuri'ence. " We had now been marching for more than a month, and had suffered terrible privations. We had had to cross the river AjDurito, and numerous streams swarming with alli- gators and, with that still more dangerous pest, the Caribe fish, wliich, though no bigger than a perch, has teeth which will penetrate a coat of steel, and which, at the scent of blood, comes in such m^Tiads, that the largest animals, and even the alligator itself, are eaten up by them in a moment. Some of our men had thus perished in the water, and others had died on the road from the bites of snakes and venomous reptiles. A far greater number fell victims to want, fatigue, and disease. In short, om- sufferings had been such, that there was not a man of us that was not resolved to die, fightmg, rather than retrace his steps. " The opportunity was at hand. On the 21st of June we p 2 212 VENEZUELA. marched from San Carlos, due east about a dozen miles, to the village of Tinaco. Our cavalry in advance, under Colonel Silva, had a sharp brush with the enemy, and brought in some prisoners. The same evening the third division, under Plaza, joined us, and brought up our strength to something over seven thousand. Next day, the 22nd, we pushed on due north, through the village of Tin- naquillo, and halted on the road to Carabobo, the enemy's outposts falling back before us, but not without sharp skir- mishes. " We had now the River Chirgua to cross, and then the defile of Buenavista. This is a formidable position, and if it had been occupied by the enemy we could hardly have forced it. Luckily they had resolved on the Pass of Cara- bobo as the spot where they would give battle, so our ad- vance on the 23rd was unopposed. That day, about noon, our vedettes came in sight of the Spanish army, and BoUvar halted us and formed us as if for the attack. Paez com- manded the right, Cedeno the left, and Plaza had the centre. Bolivar then rode from left to right, and addressed each corps as he passed. His words were received by the others with silence, but when he had done speaking to the Eng- lish, we gave him three hurrahs that were heard a mile off. " It was only 1 p.m., but Bolivar determined to postpone the attack till next day, either to give us a rest, or because he thought it would be lucky to fight on San Juan's Day. We halted, therefore, and passed the night where we were. And such a night it was ! The rain fell in torrents, and those of us who had been at Waterloo reminded one an- other that it was just the same there, and took it for a good omen. POSITION OF THE ENEMY. 213 " The weather in South America is always in extremes, and the sky was cloudless on the 24th, when we stood to arms. Our officers were grouped together, tallying over the chances of the day, when an order came from Bolivar for the right division, in which we English were, to advance. It was now that the Creole regiment that was wdth us, called the Bravos of Apure, claimed to lead the attack. As a matter of right it belonged to us, we being the older corps ; but considering the pretension on the part of natives of the country very natural, we conceded the point, and on they went. Our regiment follow^ed, and then came the cavalry, under Paez, led b}^ a squadron called Los Colorados, com- posed of two hundred supernumerary officers. The morn- ing dawned bright and clear as we moved along the heights opposite the Spaniards. All was calm and still, as if Nature would contrast her peacefuhiess with the horrid uproar with which man was about to break in. " We were moving to the west, to get round the enemy's right flank if possible. We could see his guns and some of his infantry ; but much of his force was hid by the trees and the broken ground, and a strong body of his men were posted in a ravine, where they were altogether out of sight. But it is time to point out to you his position. This road, by which we came from Valencia, is the high road to San Carlos. The ravine which you see there behind us, coming down to it from the south-east, is called the Manzana, or ' Apple ' ravine. Behind that were the head-quarters of the Spanish army. Their forces were in position in front of the ravine, and on the right of the San Carlos road, their guns being on their left flank — on that hill which you see completely commands the road. Had we advanced along 214 VENEZUELA. the road, our column would have been swept by their guns, and exposed to an attack in flank, which must have proved fatal. On the other hand, the ground on the extreme right of the Spaniards you see there," said the old general, point- ing to a series of steep hills and deep ravines, "was quite impracticable for regular troops and cavahy. Bolivar, therefore, after reconnoitring the enemy for about a quarter of an hour, sent us orders to attack by the ravine, which, as you see, lies between the hill on which were the Spanish guns and their infantr}". This ravine we found so deep, that, on descending into it, we lost sight of the regiment of Apure. Meantime, the enemy's guns had opened fire, and men began to fall in both the battalions of our brigade. " The crest of the ravine was lined by the enemy. The ground on which they stood slopes gently towards the mouth of the ravine, which is so steep, that I, for one, was glad to catch hold of the tail of a horse ridden by an officer in front of me. Directly the Apure regiment had got out of the ravine and were beginning to deploy, the enemy's cavalry threatened to charge it, but, either through trea- chery or cowardice, retreated before our cavalry, who now passed us on our right and charged, but were in their turn driven back by the fire of the Spanish line. Meantime, the Apure Bravos had formed line and advanced to withm pistol-shot of the Spaniards, when they received a mur- derous volley from more than three thousand muskets, be- sides the fire of the Spanish artillery. Overwhelmed with this storm of shot, the regiment wavered, then broke and fled back in headlong disorder upon us. It was a critical moment, but we managed to keep our gTound till the fugitives had got through our ranks back into the ravine, and then AMMUNITION EXHAUSTED. 215 oiu- grenadier company, gallantly led by Captain Minchin, formed up and poured in their fii'e upon the Spaniards, who were only a few paces from them. Checked by this volley, the enemy fell back a little, while our men, pressing eagerly on, formed and delivered their fire company after company. " Beceding before oiu' fire and the long line of British ba3ronets, the Spaniards fell back to the position from which they had rushed in pursuit of the Apure Bravos. But from thence they kept up a tremendous fire upon us, which we returned as rapidly as we could. As they outnumbered us in the ratio of foiu' to one, and were strongly posted and supported by gims, we waited for reinforcements before stormuig their position. Not a man, however, came to help us, and after an hour passed in this manner om' ammuni- tion failed. It then really seemed to be all over with us. We tried, as best we could, to make signals of our distress ; the men kept sprmgmg theii* ramrods, and Colonel Thomas Ferrier, our commanding officer, apprised General Paez of our situation, and called on him to get up a supply of car- tridges. It came at last; but by this time many of our officers and men had fallen, and among them Colonel Fer- rier. You may imagine we were not long in breaking open the ammunition-boxes ; the men numbered off anew, and after delivering a couple of volleys we prepared to charge. At this moment om* cavalry, passing as before by oui' right flank, charged, with General Paez at theii" head. They went on very gallantly, but soon came gallopmg back and passed again to our rear, without having done an}'- execution on the enemy, while they had themselves suffered con- siderably. " Why Bolivar at this time, and mdeed during the period 216 VENEZUELA. since our first advance, sent us no support, I have never been able to guess. Whatever the motive, it is certain that the second and third divisions of the army quietly looked on wliile we were being slaughtered, and made no attempt to help us. The curses of our men were loud and deep, but seeing that they must not expect any help, they made up their minds to carry the enemy's position, or perish. Out of nine hundred men we had not above six hundred left. Captaui Scott, who succeeded Colonel Ferrier, had fallen, and had bequeathed the command to Captain Mmchin ; and the colours of the regiment had seven times changed hands, and had been literally cut to ribands, and dyed with the blood of the gallant fellows who carried them. But, m spite of all this, the word was passed to charge with the bayonet, and on we went, keeping our line as steadily as on a parade day, and with a loud hurrah we were upon them. I must do the Spaniards the justice to say they met us gallantly, and the struggle was for a brief time fierce, and the event doubtful. But the bayonet in the hands of British sol- diers, more especially such a forlorn hope as we were, is irresistible. The Spaniards, five to one as they were, began to give ground, and at last broke and fled. " Then it was, and not till then, that two companies of the Tii'adores came up to om* help, and our cavalry, hitherto of little use, fiercely pursued the retreating enemy. What followed I tell you on hearsay from others, for I was now stretched on the field with two balls through my body. I know, however, that the famous battalion of royalists called ' Valence,' under their gallant colonel Don Tomas Garcia, covered the enemy's retreat, and was never broken. Again and again this noble regiment turned sullenly on its pur- LOSS OF THE BEITISH. 217 suers, and successfully repulsed the attacks of the cavalry and infantry of the third division of our army, which now for the first time left their secure position and pursued the Sijaniards. " It was at this period of the hattle that General Cedeiio, stung by a rebuke from Bolivar, quitted the third division, which he was commanding, and at the head of a small bod}^ of followers, charged the regiment 'Valence,' and found, with all his comrades, the honour- able death tliev sought. So fell ' the bravest of the brave of Columbia.' Plaza also, who commanded the second division, was killed, and also Mallao, another famous hero of the patriots. As for our regiment, it had been too severely handled to join in the pursuit with much \dgour. Two men out of every three were killed or wounded. Be- sides Colonel Ferrier, Lieutenant-Colonel Davy, Captain Scott, Lieutenants Chm-ch, Houston, Newel, Stanle}^ and several others, were killed; and Captains Minchin and Smith, Lieutenants Hubble, Matthew, Hand, Talbot, and others, were wounded. The remains of the corps passed before the Liberator with trailed arms at double-quick, and received with a cheer, but without halting, his words, ' Sal- vadores de mi patria ! ' — Saviom's of nij countr3\ " On getting across the bridge you see there, the enemy made an effort to retrieve the da}', and opened fire with the guns still left to them. Our men then charged, took one of the gims, and got across the bridge, when they had to form squai'e to repel some squadrons of cavahy that attacked them. Our well-dii'ected fire soon broke them, and the rout now became general. The battalion ' Valence ' alone maintained the order of its ranks all the wav to Valencia, 21 S VENEZUELA. baffling for eighteen miles the unceasing attacks of our cavahy. Under the walls of Valencia itself it was, for the last time, charged by the rifles and the grenadiers of Bolivar's Guard, mounted on horseback by order of the Liberator. In this final conflict the gallant Spaniards con- tinued unbroken, and were no further molested, but reach- ing at 10 P.M. the foot of the mountains, they made good their retreat to Puerto Cabello to the number of nme hundred men. " All the rest of the Spanish army was completely dis- solved, and Caracas, the capital. La Guaira, and the other towns still in the hands of the royalists, at once surrendered. In short, the independence of Columbia was achieved by the battle of Carabobo ; and that the victory was entirely owing to the English is proved by the fact that they lost six hun- dred men out of nine hundred, while all the rest of Bolivar's army, amountmg to more than six thousand men, lost but two hundred ! " The old general here concluded his harangue. We then ascended the hill on which the Spanish guns were planted, examined the deep ravine through which the English had passed to the attack, and the slope on which the Spaniards had been drawn up, and returned to Valencia impressed with the belief that the English soldier had never better maintained his reputation than at Carabobo. CHAPTER XII. A Visit to Las Tinajas — The Lake of Tacarigiia — Adieu to Valencia — Repub- lican Jehus — A Coffee Hacienda — Recrviitiiig under Difficulties — The beautiful Vale of Araguas — Maracai — Palmar — Victoria — Consejo — Las Coquillas — Up the Mountains — Life in the Jungle — Limon and Los Teques — The Frenchman's Story — Return to Caracas — A parting Benediction. I RESOLVED, before quitting Valencia, to inspect more closely that broad expanse of beautiful vegetation which surrounds the lake. Two gentlemen, resident in the cit}^ of Valencia, one a Spaniard, the other a German, agTeed to accompany me on an expedition to the plantations. We fortunately secm*ed a better vehicle than that in which we had gone to Carabobo, and on the 8th of September, at 7 A.M., we started. We drove fii'st due north, over the bridge to the hill called the Morro, and then tm-ned off to the right in the direction of the lake, abandoning the main road, which goes to Maracai and Victoria. For three miles the track was tolerably good, though we saw that rain would turn it into deep mud, as there were neither stones nor gravel to give it consistency, nor ditch nor drain for the water to escajDe. Traffic, in fact, made the road, and nature keeps it up, after a fashion, by filling the holes with rubbish from the jungle on both sides. Very ugly was this same low jungle, with no fiower to beautify it, except a common dog-rose. There was 220 VENEZUELA. good grass, however, enough for mnumerable kine to nibble, but I saw no cattle. After the third mile, we entered a broad belt of luxui'iant cultivation. The scenery charmed us ; but, en revanche, the way grew narrower and the ruts deeper till the cigars were all but jolted out of our mouths. Nathless we so endured, though conversation flagged, as we had to speak with great caution for fear of biting off the ends of our tongues in the fearful bumpings that ensued. After five miles or so of this agony, we arrived at Las Tinajas, "the large-mouthed Jars," a hacienda so-called, belonging to the Senores Mesa. Here we alighted, drank coffee, and saw sugar and rum made on a grand scale. The first thing that struck me in this tour of inspection was that a vertical sun, the fumes of rum, and the millions of flies, which improve each shiiung hour by continually perching on the noses of those human beings who come forth to work, are not conducive to persevering labour. There were a good number of men m the factory, but theii" attitude was for the most part that of repose, and they seemed to have sought out the shadiest nooks possible, at the fm'thest attainable distance from the cocina and alembique — the boilers and distillery. Even the steam-engme, made at Glasgow, was doing nothing, with its 16-horse power, to re- imburse its master for the 1200 dollars he had laid out on it. The shed in which it stood must have been 300 feet long, and I counted about a hundred enormous vats in it for rum. The tenant told me he paid 450 dollars a month as rent for this cane farm. He had a nice little cottage, in which our breakfast was bemg prepared. On asking him how he had escaped dming the war, he shook his head, and replied that the Federals had killed some of his labom'ers, had stolen all THE L.1KE OF TACAEIGUA. 221 his cattle, and had three tunes forced him to fly into Valencia. So much for the moderation of patriots ! At 9 A.M. I mounted a horse belonging to the i)lanter, and rode, with my two companions, to the lake, which we reached at 10 o'clock, though the distance is only five miles. On either side the road were coffee estates or cane plantations, and, beyond them, hills beautifull}' wooded. This continued to within a quarter of a mile of the lake, when we entered a belt of prodigiously tall reeds and gi'ass, excellent cover for wild boar and tigers, but I did not hear that there were any such animals there. We got round to the shore opposite to Valencia, and saw the city gleaming white in the distance. In front of us was the Culebra, or Snake Island, and be3'ond it other islets. The water of the lake is fed by fourteen small streams, but it is brackish. It contains fom' kind of fish — the guarina, which is voracious, the vagra, sardina, and bava. Calculating by what we know has taken place, as regards the diminution of the water, since Humboldt's visit,* it ma}' be expected that the lake vnR be dried up in 100 years. An immensely fertile soil will be left at the end of this desiccatory process, and, supposing that the streams, which at present feed the lake, suffice for irrigation, the pro- ductiveness of the Valley of Araguas will be increased. The fevers, also, now so rife on the margin of the lake, would probably, in the case mentioned, disajjpear. On the other hand, the streams may diminish as the aii' becomes more diy, when the prodigious evaporation, which is now going on from the lake, ceases, and then, notwithandmg a black soil of 90 feet in depth, cultivation would fall off. As for the • Humboldt says the Lake is ten leagues or 28,800 toises long, ami 2 3 leagues or 6500 toises broad. 222 VENEZUELA. fevers, they might he prevented by cutting down the stifling jungle of reeds which now borders the water. On the whole, one may regret that the Venezuelans make no attempt to maintain their beautiful lake by bringing back to it the stream of the Pao, which was once its largest feeder, and the course of which was diverted from it to the south at the end of the 17th century.* If only as being the principal orna- ment of one of the loveliest scenes in the world, the Lake of Tacarigua ought to be preserved. So we thought, as we looked across its breadth to Valencia and summed up the attractions of the view; a glittering expanse of silver water, studded with fairy islets, rich masses of foliage of every hue, a city in the distance, that seemed built of white marble, and hills that gradually swelled into blue mountains. I know not how long we might have feasted om* eyes with the scenery, but the sun had gi-own so fierce as to make itself felt even under the spreading branches of the rather diminu- tive trees that grow near the lake. We turned back, there- fore, and galloped all the way to Las Tinajas, arriving at 10.30 A.M. We breakfasted, and one of the superintendents, addressing me in tolerable English, asked me if I would hear him read Richard the Third, which he did in a way very creditable to a man who had never had but one or two lessons at wide intervals. We returned to Valencia at 4 P.M., and I agreed with the coachman to liire his veliicle as far as Victoria on my return journey to Caracas, and to start on the 13th. When the morning of departure arrived, I got up and dressed at 4 o'clock, having agreed with Antonio, the Creole coachman, to start at 5. But it pleased my lord Antonio, in * Humboldt, vol. iv., p. 149. ANTONIO. 223 the exercise of his republican rights, to be an hour behind time. He offered no apology — not he ; but, getting down from the box, seated himself on a large stone, and began to smoke. Hereupon Juan, who was not in the sweetest temper at havmg been kept waiting, requested him to assist in bringing down my luggage. My lord Antonio did not so much as vouchsafe an articulate reply to this entreat}', but simply shook his head, and continued to smoke. Now, had we not been in a city, but in some lonely spot, my behef is that Juan would have shaken my lord out of his habiliments as a reward for this aggravating conduct. As it was, Juan had to bring down the tilings himself, and when he had done so, my lord Antonio, although he had seen all the luggage five days before, now remarked that it was too heav}^ for his coach, and he could not take it. At this, Juan fell into such a transport of fury as no pen, but that of the immortal Cervantes, could describe. An interminable wrangle ensued, carried on in Spanish with such sur[3rismg volubility and abandon, that, finding I could not get m a word edgeways, I went off to jiresent a bouquet to a lady, and did not return for half an hour, at the end of which period I came back, expecting to find nothing left of the disputants but the tails of their cigars. To my sm^^rise, the hubbub had ceased ; and there was Antonio on the box, ready to start, and Juan and an ill-favoured individual piling my luggage into a cart. In fact, the high contractmg parties, Juan and Antonio, had agreed that I should lead the way with a young German friend and Juan in the coach, and that my luggage should follow as best it could in the cart. I was thus made to pay the expenses of the late wordy war, and should risk the loss of my things into the bargain. So much time had been 224 VENEZUELA. lost, however, that I accepted the situation, and on we went. At 8.30 we reached Las Guias, a neat village four and a half miles from Valencia, and about as far from the lake, and in an houi* more we were at Guicara, and at 10 a.m, at San Joaquin, distant respectivel}' eleven and seventeen miles from Valencia, and both of them villages on the northern coast of the lake. Before noon, still travelling in the same direction, we reached the coffee and cotton plantation of the Senores Gascue and Careno. Here we alighted to breakfast. The situation of the house is most picturesque. It abuts on a hill, 200 feet high, densely clothed with shrubs. Beyond this was a belt of wood, and then a line of glorious moun- tains. Panthers, they said, were numerous in these moun- tains, and they pointed out a spot where a very large one was knoAvn to have his den. He had done a great deal of mischief, but no one was bold enough to attack him in his steep retreat. An aqueduct had been built to the side of the nearest momitain, and along this a fine stream of water was leaping in mid-air, foaming and glittering. It fell close to the mill where the coffee w^as being husked, and they said it was usual for travellers to take a bathe in it. However, not wishing to get a chill, and, perhaps, fever, I declined the experiment. Before we went to breakfast another guest arrived, a Don Kealte, who, it appeared, was the owner of a neighbouring plantation. He told us that the committee for the enlist- ment of soldiers was sitting at no great distance, and that a detachment of 160 men had been sent to him to obtain recruits among his labourers. As soon as he heard that the detachment was approaching, he, like a true patriot, sent off EECKUITING UNDER DIPFICULTIES. 223 every man on his estate, except the lame, the halt, and the blind, to hide in the mountains. The officer in command of the detachment was so enraged at this that he enlisted all these " miserables," but at length, on Realte's threatenmg to go to Valencia to complain, he released his victims and went away. In the discussion that ensued I heard enough to show that the military ser\dce was detested, and that the enhsting parties were often resisted by force. In the com- bats that ensued loss of life was frequent. After brealdast, I looked at the books and went over the works. It appeared that the men who laboured on the estate made four, five, and six reals a day, according to their activit}'. The women get two or three reals. The men were small, but well proportioned; and some of the women were decidedly pretty and even graceful in their figures. I remarked an order that in case of rain out-door work was to be stopped, as exposure to wet brought on fever. The husking-mill was worked by water. It stood in a paved yard, one hundred and fifty feet square, where the coffee berry was being dried. At 3 P.M. we attempted to start, but, the roads being heavy, the pole snapped, which detained us an hour. At 6 P.M. we arrived at the village of Mariala, twenty-six miles from Valencia. There was a pretty cascade on the left of the village which seemed to have a fall of eighty feet. After this the road passed through very fine potreros, or "grazing- gromads," where we saw a good many horses. We were close to the lake, and the road in some places was covered with water. Two severe actions were fought in this locaHty in the old wars of Bolivar. At 7 p.m. we reached Maracai, about thirty miles from Valencia, and found an excellent Q. 226 VENEZUELA. posada, where, to avoid the hnportunate mosquitos, I turned into a hammock, and, covered with a mosquito net, which I had hickily brought with me, slept profoundly. We rose on the 14th at 5 a.m., and, having paid ten dollars for coffee and our night's lodging, we started. About two miles from Maracai we passed the foot of Cabrera, on the summit of a lofty hill, which dominates the lake. For the sake of the view it is worth ascending this hill, in spite of the snakes, which are unpleasantly numerous. At 10 A.M. we reached the hacienda of Palmar, a fine coffee plantation belonging to a German, about sixteen miles east of Maracai. The road passed through beautiful scenery and rich cultivation. We were now beyond the eastern extremity of the lake. The small river Aragua, from which the whole valley is called, falls into the lake on this side. On arrivmg at Palmar a noA^el difficulty presented itself, in the shape of an aqueduct carried across the road, at such a height as just to catch the top of a carriage. To make things more plea- sant the ground below the aqueduct was very muddy, and, indeed, had it not been so, the coach could not possibly have passed. As we were hot, hmigry, and in haste, we jumped out into the mud, and leaning with all our weight on the doors of the coach brought it down on the springs, so as to admit of its passing, though a g — r — ating noise showed that it was literally a real scrape we had got into. Juan, who had to stoop considerably to pass under the duct, indulged in various chuckling reflections as to what would have been our fate if we had arrived at night, and I have no doubt would have joyfully risked his own brains for the pleasure of seeing the carriage decapitated. The proprietor of the estate and his wife, finding I could A STEANGE VISITOE. 227 speak German, welcomed us most warmly. After a cup of coffee we walked over the works, and found everything in the finest order possible. Besides the mill for husking coffee, there was a cane-mill worked by water. A remark- ably" handsome girl was serving this mill with canes, and the planter drew my attention to her vdth. the exclamation, " Bonita muchacha." " Ein hiibsches madchen ! " I replied, " but pray tell me are all the labourers here women, for I don't see half a dozen men about the place ? " ** You are right," said the planter ; "I have as few men as possible, because, you see, the women work nearty as well, and then they cannot be taken for soldiers. It is the recruiting that rums the j)lantations." We did not breakfast till past noon, and I had a delicious bathe where the water from the aqueduct came tumbling down five or six feet into a reservoir, deep enough for a swim. After breakfast mine host played on the piano, and mine hostess, a very tall and comely young matron, gave me an account of an agreeable visit they had had some weeks before. They had been awakened before dawn one day by an unaccountable noise in the verandah, attended by a tremendous commotion amongst the. live stock of the estab- Hshment. At fii'st they thought a panther had come down from the hills, but what puzzled them was a curious hissing sound which arose occasionally, but which appeared to be much too loud to be made by a snake. They waited with much anxiety until it was light, and then went down-stairs, monsiem' le mari, gun in hand, to reconnoitre. To their horror they discovered an enormous boa constrictor, curled round one of the pillars of the verandah, and apparently determined to hold liis own against all comers. In such a Q 2 228 VENEZUELA'. state of things the women labourers were of not much use, but all the men they could muster assembled, and a regular combat took place. On being wounded at the first dis- charge of the gun the serpent uncoiled himself and charged his assailants, who fled like the wind. They were in hopes that he would make off after his victory, but he returned to the verandah, and it was only after firing repeatedly and after a furious battle with machetes and clubs that the mon- ster was killed. He measured over eighteen feet. Among other things mine host told me that he had been music mad, and that, while his father was Kving on the estate, he ran away and joined a company of strolUng musi- cians, who were en route for Maracaibo. They issued bills at Valencia for a concert, but, as very few tickets were sold, one of their number, a Pole, proposed that they should give it gratis, and in the open air at the Gran Plaza. This they did, and thousands of people assembled. It was a complete success in all respects, save as to money. They did not receive one real, and after a few more similar performances with similar results, the runaway retnrned to his father, half starved, and with his musical ardour considerably abated. At 3'30 P.M. we left the hospitable mansion of our German host and his fair wife, and a little after four o'clock passed a long row of huts, tlu'ee miles to the east of Palmar, which are called a town, and are dignified with the name of San Mateo. From this point the road became infamously bad ; in fact, a mere succession of holes and deep ruts, in passing which we gradually dissipated all the good humour we had been accumulating at Pahnar. In vain nature presented us with wood-crowned hills and a perpetual series of the richest plantations in the valley below, the road was really too bad VICTORIA. 229 for us to enjoy the scenery. A mile from San Mateo we passed a house on a lofty hill with a cane estate surrounding it. In it Bolivar was born, and from it he went forth to lead the rebellion, m which thousands died, to leave their country poorer, more discontented, and with infinitely less chance of a tranquil future than under the government of Spain. Yet Bolivar was called a patriot ! Patriot — how the word is abused ; how often it is bestowed on men whom selfish ambition, a love of notoriety, or an unruly spirit, urges to take up arms against a government ! BoHvar mur- dered thousands of prisoners in cold blood, entered Caracas in a triumphal car drawn by beautiful women, and made a general of a notorious coward, whose sister he carried about with him as a mistress. Such is the modern idea of a patriot ! Bolivar was a man of blood, and the house in which he lived met with a fate worthy of its owner. It was held by Becam-te against the Spaniards, and when at last they had forced their way into it, he blew it and them, and himself up, a la Clerkenwell. The present building is new, and it is to be hoped that the existing race of patriots will let it alone, and blow themselves up where they can do no harm. The long succession of fine plantations ended at last with a lovely hacienda, which stands at the entrance of Victoria, with the house as usual built on an eminence. I had heard much of the valley of Araguas and of. its luxuriant cultivation, but the reality sui'passed anticipation. We di'ove at once to the posada in Victoria, and alighted at 5 P.M. The first man I met was a brother of General Guz- man Blanco. I believe he had a very narrow escape of bemg shot by the Government of Bojas. Times were changed now, and he had come down to choose an estate 230 VENEZUELA. ill the far-famed valley. Let us hope his residence will meet with a better destiny than Bolivar's — pero quien sabe ! Our dinner consisted of stewed potatoes, among which some diminutive fragment of a fowl lay in ambush. This was washed down with bad beer and worse wine. My German companion walked out to call on a Dane, who had a pretty daughter. The father had been a posadero and his wife was the cocinera^ They had soon saved up money enough to open a magasin de nouveautes, which, though less remunera- tive, was considered a step up in the land of equahty. I awoke, or rather, arose, at 5 on the morning of the 15th, having been literally devoured by fleas, stifled with heat, and suffocated with innumerable stenches. Had it not been for my hammock, which placed me above the most stupendous efforts of the vernuii that covered the patriotic floor, and left me to fight it out with those who had ah'eady effected a lodgment in my clothes, I believe that nothing of me would have been left after that sanguinary encounter. Escaping from the posada as soon as possible, I walked about till it was time to breakfast with the Dane, of whom I had hired mules to carry me to Caracas. The meat was excellent, and I observed that the daughter of the house, who had so skilfully prepared the cotelettes de mouton, had reserved the sheep's eyes for a young gentleman who sate at table with us, and who repaid les yeux doux with interest. He informed me that he had just retm-ned from the province of Apiire, and that Sotillo, who reigns there after the fashion of Paez, had been enquiring for his share of the loan, and would probably raise disturbances unless a considerable portion were set aside for limi. At 3 p.m. my luggage, which had been continually in the rear ever, since the fracas LEAVE VICTOEIA. 231 with Antonio, arrived, and I engaged a bo}' and two asses to convey it. My German companion had gone hack to Valencia, and I settled to start with Juan at dawn next day for Cai'acas, I dined with the Dane, and rode over the town with him. It contains several thousand inhabitants, and m the hands of the Yankees, or the EngHsh, would by this time have probably contained a quarter of a million. The country around it is the richest in the world, but the people ai"e all, more or less, Antonios. At 4 A.M. on the 16th, thanks to the pulgas, I was ready for the saddle. The mules, however, did not come till six o'clock, so that I had abundant time to reflect on the extor- tionate charges of my posadero, who made me pay twenty- one dollars for the stewed potatoes on the night of the 14th, and the filthy place in which I had twice endeavoiu'ed to sleep. The -Dane had charged me twenty-eight dollars for the mules and the asses, and when I told hun of the bill at the posada, his mind was so full of his own account, he kept repeating — twenty-eight dollars — ahe)' das ist zu stark — das ist ahscheidich ! From the expression of his face, how- ever, I judged that so far from s}Tnpathising with me he was regretting, on hearing of the preposterous bill at the posada and that I had reluctantly paid it, that he had not charged more himself. In short, I was reminded of the story of some one, who had been robbed at an hotel, and com- plained to the waiter, saying that he had lost forty sove- reigns. On this the waiter's face, instead of evincing regret, dilated with a grin of wild delight, and the wretch, rubbing his hands, exclaimed, " Forty sovereigns ! my , what a haul ! " Lea\ing Victoria at 6'30, we rode slowly along for two 232 VENEZUELA. hours. The valley gTaclually contracted, the mountains grew higher, and the vegetation became less luxuriant. At 8'30 we passed Consejo, " council-house," a large village, which lay a httle to the right. At 9 we got to Las Coquillas, an estate so called, Juan informed me, from a plant which he pointed out resembling the aloe. Two miles on we came to the river Tuy, a clear, very rapid stream, about twenty yards in breadth and two feet deep. A handsome Creole girl forded it just in front of us, displaying with great cruelty deux jambes parfaitement faites. There was a mill on the far side, where several men were drinking an early glass under some magnificent trees. I inquired of them the way, and they pointed to a very narrow, rugged, and steep path which ascended the side of a lofty mountain in front of us. Here, then, we bade adieu to the famous valley of Araguas, and began to climb back to Caracas. We had come about ten miles from Victoria, and we had still between fifteen and twenty to go to Los Teques, where we were to halt for the night. Unfortunately, at this moment Juan's knee became so swollen and painful that he declared he could ride no longer. However, after a rest of half an hour, — during which the sturdy Httle gamin with the asses, a boy of not more than twelve years, trudged past us, — I persuaded my giant to make another effort. Up and up we went for more than four thousand feet, until we got to the top of the mountain, the views at every turn being really worthy the pencil of a Claude, especially the one which looked back on the Coquillas and Victoria. But the view which pleased Juan most was that of the small posada of Limon, where we ahghted and got his knee rubbed and fomented. I had some eggs and chocolate, for which UP THE MOUNTAINS. 233 1 i^aid twelve reals. At 1'30 p.m. the asses arrived, and at 2 P.M. we went on. Our path lay along the summit of the mountains, the ridge heing from thii-ty to a hundred yards broad at top, while on either side we gazed down four thou- sand or five thousand feet into valleys, beyond which rose other mountains as tall or taller than those we had sur- mounted. After riding about a league, the sun, which had been shining brightly, suddenly veiled itself m clouds. A mist, thin at first, but rapidly becoming denser, began to drift over the heights. At the same time we descended some hundred feet and entered a thick forest. I had just time to wrap myself up in my waterproof when down came the rain with that vigour with which it usually descends in the tropics, and the wind swept in fierce gusts along our path. Having endured this for some time, we looked about for shelter, and, seeing a low hut on the side of the road, we made up to it and knocked. The door was opened by a short, but very square-built, woman of middle age and forbidding appearance, who objected strong!}^ to our entering. How- ever, the storm looked even uglier than she did, so we would not take a denial, but went in, and seated ourselves on a rude bench. I asked her how she could live alone in such a wild forest. She said she had had a friend, who had been killed by a snake, but that she was not afraid to stop, though b}^ herself. She added that she should very likely be bitten by a snake too, for serpents of all kinds were most numerous, particular!}^ cascabels (rattlesnakes). There were also tigres (panthers), she said, but she did not fear them so much. It did not occur to me at the time, but I think it very lil^ely that she was a leper, and consequently safe from human savages, and necessarily an outcast. 234 VENEZUELA. Before long the storm passed over, and we sallied forth again. The road now began to descend rapidly, and the forest ended, at least on the ridge we were crossing, though the sides of tlie mountains were crowded with dense jungle. Here and there a coffee plantation showed itself, and I was astonished at the seeming inaccessibility of the places in which this cultivation was carried on. The winding paths which, doubtless, led to them from the valleys were entirely hidden by trees from our sight. We reached Teques before 7 P.M., and the boy with the luggage came m an hour after- wards. We found a posada in the little town, which looked clean, but contained even more fleas than that at Victoria. After wiithmg m misery for some time, I shouted for the posadero, and told him I was being devoured ahve. He went away for a moment, and returned with a vast bottle of gin, which he put down before me, and saying, " Aqui el remedio," retired. But not " poppy nor mandragora," nor even gin, could relieve my sufferings, and, spite of my long ride, I hardly closed my eyes all night. Next morning I went into a sort of coffee-room to get breakfast, and began reading a paper. Presently a man said to me in English, " Guess you'll not get much out of that." I looked up, and said nothing, on which the same individual remarked, interrogatively, " Arrived by last packet?" I said "No," and was thinkmg of retreating, when a very gentlemanly man began to talk to me in French, and made himself so agreeable that I entered into a long conversation with him. Moreover, he had some excellent claret, which he pressed upon me, so that I enjoyed my breakfast much. Among other things, he told me that his sister had married an EngHshman, an officer in THE FEENCHJklANS STOEY. 235 the Hussars. This officer had received two balls m the battle of Toulouse, one in the shoulder and the other in the knee, and was for a long time detained in the town by his wounds. The doctor who attended him was also the doctor who attended the family of my informant, and hence an acquaintance arose. The Frenchman's sister was beau- tiful, and the Hussar received a thii-d wound, which was beyond the power of doctors to cure. Whenever his departm-e to England was mentioned he always said, " I shall come back for Zoe." At last the doctor pronounced him able to travel, and he took leave. His last words were, "I shall come back for Zoe." Days and months went on, and months gi"ew into years, and the light of hope faded in the French maiden's beautiful hazel eyes. Many suitors had come for her hand and had gone away dis- appointed, and the foi cV Anglais seemed to be a broken link to all but her to whom it was plighted. At last one of the rejected suitors retm'ned, and Zoe's family pressed her to bestow on him a gracious answer. She yielded at length so far as to promise to give him her answer from her own lips. It was a bright da}^ in Jmie when he came for it. The windows were all open, and a sweet smell of flowers floated into the room. Zoe was seated at a table, with a book before her, but her eyes saw not the pages — she was thinking of one far, far away. The rejected suitor entered, and pleaded well and passionately ; but Zoe made no reply — m truth, she heard him not, for her thoughts were far away. Suddenly an electric shock seemed to jjass through her frame. She started up, her eyes flashing, and the bright colom* rushing to her temples. The Frenchman recoiled in alann, thinking that madness had seized her 236 VENEZUELA. brain. A moment afterwards a hasty step was heard commg up the garden path. The door opened, and an excited voice exclaimed, " I have come for Zoe ; " but Zoe heard it not — she had fainted in the arms of her long- looked for Hussar. At 1*30 P.M. on the 17tli of September we started in the coach from Los Teques for Caracas. The distance was only eighteen miles, and we did it in a little more than two hours. The road is, in fact, very good, and, were it ever repaired, would be, I need not say, better. It was made in 1850 by a Frenchman, one M. Le Grand. It is a rapid descent the whole way, with some very uglj precipices and sharp turns, but not in the least degree dangerous. The scenery, of course, is tame in comparison of that between Victoria and Teques. Before leaving Caracas, I gave a dinner to the acting Vice-President of the Republic and to those gentlemen who had shown me attention. Owmg to the number of refusals, we had at last to sit down the ominous number of thirteen. There is the same superstition in Venezuela as to that number that there is among us, and consequently there was not a Httle joldng about it. Next mornmg, very early, Mr. cam'e to my rooms, and said, " Have you heard the news ? " " What news ? " I asked. " General , who sate next you at dinner last night, is dead," "Good Heavens!" I replied, really very much shocked; "how singular. The General was the very man we were quizzing about the number thirteen." An hour afterwards, all Caracas was talking about the melancholy, sudden death, and I believe not an individual in the whole city would at any price have made one of a party of thirteen that day. AN AWKWARD EUMOUE. 237 However, just as we bad acquii-ed the most solemn belief in tbe ijresagio, I was scandalised by seeing tbe General •who had been declared defmict walk into my apartment. After some desultor)^ conversation, dm-ing which I was endeavouring to control my sense of the wi'ong he had committed by falsif}dng a story which had been accepted so generally, he suddenly exclaimed, " Do you know some one has been spreading an absurd story of my death ? " " Indeed," I said, making a vain eifort to look tout effare, " and pray how could such an absm-d rumom- have arisen ?" "'Egad," he replied, "that's just what puzzles me, except it was the nonsense we were talking last night at dinner, or maybe because General , who lives next door, took it into his head to go off suddenly." " Oh, it must have been your neighbour d}dng," I said, "that did it. No one would have been such a fool as to believe the superstition." "I don't know about that," rejoined the General, taking up his hat ; " people are such fools. But I only wish I could find out the man who fii-st spread the report — by , I'd make him swallow it." I left Caracas on the 8rd of October. On the night of the 2nd I went out to wish some friends good-bye, and in one of my visits had the ill-luck to be bitten m the calf of the leg by a large dog. The bite was extremely painful, but I did not pay much attention to it, and did not even look at it mitil I arrived at La Guaii'a. Then, after a hot and dusty diive m the coach from 6 to 9'40 a.m., I took a cold bath with half a bottle of rum in the water, a recipe which I recommend to travellers. Finding my leg smart abomi- nably, I looked and found it much bruised and shghtly wounded where the dog had bitten me. Now, m South 238 VENEZUELA. ' America, it is by no means safe to bathe with an open wound in cold water. So, upon the whole, I thought it would be better to send for a doctor. Accordingly, as soon as I had dressed, I called for Juan, and, as no answer was returned, went in search of him. I found him in his room lying on the floor, attacked with fever, and looking as woe- begone as possible. He said he had heard me call, but really felt too ill to get up. I said it did not matter, that I wanted to send some one for a doctor, but I would find some other messenger. "A doctor," said Juan, still with the same dismal countenance ; " who wants a doctor ? " " I do," I replied. " I have been bitten by a dog, and from the way it rushed out and ran down the street, I have some suspicion it may have been mad. At all events, I should like to show the wound to a doctor, and at the same time he can prescribe for you." " Bitten b}^ a mad dog ! " ejacu- lated Juan, opening wide his half-closed eyes, and half raising himself from the ground, while his countenance lighted up with evident satisfaction. " I'll go myself — no time to be lost — have it cut out and cork-dried." " No, no, Juan," I replied, not particularly pleased at this alacrit}^ ; " no need for your going, with fever on you, wliile the sun is so fierce. And as for the cauterizing, or cork-drying, as you call it, I fancy it won't be at all necessary." With these words I left him, and despatched another servant for the doctor. My announcement, however, had effected a magical change in Juan. In a very short time he made his appear- ance, and I was quite astounded at his extraordinary reco- very. His haggard look was gone, and in its place he wore his usual jaunty smile. In fact, the possibility of my having hydrophobia had acted as a complete tonic. Not that he A GEEMAN DOCTOR. 239 wished me hami — far from it — but it was part of his idio- s}Ticrasy to find a pleasiu^able excitement in any coming disaster. It was luck}' for me that the dog that bit me was not mad, for I certainly should not have been saved by the promptitude of the doctor. In half an hour, the servant I had sent returned, and said the doctor was asleep, and his domestic said he could not be awakened on any account. *' Did you tell the man I had been bitten by a mad dog ? " I asked. "Yes, senor," replied the servant, "I told him, but he said that made no difference. The doctor could not be disturbed if all the people in the town had been bitten by mad dogs." In short, I had to wait five hom-s, at the end of which time the medico made his appearance. He was a German, of a phlegmatic temperament, and without much ado proceeded to bum a hole in the caK of my leg with something he pom'ed upon it. I inquu-ed if, suj)posing the dog to have been mad, I might, after that unpleasant operation, consider m3'self safe. He fell to reckoning the hours that had elapsed since I was bitten, and then, pulling out his watch and looking xerj oracular, informed me that had I sent to him four hom's before I should have been safe, but, as it was, he could only hoi)e the dog was not mad. "But, doctor," I said, "I did send to jon five hours ago, and your servant said you were asleep and could not be distm'bed." "No; did he?" replied the medico; " how unlucky, and yet one can hardly be angiy with the fellow. Do you know I really believe he would let half my patients die, rather than let me over-fatigue mj-self." With these words, and a hasty bow, the doctor vanished, and I was left to the sympathies of Juan, who was really very 240 VENEZUELA. attentive, though he could not forbear indulging ever and anon in doleful prognostics, and recounted to me more than once the history of his late master's illness, and how he suffered on board a shijj. "You see, sii-," said Juan, "he never thought he would die, no more than you do, and that made him the more impatient. It's always the best to make up your mind, you know, su\" "Yes, Juan," said I, " and that is just what I have done. I am sure the dog was not mad, so say no more about it." However, in spite of the confident way I spoke, I must own to having been very uneasy. My leg became very painful, and the wound grew more and more inflamed. My sufferings were aggravated by the intense heat, and I was unable to take exercise. One day, indeed, I cbove out a little way from the town, and paid a visit to some ladies. They asked me why I limped, and I told them the reason. " Oh ! " said the}', " we have a dog that bites too ; and the other da}^ he almost kLQed a boy. He bit him in several places, and the people could hardly prevent him from tear- ing bun to pieces. Would 3'ou like to see him ? He is as big as a bear nearl}^ and so savage." Hereupon they sent for " Leon," as the brute was called, and he came, led by a man, who had hold of his chain. He was, in fact, the largest mastiff I have ever seen, and the fair Creoles laughed immoderately as they described how he had shaken the boy. Such was my last remmiscence of Venezuela. On the 9th of October I embarked in the small steamer that used to ply between La Guau'a and St. Thomas. Before my departure I had the satisfaction of knowing that the bills, which had been drawn with my concurrence by the Vene- SETTLEMENT OF CLAIMS. 241 zuelan Govemmerit to clear the export duties of all claims, had been paid ; that the American claun for the Aves Island, and French claims, amomiting to one million two hundred thousand francs had been settled ; and that the Venezuelans had been once more placed in a position, in ■which, by good management, they might free themselves from all difficulties. /ip/4 CHAPTER XIII. Difficulty of forming an exact estimate of the resources of Venezuela — Con- figuration and Area of the Countiy — Codazzi's Division of it into Three Systems — Distribution into Provinces — Chief Cities, Climate, and Scenery — Population — Form of Government — Eevenue — Debt — Com- merce — Mineral and Vegetable Products. Notwithstanding the labours of Humboldt, of Boussin- gault, of Codazzi, and of some more recent travellers, it is very difficult to form a just estimate of the resom*ces of Venezuela. The ruinous civil wars, which have been car- ried on for so many years, have kept down the population, and destroyed the agriculture and trade of the country ; while epidemics have done their part in devastating the plains of Apure, though still rich in cattle. No census has been taken of late, and the commercial statistics of recent years do not appear to be deserving of implicit con- fidence. What follows is based on Colonel Codazzi's statements, corrected as far as possible, for the present time, by data obtained partly from the pubHc offices, and partly from private individuals. Venezuela is the most northern region of South America. It is entirely a troj)ical country, l3'ing between 1° 15' and 12° 20' N. lat., 60° 51' 45" and 75° 53' 45" W. long., but its climates range from cold too intense for human hfe to be supported, down to the greatest heat known on the earth's surface. On its extreme west the gigantic ridge of the THE SIEEEAS. 243 Andes rimniiig north and south forms its limit, and from this ridge three sierras, or momitaiu chains, extend with graduall}^ diminishmg altitude to the east, imtil they ai'e lost in the interminable plains of Aj)ure and Guayana, the latter covered i^ith a primeval forest. The highest of these sierras is that which begins m Merida, with peaks fifteen thousand seven hundred and ninety eight feet above the sea. It rapidly decreases in altitude as it passes through the pro- "sdnce of Barinas, and is lost in skii-ting Apui'e. It is one hundred and sixty five Spanish leagues long and six broad. The sierras to the north of it are separated from the Andes by the Great Lake of Maracaibo, the area of which is six thousand thi'ee hundi-ed square miles. The more southern sierra of these two runs parallel to the coast, and is therefore called Costanera. Its highest i)eaks are the Pico de Nirguata and the Silla, which latter is eight thou- sand six hundred feet high. The whole sierra is esti- mated to be sixty leagues long and six broad. The most northern sierra, beginning in Coro, is submerged b}- the sea till it reaches the island of Tortuga. It is then again sub- merged and reappears in the island of Margarita. From the /Vndes, and from the sierras just mentioned, innume- rable streams flow down into the plains of Aj)ure and Guayana, and miite into the might}' river Orinoco, which bisects Guayana, and as it passes Ciudad BoHvar pours, even when at its lowest, a flood of two hundred and forty thousand cubic feet of water per second towards the ocean, or as much as the Ganges brings down when highest.* Codazzi divides Venezuela into three different systems or regions. The first is the Alpine region, which joins the • Codazzi, p. 623. 244 VENEZUELA. mountains of Nueva Granada, that is, tlie Andes, and lies betAveen six tliousand feet and fifteen thousand nine hun- dred feet above the level of the sea. Here are the wastes called paramos or Cold Deserts, where an ic}^ and furious blast chills the blood. During the civil wars whole regi- ments have perished in attempting to cross these wastes. Yet at the foot of the mountains are immense woods, in which the cacao tree, the theobroma, grows wild. In this region, too, are the sabanas, or plains of Barinas, sur- rounded by an amphitheatre of hills, which rise in succes- sive stages. At the summit of each stage are table-lands that might be cultivated. There is no population, however, save in the centre. There coffee, potatoes, wheat, barlej'', and most of the cereals and legumes of the temperate zone are grown. This region contains one thousand seven hun- dred and fiftj^-five Spanish square leagues. The second region begins at the height of one thousand eight hundred and ninety feet above the sea, and is that of the Cordilleras, or mountain chains which run parallel to the coast. Between them lie the rich valleys of Valencia, Araguas, and Tui. Here are grown coffee, cacao, maize» cotton, indigo, sugar cane, yuca, and the plantain. The soil is a deep black mould of marvellous fertility. The area of this rich land is one thousand four hundred and fifty four Spanish square leagues. The third region is that of Parima or Guayana. In shape it resembles an immense convex dish slightly elevated and corrugated by lines of hills, which are sometimes regular, sometimes broken b}^ gigantic rocks, covered with grass, or bare, and in the shape of pyramids, towers, and ruined ramparts. In this region there are five thousand one THE SABANAS. 245 liundred aud four square leagues of virgin forest. There are, besides the vast sabanas of Apure, pastui'es, of wliicli Don Ramon Paez says : — " They ai'e characterised by a luxuiiant growth of various grasses, which, like those of the Portuguesa, preserve a uniform verdui'e throughout the year. These grasses, some of which are soft and pliable as silk, are most important in the economy of cattle-breeding. The prodigious increase of animals in these plains is mainly owing to the superiority of the pas- tm-es over those of the upper regions of the Llanos, from whence the farmer is compelled to migi-ate with his stock every summer. There are tlu'ee varieties of grass which, in richness of flavom' and nutrition, can hardly be sui'i^assed by any other fodder plants of the temperate zones. In the early part of the rainy season the granadilla, a grass reach- ing to about four feet in height, with tender succulent blades and panicles of seed, not unlike some varieties of broom- corn, starts with the earliest showei's of spring. It grows with great rapidity, and is greedily sought by all rummants; but being an annual soon disapjDears. In the alluvial bottom- lands subject to the periodical inundation, two other grasses, no less esteemed for their nutriment, have an uninterrupted growth and luxiuiance, which the hottest season cannot blast ; these are the carretera, named from the beautiful praii'ie-goose that feeds on it ; and the lambedora, so termed on account of its softness." In the middle of these sabanas, wliicli form part of an immense plain that stretches for a thousand miles to the foot of the Bolivian Andes, rises a central plateau called the Mesa of Guanipe, the height of which above the sea varies from two hundi'ed and ninety to fom- hundred and sixty-fom- yards. 216 VENEZUELA. . Around it are miiny secondary j^Iateaux, and from all these issue tiny rills of water, which the traveller, when he first ohserves them shewing themselves from beneath the palm- trees, thinks will soon be absorbed m the soil. Far from being lost, however, they grow and grow till they become streams, and then, uniting, form rivers. In fact, the whole land is full of springs, and the map indicates the course of one thousand and sixty rivers, all navigable, of which seven are of the 1st class, thirty of the 2nd, twenty-two of the 3rd, and nine hundred and sixty-three of the 4th. There are be- sides many lakes, of which that of Maracaibo is the largest, its circumference, including bays, being two hundi-ed and fourteen Spanish leagues. The total area of Venezuela is thirty-five thousand nine hundred and fifty-one Spanish square leagTies, or four hun- dred and twenty-nine thousand and thirty-five square miles, or more than that of France, Spain, and Portugal taken together. Though only one-seventh of the extent of the United States, and one-seventh of that of Brazil, it is larger than N. Granada, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chili, or Paraguay. Codazzi divides Venezuela into three zones ; the agTicul- tural zone, pasture-land, and forest. The fii'st of these con- tains eight thousand seven hundred and tliirty-seven square leagues, of which five hundred only had been cleared in 1840. There were in 1840 only six hundred thousand and fifty inhabitants in this zone, which could support seven milhons. Of pasture land there are nine thousand square leagues, with but thirty-nine thousand inhabitants. There are eighteen thousand two hundred and fourteen square leagues in the forest zone, of which but nine were cleared in 1840, while twelve thousan-d were covered with dense margin forest, and DISTEIBUTION INTO PBOVINCES. 247 tliree thousand are classed, by Codazzi, as hills on which sheep might graze, seven hundred and ninety seven as sabanas fit for cattle, and the rest as steep mountain or lake. This zone, which has perhaps about sixty thousand inhabi- tants, could support sixteen millions. In Codazzi's map Venezuela is divided into thirteen pro- vinces, which, beginning from the south-east, and reckoning in a westerly dii-ection, may be enumerated as follows : — 1. Guayana ; 2. Cumana ; 3. Barcelona ; 4. Margarita ; 5. Caracas ; 6. Carabobo ; 7. Apm-e ; 8. Barmas ; 9. Bar- quisuneto; 10. Coro ; 11. Trujillo ; 12. Merida ; 13. Mara- caibo. In the more modern map of 1865, wall be found the new distribution into twenty-one provinces, which, reckoning in the same order from south-east to west are as follows : — Inhabitants. 1. Guayana with 60,000 2. Matui-in . 45,000* 3. Cumana 75,000* 4. Xueva Esparta 24,000 5. Barcelona 90,000 6. Guarico 18,000 7. Bolivar 120,000 8. Araguas 140,000 9. Distrito Federal 80,000 10. Apure 25,000 11. Zamora 80,000 12. Portuguesa 85,000* 13. Cojedes 60,000 14. Carabobo 170,000* 15. Yaracui 80,000 16. Nueva Cegovia 23,000 17. Coro 80,000 18. Los Andes 80,000 19. Tachira 65,000 20. Merida 90,000 21. Zulia 75,000 Total 1,565,000 * These provinces have united for representative purposes. 248 VENEZUELA. Upon the whole, Gaayana must be regarded as the most important province of Venezuela. It is by far the largest, and is permeated by the magnificent flood of the Orinoco, by wliich and by its tributary streams the whole contment of South America might almost be crossed from east to west; while on the south it is joined by the Casaquiare to the Amazon, and so renders all Brazil accessible for ships from the coast of Venezuela. The commerce which will one day be deve- loped on this great river will, without a doubt, be of immense importance. Of what it is at present an idea may be formed, from the fact that an American Company, who have had the privilege of carrjdng on the steam naviga- tion there for the last eighteen years, have offered half a million of dollars for the renewal of then' charter. Cotton grows wild in Guayana, especially in the canton of Rio Negro, where there is a species which resists the rains that fall during almost the w^hole year in this province. It is called rejuco (furnished with tendrils), and clings to trees for suj)- port. The woods of Guayana are of infinite variety, and can be tm'ned to every useful pm-pose. For the names of some of them see Appendix B. Cattle and skuis might be brought down the Orinoco to suj)ply all the markets in Europe. It is an ancient tradition that gold is to be found in abundance in Guayana, and it was here that from 1535, the Spaniards, and our Ealeigh after them, sought for the Golden City. So Milton writes — * " Yet uuspoil'd Guayana, whose great city Geryon's sous Call El Dorado." 'J'ime has proved that the wondrous legends of the Caribes * Paradise Lost, B. XI. v. 406. SANTO TOMAS. 249 as to this city are false, but it is not to be supposed that they were utterly without foundation — that the precious metal is never to be met with in this vast province. On the contrary, the best living authorities declare,* that even in the vicinity of Angostiu'a gold exists, and is scattered more lavishly over the remoter districts. Indeed, there is reason to think the gold fields of Guayana may yet attract thousands to Venezuela. In 1576 the Jesuits, Iguacio Llauii and Julian Vergara, founded the town of Santo Tomas, opposite the island of Fajardo, but the Dutch destroyed it in 1579. Don Antonio Berrio, ^ho came from Nueva Granada, refounded Santo Tomas in 1591, where Old Guayana now is, and the province thenceforward became a dependency of N. Granada, at least as far as ecclesiastical matters. In 1595 the first expedition, which went from this side, set forth in quest of El Dorado. In 1618 Walter Ealeigh took Santo Tomas, killing Palome- que, the governor, and setting fii'e to the town. Next year it was rebuilt by Fernando Berrio in the same place. In 1764, the city now called Angostui-a was commenced by Mendoza, the governor, fifty-two leagues fm-ther up the river, and was at first called Santo Tomas de la Nueva Guayana, a name Avhich was too lengthy to sm'vive, and gave place to that of Angostm-a, " The Straits." In fact, the Orinoco, whose general breadth in this part is from four- thousand two hun- di'ed to four thousand six hundred j^ards, narrows near the ancient forts of S. Gabriel and S. Eafael to eight hundred and eighty-five yards. In the middle of the stream rises the famous rock called Piedi'a del Medio, which has never been submerged, but which serves as a meter to the people of * See Appendix C. 2.50 VENEZUELA. Angostura to gauge the rise of tlie river. Tliis, when highest, appears to be fifty- six feet above the summer level. On the 20th of November, 1818, Bolivar issued his declaration ot the independence of Venezuela from Angostura, which in his lionour was named Ciudad BoHvar. It is built in the shape of an amphitheatre, on the slope of a hill, in part destitute oi vegetation. Many of the houses are of stone, showing there is little danger from earthquakes. The streets run parallel to the course of the river. Humboldt attributes the un- healthiness of the place to the marshes on the south-east. The capital of Gua3'ana is Ciudad Bolivar, founded by Mendoza in 1764, on the right bank of the Orinoco. It lias ten thousand inhabitants, and Upata,* about one hundred miles nearer the sea, has six thousand. San Fernando, near the confluence of the Atabapo and the Guai- rare, is also a good-sized town. In Ciudad Bolivar is made the far famed tonic called Angostura Bitters, for which prizes have been awarded at the English Exliibitions. In addition to its other claims on the attention of Ensf- lishmen, it must be remembered that Guayana borders on English territory, being conterminous with British Guayana on the south-east, and only a few miles from Trinidad on the north-east. The question of emigration from England to Venezuelan Guayana is one that deserves more attention than it has received. It is true that Ciudad Bolivar has an evil reputation at present for yellow fever, and that generally the climate of Guayana is said to be unfavom-able to Eurojjeans, but that does not appear to have been always the case. Ealeigh, in his " Discoverie of the Large, Eich, and Bewti- * Here are important gold fields. CLIMATE OF GUAYAXA. 2ol full Empii-e of Guayana," writes, p. 112, "Moreover the countrej^ is so liealthfiill, as one hundred persons and more, which lay (without shift, most sluggishly, and were every day almost melted with heat in rowing and marching, and suddenly wet againe with great showers, and did eate of all sorts of corrupt fruits, and made meales of fresh fish without season- ing, of toi-tugas, of lagartos, and of al sorts, good and bad, without either order or messure, and besides lodged in the open a3^re every night) ice lost not any one, nor had one ill disposed to my knowledge, nor found anie calleiitm-a, or other of those pestilent diseases which dwell in all bote regions, and so nere the equinoctiall line." And this testi- mony to the healthfulness of Guayana is remarkably confirmed by Sii* Eobert Schomburgk, who says in a note on the above passage, "During the eight years of our rambles thi'ough the thick forests, over the hills and the extensive savannahs, though our night's lodging was often mereh' the shelter of an umbrageous tree, though often drenched by rains and exposed to the heat of the tropical sun, our fare that of the Indians, — 3'et our health, after we had passed the first fevers in the commencement of the expedition, was seldom inter- rupted by disease. And this remark applies Hkewise to the Em^opeans who accompanied us. Indeed, if we except the melancholy death of Mr. Eeiss, by the upsetting of a boat in descending a cataract, we did not lose a single individual of our Em'opean companions b}" disease brought on by the climate or our hardships. It is otherwise, however, in the coast regions, where injm-ious miasmata render the sojoiu'n frequently dangerous to Em'opeans." In fact, at the distance of about fifteen or twenty miles from the banks of the Orinoco, the ground rises from two 252 VENEZUELA. hundred to five hundred feet, and at this elevation the climate is comparative^ health3\ In case of emigration care should be taken to select high land for the fii'st settlements, and there is no reason to apprehend much sickness in such spots. The province of Maturin formed part of Cumana in the time of Codazzi, 1840. Its principal towns are Maturin, the capital, with seven thousand inhabitants ; Aragua, close to the frontier of Cumana, on the northern limit of Maturin, and Barrancas on the southern. The town of Maturin is celebrated in the liistory of the Eepubhc for the many attacks it has sustained. It is situated in a fine sabana, or grassy plain, on the right shore of the river Guarapiche, which is navigable to a place called Point Colorado, withm eight leagues of the town. Maturin is a not unimportant mart for cattle and agricultural produce. Ai-agua, on the southern slope of the mountains of Caripe, is a town as large as Maturin. In its vicinity is the cele- brated Cave of Guacharo or Caripe, in which tobacco of peculiar excellence is grown, which Humboldt visited and described. He makes its length two thousand eight hun- dred feet, but Codazzi gives more detailed measurements, dividing the cave into three parts, of which the first is nine hundred and seventy-five yards long and from ten to twelve wide, the second two hundred and twenty-five yards long and from one to three wide, and the tliird one hun- dred and thirty-five yards long and fom^teen wide. The first division, which is from seventy to eighty feet high, is inhabited by an innumerable multitude of birds called gua- charos, and from them the Indians in Humboldt's time made one hundred and sixty bottles of liit oil yearly. The CUMANA. 253 roof and sides of tliis division are covered with petrifac- tions and stalactites, which may be seen in the act of formation. A stream, from fifteen to twenty feet broad, but shallow, runs through this part of the cave. In the second division, which is so low that one must stoop to pass through it, there are neither birds nor petrifactions. The tliird, which is the most beautiful of all, on account of the petrifactions, is full of the curious animal called the lapa, which is exceedingly good to eat. The mines at Aragua contain an inexhaustible suppl}- of pm-e salt. At GuaATita and Punceres in this province are mines of sulphur, of salt, and petroleum. Maturin carries on a trade with Trinidad in cattle, horses, and mules. The Pro\'ince of Cumana, which lies to the north of Maturin, is an important one on many accounts, but espe- cially for its magnificent harbours. Humboldt says of the Gulf of Cariaco, on which the capital, Cumana, is situated, that it is " a large and sheltered harbom', able to contain all the fleets of Em'ope put together, having in its bay the creek Obispes, which is one of the handsomest harbom's in America." The port of Mochima, further to the west, is also one of the finest harbours in the world, and beyond it is Manare, also excellent. The capital, Cumana, is the most ancient of all the towns on the mainland, but its j)oj)u- lation is only five thousand. Humboldt says that it has for ages been the focus of the most tremendous earthquakes, and eighteen months before his arrival it was entirely over- thrown by one of those fearful visitations. The coast of Cumana was first discovered by Columbus in his tliii'd voj-age in 1498. In 1520 Gonzalo Ocampo built, half a league from the emhouchemcnt of the river Cumana, now 254 VENEZUELA. called Manzanares, the town of Toledo. Next year Jacome Castallan completed a fortress begun by Las Casas, and called the place New Cordoba, the Capital of New Anda- lusia, as the province was then styled. In 1530 this fortress was thrown down by an earthquake, during wdiich the sea rose twenty feet above its level. In 1766 Cumana was destroyed bj^ another earthquake, and shocks recurred for fourteen months. In 1794 there w^as again an earth- quake, as also in 1797, 1802, 1805, and 1839. Cariipano, another town of this province, has ten thou- sand inhabitants. It is situated near the sea, and would become a populous mart but for the unhealthiness of the lowdands near it. Cariaco, founded in 1600, and first called San Felipe, is surrounded by lands of marvellous fertility. It is situated within a few miles of the inner extremity of the gulf of the same name. Cumanacoa, five and a half Spanish leagues to the south-east of Cumana, is placed in a fertile plain, between two rivers. To the south of it rise the peaks of the Bergantic mountains, some of which are eight thousand feet high. The scenery is exqui- sitely beautiful, but the most remarkable feature in it is the flames, which show themselves at the height of seven hun- dred feet from the hill of Cuchii-ano, and wdiich arise from an inflammable gas, but are thought by the common people to be the soul of the tyrant Lopez d'Aguirre. The chmate of the province is, upon the whole, favourable to health, except near the lands liable to be submerged. The average temperature is 81° of Fahrenheit. The commerce of Cumana consists in coflee, cocoa, cotton, sugar, and tobacco. It also exports cattle and horses, salt and petroleum. The cuspa, or cinchona, here MAEGAEITA. 255 gi'ows to twenty feet liigli ; it is more bitter than Peru- vian bark, and less ii'ritant. It blossoms at tbe end of November. Nueva Esparta, formerly called Margarita, consists of the island of that name and the isles in the vicmit3\ Asuncion, the capital, has four thousand inhabitants, and is situated in a green valley, watered by a stream of the same name, about a league from the sea and one hmidred and twenty- nine yards above its level. The climate is hot, but singularly healthy. The port of Pampatar is the principal harbour in the island, and is quite safe. Indeed storms are so uncom- mon in the sea near Margarita that Humboldt says it might be navigated in an open boat. Margarita was discovered by Columbus in 1498, and next year Cristobal Gueara obtained there the first pearls that were brought from America to Em-ope. The pearl fishery was carried on with great suc- cess during the sixteenth century, but has now fallen to decay. Instead of pearls, fish are now taken in great abun- dance and form the chief commerce of the island, together with tm^tles, and tortoise-shell, which are exported to Cu- mana and Trinidad. Nets, two hundred yards long, are drawn twice a day, and usually bring up from ten to twelve hundred-weights of fish, and sometimes so many that it is requisite to cut the meshes and let some escape. Barcelona is separated on the south from Guayana by the river Orinoco, on the w^est from Guarico by the rivers Unare and Suata, and on the east from Maturin and Cumana by the river Los Pazos, the Mesas of Morichal, Guanij^a, Pehia and Urica, and by the lofty range of the Bergantin mountains. On the north is the sea. The anchoring ground is very inferior to that along the coast of Cumana. 2r)6 VENEZUELA. Barcelona, the capital, is a town of twelve thousand inhabi- tants. It is situated a league from the sea, and from it verdant pasture lands extend all the way to the Orinoco, where much cattle is reared. Barcelona was built in 1671 by the Governor Sancho Fernandez de Angulo. It was the scene of many sanguinary combats during the war of Inde- I)endence, and on the 6th of April, 1817, Bolivar abandoned here Colonel Chamberlain and one thousand men, who most of them perished, after Colonel Chamberlain had destroyed himself and his wife with his own hand.* Aragua, fourteen Spanish leagues due south of Barcelona, is a town of about eight thousand inhabitants There are also the small towns of Piritu, Onato, S. Mateo, S. Diego, Pao and Soledad, which last faces Ciudad Bolivar, being placed on the northern shore of the Orinoco. All the above towns have from two thousand to four thousand inhabitants. The foreign commerce of Barcelona consists in the same articles as that of Cumana, but is less extensive. The province of Guarico has been formed by detaching from the ancient province of Cardcas the three vast districts of Orituco, Chaguaramas, and Calabozo. The caj)ital, Cala- bozo, is a town of ten thousand inhabitants. It was founded by the Guipuzcoan Company in the beginning of the eigh- teenth century, close to the river Guarico, whence the pro- vince has its name, and stands so low that it is sometimes quite surrounded by the floods of the said river. The Guarico falls into the Apurito, and that again falls into the Orinoco near Caicara. Calabozo is surrounded by immense l^astures where vast herds of cattle are bred. It is an ex- # * Diicoudiay Holstein, p. 245. THE PROVINCE OF BOLIVAE. 257 tremel}' well-biiilt city, with streets at right angles. The houses rank with the best at Caracas, and there are many fine churches. The rose here grows to twenty feet high, and two trees will sujiport a hammock. Orchuco, the capital of the district so called, is a town of six thousand inhabitants, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the range of hills which separates the valleys of the Tiii from the llanuras or "pastures." The river Orituco falls into the Guarico. Chaguaramas is a town of about five thousand inhabitants, who ai'e for the most part engaged in breeding cattle. It suffers from want of water. It is situated about eleven Spanish leagues to the south and by east of Orituco. The commerce of this province is less important than that of most of the other provinces. The pro\TLnce of Bolivar has likewise been formed from that of Caracas by detaching from it the districts of Petare, Guarenas, Caucagiia, Rio-Chico, Santa Lucia, and Ocu- mare. Petare, the capital, is a tovm. of six thousand inha- bitants, ten miles to the east of the city of Caracas. It is beautifully situated on the banks of the river Guau'e, and overlookuig the valley of that name. Eighteen miles due east of Petare is the small but plea- santly situated town of Guarenas, and about the same dis- tance to the south of the latter is S. Lucia in a fertile valley, watered by the Guaii-e. All aroimd are fine planta- tions and dense woods. Twenty miles to the south-south- west of S. Lucia is Ocumare with a population of nine thou- sand. It is at a little distance from the Tui, in a rich country covered with woods and plantations. Forty miles to the east by north is Caucagua on a stream of the same name, which 258 VENEZUELA. falls into the Biver Tui, and as the river is navigable to this point Caucagua is excellently placed for commerce. Lastly, twenty-eight miles east b}^ north of Caucagua is Kio Chico, with twelve thousand inhabitants, on the spot where the Tui formerly flowed into the sea. It is near a lake called Taca- rigua which abounds in fish, and on this account and owing to the rich lands by wliich it is surrounded, is enabled to carr}^ on a brisk commerce ; but it is rather feverish and unhealthy. The whole province exports considerable quan- tities of coffee, chocolate, sugar-cane, indigo, and tobacco. The next province, Ai'aguas, one of the most populous and richest in all Venezuela, has been constituted recently, of districts taken from the ancient province of Caracas. These are Victoria, Turmero, Maracai, Cm^a, and San Sebastian. Victoria, the capital, is situated almost exactly in the centre of the- province. It is a town of nine thou- sand inhabitants, surrounded on all sides by calcareous hills covered with trees. The eye is delighted by the sight of the most luxuriant plantations and the richest cultivation extending in every direction. A stream called Calanche passes through the town and flows into the river Aragua, which descends into the Lake of Valencia. To the south and south-east rise the lofty mountains of La Palma, Guaracina, Tiara, and Guiripa, and beyond them are the vast plains which extend past Calabozo. Examination of the neigh- bouring hills shows that the Lake of Valencia, or Tacarigua, m bye-gone ages covered the present site of Victoria. Two high roads lead from Victoria ; one passes by the north of the lake to San Carlos and Barinas, the other on the south of the lake leads to the plains of Apure. It is here that colonists should come. They would find the richest soil in MAEACM. 259 the world, the most beautiful scenery imagmable, and a dehcious and healthy climate, the whole of the pro-vince being more than one thousand six hundred and ninety feet above the level of the sea. Five miles west of Victoria is Tm*mero, where is the former residence of the Governor- General of the Valleys of Aragua. It is now converted into a church. There are eight thousand inhabitants in Turmero, which is rather an agricultural than a trading town, being at a little distance from the high road. Three streams, the Guaire, Paya, and Tm'mero, unite near it. The town of Maracai lies twelve miles west of Turmero, and is about the same size, lia\dng a population of nearly eight thousand. It is three miles to the north of the Lake of Valencia, and from the neighbouring height of Calvario there is a magTiificent view over the lake. All around are planta- tions and meadows, in which numbers of horses are pastured. Cm'a, eighteen miles south-west of Victoria, and San Se- bastian twenty miles south of Victoria, are both situated on the river Pao, which falls into the Guarico. This stream, however, near Cura, is called the Tucutunemo, and presents the strange phenomenon of a disapx)earance under ground for several leagues. The singular liills called the Morros of S. Juan, near Cm'a, are a marvel to the geologist. They are full of caves, of which one is of large dimensions. Cura has eight thousand inhabitants, S. Sebastian about two thousand. The latter is one of the oldest Spanish towns in the country, and owes its origin to the belief that gold- mines existed in the vicinity. Curious caves are to be seen neai' it, and at Ostig, one of the districts dependent on it, bones of the mastodon have been found. The chief export R 2 260 VENEZUELA. of San Sebastian is indigo, which is also grown at Maracai. Cotton and tobacco are grown at Maracai and Cura, cocoa at Turmero, and coffee and sugar-cane at all the chief places in Araguas. The Federal District is formed of the districts of Caracas and La Guaira, part of the ancient provmce of Caracas. Caracas, the capital, has been fully described in the third chapter of this book. The population is fifty thousand. La Guaira also has been described. It has nine thousand inhabitants. The products of the districts dependent on these two cities are coffee, cocoa, and sugar-cane. The province of Apure is inhabited by a race of men who make the best soldiers in South America. These Llaneros, " plainsmen " are matchless horsemen, passing the greatest part of their lives in the saddle, and accustomed to lasso from horseback the wild cattle. To use the words of Don Ramon Paez :* — " Cast upon a wild and apparently inter- minable plain, the domain of savage beasts and poisonous reptiles, their lot is to pass all their life in a perpetual struggle, not onl}' with the primitive possessors of the land, but with the elements themselves, often as fierce as they are grand." These Llaneros are a mixed race, from Spaniards, Indians, and Negroes, and according to M. de Larayesse, possess a more healthy and vigorous constitu- tion and more vital energy than either Europeans or Africans. Hence, in the War of Independence, and in the civil wars that have since occm-red, the Llaneros have always played a most conspicuous part, and have produced the most celebrated soldiers, such as Paez, Boves and Morales, and more lately Sotillo, * Wild Scenes in South America, p. 41. VAST HEEDS OP CATTLE. 261 The present province of Apure, though much curtailed, is about three hundred and thirty miles long, and one hun- dred and five miles broad. The rivers Meta and Orinoco separate it from Guayana on the south and east, and the river Apm-e flows between it on the north and the provinces of Zamora and Gaarico. On the west it is bounded by New Granada. The climate is hot, but in general healthy. From December to February the sky is cloudless. Rains begin in April, and fall with great violence in June, July, and August. In these months Eastern Apm-e is changed into a vast lake, and except for the hardy and experienced natives the whole pro"STJice becomes impassable. Number- less cattle are then destroyed by the jaguars, the alligators, and the yet more troublesome caribe fish, or are drowned in the waters. Notwithstanding this the herds abound to such an extent as to sui'pass the power of description. Some idea of their number may be formed, however, from the following cii'cumstance. It has been found impossible for an}^ cattle-owner to brand more than ten thousand animals in a year. But there are at least ten proprietors who have more than that number born in their herds annually. Con- sequently they are allowed to purchase the pri\dlege of claiming all the unmarked animals near theii" pastures. Now, if we consider how great must be the herd which sup- plies more than ten thousand fresh animals every year, and that certificates are issued to ten proprietors of their ha\ing such a herd, while many other claimants to the certificate exist, and several thousand proprietors who possess herds of various classes below that first rank, it will be evident that the cattle must be reckoned by hundreds of thousands, if not by millions. 262 VENEZUELA. The capital of Apui'e is San Fernando, a town of six thousand inhabitants, situated near the spot where the river Portuguesa falls into the Apure. This latter river is here tw^o hundred and thLrty-six toises broad, when at its lowest ebb, but its usual breadth is one thousand yards. Considerable traffic is carried on by the river, which receives boats bringing goods from Barinas and Caracas for Ciudad Bolivar. But neither S. Fernando, nor any other town of Apure, adds to the traffic. Of course, if freight were less high a trade might be carried on in cattle and hides, for a two j^ear old animal sells for one shilling and sixpence, and a full grown bull for half a crown. The town of Achaguas, thirty-six miles to the south-south- west of S. Fernando, has a population of about four thousand. It was founded as a mission by the Friar Alonso in 1774, and was originally the capital of Apure, when it was formed from Barinas mto a separate province in 1824. It is situated near the confluence of the Apurita with the Matiyure. Mantecal, on the river Caicaro, fifty miles to the west of Achaguas and Guasdualito, in the extreme west of the jDro- vince, are the only other towns of Apure worth notice. Each has about thi'ee thousand inhabitants. Among the noteworthy thmgs in Apure are the Saman trees, a species of mimosa, which afford good timber, and are of such a gigantic size as to overshadow several acres. The province of Zamora has been formed out of the ancient one of Barinas, Obispo, Pedraza, and Nutrias. The new province has Merida, Los Andes, Portuguesa, and Cojedes to the north, Guarico to tli^. east, Apure to the south, and Tachii'a to the west. Barinas, the capital, is a town of six thousand inhabitants. BAEINAS. 263 It is situated in the uortliern part of the province near a hill, where the river Domingo has its soui'ce. It Avas hiiilt in 1576 bj' Juan Andres Yarela, and was fii'st called Altamira de Caceres. Codazzi declares that no province possesses equal advantages, since its inhabitants may be agiiculturists, cattle breeders, and merchants at once. Tobacco of a supe- rior kind is produced here. Obispo, eleven miles to the east by south of Barinas, is a town fully as large. The river Domingo, which passes near it, is navigable, and communicates with the Apure and Orinoco. Caroni, two leagues off on the Domingo, is the port of Obispo. Pedi'aza, eighteen miles to the south-west of Barinas, is a town of three thousand mhabitants. It was founded in 1601 by Gonzalo Pino Ladueiio, who called it by the name of the town in Estremadura in which he was born. In 1614 it was destroyed by the Indians, and rebuilt on its present site hj Diego de Lima. It stands in a lovely sabana on the banks of the river Canagua. To the west of it is the great forest of Ticoporo, which covers eighty square leagues, and in which the cacao tree grows wild. The Canagua is navigable not far from Pedi'aza, so that goods can be car- ried down from it to Ciudad Bolivar. About sixty miles to the south-east of Obispo is Nutrias on the Apm'e river, a town with considerable commerce and about six thousand five hundred inhabitants. It is the general port of the provmce of Barinas, and the following articles are interchanged at it. To Ciudad Bolivar Barinas sends coffee, cocoa, hides, indigo, timber, rice, cotton, maize, sugar, papalon, potatoes, chick-peas, tares, shoe- leather, di'ugs, Indian barley, brandy, horns, mules, mares, 264 VENEZUELA. cattle, receiving in exchange dry goods, soap, delf, rum, wine, gin, cheese, oil, vinegar and salt. To Caracas and Puerto Cabello, Barinas sends indigo, hides, cocoa, asses, pigs and cattle, and receives groceries in exchange. From Barquisimeto Barinas receives leather, morocco leather, shoes, hammocks, linen, sacks, drugs, onions, garlic, pre- serves, tiles, belts, chick-peas, sugar, papelon ; and gives in return maize, beans, rice, cheese, fish, money and cattle. From Tocuyo Barinas receives flour, cotton, blankets, sweetmeats, salt, morocco leather, garlic and onions ; and returns hides and money. From Bocono, in Trujillo, Barinas receives flour, Indian barley, tares, chick-peas, sugar, white cab- bages, potatoes and drugs ; returning piece-goods and money. Mucuchico sends to Barinas drugs, potatoes, tares, and flour; and gets in exchange cattle, cocoa, and fish. The traffic with Merida consists in the things just named, and in robes made of furs, skins, blankets, and hammocks, which Barinas sends also to Apure, getting back cattle from Guasdualito and Achaguas. The new province of Portugueza has been formed from the ancient Merida by detaching the districts of Guanare, Ospino, Araure, and Guanarito. Guanare, the capital of Portugueza, is situated at about four miles to the north of the Guanarito river, and contains seven thousand inhabitants. It was founded by Juan Fer- nandez de Leon in 1593, or according to Oviedo in 1609. The soil about it is most fertile, and the Avoods rich in valuable timber. Its chief wealth, however, consists in cattle. Ospino, situated thirty-four miles to the north by east of Guanare, and midway to Araure, contains about three thou- SAN CAELOS. 265 sand inhabitants. There are excellent pasturages near the town, which is especially famous for its herds of swine, with which it carries on a brisk trade to Carabobo and Cai'acas. Thii-ty-four miles again to the north by east of Ospino is Araui'e, a town of six thousand inhabitants. It is tlii'ee leagues from the canal Durigua, which is navigable, and leads to the river Sarare, which conducts to the Cojedes, and this latter to the Portugueza. This again falls into the Apure, and the Apure into the Orinoco. Near it is the j)ine forest of Tm-en. The cocoa, coffee, sugar-cane, tobacco, and indigo here are excellent. In 1813 a celebrated battle was fought here which hberated all Barinas. It is also the bu-th-place of Paez. Lastly, Guanarito, on the river of the same name, is a town of fom- thousand five hundred inhabitants, in the south-east part of the province. In few places is fish so abundant. Cattle also are reared in great numbers. The principal trade of the province is in cocoa, indigo, cofiee, cotton. The modern province of Cojedes has been formed by detaching from Carabobo the districts of San Carlos and Pao. The capital, San Caiios, is a town of nine thousand in- habitants, and is situated in a fine plain near the river Madi'ina, which faUs into the Portugueza. The hills to the north of the town extend far into the province of Carabobo, and along them is the famous pass called the galera, which divides the plains of Valencia from those to the south of San Carlos. The town is weU built, and the edifices are a sign of the wealth of the inhabitants, who carry on a con- siderable trade in cattle. San Carlos also exports quanti- 266 VENEZUELA. ties of oranges, which fruit grows there in gi-eat abundance. The climate is hot, and fevers are prevalent. Seven miles to the east of San Carlos is Tinaco, with six thousand inhabitants, and twelve miles to the east-north- east of Tinaco is Pao, with about the same population. The trade of these places is chiefly in coffee and sugar. The most pojDulous of all the provinces of Venezuela is Carabobo, which also possesses the richest soil, the most beautiful scenery, and, upon the whole, the most delightful climate. It has been so much cm-tailed by the separation of the districts which form the new province of Cojedes, that it is now no more than forty-five miles square, yet it contains more than double as many inhabitants as most of the other provinces. Its coast can boast of some of the finest harbours in the world, the principal of which is Puerto Cabello, the chief port of Venezuela. Cata, Ocu- mare, and Tmiamo, are also excellent harbours. Valencia, the capital of the province, has been already described in Chapter VIII. It has a population of about twenty-five thousand, was founded b}' Alonso Dias Moreno in 1555, and is consequently twelve years older than Caracas. Seven miles from it is the beautiful lake de- scribed in Chapter XII. Twenty-five miles in a direct line from Valencia is Puerto Cabello, which by the road is at least forty. It contains nine thousand inhabitants, and would be far more populous but for the fevers which prevail there and arise from the rank vegetation, stagnant waters and the mangrove forest. The roots of this tree exposed to the sun send forth deadly exhalations. The principal part of the coffee and cocoa trade of Venezuela is carried on at this port. SAN FELIPE. 267 Eighteen miles to the east of Puerto Cahello is the town. of Ocumare with two thousand inhabitants. The modern province of Yaracui has been formed out of the provinces of Carabobo and Barquisimeto, b}^ detachmg from the former the districts of Nirqua and Montalban, and from the hitter those of San Felipe and Yaritagua. San Felipe, the capital, situated almost exactly in the centre of the province, has eight thousand inliabitants. The Guipuzcoan Company finding tlie village of Cocoroto commodiously situated for trade with the interior, built their stores there, and the town of San Felipe gi'ew up under their support. Six miles to the east flows the river Yaracui, which gives its name to the province, and carries down a considerable amount of merchandize in small vessels to the sea. Fifteen miles to the north runs the river Aroa, by which the copper from the mines of Aroa, a village six leagues to the north-west of San Felipe, is brought down to the sea. The copper of Ai-oa is superior to that of Coquimbo and of Europe, but the district in which it is fomid is ex- tremely unliealthy, as indeed is that which intervenes between San Felijie and Puerto Cabello. Ai'oa also is infamous for the massacre of EngHshmen there, who were employed at the mines, and were barbarously murdered by the native miners some years ago. A raih-oad from Puerto Cabello to San Felipe has been commenced, and would prove of im- mense advantage to the country, but this useful work is at present suspended. Yaritagua, about twenty-six miles to the south of San Fehpe, and Montalban, at the same distance to the south- east, have a population respectively of about three and two thousand. Yaritagua is hot but healthy, and is well placed 268 VENEZUELA. for trade between San Felipe and Barquisimeto. The mountains which separate it from Nirgua are very steep and difficult of passage, Montalban stands in a plain at the foot of hills and with immense woods covering them and stretching away to the sea. The land in the vicinit}^ is of excellent quality. Nirgua, fifteen miles south of Montalban, was first founded in 1555, and several times deserted and reoccupied. In 1625 D. Juan de Meneses y Padilla, exterminated the hostile tribe of Jirabaras and refounded the town with the name of Our Lad}' of the Victory of the Field of Talavera, a title which was too long to continue in vogue. Nirgua is three thousand feet above the level of the sea, and the mountains near it are more than six thousand. Its climate is cool and pleasant, but it is very difficult of access. The trade of this province is in coj)per, indigo, coffee, cocoa, and sugar. The province of Nueva Cegovia represents that which was formerly called Barquisimeto, with the exception of the dis- tricts of San Felipe and Yaritagua, which, as mentioned above, have been assigned to Yaracui. Nueva Cegovia is separated from Coro on the north by a line of mountains uninhabited and little explored, and by lands liable to be submerged by the river Tocuj^o. This river, whose course is nearly four hundred miles long, divides Nueva Cegovia into two equal parts, and after flowing nearly due north for about one hundred and twenty miles through the entire province, turns to the east and forms the boundary between Nueva Cegovia and Coro. It then flows through Coro for seventy miles, being navigable the whole way, and falls mto the sea. On the east the BAEQUISIMETO. 269 mountams of Duaca, three thousand eight hundred feet high, and the river Barquisimeto, separate Xueva Ceg"o^^a from Yaracui, and on the south and west the ranges of Trujillo and Carache, with the peaks of Jabon, Cavimbu, and Eosas rising to the height of from twelve to thii'teen thousand feet, divide it from the provinces of Los Andes and Zuha. The ehmate of the province varies according to the elevation from extreme cold to great heat. The capital, Barquisimeto, situated near the eastern fron- tier, in a plain, where the roads to Coro and to Carabobo and Barinas meet, has a population of ten thousand inhabitants. It was founded in 1552 by D. Juan de Villegas, and was called Nueva Cegovia after the country' of his bii'th. Here the famous Lope de Aguii-]-e, called the Tyrant, after having destroyed his own daughter, was put to death b}" Don Diego Garcia de Paredes. Li 1812 the cit}' was almost destroj'ed b}' the same earthquake which overthrew Caracas, and a whole division of the so-called patriot troops under Colonel Diego Jalon, perished in the ruins. The scenery which smTounds the town is beautiful, especiall}^ towards the south, where the river, from which the town has its present name, flows through a fertile valle}", full of valuable plantations. Rich pastm-es afford every opportunit}- for breeding cattle, the hills produce excellent corn, and the valleys the finest cocoa. Cotton, indigo, and cereals also flourish. Twenty-eight miles south-south-west of Barquisimeto is Quibor, with about two thousand inhabitants, situated in a dry and arid plain. Good mules and asses are bred here. Tocu3'o, ten miles due south of Quibor, has seven thousand inhabitants. It was founded in 1545 b}' Juan de Carvajal, 270 VENEZUELA. and was first called N. Senora de la Concepcion. It is built in a beautiful valley watered by the river of the same name. On the east and west, ranges of hills shut out the view of the Andes, notwithstanding their vast height. On their skii-ts in the directions named are the small towns of Sanare, Guarico, and Barbacoas, with fertile lands and a delightful climate. The corn of Tocuyo is equal to the best in the world. There is a brisk trade also in wool and salt. Tocuyo boasts of a college and good schools. Sixty-three miles almost due west of Barquisimeto is Carora, a town of six thousand inhabitants. It was founded in 1572 by Diego de Montes. The soil is diy, and the only neighbouring stream is the Morere, the waters of which is at times insufficient. Carora owes its population to its ex- cellent climate. In the liills of Guacamuco, which are at no great distance, odoriferous balsams and aromatic gums abound. The cochmeal insect is found here. Coro, a province of the second class in point of size, owes its present importance to its being the bii'th-place of the President, General Falcon, and to the prominent part its levies took in the late war. Its greatest length from east to west is two hundred and twenty miles, and its breadth from north to south two hundred and fifty miles, reckoning from the extremitj'^ of the Peninsula of Paraguana, Cape Roman, where the sabanas of Tatarabare join the province of Nueva Cegovia. The principal port in the long line of coast is La Vela, at two leagues from the capital, where there is good anchorage. Macalla, also to the west of Cape Roman, is an excellent harbour, as is Los Taques and Agana. The climate is in general dry and hot. Near the rivers Tocuyo and Aroa it is more humid and excessively unhealthy. THE TOWN OF COEO. 271 Nevertheless, Coro possesses a considerable tract of ter- ritory, which is probabl}' better adapted for colonization by Eui'opeans than almost any part of Venezuela. This is the mountain range of San Luis, which traverses the centre of the province, and rises to the height of five thousand feet above the sea. Here the land is fertile, and the aii* cool and pleasant. The capital, Coro, has a population of seven thousand inhabitants. It was founded on the 26th of July, 1527, by Juan de Nugaes, who disembarked on the coast with sixty men. Next year Ambrosio de Alfinjer and Bartolome Sailler, both Germans, brought a reinforcement of four hundred Spaniards. In 1578 D. Juan Pimentel transferred the government of the country from Coro to Caracas. In 1818 Coro was erected into a province. The town is situated in a barren plam, one hundred and twenty feet above the sea, and distant from it about two miles. Twenty-eight miles south of Coro, the capital, is the town of San Luis, situated in the healthy and fertile momi- tain range of the same name. Here are plantations of coffee and sugar-cane. The towns of Cumarebo, of Pueblo-Nuevo, in the penin- sula of Paraguana, and of San Miguel del Tocuyo, at the mouth of the river of that name on the eastern shore of the province, as also Casigua in the south-west, are deserving of mention. The trade of Coro is cliiefly in cotton, coffee, and cocoa. But in Paraguana there is a rich salt mine at Guaranao, from which many vessels are loaded yearly with that useful article. The province also carries on a brisk trade with the Dutch islands, Curazao and Oruba exportmg to them hides, 272 VENEZUELA. maize, hammocks, horns, mules, asses, goats, sheep, salt, wool, cheese, tmiher, and cocoa. The appellation of Los Andes has been given to the province foj-merly called from its chief town Trujillo, It is a small province, twenty Spanish leagues broad from east to west, and twenty-six long from north to south, divided from Nueva C ego via on the north and east, from Zulia on the west, and from Merida and Zamora on the south b}^ lofty mountains, of which the peaks Volcan, Caldera, Niquitao, Rosario, Jabon, Rosas, Cabimbu, Tuiiame, Zelas, Linares, Atajo, Tonoco, and man}^ others, rise from ten thousand five hundi'ed to seventeen thousand feet in height. Most of these are covered with eternal snow, and in their neighbourhood are wastes called Paramos, in which a furious wind prevails, so cold as to destroy animal life. There are, hoAvever, deep valleys full of luxuriant vegeta- tion and suitable for agriculture and cattle-breeding. The climate is in general cold, or cool and refreshing. The hills looldng towards the Lake of Maracaibo are, however, feverish and unhealthy. Trujillo, the capital, is a town of seven thousand inhabi- tants. A town of the same name was first founded by Diego Garcia Paredes in 1552 near Matatua, but the lo- cahty was several times changed until it came to be fixed where it now is, a little to the south by east of the centre of the province. In 1668, the pirate Francisco Gramont burned the town, which was long before it recovered. It is placed between two hills on a steep slope towards the river Jacinto. The air is pure and cool, but the water produces the goitre. The town stands at an elevation of thi'ee thousand four hundred feet above the sea. On the 15th of June, 1813, ESCUQUE. 273 Bolivar issued from this town the decree of " war to the death," and on the 26th of November, 1820, he here signed the Convention of Santa Ana, a ^-illage fom- leagues off, by which the cruel reprisals of the seven years' war ceased. Next to the capital, the principal town is Escuque, with six thousand inhabitants, and twenty-three miles to the west by north of Trujillo. It lies in a fair plain on the slope of the hills towards the Lake of Maracaibo. The river Escuque, formed b}' the confluence of the Colorado and Blanco, flows at the foot of the town. To the north-east, on the road to the small town of Betijoque, is a mine of petroleum. The oil made from it gives a bright light, not easily extinguished. Near the mine are many copious springs of cold and excellent water. The rich lands near Escuque, are excellently suited for cocoa, coffee, cereals and sugar-cane, of which large crops are grown. Bocono, sixteen miles to the south-east of Trujillo, is a town somewhat smaller than Escuque. It is situated in a rich valley one thousand five hundred and seventy-two Spanish 3-ards above the sea's level. It is surrounded by lofty mountains, in which are the wintry wastes called the Paramos of Volcan, Caldera, Niquitao, Rosario, Cabimbu, Tonoco, Atajo, Linares, Teta, and Tuname ; aU of them from six thousand to seven thousand feet above Bocono itseK, and consequently from twelve thousand to thirteen thousand feet above the level of the sea. To the south- east flows the river Bocono and to the north-east the Burate, which receive innumerable torrents, and at last unite near the towTi. Carache is a small town twenty-five miles to the north- east of TrujiUo, at the foot of the mountain range of 274 VENEZUELA. Aguaobispo, wliicli separates the province of Los Andes from that of N. C ego via. The climate is delicious and healthy. A river of the same name washes the town. The village of Santa Ana, famous for the armistice between Bolivar and Morillo, is in one of the districts dependent on Carache, and half way between it and Trujillo. It was ordered that a pyramid should be erected on the spot where the two Generals met ; but, with the characteristic levity of Eepub- licans, the order was never carried into execution. The commerce of this province is princij)ally with Mara- caibo, or, as it is now called, Zulia, from which it receives groceries, liquors, and salt ; sending in exchange cocoa, coffee, presences, and sugar. To the towns of Guanara and Barinas Trujillo sends coffee, sugar, papelon, flour, and various extracts, and receives back cattle and rice. From Carora and Tocuyo Los Andes receives belts, shoes, and soap, and returns cocoa, coffee, hides, mules and cattle. Tachira is a province, formed by detaching from Merida its south-western districts, viz. Bailadores, Grita, San Cris- tobal, and San Antonio. This province is forty-six Spanish leagues long from east to west, and nineteen broad from north to south. It has Merida to the north, Zamora to the east, and the foreign territory of N. Granada,* or, as it is now called, Columbia, to the west and south. From Pamplono, in the Columbian territory, a branch of the Andes traverses Tachii-a and Merida in a north-easterly direction, and continually in- creases in elevation. Beginning with the Paramo of Tama * It is now three years since New Granada assumed the name of Columbia, which properly belonged to the united territory of Ecuador, New Granada and Venezuela. THE SIEEEA-NEVADA. 275 it, near the river Frio, leaves a chasm, through which flows the larger stream of the Torbes. Passing to the south of S. Cristobal it forms the wintry heights of Zumbador, Agiias, Batallon, and Portachuelo, which rise from thi-ee thou- sand to three thousand eight hundred and forty Spanish yards above the sea ; ihence, throwing out several spm-s, it passes to the Sierra-Nevada of Merida, whose j)eaks are covered with perpetual snow. This is the highest land in Venezuela, being five thousand four hundred and sixty to five thousand four hundi-ed and seventy-nine Spanish yards above the level of the sea ; and from it seventy-five rivers descend towards the Orinoco. The climate of this pro\dnce, as might be expected from its elevation, is cold. The air is in general cool, bracing, and healthy. The rains begin in March and last till November, falling in torrents during July and August. The capital of the province is San Cristobal situated on a hill, at the foot of which flows the river Torbes. It has six thousand inliabitants, and is advantageously placed for com- merce with Maracaibo and Pamplona, as well as with the Llanos. Its exports are sugar, indigo, ^cofifee, cocoa, and cotton. San Antonio, eighteen miles west of San Cristobal, is a much smaller town, situated at the foot of a bill which dominates a small plain through which flows the Tachira. This river gives its name to the j)rovince, and then, falling into the Zulia, loses its own. The Zulia disembogues into the Lake of Maracaibo. The climate here is warm. Thirty-five miles to the north-east of San Cristobal is Grita, a town somewhat smaller than San Cristobal. It stands near the river of the same name, which is na^dgable T 2 276 VENEZUELA. for foui'teen leagues, and falls, like the Tachira, into the Zulia. By this river Grita is well able to carry on a trade with Maracaibo, and by the river Uribante which flows in the opposite direction, and falls into the Apure, it is equally well situated for commerce with Apure and the eastern provinces. Bailadores, fifteen miles to the north-east of Grita, is a smaller town situated on elevated ground, which dominates the valley washed by the river Mocotuyes, and covered wdth plantations and cultivation. Excellent tobacco is grown here, as well as cocoa, sugar-cane, plantains, corn, barley, and potatoes. Tachira sends sugar, indigo, coffee and cocoa to Mara- caibo, and receives in exchange groceries, liquors, and salt. To Apure it sends flour, brandy, salt, garlic, onions, and cereals ; and receives cattle, which it exchanges in the valleys of Cuenta in Columbia for groceries and salt. Merida is a province of about the same size as Tachira, which, till lately, formed a jjart of it, and is of the same character. The capital, Merida, situate in the south-east part of the province, has a population of nine thousand inhabitants. It was founded in 1558 by Juan Rodriguez Suarez, and was first called Santiago de los Caballeros. Rodriguez was a native of Merida in Estramadura." The town stands in a fine tableland one thousand nine hundred and seventy-one Spanish yards above the sea's level, which is washed on all sides but the north by the rivers Mucujun, Alvaregas, and Chama. The scenery is beautiful, the magnificent snowy peaks of the Sierra-Nevada bemg full in view. On all sides are lofty mountams, in which are delightful valleys well suited for the ZULIA. 277 habitation of man. There are hot mineral springs m a hill near, and medicinal plants, gums, and resins abound. Me- rida, suffered much from the earthquake, which destroyed Cuenca in 1644, and was reduced to ruins by that which overthrew Caracas in 1812. It was soon rebuilt, however, and is now the seat of a bishop, and possesses a college, many schools, and a nunnery. The small town of Mucuchies, about twenty miles to the north-east of Merida, is remarkable as being the highest in- habited locality in Venezuela. It is two thousand eight hun- dred and twenty three Spanish yards above the level of the sea. Egido, seven miles to the west of Merida, is a smaU town about three miles from the river Chama. Fifteen miles to west of it is the village of Lagunilla, remarkable for a lake, in which is a mine of urao, like that which is found at Trona in Africa. It has been declared by M. Boussingault to be sesqui-carbonate of soda. The trade of Merida resembles that of Tachira. Zulia, till lately called Maracaibo, is the largest province in Venezuela, next to Guayana, and has a superficies, including the lake, of two thousand seven hundi-ed and eighty Spanish square leagues. It has Colmnbia to the west, Merida to the south, the sea to the north, and Coro, New Cegovia, and Los Andes to the east.- On the north-west the peninsula of Guajii*a projects far beyond the line of the eastern coast of Zuha. Cape Chi- chibaco in the peninsula forms the |3oint of demarcation between Columbia and Venezuela. If a hne be carried from the said Cape across the Sierra Aciete, and the moun- tains of Oca, to the heads of the rivers Soldado and Hacha, it will mark out the country of the independent Indian 278 VENEZUELA. tribe of Guajiros. These and some other tribes use poisoned arrows, with which and by their valour they have all along been able to repulse the Spaniards. The most remarkable feature in the province is the lake. Its navigation is impeded by a bar at its mouth, which cannot be safely crossed by vessels drawing more than nine feet of water, and which at all times requires a good pilot to clear it. The water of the lake is sweet. It takes its name from a cacique of the Indians in 1529. Its shores are covered with vegetation, and are hot and unhealthy. An American Company has lately had the monopoly of the navigation, and it is said large profits have been made by them. Maracaibo, the capital of Zulia, has a population of twenty-five thousand. The place was first visited by Euro- peans in 1499, when Ojeda and Vespucci entered the gulf, and gave it the name of Venice. Alfinjer, in 1529, built a few houses on the spot the city now occupies, and in 1571, Alonso Pacheco fomided a town there, which he called N. Zamora. The soil is sandy and the climate hot and dry. The place is subject to most terrific thunderstorms, and nowhere in the world is the noise of the thunder so loud or the lightning so destructive. Deluges of rain fall and often do great injury to buildings. The principal part of the town is built on the shore of a creek two miles wide ; the rest on an eminence to the north which looks over the lake to the town of Altagracia on the opposite shore. There are a college and a naval school at Maracaibo ; and Depons speaks highly of the natural talents of the natives and theii* love of music. Excellent timber is found on the shores of the lake, and the best vessels which navigate the neighbour- ing seas are built at Maracaibo. POPULATION. 279 Altagracia, opposite to Maracaibo, is a town of about two thousand inhabitants. Cocoa, cotton, and sugar-cane are grown in the lands near it. The lake here is but two leagues broad. Perija, sixty miles to the south-west of Maracaibo, is a town of two thousand inliabitants. It is built on a slight eminence in the midst of a beautiful plain. There is but little cultivation near it, the people being for the most part cattle-breeders. On the south coast of the lake the only town is Gibraltar. Here the cocoa-tree grows wild in the woods. The vegeta- tion here is most luxuriant, and numerous streams descend from the hills to the lake. The climate is unhealthy. The commerce of Zulia is carried on chiefly by the lake. The exports are indigo, cocoa, coffee, sugai', honey, straw hats, besides cotton and wax. According to Codazzi, the population of Venezuela was, in 1800, composed as follows : — Wliites 200,000 Mixed races, including civilised Indians . . 406,000 Slaves 62,000 Catechised Indians 37,000 Independent Indians ...... 83,000 Total 788,000 In 1839 the following were the classes of the population according to the same authority : — "SMiites 260,000 Mixed Eaces 414,151 Slaves 49,782 Civilized Indians 155,000 Catechised Indians ...... 14,000 Independent Indians ...... 52,415 Total 945,348 280 VENEZUELA. In 1844 the census gave the total of one million two hundred and eighteen thousand souls, and in 1865 the popu- lation had risen to one million five hundred and sixtj^-five thousand, but no details of the census are known in this country. The item " Slaves " will have to be added to that of the "Mixed races," and supposing the rate of progression in all the classes to have contmued as from 1800 to 1839, the Whites may be reckoned at a fourth of the entire popu- lation. The Indians* are not of very much weight in poli- tical questions, and considering that the wliites have ever shown themselves the leaders in every great movement, and that they are much more than half as numerous as the Mixed races, there is little danger of any contest for supre- macy. Negroes are not found in any number, except at the seaports, and in districts like the Valley of Ai^aguas, where there were extensive sugar-cane plantations cultivated by slave labour. The form of Government is modelled on that of the United States of North America. The Executive is represented by the President, who appoints the ministers, and is liimseK elected by the majority of votes in the different States, for a period of fom* years, beginning from the 20th of February. The President appoints the ministers, who are strictly his organs, and vacate office with him. The Legislature consists of a House of Senators and one of Deputies, which meet in Congress on fixed occasions, or when either House declares it to be necessary. The Senators are chosen, two from each State, with two sujjple- mentaries to fill vacancies, and must be Venezuelans by * Foi' curious proofs of the S. Americans and Egyptians being one race, consult "American Antiquities," by J. T. C. Heaviside. Triibner, 1868. GOVEENMENT. 281 birth and thirty years of age. The Chamber of Deputies is formed by each State choosing one Deputy for every twenty- five thousand inhabitants, and a second Deputy for any number in excess beyond twelve thousand. The High Federal Couil examines causes against the Ministers of State, Diplomatic officers, and the high func- tionaries of the different States, declares where laws clash wliich is to j)revail, and discharges other important duties. It consists of five members, who are chosen by the majority of the States. The States, which form the Union, reciprocally acknow- ledge the rights of one another to self-government, declare themselves equal as pohtical miits, and retain in theu* pleni- tude all sovereign rights not express^ delegated by the Constitution. In one particular the English Government might, perhaps, borrow an idea from the Constitution of Venezuela. The Venezuelan Mmisters have the right to speak in either Chamber of the Legislatui'e, and are obliged to attend when called uj)on to give information. The scheme of the Venezuelan Republic, further parti- culars of which will be found in Appendix C, looks well on paper, but mifortunatelj^ does not work well. The States are governed in the same way as the Union, and form an impei'ium in imperio. They attend but little to the orders of the general government, and have appropriated its revenue to their own pm'poses. Under a very determined and popular President the}' might be reduced to obedience, but at present they are quite beyond control. These remai'ks lead to the consideration of what the revenue of the general government is, a subject on which the Constitution is by no means explicit. The principal 282 VENEZUELA. source of national revenue in Venezuela is the Custom- houses. By Section 14 of Article 13 of the Constitution, each State binds itself "not to estabhsh Custom-houses for the collection of dues, so that the National Custom-houses may be the only ones." The principal Custom-houses are eight, according to Codazzi. Trade was then only commencing : — La Guaira . . Puerto Cabello Ciudad Bolivar • Maracaibo .... Cuman^ .... Barcelona .... Core Margarita (not given) Subaltern Custom-houses are Pampatar . Carupano Maturin Higuerote , Guiria Adicora Juan Griego • Cnmarebo Rio Caribe . Barrancas, &c. Duties levied in 1839 according to Codazzi. $774,930 197,344 171,201 115,179 25,140 42,314 44,907 -$1,371,015 127 11,557 19,158 2,063 5,635 900 1,009 628 4,158 Total 45,235 $1,416,250 What the amount of export and import duties now collected at these places is, is not exactly known. But the following paper, in which some of the stations are omitted, gives an approximate estimate. It will be seen that there is no mention of Maracaibo, where the receipts are probably as large as those at Bolivar. THE REVENUE. 283 CUSTOM-HOUSE. La Guaira Puerto Cabello Ciudad Bolivar La Vela !Matiuin . Pampatar . Juan Griego Guiria Canipano Barcelona . Cum and . Tfichira 1865 — 56. 1866 — 67. Dollars. Cents. Dollars. Cents 2,719,829 53 2,037,389 79 1,560,234 00 1,233,447 13 422,615 90 406,024 51 158,243 23 152,263 57 91,470 13 79,197 12 6,626 80 6,464 87 5,654 94 4,379 60 78,917 98 53,849 30 93,040 23 149,257 22 36,168 74 50,551 63 26,741 30 28,716 17 34,545 75 63,828 62 5,234,088 53 4,265,369 53 Total The Minister of Finance in liis Report to Congress, dated Caracas, 1865, states at p. 20, that "there are no accounts, no statistics, whereby the Government can know what its revenue is." At p. 19, he says, " the Eastern Aduanas, or Custom-houses, other than Ciudad Bolivar, are all heavily mortgaged, and pay nothing to the National Treasury. The same remark applies to the Custom-houses of the West, and it is not even known how their revenues are applied, except those of Coro !" The duties collected at Maracaibo, a most important station, inferior only to La Guaii'a and Puerto Cabello have, ever since General Falcon came into power, been usm-ped by Mr. Sutherland, the President of Zulia. The State of Cumana apphes the duties to its own purposes. Tachira never so much as sent a reply to the communica- tions of the General Government on the subject of the Custom-houses. Puerto Cabello and La Guaii-a being under the immediate superintendence of the General Government the collectors at those places have at least fiu'nished accounts. With this exception, the only State t^at has shown itself loyal to the Constitution, and honourably faithful to its 284 VENEZUELA. promises, is Ciudacl Bolivar. The other States, in the same spirit of rebellion and license in which they first threw off their allegiance to Spain,* and then continually raised the standard of insurrection against every succeeding govern- ment, have remained contumacious and insensible to their pledges. This is the true spii'it of democracy, and we may be quite sure that, if successful, it would maintain its cha- racter here as there. In the meantime, what has been the result of the long democratic struggle in Columbia, and of the fratricidal war of twenty-five years' duration ? The answer, as regards Venezuela, shall be given by a late Presi- dent : "Horrible situation! Not only the army was in want of the necessaries of life. Civil officials had no pay. The widows and orphans who had been pensioned were dying of hunger. The wives and children of the soldiers on service could obtain no means of support. We called on the Custom-house at La Guaii-a for money, and the answer was — There is none ! We asked assistance from the mercantile community, and received for reply — Credit is destroyed ! We applied to our citizens, and found that not a dollar could be raised without the most rigorous mea- sures. What recollections ! What agony ! What horror ! " The miseries here spoken of were relieved bj' the Loan of * It is not preteuded that the Government of Spain was a good one. It was despotic, bigoted, ignorant ; but at least the country was at peace under its rule. Since the rebellion there has been continual war, terrible and inces- sant carnage, augmentation of Debt and loss of National Credit. Ever since the successful rebellion of North America it has been assumed that the overthrow of a Government implies improvement. But what is the advantage of over- throwing even a bad government if it is to be replaced by a worse ? Even as regards the United States, it is an open question whether they would not have been as happy and prosperous if they had continued loyal. It is rather too much to assume the contrary, as a matter of course, with the example of Canada before us. THE REVENUE. 285 1862, but the situation soon recm-red. In the same- strain, the Minister of Finance for 1865 declares that " Venezuela agonises for the means of support." "The public revenue," he says, " will be, instead of an advantage, a calamity, if it continue to be the aim of all who thirst to gi*ow rich at the expense of their country." But, in sj)ite of the almost impenetrable obscurity wliich envelopes every question connected with Venezuelan finance, it is absolutel}' necessary to make an attempt to arrive at an approximate estimate of what the general revenue of the Eepublic ought to be. The Venezuelan Government must not expect that, if it has really assigned to it ample revenues, which it is too negligent or pusillanimous to collect, the British bondholders yviH remain passive and display similar indifference and irresolution. In making the inquiry into the state of the Custom-houses, it must be premised that the import duties amount to a far larger sum than those on the exports. The latter dues have, indeed, always been regarded unfavourabh^ by the public in Venezuela. Agricul- tui'e suffers too much as it is from tlie want of roads and other means of communication, and from the usury of money-lenders, who supply mone}" at from twenty to thii'ty per cent, to the cultivators. A hundred per cent, duty on exports,- such as has been raised on imports, could not be tolerated for a moment; and it is very doubtful if, under present cu'cumstances, twenty per cent, would be borne with equanimity. By Ai'ticle 103 of the New Constitution of 1865, it has been decreed that the export duties cannot be increased, and that, when once the mortgages upon them have been paid off, the export trade of .the country is to be for ever free. The first consideration, then, is what should 286 VENEZUELA. be the amount of the miport duties received by the Vene- zuelan Government ? Now in order to determine this, assistance may be borrowed from the official statements of the total amounts of imports into the country, and of the rates at which duties have been levied upon them. The rates then are as follows : — The Tariff of 1830 fixed 27 per cent, on articles of general con- sumption ; on non-specified articles 32 per cent. ; !■ 34 00 and on luxuries, 37 per cent. — average ,, 1834 added 10 per cent, on the above rate on spe- cified ; and 5 per cent, on ad valorem ,, 1836 added 10 per cent, on the above rate, giving ) a base of . . . . . . . . ) ,, 1838 added a subsidiary 3 per cent, on the above . 39 1847 39 1848 40 ,, 1853 4 per cent, for churches .... 41 ,, 1854 4 per cent, subsidiary . . . . . 42 1857 58 ,, May 25, 1857, subsidiary 10 per cent, on the above ,, By the Convention of Valencia, Nov. 29, 1858 . 56 ,, Nov. 14, 1861, Dictator Paez added 50 per cent, on ) the above , . . . . . . ) ,, Aug. 12, 1862, 75 per cent, on the above . . . 74 Sept. 12, 1863 85 Since then the rate has been further increased, and as much as one hundred per cent has been paid. Thus, a barrel of flour of two hundred pounds, the cost price of which is eight dollars, has paid eight dollars duty. The next thmg to be ascertamed is the actual yearly amount of imports. Now, according to the report of the Minister of Finance, the actual amoimt of imports for the first sixteen years of the Repubhc was two hundred mil- lions, of which no less than one hundred and twenty-nine and a half millions Avere smuggled. Seventy and a half THE EEVENUE. 287 millions, therefore, passed through the Custom-houses yearly, or about four millions four hundred thousand pounds' worth a 3'ear. In corroboration of this statement may be quoted that of Brandt, who calculates that the government lost in the fii'st seventeen years of the Republic forty-eight millions by defalcation ; that is, nearly three millions a year, or fifty per cent, on an annual amoimt of six milhons of imj)orts kept back from the knowledge of government. The yearly estimate of frauds on the Customs- houses is given as follows : — Contrabando aventurado, that is, smuggling unknown "i to officials . .• . . . . I $2,000,000 ,, connived at by officials .... 3,000,000 False marks concealing the value of goods . • • ) Frauds by the boatmen > 1,000,000 Bribes to officials . . . . . . , . ) Total $6,000,000 It must be observed that the frauds practised in the export department are comparatively iiisignificant. In the twenty-two years from 1830 to 1852 there were, according to Iiibai-ren, frauds on the customs to the extent of fifty-three and a liaK millions of dollars. These alle- gations of fraud are suj)ported by very convincing e\adence. Thus the Custom-house reports make the annual amount of imports for the first seventeen years to have been ^3,791,667, or at the rate of three dollars and seventy-nine cents per head for the whole population ; whereas even the slaves cost for their clothes alone five doUars per head, and all their clothing was imported, and, according to a calcu- lation in El Liberal, each Venezuelan really consumes twelve dollars of imports yearly. In the same way Brandt 288 VENEZUELA. shows that the customs' reports were so incorrect that they made the price of sugar vary from thirteen reals to thirty- eight dollars per quintal, or hundredweight ; and he asserts that, in the jseriod he brings under review, all mention of no less than ten thousand vessels freighted with imports was suppressed. Again, according to the statistics of the Custom-houses no more than twenty-five thousand barrels of flour are imjjorted into Venezuela in a year, but the province of Caracas alone expends that amount of imported flour in two hundred and fifty days. The Statistics of Trade published by foreign powers satisfactorily confute those of the Venezuelan Custom-house ofiicials. Thus, French documents show that in the two 3'ears, 1840, 1841, France sent to Venezuela silk-thread to the value of twenty-one thousand and ninety dollars ; whereas, according to the statement of the Venezuelan authorities, only one thousand, two hundred, and eighty- eight dollars' worth of silk-thread was imported in three years into Venezuela from all countries put together. According to the published Reports of the United States, that country in 1858 had a trade with Venezuela amounting to six million one hundred and seventy- one thousand six hmidred and ninetj'-eight dollars, while Venezuelan accounts show only an amount of three million six hundred and seventy-six thousand three hundred and eighty-one doll&,rs. Similar discrepancies might be advanced at great length, but enough has probably been said to make it apparent that the frauds on the Venezuelan Custom-houses are enormous, and amount to at least two-thirds of the whole sum received by government. But the losses by fraud have been calculated bv the Minister of Finance at six THE REVENUE. 289 millions of dollars.* We may, therefore, faii-ly estimate the imjDorts which actually pass through the Custom-houses at nine millions, and reckoning the duty at fifty per cent., — which can he paid, considering that it is only one half of what was levied some years back, — the import duties may be reckoned at four and a half millions of dollars, which would be collected were the collection entrusted to Englishmen. The next point to be considered is the amount of the Export duties. The basis of calculation will be the minimum estimate furnished bj' Messrs. Boulton & Co. of the export duties of La Guaira and Puerto Cabello for the year 1864, each item being taken at the lowest. The esti- mate is as follows : — Article. Duty. Coffee, 300,000 quintals, at 12 reals per quintal . . $450,000 Cocoa, 40,000 fanegas, at 33 reals per fanega . . . 166,666 Cotton, 50,000 quintals, at 16 reals per quintal . . 100,000 Hides, 50, 000, at 6 reals per hide 37,500 Sundries 25,000 Total $779,166 Subsequent experience proved that this minimum esti- mate was considerably below the actual receipts, which never fall below eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars. But the receipts at Maracaibo, Ciudad Bolivar, and at all the other Custom-houses, cannot be taken at a less sum than those at the two principal stations. * It is unfortunate that the value of the dollar in English money is not stated in these calculations. It is understood that it has been fixed of late at 5 francs, or 4s. 2d. ; but previously the dollar was a money of account, and was reckoned about $65 to the pound sterling. u 290 VENEZUELA. An aj^proximate estimate of the national revenue of Venezuela, therefore, may be taken as follows : — Import Duties $4,500,000 Export Duties 1,700,000 Salinas or Salt Mines 400,000 Papel Sellado, Stamp Duty .... 400,000 10 per cent, on the Revenues of the States, say 1,000,000 Sundries 300,000 Total $8,300,000 This is the least that the Government ought to reahze ; but the item for the salt mines has been struck out by the constitution of 1865. The remaining sum, however, five millions nine hundred thousand dollars, would more than pay the expenses of the state, which, inclusive of three millions of dollars for the interest of the public debt, and of no less a sum than one hundred and sixty thousand dollars paid to General Falcon, amoimted in 1865 to only five millions eight hundred and twenty- seven thousand four hundred and thirty dollars. The debt of Venezuela, according to the official report presented to Congress in Februaiy, 1867, is as follows : — Home . . $10,995,149 (54) cts Foreign . 46,851,511 (63) Details of THE Foreign Debt. Active, Old Debt . . . 18,280,112 (50) Passive ,, 8,985,275 (00) Interest of the Active . . 1,827,865 (01) ,, Passive . 449,414 (87) Bonds of 6 per Cent. . . 1,366,365 (00) Interest on the Bonds . 204,954 (75) Loan of 1862 . . . 5,966,350 (00) Interest on ditto . 721,324 (50) Loan of 1864 . . . *9,049,950 (00) Total $46,851,511 (63) * £1,392,300, at f6| to the pound sterling. The last item apparently includes both capital and overdue interest. FOEEIGN DEBT. 291 The statement of the Foreign Debt of Venezuela, accord- ing to Messrs. Baring & Co., is as follows :— The present Debt of Venezuela (exclusive of arrears of interest) is as follows : — £2,812,825 . . 3 per Cent. Bonds. 1,382,350 . 14 per Cent. Bonds. 210,210 . . 6 per Cent. Bonds, issued for arrears of Interest. 917,900 . 6 per Cent. Bonds. Loan of 1862. The amount of the Loan was . . £1,000,000 Eedeemed by Sinking Fund 82,100 £917,900 The above debts are represented by Messrs. Baring, Brothers, & Co., and were guaran- teed by the assignment of 55 per Cent, of Import Duties in La Guaii'a and Puerto Cabello. According to the General Credit Company, the debt on the Loan of 1864 is as follows : — Venezuela 1864 Loan, a.s stated by the General Credit Company. Stock issued in 1864 £1,500,000 Cancelled 213,200 £1,286,800 DIVIDENDS IN ARREAR. Balance of dividend due 1st April, 1867, at 12s. M. percent £8,042 Dividend due 1st October, 1867. . . . 38,604 ,, 1st April, 1867 . . . 38,604 £85,250 30th April, 1868. In the absence of rehable statistics it is impossible to give more than a conjectural estimate of the total value of the trade of Venezuela, but it can hardly be reckoned at less than twenty-three milHons of dollars. In 1839 Codazzi reckoned it at only nine millions six hundi'ed and four thou- sand seven hundi-ed and thirty-four. doHars 4 but it has been r 2 292 VENEZUELA. shown that so long back as 1858 the United States alone had a trade of more than six millions of dollars with Venezuela, and the trade of Venezuela with France, Holland, and Ger- many is very considerable, probably not less than double that with the United States. Iribarren, indeed, reckons the imports alone at twenty-five millions of dollars, so that to assume twenty-three millions as the total of exports and imports will no doubt be considerably within the mark. According to the map published at New York in 1865, the total value of the trade of Venezuela was twenty-five millions of dollars; the amount of the duties levied at the Customs-houses nine millions ; and the total revenue of the Eepublic ten millions of dollars. The following is a summary of the resources of Vene- zuela as regards mineral and vegetable wealth. There are gold-fields in Guayana, known to be very extensive, and pro- bably among the largest in the world. Gold is found in several parts of the old province of Caracas, and especially at Guaicaipuro. There is a silver mine in the mountain of St. Paul, between Aroa and Nirgua. The Quebrada mines of red copper, in the Aroa district, yield an ore superior to that of Sweden, of Coquimbo in Chili, and of Australia. There are copper mines also in Coro, Carabobo, Barquisi- meto, and Merida, and at Tucutienemo, in Caracas, and on the ridge of the Pao. Iron is found in several districts, and is abundant in Parima, in Guayana. There is a lead mine in Tocuyo, and tin mines exist in several places. Coal is found in Coro and elsewhere. Bitumen is plentiful in Maracaibo, wJiere it is used instead of tar for ships. Trujillo and Cumana have rich mines of petroleum, and the latter provmce has a most valuable salt mine at Aragua, VEGETABLE PEODUCTIONS. 293 abundance of earth suitable for porcelain at Azaveclies, and a sulphur mine. Garnets are found in the Silla mountain, near La Guana, and along the sierra of the coast there are inexhaustible supplies of marble, slate, rock crj^stal, granite, gypsum and lime. Among trees, those deserving of especial mention are, first, the palms, which grow at any altitude from the level of the sea to three thousand three hundred feet above it. They yield fruit, a vegetable like the cabbage, oil, cordage, thread, hats, roofs for the cottages of the Indians, rafters, wine, ship-timber, wax, mats, bread, soup, sieves and baskets, and many other things useful for man, according to their kinds, which number at least a hundred. The tuna, or cactus, is valuable not so much for its pleasant fruit and its repulsive spicula, which render it the best of all hedges, as for being the abode of the cochineal insect, which is found also on the pear-tree in Coro, Maracai^o, and Barcelona. The candela tree, called also arbol de la manteca, and by the Indians cuajo, supplies tallow for candles, an excellent oil for lamjss, and a beverage, which is made from its toasted fruit. More curious still, and the most wonderful of all trees, is the j)alo de Lecha, or milk tree, which supplies a milk like that of cows, but thicker ; analysed, this product is found to consist of water, animal milk, and wax as pure as that of bees. Mixed with cotton, this milk is used for candles. To the parched traveller the bejuco de agua supplies the place of wells and fountains, for from each yard of it a pint bottle of water can be obtained. Not less useful in its own peculiar locality is the frailejon, which grows at the height of thirteen thousand five hun- dred feet above the sea, in the region of the icy wastes 294 VENEZUELA. called Paramos. Even in these wildernesses of death, the frailejon keejis the human body warm. It yields a tm-pen- tine superior to Venice turpentine. Of medicinal plants the first in rank is the quina, or Peruvian bark, which abounds in the forests of Guayana. The cuspa, or bark of Angostura, is still more bitter, and possesses the same valuable quahties. The guaco has many useful properties which have not yet been fully appreciated. It is declared by the Indians to be a specific against the poison of snakes and of hydrophobia, and there is probably some foundation for this assertion. Similar value is as- signed to the raiz de mato, which is also said to be a remedy against cholera. The zarzai)ariUa, which is of three kinds, red, white, and black ; the tamarind ; the copaiba, or arbol de aceite ; the pinon, or pine nut ; the cana fistula, or purgative cassia, need only to be mentioned to have their uses recognised. The carapa also yields a medicinal oil, which is likewise adapted for burning in lamps, as does the ceiba, or five-leaved silk-cotton tree ; and the carana yields a resin good for curing wounds. From this last tree a s}Tup is prepared which is said to be good in cases of phthisis, while the fruit of the guaruche, or unona arometica, is a febrifuge. Of trees useful for timber the vera, or palo sano, the zigophyllum arboreum, deserves to be placed fii'st as pro- ducing the strongest wood known, which is well adapted for the keels of ships ; it grows to the height of ninety feet. The mague cocui, or maguesis, yields a sj)irit stronger and more palatable than rum. The pita, or cocuina aloe, sup- plies material for cordage and sacks. The algarubo, or carob tree, counts high for usefulness as furnishing varnish VEGETABLE PEODUCTIONS. 295 from its roots and good wood for machinery from its trunk. Cork is made of the alcornoque, and its roots are employed for medicinal pm'poses. The wood of the divi-divi is good for wheels, and its bark for tanning. The bucare and the guamo protect coifee plantations from the too fierce heat of the sun. The totuma supplies gourds for drinking. The wood of the granadilla is useful for many purposes, and is as hard as iron. Dj^es are obtained from the caruto, the paraguatan, the murcielago, and the sangre de di'ago. The leaves of the lechose are used as soap to bleach lace, muslin, and chintz. The black cedar, or cedrela odorata, grows to one hundred feet in height and fifteen feet in circumference ; the cahobo, or swietenia mahogani, to sixty feet in height and twelve in circumference. The caracoli and the guarapa are useful for ship timber, the carnesto- lendus, bombax gossj'pium, for canvas. The white cedar and the gasifali supply good wood for furniture, and the latter yields a dye. Resm is got from the tacamahaca, and canoes which hold ten persons are made of its bark. The matapato supplies caoutchouc, and its bark makes bags, and the seringa, or concho, gives India rubber, while aromatic caoutchouc is obtained from the guariman. The wood of the sassafras is incorruptible. Oil is obtained from the aguacate, and the Indians make clothes of the marinna. From the camarruba, cupana, and purpuro, the Indians make a kind of soup, and from the guava tree a dehcious preserve. The limoncillo, nazareno, and piz, afford good wood for veneering, and the urape elastic bark. Furniture is made of the pardillo, and wheels and machines of the trompiQo. A durable, romid, hollow wood is got from the tara, and planks from the apamete. A coloiu-ing for saucgs 296 VENEZUELA. is supplied by the onoto, and iiicense by the tree that bears the same name. The miopero, or medlar tree, with its delicious fruit, is common in the forest, where the otoba, or nutmeg tree, is also found. Fmally, the wood of the ara- guanei is hard and proof agamst wet, and that of the chacarrondai imitates the dehcate shades of the tortoise- shell. The leaves of the peoque and the beparia are fra- grant, and those of the latter attract bees. From the niopo the Indians make an intoxicating snuff. From the foregoing brief notice it will be seen how great are the resources of Venezuela in mines and forests ; but more important still are those she jjossesses in her plan- tations of coffee, cocoa, cotton, sugar-cane, tobacco, and indigo. Coffee was th-st cultivated in Venezuela in 1784, and the yearly croj) may be now reckoned at four hundred and fifty thousand hundredweights, of which twenty per cent., or ninety thousand hundredweights, is lost for want of hands to get in the harvest. The value, therefore, which Venezuela ought to receive for her coffee crop, reckoning the price at two pounds sixteen shillings the hundredweight, and supposing the full hai'vest to be got in and sold, is one million two hundi^ed and sixty thousand pounds. Coffee plantations flourish at any altitude from seven hundred to seven thousand five hundred feet above the sea. The plant bears in between two and three years, and continues in bearing on an average forty-five years. About thirteen hun- di-ed trees are planted in an acre, and each will give at the least one pound and a half of coffee, but instances have been known of a single tree yielding sixteen pounds. The cost of production is about twenty- one shillings per hun- dredweight. VEGETABLE PEODUCTIONS. 297 The cacao, or cocoa tree, theobroma cacao, is indigenous in Venezuela, and no doubt for ages its fruit formed part of the food of the Indians. The taste for it passed into Spain soon after 1522, and was carried by Spanish friars into France in 1661, where A. de Richelieu was the first to patronize the new beverage. Codazzi gives the altitude at which in Venezuela the tree ceases to flourish at six him- dred and fifty-two yards above the level of the sea, and later writers fix it at one thousand eight hundred feet above the same level. According to Humboldt, cocoa occupies the same place in pomt of utility to man in South America as rice does in Africa. Like the coffee plantations, those of cacao are shaded by the bucare, or plantain. The cacao tree begms to bear at from six to eight years after the ger- mination of the seed, and lasts from thnty to fifty years, the latter period only near the sea. Codazzi reckons the total produce of the country in 1840 at one hundred and seventy-six thousand fanegas, of one hundred and ten pounds each. The value at twenty-one dollars the fanega was three million six hundred and ninety-six thousand dollars. The total produce now is not known in this country, but is probably, at least, one-half more. The cotton of Venezuela is not inferior to the best kinds known in the European markets. The following report, from a native writer thoroughly conversant with the subject, contains an exhaustive account of the mode and expense of cultivation and of the kinds of the plant which have been introduced into Venezuela. 298 VENEZUELA. From the " Venezuelan Agricultor,"^ by Jose Antonio Diaz. Cotton : Gossyjnum, unoglandulosimi. Natural order : Mal- loivivorts {Malvacecc), Monadelpliia, Polyandria. A branched, herbaceous plant, lives four years, and may be considered as a semi-shrub. It is of various species : the indigenous, which is called " Pajarito," seed-vessel, white and small, but yielding an abundance of cotton and tough fibre ; and the species raised from foreign seeds, whose seed-vessels are white or straw-coloured, and of larger size. In the torrid zone and in dry situations, which suit it best, it grows to the height of two or three yards. Its leaves are alternate and palmate, divided into five segments, like those of the vine, though somewhat smaller. Its flowers are of a beautiful light yellow colour. Corolla, of five showy petals, heart-shaped, expanding towards the exterior, flat at the broadest part, and united at the base. Calix double, the external one larger than the internal, is divided to its base into three broad leaflets ; the internal calix is undivided. Stamens numerous, united into one column, springing from the corolla, and of which the free anthers form the capital. Seed-vessel single and globular, pointed at the top. Style single, arising from the seed-vessel, inclosed in the same column, and of the same height as the stamens. Stigma deeply cleft, so as to ajipear like three or four stigmas growing together. Nectaries varying from three to four as the stigmas. The fruit is an oval, almost round, capsule, opening when ripe by three, some- times four, valves, and divided internally into as many cells, each containing from three to seven seeds, egg-shaped, black or grey, according to the species, and wrapped in a covering of fine down, brilliantly white, which unfolds and falls ofl" at maturity. According to Codazzi, as late as the year 1782 the largest of the Creole plantations did not contain more than a hundred plants ; and it was at that period that trials of cotton gave better results than those of indigo. Subsequently cotton was cultivated in Aragua, Valencia, Barinas, Cumana, the province of Caracas, Barcelona, and Maracaibo. In 1794 the exports were ten thousand * I am iudebted to Mr. Consul Hemming for this Eeport. ^TIGETABLE PEODUCTIOXS— COTTON. 299 quintals, and they rose to twenty-five thousand in the year 1803, since which the cultivation of cotton in Venezuela, owing to a decline in price, fell off till the year 1838, when, consequent upon a heavy demand and rise in value, it was urged forward ardently ; new plantations were opened, and the following year, 1839, twenty-seven thousand quintals were exported. But the ardour was of short duration. Partly from the plague of the caterpillar, partly fi'om loss of crops, occasioned by the northern rains, some of the growers lost heai't, and others turned their attention to coffee. Cotton grows under all temperatures, and neither requn-es a very fertile nor a very moist soil. On the contrary, at the period of its inflorescence and fructification it is injured by rain, and it thrives best in dry positions, sheltered from the north winds. Nevertheless, according to the same Codazzi, in the vast territory of the Rio Negro, where it rains during nine months out of the twelve, and the remaining three are not without showers, at an elevation of three hundred yards, and a mean temperature- of 26", cotton is growing all the year round, and plants in flower are seen, besides plants bearing seed. Culture. — From what we have said above, it appears that, with the exception of the Rio Negro district, those localities in which northern rains prevail, or which are exposed to the winds from that quarter, are not favourable to the growth of cotton. Whateyer may be the class of cotton, it is sown, with the dibble, in the months of May and June. Three seeds are de- posited in each hole, and the holes are a yard apart, in rows a yard and a half one fi'om another. The plants come up from the ground in fifteen days, and bear seeds in seven months. When the seed-vessel opens, it must be gathered within a few days, because the seeds do not remain in the pod longer than six to eight days, after which they escape and fall to the ground, and are lost, or are carried away by the wind, on the out-spread flocks of cotton. In the cooler zone, the plant requires more than seven months to ripen its seed, and, at an elevation of fifteen hundred yards, as much as nine months. Two clearings are sufficient ; the first when the plant is a foot above the gromid, and the second when it begins to put forth knops ; but, as it is necessary to make 300 VENEZUELA. old gTomid profitable by growing minor crops till the cotton harvest arrives, the clearing, whether done with the hoe or the hook, must be made dependent on the requirements of these crops, bearing in mind that in all cases the cotton should be clear at harvest-time. If the tips of the shoots be nipped off, not only of the main stem, but also of the branches, the plant will become more bushy, and will flower at a greater number of points ; though this operation is more applicable to the foreign descrip- tions, with large seed-vessels, than to the Creole or Pajarito, of which the ramifications and inflorescence are naturally profuse. Harvesting by Cleaning. — The harvest takes place in the sum- mer, during the months of December, January, and February, according to the period of inflorescence. The capsules are gathered one by one, the labourers (men or women) being provided with baskets to deposit them in. Formerly one real was paid for the filling a bat^ket of the capacity of 6 alinuds (21 almudszrlOO litres), moderatel}' compressed ; and the most nimble fingers could scarcely collect three baskets-full. To clean the cotton — that is? to separate it from the seeds— two rollers of hard wood or iron were formerly employed. These were connected by cog-wheels fixed on their axles, and worked one against the other. A crank was attached to one of these rollers, and connected by a cord to a foot-board ; so that the same person who fed the rollers gave motion to the machine with his foot. The cotton passed through and left the seeds behind. But this contrivance did not answer well ; and many crushed seeds found their way through, to the deterioration of the cotton. Afterwards carding cylinders were introduced to lay hold of the filaments and leave the seed per- fectly clean ; but these also have their disadvantage : for, al- though they give out a cleaner cotton, yet they tear it to pieces, and almost pulverize it ; so that, were there not a cloth hood placed over the machine, it would be scattered to a distance in the air. At first, before cotton became a staple article of com- merce, it was separated ft-om the seed by hand labour ; and, if time and expense could be disregarded, this plan would still be the best, because, while the cotton would be perfectly cleaned, its fibre would be preserved unbroken, and, as may be logically con- cluded, would work up into threads and cloths of increased VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS— COTTOX. 301 strength. Nevertheless, the material is so delicate and pliable, that, prepared in the carding-cylinders, it is still sufficiently strong when re-united and manufactured. PacTcing the Cotton in Bales. — When the cotton has been gathered and cleared of the seed, it has yet to be pressed into bales before it can be sent to market. This is the operation we are about to describe. A strong square box is constructed one yard broad and long, and a yard and three quarters deep. The sides of this box are removeable, and above it is fixed a screw- press. The box being put in its place and the sides taken away, four thongs of hide, or stout ropes, are laid across the bottom at equal distances in opposite directions, and over these is stretched a piece of stout canvas a yard and a quarter broad and three yards long. The sides of the box are now put in position and a quintal of cleaned cotton {net weight) having been weighed out into bags, the box is filled with it as full as it will hold-. The cover of the box, which is square and adjusted to fit the interior of the box, is then put on and forced down with the press little by little as far as possible. When it will yield no further, it is left for a couple of hours ; and then, as the whole of the quintal weighed out has not yet been taken in, the press is unscrewed and the box filled up, and pressure again applied until the whole of the quintal of cotton is compressed into three quarters of a yard, in which state it is left for twenty-four hours under the press, so that it may lose most of its elasticity, and yield to packing in a bale. The next day the press is unscrewed, and in the mouth of the box is placed a piece of canvas similar to the piece below, but laid in a different direction, so as to form a cross with it. These pieces of canvas, being divided into three parts, the middle part coincides with the area of the box, and the ends remain over. The cover is next placed upon the top canvas, which is forced down by the press closely upon the cotton in the box. Then the press is made fast, the sides of the box removed, the pieces of canvas sewed to- gether just in the position they are in, and the press being raised as quickly as possible, the cords are tied tight, or the leathern bands are sewed together with thinner strips of the same hide with all possible despatch. It is e^adent that if these tie-bands are of hide, as is best, the hide must be supple 302 VENEZUELA. so that holes for sewing may be pierced through it with a sharp stiletto. The bale being now finished, it is removed to make room for another. From the Society of " Friends of the Country." On the various species of Cotton : — 1. Wild Cotton (which the French call " cotumna," and the English of Jamaica " withy wood ") has long and weak branches easily broken. This bad sort was originally introduced into the plantation of that species of cotton known as yarum, or aiial cotton, with which it is frequently found, and it has maintained its hold through the size it attains and the great number of capsules it produces, tliough its cotton falls off, and what remains in the pod is stained by rain or dew. It reaches to a height of nine feet and spreads seventeen or eighteen feet. It flowers once a year, but although it promises largely, it does not give half an ounce of cotton per plant, while the yarum, which does not exceed six feet in height or in spread, yields, under similar circumstances, as much as seven ounces. Wild cotton, though so called, is only found in the plantations. Its flock is not more coarse than that of the yarum, but it approaches to an ash-colour. 2. Sniall-floch Cotton. — Produces little. 3. Green-crowned Cotton. — So called from the tip being covered with a down of that colour, which in time becomes a dark gray. It was peculiar to Martinique, where it is called " fine cotton," and is highly esteemed on account of its good quality and colour ; in which, however, it does not equal the Indian cotton, nor the white cotton of Siam. The flocks of cotton fall off, -and if it rains at harvest-time, the half-ripe capsules stain the cotton. But if no rain falls till the cotton is quite matured, it retains its white- ness, and is esteemed by the trade. The harvest begins early in November, and lasts seven or eight months. It only gives two and a half ounces per plant. It does not grow higher than three feet, or spread more than four or five. 4 and 5. Red and Green Sorrel. — The plant called " Sorrel " by the English is the " Bibisco Sadariffa" of Linneeus, of which there are two varieties — one having the flower-stem and calix green. VEGETABLE PEODUCTIONS— COTTON. 303 the other red. The same peculiarities obtain in the two species of " Sorrel " cotton, whence probably their name. The planters consider them as one species only ; but in this they are . mistaken, to the detriment of their interest. The green sorrel has the stem, calix and leaf-veins green, while in the others these parts have a reddish hue. Its cotton falls as soon as ripe — that of the red sorrel does not fall. It gives four ounces of cotton, while the yield of the red is seven and a half ounces. The red son-el is preferable not only to the green, but also to the yarum or aiial cotton, whose produce is less abundant, while it has the disadvantage of not bringing it forward at iised periods of the year, as the red sorrel does, but little by little, so that it is necessary to go over the plantation every week, or part of the crop is lost. The flock of the yarum easily separates itself from the pod, either by its own weight or from the influence of rain or wind ; and when on the ground it becomes foul and rotten, whence arises the necessity of gathering it from the plant every week. The red sorrel remains on the plant, and is not injured either by wind or rain, except in the case of a hurricane that brings down tree and all. Moreover, the red sorrel gives a white and superior cotton, and does not take up so much space as the yarum, as, at the most, it does not exceed five feet in height and four and a half in diameter. 6. Algodon Barhiagudo (cotton with a pointed beard) grows seven feet high and eight wide. Bears once a year, giving scarcely three ounces of cotton. It is frequently planted with the yarum. 7. Algodon de Gancho BarMdo (cotton with a bearded hook) is often cultivated with other sorts, especially with the yarum. The plant grows to the same size as the yarum ; and its cotton is not inferior in quality. It only bears once a year, and the crop is consequently liable to fail, but when this does not happen, the yield is five ounces a tree. 8. Anal Cotton. — The coarse sort is mostly cultivated, and is called also Jamaica or San Domingo cotton. We have already observed that its yield is slow, and lasts almost all the year. It rises to a height of six feet, and spreads as much. It usually gives seven ounces per tree. The finer sort is met with in Puerto Eico, 304 VENEZUELA. and is the earliest of all that Eohr was acquainted with. Its cotton is of very good quality. 9. Large-flocTc Cotton, formerly was much cultivated, but has latterly sunk in estimation, because it only bears once a year, is stained by rain, and, when attacked by caterpillars, yields nothing. Through negligence of the planter, it is often found mixed with the yarum. It grows six feet high and eight feet wide, and scarcely gives four ounces of cotton per tree. Rohr met, in San Tomas, with a plant of this species, which had spread as much as sixteen feet, and in March, 1710, had already given a pound and three quarters of cotton, promising another copious yield during the remainder of the year. Its flocks of cotton did not fall off, nor were they stained by the rains, and in fineness they approached those of the green-crowned variety. 10. Guayana Cotton. — Highly esteemed in Europe on account of the wliitenp"=?s, length, and strength of its fibre. Known in commerce as Cayenne, Berbice, Demerara, or Essequibo cotton. Gives two crops in the year, but the rains do not allow them both to be turned to account, for they make the green or half-ripe capsules fall from the tree. The ordinary yield is tliree-quarters of a pound. Under another sky, and more carefully cultivated, it has given as much as a pound and three-quarters. 11. Brazilian Cotton is the most esteemed in Europe, but Eohr had not time to notice it attentively. 12. Indian Cotton. — "I met with this," says Eohr, "on the mainland between Santa Martha and Cartagena, cultivated by an Indian, whom I used to visit frequently for the sake of the rich store of useful knowledge which he communicated to me. I have never seen trees that bear like his, which was probably due to the fertility of the soil, naturally flat and dry, and to the abundant irrigation obtained by means of numerous ditches and flood-gates. This cotton gives two crops a year. The flocks are very white, and remain a long time on the tree, and are not stained by the pods when wetted with rain. They are more readily cleaned of the seed than those of any of the species I have hitherto described. The lower leaves are always convex, and the branches divergent." 13. Four species bear the name of Siamese, of which three, VEGETABLE PEODUCTIONS— COTTON. 305 called by the French "smooth-crowned" (Xo. 16) and "downy" {No. 25), yield a cotton of a reddish chestnut colour, somewhat like that of Nanquin. The smooth cotton-tree of Siam grows higher than any other ; in two years it attains a height of twelve feet and a diameter of eight feet. It bears once a year, from February till April, and on this account its cultivation cannot be recommended. Its capsules usually fall as soon as ripe ; but, whether they fall or remain on the tree, they do not open fully, so that it is necessary to break the valves to extract the cotton, which adheres to them firmly, and is separated with difficulty. The yield looks abundant to the eye, but the cotton is so thin in fibre that when weighed the product scarcely comes up to three ounces a tree. 14. San Tomas Cotton. — Yields once a year, fi-om February to May, or even till June. Height, eleven feet ; bi'eadth, twenty feet. Product, about six ounces. The cotton is more delicate and white than that of the yarum or ai5al, and its staple much longer ; but it adheres so strongly to the seed that it cannot be detached from it without caiTving off some particles of the epidermis, which have to be separated before spinning, because otherwise the thread breaks every time they present themselves — a peculiarity that has not been observed in other species. 15. Los Caijos Cotton. — Similar to the preceding in growth, time of harvest, and quality of cotton, but does not adhere so firmly to the seed, and only gives two and a half ounces per tree. 16. Grey-crowned Cotton of Siam. — Paler than No. 13. The ripe capsules burst without falling oflF, which facilitates the gather- ing ; but if this is delayed, the cotton falls to the ground, becomes foul, and loses its elasticity and value. It yields twice a year, in February and May, but the two together do not give more than three ounces ; and, as the tree takes up a space of six feet diameter, its cultivation cannot be recommended, unless, indeed, the singular colour of the cotton should render it valuable. 17. Small-flocTced Cotton of Cartagena. — According to Rohr, this is grown in the province of Carthagena (Columbia), but ho adds that it is brought to market in the rough state, not cleared of the seed. Cultivated by Rohr in Santa Cruz, it gave once a year, from February to the end of April, a yield of two and three-quarter 306 VENEZUELA. ounces per tree of the finest and whitest cotton. It seems that the capsules fall off as soon as ripe, and this renders it unfit for cultivation. 18. Large-flocked Cotton of CartJiagena. — This tree is the largest of all hitherto described. It yields once a year. The flocks are as long as eight inches, and remain on the tree without staining. The produce is abundant, but Eohr had not time to ascertain its precise quantity. 19. White Cotton of Siam. — Very white, and does not stain on the tree, but its capsules sometimes drop before they reach ma- turity. Produce, six ounces. In growth, size, leaves, flowers, and capsules, it exactly resembles No. 16. Yields twice a year, in January and June. 20. " I call," says Eohr, " by the name of Curazao Cotton, that which gTows naturally ou the rocks which overlook the port of Willemstadt in the island of that name. It was there that I first saw it." This cotton is extremely fine, its seeds are half the usual size, its capsules are likewise small, and consequently contain little cotton, though closely packed, which gives it a veiy bad look at harvest-time, though when it is cleaned it has quite a different appearance, being very white and fine. It is employed in the island in weaving stockings, which are of remarkable fineness and durability, but it is not exported from the island. These trees, planted at distances of four feet in rows five feet apart, yield annually one ounce and two drachms of cotton ; but the harvest lasts much less time than if they were planted, as is usual, at double the distance. In this case, each tree would give more than seven ounces, and the harvest would last from February till June. 21. Crowned Cotton of San Domingo. — Bears twice a year, from November to January, and from April to May, and, when the season is favourable, until June. In quality it approaches to Indian cotton, but it is cleaned with difficulty. Its branches are very divergent. It grows seven feet high and ten broad. The ripe capsules fall off, which detracts from its value, notwith- standing the abundance of its yield. 22. Trailing Cotton. — Indigenous to Guinea. The stem is covered and the branches bend, so that the lower ones drag on ■VEGETABLE PKODUOTIONS— COTTON. 307 the ground. Its flocks of cotton closelj' resemble in shape those of the Indian cotton, but those of the red-leaved cotton (No. 27) resemble them still more ; such at least is the opinion of the Euro- pean manufactm'ers. It gives one harvest only, from November till March. 23. Smooth-stained Cotton. — This name has reference to the appearance of the seeds, which exhibit towards the base a large smooth stain. Its cotton is fine and white. 24. Coarse Cotton. — Called in Trinidad Hairy Cotton. Grows seven feet high and four broad, and gives only one harvest, from February to May. Eemains on the tree a long time after it is matured, and is very easily cleaned, but does not yield more than two and a half ounces per tree. 25. Red Downy Cotton of Siam. — Tlie cotton which it pro- duces is of an Isabel colom*, very strong and elastic. 26. Mustin Cotton. — In all its four varieties it is so difficult to clean that the operation has to be performed with the fingers, at the cost of sixteen hom's' labour for every pound. The red variety and the Raminez Cotton (so called from the islands of that name off Cayenne) requires still more time. It only gives one crop a year, small in quantity, and not of good quality. 27. Red-leaved Cotton. — The tender bark of the shoots, and the leaf-veins, are flesh-coloured ; a great many of the leaves and the outsides of the calices and of the capsules assume the same colour, when the cotton reaches maturity. Those which do not, become stained with red. It only yields one crop a year, from February to March, producing one ounce and three drachms per tree. Its cotton is as white and fine as the Indian cotton, but it cannot be cleaned by machine, and one pound demands at least thu'teen hours of hand labour. Height, seven feet ; diameter, eight feet. 28. Ifofijas Cotton. — That of Tranquebar has the leaves lobed, the lobes being lanceolate and pointed, and the side lobes jagged. That of Cambaya has the leaves divided into three elliptic and parabolic lobes, those at the side being cut into, sometimes so deeply as to make it appear that the leaf has five lobes. Both varieties present one capsule only on the principal nerve of the leaf, and even this is apt to be wanting in that of Cambaya. The X 2 308 VENEZUELA. flowers are very beautiful, of a fine yellow, with a large spot of blood-colour towards the base. The Tranquebar variety grows three feet high by two broad, and the Cambayan four feet each way. The capsules of the former are the smallest known, those of the latter being rather larger ; but both produce very little cotton, exceedingly difficult to clean. That of Tranquebar requires thirty hours of hand labour per pound, and that of Cambaya a little less- 29. Porto Rico Cotton. — Very similar to that of Guayana in size, growth, and configuration of all its organs, but is much more difficult to clean. No idea can be formed of its intrinsic value, because the European manufacturers receive it mixed with many other sorts ; for in Porto Eico every species, except the best, is cultivated indifferently. It is probable that the experiments of Eohr, repeated in other parts, would give results somewhat different as regards the du- ration and yield of the crops, and consequently as regards the aptness of certain species for the cultivation. But the funda- mental idea of distinguishing the species, and electing those best suited to each locality, rejecting the rest, is applicable to all cotton-growing countries, and requires neither outlay of money nor scientific knowledge. Rohr is also of opinion that it would be possible to mingle the species, and thus obtain varieties that would be preferable to any of those at present known. There is a species (that of Curazao, for example,) which gives a very fine cotton, but whose capsules are too small. What must be done, then ? Let the anthers be taken away before they open, and the pistils impregnated with pollen from the Carthagenan plant whose cotton flocks are large. Let the seed thus obtained be sowed, and see whether the capsules of the resulting plant will be of a larger size. It may perchance happen that this hybrid variety, imitating its parent plant, will give only one crop, because the hardness of its bark will not allow the flower-buds to pierce it more than once a year. Let us marry it, then, to the red sorrel, or to the white Siam cotton, and see if we can obtain an equal yield in less time, or in two single crops during the year. By impregnating in this manner the flowers of the Indian cotton with the pollen of the Brazilian cotton, not only have I succeeded in VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS— COTTON. 309 correcting the divergeDcj' of the branches of the former, but in ren- dering them more convergent than in the latter species ; and it even happened that the growth of the variety was more rapid than that of both. These trials may be infinitely varied, and bring about results that will leave far behind the experiments of those who are not na- turalists. Who would have foretold that, from that miserable wild berry, so hard and disagreeable, would have sprung all those rich and delicate apples now known under different names ? Shall we, then, deem it impossible to obtain, by following the same steps, a cotton superior to all those now cultivated, perhaps even a cotton without seeds, which would save the growers a deal of labour and expense ? A fruit full of pips was brought by Captain Schmat to contain none at all, and to show no traces of a capsule. The Corinth grape contains no seeds ; and who has ever seen any in the banana (Musa paradisiaca), or in the cambure or guinco (Musa sapien- tum) ? Such a variety of cotton once obtained, it would be easy to multiply it by means of cuttings ; for the tender branches cut off and put into the earth soon take root. But the best way of improving the species is to become acquainted with them and cultivate them well. There is grown in the United States a species of cotton, straw- coloured, brilliant, and fine to the touch, the seed of which seems to have been brought from Sicily. Cultivation of Cotton in Venezuela. Three sorts of cotton are at present cultivated at Venezuela, called Creole, Maranon, and Xew Orleans Cotton. The first is longer and finer in staple than the others ; the second, which probably derives its name from the river so called, as the third does ft'om the place of its origin (New Orleans) is short and rough in fibre. The plant of the two first classes rises to a height of three yards, or even rather more in low and fertile districts, such as the margin of lakes and rivers. Lands of this sort, or those which, although not bordering on a lake or river, are yet low, damp, light and level, or at least fulfil the two latter conditions, and are ,310 VENEZUELA. in no way composed of dead sand or clay, are those which are best suited to the growth of every species of cotton. The culture of the cotton is conducted in the following manner : — After the ground has been cleaned and prepared so that the rain-water or the waters of irrigation may flow off as soon as the two or three first showers after the spring have fallen, lines, the breadth of a hoe (azada), are marked upon it by means of a line and hoe at distances of three yards from centre to centre in the best, or two and a half to two yards in inferior soils. In the middle of these lines holes, two or three inches deep, are made with an iron or wooden dibble (chicura). These holes are three- quarters to a yard apart, according as the soil is more or less fertile, and in them the seed, selected and prepared in the usual way, is deposited to the number of six to eight grains in each hole ; these are then covered lightly over with earth, and, as soon as they come up, those holes out of which two plants at least do not appear are re-sown. When the plants are four or five inches high, they are thinned out by hand, two or three of the most robust, according to the strength of the soil, being left. The plants are trimmed every thirty or forty days, beginning as soon as they reach the height of eighteen or twenty inches. This operation (called by the labom-ers "capada") is performed by taking away with the fingers the tender sprouts from all the branches, and plucking up the suckers that spring up at the foot of the plant. It is suspended before the inflorescence is announced by means of the pistil, which generally comes enveloped in leaf- lets, commonly called " mariposa " (butterfly). The ground must be constantly weeded with the hoe until the branches of the cotton-plants, crossing in all directions, form a shade that pro- hibits any under-growth. The harvest usually begins in January and ends in March, but if the soil is sufficiently moist it lasts, in most cases, until the first rains. The plants may be left for another year, cutting them down with a sharp pruning-hook to half their height after ^the crop is gathered and before the rains come on. A plantation thus pre- pared is called " troncon " (pollard),, and, if kept well weeded, it VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS— COTTON. 311 will sometimes produce as large a crop as the first year (in which it is called " plantilla "). The pollard plants are never trimmed. In such descriptions of land as are above indicated, a plot of one hundi'ed yards square will produce in a good year, under the system of cultivation just described, one hundred to one hundred and twenty " arrobas brutas," or, on an average, one hundred and twelve and a half, which, at the rate of twelve arrobas to a net quintal, give nine quintals. The total of the costs and charges on a single quintal amounts to nine dollars eighty cents, as shown by the annexed estimate. The New Orleans seed, which was brought fi-om that port a few years back, is green and hairy, and the plant rises to a height of from a yard and a quarter to a yard and a half (five to six cuarbas). Its culture is as follows : — In April or May, after a couple of good showers have fallen, the ground having been cleaned and pi'epared as mentioned above, maize is sown, in rows a yard and a quarter to a yard and a half apart, according to the fertility of the soil. This maize will be ripe in August, and it is then doubled up so that it may dry thoroughly, and lines are immediately marked out between the rows of maize and cotton sown at distances of three-quarters of a yard to a yard. The operations of re-sowing and thinning-out are performed as before described, and the cotton-plants are trimmed once only — when they are a half to three-quarters of a yard high. The plantation must be kept well cleaned until flowering com- mences. The harvest takes place at the same time as with the other sorts, except that, if the soil is sufiiciently good, it is usual with the plant in question to come into bearing again spon- taneously and yield some cotton, which is called "reposicion" (after-crop). This plant is never left in pollard, because it would bear little, and would hinder the re-sowing of the maize at its proper time, without mentioning that the crops would injure each other with their shade. This sort of cotton is short and stout in fibre like the Mararion, and enjoys the same advantage, even in a higher degree, of requir- ing less cotton in the rough to make up a quintal of clean cotton than the black-seeded Creole, since only ten and a half to eleven 312 VENEZUELA. arrobas of the two former sorts are needed to form a quintal, if the cotton has been gathered from the plant and kept very clean, while twelve to thirteen arrobas of the Creole in the same condition are required. In all these sorts, the cotton is separated from the seeds in carding-machines (maquinas de sierra), imported from the United States since the year 1818, up to which time the only machines known were the iron cylinders, by which only twenty-five to thirty-five pounds a day could be cleaned, and this frequently turned out of very bad quality, because many of the seeds were crushed and passed through the rollers to the deterioration of the cotton. The following is an estimate of the cost and expenses of a quintal of cotton in the best lands of the province of Aragua, the ground being supposed to be covered with brushwood, and not with a virgin forest. The "tarea de socalo," i.e., the task or job (tarea) of clearing wood with a bill, is usually a space of thirty brazadas long by six wide, equal to seven hundred and twenty square yards. Consequently, a plot of ten thousand square yards contains approximately : — 14 "tareas de socalo," . 14 tareas felling with an axe . 2 ,, cutting up the wood . 2 ,, collecting it into heaps 1 ,, burning it . 1 ,, re-collecting and re-burning A plot of 100 yards square contains 40 rows at an average distance of 2^ yards one from another. 2 tareas laying out the rows and sowing, at 3 reals each 75 Weeding 6 times, at 8 rows per tarea :— 30 tareas at 3 reals each . . . . . . . 11'25 Trimming 4 times at 2 tareas to the plot : — 8 tareas at 2 reals each . . . . . . 2'00 . at 3 I eals each $5-25 5-25 75 75 g 38 38 $2676 The 26 dollars 76 centavos shown by the preceding esti- mate being divided among 9 quintals, which is the average yield of a plot 100 yards square, give for each quintal $2-97 ^^GETABLE PEODUCTIONS— SUGAE. 313 The cost of gatheriug 12 arrobas of cotton for each quintal, at 2 reals each . . . . . . . 3'00 Freight on ] quintal from the valleys of Aragua to Puerto Cabello 1-50 Rent of the laud at the rate of 3 dollars per plot, gives for each quintal . . . . . . . . 0"33 Cleaning of each quintal (total cost) .... 2"00 Total cost of 1 quintal of cotton |9'80 It must be observed that this estimate does not include freight or carriage of cotton from farms, that do not possess machines for cleaning the cotton, to establishments where such machines are to be found. Neither is any notice taken of the additional expense that would attend the clearing of a virgin forest, beyond that of clearing such wood of lesser growth, as we have supposed. It must also be borne in mind that the clearing, whether of copse or of forest, is an expense for the first time only, and which will not have to be incurred again while the land remains under cultivation. The sugar-cane cultivated in Venezuela is of three kinds, introduced from India, Tahiti, and Java. The cane flou- rishes at any altitude above the level of the sea up to three thousand thi-ee hundi-ed feet, and bears in from eleven to fourteen months. Each cane yields a tenth of its own weight in sugar. An acre will contain nine thousand canes, planted at four feet distance. The Tahiti cane yields one- thii-d more sugar than the Indian, but requii-es to be resown every ten years. That of Java is the best for rum. Near Valencia plantations have yielded twenty-five consecutive harvests without requii'ing renewal. Indigo grows at from three hundi'ed to three thousand feet above the sea, is full grown in from two and a half to three and a half years, lasts a year and a half, and yields two 314 VENEZUELA. ' harvests a year. One pound of dye is got from eveiy seventy-two plants. Tobacco thrives at any altitude from the sea's level to six thousand feet above it, and yields two crops a year, and half a pound of dry tobacco for every five plants. The best sorts of tobacco are those of Eio Negro, Cumanacoa, and Barinas. The latter kind is used by Germans for the pipe. After what has been said of the resources of Venezuela, of its various products, of the fertility of the soil, of the extent of its territory, the richness of its gold fields, and the moderate amount of its debt in comparison with what ought to be that of the national revenue, it will not be difficult to imagine what must be the answer as to the question, Can Venezuela pay the interest of its debt? With common j)rudence, Venezuela can pay that interest and all the necessary expenses of the state, and still have a small surplus. It will not be possible for her, indeed, to assign to General Falcon one hundred and sixty thousand dollars out of a single year's income, and thus to bestow on him a salary equal to that of eight cabinet ministers in Eng- land ; but she can afford to pay her president and ministers well, and yet keej) faith with her foreign creditors. The best proof of this assertion is that, besides the payment of the expenses of government on a liberal scale, the Republic has since 1864 discharged nearly all its foreign liabilities in the shape of claims, and has also enriched enormously many of its executive officers, as, for example, the Grand Mariscal. All that is requii-ed is a resolute head of the government, and the name of Venezuela will soon be removed from the list of insolvents. CHAPTER XIV. Relations of Venezuela with Foreign Powers — Assistance rendered to Vene- zuela bj' England in men and monej^— History of Venezuelan Debt— Causes of the Decay of English Influence— The Question of the Loans — Plans for solving the Difficulty— The Foreign Office View— The Appeal to Force — The Compensation Plan — The Best Plan. Spain and England ai-e the only European powers with which Venezuela has had very intimate relations. The natui-e of those relations will appear presently. The con- sideration of them may be waived for a moment in order to notice very briefly such intercourse as has taken place between Venezuela and other states, whether European or American. The j)roxiniity of the Dutch island of Curazao to the coast of Coro has led not only to a flou- rishing trade, but also to interminable smuggling trans- actions, to claims and counter-claims between the Dutch and their Creole neighbours. Curazao has continuall}' been the rendezvous of conspu-ators and intriguers against the government of Caracas, and also of those who, from the righteousness of then* cause, deserve a better name. Thus, on the 16th of March, 1848, Don Eamon Paez, son of the renowned soldier and patriot, General Paez, sailed from Curazao to join in a movement in Coro against Monagas. With New Granada and Ecuador, Venezuela was once united into a great country, which, under the name of Columbia, handed down the memor}' of its first dis- 316 VENEZUELA. coverer, Colon, or Columbus. Within the last five years attempts have been made to renew the union of these three republics, and Signor Antonio Guzman was appomted Venezuelan commissioner to effect that object. The nego- tiation failed, however, owing, it is said, to the opposition of General Falcon. Brazil has always been on friendly terms with Venezuela, and a Brazilian minister resides constantly at Caracas. The line of frontier between the two states has been ami- cably settled. From the United States of North America Venezuela has on several occasions received sympathy and assistance. After the great earthquake of 1812, North America des- patched several vessels laden with provisions for the relief of the sufferers at Caracas. Paez and many other illus- trious refugees from Venezuela have found a second and a safer home in New York. On the 25th of November, 1858, Paez, after ten years' sojoiu-n at New York, during which time he "enjoyed every political and social privilege under a free and enlightened government," embarked on board a steamer placed at his disposal by the government of the United States, and sailed for Cumana. His expedition was unsuccessful, and he returned to North America, where he still lives, at the age of between 80 and 90 years. A minister from the Government of Washington resides at Caracas, and a considerable trade is carried on between that city and New York. Nor did North America fail to take an active part in the war of independence. So long back as the 3rd of November, 1812, the President of Quito, Don Toribio Montes, executed Macaulay, a North American officer, who had successfully defended Popayan against the AVEESION TO SPAIN. 317 Spanish forces, and, after Macaulay's death, others of his compatriots took part in the war. France and Germany both carry on a not inconsiderable trade with Venezuela, and some Frenchmen and a far greater number of Germans are resident in Venezuelan territories, but, with the exception of the crude designs of the first Napoleon, no intention of political interference has been manifested by either of the said European powers with reference to the government of Caracas. The long and cruel war which was waged between Columbia and the mother-country, Spain, seems to have left the seeds of hatred and aversion to Spain deep-sown in the breast of every Venezuelan. It is sad that there should be such feelings between the two countries, and that parent and child should have parted on such terms ; but the wrongs on both sides were such that centmies must elapse before the memory of them fades entirel}' away. Mean- while, the history of the dealings of Spam -nith her South American colonies, especially with Columbia, • deserves to be studied by all nations, and should prove a beacon to mark out errors in colonial government for all time. The grievances which the South Americans alleged as the gi'ound of their revolt were, first, their exclusion from office ; secondly, the pride of the Spaniards ; thii-dly, the Inqui- sition ; fom'tlily, restrictions on education ; fifthly, com- mercial restrictions. On the first, second, and fom-th of these, England will do well to ponder in her dealings with India. The Inquisition alone, it must be owned, formed a reasonable gromid of separation from Spain, and the whole list of ■s\Tongs justified, perhaps, war, if war be ever jus- tifiable ; but such was the prostration of Columbia under 318 VENEZUELA. Spanish rule, that it is doubtful whether she would ever have rebelled but for the successful example of the United States of North America. As it was, the rebellion began feebly, and the struggle was long protracted, owing to many causes, such as the dispersion of the population, the division of castes, difficulty of communication, the igno- rance of the people, their long habits of obedience, the want of experienced Creole officers, the general ignorance of war, and the influence of Spanish officials. All these things retarded the mdependence of the Columbians, and the longer they fought the more embittered the strife became ; — hence the rancour it has left. After dwelling on the great struggle between Spain and her colonies, the mind is natm-ally led to inquire and esti- mate the result of the victory. An impartial examination will find it hard to determine whether the end attained was an evil or a good. On the one hand, it must be freely admitted that the government of Spain over her South American colonies was odiously selfish, despotic, and unjust; but the worst possible government is perhaps better than chronic civil war and a restless appetite for change, wliich grows with every fresh revolution. Slavery and the inquisition are monstrous evils, but rebellion and scepticism are as bad, if not worse. If any one is disposed to dispute this statement, let him hear the testimony of Ducoudray Holstein, who, himself a French republican and chief of the staff to the president Hberator, was not likely to be too favourable to despotism. After speaking of the material prosperity of Columbia while under Spain, he says: " All tliis wealth, comfort, and agreeable society have now disappeared. The greater part of the distinguished families EESULTS OF VICTORY. 319 in Venezuela and New Granada have left the country, and the few that remain are ruined." " Were the inhabitants in a worse condition under the dominion of Sj)ain, bad as it was, than they are now, under the bayonets of the dictator liberator ? " As to the war itself, and the manner in which it was conducted, it will be sufficient to state that, according to the estimate of Restrex)o, the republican secretary of state, 400,000 persons perished in it, and, at the same time, to quote the words of an Englishman, who was himself engaged in it : " There is no power," says Colonel Hip- pesle}', " to be acquii-ed in the starvation and peiils of the tedious voj'age, whatever there may be in the after war ; and even in the conflict the author can scarcely imagine the Briton engaged, who would not sluink in disgust and horror, rather than rise in the pride of triumph, at the merciless massacre of unarmed prisoners, and the infernal s^Doi-ting -v^ith human suiferings. The utter want of a com- missariat, and the intolerable heat of the climate, involve a complication of miseries which no Em'opean constitution can withstand ; and the author has to lament the death of the great majority of his companions, who perished like infected lepers, without sustenance and without aid fi'om the unfeeling wretches* in whose behalf they fell." Those who think that the overthrow of a bad government implies the inauguration of a better will do well to ponder over these remarks, and the more they reflect upon them and study the history of the events to which they refer, the less will be theii* sjonpathy with the revolutionary principles which are spreading so rapidly in Eui'ope. * If this be meant as imputing inhumanity to the "Venezuelans generally, the author feels bound to deny the charge. 320 VENEZUELA. Whatever the results of the war of independence, whether they have been beneficial to Venezuela or the reverse, that country certainly owes some gratitude to England for the part she took in it. The polic}^ of the English Government was, perhaps, to a certain extent, selfish ill aiding the Creoles against Spain, but the majority of Englislimen went to serve Columbia veiy much from sympathy with a people struggling for freedom ; and if this be questioned, a sufficient proof of the truth of the obser- vation will be found in the fact that no Englishman could be induced to enlist on the side of despotism. England assisted Columbia with both soldiers and trea- sure ill the war with Spain. So early as the year 1813, the troops of Socorro were brought mto admii-able discipline by a British officer, Gregor MacGregor. These men did good service under Don Antonio Narino, of Santafe, who Avas the prime mover of the revolt. MacGregor afterwards rose to be a general, and in 1816 commanded a small army which marched from Maracai to Barcelona and took that important town, after wdnning a great battle against the Spanish General Lopez, and repeatedly defeating the royalists in lesser engagements. After taking Barcelona, MacGregor united his column with the troops of Piar, and defeated the sanguinary Morales with great slaughter. Another English officer who very early distinguished him- self in the war was Captain, afterwards Colonel Virgo, who is first mentioned by Restrepo as doing eminent service at the battle of Palace, near Popayan, on the 30tli of December, 1813. From that time forth Englishmen were constantly engaged on the side of the patriots, and to notice all their exploits would be equivalent to writing a THE BEITISH LEGION. 321 liistoiy of the \Yar of Independence. It will be sufficient, then, to say that in the two decisive battles by which the power of Spain was overthrown, and especially in the latter, which was the crowning "sactory, the honours of the day belonged to the British soldiers. Thus, on the 7th of August, 1819, the battalion of rifles under Lieut. -Col. Ai-thur Sandes, and that caUed Albion, commanded by Lieut.-Col. Eook, bore the brunt of the battle at the Bridge of Boyaca, near the city of Tunja. " The results of this victory," says the historian Baralt, " were immense, for the Spanish army was destroyed, and New Granada was set fi'ee." More decisive still was the battle of Carabobo, a full account of Avhich has been given in a preceding chapter, and in which the British Legion alone carried the Spanish position, losing two men out of every tliree killed or wounded. On that occasion the valour of the English extorted fi-om Bolivar the address, *' Sa\doui's of my country ! " The pecuniary assistance rendered by England to Vene- zuela has been of such a nature that a full account of it cannot be given without narrating the whole history of the Venezuelan debt. The debt of Venezuela, then, is of two kinds, domestic and foreign. The domestic debt is that portion of the domestic debt of Columbia which fell to the share of Venezuela when it separated from New Granada and Ecuador, the two republics wliich, with Venezuela, made up the grand Republic of Columbia. The domestic debt of Columbia had its origin in sums raised by the Spanish Government by mortgaging the treasuries in New Granada and Venezuela. For these sums the Spanish Government paid, in some cases, three per cent., in others four, and in others five per cent. Other sums raised by the 322 VENEZUELA. Spanish Government were styled funds of amortizacion, as it was supposed that they were intended to fonn a sinking fund to pay off the bonds of that government. Besides these, there was the debt of the Panama States, for which Cokimbia became liable, since on that condition those states threw off their allegiance to Spain. So also with the debt of Guayaquil, which Columbia, on similar grounds, took on itself. To these liabihties were added debts incm-red by the Republic of Columbia after it had declared its mde- pendence in 1810. The young republic had a scanty revenue, insufficient for its wants even in tunes of peace, and this, notwithstanding the exigencies of war, it, with the usual imprudence of republics, stiU further reduced by abolishing many imposts which were unpopular with the citizens. Hence, up to 1822, the epoch when foreign loans were negociated, a considerable amount of debt had been incurred on account of stores supplied to the commis- sariat and of pay due to the army, and this debt was not paid off with the proceeds of the foreign loans. Up to May, 1824, then, the debt of Colmnbia stood as follows : — For sums raised by the Spanish Government at various amounts of interest $900,000 Interest thereon 468,138 For ditto raised by ditto for amortization . . . 1,250,000 Interest thereon 937,500 Debt of the States in the Isthmus of Panama . . . 252,000 Interest thereon 48,000 Debt of Guayaquil 800,000 Liquidated domestic Debt 1,200,000 Unliquidated, with Interest 3,800,000 Pay due to civil officers up to 1st January, 1822 . . 1,500,000 A third of the same retained by law . . . . 1,650,000 Loans received in cash 1,000,000 Pay due to military 3,500,000 Foreign Loan of March, 1822 10,000,000 „ May, 1824 20,000,000 Total $46,505,638 THE FOEEIGN DEBT. 323 The foreign debt of Columbia began in 1816, when some English houses and other foreigners supplied Bolivar with the means of making his expedition to Angostm^a. After the battle of Boj-aca, BoHvar determined to send an envoy to London to settle the claims then existing against his government. Accordingly, in 1820, he despatched Fran- cisco Antonio Zea to England, and that officer issued a number of debentures in pajonent of the foreign claims to the amount of £547,783. In March,* 1822, Zea contracted a loan of ^£2, 000,000 with Messrs. Herring, Graham, and Powles, at £80 for the £100, by wliich the former debt of £547,783 was paid off. On the 15th of May, 1824, a fm-ther loan of $20,000,000, or £4,750,000, was taken from Messrs. B. A. Goldsmith & Co. On the 25th of December, 1834, Senor Santos Michelena, Plenipotentiary on the part of Venezuela, and Seiior Luis de Pombo, on that of N. Granada, without the concm'rence of the Plenipotentiary of Ecuador, agreed that the foreign Colmnbian Debt for the two loans, should be divided amongst the thi'ee Eepubhcs, Venezuela making itself liable for f^ and N. Granada for ^, while the remainder, or i55,fell to the re- sponsibility of Ecuador. Hence the foreign debt of Vene- zuela became $11,698,049*93 cents, or £1,888,395 15s. This Convention was ratified by Venezuela on the 26th of July, 1837 ; by N. Granada on the 25th of August; and by Ecuador on the 26th of November, 1837. The domestic debt of Co- lumbia was divided at the same time, and $7, 217, 915*12 cents, fell to the share of Venezuela. The total of the Venezuelan share of both foreign and domestic debt thus amounted to $19,215,965-05 cents, or 76,875,860f. and 20 centimes. * Codazzi, p. 289, gives May 13, 1822, as the date of this Loan. Y 2 32i VENEZUELA. The dividends on the foreign deht were paid faithfully during the Presidentship of General Paez, and up to the year 1848, when the General went into exile, and they were stopped. On the 23rd of February, 1859, a meeting of bondholders was held in London, when it was agreed to accept the proposal of Senor Rodriguez, the Venezuelan Minister, to pay 3 per cent, on active, and 1| per cent, on deferred Venezuelan bonds. Only two coupons were paid upon the reserved bonds, and in 1862, the sum of ^6214,000 of arrear dividends had accrued. In January, 1862, Seiior Hilarion Nadal, the agent of General Paez, arrived m London to raise a fresh loan of one million. At a general meeting of bondholders held on the 20th of June, 1862, it was agreed to accept the proposal of Senor Nadal, m order to obtain the special hypothecation of 55 per cent, of the import duties, and by freeing the cus- toms from usurious claims to enable the Venezuelan Govern- ment to recommence paying the dividends. At this time the foreign debt of Venezuela amounted to 564,412,000, carrying an annual interest of £118,000. The following is the account given by Senor Pedro* Jose Eojas, the Secre- tar}^- General, and successor of General Paez, of the manner in which the funds realised b}^ this loan were expended : — £1,000,000 at 63 per cent. = £630,000 = at $6-48 the pound sterling $4,082,620*54 Expenses and Commissions. £ s. d. Baring, Brothers, and Company . . . 12, 102 Brokerage 1,939 2 6 Mr. Mocatta's Travelling Expenses . . . 1,747 9 6 Estimate of expenses for which Messrs. Baring will account 3,012 15 £18,801 7 * Vindicacion, Caracas, 1863, p. 114. The statements of Mr. Mocatta and of Messrs. Baring wiU be found in the Appendix. THE FOEEIGN DEBT. 325 £ s. d. Brought forward . .18,801 7 Petty expenses 89 2 10 Freight and insurance of £100,000 . . . . 2,587 14 Seymour and other agents for assistance rendered 21,800 Commission to Senor Nadal .... 16,000 His expenses 3,000 £62,278 3 10 The same in dollars at $6-o0 the pound sterling, $469, 808 '21 cts. Freight from St. Thomas 1,652 $471,460-21 28,108 10 6,927 5 350 7 Dividends in arrear and advance on the old and neio English debt. 20 per cent, on £9,600 arrears of interest from £ s. d. 1840 to 1847 on old Bonds at 6 per cent, con- verted into 3 per cents., on condition of paying the said 3 per cent 1,920 £ s. d. 6 months' interest due July 1, 1862, on £2,810,850 active Bonds at 2 per cent. . . ... On £1,385,450 defeiTedat 1 perct. Commission 1 per cent. 35,386 2 6 months' interest due July 1, 1862, on £210,210 6 per cent. Bonds, issued for dividend in arrear from July, 1860, to Jan. 1862, on the 3 and 1 1 Bonds .... 6,306 6 Commission 1 per cent. . . 63 1 3 6,369 7 3 6 months' interest of Jan. 1863, on £2,810,850 Bonds of 3 per cent, to 2 28,108 10 On £1,385,250 Bonds of 14 per cent, at 1 . . 6,927 5 On £210,210 6 per cent. Bonds .... 6,306 6 Commission at 1 per cent. . . . . . 413 8 4 6 months' interest due Nov. 1862, on 1 million sterling at 6 per cent 30,000 Ditto, due May, 1863, on ditto at ditto . . 30,000 £145,430 18 7 at $6-50 $945,291-04 Baring, Brothers, & Co., for sums due to them £14,719 1 3 at $6-50 $95,673-90 326 VENEZUELA. Brought forward .... $1,512,425-15 Baiik of Venezuela.* Dollars. Cts. On account of account current . . . . 740,250'34 For Notes in circulation ..... 1,644,621 '16 Shares . . . 2,714,500 Equivalent for Public Debt 3 per cent. . . 10,858,000 $13,942,871-50 Paid on account in cash $234,895-63 Diplomatic Claims. United States 100,000 Ditto, Aves Island . . . . . 13,000 British Legation 97,278-43 Consul-General of Denmark .... 63,106-60 ,, „ Netherlands .... 15,139-66 $288,578-69 Orders on the Custom-House at La Guaira ..... 133,591-62 Various public creditors paid by E. Mocatta, by bills on London 456,522-50 War expenses reciitted to the provinces, and common expenses of the Treasury paid by the Custom-house at La Guaira . . 219,224*55 Paid in the same departments by the Treasury . . . . 407,382-40 Balance in the hands of Baring, Brothers, £20,000 . . . 130,000-00 t $4,082,620-54 General Paez having hypothecated 55 per cent, of the im- port duties at La Guau^a and Puerto Cabello, for pajonent of the dividends of this loan, a decree was issued on the 1st of November, 1862, duly signed by the General and the Secre- tary of State. This was lodged at the Custom-house, pub- lished in the official gazette, and by bando or beat of drum. * " "VVe allotted," wi'ites Senor Eojas, "a large sum for the amortization of the ordinary Shares of the Bank of Venezuela. . These Shares consisted of Public Debt. The capital purchased amounted to eleven millions ; for the balance bills (vales) were given with security on certain Custom-houses of the Republic. This was certainly not one of the least important advantages of the Loan." (Vindicacion, p. 112.) "A respectable committee of merchants and the Directors of the Bank of Caracas, allotted the money assigned to pay the sums due" (valores) to the Bank of Venezuela. (Vind., p. 113.) + It will be seen that there are several mistakes in the addition of figures in this statement, and that the total is $700,000 out. The statement is, however, an exact transcript of the Spanish. SUSPENSION OF PAYMENT. 327 " A few months afterwards General Falcon and General Blanco assumed the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the Republic, and the aforesaid decree was respected and acted upon for two years. On one occasion the sum of $75,000 was appropriated by the authorities as a loan, on the plea of necessity, but that sum was restored by General Blanco in London. In October, 1863, General Blanco received and accepted from Messrs. Baring the complete and final account of the loan of 1862, together with a balance of about ^621,000." Suddenly, on the 3rd of December, 1864, the Government of Venezuela issued a decree suspending the pajTnent of the 55 per cent, to the British bondliolders, and actually forced the agents of the bondholders to return $18,443 that had been paid to them.* In the meantime, however. General Falcon and General Blanco had secured the proceeds of the loan of 1864, and had reheved the Government from the army claims and other pressing demands, as has been shown in a preceding chapter. It, therefore, appears in the clearest way, that England not only aided the Venezuelans with gaUant soldiers in winning their independence, but supplied them in all the most critical emergencies with treasure to defray their expenses. Sm'ely, under the cii'cumstances, the in- fluence of this country in Venezuela ought to be great. How is it, then, that the exact contrary is the case, and that the representations of our Ministers at Caracas with respect to the loans, have had no weight whatever ? A dis- tinct and decisive answer to this question cannot be given, except before a Committee of the House of Commons. It involves the whole subject of the organisation of the Foreign * Statement by the Committee of Venezuelan Bondholders, London, 1866. 328 YENEZUELA. Office ; an organisation which could barely be tolerated in 1782, but which is so unsuited for the present time that nothing but the intense ignorance and consequent indif- ference of the general public regarding it, allows of its being maintained for a moment. But, though all that is known cannot be told, unless mider due authorisation, one great cause of the decay of British influence in foreign countries, and especially with reference to the recovery of debts owed by the Governments of those countries to British subjects, can be pointed out. This is, that the Enghsh Government gratuitously parades its determination not to enforce the claims of its subjects.* Now, whatever the intentions of a claimant may be, it is surely very miAvise to proclaim beforehand that resort will not be had to ulterior measures. It is like putting up a board to warn trespassers that they will not be prosecuted. Such a course may be declared quite unreasonable, without going at all into the question whether war for the recovery of a debt is justifiable by international law, or is to be regarded only as a matter of discretion. But the fact is, it is a course adopted by Government m order to stand well with Parliament and the general public, who, from selfish motives, are opposed to such expenditure as a war necessi- tates for the recovery of the property of a comparatively small number of persons. " Why should we be taxed that they may be indemnified ? " is the thought that pervades * This extreme candour amounts to almost touting for injuries, and reminds one of Jack in the Tale of the Tub, who ' ' would stand in the turning of a street, and calling to those who passed by, would cry to one, * Worthy, sir, do me the honour of a good slap in the chaps.' " It is, perhaps, unnecessary to add that the remarks here made are intended to apply to the traditional policy of the Foreign Office, not to that of the Ministers now in power. SUPINENESS OF THE BEITISH GOVEENMENT. 329 the ]3ublic mind, and finds its echo in Parliament. The same thought gave rise to all the fables that were told about the difficulties of the Abyssinian campaign, — the unhealthi- ness of the climate, and the impracticability of reaching Magdala. This Idchete has been properly punished in the case of Abyssinia, by the enormous and unnecessary expense of sending an army to accomplish what might well have been performed by a single brigade. But the selfish tax- payer exaggerated the difficulties of the expedition in order to prevent it altogether, and, of course, no government would incur the responsibility of sending only 3,000 men to do what every one was declaring could not be achieved by five times that number.* It is not to be supposed, however, that Government would admit the dread of unpopularity, or of ParKamentary cen- sure, to be the reasons for its meek acquiescence in the wrongs of the Venezuelan bondliolders, and the contemp- tuous disregard of its remonstrances in their favour. A very different ground for this patient endurance was put forward on a previous and similar occasion by Lord Palmer- ston m his memorable cu"cular of January, 1848. It is there alleged, that Government abstained from action in order to discom-age the investment of Enghsh capital abroad instead of at home. Twent}^ j^ears have passed away * The idea of sending an Ambassador with three thousand men originated witli the author of this book. See Athenaeum, Xo. 2057, March 30, 1867, p. 419. " It has been clearly ascertained that the road from Massowab into Tigre is quite practicable. Would it not be better to send an ambassador with au escort to treat with Theodorus ? Twelve hundred horse, two thousand infantry, a brigade of guns and a couple of mortars would suffice for the escort." This was not a mere guess, but was based on a careful comparison of what Sale had done in a country as difficult as that between Annesley Bay and Magdala, and against incomparably better soldiers than the Abyssinians. 330 VENEZUELA. since this plausible excuse was made, and the increasing investments in foreign loans dm'ing each jea,v have rendered it less and less specious, but even now it would probably be again emplo3"ed. It is requisite, therefore, to examine the whole question of the right and expediency of enforcing the performance of justice to the citizens of this country in reference to the debts owing to them by foreign nations, with the view of showing that, neither on the ground alleged by Lord Palmerston, nor on any other, can action be any longer delayed. It will be as well, then, to begin with quotmg Lord Pal- merston's cii'cular in extenso, in order to dispose of the pretext for inaction which he thought it politic to put for- ward. This document* is as follows : — Foreign Office, January, 1848. Her Majesty's Government have frequently had occasion to instruct Her Majestj^'s representatives in. various foreign States to make earnest and friendly, but not authoritative representations in support of the unsatisfied claims of British subjects, who are holders of public bonds and money securities of those States, As some misconception appears to exist in some of those States with regard to the just right of Her Majesty's Govern- ment to interfere authoritatively, if it should think fit to do so, in support of those claims, I have to inform you, as the representative of Her Majesty in one of the States against which British subjects have such claims, that it is for the British Government entirely a question of discretion, and by no means a question of international right, whether * The Tunes, April 21, 1849. LOED PALMEESTOX'S CIECULAE. 331 they should, or should not, make this matter the subject of diplomatic negociation. If the question is to he considered sunj)ly in its bearing upon international right, there can be no doubt whatever of the perfect right which the Government of every coimtry possesses to take up, as a matter of diplo- matic negociation, any well-founded complaint which any of its subjects may prefer against the government of another country, or any wrong which from such foreign government those subjects may have sustained ; and if the government of one country is entitled to demand redress for any one individual among its subjects who may have a just, but un- satisfied, pecuniary claim upon the government of another country, the right so to requii'e redress cannot be diminished merely because the extent of the wrong is increased, and, because, instead of there being one individual claiming a comparatively small sum, there are a gi-eat number of indi%'i- duals to whom a very large amount is due. It is, therefore, simply a question of discretion with the British Government whether this matter should or should not be taken up by diplomatic negociation, and the decision of that question of discretion tmTis entii'ely upon British and domestic considerations. It has hitherto been thought by the successive govern- ments of Great Britain undesii'able that British subjects should invest their capital in loans to foreign governments instead of employing it in profitable undertakings at home ; and, with a view to discom-age hazardous loans to foreign governments, who may be either unable or unwilling to pay the stipulated interest thereupon, the British Government, has hitherto thought it the best policy to abstain from taking up as international questions the complaints rhade by British 332 VENEZUELA. subjects against foreign governments which have failed to make good their engagements in regard to such pecuniary transactions. For the British Government has considered that the losses of imprudent men, who have placed mistaken con- fidence in the good faith of foreign governments, would prove a salutary warning to others, and would prevent any other foreign loans from being raised in Great Britain, except by governments of known good faith and of ascer- tamed solvency. But, nevertheless, it might happen that the loss occasioned to British subjects by the non-payment of interest upon loans made by them to foreign governments might become so great that it would be too high a price for the nation to pay for such a warning as to the future, and, in such a state of things, it might become the duty of the British Government to make these matters the subject of diplomatic negociation. In any conversation which you may hereafter hold with the Ministers ujion this subject, you will not fail to communicate to them the views which Her Majesty's Govern- ment entertain thereupon, as set forth in this desjDatch. Signed, Pai.ivierston. With reference to this important circular, the first thing to be considered is the principle, which is said to have been the animating one of successive British governments as regards loans to foreign states — viz., discouragement of them, in order that Enghsh capital might be invested at home. But money, like every other export, will always seek the best market, and to discourage it from doing so is simply opposi- tion to the principles of free trade. Supposing the foreign LOED PALMEESTON'S CIECULAE. 333 state to fulfil its engagements and to pay a higher interest than home investments would, it is obviously beneficial to England that foreign loans should be negociated in the London market. But should the foreign state not fulfil its engagements, England loses the whole caj)ital lent, unless payment be enforced. If payment be enforced, the capital returns to England, and fi'audulent borrowers are deterred from coming to the English market. In a word, there are two waj'S of discouraging hazardous loans — the one is to punish the English lender by neglecting his rights, in which case British capital is lost ; the other is to enforce payment and punish the foreign fraudulent borrower, in which case Enghsh capital is recovered, and that, too, without loss to the state, for the borrower would have, of course, to pay the expenses of coercion. But, in truth, if successive British Governments really did imagine that they could put do^vn foreign loans by ignoring the rights of English bond- holders, when, even at the time of Lord Palmerston's cir- cular, the capital lent to foreign governments had grown up- to ^£150,000,000, all that can be said is, 0, sancta sim- plicitas ! At all events, the notion must be dead now, when the capital owed to Englishmen by foreign states amounts to something like half the national debt, a sum much too vast to be made the subject of mistaken theories. In point of fact, the language of Lord Palmerston's cir- cular, like that of all diplomatic documents, is intentionally guarded, and represents only the square root of what his lordship really felt to be right. This is shown by what he said in the House of Commons, in a debate which was the reslfons et origo of the circular above cited. The debate took place in June, 1847, when Lord Bentinck brought 334 VENEZUELA. forward a motion — " That an address be presented to Her Majesty, humbly prajing that Her Majesty may be graciouslj'^ pleased to take such steps as may be deemed advisable to secure for the British holders of unpaid foreign* bonds redress from the respective governments." Lord Palmerston then said : " Although I entreat the house, upon grounds of public policy, not to impose at present upon Her Majesty's Government the obligation which the proposed address would throw upon them, yet I would take this opportunity of warning foreign governments, who are debtors to British subjects, that the time may come when this house will no longer sit patient mider the wrongs and injustice inflicted upon the subjects of this country. I would warn them that the time may come when the British nation will not see with tranquillity the sum of s£150,000,000 due to British subjects, and the interest, not paid ; and I would warn them that, if they do not make proper efl^orts adequately to fulfil their engagements, the government of this country, whatever men may be in office, may be 'compelled, by the force of public opinion and by the votes of Parliament, to depart from that which has hitherto been the established practice of England, and to insist upon the payment of debts due to British sub- jects. That we have the means of enforcing the rights of British subjects I am not prepared to dispute. It is not because we are afraid of those states, or all of them put together, that we have refrained from taking the steps to which my noble friend (Lord George Bentinck) would urge us. England, I trust, will always have the means of obtain- ing justice for its subjects from any country upon the face of the earth. But tliis is a question of expedienc}^ and not a * The immediate occasion of the motion was the non-payment of Spanish bonds. AUTHOEITIES ON INTEENATIONAL LAW. 335 question of power ; therefore, let no foreign country that has done wrong to British subjects deceive itself by a false imi^ression, either that the British nation or the British Parliament will for ever remain patient acquiescents in the wrong, or that, if called upon to enforce the rights of the people of England, the Government of England will not have ample means at its command to obtain justice for them." Here Lord Palmerston distinctly warns defaultmg foreign states that a time may come when payment will be enforced from them. This warning was uttered more than 20 years ago: is it toremam a hrutum fulmen ? or can there ever be a case in which the menace it contains could be more justly executed than that of Venezuela, where, be it remembered, no less a sum than $7,000,000 is at stake ? But before exhibiting in one view the strength of that case, it may be desirable to support Lord Palmerston's declaration by quo- tations from the best authorities on international law. In PhilHm ore's " Commentaries upon International Law" (ed. 1855, V. 2, c. iii., p. 8), it is said : " The right of inter- ference on the part of a state, for the purpose of enforcing the performance of justice to its citizens from a foreign state, stands upon an unquestionable foundation, when the foreign state has become itself the debtor of these citizens." Vattel (v. 2, c. xiv., p. 216) writes : " Les emprunts faits poin- le service de I'Etat, les dettes creees dans I'administra- tion des affakes publiques, sont des contrats de droit etroit, obligatoire s pour I'Etat et la nation entiere. Eien ne pent la dispenser d'acquitter ces dettes-la. Des qu'elles ont ete contractees par une puissance legitime, le droit du creancier est inebranlable. Que I'argent emprunte ait tourne au profit 336 VENEZUELA. de I'Etat, on qu'il ait ete dissipe en folles depenses, ce n'est pas I'affaire de celiii qiii I'a prete. II a confie son bien a la nation ; elle doit le lui rendre. Tant pis pour elle, si elle a remis le soin de ses affaires en mauvaises mains." The same writer, fxu^ther on (c. 18, s. 343), says : " It is only for an evidently just cause, and for a clear* andundeni- * Mr. Gerstenberg in liis excellent Report of 1865, and Messrs. Baring in their Memorial to Earl Russell i;nder date the 25th of March in the same year, have so completely disposed of all attempts to evade the obligation of the Debt of 18G2, by the device of a reference to the High Court of Vene- zuela and other pretences, that it is unnecessary to add anything on the subject here. With regard to one point, however, which seems to have some weight with the Venezuelans themselves, though it can have none with those who really understand the question, it may be as well to cite the authority of Wheaton (Interr/ational Law, ed. 1863, p. 41). " As to public debts — whether due to or from the revolutionized State — a mere change in the form of govern- ment, or in the person of the ruler, does not affect their obligation. The essential form of the State, that which constitutes it an independent com- munity, remains the same ; its accidental form only is changed. The debts being contracted in the name of the State, by its authorized agents, for its public use, the nation continues liable for them, notwithstanding the change in its internal constitution. The new government succeeds to the fiscal rights, and is bound to fulfil the fiscal obligations of the former government." As to the general question it is right to add the opinions of the Members for the City of London, which are thus expressed : — New Court, 10th July, 1865. My Lord, — The Chairman of the Committee of Venezuelan Bondholders has invited me to write to your Lordship respecting the Venezuelan Loan, contracted in 1862, and to state my opinion of the conduct of the Venezuelan Government. I cannot help complying with the request of that gentleman, and I beg to say that I consider it a case in which the Bondholders may expect every assist- ance from your Lordship, in obtaining the fulfilment of the contract entered into by the Government of Venezuela with the British Bondholders. Recommending their claims, therefore, to your Lordship's assistance, and apologising for troubling your Lordship, I have the honour to be, my Lord, Your Lordship's very obedient Servant, (Signed) Lionel de Rothschild. The Right Honourable The Earl Russell, K.G. OPINION OF THE CITY MEMBERS. 337 able debt, that the law of nations allows us to make reprisals." London, 7tk July, 1865. My Lord, — The Chairman of the Committee of Venezuelan Bondholders has shown me a copy of a letter of the 25th of last March, addressed to your Lordship by Messrs. Baring Brothers & Co. , setting forth the faithless conduct of the Venezuelan Government towards the British Bondholders ; and he has further submitted to me some resolutions of the Committee, dated the 30th of June last, appealing to your Lordship for help in their endeavour to recover the 55 per cent, of Import duties, especially hj^pothecated to them, and now unjustly confiscated. Having been requested to give my support to this appeal, and having care- fully examined the subject, I have no hesitation in saying that the case of the Venezuelan Bondholders is a very hard one, fully deserving the active and energetic interference of Her Majesty's Government, and I therefore beg respectfully to solicit your Lordship to grant to them the protection and assistance they seek at your Lordship's hands. By such action, not only the rights and just claims of British Bondholders will be protected, but a signal service will be conferred upon the people of Venezuela, whose interests will be considerably benefited by the observance of public engagements on the part of their Government. I have the honour to subscribe myself, Your Lordship's most obedient, humble Servant, (Signed) G. J. Goschen. To the Right Honourable The Earl Russell, K.G., Her Majesty's Principal Secretar}' of State for Foreign Afi"airs, &c., &c., &c. 71, Old Broad Street, 12th July, 1865. My Lord, — Having been prevented by my public engagements from accompanying the deputation which waited on your Lordship, on Monday last, with reference to certain complaints of the Venezuelan Bondholders, in respect of the acts of that Government as set forth in Messrs. Baring Brothers & Co.'s letter of the 25th March, 1865, I now address your Lordship for the purpose of recommending the claims of my constituents to the early consideration of Her Majesty's Government, with a view to such communica- tions being made to the Government of Venezuela as will ensure justice being done in the matter. I am, Your Lordship's obedient Servant, (Signed) R. W. Crawford. To the Right Honourable The Earl Russell, E.G., &c. 338 VENEZUELA. Travers Twiss, " On the Eights and Duties of Nations in time of War " (ed. 1863, p. 20), states : " If a nation has refused to pay a debt to, or has inflicted an injury upon, the subjects of another nation, and the former has refused to make satisfaction or to give redress, the latter may proceed to do justice to its subjects by making reprisals upon the former." AVheaton (ed. 1863, p. 508, Notes) quotes the words of President Jackson, in his message to Congress of December, 1834, as follows : " It is a well-settled principle of the international code that, when one nation owes another a liquidated debt, which it refuses or neglects to pay, the aggrieved party may seize on property belonging to the other, its citizens, or subjects, sufiicient to pay the debt, without giving just cause for war. I recommend that a law be passed, authorising reprisals upon French property, in case provision shall not be made for the pajonent of the debt at the approaching session of the French chambers." Wheaton then refers to the convention of the 31st of October, 1861, between England, Spain, and France, to obtain redress, by combined operations, from Mexico. Earl Kussell, in his instructions to Sir C. Wyke, after saying that it has not been usual to interfere to enforce the claims of bondholders, and that the case of the Mexican bondholders has not been an exception to the rule, goes on to declare that the government will now interfere on the ground of the arrangements made with the Government at Vera Cruz, by which customs' receipts were in certain proportions to be assigned to the holders of the bonds. And, though the agreement never assumed the form of a treaty, it is insisted that their (the Mexican bondholders) claims have assumed the character of international obligations. THE BONDHOLDERS' CASE. 339 This statement of Lord Russell forms a very suitable point-de-depart in summarizing the case of the Venezuelan bondholders ; for, if the agreement to assign a proportion of the Customs' receipts to the Mexican bondholders, gave to their claims the character of an international obligation, what must be the strength of the claim advanced by the Venezuelan bondholders, whose agents, British subjects, under the authority of a solemn agreement with the Ve- nezuelan Government, themselves collected the duties, and paid to the British Minister and British Consuls a large annuity for theii' assistance in the collection ? Briefl}^ the whole case of the Venezuelan bondholders stands thus : — Two millions and a half have recently been lent to the Venezuelan Government by British subjects, on the faith of contracts entered into between them and the authorised representatives of that government, in which specified por- tions of the proceeds of the Venezuelan Custom-houses have been hj'pothecated for the payment of the debtor. The collection of the Customs has been made over under a distinct agreement to the agents* of the bondholders, those agents being British subjects. The British Minister has been present at the negociation of the loan, and that nego- ciation has been protracted, broken off, and finally con- cluded in accordance with his demands. The British Government have authorised its representative to aid in the negociation of the loans, and has obtained the settlement of the claims of its subjects, amounting to considerable sums, by the loans. The British Minister and Consuls have been permitted by the British Government to draw yearly salaries, amountmg to nearly ^02,000, for aiding * 111 the case of the Loan of 1804. 340 VENEZUELA. ill collecting the Customs hj'pothecated for payment of the loans. All the papers connected with the loans have been registered and deposited in the British Mission ; and, in the case of the loan of 1862, the British Minister was appointed the colleague of the bondholders, and agent in settHng the claims which should be paid out of the proceeds of the loan. On the one hand, then, there are in favour of the bond- holders all the above-mentioned undeniable facts ; on the other, there is the decree of the Venezuelan Government of the 3rd of December, 1864, suddenly, wrongfully, and violently suspending the 55 per cent, duties hj-pothecated to the British bondholders, and actually forcing their agents to return $18,443, that had been ah'eady paid to them. And this, too, notwithstanding that, on the 9th of November, 1864, not a month before the issuing of the decree, General Blanco had spontaneously addressed a letter to Messrs. Baring, " solemnly promising the faithful observance of the contract of 1862, and offermg to refund any sums that might have been hitherto abstracted."* There is next, the arbitrary suspension of paj'ment for the loan of 1864, and the A\Testing of the solemnly-pledged Export Duties from the hands of the British agents, in spite of then- protest and the protest of the British Minister. Now, there is no attempt to lay down the doctrine that, in all cases of loans to foreign States, the English bondholders are to have the additional security of an immediate appeal to war. But let the British public well reflect how vast a sum is owed to England by foreign Powers ; how terrible a calamit}^ it would be if anything like general repudiation of * Debt of Venezuela, p. 8. THE APPEAL TO FOECE. 341 that debt were to set in ; how easily creditors, and especially foreign creditors, incHne to evade their liabilities, when they are apjjrised by example that there is no restraint upon then* inclinations but that of moral principle ; and then let them decide whether they will submit to injuries and indignities, which Venezuela would not venture to inflict on the subjects of France or of the United States. The case of Venezuelan repudiation is altogether an exceptionall}^ strong one, and requkes exceptionally strong measures ; and it is a case so flagrant, that should it be passed over, it would be utterly inconsistent to have recom-se to coercion on any future occasion. At the same time, there are man}' steps to be taken short of war. There is the breaking ofl^ of dij)lomatic relations, there are rej)risals, embargo, and blockade — mea- sures which throw the responsibility of declaring war on the wrongdoer, where it ought to rest. Having said thus much of the coercive steps which might be taken, and rightly taken as regards international law, it remains to appeal, in the interests of peace, and for their own best interests, to the justice and good feehng of the Venezuelan nation. It is undeniable that Venezuela has derived nothing but advantage from her intercourse with England. It has been shown how British trooj)s took a prominent part in winning the independence of Venezuela ; and how, in all the most critical emergencies, England was ever ready to supply funds, by the aid of which Venezuela recovered from exhaustion. And if such has been the past, the futm"e may be expected to be like it, if Venezuela, the recipient of so many favours, will but reciprocate friendship and maintam her engagements. Now, strong evidence has been brought forward to show 342 VENEZUELA. that Venezuela is well able, if she will but exert herself, to pay the mterest of her debt. But admitting, for the sake of argument, that her funds are temporarily msufficient, there are ways by which the revenue might be supplemented. There are vast tracts of valuable waste lands at the disposal of the general Government. It is well known that the neighbourmg States of Ecuador and N. Granada have assigned to theii' foreign creditors portions of theii' terri- tories in compensation for diminished interest on their debts. The example might possibly be followed by Vene- zuela. Again the steam navigation of the Orinoco and of the great Lake of Maracaibo are valuable monopoHes, which have been in the hands of Americans, but which might well be offered to those who have real claims on the State. In a word, there are means, if there be only the will, by which the Venezuelan Government might regain its credit.* All these, no doubt, must be matter of inquiry and negociation, and at present there is no representative of the bond- holders, through whom such negociations would have to be carried on. These remarks naturally lead to the consideration of the proposition which has been made by the Venezuelan Government, that the bondholders should send out a Commissioner to Caracas. Such a step would evidently be a very great concession to that Government, which is in no sense entitled to demand it. It would be a concession involving considerable expense to those who have already suffered loss unjustly; and the least that could be expected * The Plan for settling matters suggested by Mr. Engelke, which has been mentioned in chap. 6, might, perhaps, under the change of circumstances, be now worthy of consideration. THE BEST PLAN. 343 in return would be, that the Venezuelans should undertake to do their best to satisfy the Commissioner, and should render him every assistance, not only at the capital, but in any part of their territories he might find it necessary to visit. Under such circumstances, and with the support of the British Minister for Foreign Affairs, there is little room to suppose that the long pending claims of the bondholders could not be finally settled. Twent}- years ago the Ve- nezuelans had the reputation of being a mild, equitable, and law-fearing peojjle : surely, they cannot regard the present state of things as indicative of progress ! To continue the com'se thej' have lately adopted is to seal for ever the fate of the national credit. Let us hope that, while the door is still open to them, they will retrace their steps, and retmm to wiser counsels, in which case it is quite certain that a bright and prosperous career is before them. APPENDIX. (A) Prospectus of Messrs. Mathesan's Loan. — Venezuela Six per Cent. Bonds for ^1,000,000 sterling, in Bonds of ^100, ^200, and £bW each.— June, 1863. The Government of Venezuela having invested Signer Giacomo Servadio with, full powers, as its fiscal agent, to carry out certain financial and banking arrangements for the benefit of the republic, and with a view to these objects, to issue securities to the extent of £1,000,000 sterUng, Messrs. Matheson & Co., acting on behaK of the Government, have been instructed to offer to the public Bonds to that amount on the following terms : — The Bonds are to bear interest at the rate of six per cent, per annum, payable half-yearly, at the coxmting-house of Messrs. Matheson & Co., on the 1st day of February and the 1st day of August, and are to be issued at 60 per cent. The principal and interest will be secui-ed on the revenue derived from export duties, established by a Law of the 24th February, 1863, upon the produce of the coimtry shipped from the ports of La Guaira, Porto Cabello, and Ciudad Bolivar, which are calculated to produce from £130,000 to £140,000 per annum, and now yield at that rate, of which £100,000 per annum will be specially appropriated to the dis- charge of the Bonds. The above siun of £100,000 will be applied, firstly, to the payment of the annual interest, and the residue to form an annual sinking fund, of which £20,000 will be employed in the redemption of Bonds of that nominal value by drawing in the usual manner at par, commencing on 1st February, 1865, and the balance of £20,000, increasing annually by the amount no longer required for interest on the cancelled Bonds, in the purchase of Bonds in the open market at the price of the day when at or below par ; if above par, by drawings, as before provided. 346 APPENDIX. The consent of Earl Eussell, Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has been obtained for the collection of the above duties by Her Majesty's consuls at the several ports where they are levied. The instalments are to be payable as follows : — £ 5 per ^100 Bond on application. 10 „ „ allotment. 20 „ „ 20th August. 15 ,, „ 15th September. 10 ,, „ 1st October. ^60 Interest on the full amount of the Bond will commence from the 1st August next. No part of the proceeds of the Loan will be paid over until the ratifi- cation of the arrangements shall have been received from the Government of Venezuela. A moiety of the proceeds of the Bonds will be applied to the require- ments of the Government, which the recent course of events has firmly established, and a second moiety will be devoted to the following object : — At present there is almost an entire absence of banking accommoda- tion in Venezuela. Possessed of every advantage of climate and soil, within sixteen days' sail of England, the existing monetary facilities are quite inadequate to the commerce of the coimtry, and to the increasing production and rapidly extending exports of its coffee, cocoa, cotton, hides, &c. The Venezuela Government has therefore determined to establish at the capital, Caracas, a National Bank, with the object of developing the great internal wealth of the country, and promoting its foreign trade, thereby creating new sources of revenue. The advantages of this insti- tution will be obvious to all either politically or financially interested in the prosperity of Venezuela, and as the rates of interest range from 10 to 15 per cent, per annum, the profits may be expected to be con- siderable. i£300,000 of the proceeds of the Bonds will be invested in 3 per Cent. Consols, to form the basis of an issue of notes by this Bank. As a guarantee for the proper management of the Bank, the manager at Caracas will be appointed by the agents for the bondholders, on whose behalf they will also be entitled to an equal share with the Government APPENDIX. 347 in the nomination of a board of tkree directors, and Messrs. Smith, Payne, and Smiths, will act as the agents to the Bank in this countrj'-. As an additional security to the holders of the Bonds, it has been agreed that the capital of the Bank shall be charged with their re- demption, and that the annual profits shall also be liable for the payment of the half-yearly interest. Applications for the Bonds are to be made to Messrs. Matheson & Co., 3, Lombard-street ; and forms of application may be obtaiaed of Messrs. Mullens, Marshall, & Co., 3, Lombard-street. Form op Application. Ve7iezuelan Six per Cent. Bonds. London, E.G., June, 1863. Messrs. Matheson & Co., 3, Lombard-street, London. Gentlemen, — I request that you \d\\ allot to me £ in the above Loan, on which I enclose the required deposit of 5 per cent., or £ ; and I agree to accept that amount of stock, or any less sum that may be allotted to me, and to pay the further instalments thereon, according to the terms of your circular. I am. Gentlemen, Your obedient servant. Name in full Address Quality PRICES OF THE VENEZUELA 1862 LOAN FROM THE "ECONOMIST." 31 Aug. 30 Sept. 31 Oct. 1 Dec. 31 Dec. 1 Feb. 1 March 1 April 30 ,. 1863 1864 div. div. 584 61f 61|c. 56 X, 551 55 594 61 581 c. div. 2 June 1 July 29 ,, 30 Aug. 1 Oct. 31 ,, 31 Nov. 29 Dec. 564 ex. div. 56| 58 56| 55| 55 c. div. 51 ex. div. 52^ PRICES OF THE VENEZUELA 1864 LOAN FROM THE "ECONOMIST." Scrip £15 15 paid 9 May, 1 June 1864 30 45 »> 16 „ 4 Aug. 15 30 „ Price Disc 10 .. = 5 10| .. = 4i 24i .. = 5f 36 .. = 9 35 .. = 10 348 APPENDIX. Fully Paid up, £60. 1 Oct. 1864 . .. 444 30 April 1866 31 „ ,, .. 42 31 May 1 Dec. >i .. 41 2 July 28 „ >) .. 44| 1 Aug. 1 Feb. 1865 . .. 42i 1 Sept. 1 March ) ) .. 40 2 Oct. 2 April J J . 38 ex. div. 2 Nov. 2 May . 40 3 Dec. ,, .. 1 June i> . 40i 1 Jan. 1867 .. 2 July >> . 41 1 Feb. 29 „ )) . 41 1 March ,, 1 Sept. . 421 2 April ,, 2 Oct. >» . 3<)i ex. (liv. 2 May ,, 2 Nov. ;> . 371 3 June ,, 30 „ >) . 37i 29 July „ 20 Dec. . 374 9 Aug. ,, 30 ,, )> . 37 3 Sept. ,. 1 Feb. 1866 . . 35| 4 Oct. 1 March ,> . 381 31 „ „ .. 4 April )> . 33i ex. div. 3 Dec. ,, .. 32 30| 31 27 271 224 ex. div. 30i 274 27| 30i 311 301 ex. div. 174 23 20 18 19 20i 2U Extract from " Apology for Sinking Funds." By Wm. Lucas Sargant. London, 1868 : Williams & Nor gate. "In 1862 M. Block* gave the following as the rates at which European nations could borrow : — 10 per cent., Turkey ; 6 to 7 per cent., Italy, Portugal, Austria, and Spain ; 5 per cent., Russia ; over 4 and under 5 per cent., France, Sweden, and Prussia ; 4 per cent., Holland ; something over 3| per cent., Belgium and Denmark ; 3|- per cent., Great Britain only. Considerable changes have since taken place : Eussia cannot borrow at 5 per cent., much less can Italy borrow under 7 per cent." Letter from the General Credit Company to Lord Stanley, stating the history of the Loan of 1864. 6, Victoria Street, Westminster Abbey, 25th June, 1867. My Lokd, Your Lordship was good enough to grant an interview on the 31st ultimo to the Committee appointed at a public meeting of the Bondholders of the Venezuelan Loan of 1864, at wliich interview your Lordship requested that the facts of the case might be re-stated in writ- ing, with a view of being laid before the law officers of the Crown. We now proceed to comply with yoiu- Lordship's request, and would " Puissance Comparee, Gotha," 1362. 166. APPENDIX. 349 merely wish, at the outset, to call your Lordship's attention to the general outline of the circumstances (so far as they had then occurred) which we submitted to your Lordship by our letters of the 13th August and 11th December last, and to state that since the interview between your Lordship and the Committee, information has been re- ceived that the Venezuelan Government have decreed a further reduc- tion of the duties hj'jiothecated to the Bondholders, beginning from the 1st October next. The document referring to this decree shall be set out in its proper order. The history of the Loan is as follows : — In the year 1863 the President of Venezuela, Marshal Falcon (who is still the President) duly empowered General A. Guzman Blanco, Vice-President of the Republic, and Minister of Finance and of Foreign Affairs, to raise a Loan of not exceeding £2,000,000 on the security of the Import and Export Duties of the Republic. In October, 1863, General Blanco entered into a contract with the General Credit and Finance Company of London (Limited) for the nego- tiation by that company for the Government of Venezuela of a Loan of .£1,500,000. The terms of this contract are set out at considerable length in the definitive Bonds of the Loan, one of which for £100 (hereinafter referred to as document B), we have the honour of transmitting to your Lordship with this statement, and shall be obliged by its return when it is not further required. The contract was duly approved and ratified by the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela in the month of January, 1864. The Loan was offered to the public in the month of April, 1864, and subscriptions were invited in the terms of the prospectus, a copy of which is left herewith (marked A). This prospectus was duly authoiized and approved by the Venezuelan Minister, General Blanco. The copy of it signed by him is now in the possession of the General Credit Company. In due course the definitive Bonds of the Loan were delivered to the subscribers, each Bond being signed in London by General Blanco in Ms capacity of Vice-President, and Minister of Finance and of Foreign Affairs, and Fiscal Commissary of the Republic of Venezuela. These Bonds recite the main facts including, as we have said, the con- tract with the General Credit Company. They also gave the particulars 350 APPENDIX. of the special security hypothecated to the Bondholders, and on the faith of wEich the Loan was subscribed. One of the Bonds, marked B., accompanies this statement. The special security hypothecated to the Bondholders was the whole of the Export Duties at the ports of the Republic, which were guaranteed to be uncharged and of sufficient amount to pay the annual sura re- quired, \'iz., J120,000 for interest, and the smking fmid of the Loan. Before paying over the proceeds of the Loan to the Venezuelan Govern- ment, the General Credit Company in June, 1864, sent a special com- missioner to Venezuela, Mr. Edward Backhouse Eastwick (formerly of the British Legation, Teheran), in order to see that the Export Duties so specifically mortgaged were free from incumbrances, and with full power to put resident agents in receipt of them from week to week, as stipulated by the contract. These fmictions Mr. Eastwick duly executed to the satisfaction of everybody, including the Venezuelan Government. He was assured and was satisfied that the Export Duties were free from all charges, and he appointed Messrs. H. L. Boulton & Co., of La Guaira, and Messrs. Boul- ton & Co., of Puerto Cabello (who are British subjects) the agents for the receipt of the duties and their transmission to England. The accompanying printed pamphlet (marked C*), entitled " Extracts from Correspondence," and official documents, contain full information of the transactions which took place between Mr. Eastwick and the Venezuelan authorities, and Messrs. Boulton & Co., and we beg your Lordslaip's particular attention to them, as from them it will be seen that in the most solemn and deliberate manner the Export Duties were declared to be free from incimibrances, and that Mr. Eastwick and Messrs. Boulton & Co. were put into possession of them. The duties were duly received by Messrs. Boulton & Co. without inter- ruption from the 23rd July, 1864, up to the 2nd July, 1866, when, without any warning, and on the pretence of the necessities of the State they were detained by the Government under the authority of a resolu- tion, a copy of which (marked D) is left herewith, together with copies of letters to the General Credit Company from Messrs. Boulton & Co.f dated 9th July, 1866, and from General Blanco dated 1st and 5th August, 1866 (marked E, F, and G). It was on our being informed of this proceeding that we -WTote to your * This having been published in a separate pamphlet is not subjoined here, t This letter being marked private is not given. APPENDIX. 351 Lordship our letter of the 13th August, 1866, stating the facts, and send- ing copies of several dociunents. On the 24th September, 1866, the Government resolved that the sus- pension of the payment of the duties should cease fi-om the 1st November following (see copy of Resolution herewith, marked H), but Messrs. Boul- ton & Co. wrote on the 9th November stating that the Resolution had not been acted iipon, and that they believed the Government contem- plated reducing'the duties by one half, and charging part of the other haK with a new loan (see copy of this letter herewith marked I). It was at this stage of the proceedings that we addi'essed to yoiu* Lord- ship our letter of the 11th December last. The decree which followed is dated the 30th November, and imder it the Export Duties were reduced to two-thirds of the old rates, and by a Resolution of the same date 75 per cent, of the new duties were ordered to be applied to the payment of the Loan of 1864, and the remaining 25 per cent, retained by the Government to pay off a domestic Loan (see copy of Resolutions and Decree herewith marked K). Tills arrangement reduced by about 50 per cent, the duties which the Bondholders were entitled to receive. From this time till March, 1867, Messrs. Boiilton & Co. received the duties only at the reduced rates (see copy of their letter to us of the 8th December, marked L). Translations of these documents of the 30th November, were trans- mitted by Her Majesty's charge d'affaires at Cai'acas, and your Lordship was good enough to inform us thereof on the 23rd January last. Then, on the 15th March, the Government proceeded to the extremity of again entirely stopping the payment of the diities, reduced as they were by the Decree of November. We enclosed a copy of the translation of the Decree and of the letter from the Government to the General Credit Company referring thereto, dated the 23rd March last (see the copies herewith marked M. and N.), and of extract from letter from Messrs. Boulton & Co., dated the 25th March (marked 0), referring to the same transaction, and enclosing a copy of their letter to Mr. Pagan and his reply (marked P). Diuing the time the General Credit Company were in receipt of the full amoimt of the duties, they were more than sufficient to meet the annual charge upon them of £120,000 as proAaded by the contract, and indeed at the end of each of the years 1864 and 1865, there was a sm-plus balance paid over to the Government after meeting all exj^enses. 352 APPENDIX. We now beg to call your Lordship's attention to the Resolutions which were passed at a public meeting of the Bondholders held at the London Tavern on the 23rd ultimo ; a copy of them (marked Q) is sent heremth, together with a copy of the proceedings at the meeting (marked R). The next step was the interview with youi' Lordship on the 31st ultimo, and, as we before intimated, a letter has subsec^uently, on the 14th instant, been received from Messrs. H. L. Boulton & Co., dated La Guaii'a, 25th ultimo, notifying the intention of the Venezuelan Government as from the 1st October next to further reduce the duties (see copy of this letter herewith marked S). The above are the main facts of the case, and the Bondholders beg in all earnestness to appeal through us to yovu- Lordship to afford to them the active interference of Her Majesty's Government to redress the grievous wrongs which have been perpetrated uiaon them and their pro- perty by the Venezuelan Government, in not only arbitrarily and without notice dispossessing them of the duties solemnly pledged to them and placed in their possession, but in reducing the tariff to such an extent as there is every reason to fear will render the duties (when their receipt shall be resumed) totally inadequate to the amount of the annual charge of £120,000 due under the contract. Hoping soon to receive a favourable reply from your Lordship, we have the honour to be, my Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient servants, (Signed) Baxter, Rose, Norton & Co., For the General Credit and Discount Company (Limited) and the Bond- holders of 1864. (D) [Translated from the Spanish.] OFFICIAL SECTION. UNITED STATES OF VENEZUELA. Chancellor of the Exchequer's Office, Sections 2nd, 3rd, AND 8th. Caeacas, 2nd Juhj, 1866. Resolved, — Peace, the most important coiadition of the country, having been broken, all the revenues set aside for paying the fiscal debt must be devoted to the all-important object of re-establishing and APPENDIX. 353 consolidating it ; and, therefore, it lias been resolved by the Executive, in conformity ^\-itli Article 4 of the Budget, so to do. The Great Marshal Citizen, President of the Union, while exercising legal powers, without which the very existence of the Government would not be possible, has not overlooked the obligations weighing upon the Treasury, proposing to himself to discharge and fulfil them with justice, and without inflicting losses upon legitimate interests, so soon as the circiunstances which demand the present determination shall have ceased to exist. Therefore, the collecting ofiices shall hold at the disposal of this Exchequer the proceeds of the export duties, which are destined for the public service by the 2nd Article of the Budget Law above men- tioned. For communication and publicity. For the Marshal President, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (Signed) R. Arvelo. It is a copy. — The Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Office. — (Signed) P. Bermudez. Local Newspaper Remarks. — We print, in continuation, a most im- portant Resolution of the Government, by which that protecting power fulfils the wishes of the country, and the claims of agriculture, and other great interests of the country, which are at present in a distressing state. We give our cordial support to this Administrative Act, reserving to oiu'selves to dwell upon it at greater length as the subject deserves it. UNITED STATES OF VENEZUELA. Chancellor of the Exchequer's Office, Section 2nd, 3rd, AND 8th. Caracas, July 3rd, 1866. Resolved, — The Great Marshal Citizen President has firmly resolved to regulate the Exchequer and the credit of the nation in a uniform and firm manner, upon equitative bases for all interests concerned thereiu, and with such economical and administrative measures as will inspire a solid confidence in the conduct of matters calculated to exercise such a great influence in consolidating the public peace, and in developing the natui'al resources of the countrj-. And since, to accomplish so laudable 354 APPENDIX, an object, the assistance of intelligent and patriotic, as well as practical and exjierienced persons, must be invoked to help in the important works which the subject demands, the Great Marshal Citizen President has resolved npoii taking the collective opinion of the citizens Senators Jacinto Gutierrez and Pascual Caranova, and Citizens Carlos Engelke and Dr. Modesto Urbaneja, upon all and each of the branches and dependencies of the Exchequer and Public Credit. The President is confident that those citizens will, along with their opinion, also recom- mend the measures which they may deem convenient to adopt. To enable them to do so, the citizens afore mentioned shall have the power to ask for, or to personally take from the public State offices and custom-houses, or any other public offices, all the notes and iirfonnation which they may require. The Marshal President recommends to them to discharge this duty with the least possible delay compatible with the study and meditation which so delicate a duty necessitates and counsels, because the Govern- ment, without losing sight of the multifarious and varied obligations of the Treasury, and the powers vested upon the Government by the Constitution and the laws, acknowledges and feels the lu-gency of giving attentive and due consideration to the unfortunate state of industry, and sj)ecially to agriculture, on account of the grave consequences wliich, among other causes, spring from the unevenness and great burden of the taxes, and from the inactivity and deplorable depreciation of all public and private securities, which constitute the wealth of the country. To be commiuiicated to the citizens afore named, to the officers of state, to the customs offices, and other public offices, and published. For the Marshal President, the Chancellor of the Exchec[uer, (Signed) E. Arvelo. It is a copy. — The Secretary to the Exchequer's Office, P. Bermudez. [Copy.] Caracas, July ith, 1866. Sir, As agents of the General Credit and Finance Company (Limited) of London, for the collection of the export duties at the ports of La Giiaira, Puerto CabeUo, Ciudad Bolivar, and Maracaibo, specially mortgaged to them for the redemption of a Loan of ^1,500,000 sterling, contracted by that company with the Government of Venezuela, we have the honour, according to our instructions, of enclosing a legalised APPENDIX. 355 copy of oiir formal protest, entered tliis day at the Register Office in this city, against the arbitrary detention of the export duties at La Guaira, ordered by the Government in violation of their engagements with the British creditors, and in the name of the company beg you to protect their interests. We remain, sir, Your most obedient humble servants, (Signed) H. L. Boulton & Co. ■< George Fagan, Esq., H.B.M. Charge d'Aflfaires and Consul-General, &c. &c. &c., Caracas. (E) [Translation. — Copy. ] James Macdonald, Esq. Paeis, AtbgiLst 1st, 1866. My Dear Sir, Although I have not yet recovered from the surprise which the correspondence from Venezuela caused me yesterday evening by the announcement that the delivery of the Export duties had been sus- pended, I think that perhaps in the midst of your own correspondence it may have occiuTed to you to ask me how such an event can have taken place. I think it useless to tell you that I repudiate such a proceeding, and that I never even considered it possible that any one could propose the like. To-day I am ■m-iting at great length on the matter, and hope to alter aifairs ; but, in the meantime, if you can manage to pacify the Bond- holders of 1864, be good enough to do so. The moment I feel myself better I will start for Venezuela, and wall endeavour _^to re-establish so sacred a claim. It appears that there has been a disturbance in the south of the Republic, and they have taken part of the Export duties to prepare the troops that have been despatched to re-establish order. I feel cei'tain that- the whole thing -nill end immediately, and on my return I will point out to Marshal Falcon what our duty is, and he will not only order the delivery to your agents of the Export duties, but will 3o6 APPENDIX. decide ujjon the manner in wliich the portion already taken is to be redeemed. Yonrs very truly, (Signed) A. Guzman Blanco. To the Right Honourable Lord Stanley, H.M. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 6, Victoria Street, "Westminstt;r, August 13th, 1866. My Lord, Seeing by the newspapers that a deputation has recently been received by yonr Lordship of persons interested in the Venezuelan Loan of 1862 (commonly known as " Baring's Loan ") we thiuk it right that your Lordsliip should also be aware of the position in which the Bond- holders of a more recent Loan to the Venezuelan Government are now placed by a recent act of that Government. We refer to the Loan of 1864 contracted by the existing Government of Venezuela. This loan was for £1,500,000 sterling, and was princij^ally subscribed on the London market, and by the terms of the contract the whole of the Export duties levyable at the ports of the Rej)ublic, La Guaii-a, Puerto CabeUo, Maracaibo, and Ciudad Bolivar, were hypothecated for the jsayment of the interest and of the sinking fund for redemption of the loan, and were to be handed over weekly as they were received by the Government officers, to the duly authorised agents of the contractors. Before the proceeds of the subscription were j^aid over to the Govern- ment, the General Credit Company sent out Mr. E. B. Eastwick to Cardcas as their representative, to ascertain that all prior charges had been cleared off, and to take formal possession in their name of the Export duties, and arrange for their future receipt. This gentleman, with the full approval of the Government, when in Venezuela, appointed Messrs. H. L. Boulton & Co., an eminent firm at La Guaira, to act as the future agents of the contractors during the continuance of the Loan. Up to a recent date, the duties were paid over to these gentlemen with scrupulous regularity, so that not only has the interest on the Loan been pxmctually x:)aid, but the purchases on account of the sinking fund have been duly made up to the present time in accordance with the APPENDIX. 357 contract, and the General Credit and Finance Company of London (Limited), who acted as tlie agents of tlie Government, have now in hand sufficient for the payment of the dividend falling due in October next, with, a small surphis over. By the last mail information was received from Messrs. Boidton that, without any previous warning, the Government had ordered the retention of the duties under the authority of a decree which attempts to justify the step by the anticipation of internal war. The announcement of this proceeding, which is in distinct ^dolation of the contract, has caused the greatest anxiety and alann among the Bondholders of the Loan of 1864, and your Lordship cannot fail to see that any default by the Venezuelan Government in. connection with the Loan of 1864 would be a much more aggTavated breach of faith than can have been brought before your Lordship by the claimants rmder any prior Loan, as in this case the Decree for suspending payment actually emanates from the same Government, composed of the same indi\dduals with whom the Loan of 1864 was contracted, and to whom the money has been paid. The Bondholders do not, at the present moment, ask for the inter- ference of Her Majesty's Govemruent on their behalf. But they have felt it to be their duty to bring imder yoiu" Lordship's notice this statement of the facts. They trust that cii'cumstances may not arise to render any inter- ference necessary, but rather that the Government of Venezuela may be acting under some misconception, and that it will take the earliest opportunity of retracing a step so fatal to its own reputation and to the credit of the coimtry. The Bondholders are confirmed in this view by a letter addressed to the manager of the General Credit Company by His Excellency Guzman Blanco, the late Vice-President and Minister of Finance of the Republic, with whom the Loan was originally negociated, and who, being now at Paris, writes to deplore the step adopted in his absence, and to assure them that he will use his utmost endeavours to obtain its immediate reversal. We have the honoiu* to enclose to your Lordship a copy of His Excellency's letter, together with a copy of the letter of Messrs. Boulton, and accompanying docimients, including the Decree before referred to. We think it also proper to forward for your Lordship's information 358 APPENDIX. a copy of the Prospectus issued in 1864, uj)on tlie terms of which the Loan was subscribed for by the Bondholders. Praying your Lordship to pardon the length of these details, We have the honour to remain, Your Lordsliip's most obedient humble servants, (Signed) Baxter, Eose, Noeton & Co. [Copy.] Consulate of Venezuela, 25, MooEGATE Street, January 11th, 1867. Dear Sir, I have received a letter from General Guzman Blanco, written at St. Mazaire on the day of his embarkation from that port in the French mail steamer for Venezuela, from which I send you the following. After stating how greatly fatigued he was from the exertions of pre- paring for his departm'e, he says : " I have not time to wTite to Mr. Macdonald, but I desire that you should fortify him, as also the Bond- holders of 1864, in the assurance that the Government of Marshal Falcon -will pay with all punctuality the dividends on the Loan con- tracted by me in his name. " According to my last advices, the agents had already begun to receive the part of the Export duties which corresponds with the present harvest. The diminution of duty will never exceed the surplus wliich, up to this time, the Company had always returned. " I know the probity of Marshal Falcon, and therefore do not hesitate to repeat these assurances." I thought it best to send yoii his message in liis own words, and I have done the same to the Bondholders, and shall send the same extract this evening to all the papers for to-morrow. I am, dear sir, Yours faithfully, (Signed) Fred. H. Hemming, Consul. To James Macdonald, Esq., General Manager, &c., 27, Austin Friars. (K) UNITED STATES OF VENEZUELA. Chancellor op the Exchequer's Offices. — Section 3rd and 8th. Caracas, November mth, 1866. Resolved, — By order of the National Executive the Export duties APPENDIX. 359 received shall be distributed in the following manner. Seventy five per cent, is to be applied to fulfil the obligations undertaken by the contract for the Loan, which Was signed in London on the 3rd October, 1863, under the understanding that shovild it prove not to be sufficient for that purpose, the Government shall cover with other funds any deficiency that there may be. The remaining 25 per cent, shall be applied to redeem the Loan for $150,000, contracted on the 24th March last, vdth various merchants, to whom it was ofl'ered to pay them with the residue which there might be left from the Export duties during the year closed in the month of October last, after payment of the sums due during the same year, towards covering the exterior debt of the Federation. This 25 per cent, shall be paid in proportion as it is received, to Messrs. F. Echena- gucia & Co., at the ports of La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Ciudad Bolivar, and Maracaibo, to which the present resolution is referred to. To be commimicated to whomsoever it may concern, and published. For the Citizen General first appointed to the office of President. (Signed) I. M. Alvarez de Lugo. [It is a copy]. The Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Nicolas Silva. (L) [Copy. Per W. I. Mail]. La Guaira, December 8tk, 1866. The General Credit and Finance Company of London {Limited), London. Gentlemen, We beg to confirm our letter of the 24th November, duplicate of which we enclose, and have to acknowledge the receipt of yoiu' favour of the 16th ultimo, contents of which claim our best attention. On the 20th viltimo Government published a Decree annoimcing the reduction of Export duties to two-thirds of the old rates. Another Decree of the same date states that 75 per cent, of the new duties will be applied to the payment of the Loan of 1864, and the remainirig 25 per cent, will be retained by Government to pay off a domestic Loan of $150,000 ; this arrangement makes it equal to a reduction of just 50 per cent, on what the Bondholders formerly received. By this mail we send you Caracas newspapers, the Federalista and Porvenir containing these Decrees, and on this date we have received a 360 APPENDIX. communication from Govermnent under date of the 5tli instant confirm- ing the same. Acting upon this commiuiication we applied at the Custom-house for the proceeds of the duties, and we are pleased to inform you that, at the last moment, we i-eceived the sum of $2,141 -89 cents, being 75 per cent, of the total Export duties at this Custom-house for the week ending the 8th instant. We shall remit this amount by next mail ; it is too late to do so by this. We remain, Gentlemen, yours obediently, (Signed) H. L. Boulton & Co. Exchange, London, 6*50. (Q) [Copy]. Extract from Messrs. H. L. Boulton & Co.'s letter, dated La Guaira, March 25th, 1867, to General Credit and Discount Company. We regret to inform you of another suspension of payment of Export duties, of which step Government will advise you direct according to a note passed to us on this subject under date of 15th instant, copy of which we beg to enclose. We at once protested in due form, and beg to hand you enclosed our protests drawn up here and at Puerto Cabello, copies of which we have handed to Mr. Fagan, H.B.M. charge d'affaires in Caracas. We learn that Government is anxious that you should send out an agent to judge for himself how utterly impossible it is for it to fulfil its engagements, meanwhile we shall keep you advised of all that takes place in reference to this matter. We enclose copy of our letter to Mr. Fagan, and of his reply to the same. We remain, Gentlemen, Yours obediently, (Signed) H. L. Boulton & Co. [Copy]. Caracas, March Wih, 1867. Sir, We have the honour to accompany herewith an official copy of the protest we have entered this day at the Register Office, as agents of the General Credit and Discount Company of London (Limited) against APPENDIX. 361 tlie order given by the Minister of Finance of tlie United States of Venezuela suspending the payment of the Export duties mortgaged for the interest and redemption of the Loan of 1864. We have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient hmnble servants, (Signed) H. L. Boulton & Co. Geo. Fagan, Esq., H.B.M. Charge d'Aifaii'es and Consul General, &c., Caracas. [Copy]. Caracas, March 19th, 1867. Gentlemen, I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 16th instant, transmitting a legal copy of the protest you have entered at the Eegister Office, as agents of the General Credit and Discount Company of London (Limited) against the order given by the ]\Iinister of Finance of the United States of Venezuela suspending the payment of the Export duties mortgaged for the interest and redemption of the Loan of 1864. I have the honour to be. Gentlemen, Yoiu' most obedient humble servant, (Signed) George Fagan. (B) Catalogue of Articles Exhibited from the South American Republic of Venezuela, in the International Exhibition at London, in 1862. The following have mostly been collected and forwarded by a Com- mittee appointed by the Venezuelan Government, consisting of Senor Lino J. Eevenga, Senor Carlos Hahn, and Seiior Carlos J. Marxen, and having been delayed on the voyage, were too late to be inserted in the first Catalogue published by H.M.'s Commissioners. The Exhibitors, when not otherwise stated, are residents in Venezuela. N.B. — The second numbers refer to the different articles in the same Class. Exhibitor. 1 National Arms of Yeneztjela, worked in feathers of natural colours . . . The Government. 2 Bouquet of Flowers, worked in same . . Sefior A. Schibbye. 3 Roses, of the same .....,, ,, ?>Q2 APPENDIX. 4 6 5a 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 13 2 14 15 16 17 3 18 50 19 20 21 119 22 23 67 24 25 26 ^98 99 100 101 103 27 (, 105 104 102 126 130 A coffee tree, in wax .... Fruits of Venezuela, in wax, the names each are attached thereto . A branch of cotton tree in wax . Two cases of stuffed birds A case of butterflies .... A totuma carved with a knife A ditto, with Masonic emblems . Three ditto, two plain, one painted A hammock, made in Margarita of cotton grown in that island A hammock, made by Indians of Eio Negro, ornamented with feathers A hammock, ditto ditto A pocket handkerchief from Maracaibo, worked in Venezuelan style One dicio, made of one piece of linen . A shirt worked in Caracas A table, top of Macanilla palm wood, stand of ebony, pinavete, and gateado woods A box, top of gateado, cut horizontally, the inside of bitter cedar, the oiitsides of gateado, caimeto, cahobo, and algar- robo, the lower edge of chiria . A box, of Macanilla palm wood A box ,, „ . . A picture frame and sample of ditto A piece of unbleached cotton cloth from the first manufactory established in Venezuela ..... lOlb. of cotton wick, from ditto Eope used for ships' cables, made of fibres from Rio Negro .... Rope of the cocuiza plant from Maracaibo Cloth made from same , Washed coffee, estate of J. J. Rivas ,, Ovidio Diaz, Macarao . ,, Pinango, Tibron ,, Fdo. Pacheco, La Laguna ,, Lizarraga, Laguenta . ,, Quintana, Bucaral Egg-shaped coffee Unwashed coffee — cold climate Egg-shaped coffee Sample coffee from St. Antonio Coffee from Valleys of Aragua . Exhibitor. . Senora Guadalupe Novel. of Mr. P. L. Davis, 13, Blandf or cl- street. Senor Edo. Calcano. {Mrs. F. H. Hemming, 104, Gloucester -place. Mr. F. Meyer, Ham- burg. \ N. P. B. Ulstrup. The Committee. . Edo. Calcano. ■ The Committee. I > Senor Avila. ) . N. B. P. Ulstrup. >> Seiior Machado. The Committee. Mr. F. Meyer, Ham- burg. The Committee. . Senor Nodal. Mr. F. Meyer, Ham- burg. APPENDIX. 363 28 29, 30 31 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 . 94 95 96 97 110 122 144 01 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 Cocoa from Ocumare Choroni . Carupano Eio Caribe Tuy . Caracas Indian beans Black-eyed Brown Black spotted ,, (Poncha) Brown Common black Grey Grey Small white Brown spotted Indian Corn . Exhibitor. Tlie Committee. Mr. F. Meyer, Ham- burg. ) The Committee. 40 44 41 46 42 43 44 45 117 46 118 Dividivi from Maracaibo . . Cochineal fi'om Caracas Cebadilla .,.,... Go. Sturup. Vanilla .... Starch extracted from root of Yuca plant . The Committee. Tonqnin beans Simarniba ...... Go. Sturup. Sereipa from Guayana . .... The Committee. Secua Escandinava de Decando ; antidote against certain poisons, and against rust in steel and iron ..... ,, Curara, Indian remedy for the cure of hfemoiThage, cuts, wounds, and ulcers . Fco. Conde. Espino — used for same purpose . . . ,, 6 bottles of Indian balsam . . . Senor N. A. Gil. It is requested by the Exhibitor that these bottles of balsam may afterwards be presented to the hospitals, that its wonder- ful efficacy may be tested. Eoot of Sarsaparilla Go. Sturup. Extract of Sarsaparilla . . . . ,, Prepared from the green root by im- mense pressure, possessing greatly con- centrated strength. Ten bottles of Pectoral oil . , . . Mo. Espinal. Sample of Ajonjoli seed (Sesame) from which the above is made .... Mo. Espinal. 364 APPENDIX. 47 48 49 49a 60 61 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 11 77 78 91 Exhibitor. Ten bottles of bitters from Maracaibo . . Catalan and Co. Twelve ,, ,, Angostura . . Syers, Braach and Co. T, , J M. S. Warburg, 16, ■^^^^"^^ " " " • I Bevonshire-sq. B.C. These bitters are celebrated as a very- agreeable tonic, and as most efficacious in removing various disorders. "WTiite Rum of 30 deg. from Guartire. Three tins of preserved oranges , . . The Committee. Bottle of i^reserved quinces . Boxes preserved Guayaba , ,, ,, Guanabana . ,, ,, quinces . ,, ,, peaches Soap, in imitation of English ,, ,, Spanish Candles of stearine from Anauco Four onniples of wax White wax from Carapita . Yellow ,, ,, Vegetable wax, with fruit and leaf of the tree from which produced Sugar from Guatire Chocolate with almonds ,, ,, Vanilla . ,, ,, cinnamon . ,, ,, cocoa Chocolate .... Tobacco leaf, from Guanape' . ,, ,, Cumanacoa Venezuela produces many varieties of tobacco adapted for cigars, the pipe, or snuff, but there happened not to be any in Caracas when this consignment was made Cigars from Cumanacoa ,, ,, Caracas . ,, ,, Carapita . . . . . Carl Hahn. ,, ,, Tuvmero . Four bottles natural snuff Two ,, simple rose snuff Four ,, flavoured . Four ,, highly flavoured snuff . ) Fco. Qarrido. Two ,, simple rhoda Four ,, flavoured Four ,, highly flavoured Tacamahaca ...... The Committee. Dr. Bolet. Carl Hahn. The Committee. The Committee. J, Barnola. C. Mayo. The Committee APPENDIX. 365 79 43 Resin of AlgaiTobo 80 Ten pounds of wool from Coro . 81 Goat skins from Coro 82 Deer skins from Caracas ... 83 Two bales of plantain leaf, from which excel lent paper is made .... 84 66 Bale of cotton from valleys of Aragua 85 116 Small bag of cotton .... 86 Sample of cotton from Maracaibo, from Sea Island seed .... 87 Sample of the same .... 88 The same in several states of manufacture . The above are from 15 bales of cotton from Maracaibo, bought by T. Bazley, Esq., M.P., Manchester, on April 14, at 2s. 5d. per lb., and kindly supplied by him. Maracaibo can supply immense quantities of this quality, if British capital and enterprise be introduced. 89 Cotton from Barquisimeto . 90 Cotton ,, ,, , . . . r 91 Cotton „ Puerto Cabello . . \ 92 Five samples of wild cotton from Upata Guayana ....... 92a Four samples of cotton, recently sent from •\ different portions of the Aroa district, / where it can be gi-own in large quauti- > ties, severally valued from Is. 6d. to 2s. \ per lb J Exhibitor. The Committee. Carl Hahn. Ruete, Rohl, and Co. StoUerfoht, Sons & Co., Liverpool. T. Bazley, Esq. M.P., Manchester, Mr. F. Meyer, Ham- iurg. Mr. F. Meyer, Ham- burg. Carl Hahn. The Quehrada Land and Mining Company. OIL PAINTINGS. Painted by Martin Tovar y Tovar. 2.861 The Cattle Drovers of Yenezuela . . . The Artist. 2.862 Study of a Drunken Mulatto . . . . ,, 3G6 APPENDIX. ' Woods collected by Dr. Vargas, formerly President of the Republic, and placed in tbe University at Caracas. No. Specific Weight. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Grauadilla, Couronpita odoratis.sima, Sectn. Nazareno, Hymensea flo- ribunda, Kth. Dividivi, (152) CEesalpinia coriacea, Lin. Palma real, Oreodoxa regia, Kth. Cocos biityracea, Lin. Fiama Araguaney Giiayacan, (158) Tecoma Guayacan, Seem. Gateado, (107, 119, 128, 159) Acacia riparia Kth. . Cartan, from the hot country; (33) Urape negro, Bauliinia (Pauletia) multiucroia, DeC. Guayabo eucanado, Psi- diuui ? . . . . Urape rosado, Bauhinia (Paidetia) glaudulosa, DeC. ... Hayo, Acacia peregrina 1 Willd Vera, Guaiacum arbor- eum, De, C. Guayabo rosado, Psidium poniiferum . . , Cauafistola, Cassia brasi liensis, Lin. Guayabo bianco, Psidium poniiferum sp. Nogal, Juglans cinerea . Majomo Eoble, Tecoma peuta- phylla, Juss. . Guayabo pauji, Bumelia buxilbUa, Willd. Naranjo dulce. Citrus aurantium, Lin. H uecito Zapatero, Hymensea venosa ? Vahl. Guayabo racino 1,2367 1,1744 1,2189 1,0787 1,3003 1,0985 1,3068 1,0034 0,8171 0,8577 1,0946 0,9842 1,1107 1,2479 1,0206 0,8575 1,0503 0,5587 0,8434 0,8758 1,0244 0,8015 1,0019 0,9311 1,0715 No. 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 Specific Weight. Tijerita Angelino, Andira inermis, Kth. . Naraujillo, Swartzia 3-phylla ? Willd. . . Paraguatan, Coudaminea tinctoria, De 0. . Laurel Angehno, Nectan- dria Laurel, Meiss. Pardillo negro Toco, Cratfeva gynandra, Lin. . . . . Cartan, cold country (9) Olivo, (99, 174) Capparis intermedia, Kth. Coba longa Cedro dulce, Cedrela odorata, Lin. Guarataro, (77) Couratari Guianensis, Aubl. . Capuchiuo Cedro amargo, Simaba cedron . . . . Caimito, (145) Chryso- phyllum Caimito, Lin. Grifo . . . . Lecherito, Brosimum ? Laurel Mangon Estoraque, (154) Styrax tomentosum, Kth. Guama, Juga Bonplan- diana, Kth. Juga vera, Willd. Laurel Aguacate, Persea gratissima, Lin. Almendro, Geoffroya su perba, Kth. Lecherito pintado Aguanoso Sereipo, Avicennia nitida, Lm. . . . , Croton, Croton coria- ceum ? . . , Cedrillo hereon . , Tigron , . . , Cerezo, Burchosia glauca Kth. . Atata ... 0,8301 0,8186 0,8586 0,8026 0,5505 0,7017 0,6099 0,7537 0,6213 0,8911 0,5293 0,7950 0,6284 0,2579 1,0869 0,8017 0,9877 0,6818 0,8482 0,6058 0,5885 0,8771 0,7770 0,5628 0,7668 0,4500 0,6557 1,0151 1,0260 1,0271 APPENDIX. 367 No NAME. Specific Weight. 'no. 70 NAME. Specific Weight. 56 Tabacote . . . . 0,5227 Apamate 0,6443 67 Tasi, Tasi (Tachi) My- 71 Lechoso, Carica papaya . 0,7864 roxylon pubescens, Kth. 1,2432 72 Curtidor . . . . 0,8719 58 Naranjillo, Swartzia to- 73 Pinabete 0,58S5 mentosa, De C. . . 1,0207 74 Haya ci'iolla, Ehopala 69 Limoncillo, Citrosma lau- polystachya ? Kth. 0,7832 rifolium, Kth. 0,9183 75 Guamo, Juga iusignis. 60 Chupon Colorado, Gus- Kth 0,8921 tavia (Pirigara) spe- 76 Pui* 1,0194 ciosa, De C. . . . 1,0169 77 Guarataro, (37) Couratori 61 Guisanda 0,9719 Guianeusis,f Aubl. 0,8777 62 Narauli . . . . 0,8239 78 Llaguero J ... 63 Giiayabo sabanero . 1,0265 79 Aguacate cimarron, Per- 64 Eoseta . . . . 0,8821 sea sp. ? § . 0,5337 65 Chupon, Gustavia fas- 80 Aguagate dulce, Persea tiiosa? Willd. . 0,9461 gratissima, II Lin. . 0,5021 66 Espuelita, Juga micro- Cuji^ . . . . 1,0538 pliylla ? Kth. . . 0,9473 81 Balsamillo, Elaphrium 67 Sasal'ras, Nectandra Jacquinianum, Kth.** 0,8533 cymbanim . 0,7313 82 Amarillo, Xanthoxylum 68 Eosa d e Montana,Browiiea Cumanense, Kth. 0,8591 graudiceps, Jacq. 0,^477 83 69 Cauilla de venado . . 0,7646 | * Very hard, adapted for large beams, joists, &c. f Hard, produces large planks and joists from 30 to 35 feet long. J Like the cedar in colour and weight ; for tables, planks, &c., of large grain. § Weight and colour of cedar, but fine grain. II For tables, planks, &c. ^ For strong pillars, axles for carts, being very strong and hard. * * Very hard, for veneering for boards, tables, and furnitui'e ; the same colour as mahogany. 368 APPENDIX. Exhibited hij Ruete, Eohl, & Co., La Guaira. 84 Alcornoquio (132), Bowditchia Vifgilioides, Kth. 85 Apamate. 86 Asajarito. 87 Caoba (Mahogany) (126, 139), Swietenia Mahogani, Lin. 88 Caritivar, Prosopis sp. 89 Cotoperis, Myrtus Eiythroxy- loides, Kth. 90 Cucharo (124), Oreocallis grandi- flora, R. Br. 91 Cuji (80, 136), Juga ciuerea, Kth. 92 Curarire (143), Lasciostoma Curari, Kth. 93 Ebano, Brya Ebenus, De C. 94 Plor Am?7illa (155). 95 Guaimaro (157). QQ Guayavo (156), Psidium pyri- ferum, Lin. 97 Hatata. 9S Lata. 99 Olivo (34, 174), Capparis inter- media, Kth. 100 Pardillo (177). 101 Vera (14, 123), Coccoloba Cara- casana, Meiss. 102 Virote. 103 Canalete (146). 104 Cedro(150), Cedrela odorata, Zm. 105 Roble (20), Tecoma peutaphylla, Juss. 106 Zapatero (24), Hynienaia venosa ? Vahl. 107 Gateado (8, 119, 159), Acacia riparia ? Kth. 108 Mamon de venado, Melicocca sp.? 109 Paraguatan (29), Condaminea tinctoria, De C 110 Trompillo, Ltetia guazumsefolia, Kth. 111 Gateado amarillo. Acacia sp. 112 Canafistola de Semana Santa, Cassia Brasiliensis, Lin. 113 Canafistola Marimari, Cassia Bouplandiana, De C. 114 Mosa, Mosa (Palodo moza) Ma- choerium, sp. Exhibited by Fo. CoNDE, Caracas. 115 Araguanei (6). 116 Algarrobo, Hymensea Courbaril, Lin. 117 AlgaiTobo, Prosopis pallida, Kth. 118 Chinca. 119 Gateado (8, 107, 128, 159), Acacia riparia? Kth. 120 Chica, Luudia Chica, De C. 121 Tussara. 122 Betun. 123 Vera, (14, 101) Coccoloba Cara- casana ? 124 Cucharo, (90) Oreocallis grandi- flora, B.. Br. 125 (Not named). 126 Caoba, (87, 139) Swietenia Ma- hogani, Lin. 127 Macanilla, Hippomane Manci- nella, Lin. 128 Gateado, (8, 107, 119, 159) Acacia ripaiia, Kth. Exhibited by Tartaket & Co., Cardcas. 129 Block of Red Gateado. APPENDIX. 369 Recently afrived from Maracaiho. 130 Amargo, Simaruba glauca? 131 Aceituno, Calophyllum longi- folium, Kth. 132 Alcornoquio (84), Bowditchia Virgilioides, Kth. 133 Balaustre. 134 Brazil, Coulteria tinctoria, Ktli. Poinciana iusignis. 135 Balsamo, Myrospermum tolui- ferum, Lin. 136 Cuji (91), Juga cinerea, Klh. 137 Clcnion. 138 Ceiba, Eriodendronanfractuosum, DeC. 139 Caoba (87—126) Swietenia Ma- hogani, Lin. 140 Canjaro. 141 Caritiva (88), Prosopis sp. 142 Canada. 143 Curarire (92), Lasiostoma Curari, Kth. 144 Caobilla. 145 Caimeto (40), Cbrysophyllum Caimito, Lin. 146 Canalete (103). 147 Carangano. 148 Cardon. 149 Carre to. 150 Cedro (104), Cedrela odorata, Lin. 151 Daguero. 152 Dividivi (3), Cpesalpinia coriaria. Lin. 153 Ebano (93), Brya Ebeuus, De C. 154 Estoraque (44), Styrax tomento- siim, Kth. 155 rior-amarillo (94). 156 Guayabo (96), Psidium pyri- ferum, Lin. 157 Guaimaro (95) 158 Guayacaus (7), Tecoma Guayacan, Seem. 159 Gateado (8, 107, 119), Acacia riparia ? Kth. 160 Lata (98). 161 Llalla. 132 Moequillo, Moquilea Guianensis, Aubl. 163 Mavfil, Phytelephas macrocarpa, Kth. In Brazilian Guiana the name of Marfiii is also given to the Cordia tetraphylla. 164 Membrillo, comun (166), Gus- tavia superba, Lin, 165 Moral, Mora excelsa. 166 Membrillo (164), Gustavia angus- tifolia, Benth. 167 Maria, Triplaris Caracasana, Cham. 168 Macarutu. 169 Mecoqiie. 170 Mamou, Melicocca bijnga, Lin. 171 Mangle-bianco, Odontandra acu- minata, Kth. 172 Mangle-coloradOjAvicennatomen- tosa, Li7i. 173 011a de mono, Lecythis Ollaria, Lin. 174 Olivo (34, 99), Capparis inter- media, Kth. 175 Panjil. 176 Peuda. 177 Pardillo (100). 178 Quiebra-hacha, Csesalpinia sp. ? 179 Roble (20), Tecoma pentaphylla, Juss. 180 Vera (14, 101, 123), Coccoloba Caracasana ? 181 Zapatero (24), Hymensea venosa? Vahl. 182 Hoja-ancha, Nectandra poly- phylla ? Juss. 370 APPENDIX. MINERALS^&c. 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 13 Copper ores from Teques . 121 „ 72 ,, „ . . . Copper assayed by Johnson and Mattliey 41 Iron ore ....... 149 Silver and lead ore from Carupano 62 Silver ore, mine of "Gran Pobre," Carupano 17 Gold from Caratal, Guayana . . . . Gold quartz, from Guayana This quartz was assayed at the ' ' Ecole des Mines," Paris, and produced nearly 100 oz. to the ton. Gold quartz, from Caratal, Canton of] Upata, Province of Guayana . • • J These specimens are selected promis- cuously from 22 bags, containing 1650 lb., now in the Venezuelan Court, which were lately collected by Mr. C. Hahn. Attention has only recently been drawn to these gold-tields in Guayana, M'hieh from their vast extent and great richness of ore, it is thought, fully confirm the reports made by the aborigines to the Spaniards, at the time they originally became possessed of this country, when it was generally designated as " El Dorado." 61 Green marble from Caracas 69 Red marble ....... 64 Rock crystal ...... 63 Petrified vera wood . . ... Exhibitor. Marcano & Co. Dr. Betancourt. F. H. Hemming, 104, Gloucester-'place. C. Halm. J. P. Romero. Dr. Rodriguez. C. Hahn. Mr. F. Meyer, Hum- burg. Specimens of copper ore, with their assays, from the celebrated mines in the Aroa I district, now about to be worked by an | English Company . . . . . C. Hahn. L. J. Revenga. The Quebrada Land and Alining Company. Tlie following articles are mostly from the province of Maracaibo : — 106 A pocket-handkerchief, handsomely worked. 107 A vs'orked pillow-case. 108 Eight pairs of alpargatas, or sandals. 109 Cups and jugs of totuma, painted and gilt. 110 Four models of cocoa in wax, in difl'erent states. 111 Three tins of preserves. 112 One tin of chocolate. 113 One tin of dried camburitos. 114 Five bottles of spirits, varied. 115 One bottle of ^anegar from aloes. APPENDIX. 371 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 A buiieh of grapes and two lemons, grown iu bottles. Three cocoa-mits, of very great size. A stuffed bird. A bow and arrows of the Indians ; the arrows poisoned. A hat made from rabbit-skins, and a skin from which they are made. Articles made in bone by prisoners. A bough, with oranges made in wool. Samples of coffee. Sample of cocoa. Samples of cotton. A Sample of Coal from the island of Joas, of which large quantities are said to exist. Two large cakes and 100 caudles of very fine Steakixe, manufactured and exhibited by Senor M.a.rtin Tovar Galindo, in Caracas, and the first ever sent from South America to England. " The Declaration of Independence," and The Arms of Vene- zuela, worked in hair, upon satin. — Exhibited hy Mr. Wesselkoeft, Puerto Cabello. Medals and Honourable Mentions awarded by the International Juries to the Exhibitors in the Court of Venezuela. Page m Award. No. in Cata- logue. Name of Exhibitor. Award. Objects rewarded, and reasons for the award . 52 Exhibition Committee, Caracas A Medal Collection of agricul- tural produce. 71 27&28 Exhibition Committee, Caracas A Medal Coffee and cocoa — ex- cellence of quality. 96 47 J. M. Catalan and Co., Maracaibo Honourable Mention Bitter liqueur— good- ness of quality. >> 48 Dr. Siegert, Ciudad Bolivar Honourable Mention. Aromatic bitters — goodness of quality. 132 8 F. L. Davis, 13,Blandford-st.,W. A Medal For the excellent work- manship of the to- tunia, or cup, carved out of the shell of a fruit. >j 91 Ferd. Meyer, Hamburg A Medal For cotton, medium staple value, 1.9. Id. per lb. 5) 84 Ruete, Rohl, and Co., La Guaira A Medal For cotton, value Is. per lb. >J 86 Stolttrfoht, Sons, and Co., Liverpool A Medal For exceedingl3rfine cot- ton, with long staple, value 2s. 5d. per lb. B B 2 372 APPENDIX. Appendix (C). Sketch of the Gold Mine of the Yuruari in Venezuelan Guiana. The extension of the auriferous territory is very great ; the whole sur- face of Guayana may indeed be considered as auriferous, if we except a few patches of land here and there. I can give as proof of it, that the worked part of the Yuruari* is considered a central j^oint, while the English Mining Company is established on the banks of the Yuruari, at about two hundred and twenty-five miles east of Tupuquen,t iipon the Yuruari. I can present samples from old mines, and from gold washings in the Upper Orinoco, in the river Graviare, and other streams, as also samples brought from Caicara,J which is situated about three hundred miles west of Ciudad Bolivar, and from the washings in the district of the Paragua,§ at about one hundred and eighty miles from Tupuquen, on the Yuruari, as the most conclusive proof of the general auriferous character of the country. Lastly, I can speak of the presence of gold in French Guayana, south of the Yuruari, and on the other side of the great range of the mountains Parima and Anaparima. We cannot doubt, then, that the gold-bearing grounds extend from the banks of the Orinoco on the north, to the aforesaid mountains of Parima and Anaparima on the south, and from the table land of Rio Negro on the west, to the Atlantic Ocean and English colony of Demerara on the east. The evidence of gold, rather slight on the banks of the Orinoco, begins to be more conspicuous about sixty miles to the south of that river, and about one hundred miles farther the appearance is richer, * The copyist seems to have made some blunder here. There are two rivers, one called Yuruari, and one called Yuruan or Juruan, which fall into the Cuyuni, the former flowing from N. to S. and joining the Cujuini on its left bank, and the other flowing in an opposite direction, and joining the Cuyuni on the right bank. According to this there must be a third river of similar name, not given in Codazzi's map. + Tupuquen is about 70 miles S.E. of Upata. X Caicara is on the right bank of the Ormoco at its confluence with the Apure. § The Paragua falls into the Caroni 76 miles S.S. W. of Upata. APPENDIX. 373 and at about one himclred and fifty miles, in the country through which the Yuruari runs, we are in the full development of the formation, though, perhaps, not yet in the richest places, which, methinks, must lie nearer the large mountain range mentioned above. Mining remains as yet limited to the river Yuruari and neighbouring ground on the south side of the river, in the midst of a splendid forest. There has been very little progTess, indeed ; which may be attributed to the want of knowledge of the miners, who have been, to the present day, but unintelligent workmen, unable to make any progress in dis- covery. The working of the mines has remained where it is, for it was on that spot that Dr. L. Plassard made the first discovery of gold in April, 1849. In different trips I have made through the coimtry, above all in 1858, I have run over a tract of land of about forty thousand square miles ; a surface extending from the Orinoco on the north to beyond the river Sapauro, or Avertuca, on the south, and from the river Caroni on the west, to the river Cuyuni on the east. Upon this great surface gold is to be found ; first, as gold dust, in all the rivers and torrents mixed with the sand and mud, and even with the earth in the open fields or savanas, in many places where there grows notliing but scanty grass and a very few stunted trees. Secondly. — It is found in small grains and nuggets (pieces) of all sizes, from ounces to many pounds' weight, in the gold-bearing clay under groimd of the whole country, which occurs at very different depths, from one yard to twenty-five yards. This clay, which off"ers a thickness of two to eight inches, is commonly yellow, with veins some- times brown, sometimes green or white. In other mines, as in the bed of the Ym-uari, the clay is whitish, with yellow or dark veins. In all cases the auriferous clay contains a great many small pebbles and broken pieces of stones of all descriptions, pyrites, oxy dated iron, garnet, zircon, and small grains of platiua. Thirdly. — Gold is found in grains and pieces of various sizes in earth of a fine red poppy colour, imparted to it by peroxydated iron. That earth, soft and unctuous to the touch, and of a thickness between thirtj' and forty inches, contains generally a great many loose gold-bearing quartz stones in its bed, fine gold being mixed throughout with the earth, and grains and pieces of gold being found at the bottom of the 374 APPENDIX. ' bed mixed witli a great many broken pieces of rock, as in the clay. As this red earth lies on the surface, it is easy to be found. The miners call it tierra de flor (" surface earth") for this very reason. Fovulhly. — Gold is to be found in the quartz rock. The quartz is very abundant everywhere — in pieces and loose stones of different sizes, in blocks, in beds or strata, and in well-formed veins between the metamorpliic rocks. All these descriptions or varieties of shape of quartz are met with, both on the surface of the ground and at every depth. The loose stones and blocks are sometimes well impregnated with gold in veins and crystals. The strata and veins of quartz are very often richly traversed by abundant and numerous veins of gold, as may be seen in some of the samples I have brought, not the richest either. The miners do not use any machinery at all. The only tools they use are the American pick, or pickaxe, the shovel, the mining bar, to work the ground ; mining implements to blow up the rocks ; ham- mers of different sizes and weights, to break the quartz stones into small pieces ; a mortar, to poimd those pieces of quartz, which they pulverize with a flat stone and a round one, after burning them to soften them ; sieves, to pass the powdered stone till it is fine enough to be amalga- mated ; and, lastly, a batea (sort of wooden bowl) to wash "the auriferous quartz dust mth mercury ; after which they sift the amal- gamated gold with a piece of thick linen, and burn the mass till most of the mercury evaporates and leaves a hard yellow cake of gold con- taining still a small quantity of quicksilver. This batea is the only instrument used to wash the clay. All these operations are very coarsely performed, and a rather large tiuantity of gold and quicksilver is lost in the process. I have said before that mining is still limited to a few spots in the vicinity of the Yuruari. The first place inliabited by the miners was the old mission of Tupuquen, a village at about one mile from the river on its left Imnk. In 1856 to 1857 they began some works on the right bank, at aboiit three miles south of the Yuruari. They built there a few huts, which were the origin of the present village called Nueva Pro\adencia, or Caratal, as the miners prefer to call it, from the leaf of a palm called carata, which served to cover the huts. It must be observed here that they give the same name of Caratal to the whole forest, which extends along the banks of the river Yui'uari, with a length of forty-five miles from the west to the east, and a breadth of APPENDIX. 375 twenty to t\renty-lbiir miles trom north to soutli. The river Yiiruari runs from the west to the east in that part of the eoimtry. Nueva Pro-videncia, now-a-days a pretty village, being considered as the centre of the very few places discovered and worked up to this day, we may say that the places most distant from the village, a place called Cicli, is only four to five miles from Xueva Providencia, The other places called Peru, Panama, Callado, &c., are all near the village. There is, indeed, very little progress in the discoveries, though at the end of last year the miners (I mean the persons working the mines) numbered between six himdi-ed and seven himdred. Since May last their number must have increased. At that time, when I left Caratal, or Nueva Providencia, the whole popidation of those mountains amounted to about five thousand inhabitants, and was increasing rapidly. We have seen that the red earth is foimd lying on the surface ; the miners have but to dig it and carry it to the water-side to wash it. For this they choose generally the rainy season, when they have not to go very far to find water to wash the dirt oft". I have said, too, that the gold-bearing clay was to be found at very different depths. In the spots called Cluli and Peru the clay is met at one or two yards from the sm-face ; in others at eight, at twelve, at sixteen, and more yards deep. In the red earth there are, as already mentioned, loose gold-bearing quartz stones, and in the shafts dug to reach the clay, the last layer upon the gold-bearing clay is always composed of loose rocks of different Borts, and above all of quartz, generally impregnated with gold, and worth working. As to the quartz rock itself, it is so very common that I may well say that where you do not see it, you may still look for it under ground, and yon are sure to come to it at any depth. Thus, the miners met by chance very rich quartz on the hill called Tigre, and in Callado ; at twenty-five yards depth in the first case, and at twelve to twenty in the second. I must state, too, that up to this day the miners have never had the idea that gold could be found at a much greater depth, and have besides no means to undertake such works. The way they work is ruinous, and yet, notwithstanding the great difficulties they meet, and the want of means and implements, they get a good return. In general, when you speak of mines to any one, you will be asked directly— " Well, well, but tell me how much gold is got per hundred- weight of earth or stones, and how ma:^y men are employed to exti-act it, in order that I may know the average produce of your mines ? " "We must try to solve the problem in another way, because, in the first 376 APPENDIX. place, there is no regularity, as every oue knows, in the richness of gold- diggings ; and because, in the second place, our miners of the Caratal work without the least regularity, work when they please — to-day a little, to-morrow much, and the day after to-morrow not at all. One day they will continue working four hours, another day two hours, another day the whole day, and, where they find a large piece of gold, they will remain a fortnight wdthout doing anything — enjoying themselves. On the other hand, they never weigh anything like dii't, clay or rock ; they do not take time into account, because for them time is not money. Being so, we must content ourselves, if we have no time or money to undertake to work mines for o^xr own account — we must be contented, I say, with looking on, and see how things go, and do our best to calculate the aforesaid average product, so much looked for by those who are inclined to take shares in a gold-mining company. I will, then, state first that our miners of the Caratal do not go on working their claims when the red earth and the clay do not produce more than four shillings per hundredweight, and, be it observed here, that they miss entirely the black gold, which exists everywhere, and re- quires to be extracted by a second washing, after exposing the earth or clay in the open air. I must state, too, their coarse way of pulverising the stone with which the gold is amalgamated is the cause of a loss that may be valued at from five to ten per cent. Again, the miners, when breaking the quartz rock to pick oiit the pieces containing gold, throw away such a quantity of gold-bearing stones that a great number of women and children make a very good day's work out of what they can pick up, and it would be a very good business for a company to collect those rejected stones of quartz and work them. The miners in Caratal may have sometimes thought that washing earth for gold-dust would be a good business, but they never tried it. These facts adduced here detract from the general product of the mines, and make the average j^roduct very uncertain. The miners work claims about seven yards on each side ; they pay three shillings and fourpence per month duty. According to the points they must reach, and to the dithculties of the ground, they join two or three together. We have said already that, in some places, they find the gold-bearing clay at one yard to two yards below the surface, and in other places they must sink a shaft of twenty and even twenty-five yards. Between these two extremes there is a great variety as to the depth of the clay. The digging of a square or round hole of a yard or two yards in APPENDIX. 377 depth and one and a half yards hi breadth will take about two days. The digging of a shaft twenty to twenty-five yards deep will take so much more time in comparison ; and, again, sometimes the diggings of a yard to two yards may be richer than those of twenty to twenty-five yards. What a difference in the average product then ! Generally, when the two or three men working a claim do not get at least an ounce of gold per day, they consider it a bad business. I have said that they leave the digging when the earth or clay gives only four shillings per himdred weight. I have seen claims giving two to three ounces per day ; I have seen others giving eight to ten ounces, and a few giving twenty tg thirty and more per day ; and, again, a piece of gold of a few pounds' weight is found now and then. How difficult it is, in such conditions, to give an average product ! The working of the quartz, in stones on the surface, in the bed of the red earth, lying on the auriferous clay, in blocks, strata, or veins, would give a regular product if worked by a company. As the quartz is generally rich, the miners are sure to get well repaid for a day's labour. Sometimes a loose stone of thirty to sixty pounds will give ounces, even pounds of gold ; sometimes the gold veins Avill give such wondrous results that I scarcely dare to write them down. I have seen pieces of quartz extracted from a vein, as in the Tigre, contain more gold than stone. One piece of twelve pounds gave seven poimds and some ounces. In the auriferous quartz, which is so very abundant, that I may call it inexhaustible — and we know nothing as yet of the lower or deeper strata of that rock, as no shaft has been sunk deeper than twenty -five yards — in the gold-bearing quartz rock, I say, the lowest average product cannot be valued at less than eight to ten pounds per ton weight. Some quartz veins will give forty to sixty pounds sterling. Some other quartz veins will give, as I have seen, hundreds of pounds sterling per ton. The quantity of melted gold exported from the mines to Ciudad Bolivar, during the months of December, 1866, January, February, March, and April, 1867, was about four thousand ounces of gold per month ; and I may well say that all the gold extracted was not ex- ported. During the time spoken of, the number of the miners, I mean people at the diggings, was between six hundred and seven himdred. I left the diggings, where I had arrived in Januaiy, at the beginning 378 APPENDIX. of June. In ]\Iay the population was abeady on the increase, so that I can say nothing of this last month. As I have, during three months and a half, studied with care the mountains of Caratal (forty-five thousand square miles), I beg leave to say that I have stated nothing hut what I have seen, and that I have come to such a certainty of the richness of the mines, that I fear they will be tmder-rated in this short sketch, which I had not even time to make up correctly. All the country between the Orinoco, Superino, Cuyuni, and Caroni, which I have registered, is composed of low table lands, hills, and small mountains. Low plains and marshes are very scarce in those parts of Guayana. The very forests of Caratal are a sort of table lands, small plains, high valleys, and mountains, everywhere covered with beautiful trees. The heat varies in the different plains ; it is, near the Orinoco, between 74° and 92° Fahrenheit ; in the interior of the missions of Upata between 70° and 86° ; further in the mining district between 72° and 88°. Ujiata itself is a very healthy place, as well as the other ancient missions raised by the Spanish friars. Santa Maria, Yuasipati, Tecunrevero, and Miano, may be cited as uncommonly healthy places. Why may we not say the same of the moiintains of Caratal and others ? Surely, living in a thick forest, sleeping generally in the open air, often for want of houses, working in the diggings, people that are new to such hard work, taking sometimes bad food, making use of strong drinks and liquors, gambling and dancing sometimes the whole night- — these are, methinks, sufficient causes to explain the few diseases that have reigned in the mining districts. Besides these, every-day peojjle, unaccustomed to such travels, come to the works, and are sometimes without means to take any repose. They are tried by the journey — by the heat of the sun ; they ought to keep quiet some days ; but they have no means, they must go to work ; they then go to the diggings, sleep in the mountains, and now and then encounter a shower of rain when their body is over- excited by the work. How is it possible for them not to fall sick ? It would be rather a wonder should it not be so. I have lived over twenty years as a physician in Venezuelan Guayana, and may well say, that if you except the borders of the large rivers, you will find the country pretty healthy. I think that measures being taken to avoid the causes above alluded to, you can keep even strangers in a pretty good state of health in our country. Two roads lead from Cindad Bolivar, the chief town of tlie State of APPENDIX. 379 Guayana, to the mines. The first one, and the shortest, goes from Ciudad Bolivar by land in a south-east direction to the mining districts. The distance is about two hundred miles. Cars \\dth loads may be driven to the mines, but with many difficulties. People use mules and donkeys for this purpose, but a good road can easily be made, as there are no mountains, nor other great difficulties. "U^ien I left Ciudad Bolivar, the merchants of that town had raised a sum of money to make the survey of the works wanted ; the commission named for this object was on its way to begin the inspection of the roads. The second road to the mines goes do^vn the Orinoco to a small port named " Puerto de Tables," ninety miles from Ciudad Bolivar. From the port, the road goes through the small town of Upata to the Yuruari. The distance from the river to the mines is about one hundred and fifty miles. This last road, as may be seen, is somewhat longer than the first. A pretty good road might be made, too, that way, but I tliink it presents greater difficulties than the first one. It has been said very justly, I think, that the Republic of Venezuela is often disturbed by periodical political movements ; that there is no security, no guarantee for people that would like to imdertake some- thing in that country ; that there is no protection from the Government, no reliance to be put in promises made by it ; and so on. Though I agree in all other things, I beg leave to point out the situa- tion of the State of Guayana, on the left bank of the river Orinoco. This situation is the very cause why Ciudad Bolivar has passed through the period of five years' disturbances and revolutions in Venezuela ■without any conflicts, without suff'erings common to revolutionary times. The river Orinoco is the stronghold of Guayana, and will always preserve her from any attack on the part of the other States. It is well worth while to pay attention to this particular disposition of Guayana. It is to be remarked, too, that the State of Guayana, larger in surface than France, has but the scanty population of twenty-five thousand * inhabi- tants. How easy it will be to transform the country. When immigrations on a larger scale take place, the present population will be soon absorbed, and disappear in the general increase of population. Security may then be depended upon in Guayana, at least to a much greater extent than in the other States. But, if we consider the want of protection, may we not here refer to the vicinity of English Guayana, the * SLxtj' thousand according to other authorities. 3R0 APPENDIX, mines of which province are blasting up quartz on the Cujnini, at but two hundred and twenty-five miles east of Caratal, in a country where roads could easily be made to bring men and goods from America up to the right banks of the river Caroni. I only mention this to prove that protection, if refused by the authorities of the State of Guayana, could be found somewhere else. Appendix (C.) Constitution of the United States of Venezuela. Translated from the Official Edition, printed at Caracas, May 10th, 1864. The Constituent Assembly, invoking the Supreme Author and Legis- tor of the Universe, and under the authority of the people of Venezuela, decrees : — DIVISION I. — THE NATION. FIRST SECTION. — TERRITORIES. Art. 1. The Provinces of Apure, Aragua, Barcelona, Barinas, Barqui- simeto, Carabobo, Caracas, Cojedes, Coro, Cimiand, Guarico, Guayana, Maracaibo, Maturin, Merida, Margarita, Portuguesa, Tachira, Trujillo, and Yaracui : declare themselves Independent States, and unite to form a free and sovereign nation, under the name of the United States of Venezuela. Art. 2. The bormdaries of each State will be those which the Law of the 28th April, 1856, annoimced to the Provinces, when it fixed the last territorial division. Art. 3. The boundaries of the United States, which compose the Fe- deration of Venezuela, are the same as those which, in the year 1810, corresponded to the ancient Captaincy-General of Venezuela. Art. 4. The political individualities mentioned in Article 1 reserve to themselves the power of uniting, two or more of them, so as to form one State ; retaining always liberty to resume their original quality of in- dividual States. In either case, they will communicate their intention to the National Executive, to Congress, and to the other States of the Union. Art. 5. The States, which may have availed themselves of the power accorded in the preceding Article, will retain their votes for the Pre- sidentship of the United States, for the nomination of Senators, and for the empowerment of voters for the High Federal Court. APPENDIX. 381 SECOND SECTION. — CITIZENSHIP. Art. 6. Citizens of Venezuela are : — 1st. All persons born in the territory of Venezuela, whatever the nationality of their parents may be. 2nd. Children of a Venezuelan naother or father, born in alien terri- tory, if they come to domicile themselves in the countrj", and express a ■vvnsh to become citizens. 3rd. Strangers who may have obtained letters of naturalization ; and 4th. Persons bom in any of the Spanish-American Republics, or in the Spanish Antilles ; always providing that they have fixed their resi- dence in the territory of the Union and desire citizenship. Art. 7. Those Venezuelans who fix their domicile and acquire nation- ality in a foreign State do not lose their Venezuelan citizenship. Art. 8. All Venezuelans, who are males of twenty-one years of age, are eligible to office, with the exceptions contained in tliis charter of the Constitution. Art. 9. All Venezuelans are bound to serve the nation, as the laws de- cree, at the sacrifice of their goods and life, if required, for its defence. Art. 10. Venezuelans, in whatever territory they may be, are bound by the same duties and retain the same rights as those Venezuelans who are living in Venezuela. Art. 11. The Law will determine the rights belonging to strangers. DIVISION II. — BASES OF THE UNION. Art. 12. The States, which form the Union, reciprocally acknowledge their rights to seK-govemment, each of the others declare themselves equal as poUtical units, and retain in their plenitude all sovereign rights, not expressly delegated by this Constitution. Art. 13. The said States biad themselves to self-defence agaiust all violence injurious to their independence and the integrity of the Union ; and further bind themselves to establish fundamental regulations for their guidance and internal government, and remain under engagement : — 1st. To adopt an organisation in conformity with the principles of popular, elective, federal representation, alternate and responsible go- vernment. 2nd. Not to alienate any part of their territorj- to a foreigni Power, nor to seek its protection. 3rd. To give up to the nation such lands as may be required for the federal district. 382 APPENDIX. 4th. Not to close Ijy imposts or otherwise the navigation of the rivers or other navigable waters, which have not required the aid of canals made by man's labour. 5th. Not to tax before they are exposed for sale products which have been subjected to national imposts. 6th. Not to tax goods or merchandise, which are in transit from one State to another. 7th. Not to impose duties on the national officers, except in their quality of meml^ers of the State, or as far as their duties may not be incompatil)le with the public service of the nation. 8th. To defer and submit themselves to the decision of Congress, to the National Executive, and to the High Federal Court in all dis- putes which may arise between two or more States, when an amicable arrangement cannot be arrived at ; but in no case can a State declare or make war against another State. If, for any reason, they may fail to designate the arbiter to whose authority they will submit, they remain bound by the very nature of things to submit to the decision of Congress. 9th. To observe strict neutrality in the disputes which may arise in other States. 10th. Not to join themselves or alienate themselves to any other nation, nor by separation to impair the nationality and territory of Venezuela. 11th. To obey and carry out the Constitution and the laws of the Union, and the decrees and orders, which the National Executive and the Tribunals and Judges of the Union may issue in the exercise of the powers belonging to them. 12th. In their several constitutions to subscribe to the extradition of criminals as a political principle. 13th. To keep at a distance from the frontier those individuals who, from political motives, take refuge in a State, provided that a State interested in their seclusion demands it. 14th. Not to establish Custom-houses for the collection of imposts, so that the national Custom-houses may be the only ones. 15th. Not to permit in the States of the Union enrolments or levies, which have or might have for their object to attack the liberty or independence, or to disturb the public order of other States, or of any other nation. 16th. To leave to each State the free management of its own natural APPENDIX. 383 products : consequently, those States which possess salt-works may manage them in complete independence of the general government. 17th. To reserve from the national rents for the benefit of those States which do not possess mines, which are heing worked, the sum of $20,000, which must be fixed in the annual estimate of public expenses, and must be paid to those States three months beforehand. 18th. To sujjply the contingent force which may fall to their share in the composition of the public national army in time of peace or of war. 19th. Not to prohiljit the consumption of the products of other States, nor to burthen them ^\dth difi"erential charges. 20th. To leave to the government of the Union the free administration of the territories of the Amazons and of Goajira, until they may choose to be acknowledged as States. 21st. To respect the possessions in towns, parks, and forts belonging to the nation. 22nd. To maintain for all one and the same substantive civil and criminal legislation. 23rd. To establish in the popular elections the dii-ect and secret suffrage. DIVISION III. — RIGHTS GUARANTEED TO VENEZUELANS. Art. 14. The nation guarantees to Venezuelans : — 1st. The inviolability of life, capital pimishment being abolished, whatever law may establish it. 2nd. Property, Tvdth all its rights; this ^vill be subject only to the con- tributions decreed by the legislative authority, to the decision of judges, and to requisitions for j)ublic works, after indemnification or adverse decision. 3rd. The inviolability and secresy of correspondence and other papers. 4th. Inviolability of the domestic hearth, which cannot be entered except to prevent crime, in conformity with the law's decree. 5th. Liberty of the person, and consequently, 1st, forced military enlistment is abolished ; 2nd, slavery is for ever abolished ; 3rd, slaves that arrive in Venezuelan territory become free ; 4th, all are at liberty to do or execute everything that does not prejudice another. 6th. Liberty of thought, expressed by word of mouth or tlirough the mediimi of the press, without any restriction whatever. 7th. Liberty of transit without passports, and to change domicile, 384 APPENDIX. observing the forms established in the States, and to absent oneself from and return to the Republic taking away one's goods. 8th. Liberty of industry, and, consequentlj^, the ownership of things discovered or produced. The law will assign to owTiers a temporary privilege, or a mode of indemnification in case the inventor should agree to make public his invention. 9th. Liberty to assemble or meet together without arms, publicly or privately, the authorities not having any right of inspection. 10th. Liberty of petition, and the right of obtaining a decision. This liberty would apply to the petitioning of any functionary, authority, or corporation. If the petition be made by a number of persons, the first five will be answerable for the authenticity of the signatures, and all will be responsible for the truth of the facts. 11th. Lil^erty of suffrage at the popular elections, without any restric- tion except that of being under eighteen years old. 12th. Free right of being educated, which will be protected in its full extension. The power of the State remains under obligation to establish gratis a course of primary education and of the arts and employments. 13th. Religious liberty ; but the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman religion alone may perform public service out of the sacred edifices. 14th. Security of the individual, and therefore, 1st, no Venezuelan can be taken or arrested by force for debts which do not originate in fraud or crime ; 2nd, no one is obliged to receive soldiers into his house to be lodged there or quartered upon him ; 3rd, no one is to be judged before special tinbunals or commissions, but only by his natural judges, or in virtue of the laws delivered before the crime or action to be judged ; 4th, no one is to be made prisoner or to be arrested without previous distinct information of his having committed a crime deserving corporal punishment, or written order of the functionary who decrees the arrest, with notification of the motive of the aiTest, unless he be taken in the act ; 5th, nor is he to be proliibited from holding inter- course with others on any account or pretext ; 6th, nor is he to be obliged to take oath, nor to undergo examination in crimmal causes against himself or his relations within the fourth degree of consan- guinity or the second of affinity, or against his or her spouse ; 7th, nor to be kept in prison when the grounds of his imprisonment cease to exist ; 8th, nor is he to be condemned to suffer any penalty in a criminal matter until his cause has been legally heard ; 9th, nor is he to be APPENDIX. 385 condemned to corporal punishment for more than ten years ; 10th, nor is he to be deprived of Ms liberty for political reasons after order has been re-established. 15th. Equality, in \Hrtue of which, 1st, all must be judged by one and the same laws, and must be subjected to the same duties, services, and contributions ; 2nd, titles of nobility, honours, or hereditary dis- tinctions are not to be granted, nor emplojTnents or offices whose pay or emoluments last beyond the time of service ; 3rd, no official address is to be adopted towards persons in office or corporations except that of citizen and usted, " you." Art. 15. What has been just set forth does not restrain the liberty of States to grant to their inhabitants other guarantees. Art. 16. The laws in the several States will fix punishments for those who violate those guarantees, and will fix the judicial process for making them effective. Art. 17. Those who issue, sign, or execute, or cause to be executed decrees, orders, or resolutions, which violate or infringe any of the guarantees accorded to Venezuelans, are culpable, and must be punished as the law may direct. Every citizen is entitled to accuse them. DIVISION IV. — OF THE NATIONAL LEGISLATURE. FIRST SECTION. Art. 18. The National Legislature is composed of two Chambers — one of the Senators, the other of the Deputies. Art. 19. The States shall determine the mode of appointing the Senators and the Deputies. SECOND SECTION. — OF THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES. Art. 20. In order to form the Chamber of Deputies, each State will choose one Deputy for every 25,000 inhabitants, and a second Deputy for a nmnber in excess beyond 12,000. They vnM also elect an equal number of siipplementaries. Art. 21. Deputies will keep their functions two years, and then will all be re-elected. Art. 22. The follo\\dng are the duties of the Chamber of Deputies : — 1st. To examine the annual account which the President of the United States of Venezuela will lay before them. 2nd. To pass votes of censure on the Ministers of State, and, by the c c 388 APPENDIX. fact of such votes, the appointments of those to whom they refer will be rendered vacant. 3rd. To hear accusations against the officer charged with the national executive for treason to his country, or for common offences ; and against the ministers and other national officers for infraction of the laws and for malversation, in conformity Tvdth Art, 82 of the Constitution. This power is preventive, and does not detract from the powers which other authorities hold to ju.dge and punish. Art. 23. When an accusation is brought forward by a Deputy, or by any corporation or individual, the following rules wiU be observed : — 1st. A committee of tliree Deputies will be nominated by a secret vote. 2nd. The committee will deliver judgment within three days, and declare whether there are grounds for trial or not. 3rd. The Chamber will consider the report, and will decide by the vote of the absolute majority of members present, the Deputy who accuses abstaining from voting. Art. 24. Declaration of there being grounds for trial will, ipso facto, suspend the accused, and incapacitate him from the discharge of any public office during the trial. THIRD SECTION. — THE CHAMBER OF SENATORS. Art, 25. To form this Chamber each State will elect two principal Senators, and two supplementaries to fill vacancies. Art. 26. To become Senator it is requisite : to be a Venezuelan by birth, and to be tliirty years of age. Art. 27, Senators mil remain in office four years, and will be re-elected every two years. When, through any circumstance, they are all re- elected, the election shall be for two years. Art. 28. The duty of the Senate is to support and determine the judg- ments initiated by the Chamber of Deputies. Art. 29. If a trial be not finished during the Session, the Senate will prolong its Session, solely with the object of terminating the trial. In this case the Senators will not receive allowances. FOURTH SECTION. — GENERAL REGULATIONS FOR THE CHAMBERS. Art. 30. The Legislature will assemble every year in the capital of the United States, on the 20th of February, or as soon as possible afterwards, APPENDIX. 387 without waiting to be summoned ; and the Session will last seventy days, with the power of prolongation to ninety. Art. 31. The Chambers will open their Session with at least two-thirds of their members ; and failing this niimber, those present will form themselves iato a preparatory Committee and determine means for obtaining the presence of the absentees. Art. 32. The Session, when opened, can be carried on with two-thirds of those by whom it was opened, provided that the number does not descend below half the whole number of nominated members. Art. 33. Though the Chambers discharge their functions separately, they will meet in Congress, on occasions fixed by the Constitution and the Law, or when one of the two Chambers declares it to be necessary. If the Chamber to which the requisition is made assents to it, it shall fix the day and hour for the meeting. Art. 34. The Sessions shall be public, and secret when the Chamber agrees to hold a secret Session. Art. 35. The Chambers have the right : 1st. To make rules to be observed during the Sessions and debates. 2nd. To bring those who infringe rules to order. 3rd. To cause the observance of courteous behavioiu" in the House during Session. 4th. To punish or correct spectators who infringe the rules of order. 5th. To remove obstacles which may oppose the free exercise of their functions. 6th. To cause to be executed their resolutions for depriving oj6B.cials of their appointments. 7th. To admit members and hear resignations. Art. 36. Either of the Chambers has no power to suspend its Session, or change its place of meeting, without the consent of the other ; in case of disagreement they are to meet, and what the majority decide must be carried out. Art. 37. The exercise of any pubHc fmiction is incomi^atible with that of a Senator or Deputy dui-iug the Session ; the law will declare the indemnifications which they will receive for their services, and these cannot be increased dui-ing the period for which they may be constitu- tionally fijced. Art. 38. From the 20th of January every year, until thii'ty days after the close of the Session, the Senators and Deputies shall enjoy inmiunity; c c 2 388 APPENDIX. and tliis shall consist in the suspension of all procedure against them from whatever cause it may originate, or whatever be its nature. When any Senator or Deputy commits an act meriting corporal punishment, the judicial inquiry shall be carried on to the termination of the summary, and remain in that state imtil the period of immunity is over. Art. 39. Congi'ess shall be presided over by the President of the Senate, and the President of the Chamber of Deputies shall be the Vice-President. Art. 40. Members of the Chambers are not responsible for the opinions or speeches they there deliver. Art. 41. Senators and Deputies cannot accept appointments or offices from the National Executive for one year after the period for which they were nominated has expired. The appointments of Ministers of State, and of diplomatic officers and military commands in time of war, are excepted from this vote ; but the accej)tance of such employments vacates that previously held in the Chamber. Art. 42. Nor can Senators or Deputies make contracts with the general Government, nor conduct the causes of others who have claims on the Government. FIFTH SECTION. — DUTIES OF THE LEGISLATURE, Art. 43. The National Legislature has to discharge the following duties : 1st. To settle disputes which may arise between the States. 2nd. To establish and organise the Federal District in an uninhabited part of the country, not to exceed ten square miles, in wliich the capital city of the .Union is to be built. This district shall be neutral, and shall not deal ^vith any other elections but such as the law shall determine for its locality. Provisionally this district shall be that designated by the Constitutional Assembly, or that which the National Legislature shall fix. 3rd. To organise all that relates to the Custom-houses, whose receipts shall form the treasure of the Union, until others are substituted. 4th. To decide all that relates to the equipment and security of the ports, and of the maritime coasts. 5th. To create and organise the offices of the national jaost, and fix the sums to be charged for the carriage of letters. 6th. To make the national codes in accordance with paragraph 22 of Article B. APPENDIX. .3S9 7tli. To fix the value, mould, law, weight, and milling of the national money, and decide as to the admission and circulation of foreign money. 8th. To declare the shield of arms and flag of the nation, which shall be the same for all the States. 9th. To appoint and remove the national officers, and settle their pay. 10th. To determine everything that has reference to the national debt. 11th. To contract loans on the security of the national credit. 12th. To dictate the measures necessary for taking the census of the population and other national statistics. 13th. To fix annually the armed force by sea and land, and to make the military regulations. 14th. To make the regulations for the formation and replacement of the forces noted in the preceding paragraph. 15th. To declare war and caU on the National Executive to negociate for peace. 16th. To approve or reject diplomatic treaties or conventions. With- out this necessary preliminary the said treaties or conventions cannot be ratified or modified. 17th. To approve or reject contracts wliich the President of the Union may make for public national works, the said approval being essential for their being carried out. 18th. To make the yearly estimate of the public expenses. 19th. To promote all that conduces to the prosperity of the country, and to its progress in the knowledge of the arts and sciences. 20th. To fix the national weights and measures, and render them uniform. 21st. To grant amnesties. 22nd. To fix with the denomination of their territories the special government under which uninhabited regions, or those inhabited only by uncivUized tribes, are to be temporarily ruled ; such territories shaU be under the immediate control of the Executive of the Union. 23rd. To fix the judicial processes and declare the penalties which the Senate has to impose in causes initiated in the Chamber of Deputies. 24th. To augment the constituencies for the election of Deputies. 25th. To admit foreigners to the public service, or exclude them from it. 26th. To transmit the law of elections to the President of the Union. 390 APPENDIX. 27th. To make laws for tlie retirement and retiring allowances of soldiers. 28th. To declare the law as to the responsibility of all the national officers. 29th. To determine the mode of assigning military rank and promotion. Art. 44. Besides the points enumerated above, the National Legisla- ture will make all laws of a general nature that may be required. SIXTH SECTION. — OF THE PASSING OP LAWS. Art. 45. The laws and ordinances of the National Legislature may be initiated by the members of either Chamber, or in any manner enacted by their regulations. Art. 46. As soon as a Bill has been presented, a discussion shall take place as to whether it shall be brought in ; if permitted to be brought in, there shall be three debates on it with the interval of at least one day between each ; the rules for debates being observed. Art. 47. Bills approved in the Chamber in which they are initiated shall be sent up to the other to go through the stages in the preceding paragraph, and if not rejected shall be returned to the Chamber whence they originated, with the alterations which they may have undergone. Art. 48. If the Chamber which initiates a Bill is imwilling to accept the alterations, it can insist on its remaining unmodified and send up its reasons in writing to the other Chamber. The Chambers can also assemble in Congress and go into a Committee of the two Houses to con- sider on the mode of coming to an agreement, bixt if this agreement cannot be arrived at, the BUI must be abandoned as soon as the Chamber of initiation comes to that decision. Art. 49. When the Bills of either Chamber are passed, the days on which they have been discussed must be mentioned. Art. 50. A law to regulate another law must be drawn out in fvill, and the former law becomes entirely repealed. Ai't. 5L The following formula is to be obsei"ved in laws : — " The Con- gress of the United States of Venezuela decrees." Art. 52. BUls rejected by one Legislature cannot be brought forward again imtil a new one comes in. Art. 53. Bills which are under discussion in one of the Chambers at the end of the Sessions, must be debated again three times in the follow- ing Sessions, APPENDIX. 391 Art. 54. Laws are to be repealed A\-itli the same formalities with which they are passed. Art. 55. When the Ministers of State have maintained in a Chamber that a measure is unconstitutional, and it is nevertheless passed as a law, the Executive of the Union may submit it to the nation represented in the Legislatures of the States. Art. 56. In the case contemplated in the preceding Article, each State shall represent a vote, expressed by the majority of the members present in the Houses of Legislature, and shall send the result to the High Federal Comt, in this form : " I confirm," or " I object." Art. 57. If the majority of the States agree with the Executive, the Court shall order the law to be suspended and shall report to Congress, transmitting an account of all that has taken place. Art 58. Laws shall not be in force imtil published \\dth the established ceremonies. Art. 59. The jjower granted to sanction a law cannot be delegated. Art. 60. No legislative enactment shall have a retrospective force, except in the matter of a judicial process, or in a case where punisliment not capital is imposed. DIVISION v. — OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE. FIRST SECTION. — OF THE CHIEF OF THE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION. Art. 61. Everything relative to the general administration of the nation, not entrusted by this Constitution to other authority, shall be the duty of a magistrate, who shall be called President of the United States of Venezuela. Art. 62. To be President it is necessary to be a Venezuelan by birth, and to be thirty years of age. Art. 63. The President shall be elected by the citizens of all the States, by direct and secret vote according to the rule for State voting, namely, by the relative majority of each State's electors. Art. 64. On the eighth day of the Session of Congress the Chambers shall meet to hold a scrutiny. If by that time all the registers have not been received, measures shall be taken to obtain them, the scrutiny being deferred in case of necessity for forty days. After that term the scrutiny may be taken with the registers that have been received, provided that they be not less than two-thirds of the whole number. Art. 65. In the case of the election beuag made according to the pre- 39-2 APPENDIX. ceding Article, whoever obtains tlie absolute majority of votes will be declared President. If no one bas it, Congress will select tbe two wbo have the greatest number of votes. The votes will then be taken by States, each State having one vote, and unless two-thirds of the States agree, the election will not hold good. The vote of each State is that of the absolute majority of its Representatives and Senators ; and in case of an equality of votes the decision shall be by lot. Art. 66. During the scrutiny none of the members assembled can leave the Session, without the consent of Congress. Art. 67. Two designated Presidents will be annually chosen by the Chambers jointly to fill up the occasional absences of the President, or an absolute vacancy. Art. 68. The President will remain in office four years, reckoning from the 20th of February, on which day he will quit his duties and will summon the person who is to replace him, even though the period of four years has not completely expired. Art. 69. When there occurs an absolute vacancy in the Presidentship during the two first years of a period, Congress shall decree a new elec- tion for the appointment of another President who shall continue in office for the time wanting to make a complete period of four years. Art. 70. The President, or his substitute in the case contemplated in the preceding Article, camiot be elected for the period immediately fol- loAving his term of office. Art. 71. The law will fix the pay which the President and his substi- tutes are to receive ; and the amount cannot be augmented nor dimi- nished during the period for which the law fixes it. SECOND SECTION. — OF THE DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF VENEZUELA. Art. 72. The President of the Union has the following duties to per- form : 1st. To preserve the nation from every external attack. 2nd. To order the laws and decrees of the National Legislature to be executed, and to see to their execution. 3rd. To take care of and watch over the collection of the national rents. 4th. To manage the waste lands according to law. APPENDIX. 393 5th. To convoke the National Legislature at its periodical assemblies, and on extraordinary occasions, when the gravity of any event de- mands it. 6th. To aj)point persons to fill diplomatic offices, Consul-Generalships, and Consulships ; being bound to see that Venezuelans by birth are appointed to the first and second class of ofiices. 7th. To direct the negociations and ratify all kinds of treaties with other nations after submitting them to the National Legislature. 8th. To ratify the contracts wliich are of national importance in con- formity with the law, and submit them to the Legislature. 9tli, To nominate and remove the Ministers of State. 10th. To appoint the officers of finance, whose nomination is not assigned to other functionaries. For these offices tlie nominees must be Venezuelans by birth. 11th. To remove and suspend officials, who are ajipointed by bimself alone, and to order them to be tried should there be ground for it. 12th. To grant letters of naturalization conformably to law. 13th. To issue commissions to the ships of the nation, 14th. To declare war in the name of the Republic, when Congress has decreed it. 15th. In case of foreign war he has power : 1st, to apply to the States for the assistance required for the national defence ; 2nd, to call by anticipation for contributions, or to negociate loans decreed by Con- gress, if the ordinary rents are insufficient ; 3rd, to arrest or expel in- dividuals who belong to the nation with which, the country may be at war, and who may be an impediment to the defence of the country ; 4th, to suspend the guarantees which, may be incompatible with, the defence of the independence of the country, except that of life ; 5th, to designate the place to which the National Executive may have to remove tempo- rarily, when there are grave reasons for it ; 6th, to bring to trial for treason such Venezuelans who may in any way be opposed to the national defence ; 7th, to issue letters of marque and reprisals, and to lay doAvn the rules to be followed in cases of capture. 16th. To make use of the public forces, and of the powers contained in Nimibers 1, 2, and 5 of the preceding functions, with the view of re- establishing constitutional order in case of armed insurrection against the political institutions which the nation has assumed. 17th. To dispose of the public force in order to put an end to the armed collision between two or more States, and require of them to lay 394 APPENDIX. aside their arms and submit their controversies to the decision of the national authorities, according to Paragraph 8 of Article 13. 18th. To direct the war or command the army in person in the cases contemplated in this Article. He may also quit the capital, when the public interests require it. 19th. To grant general or particular amnesties. 20th. To defend the territory marked out for the Federal District, when there are well-founded fears of invasion by hostile forces. 21st. To discharge the other fimctions assigned to him by the national laws. Art. 73. When the National Executive may have made use of all or several of the powers accorded to it in the preceding Article, it will report hereon to the Congress within the eight first days of its next assembling. THIRD SECTION. — OF THE MINISTERS OF STATE. Art. 74. The President of the United States of Venezuela will have those Ministers of State which the law decrees. The law will determine their functions and duties, and will organise the Secretariats. Art. 75. In order to be Minister of State it is requisite to be twenty- five years of age, to be a Venezuelan by birth, or to have been natu- ralised five years. Art. 76. The Ministers are naturally and strictly the organs of the President of the Union : they will subscribe all his acts ; and without this formulary his orders will not be performed or executed by the authorities, officially, or by private persons. Art. 77. All the acts of the Ministers must be regulated by this Constitution and by the laws : they do not escape responsibility by the order of the President, even though they receive it in writing. Art, 78. The decision of all matters, which are not included in the routine of the Secretariats, shall be arrived at by the Ministers in Council, and their responsibility is collective. Art. 79. In the first five Sessions of each year the Ministers shall report to the Chambers what they may have done or intend to do in their respective departments. They will also furnish memoranda of informa- tion or verbal statements, Avhen called upon, reser\'ing only what may be unsuitable to publish in diplomatic negociations or in war. Art. 80. Within the same term they will lay before the National Legislature the estimate of the public expenses, and the account cur- rent of the preceding year. APPENDIX. 395 Art. 81. Ministers have the right to speak in the Chambers, and are obliged to attend when called on to give information. Art. 82. Ministers are responsible : 1st. For treason. 2nd. For violating the Constitution or the Laws, 3rd. For malversation of the public fimds. 4th. For expending sums beyond estimates. 5th. For bribery or corruption in the discharge of their fimctions, or in appointments to public offices. FOURTH SECTION. Art. 83. The National Executive is exercised by the President of the Union, or his locum tenens, in union "with the Ministers of State, who are his organs. Art. 84. The functions of the National Executive cannot be exercised beyond the Federal District, except in the case contemplated in section 5 of the 15th Paragraph of Article 72. When the President takes command of the army, or absents himself from the Federal District, availing himself of the 18th Power in the same Article 72, he will be replaced as ordained in Articles 72 and 102 of this Constitution. DIVISION VI. — OF THE HIGH FEDERAL COURT. FIRST SECTION. — OF ITS FORMATION. Art. 85. The High Federal Court shall be composed of five Members, with power of voting, who must have the following qualifications : 1st. The being a Venezuelan by birth or naturalized ten years, 2nd. The having completed thirty years of age. Art. 86. For the appointment of these Members the Legislature of each State shall present to Congress a list equalling in numbers the places to be filled, and the Congress shall declare him elected who shall have most votes in the united lists of the sections that follow. 1st. Cumana, Margarita, Maturin, and Barcelona. 2nd. Guayana, Apiu'e, Barinas and Portuguesa. 3rd. Caracas, Aragua, Guarico, and Carabobo. 4th. Cojedes, Yaracuy, Barquisimeto, and Coro. 5th. Maracaibo, Trujillo, Merida, and Tacliii'a. Where the votes are equal Congress shall decide. ?>m APPENDIX. Art. 87. The law sliall determine the different functions of the mem- bers, and of the other officers of the High Federal Court. Art. 88. The Members, and their respective substitutes, who shall be appointed in the same way as the principals, shall continue in office four years. The principals, or the substitutes in office, cannot accept any employment from the Executive during the above period, even though they should resign their Membership of the Court. SECOND SECTION. — DUTIES OF THE HIGH FEDERAL COURT. Art. 89. The High Court is competent to deal wnth the following matters : 1st. To take cognizance of civil or criminal causes which relate to diplomatic officers, in the cases permitted by the public right of nations. 2nd. To take cognizance of causes in which the President orders the trial of his Ministers, and in case of the suspension of a Minister being decreed, a report will be made by the Court to the President. 3rd. To examine causes against the Ministers of State, when they are accused in the cases contemplated by this Constitution. Should it be necessary to suspend the accused from his fimctions, the Court will call on the President to suspend him, and the President will comply. 4th. To take cognizance of causes in which diplomatic agents accre- dited to other nations are put on trial for misconduct. 5th. To examine causes in which the high functionaries of the different States are put on trial for criminal acts or other miscon- duct, provided that the laws of those estates sanction that form of procedure. 6th. To inquire into the action of the civil tribunals when required by the nation and sanctioned by law. 7th. To settle disputes between the officers of the different States in matters of judicature or competency. 8th. To take cognizance of all matters which the States wish to submit to their consideration. 9th. To declare what is the law in force when the national laws clash, or those of the nation with those of the States, or the laAvs of the same State with one another. 10th. To take cognizance of disputes which arise from contracts or negociations ratified by the President of the Union, APPENDIX. 397 llth. To try cases of capture. 12th. To exercise tlie other functions assigned to it by law. DIVISION VII. — REGULATIONS NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THE SUBJECTS TO BE DEALT WITH. Art. 90. Everything not expressly assigned by tliis Constitution to the general administration of the nation, falls within the competency of the States. Art. 91. The tribunals of justice in the States are independent : causes commenced in them in conformity wdth their special procedure, and on subjects of their exclusive competency, shall be settled in the States themselves, without being subjected to investigation by any external authority. Art. 92. Every act of Congress or of the National Executive, which may -vdolate the rights guaranteed to those States by this Constitution, or infringe their independence, shall be declared null by the High Court, always provided that the majority of the Legislatures should re- quire it. Art. 93. The public force of the nation is di^dded into naval and mili- tary^ ; and shall be composed of the militia of citizens, which the States organize in conformity \yith. their laws. Art. 94. The force maintained by the Union shall be formed of indi- vidual volunteers with a contingent from each State in proportion to its resources, the citizens of the State being called upon to serve, and being bound to obey according to the laws. A_rt. 95. In case of war the contingent may be augmented from the citizen militia up to the number of men required to meet the demand of the National Government. Art. 96. The National Government has the power to change the leaders of the puljlic force which the States furnish in the cases, and with the formalities that the military law of the nation may appoint, and the States ^vill then be required to furnish substitutes. Art. 97. The military and civil authority shall never be exercised by one and the same person or corporation. Art. 98. The nation possesses the right of ecclesiastical patronage, and will exercise it as the law shall direct. Art. 99. The Government of the Union shall not possess in the States resident officers with jurisdiction and authority, other than the officers of the States themselves. From this rule are excepted the officers of 398 APPENDIX. finance, and of tlie forces wliicli garrison national fortresses, or which protect parks created by the law, stations for soldiers and inhabited posts, and these will have jurisdiction only in what belongs to their respective duties, or within the precincts of the fortresses and quarters where they command ; and they are not thereby exempt from being under the general laws of the State where they reside. AU the material of war which at present exists belongs to the National Government. Art. 100. The National Government cannot locate in a State a force or military chief mth a command, though belonging to that State or otherwise, witliout the permission of the Government of the State in which the force is to be placed. Art. 101. Neither the National Execiitive, nor the Executives of the States, can make an armed intervention in the domestic disputes of a State : they are only allowed to tender their good offices to bring about a peaceable solution of the disputes. Art. 102. When the Presidentship is vacant, or temporarily vacated, and cannot be filled up by a Designated President, one of the Ministers of State will fill it, elected in public session by all his colleagues. In this case the person so elected will be summoned, and will report his election to the States. Art. 103. The National Congress cannot augment the imposts wliich are levied on the exports, nor increase the mortgages upon them ; and when once the existing mortgages upon them are removed by payment, compensation, or substitution, the exportation of the national products will be for ever free. Art. 104. All usurped authority is without effect ; its acts are null. Every decision arrived at by the direct or indirect demand of the armed force, or by the assembling of the people in a subversive attitude, is ijpso facto null and inconsequent. Art. 105. No corporation or official is permitted to discharge any func- tion whatever, which is not conferred on him by the Constitution or the laws. Art. 106. Any citizen may accuse the national officers before the Chamber of Deputies, before his respective superiors, or before the autho- rities indicated by the law. .Art. 107. Officers appointed by the free voice of the President of the Union finish with him their term of office in each constitutional period ; but will continue in office until relieved. Art. 108. No disbursement is to be made from the National Treasury, APPENDIX. 399 for which a sum has not been expressly applied by Congress in the annual estimate, and those who infringe this rule wiU be civilly responsible to the National Treasury for the sums they have so disbursed. In all distribu- tions of the public treasure, the ordinary expenses will be attended to before the extraordinary. Art. 109. The departments for collecting the national contributions and those for payments mil be always kept separate ; the fonner have not the power to make any other payments but what are due to the offi- cials employed in them as salary. Art. 110. When for any reason the estimate corresponding to a fiscal period has not been voted, that of the period immediately preceding shall be continued in force. Art. 111. In the periods of the national elections, and those of the States, the public force shall be disarmed; and the respective laws of the States shall determine the mode of disarmament. Art. 112. In commercial and friendly international treaties the clause shall be inserted, " all differences between the contracting parties shall be decided without appeal to war by the arbitration of some power or powers." Art. 113. No indi-vddual can discharge more than one office under the nomination of the Congress or the National Executive. The acceptance of any other appointment is equivalent to the resignation of the first. Kemovable officers cease in their appointments to be capable of receiv- ing the post of Senator or Deputy, when dependent on the National Executive. Art. 114. The law shall create and define the other national tribunals which may be necessary. Art. 115. The national officers cannot accept presents, trusts, honours, or recompenses from foreign nations, without the permission of the National Legislature. Art. 116. The armed force cannot deliberate ; its duty is to be passive and obedient. No armed corps can make requisitions, nor ask for subsi- dies of any kind except from the civil authorities, and in the mode and form defined by law. Art. 117. The nation and the States will promote immigration and colonization by foreigners under the ride of their respective laws. Art. 118. One law shall regulate the manner in which the national officers shall be bound to make oath or declaration as to the discharge of their duties on entering upon their appointments. 400 APPENDIX. Art. 119. Tlie National Executive shall negociate witli the Govern- ments of America for treaties of alliance or confederation. Art. 120. The rights of nations fall under the department of the National Legislature : its rules shall be the standard, especially in cases of civil war. Consequently civil war may be terminated by treaties between the belligerents, who must respect the humane practices of Christian and civilized nations. Art. 121. The Laws and Regulations of the government of the States shall remain in force, until the new Legislatures which are about to be appointed can bring them into harmony witli the present Constitution ; and this must be done within the space of four months. Art. 122. This Constitution may be remodelled entirely or partially by the National Legislature, if the majority of the Legislatures of the States require it ; but the modification shall not take place except with regard to points wliich the States desire to have changed. Art. 123, The present Constitution will come into force from the day of its official publication in each State ; and from that day the date of the Federation, the 20th of February, 1859, shall be stated in all the public acts and official docviments, as also that of the present law. Given and sealed in the Hall of the Sessions of the Constituent Assem- bly in Caracas on the 28th of March, 1864, the first of the Law and sixth of the Federation. President of the Assembly, Eugenio A. Rivera, Deputy for Barinas. Vice-President, Manuel N. Vetancourt, Deputy for Cumand, and seventy other Deputies. APPENDIX. 40] Appendix (D). Mr. Mocatta's Statement of the Disposal of the Money raised hij the Loan of 1862. Brighton, Octoier ]3\ Senor A. L. Guzman, lays a distinct charge that yoiu' agents failed in their duties ^^'ith respect to the Loan of 1862. Owdng to the lamented demise of F. D. Orme, Esq., C.B., Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires, I am left alone to reply thereto ; this, however, is not a diflRcult task, as I am alale by documents to disprove the false charges brought against us. At page 2 — Allusion is made to a previous hypothecation, and refers to a letter of Dr. H. Nadal ; this is answered by the fact of the creditors who represented the $4,240,000 having accepted the terms offered them at public meetings on the 1st and 8th May, 1862. As this took place prior to the Loan, it is necessary to state the particulars : — It was agreed that a common fund of 27 per cent, of the duties of Imports should be substituted for the 38 per cent., which had been paid to that date ; the directors of the bank notified the acceptance of this new agreement to the Government. This new arrangement proves that the hj^aotheca- tion of the 38 per cent, ceased, and no formal cancelment was needful. Owing to the stopping of the bank, Mr. Carl Hahn, director thereof, made a written proposal to "the Government for a new arrangement, based on the 27 per cent, security. In the Independiente of the 26th Jime, 1862, the bank directors published a notice declaring that the shareholders accepted a proposal made by the Government to purchase the capital of the bank at 50 per cent., payable in five years ; this was .sanctioned and approved at a general meeting held on the 3rd July, 1862, at the bank premises, and presided over by his Excellency the Secretary-General ; the A^ote passed vdih only one dissentient (Dr. D. B. Urbaneja) ; the whole was pulilished in the Caracas papers ; this was binding to all interested, whether citizens or foreigners. And this brings me to the case laid before the High Federal Court ; as it was put, V D 402 APPENDIX. it certainly did not require tlie learned judges to say that a prior mortgage took precedence of a second claim, for a schoolboy would be deemed a dunce did he not know this. Had the case with all its bearings been referred to the High Federal Court, the sentence must have been different, and it is evident the present Government thovight very little of it, as by a stroke of the pen they reduced it to 15 per cent., not only for the parties interested, but for all the internal creditors. At page 3 — Seiior Guzman states that yoiu' agents directly interfered, by partial arrangements wliich they made with some of the creditors ; this is mitrue, as they simply fulfilled the instructions of his Excellency the Secretary of State, which were to take up the shares held by Messrs. Parclo & Co., and others, on a consideration being made to the Govern- ment for the advance of payment ; in this your agents could make no demur, as the fmids of the Loan were ample for all just claims, as shown in my letter of the 10th April, 1863, in document No. 1. At page 4 — Much stress is laid on the French and Spanish claims, which were in the hands of their respective representatives, and must have been* unadjusted, or they would have come forward, together with the other diplomatic claims. Again, had the parties holding the shares and notes of the bank presented them to the Commission, they would have received the instalments in November, 1862 ; thus your agents had no cognizance or intervention therein, and cannot be justly accused of neglect of duty. I know, however, that several ^^ayments were made in money to the order of Monsieur Millinet, the French Charge d'Affaires. At page 6 — It is asserted that the internal creditors were not paid nor even consulted ; this is untrue, as another agreement was entered into at a public meeting, and from this emanated the decree of the 15th November for the settlement of the bank claims. At page 8 — It is said, by not calling a general meeting of the internal creditors, the agents prevented the settlement of their claims ; this, to say the least of it, is ludicrous, and I should like to know what Senor or General Guzman would have said to the agent of the 1864 Loan, had he presumed to call a meeting of the creditors of the Export Duties. It is stated that the law of Venezuela requires that a Loan should be * Sic ill ori'T. APPENDIX. 403 registered ; ii" this is so, wliy was the agent of the 1864 Loan not made to register, and not be only scriptural, the more particularly so as the present Venezuelan Government made known in their financial state- ment that they were holders of nearly one-third of the £1,500,000 bonds ? The registry was, I believe, subseq^uently made, owing to the notice given to you by General Guzman Blanco in February last. This necessity is new to me, as from the year 1823 to 1837 I was a resident merchant in Caracas, and had never known any proceeding for the fulfilment of the decrees of all the governments that existed during that period, than by " Bando," and inscribed in the Registro OJicial (eqiuvalent to our London Gazette). I send you a note of Mr. Carl Halm, one of the liquidators of the Bank affairs ; No. 2, shewing the total liabilities of the Government ; and at foot. No. 3, shewing the sums paid thereon, and the balance left unpaid by General Paez's Government. I beg to refer you to the letter of H. E. Pedro Jose Rojas to your agents of 3rd October, 1862, confirming the conditions of the Loan. Also to my letter of 10th April, 1863, shewing that the proceeds of the Loan were ample for the require- ments stipulated for. Senor Guzman states that no accoimts were kept ; this appears impossible, as the Government nominated a commission consisting of Messrs. Ruete, Rolil, & Co., Santana Brothers, and H. L. Boulton & Co. ; and this Conxmission appointed the Bank of Hahn and Servadio to attend to the payments of the vales and notes presented ; these parties sent to the Commission entitled " Seccion de Credito Publico " a letter No. 4, and a note, of which you have a copy and translation, No. 5, shemng the amounts of the creditors and the settle- ment thereof, and the bills drawn for each creditor, under document No. 6. I also addressed a le'tter to the Commission, on the 22nd December, 1862, stating the amounts delivered by me to His Excellency the Secretary-General, and crossed by me, " Redeemed by the Govern- ment ;" this is shown in letter No. 7. I addressed a letter to His Excellency Pedro Jose Rojas, relative to the papnents of the Bank creditors by the commission, dated 27th November, 1862 ; copy herewith. No. 8. Also His Excellency's reply of the same date. No. 9. Prior to the settlement of the diplomatic claims, which were placed in the hands of G. Stiirup, Esq., Danish Consul General, consisting of the British, Danish, United States, and Dutch claims, your agents received the authorization on the 17th November, 1862, as shewn in copy and translation of His Excellency II D 2 401 APPENDIX. Pedro Jose Rojas' letter (accompanied by a long statement from the Foreign Office, too profuse to add, the totals being the exact sums paid to each), No. 10. The French and Spanish claims were not brought before your agents, who consequently could know nothing of them. The Collector of Customs of La Guayra, sent the list of inscribed cre- ditors, as per copy with translation No. 11 ; the amounts thereof were paid by bills on you. To prove that the whole of the funds were faith- fully applied, I send you under No, 12, copy and translation of the letter of His Excellency the Secretary of State, acknowledging receipt of all the vouchers I had presented. Of the 23 signatures attached to the memorial, I find nine received their 20 and 10 per cent. ; viz. : — Carl Hahn, D. B. Barrios, Santiago Vera, L. Sucre, J. B. Calcano, Eduardo Gathman, Modesto Urbaneja, Alexandre Viso, Manuel M. A. Aurrecoechea. Considering that I have fully exonerated myself from the charge of neglect of duty, and that you are satisfied that due diligence has been observed by me, I have the honour to be. Gentlemen, Yours respectfully, (Signed) E. Mocatta. Republic of Venezuela. Caracas, November Vtk, 1862. Office of Secretary General, Finance Department. Section Number. Messrs. E. Mocatta and F. D. Orme. You are hereby authorised to pay to the representatives of the foreign Governments, which this Government owes for international claims, already acknowledged and liquidated, in conformity with the account which will be presented to you from the Department of Foreign Affairs. I am, Sii'S, Your obedient servant, (Signed) Pedro Jose Rojas. Note. — The payments must be made at latest for the packet of 7th December. (Signed) Rojas. APPENDIX. 405 This Custom-house is indebted for orders which have lip to date. Owners. Cs. Geyler Jn. Boggio & Servadio Monsauto & Co. . Owner of the Custom-house of Puerto Cabello Cipriano Slorales .... Herrara Hermanos ..... Vicente Perez / Endorsed to Messrs. do. \ Xeckehnann, Eoosen, & Co. G. Servadio I Half of three orders Alejo. Viso j amounting to Alejandro Viso, 2 orders .... Francisco Eamirez — Endorsed to Messrs. Marturet, Bros., & Co. . . . . Gmllo. Stiirup ...... Syers, Brasch, & Co. ..... Do. Lr Guayra, OctMr IZt/i, 1862. been presented Date s. Nos. Amotmts. May 14, 1862 380 $1008.94 June 17 428 10,737.26 do. 30 233 6960.71 July 22 31 1000 Aug. 20 70 8412.68 July 23 34 604 do. 23 35 2404 Aug. 20 „ 71/73 16,159.98 do. 20 „ 89/90 4000 do. 21 80 2954.55 do. 25 83 909.88 Sept. 6 103 6621.44 Oct. 3 149 149.85 $61,923.29 gned) J. M. Baduel. [Copy.] Caracas, November 21th, 1862. His Excellency Pedi'o Jose Rojas, Secretary General, &c., &c., &c. Excellent Sir, My attention has been called to the 5th article of the resolution of the Government, relative to the execution of the decrees regarding "Billetes y Acciones del Banco de Venezuela," and published in the Independiente of the 21st inst. I have now to state that all I have agreed to do, as agent for Messrs. Baring, Brothers, & Co., is to place bills in the hands of the Commission appointed by the Government, the 20 per cent for the "BiJletes y Acciones de Preferencia," and 10 per cent, for the "Acciones Ordinarias." It is absolutely necessary that the Commission should be informed that the Government will pay the 10 per cent, on the " Acciones Ordi- narias " in February next, and that I am in no way concerned as agent for Messrs. Baring, Brothers, & Co. for the same. I trust you will make this known at once, as the Commissiun should 406 APPENDIX. lie infomied of the actual position of the arrangement, prior to receiving the "Billetes y Acciones" from the hoklers thereof. I have the honour to be, Excellent Sir, Your most obedient Servant. (Signed) E. Mocatta. Bepublic of Venezuela. Caracas, November 27th, 1862. Finance Department, Section 1st, Number 1796. Sir, I have the honour to inform you that I have given proper instructions to the Director of the Section of Public Credit, and to the Commission appointed in conformity with the decrees issued by his Excellency the Supreme Chief, on the 15th instant, to attend to the indications of your note of this date, to which I reply. Your most obedient Servant, (Signed) Pedro Jose Rojas. E. Mocatta, Esq. Caracas, December 22nd, 1862. [Copy.] Messrs. Ruete, Rohl, & Co. Santana, Brothers, & Co, H. L. Boulton & Co. Gentlemen, I beg to inform yoii that I have handed to his Excellency the Secretary-General the following Billetes, &c., crossed by me, " Redi- midos por el Gobierno," and on which neither the 20 and 10 per cent., nor the 10 and 5 per cent, on the acciones ordinarias are payable : — $141,680 Euote presentados por Belletes, Kohl & Co. 37,950 id. id. ,, C. Hahn 112,950 id. id. „ J. B. de Leon 20,000 id. id. ,, do. 164,250 Acciones de preferencia por do. 481,250 Acciones ordinarias por do. 20,000 id. id. ,, do. There is still to be arranged with you the Billetes, &c., handed in by Messrs. Marcano, Hos., & Co. APPENDIX. 401 There are also $44,868.58 , Billetes in the hands of the Treasurer, and 17,445.05 j which were handed in by me by order of his Excellency ; the same were returned by Mr. Guillo. Stiirup, and Mr. F. D. Orme, on the settlement of their diplomatic recognized claims. For the balance of the 20 and 10 per cent, on the Billetes and Acciones, the Goverimaent held more than sufficient of the same to cover your claim, and I beg to refer you to his Excellency the Secretary- General to satisfy you thereon. I am, Gentlemen, Yours, respectfully, (Signed) E. Mocatta. Caracas, Nm-ember Gtk, 1862. I have received of Messrs. Baring, Brothers, & Co., of London, agents to the Government of Venezuela, by the hands of Messrs. E. Mocatta and F. D. Orme, up to this day, in bills and cash, on account of the Loan of the 31st July of the present year, the sum of one hundred and ninety-one thousand one hundred and twenty-five pounds sterling, wliich are placed to the credit of the said Messrs. Baring, Brothers, & Co., for account of the Government. The Secretary-General, (Signed) Pedro Jose Rojas. Caracas, November 22nd, 1862. As Secretary-General, I have received of Mr. E. Mocatta, on account of the Loan contracted with Messrs. Baring, Brothers, & Co., fifty -two thousand one hundred pounds sterling, in bills on London. (Signed) Pedro Jose Rojas. Caracas, December 6th, 1862. As Secretary-General, I have received of Mr. E. Mocatta, on account of the Loan contracted with Messrs. Baring, Brothers, & Co., the sum of one hundred and fifty-five thousand seven hundred and ninety- two pounds sterling and fourteen shUKngs. (Signed) Pedro Jose Rojas. For ^155,792 : 14s. 408 APPENDIX. Mr. Carl Hahn's Memorandum of Bank Affairs. Cash for Vales of La Guayra Custom-house .... $92,000 ,, ,, Puerto Cabello ,, .... 700 Cash from the Government to make up part of claims of prefer- ence credits 78,387.19 $171,087.19 $2,961,373.13 debt of Government in account current, which includes all Billetes (Notes at 30 per cent, after deduct- ing $100,000) 888,417.94 $3,181,459.71 Capital of the Bank, at 15 per cent. . . 477,218.85 $1,536,723.98 Of the above the $171,087.19 was paid in full, in Bills and Specie, thus leaving to be paid $1,365,636.19 Bills drawn and Specie — total paid for the Bank accounts £164,040 Deduct the sterling value of the $171,087.19, about 26,837 £1.37,203 At the Excliange of $6.50 to the £ sterling .... 891,820 Balance which should have been puid by the Government in February, 1863 $473,816.19 Equivalent in sterling to £72,900 [Copy.] Bank of Caracas. Messrs. Ruete, Rohl, & Co. Santana, Brothers, & Co. H. L. Boulton & Co. Caracas, December Aih, 1862, a.m. Gentlemen, We have the honour to hand you a note of the bills of exchange, which were apjalied for yesterday, and also a statement of the lists handed in by the Section of Public Credit, another presented by the creditors, and another of the amount of credits in bills and cash. To-morrow we wll hand in lists of the creditors who may come to-day, and remain, Your obedient Servants, For the Bank of Caracas, (Signed) Carl Hahn. (i. Servadiu. APPENDIX. 409 The Section of PuMic Credit handed in the following Lists :^ 1st In Notes of the Bank .... $1,023,299.50 2ud ,, do. do 202,946.0fi Titles 116,701.10 1st ,, Preference Shares 2nd ,, do. 1st ,, Ordinary Shares . 2nd ,, do. $412,0.n0 7,750 $2,330,500 187,250 1,342,946.66 419,830 $1,762,776.66 2,517,750 $4,280,526.66 Brought forward by Creditors up to December 3rd, 4 o'clock, p.m. : — Calculated at 20 & 10. Bills and Titles $1,117,310 $223,462.04 Preference Shares 420,580 84,116 Ordinary do 2,452,500 245,250 Bills applied for ... . Cash for small sums and balances . For the Bank of Caracas £81,730 (Signed) $552,828.04 $521,028.75 31,799.29 $552,828.04 Carl Hahn, G. Servadio. [Copy.] 1st List of Amounts to be dra^^"n on London * Carl Hahn . . £4410 * id. . . . 1190 212 id. 120 213 id. . . 190 214 id. 180 215 id. . . 150 216 Rafael Martinez . 120 217 G. Ronzone . . 3410 218 Oscar de Lanzieres 800 219 Luis Elizondo Carry forward . . 120 £10,690 Drawn separately. 410 APPENDIX, y Sobriiio Bioiiglit forward 220 J. B. Calcano 221 Santiago, Vera, & Co. 222 H. G. Schimrael & Co, . 223 F, Garrido .... 224 L. Weber & Co. 225 Lindo & Co. 226 Octavio Pardo 227 Hermanos Delfino 228 Cipriauo Morales 229 Cauuto Garcia . 230 M. Tovar Galindo 231 Fortimato Corvaia 232 J. M. Martel 233 G. Petit de Meiirville, Chancelier de la Legation Francaise 234 A. M. Seixas & Co. 235 J. Viso . 236 Sautana, Herms., y Ca. 237 Maiirieio Poggi 238 Hernandez y Kivodo 239 Lorenzo A. Mendoza 240 C. Madriz . 241 Sosa, Duran, y Ca. 242 D. B. Barrios 243 Modesto Urbaneja 244 id. 245 id. 246 id. 247 id. 248 id. 249 id. 250 H. L. Boulton & Co 251 M. Martel 252 Alejandro Viso 253 Gnillo. Rivas . 254 Santiago Vera 255 M. M. Rodriguez Sosa 256 Juan Boggio 257 Juan D. Gouell 258 J. B. de Leon (£3374) . 259 C. Espino y Ca. en liquidn Carry forward £10,690 110 1410 1100 240 150 210 190 2320 140 840 370 8080 440 150 370 670 130 400 180 490 300 260 760 200 100 100 600 1000 1000 1000 310 130 230 110 950 .150 260 170 ^16,240 220 £52,770 Only £3374, the rest having been previously drawn. APPENDIX. 411 Brought forward 2fi0 Syers, Braasch, y Ca. 261 Pedro Vegas 262 Agustina Perez de Garrotte 263 B. .Eivodo * J. B. de Leon 264 Ruete, RbW, & Co. . 265 A. F. Carranza 266 GntieiTez y Gnardia . 267 Tomas Aquerrevere 268 Juan Dr. Perez 6 hijos 269 Eduardo Espino . 270 Jose Eeyes 271 Escobar, Henns., en liciuidi 272 F. Ramirez 273 T. S. Ncvett 274 Hugo Valentiuer 275 J. Jacinto Rivas . 276 Hugo Valentiner 277 id. 278 T. Smith y Schroeder t Marcano, Brothers, y Ca. t id. 279 Sojo, Larralde, y Ca. 280 Carl Hahn 281 Luis Vallenilla 282 Carlos Soublette 283 Eduardo Gathmanu 284 Andres Ma. Caballero 285 id. 286 id. 287 Marxen & Craso . 288 Gullielmo Sturup 289 id. 290 Manuel Martel 291 id. 292 Aristides Calcasio 293 id. 294 Camilo Alfaro, Junr. 295 Domingo Rodriguez 296 M. M. Aurrecoecliea Carry forward • Previously drawn. + Subsequently arranged. £52,770 1660 250 200 330 940 1360 190 380 200 450 120 160 110 120 360 100 360 490 170 100 120 480 1010 1400 840 390 110 530 390 390 520 140 110 160 310 300 290 2340 120 620 £71,390 412 APPENDIX. Brought forward £71,390 297 Esteban HeiTera 870 298 Luis Sucre 950 299 R. Mijares 130 300 M. Zarraga 150 * Marcano, Brothers, & Co 1690 301 J. Igno. Rodriguez 180 302 G. Servadio 2210 303 J. M. Echeverria 1400 304 Martin J. Larralde 340 305 Gonell Herinanos ...... 340 306 A. Ma. Callabero 290 307 Miguel Zaldarriaga 140 308 Santiago Vera 110 309 M. M. Aurrecoechea 100 310 J. A. Mosquera hijo . 400 311 Carl Hahn 190 312 id. 850 Por el banco de Caracas £81,730 (Signed) Carl Hahn G. Servadio [Copy.] To the Bills as per private list of this morning, please to add Paid in Specie in lieu of Bills. 8 addition of this morning Ruete, Rohl, & Co Gabriel J. Machado .... Manuel Sancliez ..... Jose Perez Oropeza .... Luis Felipe Garcia ..... Boggio & Debarbieri .... Jose Bottaro ...... A. J. Carranza ..... 16 Bills December 4th, 1862. (Signed) £1600 4440 150 110 140 180 150 120 230 £7120 C. Hahx. Subsequently arranged. APPENDIX. 413 Account of £45,000 re7nitted to the Bank of St. Thomas's for Negotiation. £45,000 at exchange $4.90 ^ £ stg., Dollars $220,500 Less commission chai-ged . . 3 307.50 6th Oct. Received ^ "Isabel" 21st Do. do. Insurance at St. Thomas' $100,000 116,007.25 1,115.25 22nd 9th Oct. Paid by order of his Excellency the Secre- tary-General £2000 Do. to the London Committee £1000 Do. to Sn. Eyzagiiirre Do. liis Excellency the Secretary-General at La GuajTa .... Do. by order of his Excellency £2000 ^0- do- do. at La Guayr 40,000 hard dollars . Do. do. to Sn. Eyzaguirre Do. do. do. Do. do. $2100, $10,000 (to the S Government) Taken by me for charges . . . $3250 Less freight charges on first remittance . . . $440 Do. second do. . 387.87 Carriage from La GuajTa . 21 848.87 $217,192.50 $217,122.50 $13,000 6,500 32,550 78,750 13,000 52,620 53,355.50 17,293.62 12,100 Net proceeds 2,401.13 $281,470.25 Caracas, November, 1862. E. MOCATTA. 414 APPENDIX. 10,500 27,000 in account of BiUeles and Shares of Bank. 57,524 9175 7000 Bills drawn on Messrs. Baring, Brothers, S Co., and Money received from the London Loan, for account of the Government of Venezuela, viz. : — Bills negotiated at St. Thomas', as per separate account £45,000 ,, by orders of his Excellency the Secretary- General £5000, £5000, £500 ,, in favour of Messrs. J. H. Moron & Co. £5000, £6000, £6000, £10,000 . . . ,, ,, of Eggers & Ecligr- raguia . . £1750 ofRuete, ltehl,&Co. 7000 of Pardo & Co. , 30,000 Paid to the Bank .15,400 ,, ,, Pardo & Co. . 3374 , , , , of sundries, in payment of debts. Custom House, La Guayra , ,, ,, Herraanos, Pages, & Co., £3000, £3000, £1000 ,, ,, Eggers & Echenagucia, their contract $2272 ,, ^ Chartier& Olavarria £2000, £3175 ,, ,, Santana, Hermanos, & Co. $10,000 ,, ,, Sr. M.Larda, Treasurer of Caracas, £1000, £1000, £1000 . ,, ,, Sold for cash and on credit . ,, ,, Fco. Michelena. Marcano, Hs., & Co. £2350, £2650 ,, ,, Vicente Piccioni ,, ,, Ruete, Eohl, & Co. ,, ,, Santana, Hermanos, & Co. (Isla de Aves) Blohm, Nolting, & Co. . ,, ,, G. Servadio & C. Hahn ,, ,, N. J. Jessurum .... H. G. Schimmel & Co. ,, Lyons, Brasch, & Co., £2000, £2500 ,, ,, G. Stiirup, Di[>lomatic claims . ,, ,, F. D. Orme do. E. D. Culver do. ,, ,, Kulandus do. , , , , Sundries for the conversion of BiUetes and Bank Shares ..... ,, ,, M. Sanchez per Blohm & Co. First remittance from London . . . £50,000 Second do. do. . . . 50,000 Insurance, freights, &c. . . . . 2,587 14 .350 5175 1500 3000 3760 200 5000 1500 1500 2000 2000 10,000 500 770 4500 9300 13,103 15,378 1685 56,660 1850 Caracas, December 10th, 1862. E. MOCATT.V. - 102,587 14 £398,517 14 APPENDIX. 415 Account of the £100,000 stg. received from Messrs. Baring, Brothers, & Co., from London. 8 Boxes, each £5000, delivered to his Excellency the Secretary- General at La Guayra .... £40,000 2 Boxes, each £5000, taken by me as per separate account 10,000 Delivered in La Guayra, to the order of the Commission of 5z7^e o ;> o o H M CS O Oi r-i 00 J -* 'S" !M 1^ i!J2 P3 S n o WO wu « CO ^ 5a 0 CO O i- ■^«a .S —< a ~ =« e -^^ o o ; I— I a^ t- a S g o i t-- fee's cs -M HI a M ^ ^a " T„ sj >5 O a . ■— ' a o O a> ^^ a ^;^ i ° ^^ eo o I CO CO eo , • • o lO -* ■ CO S * OS O O g o ^ ^ o Cm O =* H a a=J8 ..^ o SX>rJ .1:5 H ^^ a o o o g|o§| ' ca .ra T— I aj P3 ><^Pi B E 418 APPENDIX. ' Messrs. Baring, Brothers, & Co.'s Account of the Loan of 1862. per Venezuela Loan of 1862 Brokerage not claimed, re-credited, &c. Cr. Amount paid to Government in Veneznela . Debt in London ..... Seymour & Co. ...... Commission and Brokerage Agency Dividend 1st July, 1862, on 3 per cent, 1 cent., and 6 per cent. Bonds ,, I^ovember, on 6 per cent. . ,, 1st January, 1863, on 3 per cent., &c ,, 1st May, 1863, on 6 per cent. . Commission on Coupons converted into 6 per cent Bonds .... 20 per cent, paid holders of Venezuela Coupons, due 1840 to 1847, converted into 3 per cents. .... Paid 24th March, 1863, by order of the Govern ment, to Senor Don H. Nadal Transferred 23rd October, 1863, to General A Guzman Blanco £630,000 560 17 6 £630,560 17 6 £398,517 14 14,719 1 3 6,300 12,500 3,647 5 3 41,755 9 3 30,000 41,755 9 4 30,300 2,102 1,920 26,141 16 4 20,902 2 1 £630,560 17 6 THE END. BKADEURY, EVANS, AHD CO., PRINTEKS, WH1TEFR1ARS, ^ _ THE LIBRARY ?3 13 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara Goleta, California EI5 THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW. AVAILABLE FOR CIRCULATION AFTER ■pjSPT.AY,£KELT.Qn 20m-8,'60(B2594s4)476 /-iimwiirv 3 1205 02575 8275