Whatever pains I have have taken to ascertain this fact, I have only been able to see imperfect petrifactions, on which the stamp of time was visibly impressed. It is therefore to be presumed, that this transmutation takes effect in the iron-wood, because, being slower in its decay than almost any other species of wood, nature, who is not over hasty in any of her labours, disseminates, through the fibres of this durable matrix, the primitive moisture, which receives its growth by the laws of affinity. Thus, from this phenomenon, no reason is adduced to alter. the established opinion with respect to the slowness of petrifaction.

The Spaniards found on this lake several villages, built without order, without design, but with solidity. On this account they gave them the name of Venezuela, a diminutive of Venice, which they have not retained, but which has been since applied to the whole province. Alfinger, in the rage of devastation, carried desolation and death amongst those peaceable inhabitants. Only four villages escaped. It was for a long time believed that those small settlements were formed upon the waters, as a protection from ferocious beasts, or some hostile nation. That this idea was erroneous, is now apparent from the refusal of the Indians who live on the waters to fix their habitation on land. Those villages, all situated in the eastern part of the island, at unequal distances from one another, are called Lagunillas, Misoa, Tumopora and Moporo. They have a church upon the water, under the care of a curate, who is charged with the distribution of spiritual aid amongst

the aquatic Indians. These functions afford proofs the more unequivocal of the zeal of the minister who discharges them as it is rare for his health not to be affected within fifteen days after his arrival, and rarer still for his life to be prolonged beyond six months. Those Indians go on land in search of provisions, but their principal subsistence is derived from fishing.

The hunting of wild-ducks is likewise one of their great resources, and they pursue it in a very singular manner. They always keep adrift upon the lake, and round their huts, some empty gourd-bottles, that the habit of seeing them may prevent the ducks from being scared by them. When the Indian wants to lay in provisions, he thrusts his head into a gourd-bottle, bored in such a manner as to enable him to see without being seen. Thus equipped he swims to the place where the ducks are: he then catches them by the legs and whips them under water, before they have time to quack, or make any movement which might warn the rest of the danger which threatens them. The game which he takes he ties to his belt. He never retires without fully supplying his wants. favour of this sly, silent manner of hunting, that it does not scare the game, that it may be renewed at every moment with the same success and always without expense. The goodness of the soil, in the western part, has induced some Spaniards, regardless of the inclemency of the air, to fix their habitations there, in order to raise cacao and provisions. These settlements, which were very much dispersed, were not able to command sufficient funds for laying the foundation of a village, much less of a city. There is but one cha

It is much in

pel placed nearly in the centre of the scattered habitations, and a curate for performing divine service and administering the sacraments.

The southern extremity of the lake is uncultivated and uninhabited.

The northern part is quite as hot as the other parts, but incomparably healthier. The city of Maracaibo is situated on the left bank to the west; and opposite are two villages, the one called Punta à Piedra, inhabited by Indians, the other Altagracia, occupied by Spaniards upon the left bank. The latter is to the north of the former.

Lake of Valencia.

The lake of Valencia, by the Indians called Tacarigua, presents a prospect much more agreeable than that of Maracaibo. True, it is not so extensive, but it is much more useful. Its borders, instead of being struck, like those of Maracaibo, with that aridity which saddens the soul, and that unhealthy air which conspires to destroy the existence of man, present the delightful view of an attractive fertility, and of an agreeable and far more healthy temperature.

The extent of the lake of Valencia has been differently determined by all those authors who have spoken of it. Oviedo, near a hundred years ago, declared it to be fourteen leagues long and six broad. Cisneros, in 1787, allowed it to be eighteen long and about six broad. The author of the geographical map of the province of Venezuela, assigned to it, in 1787, ten Castilian leagues in length and three and a

half in breadth. They are as little agreed with respect to its situation, and its influence on culture, as to the space it occupies. Happily for me, I find myself freed from the necessity of blindly adopting any of those opinions, by the concurrent testimony of my own eyes, and that of the intelligent Spaniards who live in the vicinity.

This lake is from East N. E. to West S. W. thirteen leagues and a half, and its greatest breadth four. It has an oblong form. It is at the distance of one league from Valencia, and situated in a valley surrounded with mountains, excepting on the west, where it extends into the interior part of the country.

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The waters of twenty rivers are discharged into it without any visible outlet. It is at about the distance of six leagues from the sea, and the space which separates them is filled with inaccessible mountains. It is the more difficult to account for its having no visible passage for discharge, as it receives rivers on all sides, which proves it to be a perfect basin. But, then, how should it have remained the same without increase or diminution of water for so many ages?. Would evaporation alone, great as it may be between the tropics, have been adequate to the consumption of so great a quantity as the rivers supply? We must, therefore, suppose, not less out of compliment to human sagacity, than for the honour of natural philosophy, that there exists a subterraneous passage, by which as great a quantity of water is discharged, as is received from the rivers. This opinion, which VOL. I.

I only offer as a conjecture, is supported however by probabilities, which give it the appearance of an undeniable truth. It is observed, that the boats which navigate this lake, sail with rapidity from the borders to the centre, where the navigator runs the risk of some dangers, but to return to the borders, requires more time and trouble. What are we to conclude from this fact, but that there exists at the bottom of the lake an aperture, by which the waters are continually discharged? In this manner it may be accounted for why this lake has not increased in proportion to the volume of water it has received. And this supposition, whether true or false, might be assigned as the cause for the considerable depression, which the waters of the lake have experienced a few years since, and which still visibly continues.Were it possible to augment the quantity of water discharged by the subterraneous passage, the phenomenon would immediately be explained. But without having recourse to any occult cause, the reason of that rapid and continual diminution, is found in the increased consumption which the inhabitants have made of the water of the rivers that are discharged into the lake, in order to refresh their plantations. These waters, diffused over a considerable surface, evaporate, or become an elementary principle of vegetation; and are consequently lost to the general reservoir, which, as it receives less water, must necessarily decrease. In proportion as the lake diminishes it leaves uncovered lands, lands to which the slime, composed of all sorts of substances, deposited