duced us, and by whom we were received with soldierly courtesy. Colonel -- appeared to be about twentyeight years of age, tall, slender, and perfectly military in his costume and demeanor; he is one of the numerous youths who have been born at the right time to distinguish themselves, under the eye of Bolivar, in the battles and triumphs of independence. This class of men, created by the revolution, are by a sagacious policy placed in stations of confidence and honour, where the habits of military vigilance, order, and punctuality are acquired, and which will prepare habile men for the public service, to supply the places of the defenders of liberty, which the order of nature will ere long vacate among their seniors in the revolution.

The quarters of the commandant are spacious; they occupy the north-west angle of the line of defence, and are covered below by a breast-work of good masonry with embrasures, which covers the postern gate and causeway on the west, and the landing on the north or sea front. A passage of fourteen or fifteen feet forms a sort of covert way, and separates the rampart from the house, which is of stone, and two stories high, the lower of which is masked by the breast-works; these are the offices for domestic uses, storage, &c. The upper story is the residence, to which the ascent is by a double flight of spacious stairs at the west end, which terminate in an ample saloon, covering the west front and open upon the sea to the north; the apartments, which are lofty, are entered from the saloon, and lie in the direction east and west-a verandah, or open gallery, fronting on the sea. The style of building, the pavements, the high folding doors, the broad staircase, and the elevation of the apartments, with the naked timbers of the structure, brought to my mind the strong resemblances of what I had seen many years before in different parts of Asia.

After paying our respects, and partaking of the good CataIonian wine of the commandant, and the excellent sweetmeats

of his good lady, we retired to meet with fresh evidences of the hospitality we were to receive without anticipating them. A friend had sent from Caracas, a well-trained grey mule, tastefully caparisoned with a handsome side såddle, which was to be for the use of my daughter during her stay at Caracas; and upon this she made her first equestrian essay, by galloping off with a gay young party to Maquiteia, where she was received by her friend Mrs. Lowry. I had felt some disquiet for Elizabeth, looking to the long journey of thirteen hundred miles, which she was to perform on the backs of mules only; but this first essay satisfied me, and the event justified the conclusion, for she made the journey with much less fatigue than I did.

While we were paying our respects to the commandant, our baggage had, through the care of our worthy consul, been transferred to the custom-house, where, as a testimony of respect, it was exempted from the usual search, and deposited in the stores of the consul. The manner of landing the baggage reminded me of the same kind of transaction. at the ghauts of Pondicherry and Calcutta. Upon the approach of the baggage boat to the landing place, a crowd of men and boys, of every shade of complexion and apparel, rushed forward in a tumult, and each seizing the article nearest hand, bore it away, until there was no more to carry, and deposited them at the custom-house; where those that underwent examination were removed as the owner directed. The mode of payment was in the same oriental style. The consul, who undertook to do for us as his experience and our want of it induced him, having provided himself with a sufficient sum in the macutina, or silver silver currency, of the country, commenced with calling to him the porters who had brought the largest loads, and, in succession, handed each according to service a real, a media, or quartilla; the real is our disme or eighth of a dollar, the media is the half of a real, and the quartilla, a fourth of the real. I shall take some further notice of this currency in another place.

24

CHAPTER II.

Delay at Laguayra agreeable.-Mules here perform the services of horses, carts, coaches, and wagons in other countries.-Enter the town by a short steep street to the main street-described-stores and other buildings Asiatic style-ruins from Earthquake, 1812-Military works-accommodation at Hotels-expenses-better than in any public houses in the interior-absence of musquitoes and flies-mixture of ancient and modern furniture-absence of wheel carriages-the want of roads—a carriage road and rail road proposed through the valley of Tipe.-Rail roads unsuitable to a large country.— Carts introduced at Petare.-Houses of stone unaffected by Earthquake. -Public fountains abundant-good water.-Humboldt exaggerates—not immoderately warm in October-more dependence on thermometers than is justifiable.-Madras, Calcutta, and Batavia, extremely hot compared with Laguayra-prevalence of diseases also exaggerated-no marshes nor marine vegetables contiguous.-Incident at Barbaruta.-Rival towns calumniate each other. The effect of Spanish policy.-A whole country prospers by the prosperity of any of its parts.-Hints to visiters of the tropical regions.—Different views of the great mortality in the Earthquake.-Appearance of the military-anecdote of two sentinels-soldiers compared with the sepahis of India.-Laguayra may be made a spacious and safe harbour--the interests of Caracas and proprietors to establish such a harbour.

THOUGH the voyage was but a party of pleasure, the novelty of the new country and manners, but, above all, the kindness of old and new friends, rendered the delay of one or two days agreeable; which we must wait for the return of mules from Caracas, as is customary, on stated days. This invaluable animal performs all the services, which, in other countries, employ wagons, carts, coaches, postchaises, and even wheelbarrows, as well as those of horses for business or pleasure. Our shipmates too did not wish to separate without the participation of a cheerful dinner and a parting glass. I had therefore an opportunity to see the interior, as I had already seen the exterior of Laguayra.

There are three gates of entrance to the town: that at the east of the works is seldom opened but for public uses, and

is not a thoroughfare. The principal entrance for strangers coming from sea, and for baggage and merchandize, is the water-gate. This gate has in front, upon the margin of the sea, a broad and spacious platform of stone masonry; and the wharf, erected upon piles, extending into the surf, more than 160 feet in length. A short street or lane leads up from the water-gate towards the main street; the customhouse is at the right side of the entrance, and a sort of picket guard occupies the left; above, on the right, opens the passage to the commandant's quarters; and at the head of this short street commences the main street, which leads off to the eastward about half a mile. The continuation of the short entering street is about 30 feet broad, but is prolonging up the ascent, only reduced to about 15 or 16 feet, all admirably well paved. The houses on the main street, on the right side, and in front of the entrance, are principally occupied by merchants's stores, and have the exact appearance of the Godowns or stores in the Asiatic cities; long and spacious, admitting light only through the folding doors in front, and of one story; though there are many houses in this range of two, and very good of their style of struc

ture.

There is a slight descent to the eastward in this part of the street, and the line is not direct, nor the breadth equal, it being in some places only twenty feet broad, towards the east end broader. The left side of the street, at the point of entrance, is also occupied by stores and dwelling houses, but the line is very much broken by ruins, which remain since the earthquake of 1812; in several the rubbish is thrown into the space between the remaining walls; but the streets are all cleared.

On the outer side, bounding on the sea, is the line of defence, a broad platform of good workmanship, separated from the houses by a parapet. The breast work in front is without embrasures, and extends more than a quarter of a mile,

the space between the line of the street being gradually more open, and leaving a convenient space for a parade, between the casemates and the rear of the habitations. Nothing need be added of description to what has been already noted of this work. The garrison was but slender, and barely sufficient to supply sentinels for the chief entrances, for the works, and for purposes of police; a few guns remain on the platform, in rather an unsightly state, at least to those who are accustomed to the discipline and order of well regulated garrisons.

What I have said of the stores, applies to the general style of building, narrow streets, paved porches or entrances, paved patios, or open squares within the gates, corridores on all sides of those squares: broad stairs of coarse masonry, of double flights, with a landing: high and long halls, and narrow and retired sleeping apartments, rude and cumbrous furniture, and naked walls, with tiled floors :-these points of oriental similitude are common, and applicable to all the places I have passed through; and it is curious matter of fact, in elucidation of the influence of habits, and the spirit of imitation, that these forms should remain for so many centuries little altered from their Asiatic prototypes in Spain, which hold the same unaltered characteristics to this day.

I may have occasion to notice the style of building more particularly in another chapter. The stranger who lands here is very fortunate, though he may not think so, when he enters one of the hotels at Laguayra, for in fact there is no other equal to them, in the whole line of the journey. There are two, one kept by a Frenchman, at whose table I partook of a well provided entertainment. He was not a novice in any part of his business, and his native talent had been much improved, by a residence in the British islands of the West Indies. The company was about thirty, and the table was covered with an abundance of excellent provisions, well cooked and displayed, and more than sufficient for double the