313

C A R I B E.

It was formerly a very rich tract of land, si-
tuate on the shore of the river Cazanare, a stream
which crosses and stops the pass into the coun-
try and for this reason there was a consider-
able establishment formed here by persons who
belonged to tlie curacy of Santa Rosa de Chire.
Its temperature is hot, but it is very fertile, and
abounds in productions, which serve to provide for
the other settlements belonging to the same mis-
sions : at present it is under the care of the reli-
gious order of St. Domingo.

CARIBANA, a large country, at the present
day called Guayana Maritania, or Nueva Anda-
iucia Austral. It extends from the mouth of the
river Orinoco to the mouth of the Marahon ; com-
prehends the Dutch colonies of Esquibo, Surinam,
and Berbice, and the French colony of Cayenne.
It takes its name from the Caribes Indians, who
inhabit it, and who are very fierce and cruel,
although upon amicable terms with the Dutch.
Nearly the whole of this province is uncultivated,
full of woods and mountains, but watered by
many rivers, all of which run for the most part
from s. to e. and empty themselves into the sea ;
although some flow from s. ton. and enter the Ori-
noco. The climate, though warm and humid, is
healthy ; the productions, and the source of its
commerce, are sugar-cane, some cacao, wild wax,
and incense. The coast, inhabited by Europeans,
forms the greater part of this tract of country, of
which an account will be found under the respec-
tive articles.

Caribana, a port on the coast of Tierra Firme,
in the province and government of Darien, at the
entrance of the gulf of Uraba.

CARIBE, a small port of the coast of Tierra
Firme, in the province and government of Vene-
zuela, to the w. of cape Codera.

Caribe, Caribbee, or Charaibes, some
islands close upon the shore of the province and
government of Cumana, near the cape of Tres
Puntas. [The Caribbee islands in the West In-
dies extend in a semicircular form from the island
of Porto Rico, the easternmost of the Antilles, to
the coast of S. America. The sea, thus inclosed
by the main land and the isles, is called the Ca-
ribbean sea; and its great channel leads n. zo. to
the head of the gulf of Mexico through the sea of
Honduras. The chief of these islands are, Santa
Cruz, Sombuca, Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Bar-
tholomew, Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatia, St. Chris-
topher, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, Guadalupe,
Dcseada, Mariagalante, Dominica, Martinica,
St. Vincent, Barbadoes, and Grenada. These are
again classed into Windward and Leeward isles bv

seamen, with regard to the usual courses of ships
from Old Spain or the Canaries to Cartagena
or New Spain and Porto Bello. The geographi-
caltablesand maps class them into Great and Little
Antilles ; and authors vary much concerning this
last distinction. See Antilles. The Charaibes
or Caribbecs were the ancient natives of the Wind-
ward islands ; hence many geographers confine the
term to these isles only. Most of these were an-
ciently possessed by a nation of cannibals, the ter-
ror of the mild anti inotfensive inhabitants of His-
paniola, who frequently expressed to Columbus
their dread of these fierce invaders. Thus, when
these islands were afterwards discovered by that
great man, they were denominated Charibbean
isles. The insular Charaibs are supposed to be
immediately descended from the Galibis Indians,
or Charaibes of S. America. An ingenious and
learned attempt to trace back the origin of the Ca-
ribes to some emigrants from the ancient hemis-
phere may be found in Bryan Edwards ; and it
is to the valuable work of this author that we are
indebted for the following illustrations of the man-
ners and customs of this people. — The Caribes
are avowedly of a fierce spirit and warlike dispo-
sition. Historians have not failed to notice these
among the most distinguishable of their qualities.
Dr. Robertson, in Note X Cl II. to the first vol. of
hisHistory of America, quotes from a MS. History
of Ferdinand and Isabella, Avrittenby Andrew Ber-
naldes, the cotemporary and friend of Columbus,
the folloAving instance of the bravery of the Caribes :
A canoe with four men, two Avomen, and a boy, un-
expectedly fell in with Columbus’s fleet. A Spanish,
bark with 25 men was sent to take them; and the fleet,
in the mean time, cut off their communication with
the shore. Instead of giving way to despair, the
Caribes seized their arms with imdauntcd resolu-
tion, and began the attack, wounding several of
the Spaniards, although they had targets as well
as other defensive armour ; and even after the
canoe was overset, it was with no little difficulty
and danger that some of them Avere secured, as
they continued to defend themselves, and to use
their bows with great dexterity while swimming
in the sea. Herrera has recorded the same anec-
dote. Restless, enterprising, and ardent, it would
seem they considered war as the chief end of their
creation, and the rest of the human race as their
natural prey ; for they devoured, without re-
morse, the bodies of such of their enemies (the
men at least) as fell into their hands. Indeed,
there is no circumstance in the history of mankind
better attested than the universal prevalence of
these practices among them. Columbus was not]