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twice with so much credit ; he entered upon the government in the same year.
24. Sancho de Alquiza, a captain of infantry ; who began to govern in the year 1601, and continued until the year 1610, when he was succeeded by,
25. Don Martin de Robles Villafañate, who go- , verned the province with great credit and prudence until his death.
26. Don Francisco de la Hoz Berrio, native of Santa Fe. He entered upon the government in 1616, and governed until the year 1622. He was drowned returning to Spain in the fleet which was lost in the falls of Metacumbe, close to the Havannah.
27. Don Francisco Nuñez Melian, who succeeded the former, and governed until the year 1632.
28. Don Rui Fernandez de Fuenmayor, from the last-mentioned year to 1638,
29. Don Marcos Gelder de Calatayud, a knight of the order of Calatrava ; he was promoted here from the government of Santa Marta in 1639, and governed until the year 1644, when he died.
30. Don
31. Don
32. Don Pedro de Porras y Toledo, who began to govern in 1660, and remained in office until the year 1665.
33. Don
34. Don
35. Don
36. Don
37. Don Joseph Francisco de Cañas, colonel of infantry, and knight of the order of St. Jago ; he came over to Caracas under a particular commission in 1716, and became provisional successor on account of the death of the proper governor.
38. Don Francisco de Portales.
39. Don Lope Carrillo.
40. Don Sebastian Garcia de la Torre, colonel of infantry ; from the year 1730 to 1733
41. Don Martin de Lardizábal, alcalde del crimen of the royal audience of Aragon; who was sent out with a commission to consider the grievances of the province preferred against the company of Guipuzcoana.
42. The Brigadier-general Don Gabriel de Zuloaga. Count of Torre-alta, captain of the grenadiers of the regiment of the royal Spanish guards ; he governed from 1737 to 1742.
43. The Brigadier-general Don Luis de Castellanos, also captain of the regiment of guards ; to 1749.
44. Don Fray Julian de Arriaga y Rigera Bai
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lio, of the order of St. Juan ; vice-admiral of the royal armada : he governed to 1752, when he was promoted to the office of president of trade.
45. Don Felipe Ricardos, lieutenant-general of the royal armies.
46. Don Felipe Ramirez de Esteñoz, a brigadier-general.
47. Don Joseph Solano y Bote, captain in the royal armada ; to the year 1771, when he was promoted to the presidency of St. Domingo.
48. The Brigadier-general the Marquis of La Torre, knight of the order of Santiago ; he entered Caracas in the aforesaid year, and governed until the year 1772, when he was promoted to be governor of the Havannah.
49. Don Joseph Carlos de Aquiero, knight of the order of St. Jago ; who had served in the war of Italy as captain of the provincial grenadiers, and afterwards in the regiment of Spanish guards : he then held the government of Nueva Vizcaya, and afterwards, on account of his singular disinterestedness, nominated to this in 1777 ; but he returned to Spain.
50. Don Luis de Unzaga y Amezaga, colonel of infantry : in the aforesaid year he left the government of Louisiana for this, and exercised it till the year 1784, when lie was promoted to the Havannah, being succeeded by,
51. Don Manuel Gonzales, knight of the order of St. Jago, brigadier of the royal armies ; he was nominated as provisional successor.
52. The Colonel Don Juan Guillelmi, who had served in the corps of artillery ; he was promoted to the government in 1785.
[INDEX TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE City of Caracas.
1. Foundation. --- 2. Privileges. --- 3. Temperalure. --- 4. Meteorology. --- 5. Cyanometrical observation. --- 6. Oxigen and nitrogen gas. --- 7. Variation of the needle. --- 8. Inclination of the dipping needle. --- 9. Situation. --- 10. Its waters. --11. Streets. --- 12. Public squares. --- 13. Houses. --- 14. Public buildings. --- 15. Archbishopric. --16. Cathedral. --- 17. Religious customs. --- 18. Religious costumes of the women. --- 19. Festivals. --- 20. The stage, & c. --- 21. Inhabitants. --22. Freed persons or tradesmen. --- 23. The university. --- 24. Police. --- 25. Communications with the interior. --- 26. With Spain. --- 27. Geographical and statistical notices of the captainshipgeneral of Caracas, and present history.
1. Foundation. --- This city, situate in 10° 31' n. lat. and 69° 3' w. long, from the meridian of Paris, was founded by Diego Losada in 1567, 47]
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years after Cumana, 39 after Coro, 33 after Barcelona, and 15 after Barquisimeto.
2. Ils privileges.— It is the capital, not only of the province of Venezuela, but likewise of that immense extent of country occupied by the governments of Maracaibo, Barinas, Guayana, Cumana, and the island of Margareta ; since it is the seat as well of the captain-generalship, the political ' and military authority of which extends over all these provinces, as of the royal audience, of the intendancy, and of the consulate, the jurisdiction of which extends as far as the captain-generalship.
3. Temperature.— Its temperature does not at all correspond with its latitude ; for, instead of insupportable heat, which, it would appear, ought to reign so near the equator, it, on the contrary, enjoys an almost perpetual spring. It owes this advantage to its elevation, which is 460 fathoms above the level of the sea. Thus, although the sun has the power usual in such a latitude, the elevated situation of Caracas counterbalances its influence. The transitions from heat to cold are great and sudden, from whence numerous diseases arise; the most common of which are colds, called by the Spaniards catarros.
4. Meteorology.— Height of Fahrenheit’s ther-
mometer at Caracas.
In the winter.
Generally at 6 A. M 58°
2 P. M. ' ... 73
10 P. M 68
The maximum .... 76 The minimum . . . .52
In the summer.
Generally at 6 A. M 72°
2 P. M 79
10 P. M 75
Maximum . . . . .85
Minimum ..... 69 Humidity, according to the hydrometer of Duluc.
Generally 47
Maximum 58
Minimum 37
The mercury, which rises in the most s. parts of Europe, and in the variations of the atmosphere to 1 l-12ths of the Paris inch, ascends only 2-12ths in the e. parts of Tierra Firme. They observe at Caracas, in all the seasons, four small atmospherical variations every 24 hours, two in the day, and two in the night.
5. Blue of the skies by the cyanometer of Seaussure.
Generally .... 18
6. Oxigen and nitrogen gas. — Of 100 parts, 28 of oxj'^gen and 72 of nitrogen.
The maximum of the first is 29 The minimum . . . 27f
7. Variation of the needle.
Sept. 27th, 1799 . . 4° 38' 45"
8. Inclination of the dipping needle. Generally ^^4-so- Oscillation of the pendulum : in 15 minutes, 1270 oscillations.
9. Situation. — The city of Caracas is built in a valley of four leagues in length, in a direction from e. to w. and between that great chain of mountains Avhich runs in a line with the sea from Coro to Cumana. It is, as it were, in a basin or hollow formed by this chain ; for it has mountains of equal height to the n. and to the s. The city occupies a space of 2000 square paces ; the ground on which it stands remains as nature formed it, art having done nothing towards levelling it, or diminishing its irregularities. The declivity is every where decidedly from the s. : the whole of it is 75 fathoms perpendicular from the gate De la Pastora to the n. unto the river Guaire, which bounds the city to the s.
10. Its waters. — It derives its waters from four small rivers. The first, which is called Guaire, bounds it entirely on the s. part without penetrating into the city. Although this be scarcely considerable enough to deserve the name of a river, it is too large to pass by the name of a rivulet. The second, which bears the name of Anauco, waters the e. side of the town ; and the part where it approaches nearest is called Candelaria, where there is built a handsome bridge, facilitating the communication with the valley of Chacao. The third is the Caroata : its course is from n. to s. through all the w. part of the city, and separates it from the quarter called St. John, which parts are united by a stone bridge of a sufficiently solid construction, but the regularity of which does not equal that of the Candelaria. The fourth is named Catucho, to which the city owes the waters of an infinite number of public and private fountains ; yet the inhabitants of Caracas, insensible to its benefits, suffer it to run in the same channel that time has made for it, and amidst all the deformities which the rains have occasioned ; for the four bridges of communication which are thrown across it are rather to be considered the offsprings of necessity than as objects of ornament. These four rivers, after having served all the domestic uses of the city, run in one single channel across the valley of Chacao, which is covered Avith fruits, provisions, and merchandize ; and, mixing their wa-]
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[ters with those of the Tuy, fall under this name into the ocean, at 12 leagues to the e. of cape Codera.
11. Its streets. — The streets of Caracas, like those of many modern cities, arc in parallel lines, about 20 feet broad, paved, and running n. s. e. and w. The houses are well built, about SOO feet from each other.
12. Public squares. — There are but three public
squares deserving of the name, and these are not free from deformities. The great square, called Plaza Mayor., which ought to be the most regular, is deformed by booths built to the e. and w. which are let to shopkeepers for the profit of the city; and for the trifling emolument thus derived, is sacrificed a most delightful prospect. This square occupies the same space as one of the gardens of the city, called Quadras, the size of which is about SOO square feet. The square is well paved, and in it is held a market, in which you might procure in abundance vegetables, fruits, fresh and salted meat, fish, poultry, game, bread, paroquets, and monkeys. The cathedral, which is situate on the e. side of the square, has no symmetrical connection with it. This square has on each side two entrances. The second square is that of the Candelaria, surrounded very regularly by an open palisade of iron upon stone work of an unequal height. This square, althougli not paved, has a soil of clay mixed with sand, which is as good as the best pavement, and altogether it does not fail to afford an agreeable coup d’oeil. It owes nothing to the buildings that compose it, Bor is there, indeed, one fit to engage the attention, save tlie church of Candelaria, which, although not of perfect geometrical proportion, has a front which diverts the eye, and is by no means a disadvantage to the square. Tlie third square is that of St. Paul ; its only ornament is a fountain in its centre. The church of St. Paul is, indeed, at the s. c. angle, but has no other symmetrical relation with the square than that it forms a part of it. This square is neither paved nor even. The other squares are, 1st, That of Trinidad, Avhich has not even the form of a square, and the ground of which is extremely uneven and neglected : 2rf, That of St. Hyacinth, containing the convent of the Dominicans, and bordered on the e. by the pavement of a street, and crossed by another, so as to induce a supposition that it was never intended for a square : 3d, That of St. La-
zarus, which is a sort of inclosure before the church of that name, situate to tlie s. e. of the city ; it has the merit of neatness, but so detached from the town, that it does not appear to form a part of it : 4//i, The square of Pastora, which is surrounded by
ruins : 5th, The square of St. John, which is spacious, but irregular, unpaved, and bordered only on the w. side by a row of houses of mean construction. It is in this square that (he mounted militia are exercised.
13. Houses . — The houses of individuals are handsome and well built. There are a great number in the interior of the city, which consist of separate stories, and are of a very handsome appearance. Some are of brick, but the greater part are of masonry, made nearly after the manner of the Homans, and on the plan now adopted when building in marshes or in the sea, &c. according to the method published by Mr. Tarditf in 1757. They make a sort of frame without a bottom, with planks of five feet long and three high, which becomes the model of the front of the Avail about to be erected. The ground on which they build serves as a foundation to this frame or support, and the frame is removed as each tier or part is added to complete the walls. They cover the Avails with mortar, called in the country tapia. There are tAvo sorts of this mortar : the first, to Avhich they give the pompous name of royal tapia, is made of the sand of the river mixed with chalk, to Avhich are frequently added flints, stones, and pebbles % the second is composed of common sand Avith a very small quantity of chalk. A person easily distinguishes, by the mixture of these materials, that Avhich is the most durable ; yet both acquire, by means of the pestle, a consistency which braves for a long time the inclemencies of the seasons and the effects of time. The outside of the houses, Avhen made rough and whitened, appears equal to free stone.. 'I'he timber of the roof is formed, as it Avere, into a double slope. The wood Avork is Avell joined, very elegant, and of an excellent description of wood, which the country furnishes in abundance. The houses of the principal people of the city, in general, are neatly and even richly furnished : they have handsome glasses, elegant curtains of crimson damask at the windows and at the inner doors ; chairs and sofas of Avood, Avith the sdats covered with leather or damask stuffed with hair, Avorked in a Gothic style, but overloaded Avith gilding ; beds, Avith the head-boards raised very high, exposing to the sight nothing but gold, covered Avitli handsome damask counterpanes, and several pillows of feathers covered with muslin cases ornamented with lace ; but there is seldom more than one bed of this magnificence in each house, and this is generally the nuptial bed, though being, in fact, merely kept for show. The feet of the fables and the commodes are richly gilt : elegant lustres are suspended in the principal apart-
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[ments ; the very cornices appear to have been dipped in gold, whilst superb carpets are spread over the part of llie floor whereon the seats of honour are placed ; the furniture is arranged in the hall in such a manner that the sofa, which forms an essential part of it, stands at one end with chairs on the right and left, and opposite the principal bed in the house, which stands at the other extremitj, in a chamber, the door of which is kept open, or is equally exposed to view in an alcove. These apartments, always very elegant and highly ornamented, are in a manner prohibited to those who inhabit the house : they are only opened, with a few exceptions, in honour of guests of superior rank.
14. Public buildings. — The city of Caracas possesses no other public buildings than such as are dedicated to religion. The captain-general, the members of the royal audience, the intendant, and all the officers of the tribunal, occupy hired houses ; even the hospital for the troops is a private house. The contaduria, or treasury, is the only building belonging to the king, and its construction is far from bespeaking the majesty of its owner. It is not so with the barracks ; they are new, elegantly built, and situate in a spot where the sight breaks upon the city, and are two stories high, in which they can conveniently lodge 2000 men. They are occupied only by the troops of the line ; the militia having barracks of their own, consisting of a house, at the opposite part of the city.
15. Archbishopric. — Caracas is the seat of the archbishopric of Venezuela, the diocese of which is very extensive, it being bounded on the n. by the sea, from the river Unare to the jurisdiction of Coro ; on the e. by the province of Cumana, on the s. by the Orinoco, and on the w. by the bishopric of Merida. Caracas was erected into an archbishopric in 1803. The annual revenue of the archbishopric depends on the abundance of the harvests and the price of commodities, on Avhich they take the titlies : these tithes are equally divided between the archbishopric, tlie chapter, the king, and the ministers of religion. The fourth part, belonging to the prelate, amounted on an average, before the war terminated by the treaty of Amiens, to 60,000 dollars per annum. The decrease of cultivation will for a long time prevent the episcopal revenues amounting to the above sum. Indeed the archbishop does not even enjoy the whole of this fourth part of the tithes, the king having reserved to himself the application of the third of this quarter, and charging upon it certain pensions. The seat of this
archbishopric was established at Coro in 1532, and translated to Caracas in 1636.
16. Cathedral. — The cathedral church does not merit a description but from the rank it holds in the hierarchy ; not but that the interior is decorated with hangings and gilding, and that the sacerdotal robes and sacred vases are sufficiently splendid, but that its construction, its architecture, its dimensions, and its arrangements, are void of majesty and regularity. It is about 250 feet long and 75 broad ; it is low and supported in the interior by 24 pillars in four rows, which run the whole length of the cathedral. The two centre rows form the nave of the church, which is 25 feet broad ; the other two rows divide the aisles at equal distances of 12| feet, so that the nave alone is of the width of the two aisles, which are on its right and left. The chief altar, instead of being, like the Roman altars, in the centre, is placed against the wall. The choir occupies one half of tlie nave, and the arrangement of the church is such, that not more than 400 persons can see the officiating priest at whatever altar he may be performing tlie service. The exterior does not evince any taste or skill in the architect ; the steeple alone, without having received any embellishment from art, has at least the merit of a boldness to which the cathedral has no pretensions. The only clock in Caracas is in this steeple ; it strikes the quarters, and keeps time pretty well. The humble architecture of the first church in Caracas springs from a source highly honourable to the inhabitants, and which we are therefore bound to relate : The episcopal chair having been translated from Coro to Caracas, (as we have before observed), in 1636, there was no necessity until this period for a cathedral in this city ; and when they had begun to carry into execution a project of erecting a magnificent church, there happened, on 11th June 1641, a violent earthquake, which did great damage in the city. This was regarded as an admonition of heaven to make the fabric more capable of resisting this sort of catastrophe, than of attracting the admiration of the curious. From this time, therefore, they no longer thought of, or rather they renounced, all ideas of magnificence, to give the building nothing but solidity. But as they have never since experienced any shock of an earthquake, they have resumed the project of building a handsome cathedral.
17. Religious customs, — The people of Caracas, like all the Spaniards, are proud of being Christians, and are very attentive to the duties of religion, that is to the mass, days of obligation, to]
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[sermons and processions ; but it is worthy of remark, that they do not admit vespers in the number of religious exercises, ag'reeably to the custom of Old Spain and other Catholic countries. It is necessary that the men going to church should wear a cloak or great coat, or that they be dressed in a long coat ; one of these habits is indispensable, neither rank nor colour affording an exemption.
18. Religious costumes of the women . — The dress of the women, whether rich or poor, especially of the whites, ought to be altogether black. This dress consists of a petticoat and veil both black ; the slaves alone are obliged to have a Avhite veil. The object of this attire was, that by imposing on the sex a veil, every kind of gallantry and coquetry might be banished from the place of worship, and that by establishing uniformity in dress and colour, the pious might be reminded of the equality of all in the eyes of God. But this dress, which was intended to be the same for every woman, and of a very common stuff, has become most rare and costly, and the gauze veils which the ladies wear, expose all their features and complexion as far as the eyes. This dress, worn only in sacred duties, is now made of silk or velvet, enriched with handsome lace, which often costs from 400 to 800 dollars. Such as have no means of procuring the customary church dress, are obliged to go to the masses that are said before day-break, and which are called missasde madrugada, and are performed at these hours only for the convenience of those who are destitute of clothes sufficiently decent to appear at church during the day.
19. Festivals . — The Spaniards have no other festivals blit those contained in the Roman calendar. They are so multiplied at Caracas that there are very few days in the year on which they do not celebrate the festival of some saint or virgin in one of the churches of the city. What greatly multiplies the number is, that each festival is preceded bj' nine days of devotion consecrated entirely to prayers, and followed by eight days, in which the faithful of the neighbourhood, and even of the whole city, join to prayers, public amusements, such as fire-works, music, balls, &c. ; but the pleasures of tliese festivals never extend to the table. Public feasts, so common among all other people, are unknown on such occasions among the Spaniards. These people are sober even in the delirium of pleasure. The most striking part of their festivals is the procession of the saint they celebrate; they perform this always in the afternoon ; the saint, represented by an effigy of human
stature, is richly dressed ; it is borne on a table handsomely decorated, and followed or preceded by some other saint of the same church, dressed less sumptuously ; a great number of banners and crosses open the cavalcade ; the men walk in two lines ; each of the principal persons holds a wax taper, then follow' the music, the clergj', the civil officers, and at last the women and a file of bayonets. The followers are always very numerous. All the windows in the streets tlirough Avhich the procession passes, are ornamented with floating streamers, which give the whole neighbourhood an air of festivity and rejoicing. The windows of the French, in particular, are filled with ladies, who repair from all parts of the city to view the agreeable spectacle. But the principal and almost exclusive devotion of the Spaniards is to the holy Virgin ; they have Irer in every church under different denominations, and in every case she has established herself in a manner more or less miraculous.
20. The Stage . — The sum of the public amusements at Caracas is the play-house, at which they perform only on festivals, the price of admission being a real, nearly sixpence English, a sum sufficiently indicating the talents of the actors, and the beauty and convenience of the theatre. All the plays, bad enough in themselves, are yet more miserably performed. The performers of Caracas may be compared to strolling players who live by moving pity rather than by affording amusement; every body must suppose from this description, that an exliibition of this sort is altogether deserted, but the reader may be assured that the rich and poor, the young and the old, the nobleman and plebeian, the governor and the governed, all assiduously frequent the theatre. Independently of three tennis-courts, a few billiardtables in a bad condition, scattered through the city, and which are but rarely frequented, complete the catalogue of amusements at Caracas, indeed ttie Sjuviiiards appear averse to all places of amusement ; they live in their houses as if they Avere prisons, they never quit them but to go to church, or to lultil the offices imposed on them by their stations in society.
21. Inhabitants . — The city of Caracas contained, according to the clerical census of 1802, 31,234 souls, and in 1806 they exceeded 40,000. This population is classed into whites, slaves, freed people, and a very fcAV Indians. The first form almost a fourth part of the amount, the slaves a third part, the Indians a twentieth part, and the freed men the remainder. In the Avliite population there are six Castillian titles, three marquisses,]