San Felipe, near the left bank of the Yuracuy, about 60 miles N.E. from Barquicimento : population, 7000. The town is well built and has a considerable trade, but it stands in a low unhealthy region which is subject to frequent inundations. In its neighbourhood are the copper mines of Aroa.
Tucuyo is situated in an elevated valley near the source of the river Tucuyo : population, 10,000. The town is the centre of that part of the province of Barquicimento which is best adapted for the cultiva tion of wheat. It is a well built place, and the inhabitanta are enter prising and industrious : they make cotton- and woollen-stuffs, and tars leather, of which they make boots, shoes, and leathern girdles, which they send to the plains. In the town are a college and some elementary schools.
Trujillo, the capital of the province of Trujillo, stands on the great road from Ca:110as and Barquicimento to Merida and New Granada : population, 9000. The town is built an a slope between two ranges of high mountains, and is 2744 feet above the sea-level. In ita vicinity much wheat is grown. Many worsted stuffs are made in the town, also conserves and cheese. There are a college and several elementary schools.
Valencia, the capital of the province of Carababo, stands on a slope, near the opening of a valley, about six miles from the west bank of the Lake of Valencia: population, 15,000. Its position is important for commerce, as all the products of the provinces of Barinas and Barquicimento pass through the town to Puerto Cabello. It is well built, and contains among other institutions for education, a college, a grammar school, and several elementary schools. • Victoria, or La Victoria, is situated in the vale of Aragua, about 40 miles S.W. from Cardeas : population, 8000. The town is advan tageously situated for the commerce with the great plains; for to the south of it the southern ridge of the coast range presents a great depression, through which the road leads to the town of Cura, which is built at the southern opening of the depression. In the southern plains is the town of Calabozo, a thriving place. Maracai and Turmcro, both in the vale of Aragua, are also considerable places.
Iliatory, dte.—The most eastern part of this coast, and the Island of Margarita, were discovered by Christopher Columbus in his third voyage, 1493, and the following year the whole northern coast of South America, from the Gulf of Feria to Cape de la Vela iu New Granada was discovered by Ojeda and Vespucci. In the same year Christobal Guerra made a voyage for the purpose of ascertaining the commercial wealth of the country. The first settlements on the conti nent were at Cumand, which was built in 1520, and at Coro, which was built in 1527. About this time the emperor Charles V. gave up the whole northern coast as far west as Cape de la Vela to the Welsers, a family of merchants in Augsburg, to be held as a fief of the crown of Castile ; but lie resumed possession of it in 1542. Several places in the coast range had already been discovered where there were indications of gold ; and the Spaniards now began to form their settle ments. Tucuyo was established in 1545, Barquieimeuto in 1552, Valencia in 1555, and Cardcas iu 1567. In 1634 the Dutch took pos session of the ialand of Curacao, and from that time Venezuela began to rise. The continually increasing demand for cacao on the part of the Dutch induced the Spanish settlers to attend to its cultivation, and in a short time a considerable quantity of cacao was exported. This excited the jealousy of the Spanish court and of tho Spanish merchants. Various moans were employed to direct this branch of
commerce to Spain, but with little success. In 1700 the company of Guipuzcoa was established, in which was vested the exclusive right of capper-coloured, some very dark, others almost as fair as European; they are avert in stature, and have little hair, though they are not altogether beardleee. Their limbs, large end muscular, have the ar of great strength, but they support hard labour with dt hy. The greater part of them are acquainted with agriculture, and cultivate cotton, plantains, yucca, batataa, and even the sugar cane. They live In houses. but all of them go nearly naked. The following was given as the distribution of the population in 1844, but we have no similar semi-official summary for 1851, when the total population was said to have increased to 1,350,000 :— carrying on the commerce with Venezuela ; but the cultivation of cacao, as well as of indigo, was more promoted by the smuggling trade with the Dutch, than by that of the company, and in 1778 the company dissolved, and tho trade was opened to all the ports of Spain. Vase seek remained under the sway of Spain till 1808, when Napoleon I., having deposed the royal family, made his brother Joseph king of Spain. Venezuela, like all the American colonies of Spain, declared for the ancient dynasty ; but being dissatisfied with the measures of the regency of Spain, it proclaimed its independence in 1810, but in 1812 was brought back to its ancient political condition. In 1813 Bolivar, a native of Venezuela, made an unsuccessful attempt to liberate his native country from the yoke of Spain ; in 1816 be was more successful In that year a war began between the Spaniards and the inhabitants, which lasted till 1823, when the Spaniards who had remained in the country gave up Puerto Cabe/lo, their last place of refuge. In 1821 Venezuela united with New Granada and Quito, and formed one republic under the name of Colombia, [Commits); In 1830 they separated amicably, and since that time they have consti tuted the three republics of Venezuela, New Granada, and Ecuador. In the year in which the union was dissolved Venezuela formed a new constitution, which underwent some modifications in 1343. By It Venezuela has a central government, the legislature of which is invested with the power of making laws on all subjects. The legislative power is vested in a Congress, which consists of a house of representatives and of a senate. Each province sends two members to the senate, and one member to the house of representatives for every 25,000 inhabitants. Tho executive power is vested in the president, who, like the vice-president, is chosen for four years. Like tho other South American republics Venezuela has since its independeuce been in a continually disturbed state; and like too many of them it has a heavy public debt, the interest on which it has for a long time made no attempt to pay. Its finances are in a thoroughly disorganised state, as may be judged from the fact, that in 1853 its expenditure was about three times its receipts.
(Humboldt, Voyage can Regions Equinottiales du Noureats Conti nent ; DiSpons, Voyage d In Pantie Orientate de In Terre Ferree; Lavasse, Statistical, Commercial, and Political Description of Vencuda ; Ches terton, Narrative of Proceedings in Venezuela; Hall, Columbia, its Present State, Lc.; Letters from Columbia; Campaigns and Cruises in Venezuela ; Codazzi, Resumes de In Geografia de Venezuela.)