The Rio Mets, which joins the Orin000 near 6' N. lat., originates with its numerous branches in the Andes east of Bogota, the capital of New Granada, and is said to be navigable for about 100 miles from that town. The meat northern of its aftlueets however, the Rio Canners; is navigated, as it originates not far from one of the most frequented mountain-leases of the Andes, that of Toxillo, which leads to the valley of the Rio Sogamozzo, north of Bogota. Euglish manu factured goods, sant from Trinidad, are carried up the Orinoco, Meta, and Qssanare, and over the mountain-pare to Bogota and the adjacent tracts. The course of the Rio Meta exceeds 500 miles, and that of the Caatnare perhaps 300 miles.
The Rio Apure, which joins the Orinoco between 7' and 3' N. let, enters it by a greet number of channels, and brings to it the waters of innumerable large streams, which partly originate on tho eastern declivity of the Andes north of 6' N. lat., and partly descend from the southern elope of the maritime mountains of Caracas. This river receives all the waters which descend from a mountain range more than 500 miles in length. The Apure itself rises in the Sierra de Merida, and runs more than 100 miles along its base to the south-west, and afterwards from west to east, collecting in its course all the waters which descend from the Andes. Before it joins the Orinoco, after a course of about 450 miler, it enters an extremely low and level country of considerable extent, which for several mouths of the year is changed into a temporary lake. Through this alluvial country it has cut a number of channels, by which it discharges its own waters and those brought down by other rivers from the maritime mountains of Caracas. Almost all the rivers descending from the last-mentioned range unite at one place, a little above St. Jaymo, and form a large body of water, which, about 30 miles lower down, falls into the Apure, about 50 miles from its mouth. All these rivers are navigable through nearly the whole of their course; they drain the Llanos, a country rich in pasturage but without agriculture. Tho Apure is
navigated up to its junction with the Rio San Domingo. and the latter is then navigated to a small place called Torunos, at some distance south of the town of Varinas.
Among the rivers which join the Orinoco from the right, only the Caroni requires to be mentioned ; it drains a long valley in the Parime Mountains, rising cast of the source of the Orinoco, and north of the upper branches of the Rio Branco, an effluent of the Guainia, in the Sierra Pam-aims., end running mostly iu a northern direction. The current is very swift, and mach interrupted by rapids ; near its mouth it descends by a cataract 15 feet high. The Caroni runs more than 300 miles.
The whole course of the Orinoco, so far as it is known, is estimated by Humboldt to bo nearly 1300 miles. The tides are perceptible as far as Angostura, or nearly 250 miles from its mouth, in the month of April, when the river is lowest. At the confluence of the Caroui, more than 150 miles from the mouth, the water at that time rises 15 inches. During the rainy season the Orinoco inundates the greatest part of the Llanoa, or plains which lie to the north of it, and likewise a portion of the plains which extend west of its middle course to the base of the Andes. Immediately after the vernal equinox tho rising of the water is perceptible : at first it rises slowly, and sometime, the river oinks again iu April. It attains its highest level in July, and remains stationary from the end of July until the 26th of August, vrben it begins to decrease progressively, but more slowly thau it increased. It is lowest In January and February. At Angostura the mean rise does not exceed 24 or 25 feet, but in the upper part of its course it rises several feet higher.
(Humboldt', Personal Narrative, cic.; Depon's Voyage a lee Partie Orientals de la Terre Ferree dans r.Amerique Al eridionale ; Schousburgk, London Geographical Journal, voL x.) ORISSA. [11tenesrse ; Cassese.]