was probably guided by the accident that
Fajardo had chosen it before him. In fact, if
advantages of site were to decide the position of
the capital, the government of Venezuela would
be transferred from Carácas to Valencia, a city
which has the richest soil and the best seaport
in all South America. In the mean time, the
Caraquénians are very proud of their native
town, and boast much of its climate; but the
question of its title to rank first among
Venezuelan cities is decided in the negative by
Humboldt, who says: "From the position of the
provinces Carácas can never exert any powerful
political influence over the countries of which it
is the capital."

I soon came to know Carácas and its environs
well, for fresh horses were lent me every day,
and I rode somewhere or other every morning
and evening. The horses of Venezuela, be it
said, en passant, though spirited and well shaped,
are so small that one would certainly snub them
as ponies, but for their self-assertion and haughty
little ways, which, it must be owned, are at
times supported by worthy deeds in carrying
their riders bravely into battle, and in aiding
in the slaughter of furious bulls twice as big as
themselves. They do not understand high jumping,
but they go very well at ditches, however
broad and deep. Their favourite pace is the
pase-trote, a sort of quick amble, and they know
very well that they are to go that way if the
reins are held rather high, and the mouth is felt
pretty strongly. Trotting is not fashionable,
and, altogether, the English style of riding does
not seem to be admired, for it is usual to say of
a bad rider "he rides like an Englishman."
The Creoles ride with excessively long stirrups,
so as just to touch them with the toe, and the
ambling pace of their horses is well suited for
that kind of seat, as well as for the paved streets
of Carácas, for neither rider nor animal is shaken
by it.

My first ride was to the east of the city to
Petaré, a large village about seven miles from
Carácas. In a few minutes after leaving St.
Amande's Hotel, I found myself in La Gran
Plaza, the principal square, where the daily
market is held. It is about the size of Portman-
square, but looks larger, the buildings round it
being all very low, except the Government House,
which is on the western side, and the cathedral,
which stands at the south-eastern angle. Both
these buildings survived the great earthquake of
1812. I found nothing in the cathedral, either
externally or internally, worth noticing, except
the tomb of Bolivar, which is of white marble,
and tastefully executed. The Liberator is
represented standing in his general's uniform, and
below are three female figures, intended, I
suppose, for the three states who owe their freedom
to him. The inscription is: "Simonis Bolivar
cineres hit condit, honorat, grata et memor
patria. 1852." Somehow, on looking at this
monument, a certain sentence would recur to
my mind: "He asked for bread, and they gave
him a stone." Bolivar, whose ashes are here so
honoured in the cathedral of his native town,
died far away, starving, and an exile.

A little way from the cathedral is the theatre.
Juxta-position seems to be the rule as regards
these edifices in Venezuela. At La Guaira, the
theatre stands next a church. Things have
so far changed for the better since the time of
Humboldt, that the theatre at Carácas, which
was then open to the sky, is now roofed. During
my stay there was no operatic troupe, and the
pieces played were generally dull tragedies, in
which all the characters were killed in succession,
apparently to the great satisfaction of the
audience.

At about half a mile from the cathedral, I came
to a bridge over a stream which falls into the La
Guaira, and which bounds the town on this side.
Here are two fine coffee plantations, and a mile
further is another still finer, notable for being
the point at which Humboldt commenced his
ascent of La Silla. The scenery here is very
beautiful, the valley being a mass of cultivation,
while from no point inland does the great mountain
look so imposing. However, that which
interested me most was the Ferro-Carril d'Este,
or "Eastern Railway," the terminus of which is
just beyond the bridge already mentioned. I
dismounted to inspect the station, and as it was quite
deserted, I was obliged to clamber over a gate
fifteen feet high to get into it. I found that the rails
had been laid down for about half a mile, but the
grass and weeds were growing over them. There
were engines and carriages, and piles of wood
for sleepers, sad emblems of the slumber into
which the whole concern has fallen, and from
which it seems doubtful whether it will ever
awake. I found the posada at Petaré full
of people smoking and playing billiards, and
the whole place had a more thriving, bustling
appearance than I expected. There are about
five hundred houses in the village, and some
fine estates near it. Still there never could
be sufficient traffic to repay the expense of a
railway, unless the line were continued to
Valencia.

My next expedition was to the north of the
town, and to the slope beyond lying immediately
under the Cerro d'Avila. The city of Carácas,
as may be seen from this slope, is in figure a
great square, with long parallel streets crossing
it from north to south, and with the principal
square of the market-place in the centre. But
at the north-east angle there has been a suburb,
through which the old road to La Guaira passes.
The "Indian Path," already mentioned, branches
off from that road. I was astonished to see the
destruction that the great earthquake of 1812
caused in this direction. Not a house seems to
have escaped, and though a few have been
restored, the marks of the disaster are apparent
everywhere, and whole lines of ruins still remain.
In fact, the nearer the mountain, the greater
seemed to me to have been the shock. I was
confirmed in this opinion afterwards by the narrative