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day we succeeded in gaining the open sea, and proceeded on our voyage. We had a delightful run along the coast, passing between the continent and the island of Fernando de Naronka, thus shortening our distance considerably.

"On Sunday, the twenty-first of June, at nine o'clock, P. M. my reckoning was out, and the ship had been previously put under her three topsails, double reefed, steering down west from latitude observed at meridian, eleven degrees twenty-four minutes north, the north-east end of Tobago lying (by Bowditch) in eleven degrees twenty-nine minutes. I continued to run down all night, the moon shining quite bright, but saw no land. At day-light, made all sail, and hauled up west by south, believing we had been deceived by the currents, we had allowed by lunars and our cronometer; when at nine, A. M. on Monday, the island of Grenada was discovered bearing west-south-west. I then discovered by examining the 'Personal Narrative' of Humboldt, (one of the most accurate observers of latitude and longitudes that has ever written,) that the north-east end of Tobago, lies in latitude eleven degrees seventeen minutes south, which added to a strong current setting to the north-west, had occasioned our passing Tobago without seeing it."

On Tuesday, the twenty-third, we anchored in Pampatar roads, the island of Margaritta, far famed for its heroic repulse of Morillo, had the appearance of a bleak and barren rock. The next day I went on shore with an officer. We found the village, which might at one time have contained several hundred souls, in a state of ruin. I waited on the governor, a kind of

Indian about seven feet high. On inquiring for Gomes, the governor of the island, he told me that he was at the village of Assumption, some miles in the interior. I then made arrangements for horses to ride over the next day, in order to pay him a visit. Accordingly early the next morning, the commissioners, the commodore, several officers of the ship, Mr. Read, and myself, went on shore. After being detained sometime, we were mounted on some wretched animals, so small and poor as to be just able to carry us. We passed through a poor sandy country, bordered by high naked hills, but as we approached Assumption, its appearance grew somewhat better. Near the town, we were shown the valley where Morillo had been defeated, with the loss of fifteen hundred men. When we consider that this victory was achieved by peasants, the greater part of whom were armed only with stones, it deserves to rank with those of the days of William Tell. A breakfast a la fourchette, was provided for us by Gomes, who received us with hospitality. He is a man of stern countenance, and Herculean frame; his complexion is very fair, which I consider somewhat singular in a native of these islands. There were fifteen or twenty officers, whose complexions were not so fair, but who shone out well in their uniforms. I was much pleased with two young men, who arrived to invite us to dine at Griego, with their father, general Arismendi, who we now learned was in the island. The invitation was accepted by Mr. Read, lieutenants Clack and Vorhees, but the commodore and the commissioners declined on account of the excessive heat.

Some distance from Assumption, we crossed a

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rapid stream, whose channel was well supplied with water, and its borders shaded by trees of a prodigious size; after this we passed a number of small cabins and cultivated patches along the road side, for two or three miles, when we gradually began to ascend the mountains, which are as high as the Alleghanies, and their sides, until cleared for cultivation, covered with wood. We saw a great number of small patches, a few acres each, where the inhabitants cultivate manidioca, cotton, bananas, and Indian corn. We crossed the mountain through what we should call a gap, an extremely narrow defile. When at the summit, we descried a beautiful valley below, about six miles long and three broad, running down to the sea, but hemmed in by mountains on the other sides, but which presented innumerable clearings, and small patches of cultivation, without any visible habitations; these were probably constructed of reeds, and hid among the trees. The valley had been laid waste by the Spaniards, and all the cocoa trees cut down. The soil is good the whole distance to the village, and the road bordered by huts very slightly constructed.

We found Arismendi a small man, rather taciturn, but of an aspect firm and undaunted. His entertainment was very far beyond any thing I could have expected at this place; several of the officers waited on the guests, and they appeared to take pleasure in addressing each other in the French style of citizen. Toasts were drank, accompanied with music and discharges of artillery. Our horses having been turned out, we found ourselves compelled to remain here all night. A ball was got up, but not in the most refined

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taste. Early the next morning we took leave of Arismendi, and returned on board the Congress.

The island contains a population of twenty thousand souls, who are chiefly peasantry, who subsist by cultivating small spots of ground. As we passed along in the cool of the morning, we saw a number at work in these miniature fields. Their general dress is cotton pantaloons and shirt, of their own manufacture. The island is strongly fortified; redoubts and forts are constructed on every height, near which the enemy would have to pass.

The news of the victory of Maipu, which we brought, produced great rejoicing, and we afterwards learned, had a considerable effect on the provinces of Venezuela and New Grenada. I must waive for the present, an account of the events of the struggle for independence in this quarter. The part taken in the war of New Grenada, by our countryman, the gallant MACAULAY, is familiar to most Americans. I regret that I am prevented at present from dwelling upon this part of our voyage.

Having embarked on board the Congress, the commodore set sail, and in nineteen days we arrived without accident in Hampton Roads.

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