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From The Examiner.

spur

| perch, is one of the most formidable crea-
tures that man or beast can have the misfor-
tune to encounter. Their sharp, triangular
teeth, arranged in the same manner as those
of the shark, are so strong, that neither cop-
per, steel, nor twine can withstand them, and
hence the angler stands no chance of sport
where the caribe is found.
"The sight of
any red substance," says Don Ramon, "blood
especially, seems to rouse their sanguinary
appetite; and as they usually go in swarms,
it is extremely dangerous for man or beast to
enter the water with even a scratch upon
their bodies. Horses wounded with the
are particularly exposed to their attacks, and
so rapid is the work of destruction, that un-
less immediate assistance is rendered, the fish
soon penetrate the abdomen of the animal,
and speedily reduce it to a skeleton." This
cannibal fish is as beautiful in aspect as it is
fierce in nature. "Large spots of a brilliant
orange hue cover a great portion of its body,
especially the belly, fins, and tail. Toward
the back, it is of a bluish ash color, with a
slight tint of olive green, the intermediate
spaces being of a pearly white, while the gill
covers are tinged with red." A fish of a dif-
ferent kind, in the same waters, is the cherna,
which attains a large size, weighing as much
as a hundred pounds, and tasting like veal.
It presents one remarkable peculiarity: the
mouth is set with a row of teeth bearing a
strong resemblance to those of the human
race. The gymnotus is another denizen of
this river, and its electrical powers were ex-
emplified on one occasion on the body of a

Wild Scenes in South America; or, Life in the Llanos Venezuela. By Don Ramon Paez. Sampson Low and Son. THIS work, without any special design on the part of the author, teems with valuable contributions to natural history; nor is its value in the least impaired by the fact that years have passed since the adventures which form their basis occurred. In the month of December, 1846, Don Ramon Paez, the son of a large farm-owner in the wide plains that border the river Apure, set out with a numerous company from the town of Maracay, on Lake Maracaybo, to hunt among the untamed herds which constitute the wealth and commerce of that wild region. The" Llanos" of Venezuela correspond in feature with the Pampas of Buenos Ayres, which we have been visiting under the guidance of Mr. Hinchcliff, but animal life appears to offer there more dangerous varieties than are met with in latitudes remoter from the equator; the rivers and lagoons abounding in crocodiles of the largest size, besides other noxious creatures, and the woods and swamps affording harbor to the fierce jaguar, and the deadly boa constrictor. Of its kind the scenery of the Llanos is strikingly beautiful. feet," says the author, when they reached the borders of the district for which they were bound, "lay a beautiful expanse of meadow, fresh and smooth as the best cultivated lawn, with troops of horses and countless herds of cattle dispersed all over the plain. Several glittering ponds, alive with all varieties of aquatic birds, reflected upon the limpid sur-mutilated cayman which, left for dead on the face the broad-leaved crowns of the fan-palms, towering above verdant groves of laurel, amyris, and elm-like robles. Further beyond, and as far as the eye could reach, the undulating plain appeared like a petrified ocean, after the sweeping tempest." The Llaneros who inhabit this region very closely resemble the Gauchos of the south, their habits of life being almost identical. We need not, therefore, be detained by a description of this nomadic race, from other details which constitute the most attractive characteristics of this entertaining volume.

"At our

The Guárico, a tributary of the Apure, is a beautiful river, well stocked with the finest kinds of fish, but infested also by a very destructive sort, the ferocious, blood-thirsty caribe, which, though not larger than a

shore, suddenly snapped its ponderous jaws
as the huge eel was dragged over it. It is
well, however, that besides man, the common
enemy of all inferior animals, nature lends
her aid in keeping down the superabundance
of the more noxious kinds, an epidemic, sup-
posed to have its origin in the decomposition
of the vegetable detritus accum lated at the
head waters of the Apure, affecting the in-
habitants of the river as well as those on
their banks. Its ravages are thus described :-

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"The first symptoms of the epidemic appeared among the crocodiles, whose hideous carcasses might then be seen floating down both the waters and air of that fine region the stream in such prodigious numbers, that. were tainted with their effluvium. It was observed that they were first seized with a violent fit of coughing, followed by a black

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vomit which compelled them to quit their regions all the elements conspired against watery home, and finally find a grave amongst these useful creatures." the thickets on the river banks. The disease next attacked the fish and other inhabitants of the water, with equal violence, until it was feared the streams would be depopulated. The fearful mortality among them can be better estimated from the fact that, for more than a month, the rippling waves of that noble river, the Apure, were constantly washing down masses of putrefaction, its placid surface being by them actually hidden from view for several weeks. The next victims were

the pachidermata of the swamps, and it was a pitiable sight to see the sluggish chigüires (capyvaras) and the grizzly wild-boars drag ging their paralyzed hind quarters after them; hence the name of derrengadera applied to this disease. Not even monkeys in their aerial retreats escaped the contagion, and their melancholy cries resounded day and night through the woods like wailings of the eternally lost. It is a singular fact, that while the scourge did not spare any of the countless droves of horses roaming the savannas of the Apure and adjacent plains, donkeys and horned cattle were seldom, if ever, attacked, so that, by their aid, the owners of cattle-farms were enabled to prevent the entire dispersion of their herds."

The caribe, luckily, suffers from a special and constantly recurring visitation, these fish being subject to a yearly mortality during the heat of summer when the water is deprived of a portion of the air it holds in solu"Their carcasses,' says Don Ramon, may then be seen floating on the water by thousands, while the beach is strewn with their bones, especially their bristling jaws, which render walking barefoot on the borders of lagoons extremely dangerous."

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What with one foe and another, the cattle in the Llanos have but a bad time of it

The crocodiles of the river Portuguesa are the most savage and dangerous of all that haunt the streams that intersect the Llanos. They are very hard to kill, but Don Ramon tells a story of a daring Llanero who, naked and single-handed, proved more than a match for one of these monsters :

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"The man was on his way to San Jaime on there the same day, he would not wait for a pressing errand. Being in haste to get the canoe to be brought to him, but prepared to swim across, assisted by his horse. He had already secured his saddle and clothes upon his head, as is usual on similar occabeware of a caiman cebado, then lurking near sions, when the ferryman cried out to him to the pass, urging upon him, at the same time, to wait for the canoe. Scorning this advice, the Llanero replied with characteristic pride, Let him come; I was never yet afraid of his ponderous equipment, he placed his twoman or beast.' Then laying aside a part of edged dagger between his teeth, and plunged fearlessly into the river. He had not proceeded far, when the monster rose and made quickly towards him. The ferryman crossed cation of Jesus, Maria y José ! fearing for the himself devoutly, and muttered the holy involife, and, above all, for the toll of the imprudent traveller. In the mean time, the swimmer continued gliding through the water towards the approaching crocodile. Aware of the impossibility of striking his adversary a mortal blow unless he could reach the armpit, he awaited the moment when the reptile should attack him, to throw his saddle at him. This he accomplished so successfully, that the crocodile, doubtless imagining it to be some sort of good eating, jumped partly out of the water to catch it. Instantly the Llanero plunged his dagger up to the very hilt into the fatal spot. A hoarse grunt and a tremenfor the ferocious monster sunk beneath the dous splash showed that the blow was mortal,

waves to rise no more. Proud of his achieve

up

ment, and scorning the tardy assistance of his canoe, he waved his bloody dagger in the the ferryman who offered to pick him in air, exclaiming as he did so: Is there no other about here?' and then turning, he swam leisurly back to take his horse across."

“Those that escape the teeth of the caribe, the coil of the anaconda, that great water-serpent, or the jaws of the equally dreaded crocodile, are in continual danger of falling a prey to the lion or the jaguar, while congre gated upon the bancos and other places left dry amidst the rising waters. None, however, escape the tormenting sting of myriad insects which, until the waters subside, fill the air they breathe. Even at night, when all creAs in the Pampas, so in the Llanos, the ated beings should rest in peace, enormous vampires, issuing from the gloomy recesses of profusion of waterfowl is astonishing, the the forest, perch upon the backs of the suf- cranes and herons predominating. The imferers and suck their life blood, all the while mense number of these birds may be conceived lulling them with the flapping of their spuri- by the fact, vouched for by Don Ramon, that ous wings. In fact, it seems as if in these their colonies sometimes embrace several

miles in extent.

One of the first-named tribe, especially significant of glocm, Ya-acabó meaning "It is finished," and there are few who hear its cry unmoved. In striking contrast with these "dismall fowles," is the Gallineta de monte, or forest hen, a most beautiful creature, both in color and shape, and the eyes of which, of a brilliant ruby hue,

called the garzone or soldier, from its erect bearing and martial air, is over five feet high, with a bill fully a foot long. The herons, or garzas, are of various sizes and colors, some snow-white, some a delicate blue, others gray or pink, and many of a brilliant scarlet. On the smaller ponds, too, which are gemmed scintillate like fire. "These birds sing in with purple water-lilies, myriads of wildducks cover the surface, remarkable for the singularity and beauty of their plumage; but lovely as all these haunts appear, the country is almost uninhabitable for man, on account of the pestilential miasmata which rise from them. They are also the abode of enormous water-snakes, or anacondas, which have all the strength and voracity of the boa constrictor, and like them kill their prey by crushing the animal in their huge muscular folds and affecting its deglutition by the slimy secretion which they spread over it.

“On examining the mouth of one of these snakes, it will be found that the jaws are furnished with a row of sharp and crooked teeth, bent inward like tenter hooks; with these he seizes his prey, and holds it securely until the victim, unable to struggle longer, drops exhausted. What appears most extraordinary in these unequal contests, is the tenacity with which the snake adheres to the soft mud of the lagoon, there being neither rock nor stump to which he can secure himself. Nor will the efforts of a large bull, no matter how powerful, be sufficient to drag the snake one inch out of his element, unless he is first cut asunder. In darting upon a quadruped, the anaconda invariably aims at its snout, the animal seldom escaping when once the terrible fangs have been buried in its flesh. It is not an unusual thing, however, for a bull to cut a snake asunder in his violent struggles; then the shaggy victor may be seen proudly marching at the head of his troop with this unsightly trophy hanging from his nose.

The woods that border the Venezuelan rivers are peopled by great varieties of birds, many of which are supposed, and not unnaturally, to be of ill-omen. Foremost amongst this class is the Titiriji or Tiger-owl, spotted with black like the jaguar, and uttering a cry which, in the stillness of night, is often mistaken for that of the South American tiger. Two other species of owl are the Yaacabó and the Pavita, and both are considered harbingers of death or calamity when heard fluttering round the habitations of the Llaneros. The name of the first is

concert, and their song-a lively chatter-
has a mystic fascination," observes Don Ra-
mon, "which I am unable to describe." As
Buffoon summed up his description of the
robin red-breast, " they are very delicate eat-
ing." As good, in their way, are various
species of teal ducks, and there is a certain
long-legged plover—the Alcaravan-which is
turned to good account. "This last has the
peculiarity of uttering a long, shrill sound at
hourly intervals, thus marking every hour of
the night after the manner of a clock's alarum.
It is easily domesticated in the houses, where
it renders some service, not only by marking
time, but also by giving warning of the ap-
Another bird the
proach of strangers."
Aruco-utters loud drumlike notes, but is
not made to do sentinel's duty. It is as large
as a turkey, but its size is very deceptive, for
feathers. Like the horned plover of the Pam-
on taking it up it seems like a mere bundle of
pas, the wings of the male are provided with
a pair of sharp spurs, with which, when fight-
ing, they greatly injure each other. Carrion
birds are plentiful,—the chief of this class
being the Rey-Zamuro, or king of the vult-
ures, very beautiful of its kind.
"Its plu-

mage, resembling down in softness and fine-
ness, is of a pearly white, excepting the wings,
which are tipped with black. The breast
and neck, although entirely bare of feathers,
are decked in the most brilliant tint of blue,
orange, and red, while a sort of membranous
excrescence crowns the head, giving it a truly
royal appearance." Singing birds, mostly
of the oriole species, abound. The sweetest
of these songsters is the Gonzal, but sweet-
ness of note is not the only quality that dis-
tinguishes the choristers of the Llanos.

"There is another closely allied species, far superior to this or any other bird of the kind with which I am acquainted. It is the troupial, whose powerful notes can only be domesticated in houses, and learns readily likened to strains of the violin. It is easily any air from hearing it whistled. I have one of these birds at home (in New York) which sings the Cachuca, Yankee Doodle,

and various other tunes, besides distinctly of the people is so much capital lost to the whistling the name of a person. Its pre- country, and even the proposed alteration dominant colors are rich orange and shining from relief to labor upon public works, after black, with white spots on the wings and all the safeguards that can be put around it bill in beautiful contrast. It is a dangerous pet, however, if at large in a house, attack- are applied, will be found a costly and buring strangers furiously, and always aiming densome scheme for the community. But at the eyes." where is the future supply of cotton to come from? The two years that have passed since the American civil war broke out have not been without benefit in settling this important point, but the whole experience gained from it points to the somewhat mortifying conclusion that for the adequate supply of this all-important fibre, the Southern States of North America still possess the greatest advantages and may easily re-assert their ancient monopoly. India is evidently out of the question. Its climate and institutions are alike hostile to improvement. It can never do more than supply a limited quantity of inferior material. Egypt is too small to become a dangerous rival, and Asiatic Turkey is much too far behind. Long before the lazy and shiftless Mahommedans will do anything worth speaking of, the active Americans will have restored their old supremacy. That, it must be said, is not wholly, or even in great part, owing to their character. They possess the best cotton field in the world. It is intersected by great river systems forming natural highways in every direction, has a rich soil, and a climate perfectly adapted to the habits of the plant. It is certain that in the nature of things the raw cotton trade must ultimately return to New Orleans and Mobile, but it is almost as certain that the derangement of society effected by the war must terminate in the reorganization of the culture upon totally different conditions from those upon which it rested previously. Whether the authority of the Union can be restored over the continent or not, slavery has received its death-blow, and cannot be restored by means short of a miracle. It appears the only obstacle to the

Don Ramon gives a long list of the plants of the Llanos, many of them bearing delicious fruit, others remarkable for medicinal, and others again for properties of a dangerous nature. The most remarkable of the latter class is the guachamacá, the poison exuding from which is so virulent that meat roasted on spits made of the shrub absorbs sufficient to destroy all who partake of it. It is needless to say that the swamps of the Llanos swarm with venomous reptiles, but Don Ramon, like other recent travellers, exempts the beautiful coral snake from the list; having well examined them he could discover no secreting fangs nor any other characteristics of poisonous snakes. To "Tiger-stories," a whole chapter is devoted. Many of these are apocryphal, but enough remain sufficiently truthful to show how much the jaguar of the Apure is to be feared. To the same category belong some of the tales told of the crocodiles of that famous river, and the monkeys, as a matter of course, furnish their quota of remarkable peculiarities. One of the Simian tribe, the araguato, has a voice rivalling that of poor Lablache, Don Ramon asserting "without fear of mistake," that it can be heard at the distance of three miles! We cannot afford to draw any further upon the contents of this amusing work, which we now commend to the general reader. It has been the pleasure of the author to add to it a few chapters on the politics of Venezuela, but these have formed no part of our enter

tainment.

From The Ashton and Stalybridge Reporter, 20 June. restoration of the Union, and its forcible de

AMERICAN COTTON BY FREE LABOR. THE future prosperity of the cotton trade must be regarded as an object of as great importance as the immediate supply of the wants of the unemployed operatives. The great losses occasioned by the stoppage of the mills, both to capitalists and laborers, can only be lessened by a revival of the supply of cotton. So far as its productiveness is concerned, the money spent in the subsistence

struction, may teach the infatuated and incredibly ignorant Southern populations that as there was no security for slavery except in connection with the Union, so there can be no guarantee for prosperity equal to a return to amity and allegiance. Before another year is over, should the war continue so long, thousands of colored men will be in arms under the Union flag, and tens of thousands liberated from their chains by the progress

of events. The reduction of these to bondage mense and rapidly increasing emigration to again will be a hopeless task, and the substi- the Union, notwithstanding the existence of tution of fresh importations from Africa is war. There is no popular delusion in this, a crime which we hope will never be tolerated no rush for gold, no blinding access of folly. either in Europe or America. The future The people know there is work and food in production of American cotton must therefore abundance, and when the armies of the Union depend upon free labor, and the only inquiry have cleared the way for them, as we entertain is whether the obstacles to its introduction no doubt they will do, they will spread southbeing removed by the destruction of slavery ward as well as westward, and Europe, not Afand the cessation of the war, it would be rica, will supply the labor for the new cotton capable of supplying the wants of the world. supply. There never was a greater mistake A recent able report to the Boston Board than the supposition that the heat is too great. of Trade by Edward Atkinson, Esq., has Even now the heavy work in the South is thrown a new and vivid light upon this aspect done by white men. The digging of drains of the question, and its importance is so and canals through the plantations is done manifest that John Bright in a speech to a by Irish navvies, while the colored people are Great Union and Emancipation meeting in capable only of the lightest and least imporLondon on Tuesday night, brought it forward tant labor. The miserable way in which they and dwelt upon it with all his accustomed are fed and treated accounts for this, and the vigor and directness. We are able, through belief that free white labor must ultimately the kindness of a friend, to resort to the same supplant theirs is strengthened by the fact source for the interesting facts put forward that already one-ninth of the cotton grown in by the great free trade orator. America is grown by white laborers. When Apart from the moral repugnance to the we reflect that the high price of cotton which use of an article raised by men robbed of their must rule for many years to come will stimwages and human rights, and the just appre-ulate the exertions of freemen and extend the hensions of every thoughtful man that a sys-cultivation, it must be plain that an aggretem founded upon so much oppression must gate of cotton production will be reached sursooner or later collapse, the cotton trade with passing anything possible under slavery. Mr. the supply of slave-grown produce suffered Atkinson, in another pamphlet, "Cheap Cotthe evil of chronic deficiency. The slave ton by Free Labor," for which we are indebted population, recruited only from the breeding to the same friend who furnished us with the pews of such saints as Stonewall Jackson, report, proves that at least one thousand doland of such chivalrous gentlemen as Lee and lars a year may be raised out of forty acres of Davis, increased but slowly, and being ground land by a single family, along with sufficient down by oppression, could not make up by cereals for their support. If even one-half intelligence for the deficiency of numbers. could be expected, what an impulse such The cultivation has been kept down to the gains would give to the settlement of the cotlowest and least scientific form. Only one ton lands in every direction. The astonishand a half per cent. of the soil available for ing prosperity of North America would be culture is in use, and that has been employed eclipsed by this new development, while the in the most wasteful manner. The great tide trade of Lancashire would at last obtain what of emigration which fertilized and enriched it has never possessed—a full supply of cotton the Northern States, filling them with splen--without fear of a shock such as that of the did cities, and raising them to power and War of Secession to destroy it. But all this dignity, sent scarcely a ripple to the South, where the blight of a system that dishonored labor hung upon the land. But if this difficulty is removed by the anticipated ruin of the slaveholders, there is no reason to doubt that emigration will receive such an impulse as to empty the surplus populations of the Old World upon the sunny and fertile plains of the rebellious States. One of the most surprising facts of the present time is the im

prospect depends on the success of the Federal arms, and the ruin of slavery. We can imagine no stronger inducement to favor the Union cause than the prospect of what might be made of the Southern States by freemen. We have seen what slaves and their masters have made of them, regions wasted by i̟mprovidence, shunned by the free and active, and inhabited by a dissolute, idle, and degraded population, now decimated and scourged by

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