Personal narrative of travels to the equinoctial regions of America. Volume 2

Page 90

378

LOCATION OF EL DORADO.

and l o w e r c o u r s e .

The Iza is called, h i g h e r u p , Putumayo;

the Jupura t o w a r d s its source The researches the

real

made

origin

hears

o f the Rio Negro

fruitless

because

known.

I h e a r d it called G u a i n i a

San

Carlos.

the name of Caqueta.

in t h e m i s s i o n s o f t h e Andaquies o n

t h e Indian

Southey,

have

name

been

the

more

o f t h e river was un­ a t Javita,

in his history

of

Maroa, and

Brazil,

says

ex­

pressly that the Rio Negro, in the lower part of its course, is called

Guiani,

part, U e n e y a .

or Curana,

by t h e n a t i v e s ;

in t h e u p p e r

It is t h e word G u e n e y a , instead o f Guainia;

for the I n d i a n s o f t h o s e c o u n t r i e s say indifferently Guaranacua o r Ouaranacua, G u a r a p o or Uarapo. The s o u r c e s of

contention

this

o f t h e Rio Negro among

question

origin

have l o n g been an o b j e c t

geograpers.

is n o t m e r e l y

T h e interest

that

which

we feel in

attaches

to the

o f all g r e a t rivers, but is c o n n e c t e d w i t h a crowd of

o t h e r q u e s t i o n s , that c o m p r e h e n d t h e s u p p o s e d

bifurcations

o f the C a q u e t a , t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e Rio N e g r o and

the Orinoco,

merly

called

When

we

a n d t h e local

study

c o u n t r i e s , and

fable o f El D o r a d o ,

or the empire

Enim,

with

care

of the Grand

the

ancient

maps

t h e history of their g e o g r a p h i c a l

for­

Paytiti. of

these

errors, w e

sее h o w by d e g r e e s t h e fable o f El D o r a d o

has been

ported t o w a r d s t h e

of the Orinoco.

west

with

t h e sources

trans­

It w a s a t first fixed on the e a s t e r n declivity of the Andes, to t h e s o u t h - w e s t

of the Rio Negro.

de Urre s o u g h t

for t h e great

the

Even

Guaviare.

Maravitanos

relate

T h e valiant

now the Indians

that, " o n

Philip

city o f M a n n a by t r a v e r s i n g sailing

o f S a n Jose de

t o t h e north-east for

fifteen d a y s , on t h e G u a p e or U a u p e , y o u reach a famous laguna de oro, s u r r o u n d e d

by m o u n t a i n s , and

t h e o p p o s i t e s h o r e cannot be d i s c e r n e d . the G u a n o s , d o not sandy the Rio in

permit

t h e collecting

plain that s u r r o u n d s the l a k e .

lake 1687,

Some

several

Manoa

slips

o f beaten

name o f which is still k n o w n between

Lamalongo

La C o n d a m i n e between

Indians

s o large

o f the g o l d

the C a q u e t a ,

of a

the Jupura and

brought gold.

Father

This

the

Fritz,

n a t i o n , the

on t h e b a n k s of t h e Urarira,

a n d M o r e i r a , d w e l t on t h e

is right

that

ferocious n a t i o n ,

F a t h e r A c u n h a places

M a n o a . o r Yenefiti, b e t w e e n

Negro.

A

in s a y i n g

that t h i s

the R i o N e g r o ,

Yurubesh.

Mesopotamia,

the Yurubesh, and


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