GUIANA 301 south, and limiting the basins of large ivers. The loftiest eminences, however, are the west. Mt. Koraima, in the Socaraima 3, forming for a distance of 18 m. part of western limit of the country, is at once the _hest in Guiana (7,500 ft.) and one of the lost remarkable on the globe; it is a flat- >pped solid mass, the upper portion of which its a precipice 1,500 ft. high, glistening the spray of numberless cascades which slunge down its sides. None of the other lountains attain a greater altitude than 4,000 They are mostly of granite, and not a few )lated pyramidal or conical peaks shoot ab- iptly upward, and present with their denuded a striking contrast to the luxuriant station at their base. The hills at the N. ler of the table land are mostly of sand- and some of white quartz, with numer- i particles of mica, glitter like gold. Through- >ut the whole flat country between the plateau id the sea a granite stratum underlies allu- soil and clays, the last being covered with black vegetable mould many feet deep, de- ited by the rivers during their inundations, the Essequibo is found a species of pure " 3 clay. The territory is drained by six rivers. The Essequibo and the Berbice, le western or British division, are both navi- e by large vessels for 50 m. from the sea. Corentyn separates the British from the ch possessions ; and in the latter are the ramaca and the Surinam, both of consider- )le magnitude. The Maroni forms the divi- line between Dutch and French Guiana, ["he Demerara, though comparatively small, is ivigable for 100 m. up. All these rivers Id a generally northern course, through re- is of great natural beauty, and receive the raters of numerous and extensive tributaries, tially the Essequibo, which has the Cuyuni Masaruni (both little inferior to itself in agnitude), the Eupununi, Potaro, and others, le grand waterfall of Kaieteur is formed >y the waters of the Potaro dashing in a sin- leap from the basin of that river into the lley of the Essequibo, a depth of 822 ft. width of the river at the edge of the fall 369 ft., and the depth of the water near e edge is 15 ft. in the dry season. Several laller rivers fall into the Atlantic at various )ints. The climate, naturally hot in the low ions, is tempered by easterly breezes blowing lily all the year round, the mean annual iperature being 80 F., and is much more ilubrious than that of any of the West India lands, especially in the interior, where epi- smics are almost unknown. In the rainy >ns, which embrace the months of Decem- , January, February, June, July, and August, the rivers inundate the surrounding country, and intermittent fevers prevail. These seasons re ushered in by terrific thunderstorms, but hurricanes never occur. Slight shocks of earth- quake are sometimes felt. The fertility of the soil is unsurpassed in South America, and ve- getation is everywhere luxuriant. Fully one half of the territory is occupied by dense forests, whose majestic trees, supporting num- berless convolvuli and other parasitic plants of endlessly varying hues, afford excellent timber prized for its hardness and durability, and in- exhaustible quantities of fancy woods. The hard-wood species include varieties of mimu- sops, such as the bully tree, often growing to a height of 100 ft., with a trunk 6 ft. in diame- ter, destitute of branches for the first 60 or 70 ft. ; the greenheart (nectandra Rodiei), whose ash-colored bark is efficacious as a febrifuge ; the crabwood (carapa Guianensis), sirwabali, sawari, purpleheart (copaifera pubiflora, and C. firacteata), and the mira tree (mimosa ex- celsa), attaining a height of 150 ft., whose wood is reputed as not inferior to teak. Chief among the precious woods is the mahogany, and among the palms the areca oleracea or cabbage palm. The Bertholletia excelsa, or Brazil-nut tree, constitutes in some parts whole forests ; and almost all the intertropical fruit trees are found in abundance. Of woods and plants used for dyeing, there are several varie- ties ; medicinal plants are common ; and there are numerous fibrous plants furnishing a sub- stitute for flax. The wild flowers are of in- describable splendor, including the gorgeous Victoria regia. One fourth of the country is devoted to plantations, where maize, cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, and arrowroot are culti- vated to a considerable extent. The soil is well adapted to sugar, coffee, and cotton ; and tobacco and indigo are likewise produced. The remaining fourth of the territory comprises meadow plains, affording excellent pasture to numerous herds of cattle and horses. The hilly regions are frequented by couguars and jaguars; the tapir is the largest quadruped; ant-eaters, armadillos, and agoutis are common ; there are two or three varieties of deer ; and the forests are inhabited by hosts of monkeys of many kinds. Vampire bats are numerous ; the boa constrictor and anaconda or tragave- nados abound along the banks of the rivers ; and all the South American varieties of ven- omous snakes are here represented. There are several sorts of lizards, and the iguana is eaten as a delicacy by the natives. The marshy dis- tricts, and the flat country generally, after the rains have subsided, are infested by myriads of insects capable of inflicting troublesome if not dangerous wounds. The rivers swarm with alli- gators, sharks, and peris or omas. 2 ft. long, and armed with strong and formidable teeth ; and they also afford excellent edible fish, such as the silurus, often measuring 12 ft. and weigh- ing upward of 200 Ibs. In most of the large rivers there are electric eels, turtles, and mana- tees or sea cows of gigantic size, but differing in most respects from the manatee of the West Indies. Among the birds are flamingoes, tou- cans, pelicans, spoonbills, peacocks, and Mus- covy ducks; macaws, parrots, and other birds of brilliant plumage, including the humming
