The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-06-16
MaracalbO.
Correspondence Of the Herald. ]

J0tttngs D0tcn ana Inc Necesstty o. FaSspCrfS-
Yankee Ingenuity and the 1alentsof Scribe-A
Mississippi Flood Stealings in at the Custom
Homse-Maracaibo in Picturesque and CONNER
ctat Point of Vieto-Nes York and Maracaibo
Compaed-Hogs and Harmony Aarkets-Piety
and Piercing Black Eyes, &C., &c.
Agreeably to your request drop you another let
ter, in order that you follow me in my rambles
and prregrinatons In these regions. After visiting
ST. Thomas and Laguayra, find myself in this an
cent city Of Maracabo, celebrated of old for many
bloody and tragical scenes, particularly with the
buccaneers under that bloody man, Morgan, who
piaged this place, and located himself and his
band here for length of time, and you can to this
day see the remains OF his fort But time has
wrought its changes here as elsewhere. When
these buccaneers came to Maracaibo there was
none that said them nay, although they with
iou intent; but, at the present day, they have be-
come exceeding wise, lin their own eyes,) for
when a poor traveller arrives at this remark able
place he must within SO many hours, present HIM
self before his august parsonage, the Governor, ana
produce passport, &c, &c. II you are without
such document the captain who brought you here
IL imme dately fined one hundred dollars, and you
are likewise obliged to take another passport when
you are about going away, for which you are taxed
two dollars more. Now this outrageous eXacnOn
is confined to misplace only. AT Laguayra theylare
republic to be but hereford bless their stupidity
and ignorance.
To zee the pomposity Of the inmates a. the Gov
errors office is laughable. The old Sanhedrem
archway that leads You to the Office, where sits the
Governor, Secretary, and number OF clerks
black, brown, &c, &c, and 10y an Interpreter are
announced as arrival your passports must then
be produced, and then to see the extreme know
ledge Of the Secretary called into action. Scanning
the document, deyouring every word with such a
knowing look, and appearing to know much and,
10 give you an idea OF his profound knowledge,
will mention one case. Some few months since
two ofyour young Yankees came out here, intend
ing to remain a space OF time, and their arrival
found themselves without the necessary passports,
and they were now in something of fix. Accord.
ingly the captain proposed trying an experiment.
not in Mesmerism, oh no, but an experiment still.
Procuring from some source two seamen's protec-
tons, they proceeded TO the Governors office, and
on their passports being required they very properly
placed before the Secretary the twenty-five cent
projections as their passports and after the usual
ordeal OF the Secrearys examination, the seal par
tcularly, they were pronounced first rate passports,
and thus all passed OFT well.
know not how long may remain here, as it ap-
pears that cannot at present proceed inland, owing
10 the immense rains that have taken awav all the
will probably remain for weeks. So can give
you an inklins OF some matters and things of this
hereabout
l observe that this place, or the people with
whom have come In contact, are much given to
scandal, and but short time is necessary for
stranger to become acquainted with the private
characters OF nearly all the peOple-that is all their
peccadlloes and little errors. hear many bitter
complaints of the rigor of the Custom House, and
if but halt is true, ! think there is room for
complaint To understand one cause OF the iues
and seizures, you must know that all seizures made
and all fines imposed go into the private pockets oil
the officers, and none to government. No error
of q merchant, or master however trivial, can be
rectifed. Law LawY is the cry, and Justice is
put on one side. To such an outrageous extreme Is
such things carried, that you might imagine they
wished to prevent all commercial intercourse with
any other people. Youind nothing liberal in some
vocabularies.
The location OF Maracaibo, as a commercial
place, is splendid, and with all its vexations is a
great mart for country produce, and great thor
oughfare for foreign articles on the route inland,
even as far as Basota, the capital OF New Grenada
When at Laguayra was pleased with one piece OF
work, viz: splendid break water wi ich will cost
some hundreds of thousands of dollars, and speaks
volumes in favor of the enterprise of that port
You nothing OF the kind here. Nature has
done much here-art, nothing or the pnblic
buildings here give idea, unless daguerre-
otype them. Commercial Cohee-hous@ would be
No. on the file--being ehgibly situated for the
man Of business and the man about town (bnt has
one dsagreeable thing, WIS that in this hot climate
some sable gentlemen may smell too musiy land
to the traveller splendid prospect, stretching away
10 the south as far as the eye can scan over the
beautiful lake, with lis musketOe fleet vending
their way inland; and nearer is the bay or
roadstead where anchored the shipping, and i'm
medlaely under your eye. Is the market with lie
hum Of voices-and all its glory, fresh fish fruits and
game, in great abundance, and OF quality to graf
iiy WEIGH or Falconer. Meat and vegetables
rather inferior. There are no country wagons
herejaCkass transportation Is all the go, and away
on the farther side. OF the market OF a morning may
be seen some hundred more of these locomotive
bgers tied to stakes in the ground (but not to sui
fer martvrdom) Barnunls or Barnet's band
would soon be driven through the windows by these
Maracaibo buglers
OF amusemenis in this place they are Of pecu-
liar kind-in your city free concerts are somewhat
on the increase am informed-but the only tree
concert of Maracaibo Is blended with something
of the tragcal OF perhaps partly melo drama. lis
this, by an edct here all dogs and all four legged
hogs are not to run at large yet hundreds are
about the streets, the greatest number generally 10
be seen Immediately in front OF the town on the
beach. Now, OF a Saturday, all or many OF the
town prisoners, with a shackle to their heel and
guarded by soldiers and police oflicers,) are
taken out and armed with an immense budgeon,
for the purpose OF numbering, manning aud killing
the long nosed gentry and the breed oil hogs here
are OF the Baltimore model, and consequently fleet
craft, when these prisoners make their sp-
pearancr on the field of battle, the many hun.
dreds of people in sight suspend all business to
witness this scene OF pork and prisoners And
commences the work OF death, by the
hurting of stones and blows of the prisoners
budgeons, cutting and shesring OF the hogs
oa,hs and excavations ofthe prsoners--lsushter OF
the Notwithstanding OF the many boys IN con-
cert with shouts OF derlsion of the many old mar
ket women, and to cap all, at the height OF the
game, deafenIng roar of the one hundred and one
ackasses tied to the stakes; and then the play is in
all the glory and excitem.n of free concerts going
far ahead Of any one in your Gotham--thc brayng
part is indispvtabe-lxc &c.
Times here are outrageous, 10 commercial
view; and what makes it still worse for the mer
chant il, that such system of extreme opposition
has sprung up to ont-rva in that item, your In
land town of Rocnester-where an industrious Ia
borer, in endesvoring to earn an honest penny by
watering the dusty streets OF sultry, July day, was
driven TO shelter by heavy rain-shower- ndig
nan,Iy excaiming, "Just like Rochester, by tarna-
ton"
Produce comes from the interior slowly, owing
to the immense rains. The cocoa crop is entirely
ruined Coffee not half enough for the demand,
Hides are now at Cd, and the market sutted with
all goods of foreign growth manufacture.