The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1867-10-09
WEDNESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 9, 1867.
Venezuela.


The following letter is from the
President Of the Venezuela Emigra-
tion Society:
PoRTo DE TABLES, GUYANA,
VENEZUELA, July 9Th, 1867.
. COLONEL RUDIER-Dear Sir -
Our party have just returned from
a most thorough exploration Of
this country. The lands on the
Couri, and between the Couri and
Caroni-say one hundred and
twenty-five by two hundred miles
are the most beautiful, fertile,
healthy agricultural lands [ ever
saw. 1t is a vast prairie, wooded
and watcred, and will produce
wheat (spring), corn, tobacco, COT
ton, coffee, cocoa. This is the ag-
ricultural region. This place is at
the mouth Of the Caroni, three
miles below the falls. This is the
commercial and manufacturing
point. Between the Caroni and
Sapata is the mining region. 1t is
= dry, mountain savannah, inter-
sperseI with spots Of the very
ricle;t lands, with heavy timber,
but it can never be farming sec
ton, though it may make cattle
farms. Tre lands On the OTonoco
are overlooking for about ten days
in each rainy season ncN, but are
adapted to corn, sugar and rice.
They may be said to be the best
sugar and rice lands in the world.
/ he whole country is very healthy.
We have seen but Ole snake, four
alligators and two tigers, though
we have traversed the country
everywhere for hundreds Of miles.
The gold mines, owing to rain and
exposure, are very sickly. Pro
visions are high and scarce, from
the influx to the mines and de-
mand for food. Emigrants must
ell bring flour, bacon, lard, furni-
ture, and especially agricultural
implements. The classes who will
90 we'll here and make fortunes
are planters, bIacksm;t:'s, brick
layers, carpenters, machanists,
merchants, with capital, survey
OFFS and engineers.
The soil and climate has more
than realized my expectations.
The people are kind, very lazy
and lndolcnt, and anxious for US
to come. Planters can make
double here what they can make
in the States, with onc-half the Ia
bour. They should be sure to
bring seed wheat (spring), Cotton
seed and garden seed, as the change
Of Cotton seed has proved highly
advantageous. With proper cul-
ture the Couri country will prove
the garden Of the world. 1t is
navigable high up, and everything
can be shipped with ease. Good
roads and railroads in this region
can easily be constructed. This
region only contains eight hun
dred- inhabitants. Bolivar is 4
large city, very fiourishing, bnt
too high up for commerce. This
will be the future commercial CEN
tre. as it is the point Of shipment
for all the mining region.
We now have three settlements;
but nineteen persons, including
women and children, have become
dissatisfied, and all these were
Yankees, except two, who snug
gled themselves amongus. Every
Confederate who went to farming
and trading has done well. Out
Of the party who went to the
mines, all were sick, and four died.
They have left the mines and gone
to farming, and all are healthy:
Inever saw such river for fish
as the Couri they literally team
in, somewhat like our shad, from
twelve to fifty pounds; catfish
from one to five hundred pounds.
Strange to say, not seine is run,
and they still rely on the barb
spear. I shall settle at this point,
and will return here in November,
but have selected my land on the
Couri. Your friend,
HENRY VI. PRICE.