Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-12-20
VENEZUELA.
Something About the Country and Its
People.
A Compilation of Facts by a Gen
tleman, Now in Wheeling, Who
Has Recently Returned from a
Long Sojourn in South America.

The following sketch of Venezuela
and its people has been prepared for
the Register by a Wheeling gentleman
who has lately returned from a years
sojourn in South America, and who is
familiar with the country now occupy
ing so much attention:
Venezuela, a northern republic of
South America, occupying so much at
tention from this country and England
at the present time, is a created gov
eminent OF itself, as the result of the
defeat of Spain years ago in attempting
to maintain her power and authority
in the western world.
Inc population at the present time
is not far from 100000 people. of
whom fully 500. 900 are native Indians.
It's area is 632. 695 square miles. The
actual rural population outside of cities
Oh 1900 is about three persons TO the
square mile. The country is divided
IN coast pasture land and mountains
and its cultivated and arabic parts are
very rich. On the coast land there are
cultivated coffee, COCO. sugar cane. ba-
nanas, some cotton. indigo cocOanuts,
Indian corn and barley. This cultiva-
ted section consists mainly of mountain
walled valleys with large rivers run
ming through them. The next belt is
the pasture land, where the heavy
grasses Of the Llanos forbid the work
of cultivation but compensate by fur
niShing spontaneous substance Near
the OrinOcO river is found the great
wooded belt furnishing the material for
valuable commerce and cOncealing
some OF the richest gold mines in the
world. Aside from her rich gold mines,
notable among which is the Yam
nary, with an output for 1885 which
viii reach S12.0000O0 she has other
mineral wealth. The entire annual
crop Of coffee is estimated for this year
at $4,000 900, and the cocoa $4,000. 900
and the cattle on her high lands will
number over 100000 head, so there
is every possible natural condition to
make the country a valuable acquisi-
ton to the commerce of the world. par
ticularly when all its grand possessions
shall be developed.
The temperature is quite cool for
the tropics as the average of the low
lands is so degrees and in the high
lands the maximum is Il degrees. In
some parts of the coast it is not healthy
but in all other districts the climate is
very good.
There are over 500 miles of railroad
in operation in the country, the main
lines running one from Caracas to San
Carlos and one from Caracas TO Gala
bObO. The OrinOcO river and its trib-
utaries furnish the country better
means Of transportation than are TO be
found anywhere in South America save
on the Amazon and Platte, so that the
obstacles to development are not the
same that confront other South Ameri-
can countries. and many lines of steam
evs from New York and Europe connect
with the ports at the present time.
The people of the country are Of
Spanish descent. aside from the native
Indian. and the Spanish language is the
language of the republic They are in
telligent and very patriotic and have
made great progress in the last TWEEN
tv-fiye years in all the arts Of civiliza-
tion The religion of the republic Is
Catholic but other forms of worship are
tolerated. The republic has been dis
turbed and it's progress retarded no
doubt in recent years, like other South
American republics, by reason OF fire.
ment revolutions. and especially was
his tr,1e in 1892. but the present gov
eminent. republican in form, which
Americans would possibly think dicta-
toriol i'm form. seems to be a stable one
and the future. so far as the internal
affairs 90. seems bright. II mas VasC
resources and wealth and presents TO
the world a great field for commercial
agricultural and mining Industries