Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1896-01-02
value are in the Yururay district,
L.. I..., i..l. l.l.lin

the land that England is claiming.
Venezuela also has valuable mines
of silver lead, and particularly
copper. Much of the copper is eX-
ported to Europe, being a very high
grade. On the island of Pedernales
is u vast deposit of asphalt. which
is more liquid and more free from
earthly matter than that OF the
celebrated pitch lake OF Trinidad.
There are enormous deposits of rock
salt. which is mined with small
labor and expense.
Venezuela was the first part of the
American mainland sighted by Col
unbus. who during his third voyage
in 149S sailed along the coast OF the
delta of the OrinOcO. The name
Venezuela means ''little Venice"
The territory remained under Span
ish rule until 1871 when independence
was proclaimed. A war followed
and it was not until March 30, 1910,
that the independence OF the Re.
public was recognized by Spain in
H. lItdtN vi tofht' i''f' WV
-t@ntry ha+- been the scene of almost
innumerable revolutions and civil
wars The form OF government is a
Republic, and the constitution Is
modelled to- some extent on that OF
the United States. The president is
assisted by eight ministers and a
/ federal council, a body elected by the
( congress and consisting OF one sena-
! tor and one deputy for each OF the
political divisions of the Republic.
/ The congress consists of senate OF
/ twenty-four members, and cham
ber OF deputies oi fifty-two.
The population of Venezuela is
estimated at two and one-half mil
lions, only a very small proportion
OF whom are pure whites. The re-
mainder are negroes, Indians and
mixed races. Formerly the negroes
were all slaves, but slavery is not
now permitted. The Indians are
among the nakedest people on earth
They dwell in huts built of palm
. leaves. They are steadily retiring
: towards the head waters of the
. Orinoco, because of the harsh ant
: dishonest treatment To which they
are subjected by the whites. Eacl
family has it's little garden patch
: which is devoted chiefly to raising
the roots from which cassava il
made. They depend upon this roo
almost entirely for food, apart from
what they get by hunting and fish
ing. They gorge themselves will
: food sometimes to an extent Una
almost passes belief.
The Indians are OF small statue
i The women are fairly good-lookin;
[ and have excellent figures, but thei
!, comeliness is nearly always spoile'
y nv decayed teeth. Lapses of virtu
+ among them are rare. Matrimonia
I methods are extremely simple
= When young man and youn
. woman wish to marry they go I
housekeeping together and that
{ all of it. Their vitality is very low
/. they die from illnesses or wound
Il which to an Anglo-SaXon would
i insignificant.
The Indians of the OrinocO regiO
u belong to a number of distinct tribes
II Among the Caribs prevails a quee
a custom by which a strip of cotto
:. cloth is fastened around each ankl
% of every young female child. Simila
- bands are applied below the knees
)f These cotton bands are never r.
D. moved through life, or, if taken oi
are replaced Immediately. The col
IL sequence is that the muscles of I'll
"A calf swell out i'm an abnormal mann,
,d between the bands, while the col
in stricted parts of the leg RENAL
hardly thicker than the actual bon
The Carib women pierce holes
III their lower lips, through each
Ii which they pass, point outward,
fa pin or a sharpened piece of WOO
The effect Is that the lips are pr
tected by dangerous-looking ro
e. of spikes. Fortunately, kissing
" unknown among these people.
of Among the Indians of this regit
prevails the strange custom OF Il
ee ..conyade," in accordance with whi'
ns the father of newborn child TAX
OF TO his bed and abstains from mea
es from smoking and from washiI
himself for many days, during whi
II, he is nursed by the woman. Mea
an while the savage mother, sufferil
40 ONLY slightly from the trial of mate
a nity. gets up almost immediate
and goes about her business. 1t
op believed that if the father infring
Dn any of the rules of the ''conyad
he the child will suffer. II he ate strol
"a food, smoked or handled weapo
w the result to the baby would he [
II same as if the latter ate such foo
ut smoked or played with edged too
nd Anaconda Standard.