. The earth and its inhabitants ... inhabitants, it wasseveral times in communication with the Orinoco basin through the Cano Camburi,alternately an effluent and an affluent of the Lake of Valencia. This outlet hasfallen by erosion hand in hand with the lev<^l of the lake. LAKE OF VALENCIA. 99 Since tlie time when the Tacarigua drained to the Orinoco, it has frequently-changed its form and volume. In the middle of the sixteenth century, when theSpanish conquerors founded the city of Victoria, the margin stood, according toOviedo, only half a league farther east. But in 1800 Humboldt and Bon
. The earth and its inhabitants ... inhabitants, it wasseveral times in communication with the Orinoco basin through the Cano Camburi,alternately an effluent and an affluent of the Lake of Valencia. This outlet hasfallen by erosion hand in hand with the lev<^l of the lake. LAKE OF VALENCIA. 99 Since tlie time when the Tacarigua drained to the Orinoco, it has frequently-changed its form and volume. In the middle of the sixteenth century, when theSpanish conquerors founded the city of Victoria, the margin stood, according toOviedo, only half a league farther east. But in 1800 Humboldt and Bonplandfound the intervening space had increased to 2,700 toises, or about double thatdistance.* Since 1796 the gradual subsidence had exposed new islands, theNuevas Aparecidas, while a fortalice erected on Cabrera Island had becomeconnected by a strip of sand with the mainland. The inhabitants supposed thatthis gradual subsidence must be due to the opening of some underground channel, Fig 34.—Lake of 1 : 1,000, West oF Greenw cK 6730 0 to25Fathoms. Depths. 25 Fathomsand upwards. 25 Miles. a view not justified by the nature of the surrounding rocks. Humboldt attributedit to the destruction of the forests and the development of agriculture ; nor canthere be any doubt that the plantations now covering the slopes to a great heightround the encircling hills must absorb much water, which formerly escaped to thelacustrine basin. But the level again rose when the forests recovered a part oftheir old domain owing to the havoc caused by the War of Independence. Thenwith the return of peace and of peaceful pursuits the waters once more subsided,and in 1888 Valencia had retired 5 miles from the nearest point of the lake. Butalthough it has become very slightly brackish, there is no fear of its disappearing* The old Frencli toise was rather more than a fathom, 6-395 English feet. 100 SOUTH AMEEICA—THE ANDES EEGIONS. altogether, and sooner or later the balance cannot f
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectgeography, bookyear18
