Catalogue of Contributions Transmitted from British Guiana; To the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1867. Excerpt: ... PREFACE. The name "Guiana " is given to that portion of the continent of South America which lies between 8 deg. 40 min. North and 3 deg. 30 min. South; and 50 deg. and 68 deg. 30 min. West, an area calculated to contain 690,000 square miles: the coast line extending from the mouth of the Eiver Orinoco to that of the Eiver Amazon. It is divided into--1. Venezuelan Guiana, lying on both sides of the Orinoco and extending S. and S.W. to the River Negro and the Brazilian settlements. Its north-eastern boundary is at a point near the mouth of the River Earima, which empties itself at the confluence of the Orinoco. 2. British Guiana, extending from the Venezuelan line of division to the River Corentyn. 3. Dutch Guiana, or Surinam, extending from the River Coren tyn to the River Marawini in 54 deg. west long. 4. French Guiana, more commonly known as Cayenne, from the island on which the capital stands, extending from the River Marawini to near Cape North. 5. Brazilian Guiana, extending from the southern boundaries of French, Dutch, British, and part of Venezuelan Guiana, to the Rivers Amazon and Negro. The peculiarity of the hydrographic system of this vast territory is well worthy of note, for the River Orinoco sends a tributary stream to the River Negro, which flows into the Amazon, thus completing the circuit of water communication--in other words, to adopt the illustration employed by Sir Robert Schombueqk, a person getting into a canoe at Paramaribo, the capital of Dutch Guiana, might, by coasting to the west and ascending the Orinoco as far as the Cassiquiare, reach the River Negro, thence follow the Amazon to its mouth and return to Paramaribo by the coast of Cayenne, without the necessity of quitting his canoe. But the wonderful facilities possessed by ...