VENEZUELA'S COAST.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 180, 23 October 1903, Page 7

VENEZUELA'S COAST.

Natural and Artificial Characteristics About £a Guayra. ■' ! """ " .'"■•■ '""' •'■■■■■•.-:■■. _ - • j •. A Point of World-Wide. Interest Be. 1 Ciwwe M[ Recent. International Troublew-Surroßiiaing Conn- x try And. Feature*. ■ t '■'■.',■ . — — — — The recent state of Venezuelan affairs in connection. with~ the attempt * on ..the part of England and Germany to force the immediate payment^ of certain financial obligations, and the fact that this country is more or les*s concerned in these events through the application of the Monroe doctrine to possible complications of the .situation, has aroused general interest to such an extent that, a description of the natural and artificial characteristics of that portion of the country near the scene of operations. may be of interest, says the Chicago Tribune. Near La Guayra, the port of entry to Caracas, the coast is high and rugged, the mountains rising nearly perpendicular, their bases washed by the blue waters of the Caribbean sea, their summits capped by huge masses of billowy cloudg. The t own of La Guayra is on the eastern side of a small bay, the natural outlines of which have been extended and improved by means of a stone brenlcv.ater and quay, which stretches due west from the eastern extremity of the bay. The buildings of the town are mostly one-story in height, built of suitdried brick, plastered outside and painted white or light yellow, and the roofs are of red, sun-baked tiles. Back of the town, to the south and east, ris? the steep mountain sides, on a spur of which stands the little fortification of Lavigia, which is reached by a narrow path partly henvn out of the solid rock. ; This fort is practically V sole defense of the town, and, as a defense, is of little or no value, as its guns are old and its walls of such a nature that they would rapidly crumble under a well-directed fire of modern rifles. A landing, therefore, could be easily made even against a strong opposition when effected under cover of warships, which, on account of the great depth of water well in shore, can stand close in. On the southern side of the bay the mountains recede from the shore, forming on the west a somewhat extensive and very fertile area of flat land. Eastof LaGuayrathemountain bases are nearer the shore, with here and there a small patch of land sufficiently level to admit of cultivation. A short and very primitive railroad runs along -the shore close to the water, to the little watering place called Macuto, a distance of about four miles from La Guayra. The distance from La Guayra to Caracas in an air line is seven miles, but owing to the elevation of the latter crty (3,000 feet), the distance by rail is about 25 miles. . The railroad is the property of an I English syndicate, and was opened for traffic in 1883. It is well constructed, and required great engineering skill to surmount the natural difficulties of the route. From La Guayra the road runs west through the little suburb of Cardonal, aji-d then, turning south and east, it ascends, by means of a steel viaduct, to its artificial ledge on the side of the mountains, and thereafter following the twists and turns of their precipitous sidles, passing through three or four short tunnels and over 18 steel bridges, ascending 3,200 feet in a distance of 222 miles and then descending 200 f6et into the valley^ of the Guayra river, in which Caracas is situated. The nature of the country along this route is such that a comparatively small number of men could successfully oppose a vastly superior invading force. Inability to Deafne-as. A French surgeon says that men are more subject to aural diseases than women and that out of every seven middle-Sged persons there are two who do not hear as well with one ear as with the other. In every thousand children under 15 years of age four show symptoms of some ear diseases and six a n '.irked deficiency in hearing power. The liability to disease increases from birth to the age of 40 and then begins gradually to .decrease as old age advances. Out of the total number of cases subjected to surgical treatment, it is estimated that about 53 per cent, are cured and 30 per cent, permanently relieved.-^-Chicago Chronicle. Qneeh's Pei P&vvot. The late queen of the Belgians used to have a favorite parrot. When it first arri-ved at court, some two or three years ago, it horrified the courtiers by shrieking out such treasonable expressions as "Down with the pasteboard king!" and "Vive la republique!" Poor Poll was sentenced to death by 1 strangulation b£ the indignant lords in waiting, but the queen intervened and set herself ,to teach the parrot to cry "Vive le roi ! " and other local phrases. Her lessons were soon successful, and the bird became as entirely royalist as it had • previously been republican.— Chicago Post. _ li#W YoTlt'a' Merchant*' Exchange. As early as 1670 there was a Mer- ' chants' exchange in New York. It was founded by Col. Hichard N/icolls, ■who was governor of the province, of New York at the time. The, shopkeepers met at the ringing of the Staat Huys bell on Friday evenings for the purpose, of iexchange and barter. At these meetings the mayor presided, | ~£fevQLsad Leader.