Ocumare de la Costa is a very fine natural port. There Miranda and Bolívar landed with their troops to fight for independence, and at it, too, ten young Americans landed to join the Independent Army of Venezuela. All these youths were made prisoners by the Spaniards and executed. We saw the two beautiful monuments erected to their memory, one in Maracay and another in Puerto Cabello. Colonel Romero, Commander of the Port, entertained us at luncheon.
In the afternoon we drove back by the same road and had still time to visit Las Delicias, where there is a good zoological museum containing, among other animals, beautiful specimens of herons, which produce the famous aigrettes. It is to be noted that there is in Venezuela a very stringent law against the killing of herons or even against the plucking of their feathers. The aigrettes are to be obtained only in the places where the herons assemble and drop their feathers naturally, at certain periods of the year. In view of these facts it seems reasonable to suggest that our law prohibiting the importation of aigrettes should make an exception of feathers coming from Venezuela.
After spending a second night in Maracay, we left on Tuesday for a trip around Lake Valencia. We visited a cream and cheese factory where the most modern machinery is used in multiplying the products of the dairy industry. On our way we visited the town of Güigüe, where we were the object of the most courteous attention from General Romero Galván, who accompanied us to the great coffee plantation of El Trompillo, owned by the Pimentel family, two members of which, Don Antonio and Don Manuel, made our brief stay as pleasant as it was instructive.
From El Trompillo we proceeded to inspect a sugar plantation called Tacarigua, where the overseer in charge of the machinery explained to the students all the processes in the preparation of cane sugar. From Tacarigua we continued to Valencia, where we arrived in the afternoon, having had luncheon in a small town called Bucarito. Valencia has been called the most beautiful of tropical cities and, indeed, it deserves the distinction. From Valencia we continued around the lake until we arrived again in Maracay, after having once more admired the beauty and splendid condition of the Venezuelan automobile roads.
Our last night we spent in Maracay, and on Wednesday started back to Caracas. The return trip was made more slowly to enable us to stop at several historical places and hear the interesting explanations very kindly given by Dr. Manuel Segundo Sánchez, Director of the National Library, who was our kind and learned guide and friend throughout the trip. At San Mateo, we stopped and took several pictures of the house where Captain Ricaurte made the supreme sacrifice of his life for the independence of Venezuela. In La Victoria we visited several places of historic interest and had a picture taken of the statue of the heroic general Ribas. In Guayas we remained for over an hour resting. Late in the afternoon we arrived in Caracas delighted with our trip and warmly grateful both to the Minister of Public Instruction, to whose kindness we owed the valuable experience, and to Dr. Manuel Segundo Sánchez, to whom we owed most of the profit and pleasure derived from the expedition.
Recitations and research work continued as before until Thursday, July 29th, when we had the last formal class. It would be of interest to recount some of the minor activities of the members of the class if time and space would permit. For instance, several students were charged to keep a detailed and accurate thermometric and barometric record in order to demonstrate the fact that Caracas has a clearer and less oppressive climate in summer than any of the great cities of the north Atlantic seaboard of the United States. On Friday, the 30th, a written examination in Spanish was held from 9 to 11, and at 11 o'clock the students proceeded to the School of Social Sciences where our course was to terminate with a lecture delivered by Dr. Pedro Itriago Chacín, head of the diplomatic service of the government, professor of international law, and a well known internationalist of Venezuela. In the appendix of this report appears a translation of Dr. Itriago's address. At the close of the inspiring address of Dr. Itriago Chacín, a student in his course, Don Pedro La-Riva Vale, briefly expressed the sentiment of fraternal feelings of Venezuelan students for the Georgetown students. Some sentences from his remarks are not unworthy of quotation.
"Our satisfaction is greater when we turn our eyes to the pages of our diplomatic history, for we can not forget, if we are grateful, that North America, ever ready to foster noble ideas of Freedom, has always encouraged those who aspire to Liberty, with the same ardor which she inspired in the heart of her legionaries in the crusade for her freedom.
"At the time of our emancipation, following her own indications that Congress would duly receive the representatives of those who fought constantly to give us a free country, the United States on June 26, 1810, sent to the Supreme Council of Caracas Mr. Lowry, in the capacity of financial agent, who had the duties proper to a consular position although he was not received in this capacity because it was not allowed by the form of government existing at that time. In 1811, the two Houses manifested their sympathy and interest for the newly-born sovereignties; it was Democracy sanctioning the conquests of Liberty. Later, Scott was made Agent of Supplies, and Lowry, Consul in fact; and Congress voted credits to establish legations, thus sanctioning our introduction into the community of free countries. In 1824, commercial ties were established which, strengthened day by day, are the vital arteries giving force to the economic organism of our nationalities.