The term El Dorado is commonly considered to have reference to the sovereignty teeming with precious metals, which had long been sought for in vain by Spanish adventurers. Their expeditions in quest of it were directed to the interior of the vast region lying between the Orinoco and the Amazon, or Guiana. The rocks were represented as impregnated with gold, the veins of which lay so near the surface as to make it shine with a dazzling resplendency. The capital, Manoa, was said to consist of houses covered with plates of gold, and to be built upon a vast lake, named Parima, the sands of which were auriferous. We abridge the following new version of this "romance of history," from a brilliant paper on the life and works of Raleigh, in the Edinburgh Review. The term El Dorado was not originally used to designate any particular place; it signified generally 'the gilded,' or 'golden,' and was variously applied. According to some, it was first used to denote a religious ceremony of the natives, in covering the anointed body with gold-dust. The whole of Guiana was, on account of the above usages, sometimes designated El Dorado; but the locality of the fable varied. The question, however, to be solved is, whence arose the belief With such elements to work upon, heated fancies, aided by the imperfect vision of distant and dubious objects, might easily create that fabulous superstructure. We may judge of the brilliancy of these deceptive appearances, from learning that the natives ascribed the lustre of the Magellanic clouds, or nebula of the southern hemisphere, to the bright reflections produced by them. There could not well be a more poetical exaggeration of the lustrous effects produced by the metallic hues of rocks of talc. These details, in which M. de Pons, a somewhat later traveller, who long resided in an official capacity in the neighbouring countries, fully concurs, in all probability point to the true origin of this remarkable fable. The well-known failure of Raleigh did not discourage other adventurers, who were found in quick succession; the last always flattering themselves with the hope that the discovery of El Dorado would ultimately be realized. |