47 - Personal Narrative of Travels to America by Aime Bonpland

In Volume II of The Personal Narrative, Alexander von Humboldt and botanist Aimé Bonpland continue their explorations, beginning at Lake Valencia in Venezuela and traveling the mighty Orinoco River and its tributaries. For seventy-five days they journeyed by dugout canoe, guided by local Indigenous people and accompanied by a missionary. As in Volume I, von Humboldt describes the plants, animals, geography, geology, and peoples of the region. This volume includes his famous experiments with electric eels, and his observations of the arrau tortoise, river porpoises, crocodiles, jaguars, and carnivorous fish. He vividly captures the sights, sounds, and smells of the Orinoco basin while recounting the hardships of travel: “The inconveniences endured at sea in small vessels are trivial in comparison with those suffered under a burning sky, surrounded by swarms of mosquitos, and lying stretched in a canoe without the possibility of taking the least bodily exercise.” The expedition’s aims were to identify the Orinoco’s sources, establish its connection with the Amazon, and make astronomical measurements to improve existing maps, which were largely inaccurate at the time. Volume II recounts their travels from February 21 to June 14, 1800, concluding with their arrival at Angostura, capital of the province of Guiana.